Studies of the in vitro anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials of selected Yemeni medicinal plants from the island Soqotra

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Bednarski Patrick J

2009-03-01

at low concentrations (more than 80% at 50 μg/ml. Conclusion Our results show once again that medicinal plants can be promising sources of natural products with potential anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidative activity. The results will guide the selection of some plant species for further pharmacological and phytochemical investigations.

Studies of the in vitro anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials of selected Yemeni medicinal plants from the island Soqotra

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

Background Recent years have witnessed that there is a revival of interest in drug discovery from medicinal plants for the maintenance of health in all parts of the world. The aim of this work was to investigate 26 plants belonging to 17 families collected from a unique place in Yemen (Soqotra Island) for their in vitro anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Methods The 26 plants were extracted with methanol and hot water to yield 52 extracts. Evaluation for in vitro anticancer activity was done against three human cancer cell lines (A-427, 5637 and MCF-7) by using an established microtiter plate assay based on cellular staining with crystal violet. Antimicrobial activity was tested against three Gram-positive bacteria, two Gram-negative bacteria, one yeast species and three multiresistant Staphylococcus strains by using an agar diffusion method and the determination of MIC against three Gram-positive bacteria with the broth micro-dilution assay. Antioxidant activity was investigated by measuring the scavenging activity of the DPPH radical. Moreover, a phytochemical screening of the methanolic extracts was done. Results Notable cancer cell growth inhibition was observed for extracts from Ballochia atro-virgata, Eureiandra balfourii and Hypoestes pubescens, with IC50 values ranging between 0.8 and 8.2 μg/ml. The methanol extracts of Acanthospermum hispidum, Boswellia dioscorides, Boswellia socotrana, Commiphora ornifolia and Euphorbia socotrana also showed noticeable antiproliferative potency with IC50 values 15 mm and MIC values ≤ 250 μg/ml. In addition, the methanolic extracts of Acacia pennivenia, Boswellia dioscorides, Boswellia socotrana and Commiphora ornifolia showed good antioxidant potential at low concentrations (more than 80% at 50 μg/ml). Conclusion Our results show once again that medicinal plants can be promising sources of natural products with potential anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidative activity. The results will guide

Association of ARID5B gene variants with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Yemeni children.

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Al-Absi, Boshra; Noor, Suzita M; Saif-Ali, Riyadh; Salem, Sameer D; Ahmed, Radwan H; Razif, Muhammad Fm; Muniandy, Sekaran

2017-04-01

Studies have shown an association between ARID5B gene polymorphisms and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, the association between ARID5B variants and acute lymphoblastic leukemia among the Arab population still needs to be studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between ARID5B variants with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Yemeni children. A total of 14 ARID5B gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 289 Yemeni children, of whom 136 had acute lymphoblastic leukemia and 153 were controls, using the nanofluidic Dynamic Array (Fluidigm 192.24 Dynamic Array). Using logistic regression adjusted for age and gender, the risks of acute lymphoblastic leukemia were presented as odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. We found that nine SNPs were associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia under additive genetic models: rs7073837, rs10740055, rs7089424, rs10821936, rs4506592, rs10994982, rs7896246, rs10821938, and rs7923074. Furthermore, the recessive models revealed that six SNPs were risk factors for acute lymphoblastic leukemia: rs10740055, rs7089424, rs10994982, rs7896246, rs10821938, and rs7923074. The gender-specific impact of these SNPs under the recessive genetic model revealed that SNPs rs10740055, rs10994982, and rs6479779 in females, and rs10821938 and rs7923074 in males were significantly associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia risk. Under the dominant model, SNPs rs7073837, rs10821936, rs7896246, and rs6479778 in males only showed striking association with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The additive model revealed that SNPs with significant association with acute lymphoblastic leukemia were rs10821936 (both males and females); rs7073837, rs10740055, rs10994982, and rs4948487 (females only); and rs7089424, rs7896246, rs10821938, and rs7923074 (males only). In addition, the ARID5B haplotype block (CGAACACAA) showed a higher risk for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The haplotype (CCCGACTGC) was

Foreign Language Reading Anxiety among Yemeni Secondary School Students

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Yehia Ahmed Y. Al-Sohbani

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to examine Foreign Language (FL reading anxiety level of Arabicspeaking Yemeni students learning English as a foreign language (n = 106. It utilized (a a background information questionnaire, (b the Foreign Language Reading Anxiety Scale (FLRAS, and (c students' English school marks. Results of the study showed that learners of English experienced an above moderate level of FL reading anxiety. There was no significant difference between students' FL reading anxiety and their gender. However, a statistically reliable difference between the means of public and private schools regarding their FL reading anxiety in favor of the private school. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between students' FL reading anxiety and their type of school. Difficulties of uncertainty, pronunciation of English words, unfamiliar topic, unknown vocabulary, reading aloud, using word by word translation, unfamiliar English culture and history, unfamiliar grammar, English letters and symbols were identified as the major sources of FL reading anxiety.

Acute renal failure in Yemeni patients

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Muhamed Al Rohani

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Acute renal failure (ARF is defined as a rapid decrease in the glomerular filtration rate, occurring over a period of hours to days. The Science and Technology University Hospital, Sana′a, is a referral hospital that caters to patients from all parts of Yemen. The aim of this study is to have a deeper overview about the epidemiological status of ARF in Yemeni patients and to identify the major causes of ARF in this country. We studied 203 patients with ARF over a period of 24 months. We found that tropical infectious diseases constituted the major causes of ARF, seen in 45.3% of the patients. Malaria was the most important and dominant infectious disease causing ARF. Hypotension secondary to infection or cardiac failure was seen in 28.6% of the patients. Obstructive nephropathy due to urolithiasis or prostate enlargement was the cause of ARF in a small number of patients. ARF was a part of multi-organ failure in 19.7% of the patients, and was accompanied by a high mortality rate. Majority of the patients were managed conservatively, and only 39.9% required dialysis. Our study suggests that early detection of renal failure helps improve the outcome and return of renal function to normal. Mortality was high in patients with malaria and in those with associated hepatocellular failure.

Unusual manifestations of ectodermal dysplasia-syndactyly syndrome type I in two Yemeni siblings.

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Mohammad, Alshami

2015-01-15

Ectodermal dysplasias (EDs) are a group of genodermatoses characterized by malformations of tissues derived from the ectoderm, including the skin, its appendages (hair, nails, sweat glands), teeth, and the breasts. Ectodermal dysplasia syndactyly syndrome (EDSS) is a rare, newly described type of ED involving syndactyly. We report 2 Yemeni siblings with typical EDSS manifestations, including bilateral, partial cutaneous syndactyly of the fingers and toes; sparse, coarse, brittle scalp hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes; and conical, widely spaced teeth with enamel notches. In addition, the siblings presented with other features hitherto not described for this syndrome, such as adermatoglyphia, onychogryphosis, hypoplastic widely spaced nipples, hypoplastic thumbs, and red scalp hair.

Authentication of monofloral Yemeni Sidr honey using ultraviolet spectroscopy and chemometric analysis.

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Roshan, Abdul-Rahman A; Gad, Haidy A; El-Ahmady, Sherweit H; Khanbash, Mohamed S; Abou-Shoer, Mohamed I; Al-Azizi, Mohamed M

2013-08-14

This work describes a simple model developed for the authentication of monofloral Yemeni Sidr honey using UV spectroscopy together with chemometric techniques of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA). The model was constructed using 13 genuine Sidr honey samples and challenged with 25 honey samples of different botanical origins. HCA and PCA were successfully able to present a preliminary clustering pattern to segregate the genuine Sidr samples from the lower priced local polyfloral and non-Sidr samples. The SIMCA model presented a clear demarcation of the samples and was used to identify genuine Sidr honey samples as well as detect admixture with lower priced polyfloral honey by detection limits >10%. The constructed model presents a simple and efficient method of analysis and may serve as a basis for the authentication of other honey types worldwide.

The Relationship between the Characteristics of the Board of Directors and Performance of Companies with Reference to Yemeni Banks

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نجاة جمعان

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The study investigated the relationship between the board of directors’ characteristics and performance in the Yemeni banks. It aimed to identify and measure the variables of the board of directors’ characteristics, and then develop a model to measure such relationships. To achieve the study objectives, panel data of 10 Yemeni banks for the years 2000-2013 were used. The study also developed 13 independent variables related to characteristics of the board of directors and two dependent variables pertinent to finance. The study used multiple regression models to test this relationship. The econometric program (EVIEWS was also used. The study results showed that there were positive relationships between the number of meetings, the dual role of CEOs, CEO and board members’ salaries and remuneration and their percentage of ownership, on the one hand, and between the ROE and ROA on the other. In addition, the results revealed a negative relationship between the board size, number of executive members, qualifications of the CEO, and the ROE and ROA. However, there were conflicting results of the relationships between the number of audit committee members and the ROE and ROA. Therefore, it was recommended that banks form effective structure of boards of directors with good characteristics that could have positive effect on performance. It was also recommended that the Central Bank of Yemen encourage banks to provide regular data on the BOD for researchers, and enhance the participation of women in the boards. Keywords: Board of directors, Characteristics of the board of directors, Bank performance, ROE, ROA.

Comparative Study of Heavy Metals in Soil and Selected Medicinal Plants

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Afzal Shah

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Essential and nonessential heavy metals like iron (Fe, nickel (Ni, manganese (Mn, zinc (Zn, copper (Cu, cadmium (Cd, chromium (Cr, and lead (Pb were analyzed in four selected medicinal plants such as Capparis spinosa, Peganum harmala, Rhazya stricta, and Tamarix articulata by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (FAAS. These medicinal plants are extensively used as traditional medicine for treatment of various ailments by local physicians in the area from where these plants were collected. The concentration level of heavy metals in the selected plants was found in the decreasing order as Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Ni > Cr > Cd > Pb. The results revealed that the selected medicinal plants accumulate these elements at different concentrations. Monitoring such medicinal plants for heavy metals concentration is of great importance for physicians, health planners, health care professionals, and policymakers in protecting the public from the adverse effects of these heavy metals.

Analysis of vitamin C in selected medicinal plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, I.

2011-01-01

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid, a very useful constituent of redox mechanism is used in medicine and also added in manufactured food for anti-oxidation. A UV-spectrophotometric method was used for the determination of Vitamin C in 4 different medicinal plants. High amount of Vitamin C 160 mg/100 g was found in Citrulus colcocynthis, followed by Hippophae rhamonides oil 136.1 mg/100g. A relatively low concentration of Vitamin C was recorded in Glycyrhiza glabra 56.2 mg/100g and Withinia somnifera 51.50 mg/100 g. The presence of high concentration of Vitamin C in selected medicinal plants might be responsible for their therapeutic effects and uses in the traditional system of medicine. (author)

HEMATOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF YEMENI ADULTS AND CHILDREN WITH VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS. COULD EOSINOPENIA BE A SUSPICION INDEX?

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Jameel Al-Ghazaly

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Background and objectives: Delay in the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL particularly in non-endemic areas is associated with higher mortality. In our experience, we found that marked bone marrow eosinopenia was a very frequent accompaniment of VL and might be a useful clue for the diagnosis, which indicates the opportunity for further morphological assessment. The aim of this study was to describe the hematological characteristics including peripheral blood and bone marrow findings of Yemeni adults and children with VL. Methods: We conducted a descriptive analytic study to evaluate systematically peripheral blood and bone marrow findings of Yemeni adults and children with VL. Peripheral blood and bone marrow aspiration of patients with bone marrow aspirate confirmed VL were examined. Forty-seven patients with the main age (±SD of 17.34±11.37 years (Range: 1-60 were included in the study. Fifty-one non-VL subjects with splenomegaly and pancytopenia or bicytopenia served as control group. Results: All patients with VL had anemia, 41 (87% leukopenia, 42 (89% neutropenia, 44 (94% thrombocytopenia, 42 (89% eosinopenia, 34 (72% pancytopenia and 13 (28% had bicytopenia. In bone marrow examination 40 (85% showed hypercellularity, 44 (94% eosinopenia, 24 (51% dyserythropoiesis, 22 (47% lymphocytosis, 8 (17% plasmacytosis, 27 (57% decreased iron stores and 20 (43% showed decreased sideroblasts. Comparison of VL patients with the control group showed significantly more frequent peripheral blood eosinopenia and lymphopenia and marrow eosinopenia. There was no significant difference between adults and children in any of the hematological features. Conclusion: Anemia, leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, eosinopenia, pancytopenia and marked bone marrow eosinopenia were the most common findings. The finding of marked bone marrow eosinopenia is a significant clue for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in patients who present with

Tradition et innovations esthétiques dans la nouvelle yéménite contemporaine Tradition and aesthetic innovations in contemporary Yemeni short stories

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Géraldine Jenvrin

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Le nouveau recueil de Mu/hammad ‘Abd al-Wakîl Jâzim témoigne d’une transformation capitale dans la littérature yéménite contemporaine :  le passage d’une forme expérimentale en rupture avec les règles de la nouvelle traditionnelle et avec la réalité yéménite, à une autre forme plus accomplie dans laquelle les principes traditionnels de la nouvelle sont ici associés sans complexe aux formes renouvelées du genre.  La nouvelle intitulée Le maître des vautours, présente, dans une structure narrative traditionnelle, un conte fantastique moderne qui mêle réalisme, symbolisme et poésie, et dans lequel l’auteur traite à sa manière les thèmes littéraires contemporains de la dualité du rêve et de la réalité, du désenchantement et de l’enfermement perpétuel.  C’est notamment en s’inspirant de la langue, des pratiques orales, des croyances et de l’imaginaire populaire, que l’auteur, soucieux de donner un ancrage au texte dans la réalité yéménite, transfigure cette expérience existentielle moderne.The latest collection of short stories by Mu/hammad 'Abd al-Wakîl signals a major shift in contemporary Yemeni literature: from an experimental form, breaking away from both traditional short story conventions and Yemeni reality, to another, more accomplished form, unabashedly mixing traditional short story principles with renewed genre forms. The short story entitled The Vulture Master presents us, from within a traditional narrative structure, with a modern fantasy tale blending in realism, symbolism and poetry, and where the writer deals in his own way with such contemporary literary themes as disenchantment, perpetual captivity, and the duality of dream and reality. Drawing his inspiration from language itself, oral practices, beliefs and popular imagery, the writer, seeking to set his tale firmly in Yemeni reality, manages to transfigure this modern existential experiment.

Clinical and hematological manifestations of visceral leishmaniasis in Yemeni children

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Gamal Abdul Hamid

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: In southeast Yemen, visceral leishmaniasis (VL is endemic in Lahj and Abyan and also in Hagga and Sadah, the areas lacking adequate diagnostic facilities. This study describes the clinical and hematological features in 64 cases of childhood VL.Material and Methods: All children below 12 years of age who were managed as inpatient cases from 1 January to 31 December 2005 were included in this study. The diagnosis of VL was established by demonstration of leishmania parasites in bone marrow aspiration. Demographic information, physical signs at presentation and results of complete blood count were recorded and bone marrow aspirations were done for LD bodies. Results: Mean age of the patients was 30 months, and there were 33 females and 31 males. Fever was seen in 100% of children with duration before diagnosis of 56 days. Splenomegaly was present in all cases and hepatomegaly in 84.4%, with mean enlargement of spleen and liver of 9.3 and 3.5 cm, respectively. Mean hemoglobin level, white blood cell and platelet counts were 6.6 g/dl, 3.58x109 /L and 71.7x109 /L, respectively. Absolute neutrophil count was <0.78x109 /L and mean reticulocyte count was 1.7%.Conclusion: Fever, hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia were the most common clinical and hematological manifestations in Yemeni children with VL.

Anti-Streptococcus pyogenes Activity of Selected Medicinal Plant ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research August 2013; 12 (4): 535-540. ISSN: 1596-5996 .... Table 1: Antibacterial activity of selected Thai medicinal plants against Streptococcus pyogenes NPRC 101. Botanical ..... Naphthoquinones,.

The Current Situation of Knowledge Economy at Yemeni Universities from Academic Staff Perspectives: A field Study at Sana'a University and University of Science and Technology

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Mahmood A. H. M. Al-Azizi

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the research was to assess the current situation of the knowledge economy in the Yemeni universities (Public and private from the point of view of their faculty members. A further investigation into the possible significant differences between faculty members’ views regarding the knowledge economy in both Yemeni public and private universities was also attempted. In order to achieve the objectives of the research, the researchers used the descriptive approach, and designed a questionnaire as the research tool which consisted of four main dimensions: research, development, innovation, education and training, ICT infrastructure, and governance. The validity and reliability of the tool were statistically checked, and data was analyzed using SPSS program. The study revealed the following results: -        The current knowledge economy at Sana’a University was rated as very low by the faculty members.-        The current knowledge economy at the University of Science and Technology was rated by the academic staff as medium.-        There were statistically significant differences between the opinions of the members of the research sample in favor of the University of Science and Technology. A number of recommendations and suggested areas for further research were proposed. Keywords: Knowledge economy, Research, Development, Innovation, Education and training, ICT infrastructure, Governance.

Selection of medicines in Chilean public hospitals: an exploratory study

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Collao Juan F

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is a growing interest in high income countries to control expenditure on medicines by improving the rationale for their selection. However, in middle income countries with differing priorities and needs, little attention has been paid to this issue. In this paper we explore the policies and processes for the selection and use of medicines in a group of hospitals in Chile, a middle income country which has recently joined the OECD. Methods A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used. A national survey questionnaire was distributed to investigate the role and operation of PTCs (Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees. Interviews were conducted with key actors in the selection of medicines in large urban public hospitals. Results The national survey had an overall response rate of 42% (83 out of 196, whilst 7 out of 14 hospitals participated in the qualitative study. High complexity hospitals are large urban hospitals; all of which claim to have a working PTC. The pharmacy offices are mainly involved in dispensing medicines with little involvement in clinical duties. The interviews conducted suggest that the formulary of all the hospitals visited is no more than a stock list. PTCs are unable to influence the prescribing practices of doctors. Members do not feel prepared to challenge the opinions of specialists requesting a certain drug, and decisions are based primarily on costs. The inclusion of medicines in the clinical practice of hospitals is as a result of doctors bypassing the PTC and requesting the purchase of exceptional items, some of which are included in the formulary if they are widely used. Conclusions There is an urgent need to develop medicine policies in hospitals in Chile. The procedures used to purchase medicines need to be revised. Central guidance for PTCs could help ensure a more rational use of medicines. PTCs need to be empowered to design formularies which cover all the clinical

Selection of medicines in Chilean public hospitals: an exploratory study.

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Collao, Juan F; Smith, Felicity; Barber, Nick

2013-01-07

There is a growing interest in high income countries to control expenditure on medicines by improving the rationale for their selection. However, in middle income countries with differing priorities and needs, little attention has been paid to this issue. In this paper we explore the policies and processes for the selection and use of medicines in a group of hospitals in Chile, a middle income country which has recently joined the OECD. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used. A national survey questionnaire was distributed to investigate the role and operation of PTCs (Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees). Interviews were conducted with key actors in the selection of medicines in large urban public hospitals. The national survey had an overall response rate of 42% (83 out of 196), whilst 7 out of 14 hospitals participated in the qualitative study. High complexity hospitals are large urban hospitals; all of which claim to have a working PTC. The pharmacy offices are mainly involved in dispensing medicines with little involvement in clinical duties.The interviews conducted suggest that the formulary of all the hospitals visited is no more than a stock list. PTCs are unable to influence the prescribing practices of doctors. Members do not feel prepared to challenge the opinions of specialists requesting a certain drug, and decisions are based primarily on costs. The inclusion of medicines in the clinical practice of hospitals is as a result of doctors bypassing the PTC and requesting the purchase of exceptional items, some of which are included in the formulary if they are widely used. There is an urgent need to develop medicine policies in hospitals in Chile. The procedures used to purchase medicines need to be revised. Central guidance for PTCs could help ensure a more rational use of medicines. PTCs need to be empowered to design formularies which cover all the clinical needs of doctors, training members in the analysis of scientific

Dental erosion in groups of Yemeni children and adolescents and the modification of an erosion partial recording system.

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Al-Ashtal, Amin; Johansson, Anders; Omar, Ridwaan; Johansson, Ann-Katrin

2017-07-01

The prevalence of dental erosion is rising especially among children and adolescents and its grading needs further investigation. To determine the prevalence and severity of dental erosion in groups of Yemeni children and adolescents, and to clinically compare an erosion partial recording system (EPRS) with a proposed modified-simplified version (EPRS-M). Of 6163 individuals aged 5-6, 13-14 and 18-19 years, 911 were randomly selected, of which 668 participated in the study. Dental erosion was graded using EPRS. EPRS-M was proposed, and its sensitivity and specificity was calculated in relation to EPRS. Prevalence of erosion extending into dentine on at least one tooth was 6.8% among 5- to 6-year-olds, 3.0% among 13- to 14-year-olds and 14.6% among 18- to 19-year olds. The highest prevalence was 19.2% among girls aged 18-19 years which was significantly higher than boys (10.4%) in the same age group (P = 0.044). Sensitivity and specificity for EPRS-M in relation to EPRS were 85.7% and 100% for primary teeth, and 84.1% and 100% for permanent teeth. Dental erosion was common among children and older teenagers and highest among older girls but less common among younger teenagers. The tested accuracy of EPRS-M qualifies it to be used as an initial quick detection tool in future dental erosion research. © 2016 The Authors. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry published by BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Harsh corporal punishment of Yemeni children: occurrence, type and associations.

Science.gov (United States)

Alyahri, Abdullah; Goodman, Robert

2008-08-01

To examine the occurrence, type and associations of harsh corporal punishment in Yemen. Caregiver and teacher reports were obtained on 1,196 Yemeni 7-10-year olds obtained by systematic random sampling of children in the 1st to 4th grades of urban and rural schools. Caregivers (86% mothers) reported on disciplinary practices, socio-familial background, and child psychopathology. Teachers reported on school performance and child psychopathology. More than half of the rural caregivers and about a quarter of the urban caregivers reported using harsh corporal punishment (hitting children with implements, tying them up, pinching them, or biting them). Harsh corporal punishment was significantly associated with poor school performance and both behavioral and emotional difficulties. The socio-familial factors that were independently associated with harsh corporal punishment were: rural area, male gender of the child, low maternal education, and large family size. Harsh corporal punishment is very common in Yemen. International findings suggest that the association with school failure and psychological maladjustment may well be causal. Promoting parental use of effective and non-violent disciplinary methods should be a public health priority. Yemen urgently needs to develop and evaluate programs that teach parents how to use culturally appropriate rewards and non-abusive sanctions to shape children's behavior without stunting their academic and emotional development. Persuading parents to adopt such approaches may need programs that focus not just on techniques but also on attitudes, e.g. challenging the commonly held belief that children will not develop properly unless they are beaten when they do wrong.

