Cannabis sativa,with a long history of cultivation, is a traditional industrial crop widely used for food, textiles, and me-dicine. This study discussed industrial C. sativa and medicinal C. sativa. According to the characteristics of management policies of C. sativa in different periods, we divided the development stages of C. sativa into three stages and analyzed the changes in breeding and cultivation goals under the influence of policies. Meanwhile, a comprehensive analysis was carried out based on the breeding conditions of industrial C. sativa in China. Because of the vast territory of China, the differences in agricultural planting environment, economic development, and social development in the southern and northern areas result in different used parts of C. sativa. To be speci-fic, flowers and leaves are used in Yunnan, fiber in Heilongjiang, and seeds in Shanxi. The breeding of C. sativa varieties highlights fiber, seeds, or both of them. As the value of cannabidiol is explored, medicinal C. sativa has been approved in recent years. Based on the cultivation characteristics and value of industrial C. sativa, it is proposed that industrial C. sativa has a broad application prospect as an important industrial crop, and the existing products contain almost no tetrahydrocannabinol. The cultivation of C. sativa should be rationally guided to promote the development of the C. sativa industry. Moreover, it is recommended to actively apply advanced breeding techniques such as molecular breeding to overcome the problems of the uncertainty of the existing induced breeding and the excessively long hybrid breeding cycle, and develop high value-added applications such as medicinal products of C. sativa to enhance the exploitation of the economic value of C. sativa.
Cannabidiol/analysis* ; Cannabis/genetics* ; China ; Dronabinol ; Plant Breeding

Cannabis sativa, also known as marijuana or hemp, is an annual herb which belongs to Cannabinaceae family. It is often dioecious, originally produced in Central Asia and now is widely distributed in the world, wild or cultivated, with many varieties. As an ancient plant, C.sativa has been used for thousands of years, and its fiber has been used in many aspects, but it is also widely disputed because it contains tetrahydrocannabinol(THC), a psychoactive ingredient. It has been listed as one of the three major drugs by "United Nations Drug Convention", along with heroin and cocaine. Nowadays, with the deepening and comprehensive understanding of C.sativa, it has been widely studied because of its great economic value in the fields of textile, chemicals for daily use, medicine and so on. In this paper, the literature about the chemical compositios and species variation of C.sativa at home and abroad was reviewed in order to provide some reference for its researches.
Cannabis ; Dronabinol

At present,China manages cannabis into industrial and medical types. Industrial cannabis( THC<0. 3%) is grown for fiber and seed,while medical cannabis( THC>0. 3%) is prohibited from being planted and used. In recent years,breakthroughs have been made in the applications for a variety of fields of CBD,a non-psychoactive cannabinoid of Cannabis. However,China made a minimal contribution to this international research hotspot,mainly due to the outdated way of classification on cannabis. Here we reviewed the medicinal use history of cannabis,achievements in the study of Cannabis germplasm,and first proposed the three-level classification of management: psychoactive medicinal cannabis( THC>0. 3%),non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis( THC<0. 3%,high CBD)and industrial cannabis( THC<0. 3%,for fiber and seed,low CBD). Based on summarizing the research progress of the non-psychoactive medicinal cannabis,four key research strategies of breeding,sex control,plant factory,and synthetic biology are proposed.
Analgesics ; Cannabis ; China ; Dronabinol ; Medical Marijuana ; Research Design

