China National Health Commission Research Articles

A Multi-Center Study on the Implementation and Challenges of Nursing Three-Level Ward Rounds in Tertiary Hospitals in Shanxi Province.

The "Key Points of the Core System of Medical Quality and Safety" (hereinafter referred to as the "Key Points") was promulgated by the National Health Commission of China in 2018, requiring that nursing ward rounds should be carried out with reference to the three-level ward round system; In 2020 and 2022 editions of the "Evaluation Standards for Tertiary Hospitals", which were implemented in China, required that nursing ward rounds should be carried out with reference to the "Key Points". Additionally, the Action Plan for Comprehensively Improving Medical Quality (2023-2025) also mentions the need to improve the quality of three-level ward rounds. However, there are no detailed guidelines regarding implementing "Nursing Three-level Ward Rounds". This study aimed to investigate the current situation of nursing three-level ward rounds in tertiary hospitals after the promulgation of the "Key Points of the Core System of Medical Quality and Safety" to provide insights and guidelines regarding relevant standards, so as to better implement of the requirements of "nursing ward rounds" in the "Evaluation Standards for Tertiary Hospitals" and "improving the quality of three-level ward rounds" in the "Action Plan". A multi-center study was conducted in February 2024, including all tertiary public hospitals in the Shanxi Province, China. A questionnaire survey using the self-designed "Questionnaire on the Implementation of Nursing Three-level Ward Rounds" was carried out. The questionnaire included the basic information of the hospital and the implementation of the three-level (namely I, II, and III) rounds (including "five aspects": ward round personnel, object, content, frequency, and record), which is expressed by quantity and composition ratio. Next is the text analysis method. First, the "five aspects" of the hospital that filled in the questionnaire survey with "nursing three-level ward rounds have been carried out" were assessed. Second, the five aspects of each hospital were assessed for consistency with the "Nursing Three-level Ward Rounds System" (hereinafter referred to as the "System") of their respective hospitals.Third, the consistency of the "System" of the hospital with the "Key Points" was assessed. The results of the analysis of the former are expressed in terms of quantity and composition ratio; the results of the latter two were analyzed using Fisher's exact test method to compare any differences. Notably, 14 of the 67 tertiary public hospitals (20.9%) carried out nursing three-level ward rounds. There were 4-10 situations in the five aspects of I, II, and III ward rounds filled in by the hospitals. The five aspects of the I, II, III ward rounds in 14 hospitals were significantly comparable with the "System", which, in turn, was comparable with the "Key Points" (P < 0.05). Not all tertiary public hospitals in the Shanxi Province have not all carried out nursing three-level ward rounds. Furthermore, the five aspects of the hospitals that carried out nursing three-level ward rounds were not entirely consistent in terms of ward round personnel, object, content, frequency, and record. The filling in of the nursing three-level ward rounds carried out by the hospitals is inconsistent with the respective "System"; the "System" of the hospital is not in line with the "Key Points". Nursing administrators should be aware of the newly issued norms and requirements in their workplace, and revise the relevant systems in accordance with the norms and requirements in a timely manner. Additionally, the revision of the system should cover the core requirements of the norms and be practicable. The system should be supervised to ensure that 100% of the implementation is in accordance with the system.

Exploring the potential mechanisms of the ethyl acetate fraction of Hippophae rhamnoides L. seeds as a natural healing agent for wound repair