Antimalarial evaluation of selected medicinal plant extracts used in Iranian traditional medicine

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Mohammad Hossein Feiz Haddad

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Objective(s: In an attempt to discover new natural active extracts against malaria parasites, the present study evaluated the antiplasmodial properties of selected plants based on Iranian traditional medicine. Materials and Methods: Ten plant species found in Iran were selected and collected based on the available literature about the Iranian traditional medicine. The methanolic extracts of these plants were investigated for in vitro antimalarial properties against chloroquine-sensitive (3D7 and multi-drug resistant (K1 strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Their in vivo activity against Plasmodium berghei infection in mice was also determined. Cytotoxicity tests were carried out using the Raji cells line using the MTT assay. The extracts were phytochemically screened for their active constituents. Results: According to the IC50 and selectivity index (SI values, of the 10 selected plant species, Citrullus colocynthis, Physalis alkekengi, and Solanum nigrum displayed potent in vitro antimalarial activity against both 3D7 and K1 strains with no toxicity (IC50= 2.01-18.67 µg/ml and SI=3.55 to 19.25.  Comparisons between treated and untreated control mice showed that the mentioned plant species reduced parasitemia by 65.08%, 57.97%, and 60.68%, respectively.  The existence of antiplasmodial compounds was detected in these plant extracts. Conclusion: This was the first study to highlight the in vitro and in vivo antiplasmodial effects of             C. colocynthis, P. alkekengi, and S. nigrum in Iran. Future studies can use these findings to design further biological tests to identify the active constituents of the mentioned plant species and clarify their mechanism of action.

Analysis of chemical constituents in medicinal plants of selected ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Analysis of chemical constituents in medicinal plants of selected districts of Pakhtoonkhwa, Pakistan. I Hussain, R Ullah, J Khan, N Khan, M Zahoor, N Ullah, MuR Khattak, FA Khan, A Baseer, M Khurram ...

Efficacy of selected complementary and alternative medicine interventions for chronic pain.

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Tan, Gabriel; Craine, Michael H; Bair, Matthew J; Garcia, M Kay; Giordano, James; Jensen, Mark P; McDonald, Shelley M; Patterson, David; Sherman, Richard A; Williams, Wright; Tsao, Jennie C I

2007-01-01

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, therapies, and products that are not presently considered part of conventional medicine. This article provides an up-to-date review of the efficacy of selected CAM modalities in the management of chronic pain. Findings are presented according to the classification system developed by the National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (formerly Office of Alternative Medicine) and are grouped into four domains: biologically based medicine, energy medicine, manipulative and body-based medicine, and mind-body medicine. Homeopathy and acupuncture are discussed separately as "whole or professionalized CAM practices." Based on the guidelines of the Clinical Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association, findings indicate that some CAM modalities have a solid track record of efficacy, whereas others are promising but require additional research. The article concludes with recommendations to pain practitioners.

Factors influencing selection of internal medicine residency--a prospective study.

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Pereg, David; Gronich, Naomi; Lishner, Michael

2006-08-01

Recently, the popularity of internal medicine residency has been decreasing. We studied the effect of an improved working environment and a decrease in residents' workload on the selection of internal medicine residency. An organizational diagnosis team joined our department and identified several causes for residents' heavy workload. These findings were subsequently discussed in a workshop and led to a modification of the daily routine and a parallel decrease in workload and rise in residents' satisfaction. Following these changes, the demand for residency in our department rose. We conclude that an improvement in the working environment and workload during residency increases the residents' satisfaction and the demand for residency in internal medicine.

Assessing Yemeni EFL learners’ Oral skills via the Conceptualization of Target Language Use Domain: A Testing Framework

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Sami A. Al-wossabi

2014-09-01

Full Text Available There is an evident lack of a comprehensive evaluation basis for Yemeni learners’ speaking skills in the English department, Hodeidah University. The present paper presents a detailed framework of oral assessment criteria that involves a description of target language use domains and then shows how such domains can be systematically related to test design. The framework takes as its main goal the development and description of a criterion referenced rating scale representing real-world criterion elements. The aim of the testing framework, therefore, is to ensure maximum appropriateness of score test interpretations and maximize the validity and fairness of local speaking tests. A five-point likert scale is carried out to elicit 10 trained raters’ perceptions of using the pilot scale. The research findings support the use and appropriateness of the scale as it aids raters identify underlying aspects of their learners’ oral discourse that cannot be observed in traditional discrete point tests.

A methodological framework of preparing economic evidence for selection of medicines in the Chinese setting.

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Sun, Xin; Faunce, Thomas Alured

2010-08-01

Medicines are becoming a major component of health expenditure in China. Selection of effective and cost-effective medicines represents an important effort to improve medicines use. A guideline on cost-effectiveness studies has been available in China. This guideline, however, fails to be a practical tool to prepare and critically appraise economic evidence. This article discusses, in the Chinese context, the approach to integrating economic component into the medicines selection, and elaborates the methods of producing economic evidence, including conducing economic reviews and primary economic studies. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd and Chinese Cochrane Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

Development of orodispersible films with selected Indonesian medicinal plant extracts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Visser, Johanna; Eugresya, Gabriella; Hinrichs, Wouter; Tjandrawinata, Raymond; Avanti, Christina; Frijlink, H.W.; Woerdenbag, Herman

2017-01-01

This study focused on the incorporation into orodispersible films (ODFs) of the dried extracts of five selected Indonesian medicinal plants: Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers. (LS), Phyllanthus niruri L. (PN), Cinnamomum burmanii Blume (CB), Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ZO) and Phaleria macrocarpa

Selecting clinical quality indicators for laboratory medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Barth, Julian H

2012-05-01

Quality in laboratory medicine is often described as doing the right test at the right time for the right person. Laboratory processes currently operate under the oversight of an accreditation body which gives confidence that the process is good. However, there are aspects of quality that are not measured by these processes. These are largely focused on ensuring that the most clinically appropriate test is performed and interpreted correctly. Clinical quality indicators were selected through a two-phase process. Firstly, a series of focus groups of clinical scientists were held with the aim of developing a list of quality indicators. These were subsequently ranked in order by an expert panel of primary and secondary care physicians. The 10 top indicators included the communication of critical results, comprehensive education to all users and adequate quality assurance for point-of-care testing. Laboratories should ensure their tests are used to national standards, that they have clinical utility, are calibrated to national standards and have long-term stability for chronic disease management. Laboratories should have error logs and demonstrate evidence of measures introduced to reduce chances of similar future errors. Laboratories should make a formal scientific evaluation of analytical quality. This paper describes the process of selection of quality indicators for laboratory medicine that have been validated sequentially by deliverers and users of the service. They now need to be converted into measureable variables related to outcome and validated in practice.

Effects of selected multipurpose, medicinal and aromatic plants on in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study was carried out to evaluate the effects of selected multipurpose, medicinal and aromatic plants on the in vitro methane production and microbial diversity. The plants include multi-purpose trees; Pterocarpus santallinoides, Leucaena leucocephala, Albizia lebbek, Albizia saman, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, ...

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Yemeni Women Attending Primary Healthcare Centers in Sana’a City towards Family Planning

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Essam H. AlSafadi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: To investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs of Yemeni women attending primary healthcare centers (PHCCs in Sana’a city towards family planning (FP. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among women attending three PHCCs in Sana'a city; namely, in Hadah, Al-Soneinah and Madhbah zones, between 21 November and 1 December 2011. The study included a sample of 281 married women, where data about socio-demographic characteristics and the KAPs towards FP were collected by interviewing women using a pre-designed, structured questionnaire and then analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. Results: Of the married women attending the PHCCs in Sana'a, the majority of respondents were from urban areas (96.4%; 271/281, aged between 25–29 years old (23.1% 65/281, employed (75.8%; 213/281 and with primary or secondary levels of education (60.9%; 171/281. In addition, the majority of women had a marriage length of 6–11 years (65.5%; 182/281 and 3–4 children (44.8%; 126/281. The majority of respondents (89.7% knew about FP, and 60.2% considered it as birth spacing. Moreover, most respondents (87.5% were aware of at least four methods of FP, and 53.6% heard of modern FP contraceptive methods. Of them, 85.9% and 74.0% heard of contraceptive pills and intrauterine contraceptive devices (ICDU, respectively; however, the least known contraceptive method was the use of male condoms (28.1%. Healthcare providers were the source of information on FP for the majority of respondents (60.5%. The majority of respondents believed that the optimum spacing between births should be two or three years, being 31.7% and 38.8%, respectively. In addition, most respondents (80.8% believed that both couples must share the decision-making on FP. Socio-cultural beliefs and values were thought to be the most common (57.3% barriers to the practice of FP. Conclusions: Although the majority of Yemeni women seeking healthcare after

Computational intelligence, medicine and biology selected links

CERN Document Server

Zaitseva, Elena

2015-01-01

This book contains an interesting and state-of the art collection of chapters presenting several examples of attempts to developing modern tools utilizing computational intelligence in different real life problems encountered by humans. Reasoning, prediction, modeling, optimization, decision making, etc. need modern, soft and intelligent algorithms, methods and methodologies to solve, in the efficient ways, problems appearing in human activity. The contents of the book is divided into two parts. Part I, consisting of four chapters, is devoted to selected links of computational intelligence, medicine, health care and biomechanics. Several problems are considered: estimation of healthcare system reliability, classification of ultrasound thyroid images, application of fuzzy logic to measure weight status and central fatness, and deriving kinematics directly from video records. Part II, also consisting of four chapters, is devoted to selected links of computational intelligence and biology. The common denominato...

ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTIFUNGAL ACTIVITY OF SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST PHYTOPATHOGENIC FUNGI.

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Mahlo, Salome Mamokone; Chauke, Hasani Richard; McGaw, Lyndy; Eloff, Jacobus

2016-01-01

Medicinal plants are used by many ethnic groups as a source of medicine for the treatment of various ailments in both humans and domestic animals. These plants produce secondary metabolites that have antimicrobial properties, thus screening of medicinal plants provide another alternative for producing chemical fungicides that are relatively non-toxic and cost-effective. Leaf extracts of selected South African plant species ( Bucida buceras, Breonadia salicina, Harpephyllum caffrum, Olinia ventosa, Vangueria infausta and Xylotheca kraussiana ) were investigated for activity against selected phytopathogenic fungi ( Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus parasiticus, Colletotricum gloeosporioides, Penicillium janthinellum, P. expansum, Trichoderma harzianum and Fusarium oxysporum ). These plant fungal pathogens causes major economic losses in fruit industry such as blue rot on nectaries and postharvest disease in citrus. Plant species were selected from 600 evaluated inter alia, against two animal fungal pathogens ( Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans ). Antioxidant activity of the selected plant extracts were investigated using a qualitative assay (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)). Bioautography assay was used to determine the number of antifungal compounds in plant extracts. All plant extracts were active against the selected plant phytopathogenic fungi. Moreover, Bucida buceras had the best antifungal activity against four of the fungi, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values as low as 0.02 mg/ml and 0.08 mg/ml against P. expansum, P. janthinellum, T. harzianum and F. oxysporum . The plant extracts of five plant species did not possess strong antioxidant activity. However, methanol extract of X. kraussiana was the most active radical scavenger in the DPPH assay amongst the six medicinal plants screened. No antifungal compounds were observed in some of the plant extracts with good antifungal activity as shown in the microdilution assay, indicating

The content changes of selected phenolic compounds during processing of medicinal plants

OpenAIRE

GROŠAFTOVÁ, Blanka

2007-01-01

This work was aimed to the problem of change of the content of selected phenolic substances during treatment and storage of medical plants. Flavonoids represent small, but very important group of phenolic compounds. The biggest attention was paid to quercetin and rutine.Content of phenolic substances was determined by method of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) in case of 6 medicinal plants usually used in traditional and modern medicine.

The academic and nonacademic characteristics of science and nonscience majors in Yemeni high schools

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Anaam, Mahyoub Ali

The purposes of this study were: (a) to identify the variables associated with selection of majors; (b) to determine the differences between science and nonscience majors in general, and high and low achievers in particular, with respect to attitudes toward science, integrated science process skills, and logical thinking abilities; and (c) to determine if a significant relationship exists between students' majors and their personality types and learning styles. Data were gathered from 188 twelfth grade male and female high school students in Yemen, who enrolled in science (45 males and 47 females) and art and literature (47 males and 49 females) tracks. Data were collected by the following instruments: Past math and science achievement (data source taken from school records), Kolb's Learning Styles Inventory (1985), Integrated Science Process Skills Test, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Attitude Toward Science in School Assessment, Group Assessment of Logical Thinking, Yemeni High School Students Questionnaire. The Logistic Regression Model and the Linear Discriminant Analysis identified several variables that are associated with selection of majors. Moreover, some of the characteristics of science and nonscience majors that were revealed by these models include the following: Science majors seem to have higher degrees of curiosity in science, high interest in science at high school level, high tendency to believe that their majors will help them to find a potential job in the future, and have had higher achievement in science subjects, and have rated their math teachers higher than did nonscience majors. In contrast, nonscience majors seem to have higher degrees of curiosity in nonscience subjects, higher interest in science at elementary school, higher anxiety during science lessons than did science majors. In addition, General Linear Models allow that science majors generally demonstrate more positive attitudes towards science than do nonscience majors and they

Natural radioactivity in different commercial ceramic samples used in Yemeni buildings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amin, Sahar A.; Naji, Mustafa

2013-01-01

In this work we calculated the radioactivity concentrations of the natural radioactive nuclides 238 U, 232 Th, 226 Ra and 40 K for 10 commercial samples collected from 10 different companies which are used in the construction of Yemeni buildings. Gamma ray spectroscopy was used to analyze the samples and the concentrations of radioisotopes were determined using a hyper-pure germanium (HPGe) detector in Bq/kg dry-weight. The average concentrations of 238 U, 232 Th, 226 Ra and 40 K were found to be 131.4, 83.55, 131.88 and 400.7 Bq/kg respectively. Different hazard indices were also determined. The results showed that the average radium equivalent activity (Ra eq ), the absorbed dose rate (D r ), the annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE), the external hazard index (H ex ) and representation level index (I γ ) were: 307.52 Bq/kg, 139.31 nGy/h, 1.40 mSv/yr, 0.83 and 2.15 respectively. The mean value of (Ra eq ) obtained in this study is in good agreement with that of the international value while the mean values of the other indices are found to be higher than the international reference values. The measured activity concentrations for these radionuclide were compared with the reported data obtained from similar materials used in other countries. - Highlights: ► Concentrations of the natural radioactive nuclides 238 U, 232 Th, 226 Ra and 40 K were measured. ► Ten samples collected from 10 different companies have been analyzed. ► Gamma ray spectroscopy is used to analyze the samples. ► Concentrations in Bq/kg were determined using a HPGe detector. ► Different hazard indices (Ra eq ), (D r ), (AEDE), (H ex ) and (I γ ) were also determined

The medicine selection process in four large university hospitals in Brazil: Does the DTC have a role?

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Elisangela da Costa Lima-Dellamora

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Knowledge about evidence-based medicine selection and the role of the Drug and Therapeutics Committee (DTC is an important topic in the literature but is scarcely discussed in Brazil. Our objective, using a qualitative design, was to analyze the medicine selection process performed in four large university hospitals in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Information was collected from documents, interviews with key informants and direct observations. Two dimensions were analyzed: the structural and organizational aspects of the selection process and the criteria and methods used in medicine selection. The findings showed that the DTC was active in two hospitals. The structure for decision-making was weak. DTC members had little experience in evidence-based selection, and their everyday functions did not influence their participation in DTC activities. The methods used to evaluate evidence were inadequate. The uncritical adoption of new medicines in these complex hospital facilities may be hampering pharmaceutical services, with consequences for the entire health system. Although the qualitative approach considerably limits the extent to which the results can be extrapolated, we believe that our findings may be relevant to other university hospitals in the country.

Finding the Perfect Match: Factors That Influence Family Medicine Residency Selection.

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Wright, Katherine M; Ryan, Elizabeth R; Gatta, John L; Anderson, Lauren; Clements, Deborah S

2016-04-01

Residency program selection is a significant experience for emerging physicians, yet there is limited information about how applicants narrow their list of potential programs. This study examines factors that influence residency program selection among medical students interested in family medicine at the time of application. Medical students with an expressed interest in family medicine were invited to participate in a 37-item, online survey. Students were asked to rate factors that may impact residency selection on a 6-point Likert scale in addition to three open-ended qualitative questions. Mean values were calculated for each survey item and were used to determine a rank order for selection criteria. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors that predict a strong interest in urban, suburban, and rural residency programs. Logistic regression was also used to identify factors that predict a strong interest in academic health center-based residencies, community-based residencies, and community-based residencies with an academic affiliation. A total of 705 medical students from 32 states across the country completed the survey. Location, work/life balance, and program structure (curriculum, schedule) were rated the most important factors for residency selection. Logistic regression analysis was used to refine our understanding of how each factor relates to specific types of residencies. These findings have implications for how to best advise students in selecting a residency, as well as marketing residencies to the right candidates. Refining the recruitment process will ensure a better fit between applicants and potential programs. Limited recruitment resources may be better utilized by focusing on targeted dissemination strategies.

Screening and antibacterial efficacy of selected Indian medicinal plants

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Suresh Mickymaray; Mohammad Saleh Al Aboody; Pradipta Kumar Rath; Panneerselvam Annamalai; Thajuddin Nooruddin

2016-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of five Indian medicinal plants such as Acalypha indica L.(A. indica), Aerva lanata(L.) Juss. ex Schult.(A. lanata), Clerodendrum inerme(L.) Gaertn., Pergularia daemia(Forsk.) Chiov. and Solanum surattense Burm. f. against opportunistic bacterial pathogens isolated from HIV infected patients for the potential phytoconstituents in plant extracts.Methods: The opportunistic bacterial pathogens such as Escherichia coli(E. coli),Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi and Serratia marcescens from Gramnegative group and Staphylococcus aureus from Gram-positive group were isolated from HIV infected patients. The antibacterial efficacy of ethanolic extracts of selected medicinal plants was carried out by disc diffusion method. The potential phytoconstituents of medicinal plant extracts were identified by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry(GC–MS) analysis.Results: Among the five medicinal plants tested, A. indica and A. lanata showed the significant antibacterial activity. A. indica showed potential activity against Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli. A. lanata significantly exhibited antibacterial activity against E. coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A total of 19 phytoconstituents were identified in the ethanolic extract of A. indica and A. lanata by GC–MS analysis respectively.Conclusions: The results of the present investigation revealed that A. indica and A. lanata, possessed significant antibacterial activity when compared with the other plant extracts tested. The presence of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose by GC–MS analysis in both A. indica and A. lanata extracts has not been reported elsewhere in the literature and the findings in this study could be the first one to report.

Characterization of the selection of medicines for the Brazilian primary health care

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Margô Gomes de Oliveira Karnikowski

2017-11-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To characterize the process of selection of medicines for primary health care in the Brazilian regions. METHODS This article is part of the Pesquisa Nacional sobre Acesso, Utilização e Promoção do Uso Racional de Medicamentos – Serviços, 2015 (PNAUM – National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines – Services, 2015, a cross-sectional study that consisted of an information gathering in a sample of cities in the five regions of Brazil. The data used were collected by interviews with those responsible for pharmaceutical services (PS (n = 506, professionals responsible for the dispensing of medicines (n = 1,139, and physicians (n = 1,558. To evaluate the difference between ratios, we adopted the Chi-square test for complex samples. The differences between the averages were analyzed in generalized linear models with F-test with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. The analyses considered significant had p≤0.05. RESULTS The professionals responsible for pharmaceutical services reported non-existence of a formally constituted Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee (PTC (12.5%. They claimed to have an updated (80.4% list of Essential Medicines (85.3% and being active participants of this process (88.2%. However, in the perception of respondents, the list only partially (70.1% meets the health demands. Of the interviewed professionals responsible for the dispensing of medicines, only 16.6% were pharmacists; even so, 47.8% reported to know the procedures to change the list. From the perspective of most of these professionals (70.9%, the list meets the health demands of the city. Among physicians, only 27.2% reported to know the procedures to change the list, but 76.5% would have some claim to change it. Most of them reported to base their claims in clinical experiences (80.0%. For 13.0% of them, the list meets the health demands. CONCLUSIONS As this is the first national survey of

Breast Cancer Knowledge, Perception and Breast Self- Examination Practices among Yemeni Women: an Application of the Health Belief Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Sakkaf, Khaled Abdulla; Basaleem, Huda Omer

2016-01-01

The incidence of breast cancer is rapidly increasing in Yemen with recent indications of constituting one-third of female cancers. The main problem in Yemen remains very late presentation of breast cancer, most of which should have been easily recognisable. Since stage of disease at diagnosis is the most important prognostic variable, early diagnosis is an important option to be considered for control of breast cancer in low resourced settings like Yemen. In the present study, we aimed at describing breast cancer knowledge, perceptions and breast self-examination (BSE) practices among a sample of Yemeni women. This cross-sectional study covered 400 women attending four reproductive health centres in Aden, Yemen through face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire during April - July 2014. We collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge about breast cancer, and screening practices as well as respondents' perceptions based on the five sub scales of the Health Belief Model (HBM): perceived susceptibility; perceived severity; perceived barriers; perceived benefits; and self-efficacy. The response format was a fivepoint Likert scale. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 20) was used for statistical analysis. Statistical significance was set at pearly detection and reduce the burden of breast cancer.

A national survey on availability, price and affordability of selected essential medicines for non communicable diseases in Sri Lanka.

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Dabare, Panthihage Ruvini L; Wanigatunge, Chandanie A; Beneragama, Bvs Hemantha

2014-08-08

Access to medicines is a universal right. Low availability and low affordability of medicines are issues that deny this right to a significant proportion of the world population. The objective of this study was to determine the availability, price and affordability of essential medicines prescribed to treat non communicable diseases in Sri Lanka. Methodology was based on the 2nd edition of the World Health Organization Health Action International Manual. A country survey was conducted and facilities representing both public and private pharmacies were selected. A total of 109 facilities was surveyed. At each facility data on the availability and prices of 50 essential medicines for non communicable diseases were collected. Percentage availability, median price of originator brand and lowest priced generic, median price ratio to the International Reference Price were calculated for surveyed medicines. Affordability was determined using the daily incomes of the lowest--paid unskilled government worker. Semi government community pharmacies had the highest (>80%) availability while outdoor pharmacies of public health care facilities, private pharmacies and outdoor pharmacies of private hospital showed a fairly high availability (50 - 80%) of surveyed medicines.Unit price of 76% of selected individual medicines was less than ten Sri Lankan rupees. Out of these 28% of medicines cost less than one Sri Lanka rupee. For 21 of the surveyed medicines the median price ratio to the international reference price was less than one. The prices of originator brands for 14 surveyed medicines were more than five times that of the lowest price generics.Less than a single day's wages was adequate to purchase a month's supply of the lowest priced generic of more than 67% of surveyed medicines. The availability of selected essential medicines was fairly high in both public and private sectors in Sri Lanka. Most medicines are affordable to the lowest income earners in the community. There

Selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printing of medicines.

Science.gov (United States)

Fina, Fabrizio; Goyanes, Alvaro; Gaisford, Simon; Basit, Abdul W

2017-08-30

Selective laser sintering (SLS) 3-dimensional printing is currently used for industrial manufacturing of plastic, metallic and ceramic objects. To date there have been no reports on the use of SLS to fabricate oral drug loaded products; therefore, the aim of this work was to explore the suitability of SLS printing for manufacturing medicines. Two thermoplastic pharmaceutical grade polymers, Kollicoat IR (75% polyvinyl alcohol and 25% polyethylene glycol copolymer) and Eudragit L100-55 (50% methacrylic acid and 50% ethyl acrylate copolymer), with immediate and modified release characteristics respectively, were selected to investigate the versatility of a SLS printer. Each polymer was investigated with three different drug loadings of paracetamol (acetaminophen) (5, 20 and 35%). To aid the sintering process, 3% Candurin ® gold sheen was added to each of the powdered formulations. In total, six solid formulations were successfully printed; the printlets (3D printed tablets) were robust, and no evidence of drug degradation was observed. In biorelevant bicarbonate dissolution media, the Kollicoat formulations showed pH-independent release characteristics, with the release rate dependent on the drug content. In the case of the Eudragit formulations, these showed pH-dependent, modified-release profiles independent of drug loading, with complete release being achieved over 12h. In conclusion, this work has demonstrated that SLS is a versatile and practical 3D printing technology which can be applied to the pharmaceutical field, thus widening the armamentarium of 3D printing technologies available for the manufacture of modern medicines. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of midrib vascular bundles of selected medicinal species in Rubiaceae

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Nurul-Syahirah, M.; Noraini, T.; Latiff, A.

