ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become an increasingly severe public health emergency. Although traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has helped to combat COVID-19, public perception of TCM remains controversial. We used the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to identify factors that affect the intention to use TCM.@*METHODS@#A cross-sectional web-based survey of 10,824 individuals from the general public was conducted between March 16 and April 2, 2020. The participants were recruited using a snowball sampling method. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, based on the TPB. The questionnaire consisted of demographic characteristics and TPB structures. Structural equation modeling was used to identify predictors of intention.@*RESULTS@#The results indicated the model explained 77.5% and 71.9% of intention and attitude variance. Intention to use TCM had the strongest relationship with attitude (P < 0.001), followed by past behavior (P < 0.001), subjective norms (P < 0.001) and perceived behavioral control (P < 0.001). Attitudes toward TCM were significantly affected by perceived behavioral control (P < 0.001), subjective norms (P < 0.001) and cognition of TCM (P < 0.001).@*CONCLUSION@#Attitude is a key factor in determining the intention to use TCM, followed by past behaviors, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Our results offer important implications for health policy makers to promote the use of TCM.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Attitude , COVID-19/psychology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Intention , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Psychological Theory , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
<p><b>Background</b>The sigma receptors are a relatively novel receptor group with respect to knowledge of their effect on health. Although the sigma-1 receptor agonist PRE-084 exhibits a cardioprotective effect in some studies, the benefits in cases of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) are not clear. The aim of this study was to explore the mechanism of action and assess the effect of PRE-084 on myocardial I/R injury in rats.</p><p><b>Methods</b>In this study, rats were assigned randomly to three groups with computer (n = 14 for each group): a sham group, an I/R group, and a PRE-084 group. In the PRE-084 group, rats were administered PRE-084 1 h before operation. In the myocardial I/R model, the left anterior descending branch of rats was ligated and opened half an hour later. Cardiac function was assessed, and the apoptosis index was evaluated. The mechanisms of the cardioprotective effects of PRE-084 were explored.</p><p><b>Results</b>PRE-084 pretreatment preserved cardiac function and reduced myocardial apoptosis (F = 86.0, P < 0.01) with Western blotting analysis, showing significantly reduced expression of Bax (F = 75.7, P < 0.01) and cleaved-caspase 3 (F = 44.7, P < 0.01), along with increased expression of the Bcl-2 protein (P < 0.01) and phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt) (P < 0.01) and phosphorylated-endothelial nitric oxide synthase (p-eNOS; P < 0.01).</p><p><b>Conclusion</b>PRE-084 preserved cardiac function and reduced myocardial apoptosis through the activation of Akt and eNOS.</p>