[Estimation of the impact of risk factors control on non-communicable diseases mortality, life expectancy and the labor force lost in China in 2030]

The Assessment of Endovascular Therapies in Ischemic Stroke: Management, Problems and Future Approaches

Ischemic stroke accounts for over 80% of all strokes and is one of the leading causes of mortality and permanent disability worldwide. Intravenous administration of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is an approved treatment strategy for acute ischemic stroke of large arteries within 4.5 h of onset, and mechanical thrombectomy can be used for large arteries occlusion up to 24 h after onset. Improving diagnostic work up for acute treatment, reducing onset-to-needle time and urgent radiological access angiographic CT images (angioCT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) are real problems for many healthcare systems, which limits the number of patients with good prognosis in real world compared to the results of randomized controlled trials. The applied endovascular procedures demonstrated high efficacy, but some cellular mechanisms, following reperfusion, are still unknown. Changes in the morphology and function of mitochondria associated with reperfusion and ischemia-reperfusion neuronal death are still understudied research fields. Moreover, future research is needed to elucidate the relationship between continuously refined imaging techniques and the variable structure or physical properties of the clot along with vascular permeability and the pleiotropism of ischemic reperfusion lesions in the penumbra, in order to define targeted preventive procedures promoting long-term health benefits.

Premature deaths caused by smoking in Sichuan, Southwest China, 2015-2030

Smoking has a substantial impact on deaths from non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs). Quantitatively measuring the impact of tobacco control on population health is of great theoretical and practical importance, for governments to make health policy decisions. Focusing on premature deaths, we predicted the deaths by 2030 from major NCDs caused by smoking among people aged 30–69 years in Sichuan Province, Southwest China. We extracted data for 1990–2015 from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015 and calculated the population attributable fraction, to estimate the proportion of deaths caused by smoking. Four different tobacco control standards were used to estimate 2030 projections for the prevalence of smoking and premature mortality. If smoking prevalence were reduced by 30% from 2015 levels, premature mortality could be expected to decline by 24.4% in 2030, achieving 81.3% of the World Health Organization target for reducing premature mortality by 30%. Compared with the continuation of historical trends, the strongest tobacco control policy scenario would reduce premature mortality by 6.6%, prevent 23,600 deaths, reduce mortality by 7.8%, and increase life expectancy at birth by 0.3 years. Smoking bans represent an important action toward achieving national health goals.