2016-11-01

An anatomical study was carried out on mature leaves of five selected medicinal species of Rubiaceae from Peninsular Malaysia. The chosen medicinal species were Aidia densiflora, Aidia racemosa, Chasallia chartacea, Hedyotis auricularia and Ixora grandifolia. The objective of this study is to determine the taxonomic value of midrib anatomical characteristics. Leaves samples were collected from Taman Paku Pakis, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor and Kledang Saiong Forest Reserve, Perak, Malaysia. Leaves samples then were fixed in spirit and acetic acid (3:1), the midrib parts then were sectioned using sliding microtome, cleared using Clorox, stained in Safranin and Alcian blue, mounted in Euparal and were observed under light microscope. Findings in this study have shown all species have collateral bundles. The midrib vascular bundles characteristics that can be used as tool to differentiate between species or genus are vascular bundles system (opened or closed), shape and arrangement of main vascular bundles, presence of both additional and medullary vascular bundles, position of additional vascular bundles, shape of medullary vascular bundles, presence of sclerenchyma cells ensheathed the vascular bundles. As a conclusion, midrib anatomical characteristics can be used to identify and discriminate medicinal plants species studied in the Rubiaceae.

Selection of chemical markers for the quality control of medicinal plants of the genus Cecropia.

Science.gov (United States)

Rivera-Mondragón, Andrés; Ortíz, Orlando O; Bijttebier, Sebastiaan; Vlietinck, Arnold; Apers, Sandra; Pieters, Luc; Caballero-George, Catherina

2017-12-01

Several Cecropia (Cecropiaceae) species are traditionally used in Latin America for the treatment of a variety of diseases including diabetes, arterial hypertension, asthma, bronchitis, anxiety, and inflammation. At present, a number of commercial products based on these plants have been introduced into the market with very little information on methods for guaranteeing their quality and safety. This work proposes potential chemical markers for the quality control of the raw materials of Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol., Cecropia peltata L., Cecropia glaziovii Snethl., Cecropia pachystachya Trécul, and Cecropia hololeuca Miq. The Herbal Chemical Marker Ranking System (Herb MaRS) developed by the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) at the University of Western Sydney was used for selecting chemical markers for the quality control of selected medicinal species of Cecropia. This review covers the period from 1982 to 2016. Chlorogenic acid, flavonoidal glycosides (orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, isovitexin, and rutin), catechin, epicatechin, procyanidins (B2, B5, and C1), steroids (β-sitosterol), and triterpenoids (α-amyrin, pomolic, tormentic and ursolic acids) were selected as chemical markers for the quality control of the leaves. It is necessary to establish comprehensive standards for guaranteeing quality, safety and efficacy of herbal drugs. The selection of adequate chemical markers for quality control purposes requires a good knowledge about the chemical composition of medicinal plants and their associated biological properties. To the best of our knowledge this review article is the first to address the identification and quantitative determination of the chemical markers for the genus Cecropia.

Evaluating the Biodeterioration Enzymatic Activities of Fungal Contamination Isolated from Some Ancient Yemeni Mummies Preserved in the National Museum

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Khalid Mohammed Naji

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Sophisticated mummification using chemical preservation was prevalent in ancient Yemeni civilization as noted in the 4th century B.C. mummies of the National Museum of Yemen, Sana’a, used in this study. Five of these mummies were used to evaluate hydrolytic enzymes produced as a result of fungal contamination. Forty-seven fungal species were isolated, thereby reflecting a high degree of contamination which may have resulted from the poor ventilation and preservation system. Aspergillus was the most common genus isolated (48.9%. Fifteen isolates exhibited ability to produce cellulase (EC; 3.2.1.4, Aspergillus candidus being the highest cellulose-producer. Pectin lyase (PL, EC; 4.2.2.2 and pectin methyl esterase (PME, EC; 3.1.1.11 were produced by Trichoderma hamatum, whereas chitinase (EC; 3.2.1.14 was produced by Aspergillus niger. Protease activity was noted by only Cladosporium herbarum. The higher activities of these fungal hydrolytic enzymes represent the major threats of biodeterioration including deteriorating linen bandages as well as the mummy bodies. Therefore, it is recommended to improve the preservation system of the mummies at the National Museum to minimize the contamination up to the lowest level and protect the mummies from biodeterioration.

Selection and Training of Personnel for the New Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Therapy Centre in Bariloche

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopez, M.P.

2016-01-01

Full text: A basic strategy for the development of a new organization is the selection of personnel, especially if it is an institute that offers a technological and professional innovation. This work aims to define specific profiles for the Centre for Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Therapy, Bariloche, and to design a plan for selecting and training professionals. (author

Ethnopharmacological survey: a selection strategy to identify medicinal plants for a local phytotherapy program

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Flávia Liparini Pereira

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Ethnopharmacological studies are important for documenting and protecting cultural and traditional knowledge associated with the medical use of biodiversity. In this paper, we present a survey on medicinal plants used by locals in a community of Nova Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil, as a strategy to select medicinal plants for a phytotherapy-based local healthcare program. Eleven knowledgeable local informants were chosen by snowball sampling and interviewed about the use of medicinal plants. Plant samples were collected, herborised and then identified using traditional techniques and specialised literature. We sampled 107 medicinal plant species belonging to 86 genera and 39 families, predominantly Asteraceae with 16 species. Costus spicatus (Jacq. Sw, M. pulegium L., Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Ruta graveolens L. were found to have Consensus of Main Use corrected (CMUc values above 50%, which were in agreement with the traditional uses described by the informants. However, species with CMUc values equal to or above 20%, combined with the scientific information survey, were also used to select medicinal plants for the phytotherapy-based local healthcare program. The selection of medicinal plants based on the CMUc index from this particular community, in combination with the scientific survey, appears to be an effective strategy for the implementation of phytotherapy programs.Estudos etnofarmacológicos são importantes no registro e na preservação de conhecimentos de uma cultura tradicional associada ao uso medicinal da biodiversidade. No presente trabalho, foi realizado o levantamento das plantas medicinais utilizadas por conhecedores populares na comunidade de Nova Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brasil, como ferramenta para auxiliar na seleção de espécies vegetais visando à implantação de um programa de fitoterapia local na comunidade estudada. Participaram 11 conhecedores escolhidos por amostragem Bola de Neve e submetidos a

Evolutionary molecular medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Nesse, Randolph M; Ganten, Detlev; Gregory, T Ryan; Omenn, Gilbert S

2012-05-01

Evolution has long provided a foundation for population genetics, but some major advances in evolutionary biology from the twentieth century that provide foundations for evolutionary medicine are only now being applied in molecular medicine. They include the need for both proximate and evolutionary explanations, kin selection, evolutionary models for cooperation, competition between alleles, co-evolution, and new strategies for tracing phylogenies and identifying signals of selection. Recent advances in genomics are transforming evolutionary biology in ways that create even more opportunities for progress at its interfaces with genetics, medicine, and public health. This article reviews 15 evolutionary principles and their applications in molecular medicine in hopes that readers will use them and related principles to speed the development of evolutionary molecular medicine.

Evaluation of selected Indian traditional folk medicinal plants against Mycobacterium tuberculosis with antioxidant and cytotoxicity study.

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Tawde K. V

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Objective: To evaluate different solvent extracts of selected Indian traditional medicinal plant against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, its antioxidant potential and cytotoxicity. Methods: Acacia catechu (L. Willd (Root extract and Ailanthus excelsa Roxb., leaf extracts of Aegle marmelos Corr., Andrographis paniculata Nees. and Datura metel L. were sequentially extracted in water, ethanol, chloroform and hexane and evaluated for their anti-tuberculosis (TB activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis using agar diffusion assay. The zone of inhibition ( at 20 and 40 mg/ ml was measured and MIC were calculated. The results were compared with Rifampicin as a standard anti TB drug. The extracts were also evaluated for DPPH and OH radical scavenging activities to understand their antioxidant potential. MTT based cytotoxicity assay was used for evaluating cytotoxicity of the selected samples against Chang liver cells. Results: The selected botanicals were sequentially extracted in water, ethanol, chloroform and hexane and tested for growth inhibition of M. tuberculosi. The hexane extract of A. catechu root and ethanol extract of A. paniculata leaf showed promising activity against M. tuberculosis while remaining extracts showed moderate anti TB activity. The samples were found to possess considerable DPPH and OH radical scavenging activities with no demonstrable cytotoxicity against Chang liver cells. Conclusions: Five traditional medicinal plants were selected for the present study. The selection of medicinal plants was based on their traditional usage for the treatment of tuberculosis, asthma and chronic respiratory diseases. Herein we report for the first time, the anti TB activity of root extracts of Acacia catechu and Ailanthus excelsa while leaf extract of Andrographis paniculata, Aegle marmelos and Datura metel. The study holds importance in the midst of multi drug resistance (MDR crisis in the TB management, since it unravels the scientific basis

In vitro antioxidation activity and genoprotective effect of selected Chinese medicinal herbs.

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Szeto, Yim Tong; Wong, Shirley Ching Yee; Wong, Julia Wai Ming; Kalle, Wouter; Pak, Sok Cheon

2011-01-01

Some traditional Chinese medicinal seeds and fruits are well known for their antioxidant properties. This research aims to investigate whether Fructus Lycii, Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis, Fructus Ligustri Lucidi and Semen Cuscutae protect DNA from oxidant challenge by hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). The standard comet assay was used to assess the genoprotective effect of these medicinal herbs. Blood was taken from three healthy adults, aged from 36 to 42. Lymphocytes were isolated and treated with different concentrations of aqueous herbal extracts, while controls were treated with phosphate buffered saline. The lymphocytes were stressed with 50 μM H(2)O(2). Treated cells were embedded in agarose and layered on slides. These sandwiched lymphocytes were lysed and afterwards subjected to an electric field in an alkaline environment. Damaged DNA was pulled out from the nucleus towards the positive electrode as a comet tail; its density was related to the degree of DNA damage. Finally, the slides were stained with fluorescence dye and tails were visually scored for 100 cells. The experiment was repeated three times and DNA damage in treated cells was compared to the controls. There was no statistical difference in DNA damage among the herb treated cells and untreated cells in the comet assay. Our data demonstrated that the selected medicinal herbs did not show in vitro DNA protection in the comet assay against oxidant challenge.

In vitro anti-proliferative activity on colon cancer cell line (HT-29) of Thai medicinal plants selected from Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipe database "MANOSROI III".

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Manosroi, Aranya; Akazawa, Hiroyuki; Akihisa, Toshihiro; Jantrawut, Pensak; Kitdamrongtham, Worapong; Manosroi, Worapaka; Manosroi, Jiradej

2015-02-23

Thai/Lanna region has its own folklore wisdoms including the traditional medicinal plant recipes. Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipe database "MANOSROI III" has been developed by Prof. Dr. Jiradej Manosroi. It consists of over 200,000 recipes for all diseases including cancer. To investigate the anti-proliferative and apoptotic activities on human colon cancer cell line (HT-29) as well as the cancer cell selectivity of the methanolic extracts (MEs) and fractions of the 23 selected plants from the "MANOSROI III" database. The 23 selected plants were extracted with methanol under reflux and evaluated for their anti-proliferative activity by sulforhodamine B assay. The 5 plants (Gloriosa superba, Caesalpinia sappan, Fibraurea tinctoria, Ventilago denticulata and Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) with potent anti-proliferative activity were fractionated by liquid-liquid partition to give 4 fractions including each hexane (HF), methanol-water (MF), n-butanol (BF) and water (WF) fractions. They were tested for anti-proliferative activity and cancer cell selectivity. The ME and fractions of G. superba which showed potent anti-proliferative activity were further examined for morphological changes and apoptotic activities by acridine orange (AO)/ethidium bromide (EB) staining. The ME of G. superba root showed active with the highest anti-proliferative activity at 9.17 and 1.58 folds of cisplatin and doxorubicin, respectively. After liquid-liquid partition, HF of V. denticulata, MFs of F. tinctoria, V. denticulata and BF of P. tetragonolobus showed higher anti-proliferative activities than their MEs. The MF of G. superba indicated the highest anti-proliferative activity at 7.73 and 1.34 folds of cisplatin and doxorubicin, respectively, but only 0.86 fold of its ME. The ME and HF, MF and BF of G. superba and MF of F. tinctoria demonstrated high cancer cell selectivity. At 50 µg/ml, ME, HF, MF and BF of G. superba demonstrated higher apoptotic activities than the two standard drugs

Essential oil composition and nutrient analysis of selected medicinal plants in Sultanate of Oman

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Javid Hussain

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Objective: To evaluate the nutrients and essential oils of five medicinal plants, Juniperus excelsa (J. excelsa, Dodonaea viscosa, Euryops pinifolius, Teucrium polium (T. polium, and Helianthemum lippii that were collected from Jabal Al Akhdar, Oman. Methods: Proximate parameters (moisture, dry matter, ash, crude fats, proteins, fibers, nitrogen, carbohydrates, and energy values and nutrient analysis (K, Na, Ca, Fe, P, Mg etc. were evaluated in the five medicinal plants using standard techniques. On the basis of these analysis, T. polium and J. excels were selected for essential oil analysis using a rapid solvent-free microwave extraction method and GC-MS. Results: The results showed that leaves of J. excelsa had highest proportion of crude fats, fibers and energy value while ash was highest in T. polium. J. excelsa was also rich in essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron while the trace elements and heavy metals composition was marginal. A rapid solvent-free microwave extraction method to extract oil from medicinal plants species showed that only T. polium and J. excelsa yielded oil. The chemical composition of essential oils showed higher proportion of delta-3-carene, limonene, β-eudesmol, ledeneoxide (II, α-trans-bergamatene, linalyl acetate and germacrene. Conclusions: J. excelsa and T. polium are a good source of proximate, minerals and essential oils, which can be considered for healthy life besides their medicinal values.

Evaluation of Selected Culinary-Medicinal Mushrooms for Antioxidant and ACE Inhibitory Activities

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Noorlidah Abdullah

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Considering the importance of diet in prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases including hypertension, this study was undertaken to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and ACE inhibitory activities of selected culinary-medicinal mushrooms extracted by boiling in water for 30 min. Antioxidant capacity was measured using the following assays: DPPH free radical scavenging activity, β-carotene bleaching, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, reducing power ability, and cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC. Antioxidant potential of each mushroom species was calculated based on the average percentages relative to quercetin and summarized as Antioxidant Index (AI. Ganoderma lucidum (30.1%, Schizophyllum commune (27.6%, and Hericium erinaceus (17.7% showed relatively high AI. Total phenolics in these mushrooms varied between 6.19 to 63.51 mg GAE/g extract. In the ACE inhibitory assay, G. lucidum was shown to be the most potent species (IC50 = 50 μg/mL. Based on our findings, culinary-medicinal mushrooms can be considered as potential source of dietary antioxidant and ACE inhibitory agents.

Evaluation of Selected Culinary-Medicinal Mushrooms for Antioxidant and ACE Inhibitory Activities

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Abdullah, Noorlidah; Ismail, Siti Marjiana; Aminudin, Norhaniza; Shuib, Adawiyah Suriza; Lau, Beng Fye

2012-01-01

Considering the importance of diet in prevention of oxidative stress-related diseases including hypertension, this study was undertaken to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant and ACE inhibitory activities of selected culinary-medicinal mushrooms extracted by boiling in water for 30 min. Antioxidant capacity was measured using the following assays: DPPH free radical scavenging activity, β-carotene bleaching, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, reducing power ability, and cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC). Antioxidant potential of each mushroom species was calculated based on the average percentages relative to quercetin and summarized as Antioxidant Index (AI). Ganoderma lucidum (30.1%), Schizophyllum commune (27.6%), and Hericium erinaceus (17.7%) showed relatively high AI. Total phenolics in these mushrooms varied between 6.19 to 63.51 mg GAE/g extract. In the ACE inhibitory assay, G. lucidum was shown to be the most potent species (IC50 = 50 μg/mL). Based on our findings, culinary-medicinal mushrooms can be considered as potential source of dietary antioxidant and ACE inhibitory agents. PMID:21716693

Switching from originator brand medicines to generic equivalents in selected developing countries: how much could be saved?

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Cameron, Alexandra; Mantel-Teeuwisse, Aukje K; Leufkens, Hubert G M; Laing, Richard Ogilvie

2012-01-01

In low- and middle-income countries, patients and reimbursement agencies that purchase medicines in the private sector pay more for originator brands when generic equivalents exist. We estimated the savings that could be obtained from a hypothetical switch in medicine consumption from originator brands to lowest-priced generic equivalents for a selection of medicines in 17 countries. In this cost minimization analysis, the prices of originator brands and their lowest-priced generic equivalents were obtained from facility-based surveys conducted by using a standard methodology. Fourteen medicines most commonly included in the surveys, plus three statins, were included in the analysis. For each medicine, the volume of private sector consumption of the originator brand product was obtained from IMS Health, Inc. Volumes were applied to the median unit prices for both originator brands and their lowest-priced generics to estimate cost savings. Prices were adjusted to 2008 by using consumer price index data and were adjusted for purchasing power parity. For the medicines studied, an average of 9% to 89% could be saved by an individual country from a switch in private sector purchases from originator brands to lowest-priced generics. In public hospitals in China, US $ 370 million could be saved from switching only four medicines, saving an average of 65%. Across individual medicines, average potential savings ranged from 11% for beclometasone inhaler to 73% for ceftriaxone injection. Substantial savings could be achieved by switching private sector purchases from originator brand medicines to lowest-priced generic equivalents. Strategies to promote generic uptake, such as generic substitution by pharmacists and increasing confidence in generics by professionals and the public, should be included in national medicines policies. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Medical students, money, and career selection: students' perception of financial factors and remuneration in family medicine.

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Morra, Dante J; Regehr, Glenn; Ginsburg, Shiphra

2009-02-01

Medical students have had a declining interest in family medicine as a career. Some studies have shown a small inverse relationship between debt levels and primary care, but it is unclear how students perceive remuneration in different specialties and how these perceptions might influence career choice. Medical students at one school were surveyed to understand their perceptions of physician remuneration and to gain insight into how these perceptions might affect career selection. Response rate was 72% (560/781 students). Students' estimates of physician income were accurate throughout training, with the overall estimate for family medicine being lower than the actual income by only $10,656. The vast majority of students agreed with the statement that family physicians get paid too little (85%-89% of each class). The importance of payment as a factor in career decision making increased with higher debt and with advancing training. Students are able to accurately predict income by specialty from an early stage of training and have a negative perception of income in family medicine. The perception that family physicians make too little money could be an important driver--or at least a modifier--in the lack of interest in family medicine.

Ideology of Exile and Problematic of Globalization in Al Baraduni's Poetry

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Rashad Mohammed Moqbel Al Areqi

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Exile and Globalization are two postcolonial terms that reflect the reality of the communities and the influence of such terms on the lives of the people inside or outside their communities. Exile and globalization have gained special concern in the poetry of Abdullah Al Baraduni, a Yemeni poet. The article traces the influence of such terms upon the lives of Yemenis through two selected poems of Al Baraduni. Both terms would lead one of them to the other; in exile, the person would be distanced from his culture, language, tradition, religion and separated from his community, as a result, the person will be permeated by the global cultures that do not recognize any cultural or social restrictions on the other aspects of lives. Al Baraduni reflects a live picture of the Yemeni community in particular and the Arab community in general and how the person feels exiled in his/her country. Globalization makes the international communities get smaller and establishes many crossroads in their daily lives. Through these two postcolonial terms and through two poems of Al Baraduni, the article addresses these two concepts in Al Baraduni's poetry and how he depicts their influence upon the community in very attractive image, using brilliantly metaphorical images and interesting expressions that make exile and globalization as unavoidable terms in the lives of Arab people. Al Baraduni explicates the influence of exile and globalization upon the Yemeni lives in particular and the Arab world in general. It is inescapable influence reflected in all aspects of daily lives.

Survey on the availability, price and affordability of selected essential medicines for non-communicable diseases in community pharmacies of Kathmandu valley.

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Shrestha, Rajeev; Ghale, Anish; Chapagain, Bijay Raj; Gyawali, Mahasagar; Acharya, Trishna

2017-01-01

The access to essential medicines for non-communicable disease treatment is unacceptably low worldwide. The fundamental right to health cannot be fulfilled without equitable access to essential medicines. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 94 community pharmacies of Kathmandu valley. Non-probability quota sampling method was adopted for the purpose. Village Development Committees with more than 5000 populations were included in the study. The availability of the selected essential medicines, their price and producer identity were observed. Data entry and analysis were carried out in Microsoft Excel and Statistical package for social science. The availability of the essential medicines was not 100% in Kathmandu valley. High competition and high price variation were seen in metformin 500 mg (254.6%) and atorvastatin 10 mg (327.6%). The study showed that maximum (54.7%) brands were manufactured in Nepal. Furthermore, atorvastatin 10 mg (0.6 day wage) was found to be quite expensive, and glibenclamide 5 mg (0.1 day wage) was the cheapest one for diabetes mellitus treatment for 1 month of treatment period compared to daily wages of other essential medicines. The availability of the selected essential medicines was found to be ununiform and insufficient in the entire region. High competition was observed in the products with high price variation, and the access to cost-effective brand was poor. Furthermore, it was found that government salary is affordable to treat non-communicable disease with the help of the essential medicines.

Selectivity on-target of bromodomain chemical probes by structure-guided medicinal chemistry and chemical biology.

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Galdeano, Carles; Ciulli, Alessio

2016-09-01

Targeting epigenetic proteins is a rapidly growing area for medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in developing small molecules binding to bromodomains, the readers of acetyl-lysine modifications. A plethora of co-crystal structures has motivated focused fragment-based design and optimization programs within both industry and academia. These efforts have yielded several compounds entering the clinic, and many more are increasingly being used as chemical probes to interrogate bromodomain biology. High selectivity of chemical probes is necessary to ensure biological activity is due to an on-target effect. Here, we review the state-of-the-art of bromodomain-targeting compounds, focusing on the structural basis for their on-target selectivity or lack thereof. We also highlight chemical biology approaches to enhance on-target selectivity.

In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Spices and Medicinal Herbs against Selected Microbes Associated with Juices

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Romika Dhiman

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In the present investigation, comparison of antimicrobial activities of different spices, Curcuma longa, Zingiber officinale, and Mentha arvensis, and medicinal herbs, such as Withania somnifera, Rauvolfia serpentina, Emblica officinalis, Terminalia arjuna, and Centella asiatica, was evaluated. Different extraction solvents (acetone, methanol, ethanol, and water were used and extracts were examined against Bacillus cereus, Serratia sp., Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Aspergillus flavus, and Penicillium citrinum isolated from juices. Extracts from the medicinal herb and spices have significant activity. B. cereus was the most sensitive and R. mucilaginosa was the most resistant among the microorganisms tested. Ethanolic and methanolic extract of C. asiatica displayed maximum diameter of inhibition zone against bacteria and yeast and percentage mycelial inhibition against moulds. This study confirmed the potential of selected extracts of spices as effective natural food preservative in juices.

