Resveratrol combats chronic diseases through enhancing mitochondrial quality

Resveratrol(RSV),as a functional food component extracted from natural plants,has been widely studied and recognized in preventing and treating various diseases,with major mechanisms including executing anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation functions,and improving mitochondrial quality.Chronic diseases as non-communicable diseases are mainly caused by multiple factors,such as physiological decline and dysfunction in the body,and have become a significant challenge on public health worldwide.It is worth noting that chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's disease(AD),Parkinson's disease(PD),muscle atrophy,cardiovascular disease,obesity,and cancer are accompanied by abnormal mitochondrial function.Therefore,targeted regulation of mitochondria may be a meaningful way to prevent and treat chronic diseases.Increasing evidence has confirmed that RSV is actively involved in regulating mitochondria,and it has become an essential consideration to prevent and treat chronic diseases through targeting mitochondria and improving corresponding functions.In this article,current studies on RSV to optimize mitochondrial quality for preventing and alleviating chronic disease are systematically summarized,which can provide a theoretical reference for the development of functional foods or drugs to combat chronic diseases.

Observation on the Effect of Health Education in Health Management of Chronic Disease Patients

Objective: By the end of 2021, the aging rate of China’s population is 18.9%, and the prevalence rate of chronic diseases in the elderly population is increasing year by year, and chronic diseases have become the main causes of death and health threats of Chinese residents. Therefore, how to manage this huge group well is crucial. This paper analyzes the value of health education in the process of health management for patients with chronic diseases. Methods: 102 patients with chronic diseases treated from January 2021 to December 2021 were divided into control group and experimental group by random number table method. The control group was given routine health management while the experimental group was given health education based on the control group, and the implementation effect was analyzed. Results: After management, the scores of chronic disease knowledge in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group, and the dimensions of ESCA were higher than those in the control group, and P < 0.05;Conclusion: The implementation of health education in the process of chronic disease health management is helpful to improve patients’ self-care ability and better control disease progression.

Economic and Social Impact Assessment of Chronic Diseases Among the Low-Income Population in Southern Punjab,Pakistan

Introduction:Chronic diseases are becoming more prevalent worldwide.The effects of chronic illnesses are disastrous not only for the diagnosed person but also for their entire family.This study explores chronic diseases’social and economic impact on low-income families.The study aims to determine the economic and social implications of various chronic diseases and the loss of income due to these conditions among low-income individuals in Southern Punjab,Pakistan.Methodology:A sample of 424 patients was selected from different areas of Southern Punjab.Data were collected using a questionnaire that included questions about economic status,self-reported health status,social status,management strategies,and health insurance,among other factors.Results:The mean monthly income of the respondents was found to be 57,097.6 Pakistani rupee(PKR),and the mean monthly expenses for treatment were 8,256.1 PKR.The loss of income was calculated at 15%.Additionally,62%of patients spent more than 10%of their monthly income on managing their disease.Approximately 85%of the respondents reported that chronic diseases affected their social life.Furthermore,80%of patients lacked health insurance.Conclusion:Chronic diseases impose significant economic and social burdens on patients and their families in Southern Punjab.To reduce the burden of chronic diseases,the government should enhance healthcare services in this region and provide health insurance to low-income families.

Exploring the Effects of Health Education and Chronic Disease Management Nursing in the Management of Hypertension in Elderly Patients in the Community

