Attitude and Needs Toward MTM Applications of Chronic Disease in China: A Questionnaire Survey

ObjectiveChronic diseases are characterized by high incidence, long-term medication, and complex types of medication. There are also many corresponding medication therapy management (MTM) applications on the market, such as iCarea, and Medisafe. However, the existing research mainly focuses on how to choose high-quality MTM applications, and few researchers consider the expectations of MTM applications from potential users. The aims of this study were to investigate the demand, attitude, and expectations of the Chinese patients for the MTM applications to support.MethodsFrom August 2019 to December 2019, we created a questionnaire to have knowledge of user needs, preferences, and expectations for MTM applications among 302 chronic patients in Hunan, Guangdong, and other provinces in China. Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors of affecting patients' attitudes toward MTM applications. Then, respondents' expectations and preferences for MTM applications were statistically analyzed. The survey data were merged to provide information for the design of targeted chronic disease MTM applications.ResultsA total of 260 (86.09%) out of 302 patients the respondents were willing to use the MTM applications of chronic disease. The independent influencing factors for using the MTM applications were long-term medication history (OR = 4.45, P < 0.001), willing to learn about medicine knowledge (OR = 3.01, P = 0.04), and wanting to get more professional medication knowledge via Internet (OR = 2.86, P = 0.005). It was worth noting that among those willing to use MTM applications, 55.00% of respondents were willing to use the WeChat applet for MTM, while only 23.46% of respondents preferred other applications. As to the more prevalent WeChat applet for MTM, the majority of participants expected the inclusion of useful modules, such as medication log (62.81%), medication reminder (62.81%), and medication recommendations (57.79%).ConclusionThe participants are willing to use MTM applications of chronic disease, with a preference for the WeChat applet. Patients tended to use MTM applications if they had a long-term medication history or a desire for medical knowledge, especially if they want to get more professional medication knowledge via the Internet. Participants are expected to include in the WeChat applet as medication logs, medication reminders, and medication recommendations which should be taken into serious account for the further development of MTM applications

The impact of education, law and family factorsinfluence of gender discrimination in China

Purpose: This paper is to investigate the impacts of education, law andfamily factors influence of the gender situation. And what factor hasmost impact to change the sex discrimination situation in China Design /method/approach: We did a survey at a Chinese university.In total, 96 student informants and 134 staff informants were surveyedin order to get the opinions of the gender discrimination. Finding: We find education, law and family factors all can influencethe opinion of gender situation. Conclusion: The relationship between education, family and lawshould be mutual promotion and mutual influence. But from thesurvey’s result, education has the largest influence on gender situation.The second one is family factor, and the law factor has lowest affect.The reason for these results is traditional family culture and the policyof government. Unbalanced policies and the culture of family, both ofthem lead to the differences of influence. Suggestion for future research: First, the research base only in auniversity, although the sample covers gender, education elements, thegeneralization of the conclusion is still limited due to the sample size.In the future, more informants should be covered to test the hypothesesproposed. Second, the authors only discussed education, law andfamily factors influence of the gender discrimination. Future studiesare encouraged to deeply explore what else factors can influencepeople’s opinions on gender discrimination. Contribution of the thesis: Owing the lack of empirical research onthe situation of gender discrimination in China, this thesis provides anempirical study on the factors influencing the gender discrimination.Our research results can help Chinese to develop better solution toreduce the gender discrimination. Paper type: Research pape

Development of the Private and State-owned Logistics Enterprises in China : case study in GREE and CHINATRANS.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the current status and development of the private and state-owned Third-party Logistics (3PL) companies. In China, there are mainly two common kinds of ownerships, one is state ownership, and the other is private ownership. These two forms of ownerships have enormous influence in various industries. The state-owned company GREE and private company CHINATRANS are taken as the case study in this thesis. The management systems of these two companies are analyzed by interviewing their managers. Furthermore, an innovation assessment tool is used to examine the innovative performance for these two companies. The return on investment model is also used to compare on the financial problem. Based on the analysis of management, cost and innovation aspect in GREE and CHINATRANS, the pattern of different ownerships affecting 3PL companies is identified. The conclusions of this thesis are: The private Third-party Logistics companies have a more flexible management system than the state-owned Third-party Logistics companies. Moreover, the private Third-party Logistics companies have a good performance on cost management and human resource. The core-competitiveness for them shows in the grasp of the market. The state-owned Third-party Logistics companies have a strict management system; they have advantage of innovation management, especially for new technology development. Excellent service is their core competence. Nowadays, Chinese third-party logistics industry has a low ROI, but still has a large space for 3PL to improve. Through the case study of GREE and CHINATRANS, value-added services and low cost operation are effective approaches to increase ROI

Population pharmacokinetics of voriconazole and the role of CYP2C19 genotype on treatment optimization in pediatric patients.

