Objective To investigate the influence of including HIV/AIDS patients on the consolidated fund under the New Cooperative Medical System (NCMS). Methods Designed questionnaires were used to investigate 24 HIV/AIDS patients and 1155 randomized sample of the population to compare their income, requirement for public health service, expenditure of medical care and to analyze the influence of including HIV/AIDS patients. Results We found the income of HIV/AIDS patients was lower than healthy population in 2003 (722 vs. 2 162 RMB) ; but the requirement (outpatient:2 :1, inpatient:5 :1 )and expenditure of medical care was higher in HIV/AIDS patients. Including HIV/ AIDS patients into NCMS would cause an adverse-effect on consolidated fund. When more than 293 HIV/AIDS patients were included, it would be beyond what the consolidated fund can afford. Conclusions Including HIV/AIDS patients into NCMS can decrease the HIV/AIDS expenditure to some degree. But the government still needs to get involved to share risks and to establish an HIV/AIDS fund to cover that part which NCMS could not afford.
Resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is prone to recurrence and metastasis after simple surgery. Although patients can benefit from preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, the 5-year survival rate is not significantly improved. In recent years, with the rise of immunotherapy, NSCLC immunotherapy has gradually received attention. Many explorations have been made on resectable NSCLC immunotherapy, and satisfactory results have been obtained. With the release of multiple phase 3 research results, a new chapter in resectable NSCLC immunotherapy has officially opened. However, there are still many problems in the immunotherapy of resectable NSCLC. This article reviews the current relevant research and provides reference for clinical application.
Objective To explore the predictive value of peripheral blood cells in the efficacy of neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (clinical stages Ⅱ-Ⅳa) who underwent neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College from April 2020 to November 2023. According to whether the pathology was completely relieved after treatment, patients were divided into a pathological complete remission group and a pathological incomplete remission group. According to the CAP criteria for tumor pathological regression grading after neoadjuvant therapy, patients were divided into groups (TRG=0, 1 defined as good efficacy, TRG=2, 3 defined as poor efficacy). Results A total of 92 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were included, including 72 males and 20 females. The average age was 65.86±7.66 years. The complete remission of pathology was closely related to the number of lymphocytes in the blood before treatment (P=0.019). The AUC for predicting complete remission of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy was 0.678, the maximum Yoden index was 0.328, and the optimal cutoff value was 1.845. The incidence of postoperative pulmonary infection in the group with incomplete pathological remission (25% vs. 5.6%, P=0.030) was higher than that in the group with complete pathological remission. According to the optimal cutoff value classification, there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) in the pathological N stage and pathological TNM stage between the two groups. The efficacy response was closely related to the number of red blood cells in the blood before treatment (P=0.009). The AUC for predicting TRG response after neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was 0.669, the maximum Yoden index was 0.385, and the optimal cutoff value was 4.235. There were significant differences in postoperative pathological T staging (P=0.000), N staging (P=0.041), and TNM staging (P=0.000). According to the optimal cutoff value classification, there was a statistically significant difference in age (P=0.000) and hypertension (P=0.022) between the two groups. Conclusion Before neoadjuvant therapy, lymphocyte absolute value≥1.845 and red blood cell count<4.235 have good predictive effects on pathological complete remission and pathological response of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma after neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy.
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) have become one of the cutting-edge technologies in the world, and have been mainly applicated in medicine. In this article, we sorted out the development history and important scenarios of BCIs in medical application, analyzed the research progress, technology development, clinical transformation and product market through qualitative and quantitative analysis, and looked forward to the future trends. The results showed that the research hotspots included the processing and interpretation of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, the development and application of machine learning algorithms, and the detection and treatment of neurological diseases. The technological key points included hardware development such as new electrodes, software development such as algorithms for EEG signal processing, and various medical applications such as rehabilitation and training in stroke patients. Currently, several invasive and non-invasive BCIs are in research. The R&D level of BCIs in China and the United State is leading the world, and have approved a number of non-invasive BCIs. In the future, BCIs will be applied to a wider range of medical fields. Related products will develop shift from a single mode to a combined mode. EEG signal acquisition devices will be miniaturized and wireless. The information flow and interaction between brain and machine will give birth to brain-machine fusion intelligence. Last but not least, the safety and ethical issues of BCIs will be taken seriously, and the relevant regulations and standards will be further improved.