Objective:To explore the effects of health education and chronic disease management nursing in elderly community patients with hypertension,in order to provide scientific evidence for improving the health management level of these patients.Methods:Sixty-four elderly hypertension patients treated at this hospital between March 2022 and March 2024 were selected and randomly divided into two groups,with 32 patients in each group.One group received conventional management,designated as the control group,while the other group received a combined management strategy involving health education and chronic disease management,designated as the experimental group.The study compared the management outcomes of the two groups to evaluate the value of the combined management approach in elderly hypertensive patients in the community.Results:The study found that the experimental group showed significantly lower systolic blood pressure(SBP),diastolic blood pressure(DBP),and scores on the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS)and Self-Rating Depression Scale(SDS)compared to the control group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Additionally,the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher scores in disease cognition levels regarding awareness of normal blood pressure ranges,prevention of complications,identification of high-risk factors,and healthy lifestyle practices,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Moreover,the experimental group showed significantly better rates of self-management behaviors,such as quitting smoking and alcohol,self-monitoring of blood pressure,dietary control,regular medication adherence,and consistent exercise,compared to the control group,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).Conclusion:This study indicates that a combined management model integrating health education and chronic disease management effectively improves the emotional state of elderly hypertensive patients in the community,significantly enhances their disease cognition levels,and boosts their self-management abilities.Furthermore,this model can effectively lower patients’blood pressure,thereby achieving better health management outcomes for elderly hypertensive patients in the community.

Impact of a Nurse-Led Chronic Disease Management Intervention Model on Quality of Care and Satisfaction of Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients

Objective:To explore the impact of a nurse-led chronic disease management model on the quality of care and satisfaction of maintenance hemodialysis patients.Methods:72 patients who received maintenance hemodialysis(MHD)from June 2021 to March 2022 were selected to undergo the nurse-led chronic disease management model.The hemodialysis indexes,nutritional status,and the occurrence of adverse events were assessed after 24 weeks of the intervention,and patients’satisfaction was investigated and analyzed.Results:Comparing pre-intervention and after 24 weeks of intervention,urea reduction rate and urea clearance were improved but not statistically different(P>0.05),butβ2-microglobulin was significantly reduced compared with pre-intervention(P<0.05);after 24 weeks of intervention,the effect of decreasing blood calcium,parathyroid hormone,and potassium levels was not obvious(P>0.05),and the level of blood phosphorus decreased significantly compared with pre-intervention(P<0.01),albumin and hemoglobin levels were increased and better than before intervention(P<0.05);after 24 weeks of intervention,the incidence of intradialytic hypotension and hypertension was lower than before intervention(P<0.05),and the total incidence of complications was significantly lower than before intervention(P<0.01);there was no significant difference in the Self-Depression Scale scores after 24 weeks of intervention(P>0.05),and Self-Anxiety Scale scores were significantly lower and better than before intervention(P<0.01).Patient satisfaction was greatly improved,with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05).Conclusion:The chronic disease management intervention model led by specialized nurses is conducive to improving the psychological state and nutritional status of dialysis patients,enhancing the adequacy of dialysis for patients,reducing the incidence of related complications,and ultimately achieving the purpose of improving the quality of life of patients,which has significant clinical value.

Perceptions of Patients with Chronic Diseases on Telenursing in Selected Hospitals of Shandong Province, China: A Comparative Study

Objectives:To explore the perception of telenursing among patients with chronic diseases in the selected community hospitals only in Shandong Province,China,and to compare the differences in perception of telenursing among patients with different chronic diseases.Methods:The purpose sampling method was adopted in this study,and questionnaires were distributed to 324 chronic disease patients in OPD hospitals.Results:Patients with chronic diseases have higher awareness and acceptance of telenursing,and there are significant differences in their cognition of telenursing needs.Conclusion:The disease characteristics of patients with different chronic diseases and their different needs for telenursing require more considerations in the design and use of telenursing services.

Utilization of Barley Functional Foods for Preventing Chronic Diseases in China

Chronic diseases are the leading global causes of death in China and the world, especially hypertension ＇and diabetes, and the main reasons are heredity, abnormal metabolism and an unhealthy lifestyle for dietary. Barley is taditional medicine in China. There is an very important effect for functional foods for preventing chronic diseases of barley grains and barley grass powder as well as its products because of its high contents of minerals, vitamins, amino acids, antioxidant enzymes, chlorophyll and bioactive compounds such as β-glucans, phenolic compounds, GABA, alkaloid, tocopherols and tocotrienols, dietary fiber and so on. There are a lot of challenges to promote health for functional food with barley grains and its grass in China. Barley grain will produce pearled barley, grits, flakes and flour, and it adds texture, flavor, aroma, nutritional and medicinal value to product. Barley grass powder can be produced in barley green, barley grass rice noodle, barley grass ersi, barley grass noodles and barley green beer and other new functional foods. The future for barley use in food products is improving and very promising.

