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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a series of disorders of liver metabolism caused by the accumulation of lipids in the liver, which is considered the main cause of hepatocellular carcinoma. Our previous study demonstrated the promising efficacy of ginsenoside Rh4 in improving the intestinal tract and its related metabolites. Meanwhile, many studies in the literature have investigated the gut microbiota and its metabolites, such as bile acids (BAs) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which play a key role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Therefore, this study focused on whether Rh4 could achieve therapeutic effects on NAFLD through the gut–liver axis. The results showed that Rh4 exhibited sound therapeutic effects on the NAFLD model induced by the Western diet and CCl4 in mice. In the liver, the degrees of hepatic steatosis, lobular inflammation levels, and bile acid in the liver tissue were improved after Rh4 treatment. At the same time, Rh4 treatment significantly increased the levels of intestinal SCFAs and BAs, and these changes were accompanied by the complementary diversity and composition of intestinal flora. In addition, correlation analysis showed that Rh4 affected the expression of proteins involved in the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) signaling pathway in the liver and intestine, which modulates hepatic lipid metabolism, inflammation, and proteins related to bile acid regulation. In conclusion, our study provides a valuable insight into how Rh4 targets the gut–liver axis for the development of NAFLD, which indicates that Rh4 may be a promising candidate for the clinical therapy of NAFLD.

Hypoxia, excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS), impaired angiogenesis, lasting inflammation, and bacterial infection, are key problems impeding diabetic wound healing. Particularly, controllable oxygen release and ROS scavenging capacities are critical during the wound healing process. Here, an injectable hydrogel based on hyaluronic acid

Ginsenoside Rh4 inhibited inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis in mice with gastric ulcers through modulation of MAPK/NF-κB and PGE2-Cox pathways, thereby ameliorating gastric injury.

The cross-disciplinary integration of acupuncture with modern medicine is an important guarantee to maintain its advantages. Based on 13896 acupuncture articles and 404726 references in the Web of Science Core Database, this paper analyzes the cross-disciplinary integration of acupuncture and modern medicine. It was found that the trend of cross-disciplinary integration between acupuncture and modern medicine is more and more obvious. Neurosciences, Anesthesiology, Oncology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Psychiatry, and Gastroenterology & Hepatology are the subjects with the most crossover and integration, accounting for 56% of the total disciplines. At the same time, more studies have begun to use modern medical methods to study the mechanism of acupuncture. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pharmacology & Pharmacy, and Medicine, Research & Experimental have been major areas of interdisciplinary collaboration in recent years. China, the United States, and South Korea are the three countries with the largest number of publications. Among them, Chinese scholars pay more attention to the role of acupuncture in the treatment of neurological diseases, Korean scholars pay more attention to drug acupuncture, especially bee venom acupuncture, and American scholars pay more attention to the role of acupuncture in pain management. However, acupuncture has less cross-disciplinary cooperation with heart and cardiovascular system, peripheral vascular disease, and even less with non-medical disciplines. Using modern medical technology and methods to carry out research on the mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion and strengthen the cooperation with informatics, statistics, physics and other disciplines may be an important direction for the modernization of acupuncture.关键词: 针灸; 跨学科; 学科范围

Bacterial infection, tissue hypoxia and inflammatory response can hinder the infected wound repair process. To mitigate the above issues, tannic acid-chelated Fe-decorated molybdenum disulfide nanosheets (MoS2@TA/Fe NSs) with dual enzyme activities were developed and anchored to a multifunctional hydrogel. The hydrogel exhibited excellent antibacterial ability owing to the combined effects of photothermal therapy (PTT), glutathione (GSH) loss, and the peroxidase (POD)-like activity (catalyse H2O2 into ·OH under acid condition) of MoS2@TA/Fe NSs. Benefitting from the catalase (CAT)-like activity, the hydrogel could decompose H2O2 into O2 at neutral pH to relieve hypoxia and supply adequate O2. POD-like activity was mainly attributed to MoS2 NSs, while CAT-like activity was primarily due to TA/Fe complex. Moreover, MoS2@TA/Fe NSs endowed the hydrogel with outstanding anti-oxidant ability to scavenge redundant reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) under neutral environment to maintain the balance of antioxidant systems and prevent inflammation. In addition, the hydrogel could inhibit the release of inflammatory factors for the anti-inflammatory property of TA. TA retained partial phenolic hydroxyl groups, which cross-linked the nanosheets to the network structure of the hydrogel and promoted the adhesion of hydrogels. Due to the dynamic boron ester bonds between polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), dextran (Dex), MoS2@TA/Fe, and borax, the hydrogel demonstrated fast self-healing and rapid shape adaptability. This shape-adaptable adhesive hydrogel could fill the whole wound and closely contact the wound, ensuring that it achieved its functions with maximum efficiency. The MoS2@TA/Fe nanozyme-anchored multifunctional hydrogel showed high potential for bacteria-infected wound healing., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • MoS2@TA/Fe NSs presents POD- and CAT-like activities. • MoS2@TA/Fe NSs shows anti-oxidant and anti-inflammation abilities. • The hydrogel shows fast self-healing, adhesiveness, and rapid shape-adaptivity. • MoS2@TA/Fe NSs-based hydrogel exhibits large potential in infected wound healing.

