Taxonomic notes on the Chinese endemic genus Straneostichus Sciaky, 1994 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini), with descriptions of three new species.

A total of eleven species and two subspecies are recognized within the Chinese endemic genus Straneostichus Sciaky, 1994 (Carabidae: Pterostichini), including three new species described in the present paper: Straneostichus politus sp. nov. (Sichuan: Wolong), Straneostichus liupanensis sp. nov. (Ningxia: Liupanshan) and Straneostichus ganqingensis sp. nov. (Qinghai: Mengda and Gansu: Dangchang). Taxonomical notes and new distribution records for all the known species are provided, along with an updated key to the species of Straneostichus.

Healthcare needs, experiences and treatment burden in primary care patients with multimorbidity: An evaluation of process of care from patients' perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Patients with multimorbidity often experience treatment burden as a result of fragmented, specialist-driven healthcare. The 'family doctor team' is an emerging service model in China to address the increasing need for high-quality routine primary care. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the extent to which treatment burden was associated with healthcare needs and patients' experiences. METHODS: Multisite surveys were conducted in primary care facilities in Guangdong province, southern China. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from patients (N = 2160) who had ≥2 clinically diagnosed long-term conditions (multimorbidity) and had ≥1 clinical encounter in the past 12 months since enrolment registration with the family doctor team. Patients' experiences and treatment burden were measured using a previously validated Chinese version of the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT) and the Treatment Burden Questionnaire, respectively. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 61.4 years, and slightly over half were females. Patients who had a family doctor team as the primary source of care reported significantly higher PCAT scores (mean difference 7.2 points, p < .001) and lower treatment burden scores (mean difference -6.4 points, p < .001) when compared to those who often bypassed primary care. Greater healthcare needs were significantly correlated with increased treatment burden (ß-coefficient 1.965, p < .001), whilst better patients' experiences were associated with lower treatment burden (ß-coefficient -0.252, p < .001) after adjusting for confounders. CONCLUSION: The inverse association between patients' experiences and treatment burden supports the importance of primary care in managing patients with multimorbidity. PATIENT CONTRIBUTION: Primary care service users were involved in the instrument development and data collection.

Association between Systolic Blood Pressure and Diabetic Retinopathy in Both Hypertensive and Normotensive Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Risk Factors and Healthcare Implications.

A common diabetes-related microvascular complication is diabetic retinopathy (DR), yet associations between blood pressure (BP) and risks for DR in diabetic patients with normal BP received inadequate attention. This may lead to 'clinical inertia' in early DR prevention. We aimed to assess whether the extent to which systolic BP levels were associated with DR in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and normal BP were similar to that in those with concurrent hypertension. Data were collected from patients with T2DM attending ophthalmic check-up with primary care referral (n = 2510). BP measurements, clinical laboratory tests, and dilated fundus examination were conducted according to gold standard of diagnosis and routine clinical procedure. Of all subjects, over 40% were normotensive and one fifth were clinically diagnosed with DR. Systolic BP levels increased across DR categories of escalated severity irrespective of the coexistence of hypertension. Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed that an increased systolic BP was independently and significantly associated with DR (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.020, p < 0.001 for hypertensives; aOR = 1.019, p = 0.018 for normotensives), after adjusting for diabetes duration, sex, lifestyles, and haemoglobin A1c levels. Regular monitoring of systolic BP should not be neglected in routine diabetes management even when BP falls within the normal range. (200 words).