Competition Among Pharmacies as a Determinant of Drug Expenditures.

This study explored and compared the associations between pharmacy competition and drug expenditures by individuals with influenza. This study used a dataset consisting of 6 694 534 individuals who purchased drugs for influenza at pharmacies from 2015 to 2019 in China. Patients' annual average influenza-specific drug expenditures per visit at pharmacies was the outcome variable of interest.

Effects and Related Mechanisms of Allelopathy of 's Pollens on Corn Pollens, Stigmas, and Yield.

, a worldwide malignant invasive weed, can inhibit corn seed germination, seedling growth, and yield through allelopathy. However, it is unclear whether it can inhibit activities of corn pollens and stigmas and, thus, decrease corn yield through allelopathy. Here, we studied the allelopathic effects and related mechanisms of 's pollens on corn pollens, stigmas, and yield.

Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of electronic monitors to improve adherence and health outcomes in patients with tuberculosis: a systematic review.

Tuberculosis remains a public health concern, and electronic monitors show promise in improving treatment adherence and health outcomes among patients with tuberculosis. This Review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the implementation barriers and facilitators of electronic monitors for patients with tuberculosis, by use of an implementation science framework. A literature search was done across Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Global Health databases from their inception to April 25, 2024.

Insights into the variations in microbial community structure during the development of periodontitis and its pathogenesis.

Objective: To characterize the subgingival microbiota in subjects with stage I/II periodontitis (moderate periodontitis, MP), stage III/IV periodontitis (severe periodontitis, SP), and periodontal health (PH) at the same probing depth (PD) (shallow ≤ 3 mm, moderate 4-6 mm, or deep ≥ 7 mm), and to investigate the changes associated with probing depth progression.

Materials And Methods: 100 subgingival plaque samples were collected from 50 subjects (16 MP, 17 SP and 17 PH), forming six groups: PHS (PH, shallow), MPS (MP, shallow), MPM (MP, moderate), SPS (SP, shallow), SPM (SP, moderate), and SPD (SP, deep). Samples were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing.

Vaccine equity implementation: exploring factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine delivery in the Philippines from an equity lens.

Background: During the early phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, low and middle-income countries (LMICs) were facing challenges in achieving equitable vaccine delivery. Few studies have contextualized global vaccine distributive injustice into national-specific contexts to understand its impact on vaccine delivery from an equity perspective. We aimed to investigate factors influencing equitable COVID-19 vaccine delivery in the Philippines and to provide recommendations to enhance equitable vaccine delivery in LMICs to prepare for future health emergencies.

Single cell analysis of Idh mutant growth plates identifies cell populations responsible for longitudinal bone growth and enchondroma formation.

Enchondromas are a common tumor in bone that can occur as multiple lesions in enchondromatosis, which is associated with deformity of the affected bone. These lesions harbor somatic mutations in IDH and driving expression of a mutant Idh1 in Col2 expressing cells in mice causes an enchondromatosis phenotype. Here we compared growth plates from E18.

Strong adsorption FeNC catalytic cathode for 50,000 cycles aqueous zinc-iodine batteries.

Aqueous zinc-iodine batteries have garnered increasing attention due to their low cost and high safety. However, their practical application is impeded by sluggish iodine redox reaction kinetics and the "shuttle effect" of polyiodides, which result in poor rate performance and limited cycled life. Here, we developed N-doped porous carbon fiber derived from Prussian blue and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as a self-supporting cathode material for zinc-iodine batteries.

Two-dimensional direct Z-scheme AlN/GaS-SiP heterojunctions enhance photocatalytic hydrogen production from water: a DFT study.

Photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen production offers a feasible solution to the problems of energy shortages and environmental pollution. However, its low photocatalytic efficiency limits the application of this technology in real world scenarios. In this study, a two-dimensional AlN/PSi-GaS-I van der Waals heterojunction is constructed and the properties of water photolysis are studied based on first-principles calculations.

RGB-T Tracking with Template-Bridged Search Interaction and Target-Preserved Template Updating.

The goal of RGB-Thermal (RGB-T) tracking is to utilize the synergistic and complementary strengths of RGB and TIR modalities to enhance tracking in diverse situations, with cross-modal interaction being a crucial element. Earlier methods often simply combine the features of the RGB and TIR search frames, leading to a coarse interaction that also introduced unnecessary background noise. Many other approaches sample candidate boxes from search frames and apply different fusion techniques to individual pairs of RGB and TIR boxes, which confines cross-modal interactions to local areas and results in insufficient context modeling.

The relationship between influenza vaccine hesitancy and vaccine literacy among youth and adults in China.

Objectives: The present study aimed to assess influenza vaccine hesitancy and vaccine literacy levels among youth and adults in China, as well as the association between them.

