Preparation Process Optimization and Performance Characterization of Feed Plant Essential Oil Microcapsules.

The exploration of safe antibiotic substitutes is one of the research hotspots in animal husbandry. Adding suitable plant essential oils into feed could improve the growth performance and immune capacity of animals. In order to make plant essential oil play a better role in feed application, sodium alginate and chitosan were used as the wall materials, and blended plant essential oils (BEO) as the core material to prepare BEO microcapsules by the sharp-hole condensation method. On the basis of single-factor experiments, the optimal preparation conditions for BEO microcapsules were obtained by response surface experiments. The physicochemical properties were characterized and analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and field scanning electron microscope (FSEM). Meanwhile, the release mechanism was studied by simulating a gastrointestinal sustained-release experiment. The results showed that under the optimal preparation conditions, the encapsulation efficiency of BEO microcapsules could reach 80.33 ± 2.35%. FTIR and SEM analysis displayed that the microcapsules obtained had uniform color and size and a complete and compact structure. In vitro study indicated that the release amount of BEO microcapsules in the simulated intestinal fluid is higher than that in the simulated intestinal fluid, which was consistent with animal digestive and absorptive characteristics.

[Mechanism of volatile oil from Alpinia oxyphylla in treating Alzheimer's disease based on GC-MS and network pharmacology].

To study the material basis and mechanism of volatile oil from Alpinia oxyphylla in treating Alzheimer's disease(AD) based on GC-MS and network pharmacology. Ingredients of volatile oil from A.oxyphylla were analyzed by GC-MS. Targets of those ingredients were obtained through Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP). Relevant targets of AD were obtained through such databases as DrugBank, STITCH, OMIM. Intersection targets of ingredients and diseases were obtained by Online Venny map, and PPI network was established by STRING to screen out core targets. Gene ontology(GO) functional enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed by DAVID. The "ingredients-target-pathway" network was constructed by software Cytoscape 3.8.1 to screen out potential active ingredients of volatile oil from A.oxyphylla in the treatment of AD. The results showed that a total of 6 active ingredients were screened from the volatile oil of A.oxyphylla by GC-MS, 17 targets corresponding to 6 active ingredients were found in TCMSP database, and 3 448 AD targets were found in DrugBank database. "Ingredients-target-pathway" network and PPI network showed there were 4 potential active ingredients in the treatment of AD and 4 core targets. GO analysis and KEGG analysis showed 34(P<0.05) and 5(P<0.05) pathways, respectively, including nerve ligand receptor interaction, calcium signaling pathway, cholinergic synapse and 5-hydroxytryptaminergic synapse. This suggested that volatile oil from A.oxyphylla could synergistically treat AD by regulating calcium balance, cholinergic balance and phosphorylation. This study provided reference and guidance for further study of volatile oil from A.oxyphylla in the treatment of AD.

[Prediction of Q-markers of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium volatile oil and GC-MS based quantitative analysis].

This study was designed to predict the Q-markers of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium volatile oil and conduct quantitative analysis by GC-MS. The common components of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium volatile oil were detected by GC-MS. The network pharmacology approaches were utilized for constructing the component-target network and protein-protein interaction(PPI) network, followed by the GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis to clarify the pharmacological effects of common components. Molecular docking was conducted to observe the biological activities of common components, thus identifying the Q-markers of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium volatile oil. The obtained Q-markers were subjected to quantitative analysis by GC-MS. The GC-MS analysis of 19 batches of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium volatile oil revealed three common components, namely, D-limonene, γ-terpinene, and myrcene. The common components were analyzed based on network pharmacology, and the results showed that Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium volatile oil mainly acted on the core targets GABRA1, GABRA6, GABRA5, GABRA3, and GABRA2 through D-limonene and γ-terpinene, with five important pathways such as nicotine addiction and GABAergic synapse involved. The core targets were mainly distributed in olfactory region, cerebral cortex, cerebellum, basal ganglia, hippocampus, and amygdala to exert the pharmacological effects. As revealed by molecular docking, D-limonene and γ-terpinene exhibited good biological activities, so they were identified as the Q-markers of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium volatile oil. The results of quantitative analysis showed that the volume fraction of D-limonene was within the range of 0.77-1.03 µL·mL~(-1), and that of γ-terpinene within the range of 0.04-0.13 µL·mL~(-1). The prediction of D-limonene and γ-terpinene as the Q-markers of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium volatile oil has laid an experimental foundation for the establishment of the quality evaluation standard for Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium volatile oil.