Ginsenosides are the main pharmacologically active constituents of ginseng which have been used in East Asian countries for centuries to modulate blood pressure, metabolism and immune function. Following the technological advances in isolation, purification and mass production, their mechanisms of action are gradually elucidated, providing solid basis for clinical applications. Ginseng extracts (total ginsenosides) and ginsenoside Rg3, CK, Rd have been marketed or entered clinical trials as drugs or dietary supplements. Despite the proven safety and efficacy of some ginsenosides, their applications are hindered by inferior pharmacokinetics such as low solubility, poor membrane permeability and metabolic instability. Nanoparticle formulation of drugs and implantable drug depots are effective strategies to improve the pharmacokinetics of therapeutic agents by enhancing solubility, providing protection, facilitating intracellular transport, and enabling sustained and controlled release. This mini-review summarizes the recent advances in systemic delivery of ginsenosides using liposomes, micelles, albumin-based nanoparticles, and inorganic nanoparticles, as well as local delivery of ginsenosides by electronspun fibrous membranes and hydrogels.

To analyse the current status and publication trends of funded studies in nursing-related research from 2008 to 2018, available in the Web of Science.A longitudinal bibliometric analysis of publications of funded studies in nursing-related research, obtained from the Web of Science, was conducted.On 10 May 2019, we accessed 77,772 funded studies (2008-2018) from the Web of Science. Bibliometric methods and indicators were used to classify the publications and summarize the overall number, countries/regions, institutions, journals, and other parameters of the publications.The global output of nursing-related funded research publications increased significantly over time. The three leading countries with the highest number of funded publications were the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, with the United States accounting for 15 of the top 20 institutions associated with funded publications, which mostly included institutions of higher education. The most common disciplines of these publications were oncology, psychiatry, and paediatrics. The top three journals that published the largest number of nursing-related funded publications were the Journal of Clinical Nursing, the Journal of Advanced Nursing, and the International Journal of Nursing Studies. Keywords with the highest frequency of occurrence included "nurses," "qualitative research," "older people," "quality of life," "depression," "cancer," and "children."Nursing-related research has been drawing increasing attention over the years. Analysing the output of funded publications and monitoring the new dynamics of the international development of academic research in the field of nursing are crucial for determining future directions of nursing-related research development.The results of this study will provide a reference for scholars to evaluate the current utilization efficiency of global nursing-related research funding and demonstrate the development and trends in nursing-related research.目标: 分析2008年至2018年科学网上护理相关研究方面获资助论文的现状和发表趋势。 设计: 对科学网护理相关研究方面获资助论文发表进行纵向文献计量分析。 方法: 2019年5月10日,我们查阅了科学网上77,772篇获资助论文(2008年至2018年)。采用文献计量学方法和指标对发表文章进行分类,并对发表文章的总数、国家/地区、机构、期刊等参数进行汇总。 结果: 随着时间的推移,获资助的护理相关研究文章的全球产出显著增加。获资助文章数量最多的三个主要国家是美国、澳大利亚和英国,在与获资助文章有关的前20所院校中,美国占15所,其中大部分是高等教育机构。这些文章中最常见的学科是关于肿瘤学、精神病学和儿科学。发表获资助的护理相关文章数量最多的三大期刊是《临床护理杂志》、《高级护理期刊》和《国际护理研究杂志》。出现频率最高的关键词包括“护士”、“定性研究”、“老年人”、“生活质量”、“抑郁”、“癌症”和“儿童”。 结论: 近年来,护理相关研究越来越受到重视。分析获资助文章的产出并监测护理领域的国际学术研究发展的新动态,对于确定未来护理相关研究发展方向至关重要。 影响: 本研究的结果将为学者们评价当前全球护理相关研究经费的利用效率,展示护理相关研究的发展和趋势提供参考。.

