Objective To get known about the disease burden and quality of life (QOL) of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China by conducting a systematic review. Methods The observational studies about the disease burden and QOL of RA in China were systematically searched in the following databases: CNKI, CBM, VIP, WanFang Data, MEDLINE/Pub Med, EMbase, and Science Citation Index. The retrieval time was from January 1st, 1990 to July 31st, 2010. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the literature was screened, the data were extracted, and the methodological quality of the included studies was assessed. The morbidity of RA was pooled by adopting generic inverse variance model, the meta-analyses on 8 dimensions of SF-36 life quality score (LQS) was conducted by suing RevMan5.0 software, the weighted mean difference (WMD) was regarded as the indicator of intervention effect, and the impact of studies’ quality on the results was assessed by sensitivity analysis. Results A total of 20 studies with medium quality in general were included. The morbidity of RA was 14.7/100 000. The disability adjusted of life years (DALYs) per capita were 4.92. If excluding the cost resulted from DALY, the overall economic cost was RMB 1 250.45 yuan per capita per year; While considering DALY, the cost was RMB 15 717.91 yuan per capita per year. The average cost of outpatient medications was RMB 8 018±17 238 yuan per capita per year. The weighted morbidity was 0.42% (95%CI 0.39% to 0.45%), and it was higher in female than male (Plt;0.05). There was no secular trend and difference between southern and northern (Pgt;0.05), but there were statistical significances in the WMD of 8 dimensions of SF-36 LQS. Sensitivity analyses revealed that the weighted pooled results were stable. Conclusion The epidemiological and economic burden of rheumatoid arthritis are heavier in China, which needs to be concerned by both government and society.
Objective To assess the potential of ciprofloxacin to induce arthropathy in children and provide evidence for clinical practice. Methods We searched MEDLINE(1985- March 2006), The Cochrane Library (Issue 1,2006), EMBASE(1985 to March 2006) and CBMdisk(1990 to March 2006) for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving the safety of ciprofloxacin in pediatrics. We assessed the methodological quality of the studies identified. RevMan 4.2 was used for meta-analysis. Results Seven RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Compared with the control group, the combined rate of arthralgia did not increase compared to ciprofloxacin. The relative risk was 0.98, 95% confidence interval 0.65 to 1.48. No studies reported joint pathology and cartilage lesions on radiographic imaging, ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging in the pediatric population. Conclusion Based on the results of the review and the meta-analysis, there is no evidence that using ciprofloxacin in the pediatric population is associated with clinical arthropathy. Further well-designed clinical studies should be performed to assess the long-term consequences of the use of ciprofloxacin in children.
Objective Through the analysis of hospital costs of 16 866 cases of patients with lung cancer in Sichuan Province, in oder to find the main influencing factors of hospital costs of patients with lung cancer, and to provide references for reducing the hospital costs of patients with lung cancer. Methods We selected information of in-patients with lung cancer in 6 hospitals in Sichuan province from January 2008 to December 2011 based on full consideration into the local economic levels geographics distribution of different regions in Sichuan province. Then we extracted baseline data, hospitalization data and costs, and then analysis on relevant influencing factors was performed using single factor analysis of variance and multiple stepwise regression analysis. Results A total of 16 918 cases are chosen, of which, 16 866 were effective for further analysis. The results of statistical analysis showed that, the cost of western medicine accounted for the most of the average of the total hospital costs (50.79%) , followed by the cost of diagnosis and treatment (40.79%). The reuslts of multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that, the top three factors influencing hospital costs most included hospital stay, operation, and regions. Conclusion Facing daily increasing costs of hospital costs of lung cancer, effectively reducing drug expenses of patients could be a breakthrough. We could ultimately reduce the hospital costs of patients with lung cancer as well as the the economic burden of patients and society, by strengthening hospital management, shortening hospital stay, and rationally regulating drug use.