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Introduction: Phoropters are widely accepted for clinical use in refraction examination and visual function assessment. This study assessed the reliability of the new Inspection Platform of Visual Function (IPVF) in comparison with the conventional equipment phoropter (TOPCON VT-10) in visual function assessment. Methods: This prospective study enrolled 80 eyes of 80 healthy subjects. The horizontal phoria at distance and near (Phoria_D and Phoria_N, respectively) was measured with the von Graefe method, negative/positive relative accommodation (NRA/PRA) was measured with the positive/negative lens method, and accommodative amplitude (AMP) was measured with the minus lens method. Data of three consecutive measurements with each instrument were evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for repeatability, and the agreement of the two instruments was evaluated using a Bland–Altman plot. Results: The ICCs of the three consecutive measurements for phoria, NRA/PRA, and AMP using the IPVF instrument were high (0.87–0.96), indicating high repeatability. The ICCs of the three consecutive measurements using the phoropter were high (0.914–0.983) for phoria, NRA, and AMP, indicating high repeatability, while that of PRA was 0.732 (between 0.4 and 0.75), indicating acceptable repeatability. The 95% limits of agreement of phoria, NRA/PRA, and AMP were narrow, indicating good agreement between the two instruments. Conclusion: The repeatability of both instruments was high, and the IPVF instrument was slightly better in terms of PRA repeatability than the phoropter. The agreement of phoria, NRA/PRA, and AMP measured by the new IPVF instrument and phoropter was also satisfactory. Plain Language Summary: Nonstrabismic binocular dysfunctions (NBD) are common vision abnormalities. The relevant indicators involved in NBD are accommodative anomalies, convergence and divergence anomalies, and phoria. Convergence and divergence anomalies are disorders of binocular vision that result in either a failure of fusion or an inability to accurately integrate and stabilize retinal images from both eyes into a single representation. Phoria is the tendency of the eyes not to be directed towards the point of fixation, manifested in the absence or prevention of fusion. Measurement of accommodation and phoria are two particularly important components of comprehensive eye examination. Phoropter is widely used in ophthalmic clinics and optical stores for refraction examination and visual function assessment. It largely depends on the examiner's training, skill, and experience, which leads to high inter-examiner variability. In large-scale eye screening or busy hospital hours, examinees have to be inspected one by one using traditional instruments, which can be time consuming and tiring for optometrists, and can cause long queuing time for examinees. In this study, we evaluated the possibility of an alternative automatic diagnostic instrument for the assessment of binocular visual function. The platform is a new type of intelligent visual function inspection equipment with good reliability, and could be an alternative for clinicians to obtain visual function measurements with improved efficiency and fewer subjective errors. The use of this automatic instrument can avoid inter-examiner variability, helping to resolve the shortage problem of optometrists in China and offer a better testing service to eye examinees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: The efficacy and safety of iGlarLixi, a fixed-ratio combination (FRC) of basal insulin glargine plus lixisenatide, have been demonstrated in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. However, no relevant economic analysis of iGlarLixi has been done in China. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to evaluate the cost effectiveness of iGlarLixi versus IDegAsp in Chinese T2DM patients, and then back-calculate the appropriate drug price of iGlarLixi to support its pricing after listing in China. Methods: The United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study Outcome Model 2 (UKPDS OM2) was applied to estimate lifetime health and economic outcomes from the Chinese health-care system perspective. As no head-to-head comparison data are currently available, the baseline cohort characteristics and the initial clinical data for iGlarLixi were derived from the randomized LixiLan-L-China trial. The relative treatment effects for IDegAsp were based on an indirect treatment comparison. Due to the unavailability of iGlarLixi pricing data, the annual medication cost of iGlarLixi was assumed to be equal to that of IDegAsp at the beginning of the study. Afterwards, a break-even analysis using comparator drug price and the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold was performed to back-calculate the appropriate drug price of iGlarLixi. One-way sensitivity analysis, scenario analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) were conducted to assess the robustness of the model. Results: Based on the initial assumption of equal annual medication cost of iGlarLixi and IDegAsp, iGlarLixi was cost effective compared to IDegAsp with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) far below the WTP threshold in Chinese T2DM patients. From the back calculation for the price of iGlarLixi, the annual medication cost of iGlarLixi was $656.96 and $1075.96 to obtain an ICER of iGlarLixi versus IDegAsp close to 1 × GDP and 3 × GDP, respectively. When the discount rate was changed from the base value to 8% (the most sensitive parameter