In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Spices and Medicinal Herbs against Selected Microbes Associated with Juices

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Dhiman, Romika; Aggarwal, Neeraj; Aneja, Kamal Rai; Kaur, Manpreet

2016-01-01

In the present investigation, comparison of antimicrobial activities of different spices, Curcuma longa, Zingiber officinale, and Mentha arvensis, and medicinal herbs, such as Withania somnifera, Rauvolfia serpentina, Emblica officinalis, Terminalia arjuna, and Centella asiatica, was evaluated. Different extraction solvents (acetone, methanol, ethanol, and water) were used and extracts were examined against Bacillus cereus, Serratia sp., Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Aspergillus flavus, and Penicillium citrinum isolated from juices. Extracts from the medicinal herb and spices have significant activity. B. cereus was the most sensitive and R. mucilaginosa was the most resistant among the microorganisms tested. Ethanolic and methanolic extract of C. asiatica displayed maximum diameter of inhibition zone against bacteria and yeast and percentage mycelial inhibition against moulds. This study confirmed the potential of selected extracts of spices as effective natural food preservative in juices. PMID:26880927

A bioinformatics approach for precision medicine off-label drug drug selection among triple negative breast cancer patients.

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Cheng, Lijun; Schneider, Bryan P; Li, Lang

2016-07-01

Cancer has been extensively characterized on the basis of genomics. The integration of genetic information about cancers with data on how the cancers respond to target based therapy to help to optimum cancer treatment. The increasing usage of sequencing technology in cancer research and clinical practice has enormously advanced our understanding of cancer mechanisms. The cancer precision medicine is becoming a reality. Although off-label drug usage is a common practice in treating cancer, it suffers from the lack of knowledge base for proper cancer drug selections. This eminent need has become even more apparent considering the upcoming genomics data. In this paper, a personalized medicine knowledge base is constructed by integrating various cancer drugs, drug-target database, and knowledge sources for the proper cancer drugs and their target selections. Based on the knowledge base, a bioinformatics approach for cancer drugs selection in precision medicine is developed. It integrates personal molecular profile data, including copy number variation, mutation, and gene expression. By analyzing the 85 triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patient data in the Cancer Genome Altar, we have shown that 71.7% of the TNBC patients have FDA approved drug targets, and 51.7% of the patients have more than one drug target. Sixty-five drug targets are identified as TNBC treatment targets and 85 candidate drugs are recommended. Many existing TNBC candidate targets, such as Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase 1 (PARP1), Cell division protein kinase 6 (CDK6), epidermal growth factor receptor, etc., were identified. On the other hand, we found some additional targets that are not yet fully investigated in the TNBC, such as Gamma-Glutamyl Hydrolase (GGH), Thymidylate Synthetase (TYMS), Protein Tyrosine Kinase 6 (PTK6), Topoisomerase (DNA) I, Mitochondrial (TOP1MT), Smoothened, Frizzled Class Receptor (SMO), etc. Our additional analysis of target and drug selection strategy is also fully

Evaluation of an ethnopharmacologically selected Bhutanese medicinal plants for their major classes of phytochemicals and biological activities.

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Wangchuk, Phurpa; Keller, Paul A; Pyne, Stephen G; Taweechotipatr, Malai; Tonsomboon, Aunchalee; Rattanajak, Roonglawan; Kamchonwongpaisan, Sumalee

2011-09-01

As many as 229 medicinal plants have been currently used in the Bhutanese Traditional Medicine (BTM) as a chief ingredient of polyherbal formulations and these plants have been individually indicated for treating various types of infections including malaria, tumor, and microbial. We have focused our study only on seven species of these plants. We aim to evaluate the antiplasmodial, antimicrobial, anti-Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and cytotoxicity activities of the seven medicinal plants of Bhutan selected using an ethno-directed bio-rational approach. This study creates a scientific basis for their use in the BTM and gives foundation for further phytochemical and biological evaluations which can result in the discovery of new drug lead compounds. A three stage process was conducted which consisted of: (1) an assessment of a pharmacopoeia and a formulary book of the BTM for their mode of plant uses; (2) selecting 25 anti-infective medicinal plants based on the five established criteria, collecting them, and screening for their major classes of phytochemicals using appropriate test protocols; and (3) finally analyzing the crude extracts of the seven medicinal plants, using the standard test protocols, for their antiplasmodial, antimicrobial, anti-Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and cytotoxicity activities as directed by the ethnopharmacological uses of each plant. Out of 25 medicinal plants screened for their major classes of phytochemicals, the majority contained tannins, alkaloids and flavonoids. Out of the seven plant species investigated for their biological activities, all seven of them exhibited mild antimicrobial properties, five plants gave significant in vitro antiplasmodial activities, two plants gave moderate anti-Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense activity, and one plant showed mild cytotoxicity. Meconopsis simplicifolia showed the highest antiplasmodial activity with IC(50) values of 0.40 μg/ml against TM4/8.2 strain (a wild type chloroquine and

Selective Access to Heterocyclic Sulfonamides and Sulfonyl Fluorides via a Parallel Medicinal Chemistry Enabled Method.

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Tucker, Joseph W; Chenard, Lois; Young, Joseph M

2015-11-09

A sulfur-functionalized aminoacrolein derivative is used for the efficient and selective synthesis of heterocyclic sulfonyl chlorides, sulfonyl fluorides, and sulfonamides. The development of a 3-step parallel medicinal chemistry (PMC) protocol for the synthesis of pyrazole-4-sulfonamides effectively demonstrates the utility of this reagent. This reactivity was expanded to provide rapid access to other heterocyclic sulfonyl fluorides, including pyrimidines and pyridines, whose corresponding sulfonyl chlorides lack suitable chemical stability.

Science achievement of students in the Republic of Yemen and implications for improvement of science instruction

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Ismail, Nageeb Kassem

The purpose of this study was to establish a research base from which strategies could be developed for improving science education in Yemen. The study measured the achievement in general science of Yemeni students attending primary, preparatory, and secondary schools, and their counterparts attending three- or five-year education programs in primary teacher training institutions. A sample of 1,984 students from six major cities in Yemen was given the Second International Science Study test in May 1988. Achievement scores of these selected groups were compared. The mean achievement in general science was 11.93 for science track students, 9.21 for three-year teacher training institution students, and 8.49 for five-year teacher training institution students. These mean scores were based on a total of 35 items. This low level of achievement was further verified by making comparisons of the achievement of selected groups from Yemeni high schools in six cities with each other. The following factors were measured in this study: location, grade level, gender and type of science program studied. Selected groups from Yemeni high schools were also compared to their peers in other nations. The researcher compared students of the science track and teacher training institutions to their counterparts in 13 nations and students of the literature track to their counterparts in eight nations. Fifth and ninth grade students' scores were compared with the scores of their counterparts in 15 and 17 nations respectively. In every comparison, every Yemeni group ranked at the bottom of the achievement list. (Jacobson W., & Doran, R. 1988) The outcomes of this research indicate the profound need for improving science programs in all grade levels in Yemen. The research recommendations for improvement in science education in Yemen fall into four areas: a change in attitudes toward education, a change in teacher education, a change in classroom conditions, and a change in educational

[Diagnosis and treatment in general internal medicine. Curriculum selection].

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Casal, E R; Vázquez, E N; Husni, C

1994-01-01

In our country general internists are the providers of adult medical care in urban areas. In the past twenty years, with the increasing subspecialization within internal medicine and the development of advances in technology, the role of the general internist seems to be endangered. Recently much attention has been focused on this area and Divisions and Programs of General Internal Medicine have been established in most medical schools in the USA. The University of Buenos Aires instituted a Program of General Internal Medicine in its major teaching hospital in 1987. One of its purposes was to offer an educational experience to residents in the field of internal medicine primary care. This paper summarizes how this program was carried out and the subjects proposed in the area of Diagnosis and Treatment. The Program of General Internal Medicine is performed in the Outpatient Division and it is staffed by 3 faculty members and 4 fellows. Residents in Internal Medicine have a three month, full-time block rotation in the Program. A young, city dwelling, lower middle class population participates in the Program, with almost 10000 visits a year. The Program offers an experience that includes supervised patient care, an average of 100 office visits a month, and seminars and/or workshops covering topics of "Diagnosis and Treatment", "Case Presentations", "Clinical Epidemiology", "Prevention", and "Doctor-Patient Interview". In the area of Diagnosis and Treatment, the criteria used were: 1-frequency of diagnosis as determined by previous investigations, 2-relevant clinical conditions absent from the frequency list as determined by a consensus process by faculty members.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The multiple mini-interview for emergency medicine resident selection.

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Hopson, Laura R; Burkhardt, John C; Stansfield, R Brent; Vohra, Taher; Turner-Lawrence, Danielle; Losman, Eve D

2014-04-01

The Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) uses multiple, short-structured contacts to evaluate communication and professionalism. It predicts medical school success better than the traditional interview and application. Its acceptability and utility in emergency medicine (EM) residency selection are unknown. We theorized that participants would judge the MMI equal to a traditional unstructured interview and it would provide new information for candidate assessment. Seventy-one interns from 3 programs in the first month of training completed an eight-station MMI focused on EM topics. Pre- and post-surveys assessed reactions. MMI scores were compared with application data. EM grades correlated with MMI performance (F[1, 66] = 4.18; p interview (mean difference = 1.36; p interview and MMI) was preferred over a MMI alone (mean difference = 1.1; p interview, participants were receptive to a mixed-methods interview. The MMI does correlate with performance on the EM clerkship and therefore can measure important abilities for EM success. Future work will determine whether MMI performance predicts residency performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification of the chemical constituents of Chinese medicine Yi-Xin-Shu capsule by molecular feature orientated precursor ion selection and tandem mass spectrometry structure elucidation.

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Wang, Hong-ping; Chen, Chang; Liu, Yan; Yang, Hong-Jun; Wu, Hong-Wei; Xiao, Hong-Bin

2015-11-01

The incomplete identification of the chemical components of traditional Chinese medicinal formula has been one of the bottlenecks in the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine. Tandem mass spectrometry has been widely used for the identification of chemical substances. Current automatic tandem mass spectrometry acquisition, where precursor ions were selected according to their signal intensity, encounters a drawback in chemical substances identification when samples contain many overlapping signals. Compounds in minor or trace amounts could not be identified because most tandem mass spectrometry information was lost. Herein, a molecular feature orientated precursor ion selection and tandem mass spectrometry structure elucidation method for complex Chinese medicine chemical constituent analysis was developed. The precursor ions were selected according to their two-dimensional characteristics of retention times and mass-to-charge ratio ranges from herbal compounds, so that all precursor ions from herbal compounds were included and more minor chemical constituents in Chinese medicine were identified. Compared to the conventional automatic tandem mass spectrometry setups, the approach is novel and can overcome the drawback for chemical substances identification. As an example, 276 compounds from the Chinese Medicine of Yi-Xin-Shu capsule were identified. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Soil-to-plant transfer factors of natural radionuclides (226Ra and 40K) in selected Thai medicinal plants.

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Saenboonruang, Kiadtisak; Phonchanthuek, Endu; Prasandee, Kamonkhuan

2018-04-01

A soil-to-plant transfer factor (TF) is an important parameter that could be used to estimate radionuclides levels in medicinal plants. This work reports concentrations of natural radionuclides ( 226 Ra and 40 K) and TFs in six Thai medicinal plants grown in central Thailand using an HPGe gamma ray spectrometer. Either root, leaf, or flower parts of each medicinal plant were selected for use in the investigation according to their practical uses in traditional medicine. The results showed that due to K being essential in plants, 40 K had higher arithmetic means of activity concentrations and geometric means of TFs (geometric standard deviations in parentheses) of 610 ± 260 Bq kg -1 dry weight (DW) and 2.0 (1.4), respectively, than 226 Ra, which had the activity concentrations and TFs of 4.8 ± 2.6 Bq kg -1 DW and 0.17 (1.8), respectively. The results also showed that the leaves of medicinal plants had higher activity concentrations and TFs than root and flower parts, probably due to higher metabolic activities in leaves. Furthermore, there was good agreement between the results from the current work and other similar reports on medicinal plants. The information obtained from this work could strengthen knowledge of natural radionuclides in plants and particularly increase available TF data on Thai medicinal plants. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Precision medicine and traditional chinese medicine of dialogue

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Lou Xin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The precision medicine is more precise individualized medicine, based on the patient’s genes or physiological to formulate the specific treatment plan, for the realization of individualized treatment of various diseases to provide valuable information.But with the progress of modern science and technology, modern medicine dependence on medical instruments are too serious, traditional ways are gradually forgotten.If the machine depends on the instrument test results too serious which don’t combined with the actual diagnosis, the cause of misdiagnosis, so we should pay attention to the overall analysis of diseases and systematic diagnosis and examination, use of the overall treatment concept traced back to find the cause of Traditional Chinese Medicine, finally decide to select a best treatment plan.We should use the dialectical attitude to look at the precise medical. Not blindly requirements according to the road of precision medicine of Traditional Chinese Medicine to go, to shine in himself field, form of self characteristic of Traditional Chinese Medicine.Can learn some of the advantages of accurate concept, the good and rejecting the bad, hope the Traditional Chinese Medicine in the modern environment more walk more far.

Potent anti-proliferative effects against oral and cervical cancers of Thai medicinal plants selected from the Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipe database "MANOSROI III".

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Manosroi, Aranya; Akazawa, Hiroyuki; Pattamapun, Kassara; Kitdamrongtham, Worapong; Akihisa, Toshihiro; Manosroi, Worapaka; Manosroi, Jiradej

2015-07-01

Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipes have been used for the treatment of several diseases including oral and cervical cancers. To investigate anti-proliferative activity on human cervical (HeLa) and oral (KB) cancer cell lines of medicinal plants selected from Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipe database "MANOSROI III". Twenty-three methanolic plant crude extracts were tested for phytochemicals and anti-proliferative activity on HeLa and KB cell lines for 24 h by the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay at the doses of 1 × 10(1)-1 × 10(-6 )mg/ml. The nine extracts with the concentrations giving 50% growth inhibition (GI50) lower than 100 µg/ml were further semi-purified by liquid/liquid partition in order to evaluate and enhance the anti-proliferative potency. All extracts contained steroids/triterpenoids, but not xanthones. The methanolic extracts of Gloriosa superba L. (Colchinaceae) root and Albizia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr. (Leguminosae-Mimosoideae) wood gave the highest anti-proliferative activity on HeLa and KB cell lines with the GI50 values of 0.91 (6.0- and 0.31-fold of cisplatin and doxorubicin) and 0.16 µg/ml (28.78- and 82.29-fold of cisplatin and doxorubicin), respectively. Hexane and methanol-water fractions of G. superba exhibited the highest anti-proliferative activity on HeLa and KB cell lines with the GI50 values of 0.15 (37- and 1.9-fold of cisplatin and doxorubicin) and 0.058 µg/ml (77.45- and 221.46-fold of cisplatin and doxorubicin), respectively. This study has demonstrated the potential of plants selected from MANOSROI III database especially G. superba and A. chinensis for further development as anti-oral and cervical cancer agents.

Positive Selection Driving Cytoplasmic Genome Evolution of the Medicinally Important Ginseng Plant Genus Panax.

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Jiang, Peng; Shi, Feng-Xue; Li, Ming-Rui; Liu, Bao; Wen, Jun; Xiao, Hong-Xing; Li, Lin-Feng

2018-01-01

Panax L. (the ginseng genus) is a shade-demanding group within the family Araliaceae and all of its species are of crucial significance in traditional Chinese medicine. Phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses demonstrated that two rounds of whole genome duplications accompanying with geographic and ecological isolations promoted the diversification of Panax species. However, contributions of the cytoplasmic genomes to the adaptive evolution of Panax species remained largely uninvestigated. In this study, we sequenced the chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes of 11 accessions belonging to seven Panax species. Our results show that heterogeneity in nucleotide substitution rate is abundant in both of the two cytoplasmic genomes, with the mitochondrial genome possessing more variants at the total level but the chloroplast showing higher sequence polymorphisms at the genic regions. Genome-wide scanning of positive selection identified five and 12 genes from the chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes, respectively. Functional analyses further revealed that these selected genes play important roles in plant development, cellular metabolism and adaptation. We therefore conclude that positive selection might be one of the potential evolutionary forces that shaped nucleotide variation pattern of these Panax species. In particular, the mitochondrial genes evolved under stronger selective pressure compared to the chloroplast genes.

EVOLUTIONARY FOUNDATIONS FOR MOLECULAR MEDICINE

Science.gov (United States)

Nesse, Randolph M.; Ganten, Detlev; Gregory, T. Ryan; Omenn, Gilbert S.

2015-01-01

Evolution has long provided a foundation for population genetics, but many major advances in evolutionary biology from the 20th century are only now being applied in molecular medicine. They include the distinction between proximate and evolutionary explanations, kin selection, evolutionary models for cooperation, and new strategies for tracing phylogenies and identifying signals of selection. Recent advances in genomics are further transforming evolutionary biology and creating yet more opportunities for progress at the interface of evolution with genetics, medicine, and public health. This article reviews 15 evolutionary principles and their applications in molecular medicine in hopes that readers will use them and others to speed the development of evolutionary molecular medicine. PMID:22544168

Prevalence and patterns of prenatal use of traditional medicine among women at selected harare clinics: a cross-sectional study

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Mureyi Dudzai D

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Prenatal use of traditional medicine or complementary and alternative medicine is widespread globally despite the lack of evidence of the effectiveness of these therapeutic options. Documentation on the prevalence and patterns of this maternal practice in the Zimbabwean setting was also lacking. Methods A cross sectional survey of 248 women at selected health centres in Harare was carried out to address the need for such data using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Results Fifty-two (52% (95% C.I. 44%-60% of the participants reported to have used at least one traditional medicine intervention during the third trimester of their most recent pregnancy to induce labour, avoid perineal tearing and improve the safety of their delivery process. The study found prenatal use of traditional medicine to be significantly associated with nulliparity and nulligravidity. Such practice was also significant among participants residing in a particular high density suburb located in close proximity to informal traders of traditional medicines. Prenatal traditional medicine use was not significantly linked to experiencing an obstetrics-related adverse event. Instead, participants who reported not using any traditional medicine during pregnancy reported experiencing significantly more adverse events, mainly perineal tearing during delivery. Conclusions The practice of prenatal use of traditional medicine was significant in the study setting, with a prevalence of 52%. A variety of products were used in various dosage forms for differing indications. Nulliparity, nulligavidity and possible accessibility of these products were the factors significantly associated with prenatal use of traditional medicine. Prenatal use of traditional medicine was not significantly associated with any obstetric adverse event.

Selected topical agents used in Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of minor injuries- a review

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Ping Chung eLEUNG

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Topical medicinal patches have been popular for the treatment of minor injuries like sprains and avulsions. Other inflammatory conditions like chronic musculo-tendinous pain and or fasciitis are also taken care of by local ointments or rubs. In the oriental communities, medicinal herbs frequently form the major components of the patches.In spite of the lack of scientific evidence of efficacy, the popularity of such traditional application persists for centuries.In this era of evidence-based clinical treatment, there is an urgent need to look into this traditional practice. The purpose should include a scientific verification of the efficacy of the practice, and once proven, further explorations would be indicated to bring the practice to a higher level.A system of comprehensive exploration was proposed and practiced in the past years to fulfill the aspiration. The research consisted of four areas:(1Identification of the suitable medicinal herbs for the topical study;(2Study of the biological activities of the selected herbs, concentrating on the areas of anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, angiogenesis and cellular proliferation;(3Study on the transcutaneous transport of the chemicals of the selected herbs to deeper tissues; and(4Pilot clinical studies on common superficial inflammatory musculo-skeletal conditions to give objective clinical evidences to the topical applications.Five herbs were identified as suitable candidates of study. They were put into relevant laboratory platforms and were proven to be anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic. Three of the herbs were prepared as topical patches with an enhancer and used to treat three common ailments in pilot clinical trials, viz., plantar fasciitis, undisplaced metatarsal fracture and tendonitis of the wrist (de-Quervain’s disease and the elbow (Tennis elbow. The clinical results of the pilot studies were very positive.It is therefore concluded that further explorations are

[Medicine in sports or sport medicine?] ].

Science.gov (United States)

Heimer, S; Tonković-Lojović, M

2001-01-01

Sports medicine is a profession pertaining to primary health care of sport population (competitors, coaches, referees, participants in sports recreation). It embraces the physical and mental health protection and promotion of participants in relation to a particular sport activity and sport environment, directing athletes to a sport and adapting them to sport and the sport to them. Sports medicine takes part in selection procedure, training process planning and programming, and cares for epidemiological, hygienic, nutritional and other problems in sport. The Republic of Croatia belongs to those world states in which the field of sports medicine is regulated neither by a law or by profession. A consequence is that wide circle of physicians and paramedics work in clubs and various medical units without any legal or/and professional control not being adequately educated nor having licence for it. This review is an appeal to the Croatian Medical Chamber and the Ministry of Health to make efforts to promote the education and medical profession in sports medicine.

Cardioprotective and Metabolomic Profiling of Selected Medicinal Plants against Oxidative Stress

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Nadia Afsheen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In this research work, the antioxidant and metabolomic profiling of seven selected medicinally important herbs including Rauvolfia serpentina, Terminalia arjuna, Coriandrum sativum, Elettaria cardamom, Piper nigrum, Allium sativum, and Crataegus oxyacantha was performed. The in vivo cardioprotective potential of these medicinal plants was evaluated against surgically induced oxidative stress through left anterior descending coronary artery ligation (LADCA in dogs. The antioxidant profiling of these plants was done through DPPH and DNA protection assay. The C. oxyacantha and T. arjuna showed maximum antioxidant potential, while the E. cardamom showed poor antioxidative strength even at its high concentration. Different concentrations of extracts of the said plants exhibited the protection of plasmid DNA against H2O2 damage as compared to the plasmid DNA merely treated with H2O2. The metabolomic profiling through LC-MS analysis of these antioxidants revealed the presence of active secondary metabolites responsible for their antioxidant potential. During in vivo analysis, blood samples of all treatment groups were drawn at different time intervals to analyze the cardiac and hemodynamic parameters. The results depicted that the group pretreated with HC4 significantly sustained the level of CK-MB, SGOT, and LDH as well as hemodynamic parameters near to normal. The histopathological examination also confirmed the cardioprotective potential of HC4. Thus, the HC4 being safe and inexpensive cardioprotective herbal combination could be considered as an alternate of synthetic drugs.

