Is the health workforce distribution in Beijing, China perfectly equitable?

Background: The quantity and distribution of the health workforce is one of the most important aspects of a health care system. Inequality in the distribution of the health workforce is common in China and in many developing countries. This paper aimed to evaluate and discuss inequality in the distribution of the health workforce in Beijing, China, and explain the sources of the inequality.Methods: The study described and measured inequality in the distribution of the health workforce in Beijing using data from the Beijing Regional Statistical Yearbook 2017. The 16 districts of Beijing are divided into four divisions and the paper used methods from the economics literature, including the Lorenz curve, Gini coefficient and Theil L index, to measure inequality in the distribution of the health workforce at sub-provincial level in Beijing for three categories of health workers: doctors, nurses and all health workers.Results: There are inequalities in the densities of health workers at the district and division levels. In terms of the densities of all health workers, doctors and nurses, the Capital Core Functional Division is 3.95 times, 3.82 times and 4.13 times, respectively, higher than the Urban Development New Division. All the Gini coefficients are between than 0.2 to 0.3, which means that the health worker distribution is rather equitable. The Theil L index shows that the inequalities mainly come from the differences between the four divisions, and that nurses are more unequally distributed between divisions (0.28 for Gini coefficient and 0.380 for the Theil L index).Conclusions and recommendations: According to the study findings, the inequalities in health workforce distribution in Beijing could be addressed by increasing investment in the numbers and quality of nurses, as well as by establishing additional policies to attract more health workers to work in remote areas. Chinese governments need to think more carefully about the current distribution of health workers at the sub-provincial level. [Ethiop.J. Health Dev. 2019; 33(1):22-27]Key words: Health workforce distribution, equality, Beijing, health resource

Development of Ca/KIT-6 adsorbents for high temperature CO2 capture

The incorporation of CaO into an inert porous solid support has been identified as an effective approach to improve the stability of adsorbents for CO2 capture. In this work, we focus on enhancing the capacity of carbon capture and cyclic stability of CaO by impregnating CaO particles into a three-dimensional mesoporous silica (KIT-6) support. At a low CaO loading, the three-dimensional mesoporous support was filled with CaO nano-particles. The further increase of CaO loading resulted in the aggregation of CaO particles on the external surface of the support material, as identified by electron microscopy analysis. These CaO/KIT-6 adsorbents show excellent high-temperature CO2 carbonation/calcination stability over multiple cycles of CaO carbonation and calcination. The enhancement of the performance of carbon capture is attributed to the interaction between CaO and the silica skeleton of KIT-6 through the formation of interfacial CaSiO3 and Ca2SiO4 which enhanced the resistance of CaO sintering

Clinical efficacy analysis of paxlovid in children with hematological diseases infected with the omicron SARS-CoV-2 new variant

ObjectiveTo summarize the clinical characteristics of children with hematological malignancies co-infected with novel coronavirus and explore the safety and effectiveness of Paxlovid treatment.MethodsFrom December 10, 2022, to January 20, 2023, the clinical data of children with hematological diseases diagnosed with novel coronavirus infection in the outpatient and emergency department of the Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were retrospectively analyzed.ResultsAccording to whether to give paxlovid or not, it is divided into group A (paxlovid group) and group B (non-paxlovid group). The length of fever was 1–6 days in group A and 0–3 days in group B. The viral clearance time was shorter in group A than in group B. The inflammatory indexes CRP and PCT were significantly higher in group A than in group B (P < 0.05). Twenty patients were followed up for 1 month after leaving the hospital, and there were 5 cases of reappearance of fever, 1 case of increased sleep, 1 case of physical fatigue and 1 case of loss of appetite within 2 weeks.ConclusionsPaxlovid has no apparent adverse reactions in children 12 years old and younger with underlying hematological diseases infected with the new coronavirus. Focusing on the interaction between paxlovid and other drugs is necessary during the treatment

An analysis of farmers' perception of the new cooperative medical system in Liaoning Province, China

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Since 2003, the number of pilot areas of the New Rural Cooperative Medical System (NRCMS) has increased in rural China. And the major efforts have been concentrated on the enrollment of prospective members. In this study, we examined the satisfaction of the rural residents with the NRCMS as well as factors affecting their attitudes towards the NRCMS.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The data for this study were collected from a survey involving twenty counties in Liaoning Province. Interviews and focus groups were conducted between 10^thJanuary and 20^thAugust 2008. A total of 2,780 people aged 18-72 were randomly selected and interviewed. Data were evaluated by nonparametric tests and ordinal regression models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>71.6% of the study subjects were satisfied with the NRCMS. Single factor analysis showed that attitudes towards the NRCMS were influenced by gender, age, marital status, and self-rated health status. In the ordinal regression analysis, gender, age, and self-rated health status affect satisfaction (P < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We found that a considerable proportion of farmers were satisfied with the NRCMS. Gender, age, and self-rated health status had significant effects on farmers' attitudes towards the NRCMS. The Chinese Central Government attempted to adopt active measures in the future to continuously improve the NRCMS, including initiating educational programs, building new medical facilities and increasing financial investment.</p