Relationships between Chronic Diseases and Depression among Middleaged and Elderly People in China: A Prospective Study from CHARLS

Given the rapid increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases in aging populations,this prospective study including 17707 adults aged≥45 years from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study was used to estimate the associations between chronic discase,multimorbidity,and depression among middle-aged and elderly adults in China,and explore the mediating factors.Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale(CES-D-10)questionnaire.Twelve chronic physical conditions,including hypertension,diabetes,dyslipidemia,cancer,chronic lung disease,liver disease,heart failure,stroke,kidney disease,arthritis or rheumatism,asthma,digestive disease were assessed.The prevalence rates for physical multimorbidity and depression(CES-D-10≥10)were 43.23%and 36.62%,respectively.Through multivariable logistic models and generalized estimating equation(GEE)models,we found all 12 chronic physical conditions,and multimorbidity were significantly associated with depression.Both mobility problems and chronic pain explained more than 30%of the association for all chronic conditions,with particularly high percentages for stroke(51.56%)and cancer(51.06%)in mobility problems and cancer(53.35%)in chronic pain.Limited activities of daily living(ADL)explained 34.60%of the stroke-cancer relationship,while sleep problems explained between 10.15%(stroke)and 14.89%(chronic lung disease)of the association.Individuals with chronic diseases or multimorbidity are significantly more likely to be depressed.Functional symptoms involving limitations of ADL and mobility difficulties mediated much of the association between chronic diseases and incident depression.These symptoms could be targeted for interventions to ameliorate the incidence of depression among individuals with chronic conditions.

Psychosocial and spiritual needs of patients with chronic diseases: validation of the Chinese version of the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire

OBJECTIVE： Even in secular societies, a small portion of patients find their spirituality to help cope with illness. But for the majority of patients, psychosocial and spiritual needs are neither addressed nor even considered a relevant factor by health care professionals. To measure such specific needs, the Spiritual Needs Questionnaire （SpNQ） was developed. The aim of this study was to validate the Chinese version of the SpNQ （SpNQ-Ch） and thus to measure psychosocial and spiritual needs of Chinese patients. METHODS： This was a cross-sectional study among 168 patients with chronic diseases who were recruited in the Changhai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China using standardized questionnaires. We performed reliability and factor analyses, as well as analyses of variance, first order correlations and regression analyses. RESULTS： The 17-item SpNQ-Ch had a similar factorial structure as the original version with two main and three minor factors which accounted for 64% of variance, and internal consistency estimates （Cronbach＇s a） ranging from 0.51 to 0.81. Included were the 4-item scale Inner Peace Needs, the 5-item scale Giving/Generativity （with 2 sub-constructs, Praying and Sources）, and a Needs, the 5-item scale Religious Needs 3-item scale Reflection/Release Needs. In Chinese patients with cancer （63%）, pain affections （10%）, or other chronic conditions （23%）, the needs for Giving/Generativity （which refer to categories of Connectedness and Meaning） and Inner Peace Needs scored highest, while Religious Needs and the Reflection/Release Needs scored lower. CONCLUSION： The SpNQ-Ch is congruent with its primary version, and can be used in future studies with the mostly nonreligious patients from China. First findings indicate specific psychosocial and spiritual needs which should be addressed by health care professionals to support patients in their struggle with chronic illness in terms of psycho-emotional stabilization, finding hope and meaning, and thus achieving peaceful states of mind despite chronic illness.

