Mechanisms and therapeutic potential of chinonin in nervous system diseases.

The flavonoid compound chinonin is one of the main active components of Rhizoma anemarrhena with multiple activities, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, protection of mitochondrial function and regulation of immunity. In this paper, we reviewed recent research progress on the protective effect of chinonin on brain injury in neurological diseases. "Chinonin" OR "Mangiferin" AND "Nervous system diseases" OR "Neuroprotection" was used as the terms for search in PumMed. After discarding duplicated and irrelevant articles, a total of 23 articles relevant to chinonin published between 2012 and 2023 were identified in our study.

[Research progress on processing history evolution, chemical components and pharmacological effects of Polygonati Rhizoma].

Polygonati Rhizoma(PR), listed as a top-grade medicine, was recorded first in the Mingyi Bielu written by TAO Hongjing. It is a good medicine through the ages to tonify Qi and nourish Yin, strengthen spleen and kidney. PR has a long history of processing and has a variety of processing methods and technologies. Steaming and stewing are the main processing methods. There are many different excipients used in processing PR, such as wine, honey, black beans, and multiple excipients. At present, there are three plant varieties of PR recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, including Polygonatum sibiricum, P. kingianum and P. cyrtonema, collectively called medicinal PR. Medicinal PR has a wide range of chemical components, mainly including polysaccharides, steroidal saponins, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids and alkaloids etc. It also has a wide range of pharmacological effects, such as anti-oxidation, anti-osteoporosis and anti-tumor effects. In this paper, we review the historical evolution, chemical components, pharmacological effects, and the effects of processing on ingredients and pharmacological effects of PR. We also analyze the limitations of the current research on PR, and put forward the prospects on the scientific connotation of processing, quality improvement, process innovation and new product development of PR for further researches.

Antecedents of medical workplace violence in South China.

It has been noted that workplace violence most frequently occurs in hospitals. The purpose of this study was to explore antecedents of workplace violence in south China. The authors conducted face-to-face, in-depth, semistructured interviews with 30 hospital staff who had experienced at least one incident of workplace violence from patients during the past 12 months at three general hospitals in south China. The interviews were tape-recorded, then transcribed, and analyzed. The authors' analyses identified five major antecedents of workplace violence. First, 93.0% of medical workplace violence was related to insufficient communication between hospital staff and patients. Second, inadequate medical service quality was found to be a factor in 56.7% of the incidences. Third, unsatisfactory treatment outcome was reported in 60.0%. Fourth, heavy workload accounted for 43.3%. Fifth, patient frustration due to high medical expenses was reported in 40.0% of cases. The authors recommended a reengineering of hospital service delivery to create a more supportive and safer working environment for prevention of workplace violence.

Cognitive impairment and depression among Chinese nonagenarians/centenarians.

PURPOSE: In this study, we explored the association between cognitive impairment and depression in the very elderly using a sample aged 90-108 years. METHODS: A cross-sectional study. RESULTS: The sample included 682 unrelated Chinese nonagenarians/centenarians (67.25% women, mean age of 93.49 years). The mean depression score (measured with the brief 23-item Geriatrics Depression Scale-Chinese Edition was 8.45 (standard deviation [SD] = 3.30). The mean of cognitive function scores (measured with the 30-item Mini-Mental State Examination) was 15.54 (SD = 5.38). There was no significant difference in cognitive function scores between subjects with and without depression, and there was also no significant difference in depression scores between subjects with and without cognitive impairment. There was also no significant difference in the frequency of depression between subjects with and without cognitive impairment or in the frequency of cognitive impairment between subjects with and without depression. Both the odds ratio (OR) of depression (as a function of increased cognitive impairment) and the OR of cognitive impairment (as a function of increased depression) were found to be insignificant. Pearson Correlation also showed no significant correlation between depression scores and cognitive function scores. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, we found that depression was not directly correlated with cognitive impairment in Chinese nonagenarians and centenarians.

[Clinical observation on acupuncture for treatment of high fever due to common cold].

OBJECTIVE: To observe clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture in abatement of fever. METHODS: Eighty-six cases of high fever were randomly divided into two groups, an acupuncture group (n = 45) treated with acupuncture at Dazhui (GV 14) and a drug group (n = 41) treated with intramuscular injection of Antongding Injectio. Changes of body temperature before and after 24 hours treatment were observed by single blind. RESULTS: In the acupuncture group, 9 cases were cured, and in the drug group, 2 cases were cured, the acupuncture group was better than the drug group in abatement of fever. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture has a reliable therapeutic effect on fever.