The Search for Antimalarial Drugs and the Discovery of Artemisinin

With its novel chemical structure, artemisinin is an antimalarial component isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine qinghao(Artemisia annua L.). Nowadays, artemisinin and its derivatives are used compatibly with new synthesized chemical antimalarial compounds to create artemisinin-based combination therapies(ACTs). These have become the first choice in treating malaria p.f. all over the world, providing an effective solution for the global challenge of curing drug-resistant malaria. Among the five ACTs recommended by the WHO, two were initiated in China and are used as the first-line treatment of falciparum malaria in all malaria endemic areas. As the use of artemisinin-based compound drugs have made such significant contributions to rolling back malaria, regarded as one of the great achievements globally in public health of the early twenty-first century, Tu Youyou, one of the most important researchers in the discovery of artemisinin, was made the first Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine from the Chinese mainland. Artemisinin was discovered in a special social and cultural context through a combination of the exploration of traditional Chinese medical literature with the modern research approach of pharmaceutical sciences. This(Project 523) is a typical case of goal-oriented research leading to scientific advance, and the result of scientific research driven by the national needs.

Optimization of the intravenous infusion workflow in the isolation ward for patients with coronavirus disease 2019

Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the effect of optimization of the intravenous infusion workflow in isolation wards for patients with coronavirus disease 2019.Methods:The infusion management group optimized the intravenous infusion workflow based on Hamer's Process Reengineering Theory and applied it to the treatment of patients with coronavirus disease 2019.The work efficiency,patients'satisfaction and economic indicators before and after optimization were compared.Results:After the infusion workflow was optimized,average times for preparation drugs and intravenous admixture,and patients'waiting time decreased from 4.84 min,4.03 min,and 34.33 min to 3.50 min,2.60 min,and 30.87 min,respectively,patients'satisfaction increased from 66.7%to 93.3%,and the cost of personal protective equipment(PPE)decreased from 46.67 sets and 186.6 CNY per day to 36.17 sets and 144.6 CNY,with statistical significance.Conclusion:The optimization of the intravenous infusion workflow can effectively decrease the cost of PPE while improving the efficiency of infusion and patients'satisfaction.

Effects of Different Compounding of Formulae on Content of Gardenoside in Yin Chen Hao Decoction

In order to observe the effects of the ground and intact Zhi Zi (Fructus Gardeniae) and different combinations of the ingredients and refined single Chinese drug granules in Yin Chen Hao Decoction compound prescription on the contents of gardenoside (an effective component of the prescription), the contents of gardenoside were determined with reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), with acetonitrile-water (15:85) as mobile phase, at wave length 238nm. The results indicated that the gardenoside-decocted-out rates in the decoctions prepared by different combinations of the ingredients with the ground Zhi Zi (Fructus Gardeniae) all were higher significantly than those in the decoction with intact Zhi Zi (Fructus Gardeniae), and generally, different combinations of the ingredients in the decoction had only little effect on the gardenoside-decocted-out rate.

Constructive strategies for drug delivery systems in antivirus disease therapy by biosafety materials

Due to the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID‐19)pandemic,the development of antiviral drugs has attracted increasing attention.Clinical antiviral drugs show weak solubility,low bioavailability,adverse side effects,or only limited targets.With the advancement of nanotechnology and material science,biosafety nanomaterials have been constructed for drug delivery systems of antiviral disease therapy,such as liposomes,polymers,gold nanoparticles,and graphene.These nanodrug systems can either deliver synthesized antiviral drugs siRNA/miRNA and small molecular compounds,deliver bioactive large molecular drug proteins and mRNA,or show antiviral activity by themselves.Nanodelivery systems could effectively enhance the efficiency of antiviral drugs by increasing drug loading and host cell uptake with a small size and high specific surface area.This review focused on the biosafety nanomaterials used for antiviral therapy and discussed the options for the design of antiviral drugs in the future.