Chinese orthopaedic nurses' knowledge, attitude and venous thromboembolic prophylactic practices: A multicentric cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism is a severe preventable complication among orthopaedic surgical patients. Integrating therapeutic guidelines into clinical practice can help improve patient safety and reduce the burden of this pathology. Improving the quality of patient care is important for bridging the gap between the prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism and therapeutic guidelines. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed at evaluating the knowledge, attitude, and venous thromboembolism and prophylaxis practices of Chinese orthopaedic nurses to guide quality care improvements. METHODS: The data used in this study are secondary data obtained from a multicentric survey. An anonymous questionnaire was used to measure the attitude and knowledge of venous thromboembolic prophylaxis among orthopaedic nurses. VTE prophylactic practices were extracted from medical records within the electronic case report form immediately after the nurses' investigations. The STROBE statement for observational studies was applied. RESULTS: Results indicated that although 94.0% of the responding nurses had attended training courses in their wards, a majority of them (68.9%) achieved a median knowledge score of 7 points or below (range 0-9). Knowledge regarding the proper use of prophylaxis, identification of risk factors, signs and symptoms for pulmonary embolism was limited. Self-reported attitudes underestimate the relationships between venous thromboembolism and low-quality nursing care. Pharmacological prophylaxis was highly used (90.9%), while the utilisation of mechanical prophylaxis and its proper use was relatively low. CONCLUSIONS: Chinese orthopaedic nurses demonstrated enthusiasm for venous thromboembolism and prophylaxis. Their knowledge needs to be improved, including the proper use of prophylaxis, identification of risk factors, signs and symptoms. Mechanical prophylaxis practice for VTE prevention after THA and TKA surgical procedures is not optimistic. Further studies should analyse the causes from multiple perspectives, including the availability of resources, the knowledge and attitude of doctors, nurses and patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: The findings from this study can be used to develop and implement interventions for venous thromboembolism after orthopaedic surgery.

Quality appraisal of clinical guidelines for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurs in up to 40%-80% of patients after hip and knee arthroplasty. Clinical decision-making aided by guidelines is the most effective strategy to reduce the burden of VTE. However, the quality of guidelines is dependent on the strength of their evidence base. The objective of this article is to critically evaluate the quality of VTE prevention guidelines and the strength of their recommendations in VTE prophylaxis in patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty. METHODS: Relevant literature up to 16 March 2020 was systematically searched. We searched databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, EMBASE, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and WanFang and nine guidelines repositories. The identified guidelines were appraised by two reviewers using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II and appraised the strength of their recommendations independently. Following quality assessment, a predesigned data collection form was used to extract the characteristics of the included guideline. RESULTS: We finally included 15 guidelines. Ten of the included guidelines were rated as 'recommended' or 'recommended with modifications'. The standardised scores were relatively high in the domains of Clarity of Presentation, and Scope and Purpose. The lowest average standardised scores were observed in the domains of Applicability and Stakeholder Involvement. In reference to the domains of Rigour of Development and Editorial Independence, the standardised scores varied greatly between the guidelines. The agreement between the two appraisers is almost perfect (intraclass correlation coefficients higher than 0.80). A considerable proportion of the recommendations is based on low-quality or very-low-quality evidence or is even based on working group expert opinion. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the majority of the recommendations are based on low-quality evidence, and further confirmation is needed. Furthermore, guideline developers should pay more attention to methodological quality, especially in the Stakeholder Involvement domain and the Applicability domain.

Association of insomnia disorder with sociodemographic factors and poor mental health in COVID-19 inpatients in China.

PURPOSE: To examine insomnia disorder and its association with sociodemographic factors and poor mental health in 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) inpatients in Wuhan, China. DESIGN: and Methods: A total of 484 COVID-19 inpatients in Wuhan Tongji Hospital were selected and interviewed with standardized assessment tools. Insomnia disorder was measured by the Chinese version of the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI-7), a total score of 8 or more was accepted as the threshold for diagnosing insomnia disorder. RESULTS: The prevalence of insomnia disorder in the whole sample was 42.8%. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that female gender, younger age, and higher fatigue and anxiety severity were more likely to experience insomnia disorder. CONCLUSION: Given the high rate of insomnia disorder status among COVID-19 inpatients in Wuhan, China, and its negative effects, follow-up assessments and appropriate psychological interventions for insomnia disorder are needed in this population.

Prevalence of depression and its association with quality of life in clinically stable patients with COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: High risk of mental health problems is associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study explored the prevalence of depressive symptoms (depression hereafter) and its relationship with quality of life (QOL) in clinically stable patients with COVID-19. METHODS: This was an online survey conducted in COVID-19 patients across five designated isolation hospitals for COVID-19 in Hubei province, China. Depression and QOL were assessed with standardized instruments. RESULTS: A total of 770 participants were included. The prevalence of depression was 43.1% (95%CI: 39.6%-46.6%). Binary logistic regression analysis found that having a family member infected with COVID-19 (OR=1.51, P = 0.01), suffering from severe COVID-19 infection (OR=1.67, P = 0.03), male gender (OR=0.53, P<0.01), and frequent social media use to obtain COVID-19 related information (OR=0.65, P<0.01) were independently associated with depression. Patients with depression had lower QOL than those without. CONCLUSION: Depression is highly prevalent in clinically stable patients with COVID-19. Regular screening and appropriate treatment of depression are urgently warranted for this population.

[Research on improving memory impairment of blue lavender volatile oil].

In order to study the potential application value of lavender volatile oil (LVO), the chemical composition of the volatile oil of lavender was analyzed by GC-MS, and the mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) was established. Additionally, the antioxidant enzymes activity of T-SOD, GSH-PX, CAT and MDA content were studied. Experimental results showed that 55 kinds of chemical constituents including terpene, terpene alcohol and ester compounds from LVO were identified, and the content of linalool and linalyl acetate was the highest, accounting for 49.71% of the total volatile oil. The ability of mouse platform memory was improved significantly. The levels of GSH-PX, CAT and T-SOD of mouse brain tissue in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the model group (P<0.05). The level of MDA reached the maximum value in the model group, while there was no notable difference between the levels of MDA in the drug group and the normal group. The result indicated the significant oxidative activity of LVO, the possibility of induced oxidative stress reduction in neurons, and the reversal effect of memory acquired disorder.