Chronic disease and the link to physical activity

Chronic diseases have become a focal point of public health worldwide with estimates of trillions of dollars in annual health care cost and causing more than 36 million deaths a year. Lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity are heavily correlated with the development of many chronic diseases. New strategies for primary and secondary disease prevention are desperately needed to aid in blunting the negative economic and social impact of these diseases. Physical activity （PA） and exercise are now considered principal interventions for use in primary and secondary prevention of chronic diseases. Currently, more emphasis in primary prevention of disease is necessary to reduce disease risk in youth and adults; however with chronic disease prevalence so high, similar emphasis is also necessary for secondary prevention in those children and adults already inflicted with chronic diseases. Conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer are drastically improved when PA and exercise are part of a medical management plan. In addition, the national PA guidelines in conjunction with PA promotion tools like Exercise is MedicineTM are needed to promote increased PA and exercise levels worldwide.

Integration of Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and Wearable Technology for Chronic Disease Management: A New Paradigm in Smart Healthcare

Chronic diseases are a growing concern worldwide,with nearly 25% of adults suffering from one or more chronic health conditions,thus placing a heavy burden on individuals,families,and healthcare systems.With the advent of the“Smart Healthcare”era,a series of cutting-edge technologies has brought new experiences to the management of chronic diseases.Among them,smart wearable technology not only helps people pursue a healthier lifestyle but also provides a continuous flow of healthcare data for disease diagnosis and treatment by actively recording physiological parameters and tracking the metabolic state.However,how to organize and analyze the data to achieve the ultimate goal of improving chronic disease management,in terms of quality of life,patient outcomes,and privacy protection,is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed.Artificial intelligence(AI)can provide intelligent suggestions by analyzing a patient’s physiological data from wearable devices for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.In addition,blockchain can improve healthcare services by authorizing decentralized data sharing,protecting the privacy of users,providing data empowerment,and ensuring the reliability of data management.Integrating AI,blockchain,and wearable technology could optimize the existing chronic disease management models,with a shift from a hospital-centered model to a patient-centered one.In this paper,we conceptually demonstrate a patient-centric technical framework based on AI,blockchain,and wearable technology and further explore the application of these integrated technologies in chronic disease management.Finally,the shortcomings of this new paradigm and future research directions are also discussed.

Roles of mushroom polysaccharides in chronic disease management

Chronic diseases have drawn much attention as the primary cause of death and disability. In exploring novel sideeffect-free agents against chronic diseases, significant efforts have been devoted to mushroom polysaccharides due to their diverse biological activities. This work reviewed the structural features, biological performances and molecular mechanisms of mushroom polysaccharides in managing cancers, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. The potentials of mushroom polysaccharides against chronic diseases highly depend on their structural features, including monosaccharide composition, molecular weight, the type and configuration of glycosidic bonds, degree of branching, the type of substituent pattern and chain conformation. Regarding their working mechanisms, shared and diseasespecific pathways were found. The three chronic diseases shared the regulation of specific signalling pathways and the adjustment of gut microbiota. In addition, the roles of transcription factors, receptors, enzymes, hormones and other functional proteins involved in the molecular mechanisms of mushroom polysaccharides against chronic diseases are first elaborated herein. The present review describes the state of the art of mushroom polysaccharides in treating chronic diseases and addresses the perspectives, and will further promote research on this topic.

Life course changes provoked by chronic disease: A study on everyday life for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Objective:This study examined patients with systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)as a means to explore the impacts of chronic disease on life courses.Methods:A semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with nine patients in China in 2017;participants were included based on their having or having had facial butterfly erythema.Results:The study focused on both the disease's impact on the patients'health and on their daily lives.Four core themes emerged:visible changes in the patient's bodies,social dilemmas,"the encouragement of disease",and a new perspective on the relationship between disease and health.One important finding was that the occurrence of a chronic disease did not have only negative repercussions;some patients felt that there were advantages to being sick.Chronic disease resulted in a reworking of daily life.The patients developed a self-referential model of healing.Conclusion:The distinct interpretations of the same disease offered by different patients served to yield a more complete understanding of the disease.People with SLE adjust their thinking about the disease based on personal feelings as well as experiences and pursue a dialogue on their illness based on the disease pattern unique to them.The meaning that disease had for the patients was not limited to negative connotations.