Ethnopharmacological relevanceSea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) has been designated a "medicine food homology" fruit by the National Health Commission of China due to its nutritional value. In traditional Chinese ethnomedicine, Hippophae rhamnoides L. is commonly used to treat nonhealing wounds such as burns, sores, and gastric ulcers. The aim of this study was to explore the healing effects of the ethyl acetate extract of sea buckthorn seeds (SBS-EF) on burn wounds. Aim of the studyThe primary objectives of this research were to determine the most effective medicinal site of action for treating burns with sea buckthorn seeds (SBS) and to investigate the underlying material basis and mechanisms of their therapeutic effects. Materials and methodsThe effects of different components of SBS-EF on the proliferation and migration of human skin fibroblasts (HSFs) were evaluated via MTT assays, scratch assays, transwell assays, and hydroxyproline secretion analysis. SBS-EF displayed the greatest activity amongst the extracts. Subsequent analyses included network pharmacology methodology, molecular docking studies, ultraperformance liquid chromatography UPLC-Orbitrap-Exploris-120-MS and a severe second-degree burn rat model to investigate the chemical constituents and potential therapeutic mechanisms of the SBS-EF. ResultsIn vitro studies demonstrated the efficacy of SBS-EF in promoting HSF growth and migration. UPLC-Orbitrap-Exploris-120-MS analysis revealed that SBS-EF had ten major constituents, with flavonoids being the predominant compounds, especially catechin, quercetin, and kaempferol derivatives. Network pharmacology and molecular docking analyses indicated that SBS-EF may exert its healing effects by modulating the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway. Subsequent in vivo experiments demonstrated that SBS-EF accelerated burn wound healing in rats, increased hydroxyproline expression in skin tissue, facilitated skin structure repair, and enhanced collagen production and organisation over a 21 d period. Additionally, exposure to SBS-EF upregulated WNT3a and β-catenin while downregulating GSK-3β levels in rat skin tissue. ConclusionsThe wound healing properties of SBS-EF were attributed to its ability to enhance HSF growth and migration, increase hydroxyproline levels in the skin, promote collagen accumulation, reduce scarring, and decrease the skin water content. SBS-EF may also provide therapeutic benefits for burns by modulating the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway, as evidenced by its effective site and likely mechanism of action in the treatment of burned rats.

Hepatoprotective effects of Xiaoyao San formula on hepatic steatosis and inflammation via regulating the sex hormones metabolism.

The modified Xiaoyao San (MXS) formula is an adjuvant drug recommended by the National Health Commission of China for the treatment of liver cancer, which has the effect of preventing postoperative recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma and prolonging patient survival. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying that remain unclear. To investigate the role and mechanisms of MXS in ameliorating hepatic injury, steatosis and inflammation. A choline-deficient/high-fat diet-induced rat nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) model was used to examine the effects of MXS on lipid accumulation in primary hepatocytes. Liver tissues were collected for western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays. Lipid accumulation and hepatic fibrosis were detected using oil red staining and Sirius red staining. The serum samples were collected for biochemical assays and NMR-based metabonomics analysis. The inflammation/lipid metabolism-related signaling and regulators in liver tissues were also detected to reveal the molecular mechanisms of MXS against NASH. MXS showed a significant decrease in lipid accumulation and inflammatory response in hepatocytes under metabolic stress. The western blotting and IHC results indicated that MXS activated AMPK pathway but inhibited the expression of key regulators related to lipid accumulation, inflammation and hepatic fibrosis in the pathogenesis of NASH. The metabonomics analysis systemically indicated that the arachidonic acid metabolism and steroid hormone synthesis are the two main target metabolic pathways for MXS to ameliorate liver inflammation and hepatic steatosis. Mechanistically, we found that MXS protected against NASH by attenuating the sex hormone-related metabolism, especially the metabolism of male hormones. MXS ameliorates inflammation and hepatic steatosis of NASH by inhibiting the metabolism of male hormones. Targeting male hormone related metabolic pathways may be the potential therapeutic approach for NASH.

Association of the triglyceride–glucose index with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a population-based cohort study of 3.5 million adults in China

The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index has been recognized as a crucial risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However, the association between the TyG index and mortality in the general population remains elusive. Participants were enrolled from the China Health Evaluation And risk Reduction through nationwide Teamwork (ChinaHEART), a nationwide prospective cohort study. The outcomes of interest were all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. Restricted cubic splines and Cox regression models were used to assess the associations between the TyG index and outcomes. In total, 3,524,459 participants with a median follow-up of 4.6 (IQR, 3.1-5.8) years were included. The associations of the TyG index with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality were reverse L-shaped, with cut-off values of 9.75 for all-cause mortality and 9.85 for cardiovascular mortality. For each 1-unit increase in the TyG index, when below the cut-off values, the TyG index was not significantly associated with all-cause mortality (HR=1.02, 95% CI: 1.00-1.03) and was only modestly associated with cardiovascular mortality (HR=1.09, 95% CI: 1.06-1.11). Conversely, when the cut-off values were exceeded, the HRs (95% CI) were 2.10 (1.94-2.29) for all-cause mortality and 1.99 (1.72-2.30) for cardiovascular mortality. However, the association between the TyG index and cancer mortality was linearly negative (HR=0.97, 95% CI: 0.94-0.99). The associations of the TyG index with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality displayed reverse L-shaped patterns, while an elevated TyG index showed a slight negative association with cancer mortality. We suggest that <9.75 could be the optimal TyG index cut-off value among the Chinese general population. Individuals at high risk of mortality might benefit from proper management of a high TyG index. The National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding (2023-GSP-ZD-2, 2023-GSP-RC-01), the Ministry of Finance of China and National Health Commission of China.

