Prospects of a comprehensive evaluation system for traditional Chinese medicine services

Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） is a unique health resource in China and one of the main representative traditional medicines globally. TCM has formed a new way of looking at medical practices, health care, scientific research, education, industry and culture. It focuses on promoting and safeguarding the health of people, with an increasing contribution to economic and social development. Establishing a comprehensive evaluation system in accordance with the characteristics of TCM services could promote the scientific merit and the standardization of services management. This would improve health service quality and the social and economic benefits of TCM. It would broaden the field of TCM services research. It would also provide the basis for the formulation of relevant government policies. This study estimates the prospect of establishing a comprehensive evaluation system of TCM services.

Hip survival rate in the patients with avascular necrosis of femoral head after transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:The clinical outcome of transtrochanteric rotational osteotomy(TRO)for osteonecrosis of the femoral head(ONFH)remains controversial,and the promising clinical results of several Japanese studies could not be reproduced in American and European studies.Trying to solve controversies on TRO for ONFH rising from apparently conflicting studies,a meta-analysis was conducted to assess the 5-and 10-year hip survival rates(with conversion to artificial joint replacement and radiographic failure as endpoints)after TRO.Methods:All eligible studies were searched in seven comprehensive databases including PubMed,Web of Science,Embase,Cochrane Library,VIP Database,China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database,and Wan Fang Database prior to June 2019.The outcomes evaluated were 5-and 10-year hip survival rates after TRO.The odds ratio and risk difference for the noncomparative binary data with the 95%confidence intervals(CIs)were calculated for each outcome.The included studies were assessed for methodologic bias and potential reasons for heterogeneity were explored.Results:Nineteen studies of TRO for ONFH were eligible for this meta-analysis according to inclusion criteria.Based on the previous report,two calculation methods(Methods 1 and 2)were adopted in this meta-analysis.Furthermore,we performed a subgroup analysis of the 5-and 10-year hip survival rates(Method 1)after TRO for ONFH:Asian sub-population and non-Asian subpopulation.Taking conversion to artificial joint replacement as the endpoint,5-and 10-year hip survival rates(Method 1)after TRO for ONFH in the Asian population were 0.86(95%CI=0.82–0.89)and 0.72(95%CI=0.65–0.78),respectively,and 5-and 10-year hip survival rates after TRO for ONFH in the non-Asian population were 0.55(95%CI=0.43–0.67)and 0.42(95%CI=0.28–0.55),respectively.The 5-and 10-year hip survival rates(Method 2)after TRO for ONFH were 0.90(95%CI=0.79–0.95)and 0.89(95%CI=0.81–0.94),respectively.Taking radiographic failure as the endpoint,5-and 10-year hip survival rates after TRO for ONFH were 0.70(95%CI=0.64–0.76)and 0.53(95%CI=0.46–0.61),respectively.Conclusions:The 5-and 10-year hip survival rates after TRO for ONFH were satisfactory in the Asian population,and were acceptable in the non-Asian population despite high early failure rates.

Isothermal Crystallization of iPP in Environment-friendly Diluents:Effect of Binary Diluents and Crystallization Temperature on Crystallization Kinetics

The growing demand for non-toxic solvents for membrane preparation has motivated the studies for green and sustainable alternatives of solvents. The effect of droplet isothermal growth within the liquid-liquid phase separation region on isothermal spherulitic growth rate of isotactic polypropylene(iPP) was investigated. The results showed that the droplets grew up at a rate of 0.0172 μm·s^(-1). The larger droplets slowed down the isothermal spherulitic growth rate of iPP. Higher mass ratio of carnauba wax(Cwax)/soybean oil(SO)resulted in faster droplet growth due to weak interaction with polymers. The isothermal crystallization behaviors of iPP in environmentfriendly binary diluents consisting of Cwax and SO mixture were further investigated experimentally using polarized optical microscopy.It was demonstrated that the isothermal spherulitic growth rate of iPP in diluents decreased nonlinearly with the increasing crystallization temperature. Compared with virgin iPP, isothermal spherulitic growth rate of iPP in SO diluent was significantly slowed down. The spherulitic growth was further retarded after the addition of Cwax in mixed diluents, resulting in a lower crystallization rate than that in SO. Moreover, the crystal form of iPP membranes was found to be α type through the characterization of small angle X-ray scattering and wide angle X-ray diffraction.