Saffron(Stigma Croci)is an autumn-flowering perennial plant,and its use has a history of over 3500 years.Saffron has often been considered as the costliest medicinal plant,a premium spice,and the best dye with a golde...Saffron(Stigma Croci)is an autumn-flowering perennial plant,and its use has a history of over 3500 years.Saffron has often been considered as the costliest medicinal plant,a premium spice,and the best dye with a golden yellowish color.Iran currently produces the finest quality saffron and dominates its global production(>90%).Other countries such as Australia,Canada,the USA,China,and some countries in Central Africa,produce saffron at a lower yield.In China,saffron is celebrated as“red gold”owing to the red stigmas of the flower and its price,which is comparable to the price of gold.Saffron has been one of the most attractive traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)herbs in the Zhong Guo Yao Dian(《中国药典》Chinese Pharmacopoeia)since its inclusion in the 2005 edition.The earliest use of saffron in TCM was recorded in the Ben Cao Shi Yi(《本草拾遗》Supplement to Materia Medica)written during the Tang dynasty(741 A.D.).However,saffron grown in inland China has been widely mistaken as originating from Tibet.This is because its Chinese name begins with“Xi”or“Zang,”which sounds similar to its Tibetan name(“Xi Zang”).In this review,we clarify the origin of saffron and its introduction to China and summarize its various applications.展开更多
There are over 250 species of cinnamon. Each has its distinct morphology and phytochemical composition, which may result in varied therapeutic effects. However, clinical studies have rarely put emphasis on the species...There are over 250 species of cinnamon. Each has its distinct morphology and phytochemical composition, which may result in varied therapeutic effects. However, clinical studies have rarely put emphasis on the species of cinnamon being investigated. This scoping review summarized the clinical evidence of Cinnamomum cassia (also known as Cinnamomum aromaticum), which is the species of cinnamon used in traditional Chinese medicine. Electronic searches were conducted on PubMed from its inception till August 2021. Clinical studies that were published in English, stating monotherapy with Cinnamomum cassia, Cinnamomum aromaticum, or “Rou Gui” were included. The 15 included clinical studies investigated the effects of Cinnamomum cassia on type-2 diabetes patients (n=7), and healthy adults (n=8). In the type 2 diabetes population, Cinnamomum cassia supplementation of as low as 1 g/d seemed to improve HbA1c in only poorly controlled diabetes. In the healthy population, Cinnamomum cassia supplementation appeared to influence blood glucose response in a dose-dependent manner, with current studies indicating a minimum of 5 g/d to achieve significant improvement. Studies also showed potential improvement in insulin sensitivity with prolonged Cinnamomum cassia supplementation. However, there were apparent heterogeneity among studies and uncertainties regarding the accuracy of reported cinnamon species. Therefore, the therapeutic effects of Cinnamomum cassia remain inconclusive. Future larger scale and more rigorous clinical studies, with clear identification of Cinnamomum species used, are needed for more conclusive evidence of the clinical effects of Cinnamomum cassia.展开更多
Uganda has been implementing the Global Health Security Agenda(GHSA)since 2015 to build its capacity according to World Health Organization(WHO)Benchmarks on International Health Regulations Capacities.The country rem...Uganda has been implementing the Global Health Security Agenda(GHSA)since 2015 to build its capacity according to World Health Organization(WHO)Benchmarks on International Health Regulations Capacities.The country remains prone to outbreaks,with more than 20 disease outbreaks reported in the past five years,including Ebola virus disease,Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever,Marburg haemorrhagic fever,measles,yellow fever,coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),and cholera.Antimicrobial resistance(AMR)is an ongoing challenge.Uganda scored capacity level 3 on infection prevention and control(IPC)and antimicrobial stewardship(AMS)in the 2017 Joint External Evaluation(JEE)assessment.Identified gaps were being addressed after a self-assessment in 2021.This paper describes the technical assistance approaches provided to Uganda by the Medicines,Technologies,and Pharmaceutical Services Program,funded by the United States(U.S.)Agency for International Development,and implemented by Management Sciences for Health.The program,through a One Health approach,supported systematic capacity strengthening based on the JEE's capacity advancement framework for global health security,specifically relating to AMR.The program's interventions impacted 32 WHO benchmark actions(7 for AMR multisectoral coordination,16 for IPC,and 9 for AMS),contributing to Uganda's strengthened GHSA capacity.Leveraging success built on the AMR platform,the program trained 745 health workers in IPC for the Ebola virus and provided support for simulation exercises by eight district IPC teams.The program also worked with the Ministry of Health to coordinate IPC for the COVID-19 response in five health regions,covering 45 districts and reaching 5,452 health workers at 858 health facilities.展开更多