Diabetic wound healing remains challenging owing to the risk for bacterial infection, hypoxia, excessive glucose levels, and oxidative stress. Glucose-activated cascade reactions can consume glucose and eradicate bacteria, avoiding the direct use of hydrogen peroxide (H

Background Adolescent electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is an emerging global public health concern as nicotine addiction may be established among this vulnerable population. Its study has generated a burgeoning body of research charactering a wide spectrum. However, the development and current status of research on this alarming issue have been inadequately examined in an objective, systematic and visualized way. This bibliometric analysis aims to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive overview of scientific literature in relation to adolescent e-cigarette use. Methods A total of 943 eligible papers published from 2011 to 2021 were retrieved from Web of Science Core Collection. Performance analysis was used with various bibliometric indicators to examine the publication trend, most prolific countries, institutions, authors, journals, and highly cited articles. Science mapping based on VOSviewer was employed to visualize the collaboration networks between countries and authors, research hotspots, and their evolutions. Results Publications on adolescent e-cigarette use has increased significantly during the past decade. The USA dominated this field in all aspects and the University of Southern California was the most productive institution. There were clear collaborative author groupings, but their transnational collaborations were generally weak. Major research themes were identified in the extant literature, including epidemiology and KABs; risk factors; health implications; gateway effect; and prevention interventions. The keywords such as ‘vapor’, ‘flavor’, ‘advertising’, ‘dual use’ reflected research emphases in early studies while ‘bullying’, ‘COVID-19’, ‘social norms’, and ‘heated tobacco products’ were the emerging research trends. Conclusion This study is presumed to provide an overall picture of research on adolescent e-cigarette use, which may help scholars and public health practitioners stay abreast of the research developments and serve as a reference and entry point for further investigation into this multifaceted phenomenon.

Breast cancer (BC) has replaced lung cancer as the most common cancer worldwide. Ginsenoside CK (CK) can effectively inhibit triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the occurrence and development of which are associated with glutamine addiction. However, the connection between CK and glutamine metabolism in TNBC proliferation and the mechanism of cell death induction remains unclear. Here, we found that high glutamine-addicted TNBC cells were particularly sensitive to CK treatment. CK exerted antitumour activity against TNBC by suppressing glutamine consumption and glutamate production via downregulation of glutaminase 1 (GLS1) expression. CK treatment further decreased cellular ATP production, reduced the utilisation of amino acids associated with glutamine metabolism, and induced glutathione (GSH) depletion and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, consequently triggering apoptosis in TNBC. Furthermore, CK decreased GLS1 expression in SUM159 xenograft mouse mammary tumours and significantly inhibited tumour growth with few side effects. Together, our data provide a powerful theoretical basis for the application of CK as a glutamine metabolic inhibitor in TNBC treatment.

Osteochondral defects are most commonly characterized by damages to both cartilage and underlying subchondral bone tissues, thus developing bi-layered scaffold that can concurrently regenerate these two specific lineages becomes challenge. In this study, the highly biomimetic bi-layered scaffolds were successfully prepared using human-like-collagen (HLC), hyaluronan (HA) and nano hydroxyapatite (HAP) particles, combined with “liquid phase synthesis” technology, freeze-drying and chemical cross-linking techniques, which was simulated the composition of natural extracellular matrix to repair osteochondral defects. This novel bilayer osteochondral graft had a seamlessly integrated layer structure, suitable pore size, high levels of porosity, and excellent mechanical properties. In vitro cell experiments of the bilayer scaffold indicated that the scaffold could promote the proliferation and adhesion of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. In vivo osteochondral defects and micro-CT experiment revealed that bilayer scaffolds showed complete closure of the defect. Histology confirmed collagen and glycosaminoglycans were deposited in the new matrix of hyaline cartilage and bone in the bilayer scaffold group. Therefore, the developed bionic bilayer scaffold enhanced the regeneration of hyaline cartilage through subchondral bone formation and lateral host-tissue integration. In conclusion, this bilayer scaffold based on HLC could be used as the desired strategy for osteochondral defects regeneration.

