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Jiang L, Chen Y, Wang X, Guo W, Bi Y, Zhang C, Wang J, Li M. New insights explain that organic agriculture as sustainable agriculture enhances the sustainable development of medicinal plants. Front Plant Sci 2022; 13:959810. [PMID: 36247548 PMCID: PMC9562643 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.959810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
As global health care demand continues to increase, medicinal plant productivity must progress without exhausting critical environmental resources. Hence, it is important to explore practices that can improve the quality, safety, and sustainability of medicinal plants, as well as ecological stability. Organic farming has recently gained significance as a sustainable cultivation alternative owing to increased awareness of the adverse effects of conventional cultivation method. Here, this study aimed to investigate the feasibility of organic farming as a solution for sustainable cultivation of medicinal plants from multiple perspectives and long-term benefits to the environment. Organic agricultural practices of medicinal plants were evaluated from a multi-dimensional perspective (environment, economy, and society) using extensive research data and literature and field surveys. Data from medicinal plant cultivation in Inner Mongolia were acquired for 76 sites from four data stations between 2014 and 2021. Data analysis revealed that organic medicinal plants can improve safety by reducing pesticide exposure risks. Simultaneously, organic agriculture of medicinal plants can improve biodiversity by effectively reducing pesticide and fertilizer use, which also provides natural safe products for health care. With the improvement of quality, the retail price will have a certain advantage, which will improve the income of farmers. Moreover, organic agriculture enhanced profitability because of the higher organic premium on medicinal plant products and improved ecosystem stability by increasing plant diversity. The findings of this study suggest that organic cultivation strategies can improve the quality and safety of medicinal plants and further provide a basis for promoting the sustainable development and ecological stability of medicinal plants. However, not all medicinal plant cultivators are guaranteed to adopt organic farming practices, but if all technological elements are correctly applied, the system can be maintained sustainably to expand the area of organically cultivated plants in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Jiang
- Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University of Clinical College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hohhot, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
| | - Yuan Chen
- Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University of Clinical College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hohhot, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
| | - Xiaoqin Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
| | - Wenfang Guo
- Inner Mongolia Institute of Traditional Chinese and Mongolian Medicine, Hohhot, China
| | - Yaqiong Bi
- Inner Mongolia Institute of Traditional Chinese and Mongolian Medicine, Hohhot, China
| | - Chunhong Zhang
- Department of Pharmacy, Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China
| | - Jianhua Wang
- Department of Pharmacy, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
| | - Minhui Li
- Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University of Clinical College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hohhot, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
- Inner Mongolia Institute of Traditional Chinese and Mongolian Medicine, Hohhot, China
- Department of Pharmacy, Baotou Medical College, Baotou, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Characteristic Geoherbs Resources Protection and Utilization, Baotou, China
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Sasaki J, Shiino Y, Kato Y, Kudo D, Fujita M, Miyairi I, Mochizuki T, Okuda H, Nagato T, Nabetani Y, Takahashi T. Checklist for infection control in the emergency department. Acute Med Surg 2020; 7:e540. [PMID: 33364033 PMCID: PMC7751486 DOI: 10.1002/ams2.540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The risk of encountering human-to-human infections, including emerging infectious diseases, should be adequately and appropriately addressed in the emergency department. However, guidelines based on sufficient evidence on infection control in the emergency department have not been developed anywhere in the world. Each facility examines and implements its own countermeasures. The Japanese Association for Acute Medicine has established the "Committee for Infection Control in the Emergency Department" in cooperation with the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control, Japanese Society for Emergency Medicine, and Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology. A joint working group has been established to consider appropriate measures. This group undertook a comprehensive and multifaceted review of infection control measures for emergency outpatients and related matters, and released a checklist for infection control in emergency departments. This checklist has been prepared such that even small emergency departments with few or no emergency physicians can control infection by following the checklist, without committing any major errors. The checklist includes a control system for infection control, education, screening, and vaccination, prompt response to suspected infections, and management of the risk of infection in facilities. In addition, the timing of the check and interval at which the check is carried out are specified as categories. We hope that this checklist will contribute to improving infection control in the emergency department.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junichi Sasaki
- Department of Emergency and Critial Care MedicineKeio University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Yasukazu Shiino
- Department of Acute MedicineKawasaki Medical SchoolKurashikiJapan
| | - Yasuyuki Kato
- Department of Infectious DiseasesInternational University of Health and Welfare School of MedicineNaritaJapan
| | - Daisuke Kudo
- Division of Emergency and Critical Care MedicineTohoku University Graduate School of MedicineSendaiJapan
| | - Masahisa Fujita
- Infection Control TeamNippon Medical School HospitalTokyoJapan
| | - Isao Miyairi
- Division of Infectious DiseasesNational Center for Child Health and DevelopmentTokyoJapan
| | - Toru Mochizuki
- Infection Control TeamNippon Medical School Musashikosugi HospitalKawasakiJapan
| | - Hiroshi Okuda
- Division of Comprehensive MedicineTohoku University Graduate School of MedicineSendaiJapan
| | - Tadashi Nagato
- Department of Internal MedicineChugoku Central HospitalFukuyamaJapan
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Cui C, Wang B, Ren H, Wang Z. Spatiotemporal Variations in Gastric Cancer Mortality and Their Relations to Influencing Factors in S County, China. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2019; 16:E784. [PMID: 30836673 PMCID: PMC6427783 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16050784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2019] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Increasingly stricter and wider official efforts have been made by multilevel Chinese governments for seeking the improvements of the environment and public health status. However, the contributions of these efforts to environmental changes and spatiotemporal variations in some environmental diseases have been seldom explored and evaluated. Gastric cancer mortality (GCM) data in two periods (I: 2004⁻2006 and II: 2012⁻2015) was collected for the analysis of its spatiotemporal variations on the grid scale across S County in Central China. Some environmental and socioeconomic factors, including river, farmlands, topographic condition, population density, and gross domestic products (GDP) were obtained for the exploration of their changes and their relationships with GCM's spatiotemporal variations through a powerful tool (GeoDetector, GD). During 2004⁻2015, S County achieved environmental improvement and socioeconomic development, as well as a clear decline of the age-standardized mortality rate of gastric cancer from 35.66/10⁵ to 23.44/10⁵. Moreover, the GCM spatial patterns changed on the grid scale, which was spatially associated with the selected influencing factors. Due to the improvement of rivers' water quality, the distance from rivers posed relatively larger but reversed impacts on the gridded GCM. In addition, higher population density and higher economic level (GDP) acted as important protective factors, whereas the percentage of farmlands tended to have adverse effects on the gridded GCM in period II. It can be concluded that the decline of GCM in S County was spatiotemporally associated with increasingly strengthened environmental managements and socioeconomic developments over the past decade. Additionally, we suggest that more attentions should be paid to the potential pollution caused by excessive pesticides and fertilizers on the farmlands in S County. This study provided a useful clue for local authorities adopting more targeted measures to improve environment and public health in the regions similar to S County.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Baohua Wang
- National Center for Chronic and Non-communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.
| | - Hongyan Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Zhen Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
- College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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