Current advances in understanding neuroprotective effect of acteoside in neurodegenerative disease / 中国药理学通报

Acteoside is among the most widespread of thedisaccharide caffeoyl esters that are widely distributed in the plant kingdom with diverse biological activities. Recent studies have shown that acteoside has neuroprotective activity in neurodegenerative diseases. This review examines and extrapolates from the recent literature to build support for the use of acteoside in mitigating neuropathy in neurodegenerative disease, including Parkinson ' s disease (PD) and Alzheimer' s disease (AD). We summarize the main pharmacokinetic parameters of acteoside in animals after different administration routes. Meanwhile, we point out both problems and shortcomings, and highlight its future development trend.

Demographic profile and extent of healthcare resource utilisation of patients with severe traumatic brain injury: still a major public health problem

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Trauma is the fifth principal cause of death in Singapore, with traumatic brain injury (TBI) being the leading specific subordinate cause.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study was an eight-year retrospective review of the demographic profiles of patients with severe TBI who were admitted to the neurointensive care unit (NICU) of the National Neuroscience Institute at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, between 2004 and 2011.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 780 TBI patients were admitted during the study period; 365 (46.8%) patients sustained severe TBI (i.e. Glasgow Coma Scale score ≤ 8), with the majority (75.3%) being male. The ages of patients with severe TBI ranged from 14-93 years, with a bimodal preponderance in young adults (i.e. 21-40 years) and elderly persons (i.e. > 60 years). Motor vehicle accidents (48.8%) and falls (42.5%) were the main mechanisms of injury. Invasive line monitoring was frequently employed; invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring and central venous pressure monitoring were used in 81.6% and 60.0% of the patients, respectively, while intracranial pressure (ICP) measurement was required in 47.4% of the patients. The use of tiered therapy to control ICP (e.g. sedation, osmotherapy, cerebrospinal fluid drainage, moderate hyperventilation and barbiturate-induced coma) converged with international practices.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The high-risk groups for severe TBI were young adults and elderly persons involved in motor vehicle accidents and falls, respectively. In the NICU, the care of patients with severe TBI requires heavy utilisation of resources. The healthcare burden of these patients extends beyond the acute critical care phase.</p>

Mediator effect of coping style in relationship between hope level and subjective well-being of empty-nesters in urban community / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the mediator effect of coping styles in relationship between hope level and subjective well-being of empty-nesters in urban community.Methods 208 empty-nesters were tested with Herth Hope Scale,Coping Style Questionnaire and Subjective Well-Being to investigate the influence and the pathways of hope and coping styles on subjective well-being with structural equation modeling.Results Influence of hope level on subjective well-being of empty-nesters in urban community accorded with completely-mediated model (x2/df =1.971,GFI =0.955,AGFI =0.911,RMSEA =0.068),and influence of hope level mediated by positive coping styles accounted for 41.76％(Z=3.692,P＜0.01).Conclusion The influence of hope level on subjective well-being is mediated mainly by positive coping styles for empty-nesters in urban community.