p38 MAPK Inhibition Improves Synaptic Plasticity and Memory in Angiotensin II-dependent Hypertensive Mice.

The pathogenesis of hypertension-related cognitive impairment has not been sufficiently clarified, new molecular targets are needed. p38 MAPK pathway plays an important role in hypertensive target organ damage. Activated p38 MAPK was seen in AD brain tissue. In this study, we found that long-term potentiation (LTP) of hippocampal CA1 was decreased, the density of the dendritic spines on the CA1 pyramidal cells was reduced, the p-p38 protein expression in hippocampus was elevated, and cognitive function was impaired in angiotensin II-dependent hypertensive C57BL/6 mice. In vivo, using a p38 heterozygous knockdown mice (p38(KI/+)) model, we showed that knockdown of p38 MAPK in hippocampus leads to the improvement of cognitive function and hippocampal synaptic plasticity in angiotensin II-dependent p38(KI/+) hypertensive mice. In vitro, LTP was improved in hippocampal slices from C57BL/6 hypertensive mice by treatment with p38MAPK inhibitor SKF86002. Our data demonstrated that p38 MAPK may be a potential therapeutic target for hypertension-related cognitive dysfunction.

Effects of diagnosis-related group payment on health-care provider behaviors: A consecutive three-period study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of diagnosis-related group (DRG) payments on health-care providers' behavior and the potential best course of action to make a profit under a DRG payment mechanism. METHODS: This is a natural experiment study with a tertiary hospital-based dataset. Under a consecutive three-period (3 years) or 12-period (12 seasons) design, length of stay, medical cost with detailed items, the percentage of general anesthesia (GA), and the percentage of receiving additional operations were compared. Furthermore, the differences between negative- and positive-profit groups were also examined. RESULTS: There was no difference in the length of stay and total medical cost after the launch of the DRG payment scheme. However, the percentage of additional operations increased significantly. In addition, there were reduced costs of radiological images and medication, a reduced percentage of GA, fewer patients undergoing additional operations, and a higher rate of complications or comorbidities in the "positive-profit group." CONCLUSION: The introduction of DRG payment resulted in significantly reduced examination fee, slightly decreased medical costs without significant difference in several detailed items, a reduced number of GA cases without statistical significance, and more patients receiving additional operations. The possible solution to make a profit under the DRG payment scheme is to curtail the costs of radiological images and medication, lower GA percentage, perform fewer additional operations, and correct recording of complications or comorbidities.