The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanism by which dexmedetomidine (DEX) alleviates neuropathic pain in a chronic constriction injury (CCI) model in rats. A CCI rat model was established through sciatic nerve ligation. CCI rats were treated with DEX, the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) inhibitor ML385, the NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) antagonist MCC950 and/or the NLRP3 activator nigericin. The mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) was measured to assess the pain sensitivity of CCI rats. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and TUNEL staining were used to examine spinal injury and apoptosis, respectively. ELISA was used to quantify the levels of inflammatory factors. The expression levels of Nrf2 and NLRP3 were also examined. The results indicated that a decrease in MWT and increases in spinal cord injury, apoptosis and inflammatory factors were detected in CCI rats compared with control rats. Spinal inflammation was abrogated in DEX-treated CCI rats. Compared with the model group, an increase in MWT and decreases in spinal cord injury, apoptosis and inflammatory factors were detected in rats treated with MCC950, while the opposite effects were observed in rats treated with nigericin. The opposite effects on these indicators were observed in the DEX + ML385 and MCC950 + ML385 groups compared with the DEX and MCC950 groups, respectively. MWT was increased, while spinal cord injury, apoptosis and inflammation decreased in the nigericin + DEX group compared with the nigericin group. In summary, the results of the present study indicated that DEX reduced neuropathic pain in CCI rats by suppressing NLRP3 through Nrf2 activation.

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BackgroundChina's Reform and Open up Policy in 1980s has brought rapid economic development to Chinese society. With the deepening of economic reform, the withdrawal of the state in China has had visible and worrisome consequences for health and for the functioning of health services. The new round of healthcare reform after 2009 has made significant achievements on improving fundamental health and bringing back the nature of welfare of health. However, the financing mechanism of health system has not been established, and the underlying reason behind the healthcare reform dilemma and the theoretical solution need to be found.MethodsThis study used the methods of literature review, theoretical research and comparative research to summarize and analyze the reasons and solutions of current dilemma in healthcare reform, and created the new discipline of health fiscalogy through theoretical analysis and vertical and horizontal comparison of healthcare system, especially health financing.ResultsDilemma in healthcare system emerged from the circumstances of rapid process of industrialization, urbanization and population aging, including the profit-driven phenomena, tendency of excessive marketization in public hospitals, strained doctor-patient relationship, high disease burden on individuals and families, and so on. It can be concluded that the theoretical basis of healthcare system and the nature of health resources are crucial in solving the dilemma of healthcare reform. The theoretical basis of healthcare reform should be health fiscalogy focusing on government as the main body of health care responsibility rather than health economics focusing on anti-monopoly. There are two key differences between health economics and health fiscalogy: responsible person/department of disease and health welfare, and nature of resource. The new discipline of health fiscalogy has universal and important implications on both China’s healthcare reform and the healthcare reform in the world.ConclusionsChina’s healthcare reform should return from the paradigm of health economics and marketization financing model to the paradigm of health fiscalogy and government-led financing model, which is reflected in the main position of government and social welfare.

In this paper, the cross-linked micro-gel polymer between acrylamide (AM) and N, N-Methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) was synthesized by dispersion polymerization. The initiator and crosslinking agent concentration were used to control the particle size of micro-gel polymer. The filtration property and mechanism of micro-gel were investigated comprehensively. The characteristics of micro-gel were checked by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, transmission electron microscopy, and particle size distribution, respectively. The results indicated that the cross-linked micro-gel polymer exhibited several outstanding merits, such as thermal stability (up to 200 °C), filtration control and rheological property. Microstructure analysis and particle size distribution examinations showed that the scale of micro-gel polymer was micro, which is in accord with design. Rheological tests demonstrated that the nonlinear structure of micro-gel polymer showed less impact on the apparent viscosity. The anti-high temperature property of micro-gel polymer was better than poly anioniccellulose (PAC) and asphalt widely applied in drilling fluid for anti-high temperature fluid-loss additive. As a result, the cross-linked micro-gel polymer had great potential to be applied in high temperature water-based mud.