Modeling outbreaks of COVID-19 in China: The impact of vaccination and other control measures on curbing the epidemic

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the development trend of COVID-19 in China and propose a model to assess the impacts of various prevention and control measures in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Using COVID-19 cases reported by the National Health Commission of China from January 2, 2020, to January 2, 2022, we established a Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Asymptomatic-Quarantined-Vaccinated-Hospitalized-Removed (SEIAQVHR) model to calculate the COVID-19 transmission rate and Rt effective reproduction number, and assess prevention and control measures. Additionally, we built a stochastic model to explore the development of the COVID-19 epidemic. We modeled the incidence trends in five outbreaks between 2020 and 2022. Some important features of the COVID-19 epidemic are mirrored in the estimates based on our SEIAQVHR model. Our model indicates that an infected index case entering the community has a 50%–60% chance to cause a COVID-19 outbreak. Wearing masks and getting vaccinated were the most effective measures among all the prevention and control measures. Specifically targeting asymptomatic individuals had no significant impact on the spread of COVID-19. By adjusting prevention and control parameters, we suggest that increasing the rates of effective vaccination and mask-wearing can significantly reduce COVID-19 cases in China. Our stochastic model analysis provides a useful tool for understanding the COVID-19 epidemic in China.

Prediction of cross-border spread of the COVID-19 pandemic: A predictive model for imported cases outside China.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been present globally for more than three years, and cross-border transmission has played an important role in its spread. Currently, most predictions of COVID-19 spread are limited to a country (or a region), and models for cross-border transmission risk assessment remain lacking. Information on imported COVID-19 cases reported from March 2020 to June 2022 was collected from the National Health Commission of China, and COVID-19 epidemic data of the countries of origin of the imported cases were collected on data websites such as WHO and Our World in Data. It is proposed to establish a prediction model suitable for the prevention and control of overseas importation of COVID-19. Firstly, the SIR model was used to fit the epidemic infection status of the countries where the cases were exported, and most of the r2 values of the fitted curves obtained were above 0.75, which indicated that the SIR model could well fit different countries and the infection status of the region. After fitting the epidemic infection status data of overseas exporting countries, on this basis, a SIR-multiple linear regression overseas import risk prediction combination model was established, which can predict the risk of overseas case importation, and the established overseas import risk model overall P <0.05, the adjusted R2 = 0.7, indicating that the SIR-multivariate linear regression overseas import risk prediction combination model can obtain better prediction results. Our model effectively estimates the risk of imported cases of COVID-19 from abroad.

Antimicrobial resistance of clinical bacterial isolates in China: current status and trends.

Antimicrobial resistance surveillance systems have been established in China. Two representative national surveillance networks are the China Antimicrobial Surveillance Network (CHINET) and China Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (CARSS), both of which were established in 2005. For all clinical isolates collected in both of these surveillance networks, the ratio of Gram-negative bacilli to Gram-positive cocci was approximately 7:3 during the past 18 years. Generally, Gram-negative bacilli have a higher antimicrobial resistance profile in China. The prevalence of ESBLs in Escherichia coli is as high as approximately 50%. Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus complex (ABC) has a high antimicrobial resistance profile, with a carbapenem resistance rate of approximately 66%. However, the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant ABC has also shown a decreasing trend from 2018 to 2022. The prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus was low, and the prevalence of MRSA and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed decreasing trends from 2005 to 2022. CHINET surveillance data demonstrated that the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae showed a remarkable increasing trend from 2.9% (imipenem resistance) in 2005 to 25.0% in 2018, and then slightly decreased to 22.6% in 2022. The decreasing trends may reflect the antimicrobial stewardship efforts in China: a professional consensus on the rational clinical use of carbapenems was issued by the National Health Commission of China and was well implemented nationally; after that, the clinical use of carbapenems decreased slightly in China.