Ginsenoside compound K (CK) with a wide range of pharmacological activities has been widely used in the healthcare product industry. However, the application of CK is limited by low productivity and difficult separation. The purpose of this study is to convert ginsenoside Rb1 into CK by improving conversion efficiency in novel “green” reaction medium-deep eutectic solvent (DES). Talaromyces purpureogenus was selected from ginseng rhizosphere soil to produce β-glucosidase with high activity and purity to transform ginsenosides, and Mn2+ was found to be an enzyme promoter. Among the DES based on choline chloride as hydrogen-bond receptor, choline chloride:ethylene glycol (ChCl:EG = 2:1) was the most promising solvent in maintaining enzyme activity and stability. In the presence of 30% v/v ChCl:EG = 2:1, the half-life of β-glucosidase was increased by 96%, the solubility of F2 was increased by 120%, and CK yield was increased by 54% compared with those in the buffer. Fourier transform infrared, circular dichroism, and fluorescence spectroscopy confirmed that DES did not destroy the structure and conformation of β-glucosidase. In addition, 80.6% CK conversion was obtained at 60 °C, pH 4.5, 48 h and 8 mM Rb1, which provided a feasible method for efficiently producing CK.

Fuzhuan brick tea (FBT) is a Chinese dark tea that is famous for its significant health benefits, in which Eurotium cristatum (E. cristatum) strains play a vital role in its postfermentation process. In this study, eurocristatine with hypoglycemic activity was discovered for the first time and purified from the spores of E. cristatum growing in FBT. Eurocristatine (98%) was obtained by D-101 macroporous resin-based column chromatography and preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a C18 column as the stationary phase and 35% acetonitrile in ultrapure water as the mobile phase. Hypoglycemic activity in a Hep-G2 cell hypoglycemic model was used as a screening indicator during purification. The chemical structure of eurocristatine was characterized by ESI/MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR analyses. The antidiabetic effects of eurocristatine were verified in high-fat diet/streptozocin-induced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats. The results showed that eurocristatine significantly reduced fasting blood glucose. Our study demonstrated that eurocristatine, as a newly discovered hypoglycemic active substance, could be considered a potential candidate for the treatment of diabetes and its complications.

Background Nursing professionalism is highly significant to the development of nursing. Florence Nightingale was the founder and leader of modern nursing, and Nightingale’s nursing professionalism has a significant impact on nursing in China and all over the world. In the new era, a new understanding of Nightingale’s nursing professionalism should be developed, and its positive role in nursing reshaped. Methods A total of 1,557 nurses and nursing students from 27 provincial administrative regions of China were surveyed using a customized questionnaire. Their recognitions of Nightingale’s nursing professionalism were evaluated based on scores, and statistical differences between and within the groups were analyzed using an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The elements of Nightingale’s nursing professionalism were extracted by the exploratory factor method and a principal component analysis. Results The Cronbach’s α of the questionnaire was 0.965, and the two groups did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). Based on the standard that the cumulative contribution rate of common factor should be > 85%, three common factors of Nightingale’s nursing professionalism, including professional emotion, professional ability and professional ethics, were extracted based on the Scree plot. Conclusions This study aimed to explore the connotation of Nightingale’s nursing professionalism. Our survey indicates that Nightingale’s nursing professionalism is highly recognized by nurses and nursing students in China. Its connotation includes professional emotion, ability and ethics. Nursing education and nursing management should fully utilize the leading role of Nightingale and guide the professional behaviors of nurses to be consistent with Nightingale’s nursing professionalism, thus, improving the degree of nurse professionalism.

Preventing bacterial infection in situ and accelerating skin generation simultaneously are essentially important for wound healing. Herein, a mussel-inspired Ag nanozyme-based bilayer hydrogel is constructed to address the above concerns. The bilayer hydrogel is composed of a layer with large pores absorbing the wound exudate and allowing oxygen exchange and a layer with small pores keeping the wound moist and preventing bacterial invasion. Benefitting from the polydopamine (PDA) coating-reduced Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs), the hydrogel exhibits high near infrared (NIR) absorption at 808 nm to generate hyperthermia and NIR-enhanced peroxidase (POD-like) activity to produce hydroxyl radicals (•OH), which endows the hydrogel with excellent antibacterial properties when combined with the released Ag+. In addition, the hydrogel presents adhesiveness due to the catechol group on a PDA molecule. The in vivo test results demonstrate that the bilayer hydrogel can accelerate infected skin generation by facilitating collagen deposition, decreasing tumour necrosis factor-α secretion, and promoting vascular endothelial growth factor expression.