Antimicrobial resistance(AMR)is one of the greatest threats to public health,and it is spreading across the human health,animal health,and environmental sectors.Sole reliance on desk reviews and national-level stakeho...Antimicrobial resistance(AMR)is one of the greatest threats to public health,and it is spreading across the human health,animal health,and environmental sectors.Sole reliance on desk reviews and national-level stakeholder engagement carries a risk of overestimating the country’s health security and AMR capacity.For a genuine evalua-tion,engaging frontline and last-mile implementers such as health care facilities and workers,farmers,and district local governments ensures a more accurate assessment of existing capabilities and implementation progress.Uganda utilized a bottom-up approach to assess the implementation status of the National Action Plan on AMR(NAP-AMR)to ensure the engagement of key stakeholders at the subnational level,who are often overlooked in NAP-AMR evalu-ation initiatives.This review revealed poor engagement of subnational stakeholders in the development,validation,dissemination,and implementation of the NAP-AMR as well as various issues at the national level—including gaps in government One Health policy,insufficient funding,and ineffective coordination—that resulted in the inadequate implementation of the NAP-AMR.Addressing these challenges should involve establishing a One Health policy and identifying sustainable funding sources for AMR activities.We recommend the legislation of dedicated policy to formally incorporate the National One Health Platform into government structures at the national and subnational levels.In our experience,a bottom-up approach to evaluating NAP-AMR implementation enhances the effective-ness of the review process and could be utilized by the WHO during the joint external evaluation of health security capacity.展开更多
Recognizing the potential of globalizing traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),this review summarizes the current global use of TCM for COVID-19,status of the internationalization of ...Recognizing the potential of globalizing traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),this review summarizes the current global use of TCM for COVID-19,status of the internationalization of TCM,and strategy on globalizing TCM for COVID-19.COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus disease that has sparked a pandemic in March 2020 affecting over 110 countries.Although researchers have been racing to develop targeted anti-COVID-19 treatment and vaccine,they are still currently unavailable.Thus,in treating patients infected with COVID-19,western medicine mainly recommended symptomatic treatment and monitoring.Existing drugs are used in the context of clinical trials,and the FDA still not yet approved these drugs for COVID-19.On the other hand,TCM proposed herbal treatment for suspected individuals to take within their observation period,as well as for confirmed COVID-19 patients to take during active phase of disease and during recovery.In China,Integrative Chinese-Western Medicine had been used in treating 91.5%of COVID-19 patients and showed its strength in reducing disease severity,shortening recovery time,and lowering the mortality rate.Despite obstacles in globalizing TCM for the treatment of COVID-19,promoting appropriate use of locally registered TCM products may prevent disease in susceptible individuals,improve the quality of life,and assist in the recovery of COVID-19 patients.With increasing global acceptance,TCM may play a more important role in the battle against infectious disease in the future.展开更多
基金This study was financed by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81803571)the China-Morocco Traditional Chinese Medicine Center Construction Project(No.ZY[2018-2020]-GJHZ-1005)the Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province(No.2020B1111110003).
文摘Saffron(Stigma Croci)is an autumn-flowering perennial plant,and its use has a history of over 3500 years.Saffron has often been considered as the costliest medicinal plant,a premium spice,and the best dye with a golden yellowish color.Iran currently produces the finest quality saffron and dominates its global production(>90%).Other countries such as Australia,Canada,the USA,China,and some countries in Central Africa,produce saffron at a lower yield.In China,saffron is celebrated as“red gold”owing to the red stigmas of the flower and its price,which is comparable to the price of gold.Saffron has been one of the most attractive traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)herbs in the Zhong Guo Yao Dian(《中国药典》Chinese Pharmacopoeia)since its inclusion in the 2005 edition.The earliest use of saffron in TCM was recorded in the Ben Cao Shi Yi(《本草拾遗》Supplement to Materia Medica)written during the Tang dynasty(741 A.D.).However,saffron grown in inland China has been widely mistaken as originating from Tibet.This is because its Chinese name begins with“Xi”or“Zang,”which sounds similar to its Tibetan name(“Xi Zang”).In this review,we clarify the origin of saffron and its introduction to China and summarize its various applications.
基金This work was supported by the 3-year Development Plan Project for Traditional Chinese Medicine of China(No.ZY(2018-2020)-CCCX-2001-02)the Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province of China(No.2020B1111110003).
文摘There are over 250 species of cinnamon. Each has its distinct morphology and phytochemical composition, which may result in varied therapeutic effects. However, clinical studies have rarely put emphasis on the species of cinnamon being investigated. This scoping review summarized the clinical evidence of Cinnamomum cassia (also known as Cinnamomum aromaticum), which is the species of cinnamon used in traditional Chinese medicine. Electronic searches were conducted on PubMed from its inception till August 2021. Clinical studies that were published in English, stating monotherapy with Cinnamomum cassia, Cinnamomum aromaticum, or “Rou Gui” were included. The 15 included clinical studies investigated the effects of Cinnamomum cassia on type-2 diabetes patients (n=7), and healthy adults (n=8). In the type 2 diabetes population, Cinnamomum cassia supplementation of as low as 1 g/d seemed to improve HbA1c in only poorly controlled diabetes. In the healthy population, Cinnamomum cassia supplementation appeared to influence blood glucose response in a dose-dependent manner, with current studies indicating a minimum of 5 g/d to achieve significant improvement. Studies also showed potential improvement in insulin sensitivity with prolonged Cinnamomum cassia supplementation. However, there were apparent heterogeneity among studies and uncertainties regarding the accuracy of reported cinnamon species. Therefore, the therapeutic effects of Cinnamomum cassia remain inconclusive. Future larger scale and more rigorous clinical studies, with clear identification of Cinnamomum species used, are needed for more conclusive evidence of the clinical effects of Cinnamomum cassia.
