Nursing Based on Humanistic Care Concept for Continuous Blood Purification for Patients with Severe Sepsis in the Intensive Care Unit.

Context: Mortality from severe sepsis has been declining in recent years but remains a challenge worldwide because it remains the most frequent cause of death in ICUs. High-quality nursing care during a patient's CBP can play an important role in promoting a patient's physical condition. Objective: The study intended to explore the effects of nursing based on a humanistic care concept on continuous blood purification (CBP) treatment for patients with severe sepsis in an intensive care unit (ICU). Design: The research team performed a prospective randomized controlled study. Setting: The study took place at Minhang Hospital at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. Participants: Participants were 80 patients with severe sepsis who had been admitted to the ICU of the hospital and who were receiving CBP between April 2021 and December 2022. Intervention: The research team randomly divided participants into two groups according to their admission sequence, with 40 participants in each group: (1) an intervention group, the humanistic care group, who received CBP under humanistic care, and (2) a control group who received CBP under routine nursing. Outcome Measures: At baseline and postintervention, the research team: (1) measured participants' negative emotions using the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Self-rating Depression scale (SDS), (2) assessed participants' hope levels using the Herth Hope Index (HHI), and (3) evaluated participants' health statuses using the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE-II). The team also measured the complication rate and determined participants' treatment compliance. Results: Postintervention compared to the control group, the humanistic care group's: (1) SAS and SDS scores were significantly lower, with P < .001 and P < .001, respectively; (2) HHI score was significantly higher, with P < .001; (3) APACHE-II scores and complication rate were significantly lower, with P < .001 and < .001, respectively; and (4) treatment compliance was significantly higher, with P = .0186. Conclusions: Nursing based on a humanistic care concept in ICUs can effectively alleviate the negative mood of patients with severe sepsis receiving CBP, enhance their hope levels and the treatment effect, improve their health statuses and treatment compliance, and reduce the occurrence of complications.

Antimicrobial resistance crisis: could artificial intelligence be the solution?

Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health threat, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a priority list of the most threatening pathogens against which novel antibiotics need to be developed. The discovery and introduction of novel antibiotics are time-consuming and expensive. According to WHO's report of antibacterial agents in clinical development, only 18 novel antibiotics have been approved since 2014. Therefore, novel antibiotics are critically needed. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been rapidly applied to drug development since its recent technical breakthrough and has dramatically improved the efficiency of the discovery of novel antibiotics. Here, we first summarized recently marketed novel antibiotics, and antibiotic candidates in clinical development. In addition, we systematically reviewed the involvement of AI in antibacterial drug development and utilization, including small molecules, antimicrobial peptides, phage therapy, essential oils, as well as resistance mechanism prediction, and antibiotic stewardship.

A Facile Solution Combustion and Gel Calcination Process for the Preparation of Magnetic MnFe2O4 Nanoparticles.

A facile solution combustion and gel calcination process for the preparation of magnetic MnFe²O4 nanoparticles was introduced. The experimental results showed that the volume of absolute alcohol and the calcination temperature were two key factors to grain size, crystallinity and magnetic properties of MnFe²O4 nanoparticles. With the volume of absolute alcohol increasing from 15 to 100 mL, the average grain size of MnFe²O4 nanoparticles calcined at 400 °C for 2 h increased from 13.4 nm to 36.0 nm, and the saturation magnetization (Ms) value of MnFe²O4 nanoparticles increased from 1.2 emu/g to 105.5 emu/g; while, with the calcination temperature increasing from 400 °C to 800 °C, the average grain size increased from 13.4 nm to 32.9 nm, and the saturation magnetization value increased from 1.2 emu/g to 15.3 emu/g. The specific surface area of MnFe²O4 nanoparticles calcined at 400 °C for 2 h with absolute alcohol of 30 mL was measured, which was large of 49.6 m²/g.

[Chemical constituents from Coptis chinensis].