‘Credit Is a Basket’

Abstract In 2019, the National Health Commission of China announced a nation-wide plan to incorporate blood donation into the country's emerging informational infrastructure: the social credit system (SCS). Through analysis of comments from Weibo, one of China's largest social media sites, alongside news articles and official government announcements from the time, we follow the figure of the basket, which we regard as vernacular critique. By analysing the formation of trust indicators, contestations over their commensurability, and the prospect of converting between moral deeds and financial advantage, we aim to augment understandings of the ways that quantification practices are, and become, moral projects.

The asymptotic spreading speeds of COVID-19 with the effect of delay and quarantine

&lt;abstract&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coronavirus spread in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. A few weeks later, the virus was present in over 100 countries around the globe. Governments have adopted extreme measures to contain the spreading virus. Quarantine is considered the most effective way to control the spreading speed of COVID-19. In this study, a mathematical model is developed to explore the influence of quarantine and the latent period on the spatial spread of COVID-19. We use the mathematical model with quarantine, and delay to predict the spreading speed of the virus. In particular, we transform the model to a single integral equation and then apply the Laplace transform to find implicit equations for the spreading speeds. The basic reproduction number of COVID-19 is also found and calculated. Numerical simulations are performed to confirm our theoretical results. To validate the proposed model, we compare our outcomes with the actual reported data published by the National Health Commission of China and the Health Commission of local governments. The model demonstrates good qualitative agreement with the actual data reported. The results show that delay and quarantine highly influence the spreading speeds of COVID-19. Also, we can only contain the disease if we quarantine $ 75 \% $ of the infected people.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/abstract&gt;

A comparative analysis of vaccine lists, prices, and candidates, and the national immunization program between China and the United States

Vaccines have an essential role in preventing infectious diseases and reducing the burden of disease. The differences in vaccine lists and prices, and the National Immunization Program (NIP) and vaccine development between China and the United States (US) in conjunction with epidemiologic data on infectious diseases were systematically compared. The epidemiologic data of infectious diseases in 2019 were extracted from the China National Health Commission and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The vaccine list was identified from the China National Medical Products Administration and US Food and Drug Administration databases. Vaccine prices were obtained via the China government procurement platform and the US CDC. The NIP vaccines for China and the US were obtained from the China and US CDCs. Vaccine candidates investigated in 2015-2022 were identified from the China Clinical Trial Registry Platform and the US clinicaltrials.gov database. Differences in the incidence of infectious diseases between China and the US were detected with both countries facing a lack of available vaccines for prevention of many diseases. The number of listed vaccines and preventable diseases in China was 59 and 36, respectively, which was higher than the US (45 and 31, respectively). The median price of NIP vaccines in China was significantly lower than the price in the US (median: $3.8 vs. $20; P&lt;0.001); however, there was no significant difference in the price of non-NIP vaccines (median: $68 vs. $86; P=0.498). Vaccines developed by local manufacturers were less expensive than imported products despite the absence of significant differences (median: $16 vs. $31; P=0.180). The number and types of NIP vaccines used to prevent infectious diseases in China were lower than the US. The majority of vaccine candidates in China were not novel compared to the US. Vaccines marketed in China for infectious diseases were comparable to the US. Our findings suggest that China should further expand NIP vaccines and incentive research and development on novel vaccines to improve accessibility based on infectious disease epidemiology.

Factors influencing public engagement in government TikTok during the COVID-19 crisis

PurposeAlthough governments have used social media platforms to interact with the public in an attempt to minimize anxiety and provide a forum for public discussion during the pandemic, governments require sufficient crisis communication skills to engage citizens in taking appropriate action effectively. This study aims to examine how the National Health Commission of China (NHCC) has used TikTok, the leading short video–based platform, to facilitate public engagement during COVID-19.Design/methodology/approachBuilding upon dual process theories, this study integrates the activation of information exposure, prosocial interaction theory and social sharing of emotion theory to explore how public engagement is related to message sensation value (MSV), media character, content theme and emotional valence. A total of 354 TikTok videos posted by NHCC were collected during the pandemic to explore the determinants of public engagement in crises.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that MSV negatively predicts public engagement with government TikTok, but that instructional information increases engagement. The presence of celebrities and health-care professionals negatively affects public engagement with government TikTok accounts. In addition, emotional valence serves a moderating role between MSV, media characters and public engagement.Originality/valueGovernment agencies must be fully aware of the different combinations of MSV and emotion use in the video title when releasing crisis-related videos. Government agencies can also leverage media characters – health professionals in particular – to enhance public engagement. Government agencies are encouraged to solicit public demand for the specific content of instructing information through data mining techniques.