Cardioprotective and Metabolomic Profiling of Selected Medicinal Plants against Oxidative Stress

Science.gov (United States)

Afsheen, Nadia; Jahan, Nazish; Ijaz, Misbah; Manzoor, Asad; Khan, Khalid Mahmood; Hina, Saman

2018-01-01

In this research work, the antioxidant and metabolomic profiling of seven selected medicinally important herbs including Rauvolfia serpentina, Terminalia arjuna, Coriandrum sativum, Elettaria cardamom, Piper nigrum, Allium sativum, and Crataegus oxyacantha was performed. The in vivo cardioprotective potential of these medicinal plants was evaluated against surgically induced oxidative stress through left anterior descending coronary artery ligation (LADCA) in dogs. The antioxidant profiling of these plants was done through DPPH and DNA protection assay. The C. oxyacantha and T. arjuna showed maximum antioxidant potential, while the E. cardamom showed poor antioxidative strength even at its high concentration. Different concentrations of extracts of the said plants exhibited the protection of plasmid DNA against H2O2 damage as compared to the plasmid DNA merely treated with H2O2. The metabolomic profiling through LC-MS analysis of these antioxidants revealed the presence of active secondary metabolites responsible for their antioxidant potential. During in vivo analysis, blood samples of all treatment groups were drawn at different time intervals to analyze the cardiac and hemodynamic parameters. The results depicted that the group pretreated with HC4 significantly sustained the level of CK-MB, SGOT, and LDH as well as hemodynamic parameters near to normal. The histopathological examination also confirmed the cardioprotective potential of HC4. Thus, the HC4 being safe and inexpensive cardioprotective herbal combination could be considered as an alternate of synthetic drugs. PMID:29576858

32nd National Medicinal Chemistry Symposium--medicinal chemistry developments for neurodegeneration, diabetes and cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Gater, Deborah

2010-08-01

The 32nd National Medicinal Chemistry Symposium, held in Minneapolis, MN, USA, included topics covering new developments in the field of medicinal chemistry. This conference report highlights selected presentations on NR2B subtype-selective NMDA receptor antagonists from Merck; selective neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitors from Northwestern University; novel GPR119 agonists, suchas GSK-1292263A (GlaxoSmithKline plc), PSN-821 ((OSI) Prosidion) and MBX-2982 (Metabolex Inc); a small-molecule Bcl inhibitor,navitoclax (Abbott Laboratories); and p53-targeting agents from sanofi-aventis and Ascenta Therapeutics Inc, including AT-219.

The Quality of Selected Essential Medicines Sold in Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets and Pharmacies in Tanzania.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaale, Eliangiringa; Manyanga, Vicky; Chambuso, Mhina; Liana, Jafary; Rutta, Edmund; Embrey, Martha; Layloff, Thomas; Johnson, Keith

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of a select group of medicines sold in accredited drug dispensing outlets (ADDOs) and pharmacies in different regions of Tanzania as part of an in-depth cross-sectional assessment of community access to medicines and community use of medicines. We collected 242 samples of amoxicillin trihydrate, artemether-lumefantrine (ALu), co-trimoxazole, ergometrine maleate, paracetamol, and quinine from selected ADDOs and pharmacies in Mbeya, Morogoro, Singida, and Tanga regions. The analysis included physical examination and testing with validated analytical techniques. Assays for eight of nine products were conducted using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). For ALu tablets, we used a two-tiered approach, where tier 1 was a semi-quantitative Global Pharma Health Fund-Minilab® method and tier 2 was high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as described in The International Pharmacopoeia's monograph for artemether-lumefantrine. The physical examination of samples revealed no defects in the solid and oral liquid dosage forms, but unusual discoloration in an injectable solution, ergometrine maleate. For ALu, the results showed that of 38 samples, 31 (81.6%) passed tier 1 testing and 7 (18.4%) gave inconclusive drug content results. The inconclusive ALu samples were submitted for tier 2 testing and all met the quality standards. The pass rate using the HPTLC and TLC/HPLC assays was 93.8%; the failures were the ergometrine maleate samples purchased from both ADDOs and pharmacies. The disintegration testing of the solid dosage forms was conducted in accordance with US Pharmacopeia monographs. Only two samples of paracetamol, 1.2% of the solid dosage forms, failed to comply to standards. The study revealed a high overall rate of 92.6% of samples that met the quality standards. Although the overall failure rate was 7.4%, it is important to note that this was largely limited to one product and likely due to

The Quality of Selected Essential Medicines Sold in Accredited Drug Dispensing Outlets and Pharmacies in Tanzania.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eliangiringa Kaale

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of a select group of medicines sold in accredited drug dispensing outlets (ADDOs and pharmacies in different regions of Tanzania as part of an in-depth cross-sectional assessment of community access to medicines and community use of medicines.We collected 242 samples of amoxicillin trihydrate, artemether-lumefantrine (ALu, co-trimoxazole, ergometrine maleate, paracetamol, and quinine from selected ADDOs and pharmacies in Mbeya, Morogoro, Singida, and Tanga regions. The analysis included physical examination and testing with validated analytical techniques. Assays for eight of nine products were conducted using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC. For ALu tablets, we used a two-tiered approach, where tier 1 was a semi-quantitative Global Pharma Health Fund-Minilab® method and tier 2 was high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC as described in The International Pharmacopoeia's monograph for artemether-lumefantrine.The physical examination of samples revealed no defects in the solid and oral liquid dosage forms, but unusual discoloration in an injectable solution, ergometrine maleate. For ALu, the results showed that of 38 samples, 31 (81.6% passed tier 1 testing and 7 (18.4% gave inconclusive drug content results. The inconclusive ALu samples were submitted for tier 2 testing and all met the quality standards. The pass rate using the HPTLC and TLC/HPLC assays was 93.8%; the failures were the ergometrine maleate samples purchased from both ADDOs and pharmacies. The disintegration testing of the solid dosage forms was conducted in accordance with US Pharmacopeia monographs. Only two samples of paracetamol, 1.2% of the solid dosage forms, failed to comply to standards. The study revealed a high overall rate of 92.6% of samples that met the quality standards. Although the overall failure rate was 7.4%, it is important to note that this was largely limited to one product and

Holistic pediatric veterinary medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Pesch, Lisa

2014-03-01

Holistic veterinary medicine treats the whole patient including all physical and behavioral signs. The root cause of disease is treated at the same time as accompanying clinical signs. Herbal and nutritional supplements can help support tissue healing and proper organ functioning, thereby reducing the tendency of disease progression over time. Proper selection of homeopathic remedies is based on detailed evaluation of clinical signs. Herbal medicines are selected based on organ(s) affected and the physiologic nature of the imbalance. Many herbal and nutraceutical companies provide support for veterinarians, assisting with proper formula selection, dosing, drug interactions, and contraindications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Safranbolu İlçesinde Yemeni Yapımı Kerchief Making In Safranbolu Sub-Province

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Melda ÖZDEMİR

2013-07-01

Full Text Available In the study, it is aimed to search and document the fabrication ofthe kerchiefs which is finitely maintained today in Safranbolu subprovince.The information about the tools and instruments, fabricationphases of the kerchief coming from the manufacturer are explained bysupporting with photographs.One of those provinces is Safranbolu sub-province in the Blacksea Region. Safranbolu is the greatest and the most developed subprovinceof the Karabük Province. It is 200 km north of Ankara and 100km south of the Black Sea. It is 8 km north of the Karabük center.It becomes important the handcrafts and products whichdisappeared since they lost their functionalities or changed theirfunctions today before they completely disappear to document andconvey to the next generations.One of the most important areas of use of the leather is the shoemaking.The handmade shoe fabrication which was very separatein Anatolia and had common fabrication features before it was defeatedwith the mechanization; however, it is maintained in a few provinces bya few craftsmen.Handicrafts are the liveliest documents of a nation’s cultural personalitylike the folkloric arts. The art of leather that is one of the handicrafts has a veryimportant place in Turkish culture and art in terms of its technique, material,ornamentation, color and pattern. Turks have enormously contributed to thedevelopment and progression of the leather and art of leather in the world. Theleather samples which have been conveyed from generation to generation in themuseum, library and collections are very important since they indicate the highertechnical capacity, sense of art and creativity of Turks. Bu çalışmada Safranbolu ilçesinde günümüzde sınırlıda olsa sürdürülen yemeni üretimini incelemek ve belgelemek amaçlanmıştır. Yemeni yapımında kullanılan araç-gereç, üretim aşamaları hakkında üreticisinden sağlanan bilgiler, fotoğraflarla desteklenerek a

Precision Medicine and Men's Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Mata, Douglas A; Katchi, Farhan M; Ramasamy, Ranjith

2017-07-01

Precision medicine can greatly benefit men's health by helping to prevent, diagnose, and treat prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, infertility, hypogonadism, and erectile dysfunction. For example, precision medicine can facilitate the selection of men at high risk for prostate cancer for targeted prostate-specific antigen screening and chemoprevention administration, as well as assist in identifying men who are resistant to medical therapy for prostatic hyperplasia, who may instead require surgery. Precision medicine-trained clinicians can also let couples know whether their specific cause of infertility should be bypassed by sperm extraction and in vitro fertilization to prevent abnormalities in their offspring. Though precision medicine's role in the management of hypogonadism has yet to be defined, it could be used to identify biomarkers associated with individual patients' responses to treatment so that appropriate therapy can be prescribed. Last, precision medicine can improve erectile dysfunction treatment by identifying genetic polymorphisms that regulate response to medical therapies and by aiding in the selection of patients for further cardiovascular disease screening.

Examination of antimicrobial activity of selected non-antibiotic medicinal preparations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kruszewska, Hanna; Zareba, Tomasz; Tyski, Stefan

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to detect and characterize the antimicrobial activity of non-antibiotic drugs, selected from the pharmaceutical products analyzed during the state control performed in National Medicines Institute, Warszawa, Poland. In 2010, over 90 pharmaceutical preparations have been randomly chosen from different groups of drugs. The surveillance study was performed on standard ATCC microbial strains used for drug control: S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans. It was shown that the drugs listed below inhibited growth of at least one of the examined strains: Arketis 20 mg tab. (paroxetine), Buvasodil 150 mg tab. (buflomedile), Halidor 100 mg tab. (bencyclane), Hydroxyzinum espefa 25 mg tab. (hydroxyzine), Norifaz 35 mg tab. (risedronate), Strattera 60 mg cap. (atomoxetine), Tamiflu 75 mg tab. (oseltamivir), Valpro-ratiopharm Chrono 300 mg tab. with longer dissolution (valproate), Vetminth oral paste 24 g+3 g/100 mL (niclozamide, oxybendazol). Strattera cap. showed broad activity spectrum. It inhibited growth of all examined strains (MIC of active substance -- atomoxetine ranged between 2.6-13 mg/mL).

Herbal Prescriptions and Medicinal Herbs for Parkinson-Related Rigidity in Korean Medicine: Identification of Candidates Using Text Mining.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, So Hyun; Hwang, Min Seob; Park, Hye Jin; Shin, Hwa Kyoung; Baek, Jin Ung; Choi, Byung Tae

2018-03-27

Dongeuibogam (DongYiBaoGian), one of the most important books in Korean medicine, comprises a comprehensive summary of all traditional medicines of North-East Asia before the 17th century. This medicinal literature was mined to establish a list of candidate herbs to treat Parkinson-related rigidity. A systematic search for terms describing Parkinson-related rigidity and candidate prescriptions for the treatment of Parkinson-related rigidity in the Dongeuibogam was performed. A high-frequency medicinal herb combination group and candidates for the treatment of Parkinson-related rigidity were also selected through an analysis of medicinal herb combination frequencies. The existing literature pertaining to the potential effects of candidate herbs for Parkinson-related rigidity was reviewed. Ten medicinal herb candidates for the treatment of Parkinson-related rigidity were selected, and their respective precedent studies were analyzed.

Precision Medicine in Cancer Treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Precision medicine helps doctors select cancer treatments that are most likely to help patients based on a genetic understanding of their disease. Learn about the promise of precision medicine and the role it plays in cancer treatment.

Radioisotopes for nuclear medicine: the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carr, S.W.

1998-01-01

Full text: Nuclear medicine occupies an important niche in the spectrum of medical capability. Since its initial application on a routine basis over 30 years ago its importance has continued to grow. For example, it is expected that over 430,000 Australians will have a nuclear medicine procedure in 1998. Current procedures using nuclear medicine are mainly concerned with diagnosis of oncology, cardiology and neurology. The main radioisotope used in nuclear medicine is Tc 99m, which is produced by a 'so called' Mo-Tc 99m generator. Other isotopes which currently find routine use are Ga-67, Th-201 and I-131. The selective uptakes by particular organs or structures is facilitated by the use of 'cold kits' which after the chemistry of the radioisotope many of the recent advances have been concerned with increasing the selectivity for a particular organ structure. Several of these new agents show increased selectivity using antibody a peptide recognition units

Actin gene identification from selected medicinal plants for their use as internal controls for gene expression studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mufti, F.U.D.; Banaras, S.

2015-01-01

Internal control genes are the constitutive genes which maintain the basic cellular functions and regularly express in both normal and stressed conditions in living organisms. They are used in normalization of gene expression studies in comparative analysis of target genes, as their expression remains comparatively unchanged in all varied conditions. Among internal control genes, actin is considered as a candidate gene for expression studies due to its vital role in shaping cytoskeleton and plant physiology. Unfortunately most of such knowledge is limited to only model plants or crops, not much is known about important medicinal plants. Therefore, we selected seven important medicinal wild plants for molecular identification of actin gene. We used gene specific primers designed from the conserved regions of several known orthologues or homologues of actin genes from other plants. The amplified products of 370-380 bp were sequenced and submitted to GeneBank after their confirmation using different bioinformatics tools. All the novel partial sequences of putative actin genes were submitted to GeneBank (Parthenium hysterophorus (KJ774023), Fagonia indica (KJ774024), Rhazya stricta (KJ774025), Whithania coagulans (KJ774026), Capparis decidua (KJ774027), Verbena officinalis (KJ774028) and Aerva javanica (KJ774029)). The comparisons of these partial sequences by Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) and phylogenetic trees demonstrated high similarity with known actin genes of other plants. Our findings illustrated highly conserved nature of actin gene among these selected plants. These novel partial fragments of actin genes from these wild medicinal plants can be used as internal controls for future gene expression studies of these important plants after precise validations of their stable expression in such plants. (author)

Flavonoids distribution in selected medicinal plants of Margalla Hills and surroundings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, A.M.; Qureshi, R.A.; Shinwari, Z.K.

2012-01-01

The present studies comprise the distribution of important flavonoids amongst the selected 13 medicinal plants viz., Woodfordia fruticosa, Adhatoda vasica, Chenopodium ambrosoides, Viburnum cotinifolium, Euphorbia hirta, Vitex negundo, Peganum harmala, Broussonetia papyrifera, Taraxacum officinale, Urtica dioica, Verbascum thapsus, Caryopteris grata and Mimosa rubicaulis collected from Margalla Hills for their authentication. Kaemferol was only detected in Verbascum thapsus. Myrcetin was detected in Woodfordia fruticosa, Viburnum cotinifolium, Euphorbia hirta, Vitex negundo and Broussonetia papyrifera. Catechin was detected in Woodfordia fruticosa , Chenopodium ambrosoides and Caryopteris grata. Vitexin was found absent in all the plants under study except Adhatoda vasica, Chenopodium ambrosoides and Peganum harmala. Orientin was detected in Woodfordia fruticosa, Adhatoda vasica, Viburnum cotinifolium, Euphorbia hirta, Vitex negundo, Peganum harmala, Urtica dioica and Caryopteris grata. Rutin and Kaempferol-7-neohesperoside were detected only in Broussonetia papyrifera. Quercitin was detected in Euphorbia hirta, Verbascum thapsus, Caryopteris grata and Mimosa rubicaulis. Luteolin was common among all the species. (author)

Personalized medicine in psychiatry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wium-Andersen, Ida Kim; Vinberg, Maj; Kessing, Lars Vedel

2017-01-01

Background: Personalized medicine is a model in which a patient’s unique clinical, genetic, and environmental characteristics are the basis for treatment and prevention.  Aim, method, and results: This review aims to describe the current tools, phenomenological features, clinical risk factors......, and biomarkers used to provide personalized medicine. Furthermore, this study describes the target areas in which they can be applied including diagnostics, treatment selection and response, assessment of risk of side-effects, and prevention.  Discussion and conclusion: Personalized medicine in psychiatry....... The discussion proposes possible solutions to narrow this gap and to move psychiatric research forward towards personalized medicine....

From cumulative cultural transmission to evidence-based medicine: evolution of medicinal plant knowledge in Southern Italy

Science.gov (United States)

Leonti, Marco; Staub, Peter O.; Cabras, Stefano; Castellanos, Maria Eugenia; Casu, Laura

2015-01-01

In Mediterranean cultures written records of medicinal plant use have a long tradition. This written record contributed to building a consensus about what was perceived to be an efficacious pharmacopeia. Passed down through millennia, these scripts have transmitted knowledge about plant uses, with high fidelity, to scholars and laypersons alike. Herbal medicine's importance and the long-standing written record call for a better understanding of the mechanisms influencing the transmission of contemporary medicinal plant knowledge. Here we contextualize herbal medicine within evolutionary medicine and cultural evolution. Cumulative knowledge transmission is approached by estimating the causal effect of two seminal scripts about materia medica written by Dioscorides and Galen, two classical Greco-Roman physicians, on today's medicinal plant use in the Southern Italian regions of Campania, Sardinia, and Sicily. Plant-use combinations are treated as transmissible cultural traits (or “memes”), which in analogy to the biological evolution of genetic traits, are subjected to mutation and selection. Our results suggest that until today ancient scripts have exerted a strong influence on the use of herbal medicine. We conclude that the repeated empirical testing and scientific study of health care claims is guiding and shaping the selection of efficacious treatments and evidence-based herbal medicine. PMID:26483686

From cumulative cultural transmission to evidence-based medicine: evolution of medicinal plant knowledge in Southern Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Leonti, Marco; Staub, Peter O; Cabras, Stefano; Castellanos, Maria Eugenia; Casu, Laura

2015-01-01

In Mediterranean cultures written records of medicinal plant use have a long tradition. This written record contributed to building a consensus about what was perceived to be an efficacious pharmacopeia. Passed down through millennia, these scripts have transmitted knowledge about plant uses, with high fidelity, to scholars and laypersons alike. Herbal medicine's importance and the long-standing written record call for a better understanding of the mechanisms influencing the transmission of contemporary medicinal plant knowledge. Here we contextualize herbal medicine within evolutionary medicine and cultural evolution. Cumulative knowledge transmission is approached by estimating the causal effect of two seminal scripts about materia medica written by Dioscorides and Galen, two classical Greco-Roman physicians, on today's medicinal plant use in the Southern Italian regions of Campania, Sardinia, and Sicily. Plant-use combinations are treated as transmissible cultural traits (or "memes"), which in analogy to the biological evolution of genetic traits, are subjected to mutation and selection. Our results suggest that until today ancient scripts have exerted a strong influence on the use of herbal medicine. We conclude that the repeated empirical testing and scientific study of health care claims is guiding and shaping the selection of efficacious treatments and evidence-based herbal medicine.

MEDYCYNA, PŁYWANIE I SPRAWNOŚĆ FIZYCZNA, WYBRANE ASPEKTY = MEDICINE, SWIMMING AND PHYSICAL EFFICIENCY, SELECTED ASPECTS

OpenAIRE

Ahmad El-Essa; Ewa Zieliński; Kinga Grobelska; Dariusz Skalski

2018-01-01

MEDYCYNA, PŁYWANIE I SPRAWNOŚĆ FIZYCZNA, WYBRANE ASPEKTY = MEDICINE, SWIMMING AND PHYSICAL EFFICIENCY, SELECTED ASPECTS Stan zdrowia populacji oraz systemu opieki zdrowotnej w krajach rozwijających się na przykładzie Ghany = Health status and healthcare system condition in developing countries on the Ghana’s example Zarys anatomii i fizjologii narządu wzroku = Outline of anatomy and phisiology of the organ of eyesight Mechaniczne urazy gałki ocznej i ich możliwe powikłania = Mecha...

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Process evaluation of school-based peer education for HIV prevention among. Yemeni adolescents ... in improving HIV knowledge and skills; and in decreasing stigmatization of PLWH. ... Yemeni Council of Medical Specialization and a trainer in health research .... lation of Yemen, including youth is 0.2% (UNAIDS 2010).

A concise guide to nuclear medicine

CERN Document Server

Elgazzar, Abdelhamid H

2011-01-01

Nuclear medicine is an important component of modern medicine. This easy-to-use book is designed to acquaint readers with the basic principles of nuclear medicine, the instrumentation used, the gamut of procedures available, and the basis for selecting specific diagnostic or therapeutic procedures and interpreting results. After an introductory chapter on the history, technical basis, and scope of nuclear medicine, a series of chapters are devoted to the application of nuclear medicine techniques in the different body systems. In addition, the use of nuclear medicine methods within oncology is

Determination of Properties of Selected Fresh and Processed Medicinal Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shirley G. Cabrera

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The study aimed to determine the chemical properties, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity and toxicity level of fresh and processed medicinal plants such as corn (Zea mays silk, pancitpancitan (Peperomiapellucida leaves, pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius leaves, and commercially available tea. The toxicity level of the samples was measured using the Brine Shrimp Lethality Assay (BSLA. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS. Results showed that in terms of chemical properties there is significant difference between fresh and processed corn silk except in crude fiber content was noted. Based on proximate analyses of fresh and processed medicinal plants specifically in terms of % moisture, %crude protein and % total carbohydrates were also observed. In addition, there is also significant difference on bioactive compound contents such as total flavonoids and total phenolics between fresh and processed corn silk except in total vitamin E (TVE content. Pandan and pancit-pancitan showed significant difference in all bioactive compounds except in total antioxidant content (TAC. Fresh pancit-pancitan has the highest total phenolics content (TPC and TAC, while the fresh and processed corn silk has the lowest TAC and TVE content, respectively. Furthermore, results of BSLA for the three medicinal plants and commercially available tea extract showed after 24 hours exposure significant difference in toxicity level was observed. The percentage mortality increased with an increase in exposure time of the three medicinal plants and tea extract. The results of the study can served as baseline data for further processing and commercialization of these medicinal plants.

Fundamentals of nuclear medicine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alazraki, N.P.; Mishkin, F.S.

1984-01-01

This guidebook for clinical nuclear medicine is written as a description of how nuclear medicine procedures should be used by clinicians in evaluating their patients. It is designed to assist medical students and physicians in becoming acquainted with nuclear medicine techniques for detecting and evaluating most common disorders. The material provides an introduction to, not a textbook of, nuclear medicine. Each chapter is devoted to a particular organ system or topic relevant to the risks and benefits involved in nuclear medicine studies. The emphasis is on presenting the rationales for ordering the various clinical imaging procedures performed in most nuclear medicine departments. Where appropriate, alternative imaging modalities including ultrasound, computed tomography imaging, and radiographic special procedures are discussed. Comparative data between nuclear medicine imaging and other modalities are presented to help guide the practicing clinician in the selection of the most appropriate procedure for a given problem.

A Tragic Educational Experience: Academic Injustice in Higher Education Institutions in Yemen

Science.gov (United States)

Muthanna, Abdulghani

2013-01-01

This article outlines the tragic educational experience of one Yemeni scholar who has been oppressed by the education policy that Yemeni university administrators are accustomed to implementing while employing candidates. The institutions of higher education in Yemen, with the absence of justice, have experienced major ordeals in improving the…

Health and Dietary Diversity in Yemen | CRDI - Centre de ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Review report : health and dietary diversity in Yemen; traditional Yemeni rural diets and local food systems: enhancing contributions to health and environment. Études. Estimation genetic variation in faba bean (Vicia faba L.) landraces in Yemen : a thesis. Rapports. Health and dietary diversity in Yemen : traditional Yemeni ...

Innovations in travel medicine and the progress of tourism-Selected narratives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjalager, Anne Mette

2009-01-01

Health and tourism is an emerging theme in research. Focus of this article is on travel medicine, which is a well-established discipline in the medical sciences, but not yet quite so in the social sciences. There is a limited insight into the relationship between innovations and developments...... in medicines on the one hand, and economics and institutionalisation of tourism on the other hand. The article explores this issue. Three narratives provide examples of the interconnections. The first case describes developments in drugs for malaria and relations with tourism. The second case addresses...... recreational drugs. The third case investigates the concept of wilderness medicine and the pharmaceuticals and medical gears that facilitate this category of tourism. Thus, the paper demonstrates through some examples that innovations in the medical fields and institutionalisation of the use of medicine may...

