Serum Levels of Hcy, sST2 and CA-125 in CHF Patients and Their Correlation with Cardiac Function Classification.

BACKGROUND: The relationships between serum levels of homocysteine (Hcy), soluble stromelysin 2 (sST2), and tumor-associated cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) and heart failure requires further investigation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the levels of Hcy, sST2 and CA-125 in patients with congestive heart failure and to correlate these with cardiac function, thereby providing a reference for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of heart failure. METHODS: Seventy patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) diagnosed between August 2020 and July 2022 were classified into heart failure groups II (n = 25), III (n = 23) and IV (n = 22). Seventy individuals with normal physical examination results were selected as the healthy group. Serum Hcy, sST2 and CA-125 levels for all participants were evaluated and correlated with each other and with cardiac function classification. The diagnostic value of individual Hcy, sST2, CA-125 levels for CHF was evaluated, as well as a combination of these factors. RESULTS: Hcy, sST2, and CA-125 levels were lower in the healthy group than in the heart failure group. Moreover, a progressive increase in Hcy, sST2, and CA-125 levels were observed in heart failure groups II, III, and IV. Individual Hcy, sST2 and CA-125 levels, as well as a combination of these factors, were significantly correlated with cardiac function classification (p < 0.05). Hcy, sST2 and CA-125 levels each showed diagnostic value for CHF, with the three combined having the best diagnostic value. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormally high levels of Hcy, sST2 and CA-125 occur in CHF patients and are positively correlated with cardiac function classification. Individual levels of these factors, and particularly a combination of the three, show good sensitivity and specificity for CHF diagnosis that could be widely used in clinical practice.

[Cost-effectiveness analysis of Chaiyin Granules in treatment of influenza].

This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Chaiyin Granules compared with Oseltamivir Phosphate Capsules in the treatment of influenza(exogenous wind-heat syndrome). Based on a randomized, double-blind, positive drug parallel control clinical trial, this study evaluated the pharmacoeconomics of Chaiyin Granules with cost-effectiveness analysis method. A total of 116 patients with influenza from eight hospitals(grade Ⅱ level A above) in 6 cities were selected in this study, including 78 cases in the experimental group with Chaiyin Granules and Oseltamivir Phosphate Capsules placebo, and 38 cases in the control group with Oseltamivir Phosphate Capsules and Chaiyin Granules placebo. The total cost of this study included direct medical cost, direct non-medical cost, and indirect cost. The remission time of clinical symptoms, cure time/cure rate, antipyretic onset time/complete antipyretic time, viral nucleic acid negative rate, and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) syndrome curative effect were selected as the effect indicators for cost-effectiveness analysis. Four-quadrant diagram was used to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. The results showed that Chaiyin Granules were not inferior to Oseltamivir Phosphate Capsules in the remission time of clinical symptoms of influenza(3.1 d vs 2.9 d, P=0.360, non-inferiority margin was 0.5 d). Compared with Oseltamivir Phosphate Capsules, Chaiyin Granules would delay the remission time of clinic symptoms of influenza for 1 d, but could save 213.9 yuan. 1 d delay in cure time could save 149.3 yuan; 1% reduction in the cure rate could save 8.2 yuan; 1 d delay in antipyretic onset time could save 295.4 yuan; 1 d delay in complete antipyretic time could save 114.3 yuan; 1% reduction in the 5-day cure rate of TCM syndrome could save 19.2 yuan. Different from other indicators, there was no statistically significant difference between two groups in the effect of negative conversion rate of viral nucleic acid, but the cost was lower and the effect was superior, and the pharmacoeconomics was not different from that of Oseltamivir Phosphate Capsules in the field of influenza treatment.