Osteoid osteoma (OO) is a common benign ossifying lesion that is most prevalent among youth. Usually, it attacks the diaphyseal or metaphyseal bones that are tubular. The common hallmark of muscle pain is the reported occurrence of night pain that is nearly always present, yields satisfactory responses from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and may be joined by complaints regarding physical activities. Also, it shows typical signs of study procedures like computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A nidus, which is the primary marker in the diagnostic formation of shadowed images, is a crucial sign of an OO. This source is usually portrayed as an oval lytic lesion, measuring 1 cm flat and surrounded by a region of reactive ossification. It is laborious to diagnose OO since the condition is frequently confused with many other ones, and testing and therapy may be delayed and complicated as a result. There are still few studies on OO diagnosis and distinguishing of surrogate conditions. Unfortunately, either ablation or resection can be said to be the cure. Improved detection of OO shows the possibility for prompt diagnosis, fewer patient discomfort and side effects, less cost involved in unnecessary treatments, and a rightly diagnosed condition.

Ascending aortic dissection is typically characterized by severe chest or back pain. However, its presentation can be atypical, leading to diagnostic challenges, especially in settings where classic symptomatology may not be evident. In this report, we described the case of a 74-year-old woman who presented to the emergency room of a rural community hospital with chief complaints of vertigo, nausea, and vomiting, without the classic symptoms of chest or back pain associated with aortic dissection. Despite initial treatment for autonomic dysregulation, the patient\'s symptoms persisted. Subsequent comprehensive assessments, including computed tomography angiography, revealed an ascending aortic dissection extending to the bilateral common carotid arteries. This atypical presentation, characterized by cerebral hypoperfusion and systemic hypotension without tachycardia, emphasizes the need to maintain a high suspicion index, even in the absence of hallmark symptoms. This case underscores the importance of considering the possibility of ascending aortic dissection in patients with nontraditional symptoms. Recognizing these atypical presentations is crucial for timely intervention, especially in rural settings with limited advanced diagnostic tools. This case also highlights potential sex disparities in symptom presentation, emphasizing the need for clinicians to recognize nontraditional symptoms in women. Rapid identification, evaluation, and management are imperative to prevent severe outcomes, and a multidisciplinary approach has proven to be the most effective in such cases.

Proptosis, an abnormal protrusion of the eyeball, is a manifestation of a wide variety of pathologies. The complication to be vision- or life-threatening makes early diagnosis is important, especially in rural primary health centers (PHCs) with far-distance referrals to capable hospitals. This case report examines a patient with obvious unilateral proptosis and blurry vision on the right eye for 4 years, with neglect because of prior inadequate diagnosis and explanation before the current complication. Examination shows no light perception, obvious proptosis (30 mm), exodeviation, and ophthalmoplegia. Referral for radiological examination showed a regular extra-axial lesion, well-defined, and broad-based on the right sphenoid wing with hyperostosis. The patient was diagnosed with sphenoid wing meningioma, which complicated into proptosis and blindness. This report aims to explain the current challenges of rural PHCs in Indonesia critically and to emphasize that rural PHCs should overcome the low level of public education, self-awareness of health, and tendency to reject the referral process. Clinicians also have a crucial role in early detection and prompt treatment to reduce further neglected cases.

OBJECTIVE: China\'s 2009 national essential medicine system (NEMS) was designed to reduce prices through a zero-markup policy and a centralized bidding system. To analyze NEMS\'s short-term impact on drug prices, we estimated the retail and wholesale prices before and after the reform at health institutions in rural Jiangxi Province.
METHODS: We undertook two cross-sectional surveys of prices of 39 medicines in November 2008 and May 2010, calculated inflation adjusted prices, and used the Wilcoxon signed-rank and rank-sum tests to examine price changes at different health institutions.
RESULTS: Retail prices at pilot (P < 0.01) and nonpilot (P < 0.01) township health centers decreased significantly, whereas the declines at retail pharmacies (P = 0.57) and village clinics (P = 0.29) were insignificant. The decline at pilot township health centers was the largest, compared with other kinds of health institutions (P < 0.01). Retail prices of essential and non-essential medicines declined significantly at pilot facilities (P < 0.05); price drops for non-essential medicines occurred only at pilot facilities (P < 0.05). No significant decline of wholesale prices were found at pilot (P = 0.86) and nonpilot units (P = 0.18), retail pharmacies (P = 0.18), and village clinics (P = 0.20). The wholesale prices changes at pilot units before and after the reform were higher than at nonpilot public units (P < 0.05), retail pharmacies (P < 0.05), and village clinics (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: While the NEMS zero-markup policy significantly reduced retail prices at pilot health institutions, the centralized bidding system was insufficient to lower wholesale prices. A drug price management system should be constructed to control medicine prices and a long-term price information system is needed to monitor price changes.