20 batches of Alpinia oxyphylla Miq. were collected from Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan province in China. The contents of heavy metals of As, Hg, Pb, Cd, and Cu were determined and compared. The results indicated that geographical source might be a major factor to influence the contents of heavy metals of arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and copper (Cu) in Alpinia o...

Elevated and more rapidly increasing breast cancer incidence rates have been described for Marin County, California (CA), a homogeneous, high socioeconomic status population for which yearly surveillance is facilitated by its status as a county. The present study evaluates the histology and hormonal phenotype of the excess breast cancer cases occurring in white, non-Hispanic women living in Mar...

INTRODUCTION We conducted a study to determine whether hospital type (county [ie, safety-net] vs private) affects health care access (appendiceal perforation [AP] rates), treatment (laparoscopic appendectomy [LA] rates), and outcomes in children with appendicitis. METHODS A review of cases involving children who had appendicitis between 1998 and 2007 was performed. Data from county and privat...

BACKGROUND Patient safety is of the utmost importance in health care. The patient safety culture in an institution has great impact on patient safety. To enhance patient safety and to design strategies to reduce medical injuries, there is a current focus on measuring the patient safety culture. The aim of the present study was to describe the patient safety culture in an ED at two different hos...

BACKGROUND Overuse of antibiotics contributes to the development of antimicrobial resistance. OBJECTIVE This study aims to assess the condition of antibiotic use at health facilities at county, township and village levels in rural Guangxi, China. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions in 2014 for children aged 2-14 years with upper respiratory in...

OBJECTIVES Government healthcare subsidies for healthcare facilities play a significant role in providing more extensive healthcare access to patients, especially poor ones. However, equitable distribution of these subsidies continues to pose a challenge in rural ethnic minority areas of China. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits distribution of outpatient services across different socioe...

BACKGROUND Patient satisfaction is an important patient outcome because it informs researchers and practitioners about patients' experience and identifies potential problems with their care. Patient satisfaction is typically studied through physician-patient interactions in primary care settings, and little is known about satisfaction with surgical consultations. METHODS Participants responde...

OBJECTIVE To identify weak links in the early chain of care for acute stroke. SETTING 9 emergency hospitals in western Sweden, each with a stroke unit, and the emergency medical services (EMS). PARTICIPANTS All patients hospitalised with a first and a final diagnosis of stroke-between 15 December 2010 and 15 April 2011. The university hospital in the city of Gothenburg was compared with 6 c...

BACKGROUND China in 2009 committed to reach universal health coverage by promoting three forms of health insurance; NCMS for the rural population, UEBMI for formally employed urban residents and URBMI for other urban residents. NCMS has expanded to near universal coverage in rural China since launching in 2003. The objective of this study aimed to assess the effect of NCMS on inpatient care uti...