OBJECTIVE: To study the chemical constituents of Coptis chinensis. METHODS: The compounds were separated and purified by column chromatography and their structures were identified by spectroscopic methods. RESULTS: Seven compounds were isolated from the chloroform extract of Coptis chinensis, whose structures were determined as worenine (1),8,9-dihydroxy-1,5,6, 10b-tetrahydro-2H-pyrrolo[2,1 -alpha] isoquinolin-3-one (2),(+/-) -5,5'-dimethoxy-lariciresinol (3),3,4-dihydroxy-phenylethylalcohol(4), methyl-5-O-feruloylquinate (5), ethyl-5-O- feruloylquinate (6), apocynol (7). CONCLUSION: Compounds (3) is isolated from this genus for the first time, compounds (5), (6), (7) are isolated from this plant for the first time.

[Exploration of quality control of inorganic elements in Chinese herbal medicines for stimulating blood circulation and relaxing muscles and joints by atomic absorption spectrophotometry].

Researches have shown the close relationships between inorganic elements and curative efficiencies of various Chinese herbal medicines. Yet, in studies of chemical composition and quality control of Chinese herbal medicines for stimulating blood circulation and relaxing muscles and joints, inorganic substances are often overlooked. In order to improve and reestablish the standard of quality control of Chinese herbal medicines, the authors attempted a method that would incorporate the composition of inorganic elements as part of the quality control. In the present study, the authors used atomic absorption spectrophotometry to measure the contents of fifteen inorganic elements, namely, Cu, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mo, Ni, Sr, V, Mn, Zn, Na, Cr, Cd, and Hg, in several Chinese herbal medicines, including Da Huo Luo Wan. The authors then discussed the relationship between these inorganic elements and curative efficiencies of these Chinese herbal medicines. By comparing the levels of inorganic elements found in Da Huo Luo Wan with those found in other Chinese herbal medicines used in the study, it was revealed that trace elements, Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn, contribute to the curative efficiency of Da Huo Luo Wan. The authors' results showed that the amounts of trace elements Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn found in Chinese herbal medicine Da Huo Luo Wan are related to the following curative effects of Da Huo Luo Wan: relieving rheumatism, rectifying breathing and alleviating phlegm, stimulating blood circulation and relaxing muscles and joints. The measurement and analysis of inorganic elements in Da Huo Luo Wan will also provide evidences and references for the fingerprint establishment of Da Huo Luo Wan in the future.

[Determination of V, Mo, Ni, g in Chinese traditional cardiovascular medicine by AAS].

Aimed at curing life-threatening cardiovascular diseases, many new drugs containing Chinese medicines have been developed for commercial use. It is critical that the contents of these drugs are well monitored and controlled. In the last five decades, understanding the effects of trace elements on treating cardiovascular diseases has drawn more and more attention of researchers. In the present study, AAS was used to measure the amounts of V, Mo, Ni and Hg in several Chinese medicines treating cardiovascular diseases, such as Di Ao Xinxue Kang capsule etc. The results revealed that all Chinese medicines under study are rich in trace elements. Furthermore, the authors' data exhibit the potential therapeutic effects of V, Mo and Ni in treating cardiovascular diseases. By providing the measurements and fingerprints of trace elements found in Chinese medicines treating cardiovascular diseases, the authors' report offers theoretical support to the potential effectiveness of trace elements in combating cardiovascular diseases.

[Study on trace elements in wuji baifeng wan and its preparation].

We studied the amount of trace elements in the traditional Chinese medicine Wuji Baifeng Wan by cluster analysis, and found that the clustering results of the trace elements in Twelve Wuji Baifeng Wan (the southern preparation) and Wuji Baifeng Wan (the northern preparation) were not in the same group. In this paper, AAS was used for the determination of trace elements in Wuji Baifeng Wan and its preparation. The results showed that there were great differences between Twelve Wuji Baifeng Wan and Wuji Baifeng Wan , while the difference between Chinese Taihe Chicken and Native Chicken was slight. So we drew a conclusion that the great differences between Twelve Wuji Baifeng Wan and Wuji Baifeng Wan were caused by other medicine, not in its preparation.