Expert consensus on the management of interstitial lung disease during the COVID-19 epidemic

Expert consensus on the management of interstitial lung disease during the COVID-19 epidemic

PP132 Health Technology Assessment Agencies’ Expectations Regarding Patient Experience Data in Australia, China, And Japan

IntroductionHealth technology assessment (HTA) agencies are increasingly embracing patient experience data (PED) to support reimbursement decisions. This study aimed to review HTA agencies’ expectations with regards to utilizing PED to support drug reimbursement in Australia, Japan, and China.MethodsPublished HTA guidance documents were reviewed in 2021 to identify any PED-specific information. If available, recommendations related to the type of PED (e.g., generic vs. disease-specific clinical outcomes assessment (COA)); COA validation, analyses, endpoints and interpretation; and the interest in PED beyond COA in HTA decision-making (e.g., patient preference information) were reviewed. Literature review and semi-structured interviews with key opinion leaders (KOLs) were conducted to further explore these themes and future trends with regards to PED.ResultsAustralia’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee guidance document includes a dedicated section on patient-reported outcomes (PRO), providing details on preferred PRO instruments; validation expectations; and recommended methods to explore score interpretation, assess and report PRO results and handle missing data. While PED derived from non-PRO sources are not discussed in the guidance, the KOL noted that they should not be ruled out. Japan’s Center for Outcomes Research and Economic Evaluation for Health guideline includes a section dedicated to PROs without details related to instrument validation, analyses and interpretation, however, is focused on the use of PRO to inform health economic assessments. In China, the HTA center of China National Health Commission drafted two disease-specific technical guidance documents recommending the inclusion of PROs in efficacy assessments and use of instruments relevant in the Chinese population; these points were echoed by the KOL interviewed.ConclusionsThere are recommendations on PED use included in country-specific guidance documents, however their level of detail varies greatly. Knowing each agency’s expectations with regards to PED is key when submitting HTA evidence dossiers and should be considered early in clinical trial design to integrate market access perspectives and optimize drug development.

Release and impact of China's "Second List of Rare Diseases".

On September 18, 2023, the National Health Commission of China officially announced the "Second List of Rare Diseases". This list of 86 rare diseases, drafted in accordance with the "Working Procedures for Drafting the List of Rare Diseases", marks the second release of a rare disease list since the initial list was issued in May 2018. Following the release of the first batch, the Chinese Government introduced various policies to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of rare diseases, to promote the research on, development of, production of, and availability of rare disease medications in China, and to improve medication access for patients with rare diseases. Consequently, this has elevated the level of rare disease diagnosis and treatment, ensuring greater accessibility to treatment for affected individuals. The expansion of the rare disease list through the release of the "Second List of Rare Diseases" will further enhance rare disease management, increase awareness, improve diagnosis and treatment, facilitate the development and availability of more rare disease medications, establish a comprehensive support system for patients with rare diseases, and ultimately benefit a larger number of individuals affected by rare diseases. The definition of rare diseases in China should be refined by explicitly establishing corresponding criteria based on incidence, prevalence, or the number of affected individuals. Additionally, the mechanism for removal of diseases from rare disease lists should be enhanced, and prompt adjustments should be made regarding diseases that do not align with the selection principles of the list, taking into consideration environmental changes.