Depression in the context of chronic diseases in the United States and China

Depression is not only a major global public health concern,but also a common comorbidity among patients who experience chronic diseases,such as cancer,stroke,heart disease,diabetes,and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Yet the recognition and treatment varies widely around the world.This study(1)provides an integrated review of the literature on the prevalence of depression among patients with chronic diseases in China and the United States and its relationship to poorer health outcomes and(2)compares the differences in the percentages of patients receiving treatments for depression between the United States and China.Given the current situation,we recommended that primary care and specialty providers should be knowledgeable and alert regarding the signs of depression.Efforts should be directed to further implement integrated care based interventions to manage depression and improve quality of life among patients suffering chronic diseases in both China and the United States.

Autophagy-associated signal pathways of functional foods for chronic diseases

Functional foods,namely as natural or processed foods containing bioactive compounds,can provide health-promoting effects beyond basic nutrition,or offer the prevention or supplementary treatment of chronic diseases.The bioactive components in functional foods usually have pleiotropic effects,including antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,hypolipidemic,glycemic-regulating,cytoprotective,and neuroprotective functions.Autophagy is one of the highly conserved cellular processes for the clearance of aberrant components in eukaryotic cells,and plays an essential role in health promotion and prevention and treatment of a series of chronic diseases.Once the cells are in the stress environment,the induced autophagy will accelerate the clearance of cellular damaged or toxic protein aggregates or dysfunctional cellular organelles to maintain homeostasis in cells.In this article,we summarize several widely investigated bioactive components used as functional foods,such as resveratrol,epigallocatechin-3-gallate,curcumin and trehalose,with the regulatory function for autophagy during the intervention of chronic diseases,which will provide the references or novel thoughts for the development of functional foods with the modulation of autophagy.

A family nurse-led intervention for reducing health services’utilization in individuals with chronic diseases:The ADVICE pilot study

Objectives:Intensive health services'utilization is common in older individuals affected by chronic diseases.This study assessed whether a structured family nurse-led educational intervention would be effective in reducing health services'use(readmissions and/or emergency service access)among older people affected by chronic conditions.Methods:This is a non-randomized before-after pilot study.A sample of 78 patients was recruited from two general practices in Italy and 70 among them were followed for 8 months.Standard home care was provided during the first four months'period(months 1-4),followed by the educational intervention until the end of the study(months 5-8).The intervention,based on the teach-back method,consisted of by-weekly 60-min home sessions targeting aspects of the disease and its treatment,potential complications,medication adherence,and health behaviours.Rates of health services'use were collected immediately before(T0),and after the interventions(T1).Differences in utilization rates were examined by the McNemar's test.Potential factors associated with the risk of health services'use were explored with a Cox proportional hazard regression model.Results:The sample(n=78)was predominantly female(n=50,64.1%),and had a mean age of 76.2(SD=4.8)years.Diabetes mellitus was the most frequent disease(n=27,34.6%).McNemar's test indicated a significant reduction in health services'use at T1(McNemar χ^(2)==28.03,P<0.001).Cox regressions indicated that time and patient education,as well as their interaction,were the only variables positively associated with the probability of health services'use.Conclusion:A teach-back intervention led by a family nurse practitioner has the potential to reduce health services'use in older patients with chronic diseases.