PURPOSE: Maintaining a sufficient and competent rural nursing workforce is an important goal of the Chinese health delivery system. However, few studies have investigated the health training status or conducted a needs assessment of rural Chinese nurses during this time of great transformations in health policy. This study was conducted to explore the current health training status of nurses working in rural Chinese township health centers (THCs) and to ascertain their perceived needs. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered structured questionnaire was conducted among 240 THC nurses in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China from March 2014 to August 2014. The survey questionnaire was adapted from the Second Chinese Survey of Demographic Data and Training Demand for Health Professionals in THCs developed by the Ministry of Education. RESULTS: The nurses in THCs were young, with a low educational level. Their perceived needs for health training included further clinical studies at city-level hospitals to improve their skills and theoretical studies at medical universities in emergency medicine and general practice. Overall, 71.9% of the nurses with a secondary technical school background expected to pursue junior college studies, and 68.5% of the nurses with a junior college education expected to pursue a bachelor's degree. A decentralized program with theoretical studies at medical universities and practical studies at county hospitals was regarded as feasible by 66.9% of the respondents. CONCLUSION: Health-training programs for nurses in Chinese THCs must be improved in terms of coverage, delivery mode, and content. A decentralized degree-linked training program in which medical universities and city hospitals collaborate would be an appropriate mode of delivery.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dronabinol ; Education ; Emergency Medicine ; General Practice ; Health Occupations ; Health Policy ; Hospitals, County ; Hospitals, Urban ; Humans ; Models, Theoretical ; Needs Assessment ; Rural Nursing ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: Rural health professionals in township health centers (THCs) tend to have less advanced educational degrees. This study aimed to ascertain the perceived feasibility of a decentralized continuing medical education (CME) program to upgrade their educational levels. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of THC health professionals was conducted using a self-administered, structured questionnaire in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. RESULTS: The health professionals in the THCs were overwhelmingly young with low education levels. They had a strong desire to upgrade their educational degrees. The decentralized CME program was perceived as feasible by health workers with positive attitudes about the benefit for license examination, and by those who intended to improve their clinical diagnosis and treatment skills. The target groups of such a program were those who expected to undertake a bachelor's degree and who rated themselves as "partially capable" in clinical competency. They reported that 160-400 USD annually would be an affordable fee for the program. CONCLUSION: A decentralized CME program was perceived feasible to upgrade rural health workers' education level to a bachelor's degree and improve their clinical competency.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; China ; Clinical Competence ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diagnosis ; Dronabinol ; Education ; Education, Medical, Continuing* ; Fees and Charges ; Health Occupations ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Licensure ; Rural Health*

OBJECTIVES: To establish a high performance liquid chromatographic （HPLC） method for simultaneous determination of three effective constituents, including tetrahydrocannabinol （THC）, cannabidiol （CBD） and cannabinol （CBN） in Cannabis plants. METHODS: A C₁₈ column was used in this study, and acetonitrile-phosphate buffer （0.015 mol/L KH₂PO₄） was used as mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. At a detection wavelength of 220 mm, UV absorption spectra were collected at the wavelength range of 190-400 nm, and the spectra and retention time were counted as qualitative evidence. RESULTS: THC, CBD and CBN could be well separated by this method. Three components had good linear relationship in the range of 0.4-40 μg/mL （R²≥0.999 3）. The recoveries were over 87%. The limits of detection were 1.8 ng, 2.0 ng and 1.3 ng, respectively. The relative standard deviation （RSD） were less than 5% for both inter-day and intra-day precisions. CONCLUSIONS Reversed-phase HPLC method is simple, rapid and accurate, and it is suitable for the qualitative and quantitative detection of THC, CBD and CBN in Cannabis plants.
Cannabidiol/analysis* ; Cannabinol/analysis* ; Cannabis/chemistry* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Dronabinol/analysis*

Anorexia is one of the most common issues in older patients. Although there is a tendency for loss of appetite in older persons due to decreased physical activity and reduced resting metabolic rate, this physiological anorexia of aging can easily develop into progressive anorexia and weight loss. This pathologic anorexia and resultant weight loss is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, especially in the frail elderly. To prevent older persons from entering a vicious cycle of frailty, that is, anorexia-malnutrition-sarcopenia-functional impairment, routine screening for anorexia and malnutrition should be implemented in geriatric clinical practice. All anorexic elderly patients should be strongly encouraged to maintain their nutrition, and appetite stimulants can be considered if non-pharmacological interventions are not effective. Although there are no US or Korea Food and Drug Administration approved medications for geriatric-specific anorexia and weight loss, several appetite stimulants can be prescribed and are used widely. Megestrol acetate is the most widely studied and commonly used of these drugs. Cyproheptadine, dronabinol, mirtazapine, corticosteroids, anabolic steroids (e.g., testosterone or oxandrolone), and growth hormone are also effective in increasing appetite or weight. However, the use of these orexigenic agents should occur only after their benefit-to-risk ratio has been carefully considered.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Aged ; Aging ; Anorexia ; Appetite Stimulants* ; Appetite* ; Cyproheptadine ; Diethylpropion ; Dronabinol ; Frail Elderly ; Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Korea ; Malnutrition ; Mass Screening ; Megestrol Acetate ; Mortality ; Motor Activity ; Steroids ; Testosterone ; United States Food and Drug Administration ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe the system of continuing medical education (CME) in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and to ascertain the perceived needs related to that system, in order to improve the performance of health professionals in Chinese township health centers (THCs). METHODS: In-depth key informant interviews were conducted to gain insights into the current CME system. A cross-sectional survey using a self-administered structured questionnaire was also carried out from March to August 2014 in order to identify perceived needs among THC personnel in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Logistic regression was used to identify factors related to respondents' interest in pursuing different levels of degree study. RESULTS: The areas of need perceived by the respondents included general clinical competence and emergency or first aid knowledge. Most respondents wanted to study at medical colleges in order to obtain a higher degree. Respondents aged below 45 years with neutral or positive attitudes about the benefit of degree study for the licensure examination were more likely to attend a bachelor-level CME program than their older peers and respondents with negative attitudes towards degree study. Female respondents and respondents aged below 45 years were more likely to attend a junior college CME program than males and older respondents, respectively. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to develop degree-linked CME programs to meet the need for young health professionals in Chinese THCs; therefore, this programs can improve the expertise of poorly educated young health workers, who overwhelm rural Chinese heath systems.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; China ; Clinical Competence ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Dronabinol ; Education, Medical, Continuing* ; Emergencies ; Female ; First Aid ; Health Occupations* ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Licensure ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Child Health