Methods: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in Mainland China. Participants' total vaccine literacy and three sub-dimension vaccine literacy (knowledge literacy, competence literacy, and decision-making literacy) were assessed by a validated vaccine literacy scale.

Prediction of two-dimensional CN semiconductors with outstanding stability, moderate band gaps, and high carrier mobility.

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors with suitable band gaps, high carrier mobility, and environmental stability are crucial for applications in the next generation of electronics and optoelectronics. However, current candidate materials each have one or more issues. In this work, two novel CN monolayers, P-CN and I-CN are proposed by first-principles calculations.

Association between Vitamin D Deficiency and Prediabetes Phenotypes: A Population-Based Study in Henan, China.

The evidence remains inconsistent regarding whether vitamin D deficiency (VDD) increases the risk of prediabetes. This study aimed to examine whether there is sex-specific association between VDD and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in Henan. The data were sourced from the survey of chronic diseases and nutrition in Henan.

Coarse particulate air pollution and mortality in a multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cohort.

Rationale: The association between ambient coarse particulate matter (PM) and mortality in multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients has not yet been studied. The modifying effects of temperature and humidity on this association are completely unknown.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of long-term PM exposures, and their modifications by temperature and humidity on mortality among MDR-TB patients.

Does hospital competition improve the quality of outpatient care? - empirical evidence from a quasi-experiment in a Chinese city.

Background: Although countries worldwide have launched a series of pro-competition reforms, the literature on the impacts of hospital competition has produced a complex and contradictory picture. This study examined whether hospital competition contributed to an increase in the quality of outpatient care.

Methods: The dataset comprises encounter data on 406,664 outpatients with influenza between 2015 and 2019 in China.

The clinical features and prognostic factors of miliary tuberculosis in a high tuberculosis burden area.

Background: Miliary Tuberculosis (TB) remains an important infectious disease that threatens human health. The clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of miliary TB are summarized in this study.

Methods: The clinical information of miliary TB patients between 2010 and 2022 was retrospectively analyzed.

List prices and clinical value of anticancer drugs in China, Japan, and South Korea: a retrospective comparative study.

Background: High prices of anticancer drugs have raised concerns due to their financial impact on patients and healthcare systems. This study aimed to assess the initial and latest list prices and clinical value of reimbursed anticancer drugs in China, Japan, and South Korea.

Methods: We identified anticancer drugs newly approved by the National Medical Products Administration of China from January 2012 to June 2022, and by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency of Japan and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety of South Korea up until June 2022.

Exploring opportunities to strengthen rural tuberculosis health service delivery: a qualitative study with health workers in Tibet autonomous region, China.

Objectives: This qualitative study aimed to explore opportunities to strengthen tuberculosis (TB) health service delivery from the perspectives of health workers providing TB care in Shigatse prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region, China.

Design: Qualitative research, semi-structured in-depth interviews.

Setting: The TB care ecosystem in Shigatse, including primary and community care.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of Tuberculosis and COVID-19 Co-infection: Prevalence, fatality, and treatment considerations.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 co-infection poses a significant global health challenge with increased fatality rates and adverse outcomes. However, the existing evidence on the epidemiology and treatment of TB-COVID co-infection remains limited.

Methods: This updated systematic review aimed to investigate the prevalence, fatality rates, and treatment outcomes of TB-COVID co-infection.

Semimetallic state transition in Two-Dimensional carbon nitride covalent networks and enhanced electrocatalytic activity for nitrate to ammonia conversion.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs), due to their maximum atomic utilization rate, show tremendous potential for application in the electrocatalytic synthesis of ammonia from nitrate. Yet, the development of superior supports that preserve the high selectivity, activity, and stability of SACs remains an imperative challenge. In this work, based on first-principles calculations and tight-binding (TB) model analysis, a new two-dimensional (2D) carbon nitride monolayer, CN, is proposed.

Strong mechanical anisotropy and an anisotropic Dirac state in 2D CN.

Two-dimensional (2D) carbon nitride materials have emerged as a versatile platform for the design of high-performance nanoelectronics, but strong anisotropy in 2D carbon nitrides has rarely been reported. In this work, a 2D carbon nitride with strong anisotropy composed of tetra-, penta-, and hexa-rings (named as TPH-CN) is proposed. This TPH-CN exhibits both dynamical and mechanical stability.

Evaluating population-level interventions to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use in healthcare and community settings: A systematic review protocol.

Background: Inappropriate antibiotic use contributes significantly to the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance. While government-initiated population-level interventions are fundamental in addressing this issue, their full potential remains to be explored. This systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness of such interventions in reducing inappropriate antibiotic use among antibiotic providers and users in healthcare and community settings.