Place of Residence and Cognitive Function in Older Adults in China: The Mediating Role of Social Participation

Background: Cognitive impairment is a severe health problem faced by older adults and their families, as well as the countries in which they live. Differences in place of residence may contribute to differences in the cognitive function of older adults, and the mediating effect of social participation has rarely been studied in China. Methods: A total of 10,014 older adult participants were included, using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Place of residence was described as either a city, town, or rural area. The frequency of participation in organized social activities and visits and interactions with friends was used to assess both formal and informal social participation. The Chinese version of a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used as a measure of cognitive function. The mediation analysis was conducted using Hayes&rsquo; process version 3.4 on SPSS (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). Results: Place of residence had a negative effect on cognitive function in older adults. The mediating functions of both informal (a1b1 = 0.199) and formal (a2b2 = &minus;0.056) social participation indicate a suppression effect on the part of informal social participation and a partial mediation effect on the part of formal social participation in terms of the association between place of residence and cognitive function in older adults. Promoting both informal and formal social participation seems to be an important strategy for preventing a decline in the cognitive function of older adults, especially for those living in rural areas

Maternal hypothyroidism during pregnancy alters the function of the retinol-binding protein 4-mediated mitochondrial permeability conversion pore in the kidneys of offspring rats

OBJECTIVES: To determine the role of the RBP4/PiC/SIRT3 signaling pathway in the opening of the mitochondria permeability transition pore (mPTP) in offspring rats with hypothyroidism during pregnancy. METHODS: Sixty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were employed in this study. Pregnancy was deemed successful when a sperm was found in the uterus. After one week of pregnancy, offspring rats were divided into the following groups: overall hypothyroidism group (OH group), subclinical hypothyroidism group (SCH group), and normal control group (CON group). The establishment of the hypothyroidism model was confirmed when the serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were higher than normal value and TT4 level was within the normal range. The renal mitochondria of offspring rats were extracted on the 14th postnatal day (P14) and 35th postnatal day (P35). RESULTS: At P14, no significant differences in the degree of mPTP opening and expression of phosphoric acid carrier vector (PiC) were detected between the rats in the OH group and the SCH group. However, the expression level of silent mating-type information regulation 3 homolog (SIRT3) was markedly reduced. Retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4) expression increased in the rats from the OH group, relative to that in those from the SCH group. At P35, the degree of mPTP opening and the expression levels of PiC and RBP4 in the OH group were higher than those in the SCH group. However, SIRT3 expression in the OH group was lower than that observed in the SCH group. CONCLUSION: RBP4 plays an important role in early renal mitochondrial damage and renal impairment in rats suffering from hypothyroidism during pregnancy. The RBP4/PiC/SIRT3 pathway is thus involved in the opening of the renal mPTP in offspring rats with hyperthyroidism

Synthetic evaluation of new socialist countryside construction at county level in China

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish a synthetic evaluation index system of new socialist countryside (NSC) development at county level in China, and by which to evaluate the level of NSC construction among different regions in China. Then, some problems of rural development can be found and corresponding measures can be proposed, which could provide references for policymaking. Design/methodology/approach – First, from agricultural, rural and farmers' perspective, a preliminary index system which containing 44 indicators was put forward. Then, combining with a series of subjective and objective indicator screening methods, such as fuzzy synthetic evaluation, clustering analysis, correlation and variation coefficient analysis, the final index system containing 22 indicators was established. Third, combining with factor analysis, the final index system was used to evaluate the level of NSC construction in 28 counties of China in 2007. Finally, we calculated district factor scores by a model and gave an aggregate index ranking of different regions. Findings – NSC construction at county level is not well developed in China and there are significant geographical differences among different districts. First, NSC construction in Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Hangzhou is relatively better. Second, NSC construction of East China is better than that of North China and Central China. Northeast of China is better than Southwest and Northwest. Third, NSC construction in municipalities is higher than non-municipalities. Rural development in Western regions of China needs to be paid special attention. Originality/value – A final evaluation index system including 22 indicators was designed. These indicators are complete, independent, weakly correlative and stable. The index system can be further applied to evaluate other regions' NSC development. The evaluation results can provide useful references for NSC reform in the whole nation. JEL classification: R11, Q10China, Evaluation index system, Indicator screening, New socialist countryside, Regional development, Rural regions, Synthetic evaluation