The effect of polyphenolic-polysaccharide conjugates from selected medicinal plants of Asteraceae family on the peroxynitrite-induced changes in blood platelet proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Saluk-Juszczak, Joanna; Pawlaczyk, Izabela; Olas, Beata; Kołodziejczyk, Joanna; Ponczek, Michal; Nowak, Pawel; Tsirigotis-Wołoszczak, Marta; Wachowicz, Barbara; Gancarz, Roman

2010-12-01

Lots of plants belonging to Asteraceae family are very popular in folk medicine in Poland. These plants are also known as being rich in acidic polysaccharides, due to the presence of hexuronic acids or its derivatives. Our preliminary experiments have shown that the extract from Conyza canadensis L. possesses various biological activity, including antiplatelet, antiocoagulant and antioxidant properties. The aim of our study was to assess if macromolecular glycoconjugates from selected herbal plants of Asteraceae family: Achillea millefolium L., Arnica montana L., Echinacea purpurea L., Solidago virgaurea L., Chamomilla recutita (L.) Rauschert., and Conyza canadensis L. protect platelet proteins against nitrative and oxidative damage induced by peroxynitrite, which is responsible for oxidative/nitrative modifications of platelet proteins: the formation of 3-nitrotyrosine and carbonyl groups. These modifications may lead to changes of blood platelet functions and can have pathological consequences. The role of these different medicinal plants in the defence against oxidative/nitrative stress in human platelets is still unknown, therefore the oxidative damage to platelet proteins induced by peroxynitrite and protectory effects of tested conjugates by the estimation of carbonyl group level and nitrotyrosine formation (a marker of protein nitration) were studied in vitro. The antioxidative properties of the polyphenolic-polysaccharide conjugates from selected tested medicinal plants were also compared with the action of a well characterized antioxidative commercial polyphenol - resveratrol (3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene). The obtained results demonstrate that the compounds from herbal plants: A. millefolium, A. montana, E. purpurea, C. recutita, S. virgaurea, possess antioxidative properties and protect platelet proteins against peroxynitrite toxicity in vitro, similar to the glycoconjugates from C. canadensis. However, in the comparative studies, the polyphenolic

From cumulative cultural transmission to evidence-based medicine: Evolution of medicinal plant knowledge in Southern Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco eLeonti

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In Mediterranean cultures written records of medicinal plant use have a long tradition. This written record contributed to building a consensus about what was perceived to be an efficacious pharmacopoeia. Passed down through millennia, these scripts have transmitted knowledge about plant uses, with high fidelity, to scholars and laypersons alike. Herbal medicine’s importance and the long-standing written record call for a better understanding of the mechanisms influencing the transmission of contemporary medicinal plant knowledge. Here we contextualize herbal medicine within evolutionary medicine and cultural evolution. Cumulative knowledge transmission is approached by estimating the causal effect of two seminal scripts about materia medica written by Dioscorides and Galen, two classical Greco-Roman physicians, on today’s medicinal plant use in the Southern Italian regions of Campania, Sardinia and Sicily. Plant-use combinations are treated as transmissible cultural traits (or memes, which in analogy to the biological evolution of genetic traits, are subjected to mutation and selection. Our results suggest that until today ancient scripts have exerted a strong influence on the use of herbal medicine. We conclude that the repeated empirical testing and scientific study of health care claims is guiding and shaping the selection of efficacious treatments and evidence-based herbal medicine.

Overdependence on For-Profit Pharmacies: A Descriptive Survey of User Evaluation of Medicines Availability in Public Hospitals in Selected Nigerian States.

Science.gov (United States)

Ushie, Boniface Ayanbekongshie; Ugal, David Betelwhobel; Ingwu, Justin Agorye

2016-01-01

Lower availability of medicines in Nigerian public health facilities-the most affordable option for the masses-undermines global health reforms to improve access to health for all, especially the chronically ill and poor. Thus, a sizeable proportion of healthcare users, irrespective of purchasing power, buy medicines at higher costs from for-profit pharmacies. We examined user evaluation of medicine availability in public facilities and how this influences their choice of where to buy medicines in selected states-Cross River, Enugu and Oyo-in Nigeria. We approached and interviewed 1711 healthcare users using a semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire as they exited for-profit pharmacies after purchasing medicines. This ensured that both clients who had presented at health facilities (private/public) and those who did not were included. Information was collected on why respondents could not buy medicines at the hospitals they attended, their views of medicine availability and whether their choice of where to buy medicines is influenced by non-availability. Respondents' mean age was 37.7±14.4 years; 52% were males, 59% were married, 82% earned ≥NGN18, 000 (US$57.19) per month, and 72% were not insured. Majority (66%) had prescriptions; of this, 70% were from public facilities. Eighteen percent of all respondents indicated that all their medicines were usually available at the public facilities, most (29%), some (44%) and not always available (10%). Reasons for using for-profit pharmacies included: health workers attitudes (43%), referral by providers (43%); inadequate money to purchase all prescribed drugs (42%) and cumbersome processes for obtaining medicines. Lower availability of medicines has serious implications for healthcare behavior, especially because of poverty. It is crucial for government to fulfill its mandate of equitable access to care for all by making medicines available and cheap through reviving and sustaining the drug revolving

anti-inflammatory activity of selected nigerian medicinal plants

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Extracts of nineteen plant species from an inventory of Nigerian medicinal plants were screened for activity in two in vitro anti-inflammatory model test systems, inhibition of prostaglandin biosynthesis and PAF-induced elastase release from neutrophilis. Anacardium occidentale and Acalipha hispida were active in both test ...

A Student Selected Component (or Special Study Module) in Forensic and Legal Medicine: Design, delivery, assessment and evaluation of an optional module as an addition to the medical undergraduate core curriculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, Kieran M; Wilkinson, Andrew

2018-01-01

The General Medical Council (United Kingdom) advocates development of non-core curriculum Student Selected Components and their inclusion in all undergraduate medical school curricula. This article describes a rationale for the design, delivery, assessment and evaluation of Student Selected Components in Forensic and Legal Medicine. Reference is made to the available evidence based literature pertinent to the delivery of undergraduate medical education in the subject area. A Student Selected Component represents an opportunity to highlight the importance of the legal aspects of medical practice, to raise the profile of the discipline of Forensic and Legal Medicine amongst undergraduate medical students and to introduce students to the possibility of a future career in the area. The authors refer to their experiences of design, delivery, assessment and evaluation of Student Selected Components in Forensic and Legal Medicine at their respective Universities in the Republic of Ireland (Galway) and in the United Kingdom (Oxford). Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Personalized medicine in dentistry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pushpa S Pudakalkatti

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Personalized medicine is a branch of medicine that proposes customization of healthcare in which decisions and treatment are tailored according to individual patient needs. The field of personalized medicine relies on genetic information, proteomic information and clinical patient characteristics to individualize treatment. With advances in genetics, proteomics, pharmacogenetics and knowledgeable patient population, the opportunity exists to deliver never before levels of personalized care. Although general dentists may consider personalized medicine a concept for the future, the reality is that its direct application to everyday dentistry is closer than one might think. Use of personalized medicine in dentistry, especially in periodontology is progressing rapidly, and dentist should consider this approach while treating patients. Google and PubMed search was done to select articles for present review. Total 17 articles were used to compile information.

Highlights of articles published in annals of nuclear medicine 2016

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jadvar, Hossein

2017-01-01

This article is the first installment of highlights of selected articles published during 2016 in the Annals of Nuclear Medicine, an official peer-reviewed journal of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine. A companion article highlighting selected articles published during 2016 in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, which is the official peer-reviewed journal of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine, will also appear in the Annals Nuclear Medicine. This new initiative by the respective journals will continue as an annual endeavor and is anticipated to not only enhance the scientific collaboration between Europe and Japan but also facilitate global partnership in the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. (orig.)

Highlights of articles published in annals of nuclear medicine 2016

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jadvar, Hossein [University of Southern California, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

2017-10-15

This article is the first installment of highlights of selected articles published during 2016 in the Annals of Nuclear Medicine, an official peer-reviewed journal of the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine. A companion article highlighting selected articles published during 2016 in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, which is the official peer-reviewed journal of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine, will also appear in the Annals Nuclear Medicine. This new initiative by the respective journals will continue as an annual endeavor and is anticipated to not only enhance the scientific collaboration between Europe and Japan but also facilitate global partnership in the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. (orig.)

Antifungal activities of selected Venda medicinal plants against ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

2010-05-17

May 17, 2010 ... extracts from 30 plants used by Venda traditional healers for the ... cost of antifungal agents (Debruyne, 1997; Traeder et al., ... the use of medicinal plants is very common based on ... used to determine the activity of the plant extracts against the .... diffusion method: Table 3) as well as the two Candida.

Effect of selected local medicinal plants on the asexual blood stage of chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohd Abd Razak, Mohd Ridzuan; Afzan, Adlin; Ali, Rosnani; Amir Jalaluddin, Nur Fasihah; Wasiman, Mohd Isa; Shiekh Zahari, Siti Habsah; Abdullah, Noor Rain; Ismail, Zakiah

2014-12-15

The development of resistant to current antimalarial drugs is a major challenge in achieving malaria elimination status in many countries. Therefore there is a need for new antimalarial drugs. Medicinal plants have always been the major source for the search of new antimalarial drugs. The aim of this study was to screen selected Malaysian medicinal plants for their antiplasmodial properties. Each part of the plants were processed, defatted by hexane and sequentially extracted with dichloromethane, methanol and water. The antiplasmodial activities of 54 plant extracts from 14 species were determined by Plasmodium falciparum Histidine Rich Protein II ELISA technique. In order to determine the selectivity index (SI), all plant extracts demonstrating a good antiplasmodial activity were tested for their cytotoxicity activity against normal Madin-Darby Bovine Kidney (MDBK) cell lines by 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Twenty three extracts derived from Curcuma zedoaria (rhizome), Curcuma aeruginosa (rhizome), Alpinia galanga (rhizome), Morinda elliptica (leaf), Curcuma mangga (rhizome), Elephantopus scaber (leaf), Vitex negundo (leaf), Brucea javanica (leaf, root and seed), Annona muricata (leaf), Cinnamomun iners (leaf) and Vernonia amygdalina (leaf) showed promising antiplasmodial activities against the blood stage chloroquine resistant P. falciparum (EC50 toxicity effect to MDBK cells in vitro (SI ≥10). The extracts belonging to eleven plant species were able to perturb the growth of chloroquine resistant P. falciparum effectively. The findings justified the bioassay guided fractionation on these plants for the search of potent antimalarial compounds or formulation of standardized extracts which may enhance the antimalarial effect in vitro and in vivo.

Conformity of package inserts information to regulatory requirements among selected branded and generic medicinal products circulating on the East African market.

Science.gov (United States)

Sillo, Hiiti B; Masota, Nelson E; Kisoma, Sunday; Rago, Lembit; Mgoyela, Veronica; Kaale, Eliangiringa A

2018-01-01

Availability of correct and adequate information about medicines is an important aspect in ensuring rational use of medicines and hence facilitating safety and expected efficacy of medicines during therapy. Package inserts have proven to be a good source of information to the prescribers and patients whereby they have been useful in highlighting important information pertaining proper use and handling of the medicines. The present study was aimed at establishing the extent to which package inserts of medicines circulating on the markets of the East African Community (EAC) Partner States conform to medicines information requirements as established in the harmonized guidelines as well as national guidelines. A total of 99 package inserts from six (6) types of medicines namely Albendazole, Artemether/Lumefantrine (ALu), Ciprofloxacin, Paracetamol, Amoxicillin and Metronidazole were purposefully collected from three EAC Partner States: Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The medicines were selected based on their indications as first line treatments, high rates of utilization within the medicines supply system and their positions in treatment of diseases of public importance across EAC Partner States. The inserts were evaluated on the availability of information regarding fifteen (15) parameters as extracted from the EAC harmonized guidelines for registration of medicines. Moreover, comparisons were made between the percentage conformity of the branded versus generic products, markets from which the samples were collected, origin of the manufacturer and type of medicine. Majority (93.9-100%) of the medicines' package inserts highly conformed to the inclusion of the information regarding the description and composition of the medications, indications, dosage and methods of administration, warnings and precautions, contraindications and storage conditions. However, the information on handling and disposal, container package description, excipients used, clinical pharmacology of

Evaluation of phenolic content variability, antioxidant, antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential of selected traditional medicinal plants from India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garima eSingh

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Plants have been used since ancient times as an important source of biologically active substances. The aim of the present study was to investigate the phytochemical constituents (flavonoids and phenolics, antioxidant potential, cytotoxicity against HepG2 (human hepato carcinoma cancer cell lines and the antimicrobial activity of the methanol extract of selected traditional medicinal plants collected from Mizoram, India. A number of phenolic compounds were detected using HPLC-DAD-ESI-TOF-MS, mainly Luteolin, Kaempferol, Myricetin, Gallic Acid, Quercetin and Rutin, some of which have been described for the first time in the selected plants. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents showed high variation ranging from 4.44 to 181.91 µg of Gallic Acid equivalent per milligram DW (GAE/mg DW and 3.17 to 102.2 µg of Quercetin/mg, respectively. The antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH (IC50 values ranges from 34.22 to 131.4 µg/mL, ABTS (IC50 values ranges from 24.08 to 513.4 µg/mL and reducing power assays. Antimicrobial activity was assayed against gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, gram negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and yeast (Candida albicans demonstrating that the methanol extracts of some plants were efficacious antimicrobial agents. Additionally, cytotoxicity was assessed on human hepato carcinoma (HepG2 cancer cell lines and found that the extracts of Albizia lebbeck, Dillenia indica and Bombax ceiba significantly decreased the cell viability at low concentrations with IC50 values of 24.03, 25.09 and 29.66 µg/mL, respectively. This is the first report of detection of phenolic compounds along with antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic potential of selected medicinal plants from India, which indicates that these plants might be valuable source for human and animal health.

Selected non-timber forest products with medicinal applications from Jilin Province in China

Science.gov (United States)

Yao Ge Huang; Branka Barl; Gerald. Ivanochko

2001-01-01

This paper provides a brief account of the distribution, production, and use of some non-timber forest products such as medicinal plants, medicinal and nutraceutical mushrooms, pharmaceutical insects, and "wild" vegetables in Jilin Province, China. All materials featured in this paper are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) inside and outside of China...

Cytotoxicity and phytotoxicity of some selected medicinal plants of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2010-02-01

Feb 1, 2010 ... Key words: Rumex hastatus, Rumex dentatus, Rumex nepalensis, Rheum australe, Polygonum persicaria,. Polygonum .... It was incubated at 25 - 27°C for 24 h under illumination. .... Glossary of Indian Medicinal. Plants (the ...

Activity concentration and AACED due to 40K in some selected medicinal plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandrashekara, K.; Radhakrishna, A.P.; Somashekarappa, H.M.

2017-01-01

The activity concentrations in soil and medicinal plants, soil to plant transfer factors (TF), and Average Annual Committed Effective Dose (AACED) of 40 K in prominent medicinal plants of Malnad Kerala were estimated. The range of activity concentrations were 144.15 - 558.99 and 405.87 - 2990.75 Bq kg -1 in soil and medicinal plants respectively. The TF was found to vary from 2.34 to 14.84, whereas AACED varied in the range 2.51 - 18.54 mSv y -1 . The study may help to form the database and safety regulations connected with 40 K activity in medicinal plants. (author)

In vitro antiplasmodial, antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activities of selected medicinal plants used in the traditional Arabian Peninsular region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Al-Musayeib Nawal M

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Worldwide particularly in developing countries, a large proportion of the population is at risk for tropical parasitic diseases. Several medicinal plants are still used traditionally against protozoal infections in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Thus the present study investigated the in vitro antiprotozoal activity of twenty-five plants collected from the Arabian Peninsula. Methods Plant materials were extracted with methanol and screened in vitro against erythrocytic schizonts of Plasmodium falciparum, intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania infantum and Trypanosoma cruzi and free trypomastigotes of T. brucei. Cytotoxic activity was determined against MRC-5 cells to assess selectivity. The criterion for activity was an IC50 T. brucei and selectivity index of >4. Results Antiplasmodial activity was found in the extracts of Chrozophora oblongifolia, Ficus ingens, Lavandula dentata and Plectranthus barbatus. Amastigotes of T. cruzi were affected by Grewia erythraea, L. dentata, Tagetes minuta and Vernonia leopoldii. Activity against T. brucei was obtained in G. erythraea, L. dentata, P. barbatus and T. minuta. No relevant activity was found against L. infantum. High levels of cytotoxicity (MRC-5 IC50 Cupressus sempervirens, Kanahia laniflora and Kniphofia sumarae. Conclusion The results endorse that medicinal plants can be promising sources of natural products with antiprotozoal activity potential. The results support to some extent the traditional uses of some plants for the treatment of parasitic protozoal diseases.

Analysis of heavy metals in selected medicinal plants from Dir, Swat and Peshawar districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hussain, I.; Khattak, M.R.; Khan, F.A.; Rehman, I.; Khan, F.U.

2011-01-01

Essential and non-essential heavy metals like Manganese, Zinc, Iron, Nickel, Copper, Chromium, Lead and Cadmium were analyzed quantitatively in selected medicinal plants including, Acorus calamus, Artemisia annua, Chenopodium foliosum, Cupressus arizonica, Euphorbia helioscopia L, Lepidium sativum, Nerium oleander, Ranunculus mariculatus , Tecoma stans, Urtica dioica by using atomic absorption spectrometry. The main purpose of this study was to quantify essential and non-essential heavy metals in selected herbs, which are extensively used in the preparation of herbal products and standardized extracts. The high conc. of iron, Mn was found in Nerium oleander 26.52 mg/kg, 94.40 mg/kg. Zn in Lepidium sativum 77.00 mg/kg and high conc. of K 94600 and Na 400 mg/kg was found in Tecoma stans. The concentration of other heavy metals particularly Cu, Ni and Pb were also found in higher conc. in the selected herbs. The main purpose of the present study was to evaluate the contents of toxic metals and their concentration level which may have adverse effect on human health, besides providing a scientific data. (author)

Activities of selected medicinal plants against multi-drug resistant ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The present work was designed to assess the in vitro antibacterial activities of some Cameroonian medicinal plants including Entada abyssinica, Entada africana, Pentaclethra macrophylla, Allexis cauliflora, Anthocleista leibrechtsiana, Carapa procera, Carica papaya and Persea americana against Gram-negative bacteria ...

Metabolic radiopharmaceutical therapy in nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reguera, L.; Lozano, M. L.; Alonso, J. C.

2016-01-01

In 1986 the National Board of Medical Specialties defined the specialty of nuclear medicine as a medical specialty that uses radioisotopes for prevention, diagnosis, therapy and medical research. Nowadays, treatment with radiopharmaceuticals has reached a major importance within of nuclear medicine. The ability to treat tumors with radiopharmaceutical, Radiation selective therapy has become a first line alternative. In this paper, the current situation of the different therapies that are sued in nuclear medicine, is reviewed. (Author)

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of selected medicinal plants from Algeria

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Krimat Soumia; Dob Tahar; Lamari Lynda; Boumeridja Saida; Chelghoum Chabane; Metidji Hafidha

2014-01-01

Objective:To evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of methanolic extract extracts of selected Algerian medicinal plants. Methods:Antioxidant activity of extracts was evaluated in terms of radical scavenging potential (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and β-carotene bleaching assay. Total phenolic contents and flavonoid contents were also measured. Antimicrobial activity of these plants was examined against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans. Results:The values of IC50 ranged from 4.30 μg/mL to 486.6 μg/mL for the DPPH method, while total antioxidant activity using β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching assay ranged from 17.03%to 86.13%. It was found that Pistacia lentiscus showed the highest antioxidant capacities using DPPH assay (IC50=4.30 μg/mL), while Populus trimula, Origanum glandulosum, Centaurea calcitrapa, Sysimbrium officinalis and Rhamnus alaternus showed the highest percent of total antioxidant activity inβ-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching assay. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents ranged from 3.96 to 259.65 mg GAE/g extract and from 1.13 to 26.84 mg QE/g extract, respectively. The most interesting antimicrobial activity was obtained from Sysimbrium officinalis, Rhamnus alaternus, Origanum glandulosum, Cupressus sempervirens, Pinus halipensis and Centaurea calcitrapa. Conclusions:The results indicated that the plants tested may be potential sources for isolation of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds.

Patent medicine vendors are major providers antimalaria treatment

African Journals Online (AJOL)

management of malaria by this informal sector of healthcare delivery is however ... Methods: Fifty-five patent medicine vendors selected through a multistage sampling ... training of the patent medicine vendors, the overall appropriate treatment ...

Demand, propagation and seedling establishment of selected medicinal trees

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Netshiluvhi, TR

1999-12-01

Full Text Available Short-listing of medicinal tree species for propagation was done through three criteria; number of bags sold, price per bag and mean scarcity value. There is a strong correlation between the mean scarcity values and number of bags sold per annum...

Selected medicinal plants used in herbal industries; their toxicity against pathogenic microorganisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fazal, H.; Ahmad, M.; Abbasi, B.H.

2012-01-01

Multi-drug resistant strains of fungi and bacteria are imposing the need for new drugs. Reliable natural sources with minor side effects are needed to control anti-human pathogenic invaders specially bacteria. Given the demands for natural products that are inherently safe and environmentally compatible, the advancement in antimicrobial potential has provided a better alternative to synthetic resistance antibiotics. In the present investigation such types of medicinal plants were selected for analyses that are used by local herbal practioners for multiple diseases. Thirty three extracts of Achillea millefolium, Acorus calamus, Arnebia nobilis, Fumaria indica, Gymnema sylvestre, Origanum vulgare, Paeonia emodi, Peganum harmala, Psoralea corylifolia, Rauwolfia serpentina and Vetiveria zizanioides in chloroform, ethanol and hexane were investigated for their antimicrobial potential. These extracts were tested against eight microorganisms including four gram negative bacterial strains viz., Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhi, three gram positive bacterial strains Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus cereus and a fungal strain viz., Candida albicans. Majority of the extracts showed marked antimicrobial potential against the tested microorganisms. (author)

Performance of two honey bee subspecies during harsh weather and Acacia gerrardii nectar-rich flow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Awad Mohamed Awad

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Both climatic factors and bee forage characteristics affect the population size and productivity of honey bee colonies. To our knowledge, no scientific investigation has as yet considered the potential effect of nectar-rich bee forage exposed to drastic subtropical weather conditions on the performance of honey bee colonies. This study investigated the performance of the honey bee subspecies Apis mellifera jemenitica Ruttner (Yemeni and Apis mellifera carnica Pollmann (Carniolan in weather that was hot and dry and in an environment of nectar-rich flora. The brood production, food storage, bee population and honey yield of Yemeni (native and Carniolan (imported colonies on Talh trees (Acacia gerrardii Benth., a nectar-rich, subtropical, and summer bee forage source in Central Arabia were evaluated. Owing to their structural and behavioral adaptations, the Yemeni bees constructed stronger (high population size colonies than the Carniolan bees. Although both groups yielded similar amounts of Talh honey, the Yemeni bees consumed their stored honey rapidly if not timely harvested. A. m. jemenitica has a higher performance than A. m. carnica during extremely hot-dry conditions and A. gerrardii nectar-rich flow.

Herbal medicine--sets the heart racing!

