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Law SK, Au DCT, Chow WYL, Poon CH, Chow KKC, Zhao Z, Chan SW, Wang Y, Li S. Behavioral Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Using Western and Chinese Medicines or Herbal Products among the Public in Response to COVID-19 in Hong Kong: A Cross-Sectional Study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2023; 2023:5637720. [PMID: 37680699 PMCID: PMC10482558 DOI: 10.1155/2023/5637720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic occurred in Hong Kong for more than two years. This article conducted a cross-sectional study for participants to investigate the behavioral prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of using Western medicines or herbal products for COVID-19 in Hong Kong. A questionnaire was designed and performed over 2 weeks from 1 May to 15 May 2022. It consisted of five parts with around 20 questions conducted including sociodemographic information, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation of COVID-19, and also the sources of information. The pattern usage of Chinese or Western medicines for COVID-19 was studied after data collection. 318 people participated in this survey, and only 311 were qualified. The sociodemographic information, e.g., personal educational level, and behavior for the prevention of COVID-19, which included wearing masks (98.7%), using alcohol hand sanitizer (83.0%), washing hands frequently (82.4%), avoiding crowds (53.1%), and staying home more often (50.6%). Western medicines, such as antipyretic drugs, antitussive drugs, and pain reliever drugs, whilst Chinese medicines, such as Lianhua Qingwen Jiaonang, Huoxiang Zhengqi San or Wan, and Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa, were most commonly used in the treatment and rehabilitation periods of COVID-19. Herbal products, including lemon, honey, ginger, and herbal tea, were used as a daily diet to fight against COVID-19. Based on the result findings, Chinese medicines or herbal products were used during the COVID-19 pandemic, but most of the participants used an unknown Chinese medicine practitioner's prescription and self-administered Chinese medicine. The pattern of Chinese medicines and Western medicines' usage in the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of COVID-19 was also investigated; this showed a statistically significant association between the variables according to gender, age, and Chinese or Western medicines for further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siu Kan Law
- Faculty of Science and Technology, The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Tsing Yi, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Dawn Ching Tung Au
- Faculty of Science and Technology, The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Tsing Yi, New Territories, Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Pharmacists Association, San Po Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Wesley Yeuk Lung Chow
- Faculty of Science and Technology, The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Tsing Yi, New Territories, Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Pharmacists Association, San Po Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Chung Hang Poon
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Kylie Ka Ching Chow
- Faculty of Science and Technology, The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Tsing Yi, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Zhongzhen Zhao
- School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist Univesity, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Shun Wan Chan
- Faculty of Science and Technology, The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Tsing Yi, New Territories, Hong Kong
| | - Yanping Wang
- School of Nursing and Health Studies, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Saimei Li
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Law SK, Leung AWN, Xu C, Au DCT. Is it possible for Curcumin to conjugate with a carbon nanotube in photodynamic therapy? Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther 2022; 40:103189. [PMID: 36336322 DOI: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2022.103189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Revised: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Siu Kan Law
- Faculty of Science and Technology, The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Tsing Yi, New Territories, Hong Kong.
| | | | - Chuanshan Xu
- Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology and the State & NMPA Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
| | - Dawn Ching Tung Au
- Faculty of Science and Technology, The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Tsing Yi, New Territories, Hong Kong
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Law SK, Wang Y, Lu X, Au DCT, Chow WYL, Leung AWN, Xu C. Chinese medicinal herbs as potential prodrugs for obesity. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:1016004. [PMID: 36263142 PMCID: PMC9573959 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.1016004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity is a leading worldwide health threat with ever-growing prevalence, it promotes the incidence of various diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, hypertension, and certain cancers. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used to control body weight and treat obesity for thousands of years, Chinese medicinal herbs provide a rich natural source of effective agents against obesity. However, some problems such as complex active ingredients, poor quality control, and unclear therapeutic mechanisms still need to be investigated and resolved. Prodrugs provide a path forward to overcome TCM deficiencies such as absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) properties, and toxicity. This article aimed to review the possible prodrugs from various medicinal plants that demonstrate beneficial effects on obesity and seek to offer insights on prodrug design as well as a solution to the global obesity issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siu Kan Law
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology and the State & NMPA Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Faculty of Science and Technology, The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Yanping Wang
- School of Nursing and Health Studies, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xinchen Lu
- Faculty of Science and Technology, The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Dawn Ching Tung Au
- Faculty of Science and Technology, The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Wesley Yeuk Lung Chow
- Faculty of Science and Technology, The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | | | - Chuanshan Xu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology and the State & NMPA Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Chuanshan Xu,
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