Volunteers as caregivers for elderly with chronic diseases:An assessment of demand and cause of demand

Objective:We sought to examine the demand of volunteers on long-term care of elderly patients with chronic diseases.Further,we evaluated patients'reasons to want long-term care volunteers as well as socioeconomic factors affecting these needs.Methods:Questionnaires were distributed to 516 elderly with chronic diseases from nursing homes,hospitals,and elderly living with relatives.Patient questions dealt with basic socioeconomic questions,their reasons to want care volunteers,and the nature of chronic disease,and their motivation to volunteer and which sorts of activities they perform while volunteering.Results:73.4%of the elderly patients with chronic diseases desired to have volunteers for long-term care.The most desired services were care visits,transportation,and leisure/recreation activities.The number of chronic diseases they had,their marital status,education level,and social support system were all statistically important.Conclusion:The data presented here suggest that the government should actively advocate for volunteer service for elderly with chronic diseases.Additional support is needed in terms of financial support,incentive measures,professional training for volunteers,and supervision of volunteers.Such developments are needed to improve volunteer service standards.

Low Grip Strength and Increased Mortality Hazard among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Adults with Chronic Diseases

Objective This study aims to evaluate the association between lower grip strength and mortality hazard.Methods We selected 10,280 adults aged 45 to 96 years old from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and used multivariate Cox proportional hazard models to assess the association of grip strength with mortality hazard.In addition,we explored the possibility of a nonlinear relationship using a 4-knot restricted spline regression.Results We found that elevated grip strength was associated with lower mortality up to a certain threshold.The baseline quartile values of grip strength were 30,37,and 44 kg for males and 25,30,and35 kg for females.After adjusting for confounders,with category 1 as the reference group,the adjusted HRs were 0.58(0.42-0.79)in males and 0.70(0.48-0.99)in females(category 4).We also found a linear association between grip strength values and all-cause death risk(males,P=0.274;females,P=0.883)using restricted spline regression.For males with a grip strength<37 kg and females with a grip strength<30 kg,grip strength and death were negatively associated.Conclusion Grip strength below a sex-specific threshold is inversely associated with mortality hazard among middle-aged and older Chinese adults with chronic diseases.

Tai Chi:a new star for the administration of chronic diseases?

Tai Chi Quan(Tai Chi),a traditional Chinese martial art,has become increasingly popular in western countries.Tai Chi integrates deep diaphragmatic breathing with body movements to achieve a harmonious balance between the body and mind,which facilitates the flow of internal energy(Qi).An increasing number of studies have reported that Tai Chi significantly benefits aerobic capacity,muscular strength,balance,and psychological well-being.In addition,Tai Chi offers unique advantages for physical fitness and the treatment of chronic diseases.This paper reviews the existing literatures on Tai Chi,introduces its health-promotion effects and the potential clinical applications,and summarizes recent studies that prove Tai Chi is safe and effective for patients with neurological diseases,rheumatological diseases,musculoskeletal diseases,cardiovascular diseases,chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases,and cancers.After reviewing the literatures in this field,we conclude that the long-term results of practicing Tai Chi may benefit the cardiovascular system,motor system,respiratory system,and nervous system.However,the potential role and mechanism of Tai Chi has not yet been determined.Further studies with long follow-up periods are necessary to meet the standards of clinical applications.

Vik: A Chatbot to Support Patients with Chronic Diseases

Background: Chatbots are easy to use and simulate a human conversation through text or voice via smartphones or computers. In the field of health, chatbots can improve patient information, monitoring, or treatment adherence. Method: The objective of this article is to describe how a chatbot dedicated to disease monitoring and support of patients can interact with them and how data are exploited to be safe. Results: Wefight designed a chatbot named Vik to empower patients with cancers or chronic diseases and their relatives via personalized text messages. Natural Language Processing models were used. We built several Vik for each disease. Each Vik has its contents, its own NLP model and interacts its way with the patient. Conclusion: Conversational agents may help patients with minor health concerns without seeing a real physician. If the quality of these softwares is not thoroughly assessed, they could be dangerous. If chatbots are effective and safe, they could be prescribed like a drug to improve patient information, monitoring, or treatment adherence.