Ginsenoside Rh4, as a bioactive component obtained from Panax notoginseng, has excellent pharmacological properties. However, its role in regulating gut microbiota and intestinal inflammation is still poorly understood. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of Rh4 on gut microbiota, especially antibiotic-induced microbiota perturbation, and the underlying mechanisms. C57BL/6 mice were given different doses of Rh4 after the establishment of a gut microbiota disturbance model with antibiotics. Our data revealed that Rh4 administration could greatly improve the pathological phenotype, gut barrier disruption, and intestinal inflammation in mice that had been antibiotic-induced. Notably, it was found that Rh4 significantly inhibited the TLR4-MyD88-MAPK signaling pathway. In addition, Rh4 treatment could significantly increase the number of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and bile acids (BAs). These changes were accompanied with beneficial alterations in gut microbiota diversity and composition. In conclusion, Rh4 improves intestinal inflammation and induces potentially beneficial changes in the gut microbiota, which are conducive to revealing host-microbe interactions.

Based on the concept and research status of big data, we analyze and examine the importance of constructing the knowledge system of nursing science for the development of the nursing discipline in the context of big data and propose that it is necessary to establish big data centers for nursing science to share resources, unify language standards, improve professional nursing databases, and establish a knowledge system structure. Keywords: Artificial intelligence, Data mining, Knowledge bases, Nursing

To improve mechanical strength, polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels were often prepared through freeze-thaw method. However, they usually exhibited micropores limiting their applications. Hence, macroporou...

As nursing becomes a first-level discipline, the central focus of the development process of nursing science is the independent exploration of the future path of nursing care. Although many countries have made efforts to develop nursing as an independent discipline, no remarkable advancement has been achieved due to the incorrect understanding of the relationship between nursing and medicine and the improper comprehension of other factors involved in the process of nursing reform. Teaching and practicing nursing also face many problems. Based on our understanding of the relationship between nursing and medicine and through a careful analysis of the existing problems in the current nursing discipline, this paper provides some insights into the future directions of nursing development by exploring the independently developing nursing discipline in foreign countries.

To determine the nature and extent of the emerging field of “health law” scholarship in China, we retrieved 2956 publications about various aspects of health law published up through 2014 in 268 journals from the “Chinese Social Science Citation Index” and from the list of Chinese “Core Journals” maintained by the Peking University Library. By bibliometric analysis, we observed some interesting results which were different from our expectations. The collaboration network among Chinese health law (CHL) authors was relatively small, loose, unstable and early in its development. Kan Tian and Lixin Yang were leading authors, Renmin University of China was the primary institution, and Beijing was the predominant region studying Chinese health law (CHL). Kan Tian ranked 1st in the collaboration network and Lixin Yang published the most number of articles on CHL. Comprehensive universities made up the majority of institutions studying CHL, while medical colleges did not focus on health law research, possibly due to medical schools focusing mainly on clinical education and not attaching as much importance to social and humanistic aspects of medicine. Food safety, health administration, and the general principles of civil law were the main areas of focus in CHL research, which is basically in line with what we expected.

In this study, single factor experiments and orthogonal test were designed to fabricate a novel poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), human-like collagen (HLC) and sodium alginate (SA) composite hydrogel as w...

Ginsenosides, as major active components of ginseng, possess various pharmacological activities, including anti-tumor, anti-diabetic and hypotensive effects. However, the sedative and hypnotic effect of ginsenosides and the involved mechanism remain unclear. In the present study, the hypnotic effect of rare protopanaxadiol-type (PD) ginsenosides, consisting of Rg3, Rk1, Rg5, and protopanaxatriol-type (PT) ginsenosides, consisting of Rh1, Rk3, Rh4, was investigated and compared in rodent models through behavioral pharmacology methods. Both rare PD and PT ginsenosides decreased spontaneous locomotion activity in normal mice and reduced sleep latency, and extended sleep duration in pentobarbital-treated mice. Moreover, PD and PT ginsenosides attenuated the insomnia induced by caffeine in mice. These hypnotic effects of PD and PT ginsenosides were potentiated by 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor of serotonin, and inhibited by p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA), a 5-HT synthesis inhibitor. Flumazenil (FLU, a specific gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) antagonist) also impaired the hypnotic effect of both PD and PT ginsenosides. The aforementioned results indicated that PD and PT ginsenosides exhibit sedative and hypnotic activity, and PT ginsenosides show higher activity than PD ginsenosides at high doses (96 mg kg−1). Furthermore, the bioactivity of these two types of ginsenosides might be mediated via the serotonergic and GABAergic systems.