PURPOSE: To produce competent undergraduate-level medical doctors for rural township health centers (THCs), the Chinese government mandated that medical colleges in Central and Western China recruit rural-oriented, tuition-waived medical students (RTMSs) starting in 2010. This study aimed to identify and assess factors that influence the choice to work in rural township health centers among both RTMSs and other students from five medical universities in Guangxi, China. METHODS: An internet-based self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted with medical students in Guangxi province. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify factors related to the attitudes toward work in a rural township health center. RESULTS: Among 4,669 medical students, 1,523 (33%) had a positive attitude and 2,574 (55%) had a neutral attitude toward working in THCs. Demographic characteristics, personal job concerns, and knowledge of THCs were associated with the choice of a career in THCs. The factors related to a positive attitude included the following: three-year program, a rural-oriented medical program, being male, an expectation of working in a county or township, a focus on medical career development, some perceived difficulty of getting a job, having family support, sufficient knowledge of THCs, optimism toward THC development, seeking lower working pressure, and a lower expected monthly salary. CONCLUSION: Male students in a three-year program or a rural-oriented tuition-waived medical education program were more likely to work in THCs. Selecting medical students through interviews to identify their family support and intentions to work in THCs would increase recruitment and retention. Establishing favorable policies and financial incentives to improve living conditions and the social status of rural physicians is necessary.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Career Choice ; China* ; Dronabinol ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Intention ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Motivation ; Rural Health Services ; Salaries and Fringe Benefits ; Social Conditions ; Students, Medical* ; Child Health

To establish a fast sensitive, reproducible LC-MS/MS method to study pharmacokinetic properties of THC, and compare relative bioavailability of THC and its solid dispersion in mice. 200 mice were divided randomly into two groups, and administered orally with THC and THC-solid dispersion after fasting (calculate on THC:400 mg x kg(-1)), used HPLC-MS/MS method to determine the THC concentration of each period at the following times: baseline ( predose ), 15, 30, 45 min, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6, 24 h after dosing. Calculating the pharmacokinetic parameters according to the C-t curv, and then use the Phoenix WinNonlin software for data analysis. The calibration curves were linear over the range 9.06-972 microg x L(-1) for THC (R2 = 0.999). The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.7 microg x L(-1), respectively. The average extraction recoveries for THC was above 75%, The methodology recoveries were between 79% and 108%. The intra-day and inter-day RSD were less than 13%, the stability test showed that the plasma samples was stable under different conditions (RSD < 15%). The precision, accuracy, recovery and applicability were found to be adequate for pharmacokinetic studies. Pharmacokinetic parameters of THC and THC-solid dispersion orally to mice shows as fllows: T(max), were 60 and 15 min, AUC(0-t) were 44 500.43 and 57 497.81 mg x L(-1) x min, AUC(0-infinity) were 51 226.00 and 68 031.48 mg x L(-1) x min, MRT(0-infinity) were 596.915 6, 661.747 7 min, CL(z)/F were 0.007 809 and 0.005 88 L x min(-1) x kg(-1). Compared with THC, the MRT and t1/2 of the THC-solid dispersion were all slightly extended, the t(max) was significantly reduced, AUC(0-24 h), AUC(0-infinity) and C(max) were all significantly higher, the relative bioavailability of THC-solid dispersion is 1.34 times of THC. The results of the experiment shows that the precision, accuracy, recovery and applicability were found to be adequate for the pharmacokinetic studies. After oral administration to mice, the relative bioavailability of THC-solid dispersion show significant improvement compared to THC.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Biological Availability ; Dronabinol ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Female ; Male ; Mice