ABSTRACT
Dandelion is a herbal plant recorded in the China Pharmacopoeia of a People's Republic. It contains useful chemical constituents or active ingredients with pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and antibacterial properties. Since COVID-19 has happened for over three years, there is no reasonable treatment up to the display. This brief commentary introduces the knowledge of dandelion, the background of COVID-19, and dandelion's mechanisms of pharmaceutical activities because it may be a conceivable candidate for combating SARS-CoV-2. © 2022 by the authors.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic occurred over two years and has not yet been finished. There are some possible Chinese medicines formulations used to prevent and treat COVID-19. Single pure herbal such as curcumin is the most common to combat SARS-CoV-2 with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, and hepatoprotective properties. This short communication describes another single pure herbal, "Celastrol”, research progress and its nanosystem for the treatment of COVID-19. © 2022 by the authors.
ABSTRACT
Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is a Chinese herbal used in China to treat irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, insomnia, swelling liver, and angina pectoris. It also has various pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, anti-atherogenesis, and anti-diabetes. However, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), e.g., Danshen, lacks quality control. Pesticide residues and heavy metals are the most important problems, although Danshen may cure many diseases, even SARS-CoV-2 in a COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the present short commentary discusses the background of Danshen, quality management, and its application to COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic occurred over two years and has not yet been finished. There are some possible Chinese medicines formulations used to prevent and treat COVID-19. Single pure herbal such as curcumin is the most common to combat SARS-CoV-2 with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, and hepatoprotective properties. This short communication describes another single pure herbal, "Celastrol", research progress and its nanosystem for the treatment of COVID-19.
ABSTRACT
Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is a Chinese herbal used in China to treat irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, insomnia, swelling liver, and angina pectoris. It also has various pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, anti-atherogenesis, and anti-diabetes. However, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), e.g., Danshen, lacks quality control. Pesticide residues and heavy metals are the most important problems, although Danshen may cure many diseases, even SARS-CoV-2 in a COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, the present short commentary discusses the background of Danshen, quality management, and its application to COVID-19. © 2022 by the authors.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic occurred over two years and has not yet been finished. There are some possible Chinese medicines formulations used to prevent and treat COVID-19. Single pure herbal such as curcumin is the most common to combat SARS-CoV-2 with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, and hepatoprotective properties. This short communication describes another single pure herbal, “Celastrol”, research progress and its nanosystem for the treatment of COVID-19. © 2022 by the authors.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has not yet finished. Many scientists are still thinking about how to measure the SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. Curcumin is traditional Chinese medicine with various biological activities, such as antimicrobial and antiviral properties. However, due to its lower bioavailability, curcumin is required with the help of nanotechnology to enhance these characteristics. Could curcumin be used for the removal or purification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater? This short communication describes the background of COVID-19, the research progress of curcumin, and its nanonisation to remove or purify SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. © 2022 by the authors.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Initiating treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) traditionally relies on in-person visits with trained therapists to provide hands-on instruction regarding CPAP usage and mask fit. To overcome geographic barriers and reduce COVID-19 transmission, health systems increasingly rely on remote set-ups of mailed equipment. Despite a strong rationale for the mailed approach, relative effectiveness is unclear. Methods: Our VA medical center shifted from in-person to mailed CPAP dispensation during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Using VA administrative and wireless CPAP usage data, we assembled a cohort of patients with newly diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who initiated CPAP for the first time from July 2019 to August 2020. Our primary outcome was mean nightly usage over the first 90 days. We compared patients with in-person vs. mailed CPAP dispensation using generalized linear models adjusted for age, gender, race, and Charlson Comorbidity Index. Among patients with >1 hour of overall usage, we compared secondary outcomes of leak, apnea hypopnea index (AHI), and obstructive/central apnea indices. Results: We identified 693 patients with newly diagnosed OSA whose CPAP was provided in-person and 296 who had CPAP mailed. Nightly usage in the first 90 days was modest in both groups (in-person: 149.7, mailed: 152.9 min/night), and we did not detect a difference in adjusted models (+7.6 min/night, 95%CI -13.6-28.8). We also did not detect a difference in 95th percentile leak (-1.2 liter/minute, 95%CI -3.3-0.9). Device-detected AHI was relatively low overall (in-person: 3.2, mailed: 4.1 events/hour), but was greater in the mailout group (+1.0/hour, 95%CI 0.2-1.7). AHI differences appeared to be driven by obstructive (+0.5/hour, 95%CI 0.2-0.8) but not central events (-0.1, 95% CI -0.2-0.4). Risk of AHI>5 was comparable between groups (in-person: 17.3%, mailed: 19.0%, OR 1.2, 95%CI 0.8-1.7). Conclusion: We were able to switch from an in-person to a mailbased system of CPAP initiation without a change in CPAP adherence or mask leak. While AHI was slightly greater in the mailed group, the clinical significance of this finding is unclear. Future work will need to evaluate the impact of remote CPAP dispensation on patient-centered outcomes.
ABSTRACT
Rationale: The field of sleep medicine has been an avid adopter of telehealth, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. While numerous randomized trials support the efficacy of telehealth to treat conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and insomnia, relatively little is known about patients' experiences and perceptions of telehealth in typical practice. Methods: We recruited a purposive sample of patients who had sleep provider encounters via one of three telehealth modalities: in-clinic video, home-based video, and telephone. We conducted semi-structured interviews to assess general telehealth experiences, elicit perceptions around most and least helpful aspects, and contrast their experiences with in-person care. Two analysts coded transcripts using content analysis. After review of coding and categorization, the analysts identified emergent themes that cut across participants and categories. Results: We conducted interviews with 35 patients (in-clinic video n=12, home-based video n=11, telephone n=12) at two VA medical centers from June 2019 to May 2020. Five themes emerged including access to care, security and privacy, personalization of care, patient empowerment, and unmet needs. 1) Access to care: Patients perceived that telehealth provided access to sleep care in a timely and convenient manner, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients also saw telehealth as a way to improve continuity of care with their preferred providers. 2) Security and Privacy: Patients described how home-based telehealth afforded them greater feelings of safety and security within appointments due to avoidance of anxiety provoking triggers (e.g. crowds). However, patients also noted a potential loss of privacy when telehealth was delivered at home. 3) Personalization of care: Patients outlined ways in which telehealth both improved and hindered their ability to communicate their individual needs to providers. In turn, this communication translated into the delivery of personalized care and positive health impacts. 4) Patient Empowerment: Patients described how telehealth empowered them to engage in self-management for their sleep disorders. 5) Unmet Needs: Patients recognized that there were specific areas where telehealth was not meeting their needs, including lack of follow-through with PAP therapy. Patients also expressed concerns around the lack of a physical examination. Conclusion: Patients described both positive and negative experiences with telehealth, highlighting areas where care can be further adapted to better suit their needs. As we continue to refine telehealth practices, we encourage providers and hospital systems to consider these aspects of the patient experience.