A systematic review on reporting quality of economic evaluations for negotiated glucose-lowering drugs in China national reimbursement drug list.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the reporting quality of existing economic evaluations for negotiated glucose-lowering drugs (GLDs) included in China National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) using the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards 2013 (CHEERS 2013). METHODS: We performed a systematic literature research through 7 databases to identify published economic evaluations for GLDs included in the China NRDL up to March 2021. Reporting quality of identified studies was assessed by two independent reviewers based on the CHEERS checklist. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test were performed to examine the association between reporting quality and characteristics of the identified studies. RESULTS: We have identified 24 studies, which evaluated six GLDs types. The average score rate of the included studies was 77.41% (SD:13.23%, Range 47.62%-91.67%). Among all the required reporting items, characterizing heterogeneity (score rate = 4.17%) was the least satisfied item. Among six parts of CHEERS, results part scored least at 0.55 (score rate = 54.79%) because of the incompleteness of characterizing uncertainty. Results from the Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test showed that model choice, journal type, type of economic evaluations, and study perspective were associated with the reporting quality of the studies. CONCLUSIONS: There remains room to improve the reporting quality of economic evaluations for GLDs in NRDL. Checklists such as CHEERS should be widely used to improve the reporting quality of economic researches in China.

EML4-ALK fusions drive lung adeno-to-squamous transition through JAK-STAT activation.

Human lung adenosquamous cell carcinoma (LUAS), containing both adenomatous and squamous pathologies, exhibits strong cancer plasticity. We find that ALK rearrangement is detectable in 5.1-7.5% of human LUAS, and transgenic expression of EML4-ALK drives lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) formation initially and squamous transition at late stage. We identify club cells as the main cell-of-origin for squamous transition. Through recapitulating lineage transition in organoid system, we identify JAK-STAT signaling, activated by EML4-ALK phase separation, significantly promotes squamous transition. Integrative study with scRNA-seq and immunostaining identify a plastic cell subpopulation in ALK-rearranged human LUAD showing squamous biomarker expression. Moreover, those relapsed ALK-rearranged LUAD show notable upregulation of squamous biomarkers. Consistently, mouse squamous tumors or LUAD with squamous signature display certain resistance to ALK inhibitor, which can be overcome by combined JAK1/2 inhibitor treatment. This study uncovers strong plasticity of ALK-rearranged tumors in orchestrating phenotypic transition and drug resistance and proposes a potentially effective therapeutic strategy.

Effect of gap size on the regeneration in Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation.

We conducted a survey on seedlings (height <1 m) and saplings (height ≥1 m, diameter at breast height <5 cm) in 20 gaps of Larix principis-rupprechtii plantations on Guandi Mountains, Shanxi to analyze regene-ration density, growth indicators, and spatial distribution of L. principis-rupprechtii seedlings and saplings under four gap sizes (<60 m2, 60-120 m2, 120-180 m2, and ≥180 m2). The results showed that growth indicators (ground diameter, height) of seedlings and saplings and regeneration density of seedlings were highest in small gaps (14-60 m2). The sapling regeneration density was highest in medium gaps (60-120 m2), and sapling density exceeded seedling density in each size category. L. principis-rupprechtii seedlings and saplings exhibited favorable regeneration in small and medium gaps, while large gaps (120-180 m2) and extra-large gaps (≥180 m2) were unfavorable for L. principis-rupprechtii regeneration. L. principis-rupprechtii seedlings and saplings were mainly distributed within the canopy projection area and along the edge of canopy gap area. Controlling gap size within the range of 14-120 m2 through artificial interventions, such as planting and thinning, could promote the regeneration of L. principis-rupprechtii.

Breast-conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer and their correlation with the expression of polyligand proteoglycan-1.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a malignant tumor with an unclear etiology and is the most common malignant tumor in women. Surgery is the main clinical treatment for breast cancer. Although traditional total mastectomy combined with axillary lymph node dissection is effective, it can result in shoulder dysfunction, especially in middle-aged and elderly patients with breast cancer with weak constitution and other underlying diseases. Furthermore, the postoperative quality of life is poor. AIM: To assess breast-conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer treatment and their correlation with polyligand proteoglycan-1. METHODS: Overall, 80 patients with breast cancer treated in our hospital from January 2021 to July 2021 were retrospectively selected and divided into an observation group (n = 44) and control group (n = 36) according to the treatment plan. The observation group was treated with breast-conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy, and the control group was treated with total breast resection. Simultaneously, immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of syndecan-1 (SDC-1) in the lesions, and its relationship with clinicopathological findings was analyzed. RESULTS: Intraoperative blood loss, operation time, and hospital stay in the observation group were 65.51 ± 9.94 mL, 65.59 ± 9.40 min, and 14.80 ± 3.03 d, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications in the observation group was 11.36%, which was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The positive expression rate of SDC-1 in the observation group was 25.00%, and there was no significant difference between the groups (P > 0.05). The positive expression rate of SDC-1 in patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage II was 14.29%, which was significantly lower than that in patients with AJCC stage I (P < 0.05). The positive expression of SDC-1 had no significant relationship with age, course of disease, site, tissue type, and treatment plan (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Breast preservation surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy for breast cancer treatment have fewer complications and quicker recovery than those treated with total breast resection. Low SDC-1 expression in breast cancer lesions is related to AJCC staging.