基金possible by the generous support of the American people through the US Agency for International Development(USAID)contract no.7200AA18C00074.
文摘Uganda has been implementing the Global Health Security Agenda(GHSA)since 2015 to build its capacity according to World Health Organization(WHO)Benchmarks on International Health Regulations Capacities.The country remains prone to outbreaks,with more than 20 disease outbreaks reported in the past five years,including Ebola virus disease,Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever,Marburg haemorrhagic fever,measles,yellow fever,coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),and cholera.Antimicrobial resistance(AMR)is an ongoing challenge.Uganda scored capacity level 3 on infection prevention and control(IPC)and antimicrobial stewardship(AMS)in the 2017 Joint External Evaluation(JEE)assessment.Identified gaps were being addressed after a self-assessment in 2021.This paper describes the technical assistance approaches provided to Uganda by the Medicines,Technologies,and Pharmaceutical Services Program,funded by the United States(U.S.)Agency for International Development,and implemented by Management Sciences for Health.The program,through a One Health approach,supported systematic capacity strengthening based on the JEE's capacity advancement framework for global health security,specifically relating to AMR.The program's interventions impacted 32 WHO benchmark actions(7 for AMR multisectoral coordination,16 for IPC,and 9 for AMS),contributing to Uganda's strengthened GHSA capacity.Leveraging success built on the AMR platform,the program trained 745 health workers in IPC for the Ebola virus and provided support for simulation exercises by eight district IPC teams.The program also worked with the Ministry of Health to coordinate IPC for the COVID-19 response in five health regions,covering 45 districts and reaching 5,452 health workers at 858 health facilities.
基金possible by the generous support of the American people through the US Agency for International Development(USAID)contract no.7200AA18C00074.
文摘Antimicrobial resistance(AMR)is one of the greatest threats to public health,and it is spreading across the human health,animal health,and environmental sectors.Sole reliance on desk reviews and national-level stakeholder engagement carries a risk of overestimating the country’s health security and AMR capacity.For a genuine evalua-tion,engaging frontline and last-mile implementers such as health care facilities and workers,farmers,and district local governments ensures a more accurate assessment of existing capabilities and implementation progress.Uganda utilized a bottom-up approach to assess the implementation status of the National Action Plan on AMR(NAP-AMR)to ensure the engagement of key stakeholders at the subnational level,who are often overlooked in NAP-AMR evalu-ation initiatives.This review revealed poor engagement of subnational stakeholders in the development,validation,dissemination,and implementation of the NAP-AMR as well as various issues at the national level—including gaps in government One Health policy,insufficient funding,and ineffective coordination—that resulted in the inadequate implementation of the NAP-AMR.Addressing these challenges should involve establishing a One Health policy and identifying sustainable funding sources for AMR activities.We recommend the legislation of dedicated policy to formally incorporate the National One Health Platform into government structures at the national and subnational levels.In our experience,a bottom-up approach to evaluating NAP-AMR implementation enhances the effective-ness of the review process and could be utilized by the WHO during the joint external evaluation of health security capacity.
基金supported National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.81973438,81803571)National Major Scientific and Technological Special Project for“Significant New Drugs Development”(Grant No.2019ZX09301-140)
文摘Recognizing the potential of globalizing traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),this review summarizes the current global use of TCM for COVID-19,status of the internationalization of TCM,and strategy on globalizing TCM for COVID-19.COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus disease that has sparked a pandemic in March 2020 affecting over 110 countries.Although researchers have been racing to develop targeted anti-COVID-19 treatment and vaccine,they are still currently unavailable.Thus,in treating patients infected with COVID-19,western medicine mainly recommended symptomatic treatment and monitoring.Existing drugs are used in the context of clinical trials,and the FDA still not yet approved these drugs for COVID-19.On the other hand,TCM proposed herbal treatment for suspected individuals to take within their observation period,as well as for confirmed COVID-19 patients to take during active phase of disease and during recovery.In China,Integrative Chinese-Western Medicine had been used in treating 91.5%of COVID-19 patients and showed its strength in reducing disease severity,shortening recovery time,and lowering the mortality rate.Despite obstacles in globalizing TCM for the treatment of COVID-19,promoting appropriate use of locally registered TCM products may prevent disease in susceptible individuals,improve the quality of life,and assist in the recovery of COVID-19 patients.With increasing global acceptance,TCM may play a more important role in the battle against infectious disease in the future.