The impacts of meteorological factors on the incidence of hand, foot, and mouth disease in China: An interactive perspective

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a contagious illness and a matter of public health concern globally. It has a widespread impact in China, where it poses a significant risk to the health of young children. Previous research has discovered that the occurrence and spread of HFMD are closely linked to meteorological factors, but the specifics of these intricate nonlinear relationships and how they interact with the incidence of HFMD are still uncertain. In the present study, we filled this gap in knowledge by first obtaining data on hand, foot, and mouth disease from the National Health Commission of China alongside real-time surveillance data from meteorological stations. We then used Spearman's correlation analysis to identify the variables significantly related to HFMD, investigating the existence of co-curvilinearity among the contributing factors by using the independent effects model in the generalized additive model to analyze both the contribution of individual factors and their combined effects on the incidence of HFMD. The interactions between meteorological factors were then modeled to investigate their influence on HFMD. The results showed that, in descending order of effect size, air temperature (AT), sunshine duration (SD), wind speed (WS), and barometric pressure (BP) had a significant nonlinear impact on the incidence of HFMD, which displayed a fluctuating increase in line with rising temperatures. The interactions of (1) high temperature and low air pressure and (2) low wind speed and poor sunshine had the largest influence on HFMD. In descending order, the strengths of the interaction effects between factors were as follows: AT ∼ SD > AT ∼ WS > AT ∼ BP > WS ∼ BP > WS ∼ SD > BP ∼ SD. Our findings will inform policy initiatives contributing to the Healthy China strategy and assist in the prevention and control of HFMD by enabling the prediction and early warning of disease outbreaks.

Associations of long-term fine particulate matter exposure with all-cause and cause-specific mortality: results from the ChinaHEART project

The chronic effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at high concentrations remains uncertain. We aimed to examine the relationship of long-term PM2.5 exposure with all-cause and the top three causes of death (cardiovascular disease [CVD], cancer, and respiratory disease), and to analyze their concentration-response functions over a wide range of concentrations. We enrolled community residents aged 35-75 years from 2014 to 2017 from all 31 provinces of the Chinese Mainland, and followed them up until 2021. We used a long-term estimation dataset for both PM2.5 and O3 concentrations with a high spatiotemporal resolution to assess the individual exposure, and used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the associations between PM2.5 and mortalities. We included 1,910,923 participants, whose mean age was 55.6±9.8 years and 59.4% were female. A 10μg/m3 increment in PM2.5 exposure was associated with increased risk for all-cause death (hazard ratio 1.02 [95% confidence interval 1.012-1.028]), CVD death (1.024 [1.011-1.037]), cancer death (1.037 [1.023-1.052]), and respiratory disease death (1.083 [1.049-1.117]), respectively. Long-term PM2.5 exposure nonlinearly related with all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortalities, while linearly related with respiratory disease mortality. The overall effects of long-term PM2.5 exposure on mortality in the high concentration settings are weaker than previous reports from settings of PM2.5 concentrations < 35μg/m³. The distinct concentration-response relationships of CVD, cancer, and respiratory disease mortalities could facilitate targeted public health efforts to prevent death caused by air pollution. The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Science, the National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding, the Ministry of Finance of China and National Health Commission of China, the 111 Project from the Ministry of Education of China.

Novel herbal beverage ameliorates exercise-induced fatigue in mice by modulating oxidative stress and reshaping the gut microbiota

With the demands of enhancing exercise performance, dietary supplements are widely used in the health management of athletes and who engaged in strenuous exercise. Based on the list of edible and medicinal materials approved by China's National Health Commission, we composed an herbal beverage formula named SRB, initially identified its chemical composition, and clarified its preventive effect on exercise-induced fatigue (EIF). SRB supplementation for four weeks significantly enhanced exercise performance in mice, as reflected by exhaustive swimming test and treadmill exercise test. In mice that underwent one single exhaustive exercise, SRB supplementation markedly reduced metabolite accumulation, increased glycogen contents in the liver and muscle, promoted anti-oxidative enzyme activities, decreased hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) level, and protected quadriceps femoris morphology, respectively. Anti-oxidative stress effect of SRB may be relevant with increased gene expressions of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and antioxidant response element (ARE)-dependent gene. Moreover, SRB treatment altered gut bacterial community structure, e.g., increased the relative abundance of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria and decreased the relative abundance of sulfate-reducing bacteria. Altogether, we identified SRB as an effective anti-EIF dietary supplement with prebiotic effects in C57BL/6 mice.