to the model results in one-way sensitivity analysis), the ICER was nearly equal to 1 × GDP and 3 × GDP with the annual medication cost of iGlarLixi decreasing to $590.41 and $865.03, respectively. Thus, iGlarLixi was dominant over IDegAsp with an annual medication cost of $590.41 to $865.03. The findings were robust to one-way sensitivity analysis, PSA and scenario analysis. Conclusion: This long-term cost-effectiveness analysis in Chinese T2DM patients indicates that iGlarLixi, assuming equal price to IDegAsp, is cost-effective versus IDegAsp with an ICER far below the WTP threshold. With 1 × GDP and 3 × GDP threshold set we back-calculate the appropriate annual medication cost of iGlarLixi to be $590.41 to $865.03, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is known and Objective: Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection associated with low incidence but high mortality. Few studies have shown the treatment and disease burden of mucormycosis in China. This study aims at collecting all the reported cases to describe the characteristics and treatment patterns and to assess the economic burden of mucormycosis in China. Methods: We conducted a literature review of mucormycosis case reports in Chinese patients to summarize the characteristics and treatment patterns of the disease in China. An economic model was built to evaluate the total cost of mucormycosis per person, including direct medical cost, direct non‐medical cost and indirect cost. Results and Discussion: A total of 676 case reports showed that the most common type of mucormycosis was pulmonary mucormycosis (299/676, 44.2%), and rhinocerebral mucormycosis had the highest case fatality rate (122/185, 68.5%). Among those who used empiric therapies, 48.8% (231/473) did not include anti‐mucor drugs; 79.8% (336/421) of the therapies include amphotericin B (AMB) or AMB‐lipo after detection of mucormycetes; 98.6% (69/70) of the reported adverse events were associated with AMB and AMB‐lipo. The duration of treatment ranged from 90 to 180 days; the length of stay ranged from 22 to 95 days. The average total cost per patient was 166 thousand Chinese Yuan (CNY), of which 93.1% was the direct medical cost (155 thousand CNY). What is new and Conclusion: There are a limited number of antifungal treatment options for mucormycosis in China. This study highlights the critical need to introduce innovative and broader spectrum antifungal drugs with improved safety, better clinical efficacy, easier administration and reduced economic burden to Chinese mucormycosis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript. The correct author list and author contributions read as: Yanqing Jiang SP 1 sp - Ruizhe Liu SP 2 sp - Jianwei Xuan SP 3 sp - Sisi Lin SP 4 sp - Qiang Zheng SP 1 sp - Qun Zhang SP 4 sp - Jianxin Pang SP 1 sp Author Contributions Conceived and designed the study: JP, RL and YJ; Performed the material preparation, data collection and analysis: YJ, RL, SL, QZ and QZ; Supervised the process of data collection and analysis: JX, JP and RL; Drafting and critical revision of the manuscript: YJ, JX and RL. B Correction to: Clinical Drug Investigation b https://doi.org/10.1007/s40261-023-01255-w Following publication of the article online, the authors flagged that the article was published with the author Qun Zhang, who is also the co-corresponding author, erroneously omitted from the author list. [Extracted from the article]

Following the earthquake in Sichuan, China, in May 2008, which killed approximately 70,000 people, a music therapy educator led three teams, totalling 41 music therapy students, who provided music performances and activities to survivors and relief workers for three 30-day periods from June–August 2008. This constructivist research examines the educator's and five music therapy student volunteers’ perceptions of their music project's relevance during a stabilization-through-music phase in June–July 2008. The educator's narrative stance provides some context for the students’ presence in the earthquake aftermath and his views about the music program’s outcomes. The volunteers’ interview transcripts were inductively, comparatively, and recursively analyzed. Emergent themes encompassed descriptions of the volunteers’ arrivals; aims for improving survivors’ wellbeing; music activities, and their beneficial outcomes; personal enrichment and challenges; and helpful coping strategies and recommendations. In the early months following an earthquake disaster, survivors of all ages may benefit from experiencing music performances or small music activity groups provided by music therapy students. Benefits may include nurturance, relaxation, reflection, emoting, learning, diversion, socialization, family resilience, and community building. It is suggested that musical options provided by musicians and music therapists following a disaster can support survivors and relief workers, and remind them about the potential aesthetic of existence and hope for improved lives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Voriconazole is a second-generation, synthetic, triazole antifungal drug based on the structure of fluconazole. We compared the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic characteristics of voriconazole for injection (200 mg) manufactured by at a dose of 6 mg/kg in Chinese healthy adult volunteers. This was a single-center, randomized, open, 2-preparation, single-dose, 2-period, 2-sequence, crossover bioequivalence clinical trial. Twenty-four eligible, healthy, male, and female volunteers were assigned randomly to one of 2 dose-sequence groups (test-reference group or reference-test group) in a 1:1 block. The voriconazole concentration in plasma was determined by protein precipitation and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The main PK parameters were calculated on the basis of a noncompartmental model. The ratio of the geometric mean of the maximum plasma drug concentration, area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to the last time of quantifiable concentration, and area under the plasma concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity of the test preparation, and the reference preparation was 100.4%, 102%, and 102.2%, respectively. The 90% confidence intervals were between 80% and 125%, indicating that the 2 preparations were bioequivalent. The adverse events experienced by healthy adult volunteers were mild. Both preparations had a good safety profile., (© 2024, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

Meloxicam is an enolate nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent. This trial investigated the pharmacokinetics, safety, and bioequivalence of single oral doses of Aomei meloxicam (15 mg) and Mobic meloxicam (15 mg) in healthy volunteers under fasting and fed conditions. A single-site, single-dose, randomized, open, 2-period, 2-sequence, crossover bioequivalence study was performed: 24 healthy volunteers were enrolled in each of the fasting and fed arms. Each HV was randomly assigned to receive the Aomei drug (test) in one period and the Mobic drug (reference) in the other period. The concentration of meloxicam in plasma was detected using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The primary pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using a noncompartmental model. In the fasting arm, the 90% confidence interval of the geometric mean ratios of maximum plasma concentration, area under the concentration-time curve from time 0 to the last measurable plasma concentration, and area under the concentration-time curve from time 0 to infinity between the test and reference products were 99.5% to 111.7%, 101.2% to 106.8%, and 101.8% to 108.3%, respectively. In the fed arm, the 3 parameters were 94.1% to 102.4%, 97.6% to 103.0%, and 97.5% to 103.7%, respectively. These parameters were in the range of 80% to 125%, and the 2 products were considered bioequivalent in both the fasting and fed states and were well tolerated. The severity of all adverse events was mild. Aomei meloxicam tablets and Mobic meloxicam tablets were bioequivalent in healthy Chinese volunteers., (© 2021, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

Allisartan isoproxil (AI) is a blocker of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor. We evaluated the safety and pharmacokinetics of single- and multiple-dose AI in healthy Chinese individuals. Participants were assigned to receive AI or placebo. Plasma concentration of EXP3174 (carboxylic acid derivative) was measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic parameters were determined by noncompartmental methods. Twelve subjects were enrolled, and the ratio of men to women was 5:1. Main pharmacokinetic parameters of EXP3174 after single and multiple doses of AI were a mean maximum concentration in plasma (C max ) of 2242 ± 1037 ng/mL and median time to reach C max (T max ) of 3.5 hours (2.5-8 hours). The median T max, at steady state was 4.0 hours (1.5-8 hours). The mean C max at steady state (C max, SS ) was 2047 ± 1050 ng/mL. In terms of EXP3174, there was no significant difference in the C max, SS , area under the curve from time zero to 24 hours of quantifiable concentration at steady state (AUC 0-24 SS ), and AUC 0-72 after multiple doses of AI. Serious adverse events did not occur. These data suggest that AI is safe and well tolerated in healthy Chinese individuals at a single dose of 480 or 480 mg once daily for 7 days., (© 2021, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.)

Background: During the rapid physical and mental development, school-age children, who are beginning the learning phase, have an increasingly heavy burden on their eyes., Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the association of refractive errors with body height in children aged 7-14 years., Material and Methods: A total of 1,696 children aged 7-14 years were consecutively enrolled. Children's age, sex, height, uncorrected and corrected visual acuity were collected. Children's refractive errors were tested using static retinoscopy, and converted to the spherical equivalent refraction. The prevalence of refractive errors in different height groups were measured., Results: The children were divided into an ultra-low-height group, a low-height group, a high-height group and an ultra-high-height group as per the height standard of children aged 3-16 years generally used in China. With the increase of body height, the prevalence of myopia was also increased, which was 39.2% in the ultra-low-height group, 46.3% in the low-height group, 49.1% in the high-height group, and 58.0% in the ultra-high-height group. Most of the myopic children suffered from low myopia. Results from the regression analysis showed that there was no difference in the prevalence of myopia between the high-height group and ultra-high-height group (p = 0.145), but it was increased significantly proportionately to the increase of body height (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: The prevalence of myopia exhibits an increased tendency with height development in children aged 7-14 years. Additionally, school-age children often develop low or moderate myopia rather than high myopia.