This study seeks to measure the efficiency disparity and productivity change of tertiary general public hospitals in Wuhan city, central China from the perspective of administrative affiliations by using panel data from 2013 to 2017. Sample hospitals were divided into three categories, namely provincial hospitals, municipal hospitals, and other levels of hospitals. Data envelopment analysis with bootstrapping technique was used to estimate efficiency scores, and a sensitive analysis was performed by varying the specification of model by considering undesirable outputs to test robustness of estimation, and efficiency evolution analysis was carried out by using the Malmquist index. The results indicated that the average values of provincial hospitals and municipal hospitals have experienced efficiency improvement over the period, especially after the initiation of Pilot Public Hospital Reform, but hospitals under other affiliations showed an opposite trend. Meanwhile, differences of administrative subordination in technical efficiency of public hospitals emerged, and the disparity was likely to grow over time. The higher efficiency of hospitals affiliated with municipality, as compared with those governed by province and under other administrative affiliations, may be attributed to better governance and organization structure.

Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is a vision‐threatening disease with no validated treatment and unclear pathogenesis. It is characterized by dilation and leakage of choroidal vasculature, resulting in the accumulation of subretinal fluid, and serous detachment of the neurosensory retina. Numerous studies have demonstrated that melatonin had multiple protective effects against endothelial dysfunction, vascular inflammation, and blood–retinal barrier (BRB) breakdown. However, the effect of melatonin on CSC, and its exact pathogenesis, is not well understood thus far. In this study, an experimental model was established by intravitreal injection of aldosterone in rats, which mimicked the features of CSC. Our results found that melatonin administration in advance significantly inhibited aldosterone‐induced choroidal thickening and vasodilation by reducing the expression of calcium‐activated potassium channel KCa2.3, and attenuated tortuosity of choroid vessels. Moreover, melatonin protected the BRB integrity and prevented the decrease in tight junction protein (ZO‐1, occludin, and claudin‐1) levels in the rat model induced by aldosterone. Additionally, the data also showed that intraperitoneal injection of melatonin in advance inhibited aldosterone‐induced macrophage/microglia infiltration, and remarkably diminished the levels of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin‐6 [IL‐6], IL‐1β, and cyclooxygenase‐2), chemokines (chemokine C–C motif ligand 3, and C–X–C motif ligand 1), and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP‐2 and MMP‐9). Luzindole, as the nonselective MT1 and MT2 antagonist, and 4‐phenyl‐2‐propionamidotetraline, as the selective MT2 antagonist, neutralized the melatonin‐induced inhibition of choroidal thickening and choroidal vasodilation, indicating that melatonin might exert the effects via binding to its receptors. Furthermore, the IL‐17A/nuclear factor‐κB signaling pathway was activated by intravitreal administration of aldosterone, while it was suppressed in melatonin‐treated in advance rat eyes. This study indicates that melatonin could serve as a promising safe therapeutic strategy for CSC patients.

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Purpose To investigate the expression of CD146 and its role in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Methods Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was performed to analyse the expression and relationship of sCD146, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), sVEGFR1 and sVEGFR2 in vitreous specimens from PDR and idiopathic epiretinal membranes (IERM) or idiopathic macular hole patients. The location of CD146 in ERMs was detected by immunofluorescence. The oxygen‐induced retinopathy (OIR) mice model was established and the adeno‐associated virus expressing a shRNA of CD146 (AAV1‐shCD146‐GFP) was administered via intravitreal injection. The effect of AAV1‐shCD146‐GFP was explored by immunofluorescence, Western blot and quantitative real‐time PCR. Results The levels of sCD146 in vitreous specimens from PDR patients and CD146 in retinas from OIR mice were significantly increased. Immunofluorescence showed that CD146 was co‐located with CD31, VEGF, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2, respectively. Intravitreal injection of AAV1‐shCD146‐GFP could dramatically reduce the formation of neovascularization and non‐perfusion area by inhibiting VEGFR2 phosphorylation. Conclusion Our results indicated that CD146 was involved in the development of retinal neovascularization via VEGFR2 pathway. Anti‐CD146 may be an innovative or adjuvant therapy, which provides a new direction for the treatment of PDR and other ocular neovascular diseases.

This article discusses the impact of influencer marketing in the Chi-nese market. Due to the rapid growth of online shopping, influencer promotion has become an important marketing method in the Chinese market. The leading social media in China are Douyin, Red Book, and WeChat. And all of this software comes with an online shopping mall component. The presence of Taobao has also made online shopping more convenient. Social media professionals often have their shops on Taobao. We surveyed consumers of all ages across China using a ques-tionnaire and obtained a sample of 241. The questionnaire was de-signed to compare the impact of online marketing and celebrity en-dorsement on consumers in the Chinese market. Our survey showed that Chinese consumers are likelier to choose products promoted by internet celebrities, with female consumers being the majority. And the majority prefer beauty and garment products. Based on the ques-tionnaire analysis, it can be concluded that influencer marketing is more prevalent in the Chinese market. Due to the development of technology, people do not need to go to offline shops to buy products. Online shopping is more convenient for consumers. And influencer promotion just makes up for the lack of online shopping. Influencer demonstrations of products allow consumers to visualize the effec-tiveness of the products and thus feel confident in their purchases. This is also the reason why most consumers choose influencer market-ing.