The aim of this study was to evaluate factors that impact on voriconazole (VRC) population pharmacokinetic (PPK) parameters and explore the optimal dosing regimen for different CYP2C19 genotypes in Chinese paediatric patients. PPK analysis was used to identify the factors contributing to the variability in VRC plasma trough concentrations. A total of 210 VRC trough concentrations from 91 paediatric patients were included in the study. The median VRC trough concentration was 1.23 mg/L (range, 0.02 to 8.58 mg/L). At the measurement of all the trough concentrations, the target range (1.0~5.5 mg/L) was achieved in 52.9% of the patients, while subtherapeutic and supratherapeutic concentrations were obtained in 40.9% and 6.2% of patients, respectively. VRC trough concentrations were adjusted for dose (Ctrough/D), with normal metabolizers (NMs) and intermediate metabolizers (IMs) having significantly lower levels than poor metabolizers (PMs) (PN-P < 0.001, PI-P = 0.039). A one-compartment model with first-order absorption and elimination was suitable to describe the VRC pharmacokinetic characteristics. The final model of VRC PPK analysis contained CYP2C19 phenotype as a significant covariate for clearance. Dose simulations suggested that a maintenance dose of 9 mg/kg orally or 8 mg/kg intravenously twice daily was appropriate for NMs to achieve the target concentration. A maintenance dose of 9 mg/kg orally or 5 mg/kg intravenously twice daily was appropriate for IMs. Meanwhile, PMs could use lower maintenance dose and an oral dose of 6 mg/kg twice daily or an intravenous dose of 5mg/kg twice daily was appropriate. To increase the probability of achieving the therapeutic range and improving efficacy, CYP2C19 phenotype can be used to predict VRC trough concentrations and guide dose adjustments in Chinese pediatric patients

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Attenuates the Adverse Reactions Triggered by Selenium Nanoparticles without Compromising Their Suppressing Effect on Peritoneal Carcinomatosis in Mice Bearing Hepatocarcinoma 22 Cells

Increasing evidence shows that selenium and polyphenols are two types of the most reported compounds in tumor chemoprevention due to their remarkable antitumor activity and high safety profile. The cross-talk between polyphenols and selenium is a hot research topic, and the combination of polyphenols and selenium is a valuable strategy for fighting cancer. The current work investigated the combination anti-peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) effect of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and green tea (Camellia sinensis) polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in mice bearing murine hepatocarcinoma 22 (H22) cells. Results showed that SeNPs alone significantly inhibited cancer cell proliferation and extended the survival time of mice bearing H22 cells. Still, the potential therapeutic efficacy is accompanied by an approximately eighty percent diarrhea rate. When EGCG was combined with SeNPs, EGCG did not affect the tumor proliferation inhibition effect but eliminated diarrhea triggered by SeNPs. In addition, both the intracellular selectively accumulated EGCG without killing effect on cancer cells and the enhanced antioxidant enzyme levels in ascites after EGCG was delivered alone by intraperitoneal injection indicated that H22 cells were insensitive to EGCG. Moreover, EGCG could prevent SeNP-caused systemic oxidative damage by enhancing serum superoxide dismutase, glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase levels in healthy mice. Overall, we found that H22 cells are insensitive to EGCG, but combining EGCG with SeNPs could protect against SeNP-triggered diarrhea without compromising the suppressing efficacy of SeNPs on PC in mice bearing H22 cells and attenuate SeNP-caused systemic toxicity in healthy mice. These results suggest that EGCG could be employed as a promising candidate for preventing the adverse reactions of chemotherapy including chemotherapy-induced diarrhea and systemic toxicity in cancer individuals

Total Flavonoids of <i>Rhizoma Drynariae</i> Mitigates Aflatoxin B1-Induced Liver Toxicity in Chickens via Microbiota-Gut-Liver Axis Interaction Mechanisms

