Objective To systematically review the health economic evaluations of using long-term rhythm-control antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) for patients with paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods Databases including PubMed, EMbase, Scopus, CNKI, SinoMed, WanFang Data, and official websites of well-established health technology assessment (HTA) institutions were electronically searched to present the economic evaluations of AAD and the recommendations of HTA institutions based on drug economy from inception to April 23rd, 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted data and systematic review was then performed. Results A total of 19 studies were included, including 11 cost-effectiveness or cost-utility analysis studies and 8 official documents from HTA institutions. Only 5 (45.5%) economic evaluations were of relatively high quality, and English language studies were of higher quality than Chinese language studies ones. The included studies lacked elements that CHEERS 2022 concerns, such as health economics analysis plans, equity and distributional effects, engagement with patients and other stakeholders and the impact on the study. Dronedarone and amiodarone were the main focus of the evaluation, and the study results showed that dronedarone was cost-effective compared with other drugs in different study designs and national settings. However, there were differences between the recommendations of HTA agencies and the results of economic evaluation studies. Conclusion The completeness of health economics evaluations needs to be improved, along with the quality of clinical evidence in the field of AF-AAD for Chinese patients. Additionally, the informational value of drugs should be thoroughly investigated through budget impact analysis and distributional cost-effectiveness analysis to provide evidence of high-quality studies for decision-makers in China.
Depression, a mental health disorder, has emerged as one of the significant challenges in the global public health domain. Investigating the pathogenesis of depression and accurately assessing the symptomatic changes are fundamental to formulating effective clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies. Utilizing non-invasive brain imaging technologies such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and scalp electroencephalography, existing studies have confirmed that the onset of depression is closely associated with abnormal neural activities and altered functional connectivity in multiple brain regions. Magnetoencephalography, unaffected by tissue conductivity and skull thickness, boasts high spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio, offering unique advantages and significant value in revealing the abnormal brain mechanisms and neural characteristics of depression. This review, starting from the rhythmic characteristics, nonlinear dynamic features, and connectivity characteristics of magnetoencephalography in depression patients, revisits the research progress on magnetoencephalography features related to depression, discusses current issues and future development trends, and provides insights for the study of pathophysiological mechanisms, as well as for clinical diagnosis and treatment of depression.