Association of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a Chinese population of 3.3 million adults: a prospective cohort study

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) has been inversely associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but recent evidence suggests that extremely high levels of HDL-C are paradoxically related to increased CVD incidence and mortality. This study aimed to comprehensively examine the associations of HDL-C with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a Chinese population. The China Health Evaluation And risk Reduction through nationwide Teamwork (ChinaHEART) project included 3,397,547 participants aged 35-75 years with a median follow-up of 3.9 years. Baseline HDL-C levels were measured, and mortality data was ascertained from the National Mortality Surveillance System and Vital Registration of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This study found U-shaped associations of HDL-C with all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality. When compared with the groups with the lowest risk, the adjusted hazard ratios (95% CIs) for HDL-C<30mg/dL was 1.23 (1.17-1.29), 1.33 (1.23-1.45) and 1.18 (1.09-1.28) for all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality, respectively. For HDL-C >90mg/dL, the corresponding HR (95% CIs) was 1.10 (1.05-1.15), 1.09 (1.01-1.18) and 1.11 (1.03-1.19). Similar U-shaped patterns were also found in associations of HDL-C with ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, and liver cancer. About 3.25% of all-cause mortality could be attributed to abnormal levels of HDL-C. The major contributor to mortality was ischemic heart disease (16.06 deaths per 100,000 persons, 95% UI: 10.30-22.67) for HDL-C<40mg/dL and esophageal cancer (2.29 deaths per 100,000 persons, 95% UI: 0.57-4.77) for HDL-C >70mg/dL. Both low and high HDL-C were associated with increased mortality risk. We recommended 50-79mg/dL as the optimal range of HDL-C among Chinese adults. Individuals with dyslipidemia might benefit from proper management of both low and high HDL-C. The CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Science (2021-1-I2M-011), the National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding (2022-GSP-GG-4), the Ministry of Finance of China and National Health Commission of China, and the 111 Project from the Ministry of Education of China (B16005), the Program for Guangdong Introducing Innovative and Enterpreneurial Teams (2019ZT08Y481), Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen (SZSM201811096), the Young Talent Program of the Academician Fund, Fuwai Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shenzhen (YS-2022-006) and Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2023A1515010076 & 2021A1515220173).

Analysis of Herbal Medicine in the Clinical Guidelines of Korea and China for COVID-19

COVID-19 is an acute infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 that has infected more than 700 million people around the world and left many deaths. In Korea and China, Korean medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine were used to treat COVID-19, and the key element between them was herbal medicine. Clinical guidelines for herbal medicine have been published in Korea and China. In this review, the Korean and Chinese guidelines were compared and analyzed. This review was based on the latest revised clinical guidelines. The Korean guidelines covered all three guidelines published by The Association of Korean Medicine and The KM Professor Council of Internal Medicine of the Respiratory System. The Chinese guideline was published by the China National Health Commission. Based on research trends, a comprehensive comparison was made of the suggested prescriptions for each severity of COVID-19. It is expected that this review will be used as a reference for the treatment of COVID-19 or new infectious diseases in the future.

The possibility of automatic capillary blood testing in routine blood tests: an evaluation of the automatic mode of the Mindray BC-7500 CRP Auto Hematology Analyzer for capillary blood testing.

Capillary blood is a common specimen type used for infant blood routine tests. Until now, this specimen type could only be tested with the manual mode in hematology analyzers. Manual sample mixing and loading increases the amount labor force and can be more easily affected by human factors. This study was designed to investigate the proficiency of the automatic mode of the Mindray BC-7500 CRP Auto Hematology Analyzer for capillary blood testing. The complete blood count (CBC) results for capillary blood were compared between the automatic and manual modes. Special types of samples, including samples with high or low volume, thalassemia red cells, high fibrinogen, high hematocrit (HCT), or high triglyceride levels, were compared and evaluated. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to define the agreement between the 2 modes. The industry standard Analytical Quality Specifications for Routine Tests in Clinical Hematology (WS/T 406-2012), published by the National Health Commission of China, was used to evaluate the correlation between the results from the 2 modes. There was good correlation between the automatic and manual modes for every type of sample, and the ICCs were all higher than 0.9. Except for high HCT or high triglyceride samples, there were no differences found between the 2 modes based on the WS/T 406-2012 standard. This new automatic mode utilized in the Mindray BC-7500 CRP Auto Hematology Analyzer for capillary blood yielded the same results as the manual mode except in the case of samples with high HCT or triglycerides. Capillary blood might be routinely tested automatically with hematology analyzers in the near future, which might reduce the labor required and improve standardization.