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a common mycotoxin that widely occurs in feed and has severe hepatotoxic effects both in humans and animals. Total flavonoids of Rhizoma Drynaria (TFRD), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, have multiple biological activities and potential hepatoprotective activity. This study investigated the protective effects and potential mechanisms of TFRD against AFB1-induced liver injury. The results revealed that supplementation with TFRD markedly lessened broiler intestinal permeability by increasing the expression of intestinal tight junction proteins, as well as correcting the changes in gut microbiota and liver damage induced by AFB1. Metabolomics analysis revealed that the alterations in plasma metabolites, especially taurolithocholic acid, were significantly improved by TFRD treatment in AFB1-exposed chickens. In addition, these metabolites were closely associated with [Ruminococcus], ACC, and GPX1, indicating that AFB1 may cause liver injury by inducing bile acid metabolism involving the microbiota–gut–liver axis. We further found that TFRD treatment markedly suppressed oxidative stress and hepatic lipid deposition, increased plasma glutathione (GSH) concentrations, and reversed hepatic ferroptosis gene expression. Collectively, these findings indicate that ferroptosis might contribute to the hepatotoxicity of AFB1-exposed chickens through the microbiota–gut–liver axis interaction mechanisms; furthermore, TFRD was confirmed as an herbal extract that could potentially antagonize mycotoxins detrimental effects

Melatonin improved glucose homeostasis is associated with the reprogrammed gut microbiota and reduced fecal levels of short‐chain fatty acids in db/db mice

Abstract Accumulated evidence shows that melatonin possesses the potential to improve lipid metabolism by modifying gut microbiota and glucose metabolism via regulating the melatonin receptor signaling pathway. However, the contribution of melatonin consumption on glucose homeostasis by affecting gut microbiota has not been investigated in diabetes. In the current work, we investigated the effect of melatonin administration on gut microbiota and glucose homeostasis in db/db mice, a type 2 diabetes model with leptin receptor deficiency. Administration of melatonin through drinking water (at 0.25% and 0.50%) for 12 weeks decreased diabetic polydipsia and polyuria, increased insulin sensitivity and impeded glycemia. The accumulated fecal levels of total short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and acetic acid are positively correlated with diabetes‐related parameters—homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) index and fasting blood glucose (FBG) level. The reprogramming of gut microbiota structure and abundance and the reduction of fecal levels of SCFAs, including acetic acid, butyric acid, isovaleric acid, caproic acid, and isobutyric acid, by melatonin may be beneficial for enhancing insulin sensitivity and lowering FBG, which were verified by the results of correlation analysis between acetic acid or total SCFAs and HOMA‐IR and FBG. In addition, the melatonin downregulated hepatic genes, including fructose‐1,6‐bisphosphatase 1, forkhead box O1 alpha, thioredoxin‐interacting protein, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy‐kinase (PEPCK), PEPCK1 and a glucose‐6‐phosphatase catalytic subunit, that responsible for gluconeogenesis support the result that melatonin improved glucose metabolism. Overall, results showed that the melatonin supplementation reduced fecal SCFAs level via reprogramming of gut microbiota, and the reduction of fecal SCFAs level is associated with improved glucose homeostasis in db/db mice

Image_3_5-Methylcytosine (m5C) modification in peripheral blood immune cells is a novel non-invasive biomarker for colorectal cancer diagnosis.tif

Current non-invasive tumor biomarkers failed to accurately identify patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), delaying CRC diagnosis and thus leading to poor prognosis. Dysregulation of 5-Methylcytosine (m5C) RNA has gradually been reported in various cancers, but their role in tumor diagnosis is rarely mentioned. Our study aimed to determine the role of m5C methylation modification in blood immune cells for the diagnosis of CRC. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from a total of 83 healthy controls and 196 CRC patients. We observed that m5C RNA contents in blood immune cells of CRC patients were markedly enhanced in both training set and validation set. Moreover, levels of m5C increased with CRC progression and metastasis but reduced after treatment. Compared with common blood tumor biomarkers, m5C levels in peripheral blood immune cells had superior discrimination and reclassification performance in diagnosing CRC. Besides, bioinformatics and qRT-PCR analysis identified increased expression of m5C-modified regulators NSUN5 and YBX1 in CRC patients’ blood. A series of animal models and cell co-culture models further demonstrated that CRC tumor cells could increase immune cells’ m5C levels and m5C-modified regulators. Monocyte was the predominant m5C-modified immune cell type in CRC patients’ blood by Gene set variation analysis (GSVA). Taken together, m5C methylation modification in peripheral blood immune cells was a promising biomarker for non-invasive diagnosis of CRC.</p