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Background: In recent years, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Chinese population has been increasing by years, directly leading to an average annual growth rate of 19.90% of medical expenditure. Therefore, it is urgent to work on strategies to control the growth of medical expenditure on type 2 diabetes on the basis of the reality of China. Therefore, in this study, we explored the feasibility of implementing bundled payment in China through analyzing bundled payment standards of type 2 diabetes outpatient services. Methods: This study analyzed the outpatient expenditure on type 2 diabetes with Beijing Urban Employee's Basic Medical Insurance from 2010 to 2012. Based on the analysis of outpatient expenditure and its influential factors, we adopted decision tree approach to conduct a case-mix analysis. In the end, we built a case-mix model to calculate the standard expenditure and the upper limit of each combination. Results: We found that age, job status, and whether with complication were significant factors that influence outpatient expenditure for type 2 diabetes. Through the analysis of the decision tree, we used six variables (complication, age, diabetic foot, diabetic nephropathy, cardiac-cerebrovascular disease, and neuropathy) to group the cases, and obtained 11 case-mix groups. Conclusions: We argued that it is feasible to implement bundled payment on type 2 diabetes outpatient services. Bundled payment is effective to control the increase of outpatient expenditure. Further improvements are needed for the implementation of bundled payment reimbursement standards, together with relevant policies and measures.

Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Background: The importance of diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy has been widely recognized. Our study was designed to compare two different detection reagents between Abbott and Roche and to establish the gestational related reference intervals for thyroid function tests (TFT) in Chinese women and to assay the reference ranges with the American Thyroid Association recommended standard., Methods: Serum samples were collected from 693 normal pregnant Chinese women and divided into five groups according to their gestational age: 9-13, 16-20, 24-28, 32-34 and 37-40 weeks. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) levels were determined by two different detection reagents: Abbott Architect I 2000 and Roche Cobas Elecsys 600. The reference ranges of the TFT indexes were calculated according to the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (NACB). The 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles of each stage were calculated, and the results were analyzed by one-way analysis of variances, t-test, and Spearman correlation analysis., Results: Thyroid hormone levels varied greatly among different gestational stages. TSH levels, as assessed via two different TSH ELISA kits showed consistent changing pattern during pregnancy and displayed linear correlation (P < 0.001). In 9-13 gestational weeks, TSH levels were significantly lower than that of other groups; and in 37-40 gestational weeks, it was higher than that of other groups (all P < 0.001). TSH reference ranges determined by Roche detection reagent in each group were higher than those by Abbott detection reagent (P < 0.01 respectively). FT4 levels were higher in 9-13 gestational weeks than that of other groups (P < 0.001). FT4 levels determined by Roche reagent were higher than Abbott reagent in 9-13 weeks, (P < 0.001), and lower in 24-28 and 37-40 weeks (P < 0.001 and P = 0.016, respectively). The TSH level was correlated with FT4 levels in 9-13 gestational weeks by detection reagents (for Abbott reagent, r=-0.319 for FT4 P < 0.001; for Roche reagent, r=-0.352 for FT4, P <0.001)., Conclusion: Accurate evaluation of TFT in pregnant women should be based on the gestational-related reference intervals in Chinese population, and different detection reagents should also establish their own reference intervals.

Background: Opiate addiction remains intractable in a large percentage of patients, and relapse is the biggest hurdle to recovery. Many studies have identified a central role of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in addiction. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has the advantages of being reversible, adjustable, and minimally invasive, and it has become a potential neurobiological intervention for addiction. The purpose of our study was to investigate whether high-frequency DBS in the NAc effectively attenuates the reinstatement of morphine seeking in morphine-primed rats., Methods: A morphine-dependent group of rats was given increasing doses of morphine during conditioned place preference training. A control group of rats was given equal volumes of saline. After the establishment of this model, withdrawal syndromes were precipitated in these two groups by administering naloxone, and the differences in withdrawal symptoms between the groups were analyzed. Electrodes for DBS were implanted in the bilateral shell of the NAc in the experimental group. The rats were stimulated daily in the NAc for 5 hours per day over 30 days. Changes in the conditioned place preference test and withdrawal symptoms in the rats were investigated and place navigation studies were performed using the Morris water maze. The data were assessed statistically with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey's tests for multiple post hoc comparisons., Results: High-frequency stimulation of the bilateral NAc prevented the morphine-induced reinstatement of morphine seeking in the conditioned place preference test. The time spent in the white compartment by rats following 30 days of DBS ((268.25 ± 25.07) seconds) was not significantly different compared with the time spent in the white compartment after relapse was induced by morphine administration ((303.29 ± 34.22) seconds). High-frequency stimulation of the bilateral NAc accelerated the innate decay of drug craving in morphine-dependent rats without significantly influencing learning and memory., Conclusion: Bilateral high-frequency stimulation of the shell of the NAc may be useful as a novel therapeutic modality for the treatment of severe morphine addiction.

Refractory gelastic seizure is one of the most common clinical manifestations in patients with hypothalamic hamartoma (HH) and HH is usually regarded as the epileptogenic focus. A young female patient with a small HH and refractory seizures is reported here. However, both the seizure semiology and results of electroencephalogram monitoring indicated the right temporal region was the epileptogenic focus. Thus a standard right anterior temporal lobectomy was performed while the hamartoma preserved. There was a marked improvement in both seizure frequency and quality of life during a 13-month follow-up. The outcome supported the concept that independent epileptogenic focus outside of the hypothalamus might occur in patients with HH.