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

McGovern, E

2010-07-01

The potential for pharmaceuticals to produce side effects and drug interactions is well known to medical practitioners and the lay public alike. However, the potential for alternative medicines to produce such effects is less widely known. We describe a potentially dangerous interaction between a herbal medicine and concomitant selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) ingestion.

Chemical markers for the quality control of herbal medicines: an overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lung Cheng Chuen

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Selection of chemical markers is crucial for the quality control of herbal medicines, including authentication of genuine species, harvesting the best quality raw materials, evaluation of post-harvesting handling, assessment of intermediates and finished products, and detection of harmful or toxic ingredients. Ideal chemical markers should be the therapeutic components of herbal medicines. However, for most herbal medicines, the therapeutic components have not been fully elucidated or easily monitored. Bioactive, characteristic, main, synergistic, correlative, toxic and general components may be selected. This article reviews the effective use of chemical markers in the quality control of herbal medicines including the selection criteria considering the roles and physicochemical factors which may affect the effective use of chemical markers.

Essential Medicines in National Constitutions

Science.gov (United States)

Toebes, Brigit; Hogerzeil, Hans

2016-01-01

Abstract A constitutional guarantee of access to essential medicines has been identified as an important indicator of government commitment to the progressive realization of the right to the highest attainable standard of health. The objective of this study was to evaluate provisions on access to essential medicines in national constitutions, to identify comprehensive examples of constitutional text on medicines that can be used as a model for other countries, and to evaluate the evolution of constitutional medicines-related rights since 2008. Relevant articles were selected from an inventory of constitutional texts from WHO member states. References to states’ legal obligations under international human rights law were evaluated. Twenty-two constitutions worldwide now oblige governments to protect and/or to fulfill accessibility of, availability of, and/or quality of medicines. Since 2008, state responsibilities to fulfill access to essential medicines have expanded in five constitutions, been maintained in four constitutions, and have regressed in one constitution. Government commitments to essential medicines are an important foundation of health system equity and are included increasingly in state constitutions. PMID:27781006

[Factors determining the selection of treatment options of complementary and alternative medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Zörgő, Szilvia; Purebl, György; Zana, Ágnes

2016-04-10

Complementary and alternative medicine have undoubtedly been gaining ground on the healthcare market, thus the vital question arises why patients choose these treatments, oftentimes at the cost of discontinuing the Western medical therapy. The aim of the authors was to investigate and scrutinize factors leading to the utilization of various alternative medical services. The basis of this qualitative research was medical anthropological fieldwork conducted at a clinic of Traditional Chinese Medicine including participant observation (355 hours), unstructured interviews with patients (n = 93) and in-depth interviews (n = 14). Patients of alternative medical systems often do not receive a diagnosis, explanation or cure for their illness from Western medicine, or they do not agree with what they are offered. In other instances, patients choose alternative medicine because it exhibits a philosophical congruence with their already existing explanatory model, that is, previous concepts of world, man or illness. A particular therapy is always part of a cultural system and it is embedded in a specific psycho-social context, hence choice of therapy must be interpreted in accordance with this perspective.

Evaluation of Anticancer, Antioxidant, and Possible Anti-inflammatory Properties of Selected Medicinal Plants Used in Indian Traditional Medication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafik Shaikh

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The present study was carried out to evaluate the anticancer, antioxidant, and possible anti-inflammatory properties of diverse medicinal plants frequently used in Indian traditional medication. The selected botanicals such as Soymida fembrifuga (Roxb. A. Juss. (Miliaceae, Tinospora cordifolia (Willd. Miers. (Menispermaceae, Lavandula bipinnata (L. O. Ktze. (Lamiaceae, and Helicteres isora L. (Sterculiaceae extracted in different solvents were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer and antioxidant activities. The results obtained indicate that H. isora has potent cytotoxic activity toward the selected cancer cells such as HeLa-B75 (34.21±0.24%, HL-60 (30.25±1.36%, HEP-3B (25.36±1.78%, and PN-15 (29.21±0.52%. Interestingly, the selected botanicals selectively inhibited cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2 more than (COX-1, which are the key enzymes implicated in inflammation. COX-2 inhibition was observed to be in the range of 19.66-49.52% as compared to COX-1 inhibition (3.93-19.61%. The results of the antioxidant study revealed that the selected plants were found to be effective 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH, hydroxyl (OH, and superoxide radical (SOR scavenging agents. High-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC fingerprint of flavonoids was used as a measure of quality control of the selected plant samples. The results of the present findings strengthen the potential of the selected plants as a resource for the discovery of novel anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant agents.

Evaluation of Anticancer, Antioxidant, and Possible Anti-inflammatory Properties of Selected Medicinal Plants Used in Indian Traditional Medication.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaikh, Rafik; Pund, Mahesh; Dawane, Ashwini; Iliyas, Sayyed

2014-10-01

The present study was carried out to evaluate the anticancer, antioxidant, and possible anti-inflammatory properties of diverse medicinal plants frequently used in Indian traditional medication. The selected botanicals such as Soymida fembrifuga (Roxb.) A. Juss. (Miliaceae), Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers. (Menispermaceae), Lavandula bipinnata (L.) O. Ktze. (Lamiaceae), and Helicteres isora L. (Sterculiaceae) extracted in different solvents were evaluated for their in vitro anticancer and antioxidant activities. The results obtained indicate that H. isora has potent cytotoxic activity toward the selected cancer cells such as HeLa-B75 (34.21 ± 0.24%), HL-60 (30.25 ± 1.36%), HEP-3B (25.36 ± 1.78%), and PN-15 (29.21 ± 0.52%). Interestingly, the selected botanicals selectively inhibited cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) more than (COX-1), which are the key enzymes implicated in inflammation. COX-2 inhibition was observed to be in the range of 19.66-49.52% as compared to COX-1 inhibition (3.93-19.61%). The results of the antioxidant study revealed that the selected plants were found to be effective 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl (OH), and superoxide radical (SOR) scavenging agents. High-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprint of flavonoids was used as a measure of quality control of the selected plant samples. The results of the present findings strengthen the potential of the selected plants as a resource for the discovery of novel anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant agents.

In Vitro and In Vivo Antidiabetic Evaluation of Selected Culinary-Medicinal Mushrooms (Agaricomycetes).

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Varinder; Bedi, Gurleen Kaur; Shri, Richa

2017-01-01

Management of type 2 diabetes by delaying or preventing glucose absorption using natural products is gaining significant attention. Edible mushrooms are well documented for their nutritional and medicinal properties. This investigation was designed to evaluate the antidiabetic activity of aqueous extracts of selected culinary-medicinal mushrooms, namely, Pleurotus ostreatus, Calocybe indica, and Volvariella volvacea, using in vitro models (α-amylase inhibition assay, glucose uptake by yeast cells, and glucose adsorption capacity). The most active extract was subsequently examined in vivo using the oral starch tolerance test in mice. All prepared extracts showed dose-dependent inhibition of α-amylase and an increase in glucose transport across yeast cells. C. indica extract was the most active α-amylase inhibitor (half-maximal inhibitory concentration, 18.07 ± 0.75 mg/mL) and exhibited maximum glucose uptake by yeast cells (77.53 ± 0.97% at 35 mg/mL). All extracts demonstrated weak glucose adsorption ability. The positive in vitro tests for C. indica paved the way for in vivo studies. C. indica extract (200 and 400 mg/kg) significantly (P < 0.05) reduced postprandial blood glucose peaks in mice challenged with starch. The extract (400 mg/kg) and acarbose normalized blood glucose levels at 180 minutes, when they were statistically similar to values in normal mice. Thus, it may be concluded that the antidiabetic effect of C. indica is mediated by inhibition of starch metabolism (α-amylase inhibition), increased glucose uptake by peripheral cells (promotion of glucose uptake by yeast cells), and mild entrapment (adsorption) of glucose. Hence, C. indica can be developed as antidiabetic drug after detailed pharmacological studies.

Anti-caries activity of selected Sudanese medicinal plants with emphasis on Terminalia laxiflora

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ebtihal Abdalla M. Mohieldin

Full Text Available Abstract In Sudan, some medicinal plants, such as Acacia seyal, Calotropis procera and Balanites aegyptiaca have been used to prevent or treat oral health problems. The stem and stem bark of Terminalia laxiflora Engl., Combretaceae, are used as antiseptics for mouthwash to prevent gingivitis and thrush in Africa. Methanol and 50% hydroethanolic extracts of 25 plants that are used in traditional Sudanese medicine for several diseases and cavity disorders were screened for anti-cavity activities. T. laxiflora methanolic wood extracts, which exhibited such activity, were investigated. The crude extracts were assayed for their antimicrobial activities against Streptococcus sobrinus in terms of minimum inhibitory concentration and glucosyltransferase inhibition. The active extract of T. laxiflora wood was subsequently fractionated by different chromatographic techniques. Isolated compounds were identified by spectroscopic methods and assessed for S. sobrinus and glucosyltransferase inhibitory effects. Methanolic extracts of Terminalia brownii (bark, T. laxiflora (wood, A. seyal (bark, Persicaria glabra (leaves and Tamarix nilotica (stem showed good activities against both S. sobrinus and glucosyltransferase (MIC ≤ 1 mg/ml, IC50 values <50 µg/ml. Over all plant extracts, T. laxiflora demonstrated the good combined activities (MIC 0.5 mg/ml, glucosyltransferase, IC50 10.3 µg/ml; therefore, its methanolic wood extracts were selected for further phytochemical studies. Four constituents were isolated by chromatographic techniques and identified by spectroscopic techniques. Pharmacological evaluation of the obtained compounds showed that flavogallonic acid dilactone had comparatively good antibacterial activity. In the glucosyltransferase inhibitory test, terchebulin displayed potent activity with an IC50 of 7.5 µM. The screening presented in this study showed that methanol extracts of T. laxiflora wood possessed promising anti-cavity effects.

Mining association rule based on the diseases population for recommendation of medicine need

Science.gov (United States)

Harahap, M.; Husein, A. M.; Aisyah, S.; Lubis, F. R.; Wijaya, B. A.

2018-04-01

Selection of medicines that is inappropriate will lead to an empty result at medicines, this has an impact on medical services and economic value in hospital. The importance of an appropriate medicine selection process requires an automated way to select need based on the development of the patient's illness. In this study, we analyzed patient prescriptions to identify the relationship between the disease and the medicine used by the physician in treating the patient's illness. The analytical framework includes: (1) patient prescription data collection, (2) applying k-means clustering to classify the top 10 diseases, (3) applying Apriori algorithm to find association rules based on support, confidence and lift value. The results of the tests of patient prescription datasets in 2015-2016, the application of the k-means algorithm for the clustering of 10 dominant diseases significantly affects the value of trust and support of all association rules on the Apriori algorithm making it more consistent with finding association rules of disease and related medicine. The value of support, confidence and the lift value of disease and related medicine can be used as recommendations for appropriate medicine selection. Based on the conditions of disease progressions of the hospital, there is so more optimal medicine procurement.

Advances in nuclear medicine instrumentation: considerations in the design and selection of an imaging system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Links, J.M.

1998-01-01

Nuclear medicine remains a vibrant and dynamic medical specialty because it so adeptly marries advances in basic science research, technology, and medical practice in attempting to solve patients' problems. As a physicist, it is my responsibility to identify or design new instrumentation and techniques, and to implement, validate, and help apply these new approaches in the practice of nuclear medicine. At Johns Hopkins, we are currently in the process of purchasing both a single-photon/coincidence tomographic imaging system and a dedicated positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. Given the exciting advances that have been made, but the conflicting opinions of manufacturers and colleagues alike regarding ''best'' choices, it seemed useful to review what is new now, and what is on the horizon, to help identify all of the important considerations in the design and selection of an imaging system. It is important to note that many of the ''advances'' described here are in an early stage of development, and may never make it to routine clinical practice. Further, not all of the advances are of equal importance, or have the same degree of general clinical applicability. Please also note that the references contained herein are for illustrative purposes and are not all-inclusive; no implication that those chosen are ''better'' than others not mentioned is intended. (orig.)

Complexity in graduate medical education: a collaborative education agenda for internal medicine and geriatric medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Anna; Fernandez, Helen; Cayea, Danelle; Chheda, Shobhina; Paniagua, Miguel; Eckstrom, Elizabeth; Day, Hollis

2014-06-01

Internal medicine residents today face significant challenges in caring for an increasingly complex patient population within ever-changing education and health care environments. As a result, medical educators, health care system leaders, payers, and patients are demanding change and accountability in graduate medical education (GME). A 2012 Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) retreat identified medical education as an area for collaboration between internal medicine and geriatric medicine. The authors first determined a short-term research agenda for resident education by mapping selected internal medicine reporting milestones to geriatrics competencies, and listing available sample learner assessment tools. Next, the authors proposed a strategy for long-term collaboration in three priority areas in clinical medicine that are challenging for residents today: (1) team-based care, (2) transitions and readmissions, and (3) multi-morbidity. The short-term agenda focuses on learner assessment, while the long-term agenda allows for program evaluation and improvement. This model of collaboration in medical education combines the resources and expertise of internal medicine and geriatric medicine educators with the goal of increasing innovation and improving outcomes in GME targeting the needs of our residents and their patients.

Precision Medicine and PET/Computed Tomography: Challenges and Implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Subramaniam, Rathan M

2017-01-01

Precision Medicine is about selecting the right therapy for the right patient, at the right time, specific to the molecular targets expressed by disease or tumors, in the context of patient's environment and lifestyle. Some of the challenges for delivery of precision medicine in oncology include biomarkers for patient selection for enrichment-precision diagnostics, mapping out tumor heterogeneity that contributes to therapy failures, and early therapy assessment to identify resistance to therapies. PET/computed tomography offers solutions in these important areas of challenges and facilitates implementation of precision medicine. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrating medicinal chemistry, organic/combinatorial chemistry, and computational chemistry for the discovery of selective estrogen receptor modulators with Forecaster, a novel platform for drug discovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Therrien, Eric; Englebienne, Pablo; Arrowsmith, Andrew G; Mendoza-Sanchez, Rodrigo; Corbeil, Christopher R; Weill, Nathanael; Campagna-Slater, Valérie; Moitessier, Nicolas

2012-01-23

As part of a large medicinal chemistry program, we wish to develop novel selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) as potential breast cancer treatments using a combination of experimental and computational approaches. However, one of the remaining difficulties nowadays is to fully integrate computational (i.e., virtual, theoretical) and medicinal (i.e., experimental, intuitive) chemistry to take advantage of the full potential of both. For this purpose, we have developed a Web-based platform, Forecaster, and a number of programs (e.g., Prepare, React, Select) with the aim of combining computational chemistry and medicinal chemistry expertise to facilitate drug discovery and development and more specifically to integrate synthesis into computer-aided drug design. In our quest for potent SERMs, this platform was used to build virtual combinatorial libraries, filter and extract a highly diverse library from the NCI database, and dock them to the estrogen receptor (ER), with all of these steps being fully automated by computational chemists for use by medicinal chemists. As a result, virtual screening of a diverse library seeded with active compounds followed by a search for analogs yielded an enrichment factor of 129, with 98% of the seeded active compounds recovered, while the screening of a designed virtual combinatorial library including known actives yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic (AU-ROC) of 0.78. The lead optimization proved less successful, further demonstrating the challenge to simulate structure activity relationship studies.

Reproductive medicine and the concept of 'quality'

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wahlberg, Ayo

2008-01-01

Selection in reproductive medicine today relies on normative assessments of what ‘good life’ consists of. This paper explores the terms under which such assessments are made by focusing on three particular concepts of ‘quality’: quality of life, biological quality and population quality....... It is suggested that the apparently conflicting hypes, hopes and fears that surround reproductive medicine can co-circulate because of the different forms of normative assessment that these concepts allow. To ensure clarity in bioethical deliberations about selection, it is necessary to highlight how...

[Application of wavelength selection algorithm to measure the effective component of Chinese medicine based on near-infrared spectroscopy].

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Xiao-Yu; Xu, Ke-Xin; Wang, Yan

2006-09-01

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has raised a lot of interest in the pharmaceutical industry because it is a rapid and cost-effective analytical type of spectroscopy with no need for extensive sample preparation, and with the easy-realizable ability of on-line application. The NIR technology can increase the quality control standard of the Chinese medicine and accelerate the entry into the international market. In the present paper, two methods for wavelength selection are applied to the measurement of borneol, one of which is the multiple-chain stepwise, which tends to select many variables in the same area containing valuable information, and the other is the mixture genetic algorithm, which incorporates simulated annealing so as to improve the local searching ability while maintaining the global searching ability. The results present that the number of wavelength is reduced to 16% compared with the original number of wavelength, and the prediction accuracy has increased 47.6%. Therefore, the method of wavelength selection is a good way to enhance the prediction accuracy and simplify the model in NIR region.

Use of selected complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments in veterans with cancer or chronic pain: a cross-sectional survey

OpenAIRE

McEachrane-Gross, F Patricia; Liebschutz, Jane M; Berlowitz, Dan

2006-01-01

Abstract Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is emerging as an important form of care in the United States. We sought to measure the prevalence of selected CAM use among veterans attending oncology and chronic pain clinics and to describe the characteristics of CAM use in this population. Methods The self-administered, mail-in survey included questions on demographics, health beliefs, medical problems and 6 common CAM treatments (herbs, dietary supplements, chiropractic ca...

Selecting the Acceptance Criteria of Medicines in the Reimbursement List of Public Health Insurance of Iran, Using the "Borda" Method: a Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Viyanchi, Amir; Rasekh, Hamid Reza; Rajabzadeh Ghatari, Ali; SafiKhani, Hamid Reza

2015-01-01

Decision-making for medicines to be accepted in Iran's public health insurance reimbursement list is a complex process and involves factors, which should be considered in applying a coverage for medicine costs. These processes and factors are not wholly assessed, while assessment of these factors is an essential need for getting a transparent and evidence-based approach toward medicine reimbursement in Iran. This paper aims to show an evidence-based approach toward medicine selection criteria to inform the medical reimbursement decision makers in Iranian health insurance organizations. To explore an adaptable decision-making framework while incorporating a method called "Borda" in medicine reimbursement assessment, we used the help of an expert group including decision makers and clinical researchers who are also policy makers to appraise the five chief criteria that have three sub criteria (Precision, Interpretability, and Cost). Also software "Math-lab"7, "SPSS" 17 and Excel 2007 were used in this study. "Borda" estimates the amount of perceived values from different criteria and creates a range from one to five while providing a comprehensive measurement of a large spectrum of criteria. Participants reported that the framework provided an efficient approach to systematic consideration in a pragmatic format consisting of many parts to guide decision-makings, including criteria and value (a model with the core of Borda) and evidences (medicine reimbursement based on criteria). The most important criterion for medicine acceptance in health insurance companies, in Iran, is the "life-threatening" factor and "evidence quality" is accounted as the fifth important factor. This pilot study showed the usefulness of incorporating Borda in medicine reimbursement decisions to support a transparent and systematic appraisal of health insurance companies' deeds. Further research is needed to advance Borda-based approaches that are effective on health insurance decision making.

Halogenase engineering and its utility in medicinal chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Fraley, Amy E; Sherman, David H

2018-06-15

Halogenation is commonly used in medicinal chemistry to improve the potency of pharmaceutical leads. While synthetic methods for halogenation present selectivity and reactivity challenges, halogenases have evolved over time to perform selective reactions under benign conditions. The optimization of halogenation biocatalysts has utilized enzyme evolution and structure-based engineering alongside biotransformation in a variety of systems to generate stable site-selective variants. The recent improvements in halogenase-catalyzed reactions has demonstrated the utility of these biocatalysts for industrial purposes, and their ability to achieve a broad substrate scope implies a synthetic tractability with increasing relevance in medicinal chemistry. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An overview of space medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Hodkinson, P D; Anderton, R A; Posselt, B N; Fong, K J

2017-12-01

Space medicine is fundamental to the human exploration of space. It supports survival, function and performance in this challenging and potentially lethal environment. It is international, intercultural and interdisciplinary, operating at the boundaries of exploration, science, technology and medicine. Space medicine is also the latest UK specialty to be recognized by the Royal College of Physicians in the UK and the General Medical Council. This review introduces the field of space medicine and describes the different types of spaceflight, environmental challenges, associated medical and physiological effects, and operational medical considerations. It will describe the varied roles of the space medicine doctor, including the conduct of surgery and anaesthesia, and concludes with a vision of the future for space medicine in the UK.Space medicine doctors have a responsibility to space workers and spaceflight participants. These 'flight surgeons' are key in developing mitigation strategies to ensure the safety, health and performance of space travellers in what is an extreme and hazardous environment. This includes all phases from selection, training and spaceflight itself to post-flight rehabilitation and long-term health. The recent recognition of the speciality provides a pathway to train in this fascinating field of medicine and is a key enabler for the UK Government's commercial spaceflight ambition. © Crown copyright 2017.

Evaluation of Phenolic Content Variability along with Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Cytotoxic Potential of Selected Traditional Medicinal Plants from India.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Garima; Passsari, Ajit K; Leo, Vincent V; Mishra, Vineet K; Subbarayan, Sarathbabu; Singh, Bhim P; Kumar, Brijesh; Kumar, Sunil; Gupta, Vijai K; Lalhlenmawia, Hauzel; Nachimuthu, Senthil K

2016-01-01

Plants have been used since ancient times as an important source of biologically active substances. The aim of the present study was to investigate the phytochemical constituents (flavonoids and phenolics), antioxidant potential, cytotoxicity against HepG2 (human hepato carcinoma) cancer cell lines, and the antimicrobial activity of the methanol extract of selected traditional medicinal plants collected from Mizoram, India. A number of phenolic compounds were detected using HPLC-DAD-ESI-TOF-MS, mainly Luteolin, Kaempferol, Myricetin, Gallic Acid, Quercetin and Rutin, some of which have been described for the first time in the selected plants. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents showed high variation ranging from 4.44 to 181.91 μg of Gallic Acid equivalent per milligram DW (GAE/mg DW) and 3.17 to 102.2 μg of Quercetin/mg, respectively. The antioxidant capacity was determined by DPPH (IC50 values ranges from 34.22 to 131.4 μg/mL), ABTS (IC50 values ranges from 24.08 to 513.4 μg/mL), and reducing power assays. Antimicrobial activity was assayed against gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus), gram negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and yeast (Candida albicans) demonstrating that the methanol extracts of some plants were efficacious antimicrobial agents. Additionally, cytotoxicity was assessed on human hepato carcinoma (HepG2) cancer cell lines and found that the extracts of Albizia lebbeck, Dillenia indica, and Bombax ceiba significantly decreased the cell viability at low concentrations with IC50 values of 24.03, 25.09, and 29.66 μg/mL, respectively. This is the first report of detection of phenolic compounds along with antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic potential of selected medicinal plants from India, which indicates that these plants might be valuable source for human and animal health.

Prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine, western medicine, and integrated Chinese-Western medicine for allergic rhinitis under the National Health Insurance in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Sheng-Kang; Ho, Yu-Ling; Chang, Yuan-Shiun

2015-09-15

Allergic rhinitis has long been a worldwide health problem with a global growth trend. The use of traditional Chinese medicines alone or integrated Chinese-Western medicines for its treatment is quite common in Taiwan. Respiratory diseases account for the majority of outpatient traditional Chinese medicine treatment, while allergic rhinitis accounts for the majority of respiratory diseases. We hereby conduct a comparative analysis between traditional Chinese medicine treatments and western medicine treatments for allergic rhinitis in Taiwan. The results of the analysis on the prescription difference of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine treatments would be helpful to clinical guide and health policy decision making of ethnopharmacological therapy. Patients diagnosed as allergic rhinitis with diagnostic code 470-478 (ICD-9-CM) were selected as subjects from 2009-2010 National Health Insurance Research Database based on the claim data from the nationwide National Health Insurance in Taiwan. This retrospective study used Chi-Square test to test the effects of gender and age on visit of traditional Chinese medicine, western medicine, and integrated Chinese-Western medicine treatments. A total of 45,804 patients diagnosed as allergic rhinitis with ICD-9-CM 470-478 were identified from 2009-2010 NHIRD. There were 36,874 subjects for western medicine treatment alone, 5829 subjects for traditional Chinese medicine treatment alone, and 3101 subjects for integrated Chinese-Western medicine treatment. Female patients were more than male in three treatments. 0-9 years children had the highest visit frequency in western medicine and integrated Chinese-Western medicine groups, while 10-19 years young-age rank the highest in traditional Chinese medicine group. The Chi-square test of independence showed that the effects of gender and age on visit of three treatments were significant. The prescription drugs of western medicine treatment alone were almost for

Understanding the experiences of a group of Yemeni students in an ESL science class

Science.gov (United States)

Fradi, Gihan

American classrooms are experiencing an influx of diverse language speaking students while for science educators the study of EBL students' learning in science classrooms is a relatively new field (Lee & Buxton, 2010). At the same time there is a growing emphasis on the importance of science practices (NGSS). This poses significant challenges for science educators who are enacting science curriculum that supports all students' learning. Supporting EBL students' academic achievement is significant because literacy is important for students' access to economic and social benefits that come with science literacy (Atwater, 1996). The purpose of this study was to examine the socio-linguistic challenges that a specific group of EBL students (Yemeni) faced and the extent to which such challenges affected their academic performance in science. These challenges are related to linguistic and cultural interactions, which can lead to conflicts between student and school, thereby interfering with the effectiveness of their education. This study also examined these students' and their science teacher's perspectives on strategies that can be used to facilitate their language acquisition during science class and help them become active participants in the school and classroom communities. The study used a qualitative interpretive research methodology and involved four Arab-American EBL students (two males and two females) from Yemen, who had been in the US for different periods of time. The amount of time these students had been in the US was important to examine differences in their acculturation and challenges they faced. Similarly, the use of female and male student participants was important to understand the impact of gender in the lived experiences of these students. The results of the study indicated that all the participants struggled with linguistic, social, and cultural aspects of their life in an American high school. These in turn led to a sense of being different

Development of taste sensor system for differentiation of Indonesian herbal medicines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaltsum, U.; Triyana, K.; Siswanta, D.

2014-01-01

In Indonesia, herbal medicines are usually produced by small and medium enterprises which are relatively low in quality control. The purpose of this paper is to report that we have developed a taste sensor system with global selectivity, i.e., electronic tongue (e-tongue) for differentiation of Indonesian herbal medicines. The e-tongue was composed of five kinds of ion selective electrodes as working electrodes, data acquisition system, and pattern recognition system. Each ion selective electrode (ISE) was built by attaching lipid/polymer membrane. For this purpose, the five kinds of membranes were built by mixing lipid, plasticizer (nitrophenyl octyl ether/NPOE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and tetrahydrofuran (THF). In this study, we employed five kinds of lipid, namely oleic acid (OA), dioctyl phosphate (DOP), decyl alcohol (DA), dodecylamine (DDC), and trioctyl methyl ammonium chloride (TOMA). In this case, the membranes transform information of taste substances into electric signal. The five kinds of Indonesian herbal medicine were purchased from local supermarket in Yogyakarta, i.e., kunyit asam (made from turmeric and tamarind), beras kencur (made from rice and kencur), jahe wangi (made from ginger and fragrance), sirih wangi (made from betel leaf), and temulawak (made from Javanese ginger). Prior to detecting the taste from the Indonesian herbal medicine samples, each ion selective electrode was tested with five basic taste samples, i.e., for saltiness, sweetness, umami, bitterness, and sourness. All ISEs showed global selectivity to all samples. Furthermore, the array of ISEs showed specific response pattern to each Indonesian herbal medicine. For pattern recognition system, we employed principle component analysis (PCA). As a result, the e-tongue was able to differentiate five kinds of Indonesian herbal medicines, proven by the total variance of first and second principle components is about 93%. For the future, the e-tongue may be developed for quality

Development of taste sensor system for differentiation of Indonesian herbal medicines

Science.gov (United States)

Kaltsum, U.; Triyana, K.; Siswanta, D.

2014-09-01

In Indonesia, herbal medicines are usually produced by small and medium enterprises which are relatively low in quality control. The purpose of this paper is to report that we have developed a taste sensor system with global selectivity, i.e., electronic tongue (e-tongue) for differentiation of Indonesian herbal medicines. The e-tongue was composed of five kinds of ion selective electrodes as working electrodes, data acquisition system, and pattern recognition system. Each ion selective electrode (ISE) was built by attaching lipid/polymer membrane. For this purpose, the five kinds of membranes were built by mixing lipid, plasticizer (nitrophenyl octyl ether/NPOE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and tetrahydrofuran (THF). In this study, we employed five kinds of lipid, namely oleic acid (OA), dioctyl phosphate (DOP), decyl alcohol (DA), dodecylamine (DDC), and trioctyl methyl ammonium chloride (TOMA). In this case, the membranes transform information of taste substances into electric signal. The five kinds of Indonesian herbal medicine were purchased from local supermarket in Yogyakarta, i.e., kunyit asam (made from turmeric and tamarind), beras kencur (made from rice and kencur), jahe wangi (made from ginger and fragrance), sirih wangi (made from betel leaf), and temulawak (made from Javanese ginger). Prior to detecting the taste from the Indonesian herbal medicine samples, each ion selective electrode was tested with five basic taste samples, i.e., for saltiness, sweetness, umami, bitterness, and sourness. All ISEs showed global selectivity to all samples. Furthermore, the array of ISEs showed specific response pattern to each Indonesian herbal medicine. For pattern recognition system, we employed principle component analysis (PCA). As a result, the e-tongue was able to differentiate five kinds of Indonesian herbal medicines, proven by the total variance of first and second principle components is about 93%. For the future, the e-tongue may be developed for quality

Development of taste sensor system for differentiation of Indonesian herbal medicines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaltsum, U., E-mail: um-mik@yahoo.co.id [Physics Education Department, IKIP PGRI Semarang (Indonesia); Triyana, K., E-mail: triyana@ugm.ac.id; Siswanta, D., E-mail: triyana@ugm.ac.id [Physics Department, Gadjah Mada University (Indonesia)

2014-09-25

In Indonesia, herbal medicines are usually produced by small and medium enterprises which are relatively low in quality control. The purpose of this paper is to report that we have developed a taste sensor system with global selectivity, i.e., electronic tongue (e-tongue) for differentiation of Indonesian herbal medicines. The e-tongue was composed of five kinds of ion selective electrodes as working electrodes, data acquisition system, and pattern recognition system. Each ion selective electrode (ISE) was built by attaching lipid/polymer membrane. For this purpose, the five kinds of membranes were built by mixing lipid, plasticizer (nitrophenyl octyl ether/NPOE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and tetrahydrofuran (THF). In this study, we employed five kinds of lipid, namely oleic acid (OA), dioctyl phosphate (DOP), decyl alcohol (DA), dodecylamine (DDC), and trioctyl methyl ammonium chloride (TOMA). In this case, the membranes transform information of taste substances into electric signal. The five kinds of Indonesian herbal medicine were purchased from local supermarket in Yogyakarta, i.e., kunyit asam (made from turmeric and tamarind), beras kencur (made from rice and kencur), jahe wangi (made from ginger and fragrance), sirih wangi (made from betel leaf), and temulawak (made from Javanese ginger). Prior to detecting the taste from the Indonesian herbal medicine samples, each ion selective electrode was tested with five basic taste samples, i.e., for saltiness, sweetness, umami, bitterness, and sourness. All ISEs showed global selectivity to all samples. Furthermore, the array of ISEs showed specific response pattern to each Indonesian herbal medicine. For pattern recognition system, we employed principle component analysis (PCA). As a result, the e-tongue was able to differentiate five kinds of Indonesian herbal medicines, proven by the total variance of first and second principle components is about 93%. For the future, the e-tongue may be developed for quality

The "child size medicines" concept

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nsabagasani, Xavier; Okeng, Jasper Ogwal; Mbonye, Anthony

2015-01-01

Background In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the ‘make medicines child size’ (MMCS) campaign by urging countries to prioritize procurement of medicines with appropriate strengths for children’s age and weight and, in child-friendly formulations of rectal and flexible oral solid...... of policy provisions for the MMCS recommendations. Results For most medicines for the selected diseases, appropriate strength for children’s age and weight was addressed especially in the EMHSLU 2012. However, policy documents neither referred to ‘child size medicines’ concept nor provided for flexible oral...... health policy documents reflected limited adherence to the MMCS recommendations. This and failure to use evidence based medicines may result into treatment failure and or death. A revision of the current policies and guidelines to better reflect ‘child size’, child appropriate and evidence based...

Pulmonary explorations in nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beck, C.

1987-01-01

Ten years ago specialists in Nuclear Medicine from the South of France formed an Association called ACOMEN. The objectives were to create a permanent exchange of ideas between members and a close collaboration with physicians. The group objectives have led to a combination of efforts on the behalf of each one to clarify our techniques for physicians having recourse to this speciality as well as the various categories of students passing through the Nuclear Medicine Departments. Different groups within the ACOMEN were assigned to specific subjects. Each group was in charge of building the framework of a certain topic, which was then illustrated by selected documents contributed by all members. A slide collection, complete with an explanatory booklet is the final result of this collaboration. Thus anyone concerned in any way, with nuclear medicine, is able to quickly become familiar with the techniques of the speciality, to be aware of its possibilities and its limitations and to update his hnowledge. One realizes that the first theme selected was not the easiest; pulmonary radionuclide explorations are, as everyone knows, variable and even personalized. However, the choice was deliberate. The difficulty should stimulate those responsible for the other themes as well as the people working with them. There is already a slide collection available to anyone who wishes to learn about the use of nuclear medicine in the diagnosis of respiratory diseases [fr

Toward precision medicine in Alzheimer's disease.

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Reitz, Christiane

2016-03-01

In Western societies, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and the sixth leading cause of death. In recent years, the concept of precision medicine, an approach for disease prevention and treatment that is personalized to an individual's specific pattern of genetic variability, environment and lifestyle factors, has emerged. While for some diseases, in particular select cancers and a few monogenetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, significant advances in precision medicine have been made over the past years, for most other diseases precision medicine is only in its beginning. To advance the application of precision medicine to a wider spectrum of disorders, governments around the world are starting to launch Precision Medicine Initiatives, major efforts to generate the extensive scientific knowledge needed to integrate the model of precision medicine into every day clinical practice. In this article we summarize the state of precision medicine in AD, review major obstacles in its development, and discuss its benefits in this highly prevalent, clinically and pathologically complex disease.

Antimelanogenesis and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Selected Culinary-Medicinal Mushrooms.

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Saad, Hazwani Mat; Sim, Kae Shin; Tan, Yee Shin

2018-01-01

Five culinary-medicinal mushrooms are commonly available in the Malaysian market: Agaricus bisporus (white and brown), Ganoderma lucidum, Hypsizygus marmoreus, Pleurotus floridanus, and P. pulmonarius. These species were selected for use in the current study, the aim of which was to investigate the antimelanogenesis and anti-inflammatory activity of these mushrooms in an attempt to evaluate their potential use in cosmeceuticals. Mushroom fruiting bodies were extracted with hot water, and the extracts were freeze-dried before testing. The antimelanogenesis activity of the extracts was determined by cell viability assay, measurement of intracellular melanin content, and cellular tyrosinase assay with B16F10 melanoma cells. The anti-inflammatory activity of the mushroom extracts was tested by measuring the levels of nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin-10 excreted by RAW264.7 macrophages. Brown A. bisporus reduced intracellular melanin content to the largest extent-up to 57.05 ± 3.90%-without a cytotoxic effect on B16F10 melanoma cells. This extract also reduced cellular tyrosinase activity to 17.93 ± 2.65%, performing better than kojic acid, the positive control. In parallel, the extract from brown A. bisporus, at the highest concentration tested, has appreciable anti-inflammatory activity through reductions of NO and TNF-α levels. The other 5 extracts showed moderate antimelanogenesis and anti-inflammatory activities. In summary, our findings show that A. bisporus (brown) extract has the potential to be used as an ingredient in whitening skincare products and to sooth the inflammatory response on the skin.

Chapter 5. Assessing the Aquatic Hazards of Veterinary Medicines

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In recent years, there has been increasing awareness of the widespread distribution of low concentrations of veterinary medicine products and other pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment. While aquatic hazard for a select group of veterinary medicines has received previous s...

Herbal Medicines for Leucorrhea According to Iranian Traditional Medicine.

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Dehdari, Sahar; Hajimehdipoor, Homa

2016-05-01

Leucorrhea or vaginal discharge is a conventional complaint. It is generally whitish, yellowish, or greenish vaginal discharge in females that might be normal or a symptom of infection. It is almost mucus discharge, which exhibit exfoliation of vaginal epithelial cells due to estrogen influence on the vaginal mucosa. It is important to identify the differences between physiologic and pathologic discharges. Leucorrhea is a well-known disease in Iranian traditional medicine (ITM). In their manuscripts, the word "Sayalan-e rahem" was used by Avicenna and some other Iranian traditional practitioners to describe this condition. Ancient practitioners believed that excessive residue (kesrate fozool) and weakness of digestion (Za'afe hazm) were the main causes of leucorrhea, for which herbal therapy was the main proposed treatment. In the present study, medicinal plants used in ITM for leucorrhea are introduced. In this research, six Iranian traditional textbooks including Canon of Medicine (Avicena 980-1037 AD), A-Hawi (Razes 865-925 AD), Tuhfat ul-Momineen (Mo'men tonekaboni, 17th century), Makhzan-ul-Adwiah (Aghili 18th century), Ikhtiarat Badi'i (Ansari 1329-1404 AD), and al-jāmi li-mufradāt al-adwiyawa al-aghdhiy (Ibn al-Baitar 1197 AD) were studied and searched for anti-leucorrhea medicines. Then the herbal medicines were selected and scored depending on their frequency in the above-mentioned textbooks. Additional attention was paid to provide the most suitable scientific name for each plant. This study introduced many Materia Medica with anti-leucorrhea activity and among them seven herbs including Rubus fruticosus L., Rhus coriaria L., Phoenix dactylifera L., Pimpinella anisum L., Rumex acetosa L., Olea europaea L. and Quercus lusitanica Lam. showed the most repetition in ITM prescriptions. These herbs can be introduced as new anti-leucorrhea herbal medicines for clinical research.

Medicinal plants used in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

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Jacobo-Herrera, Nadia J; Jacobo-Herrera, Frida E; Zentella-Dehesa, Alejandro; Andrade-Cetto, Adolfo; Heinrich, Michael; Pérez-Plasencia, Carlos

2016-02-17

Cancer cases numbers are increasing worldwide positioning this disease as the second cause of mortality for both sexes. Medicinal plants have been used in the fight against cancer as the basis for drug discovery and nowadays more than 70% of anticancer drugs have a natural origin. Mexico is regarded for its cultural and biological diversity, which is reflected in the vast traditional knowledge of herbal remedies. In this review we examined herbal remedies employed in colorectal cancer treatment (CRC). The goal of this work was to gather scientific reports of plants used in Mexican traditional medicine for CRC treatment. We performed a search on scientific literature databases using as keywords: "colon cancer", "gastric cancer", "cytotoxicity", studies "in vitro and in vivo", in combination with "Mexican medicinal plants" or "Mexican herbal remedies". The selection criteria of cytotoxic activity for extracts or pure compounds was based on the National Cancer Institute of USA recommendations of effective dose 50 (ED50) of ≤20μg/mL and ≤4μg/mL, respectively. In this review we report 25 botanic families and 39 species of plants used for the treatment of colon cancer in Mexico with evidence in studies in vitro and in vivo. Medicinal plants are still a great source of novel chemical structures with antineoplastic potential as it is proven in this work. The selection criteria and activity was narrowed for methodological purposes, nevertheless, drug discovery of natural origin continues to be a highly attractive R&D strategy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biomedical informatics and translational medicine

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Sarkar Indra

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Biomedical informatics involves a core set of methodologies that can provide a foundation for crossing the "translational barriers" associated with translational medicine. To this end, the fundamental aspects of biomedical informatics (e.g., bioinformatics, imaging informatics, clinical informatics, and public health informatics may be essential in helping improve the ability to bring basic research findings to the bedside, evaluate the efficacy of interventions across communities, and enable the assessment of the eventual impact of translational medicine innovations on health policies. Here, a brief description is provided for a selection of key biomedical informatics topics (Decision Support, Natural Language Processing, Standards, Information Retrieval, and Electronic Health Records and their relevance to translational medicine. Based on contributions and advancements in each of these topic areas, the article proposes that biomedical informatics practitioners ("biomedical informaticians" can be essential members of translational medicine teams.

Thieme Textbook Internal Medicine - TIM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flasnoecker, M.

1999-01-01

The textbook and reference work covers the entire field of internal medicine arranged in 15 chapters, each covering a particular branch of internal medicine. This subject arrangement corresponds to the subject clusters of the regime of post-graduate education. Every branch, i. e. every chapter, has its own responsible editor. This selection of editors and authors,- all in all 180 experts in general and clinical practice -, guarantees a maximum of competence and compliance with the frontiers of research and clinical experience. (orig./CB) [de

Precision medicine in acute myeloid leukemia: Hope, hype or both?

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Prasad, Vinay; Gale, Robert Peter

2016-09-01

Precision medicine is interchangeably used with personalized medicine, genomic medicine and individualized medicine. Collectively, these terms refer to at least 5 distinct concepts in the context of AML. 1st, using molecular or omics data (e.g. genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics) to delineate or define subtypes of AML. 2nd, using these data to select the best therapy for someone with an AML subtype, such as a person with a FLT3-mutation. 3rd, using these data to monitor therapy-response such as measurable residual disease [MRD]-testing. 4th, using results of MRD-testing to select from amongst therapy-options such as additional chemotherapy or a haematopoietic cell transplant. And 5th, using these data to identify persons with hereditary forms of AML with potential therapy and surveillance implications. Here, we review these 5 conceptions and delineate where precision medicine is likely to afford greatest hope and where instead our rhetoric may constitute hype. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Liposome imaging agents in personalized medicine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Anncatrine Luisa; Hansen, Anders Elias; Gabizon, Alberto

2012-01-01

In recent years the importance of molecular and diagnostic imaging has increased dramatically in the treatment planning of many diseases and in particular in cancer therapy. Within nanomedicine there are particularly interesting possibilities for combining imaging and therapy. Engineered liposomes...... that selectively localize in tumor tissue can transport both drugs and imaging agents, which allows for a theranostic approach with great potential in personalized medicine. Radiolabeling of liposomes have for many years been used in preclinical studies for evaluating liposome in vivo performance and has been...... start to consider how to use imaging for patient selection and treatment monitoring in connection to nanocarrier based medicines. Nanocarrier imaging agents could furthermore have interesting properties for disease diagnostics and staging. Here, we review the major advances in the development...

The public production of medicines compared to the National Policy of Medicines and the burden of disease in Brazil

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Tatiana Aragão Figueiredo

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract: The public production of medicines in Brazil by Government Pharmaceutical Laboratories has once again become the object of incentives, and Industrial Development Partnerships are one of the mechanisms adopted for the production of strategic medicines for the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS. Considering that burden-of-disease studies have been used as a tool to define priority and essential medicines, the article compares the product portfolios of the country’s Official Pharmaceutical Laboratories (OPL and the list of strategic medicines for the SUS and burden of disease in Brazil in 2008. Of the 205 strategic medicines for the SUS and 111 from the portfolios, 73% and 89%, respectively, are on the National List of Essential Medicines (RENAME 2014. Some strategic medicines for the SUS are already produced by OPL and feature the selection of cancer drugs and biologicals. The current study contributes to the discussion on the public production of medicines in light of the country’s current industrial policy and highlights the need to define priority drugs and the role of OPL in guaranteeing access to them.

An analysis of the combination frequencies of constituent medicinal herbs in prescriptions for the treatment of bone and joint disorder in Korean medicine: determination of a group of candidate prescriptions for universal use

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Yoo Kyoung Han

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background: This study aimed to select prescriptions (mixtures of medicinal herbs used in the treatment of bone and joint disorders in Korean medicine, and through the analysis of medicinal herb combination frequencies, select a high-frequency medicinal herb combination group for further experimental and clinical research. Methods: We systematically searched for terms related to bone and joint disorder in the “Dongeuibogam (Dong yibaojian”, a seminal Korean medicine book. We reviewed the results of published papers regarding the effects in bone and joint disorders (especially in osteoporosis, osteomalacia, osteopenia, rheumatoid arthritis, and degenerative arthritis. Results: In total, 34 candidates of a medicinal herb combination for the treatment of bone and joint disorders(CMHCTBJDs and nine candidates of a medicinal herb for the treatment of bone and joint disorders(CMHTBJDs were selected. Conclusion: : The candidates of a medicinal herb combination for the treatment of bone and joint disorders (CMHCTBJDs and candidates of a medicinal herb for the treatment of bone and joint disorders(CMHTBJDs proposed in this study can be useful material for text mining to develop natural products with the effects in BJDs and also it has the potential to reduce the experimental and developmental time period. Keywords: Dongeuibogam (Dong yi bao gian, Text mining, Bone disorder

In vitro activity of selected medicinal plants in Kenya on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Although chemotherapy has been used to control the disease, cases of drug resistance by trypanosomes are a major problem and prospects of vaccine development are remote. Herbal medicines have been claimed to be effective in the control of the disease in endemic areas. This study evaluated the in vitro activity of ...

Selected papers from the 7th International Conference on Microtechnologies in Medicine and Biology (MMB 2013)

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Meng, Ellis; Takayama, Shuichi

2014-03-01

In this special section of Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering are a collection of the best microengineering papers presented at the 7th International Conference on Microtechnologies in Medicine and Biology (MMB 2013) which took place in the seaside town of Marina del Rey, California, USA on 10-12 April, 2013. During the 3-day conference, participants enjoyed talks from 6 invited keynote speakers and 125 flash oral/poster presentations. The MMB conference is a biennial meeting with the primary purpose of fostering interactions between biologists and medical researchers, clinicians, chemists, physicists and engineers to enhance and strengthen the potential microtechnologies that will revolutionize the fields of medicine and biological sciences. The conference possesses a unique format where all poster presenters provide a brief 60 s oral presentation highlighting their research. This format was devised to provide training and exposure for young researchers, especially PhD students and postdocs, in the field and stimulate interdisciplinary exchanges. Therefore, MMB provides an intimate intellectual venue the facilitate discussions and collaborations to advance new research tools and technologies for medicine and biological sciences. The MMB conference series was co-founded by Professor David Beebe (University of Wisconsin—Madison) and Professor André Dittmar (University of Lyon) and was the first international meeting to provide a forum focusing on emerging applications of microtechnologies to unmet needs in medicine and biology. The series was held for the first time in 2000, in Lyon, France and followed by Madison, USA (2002), Oahu Island in Hawaii, USA (2005), Okinawa, Japan (2006), Québec City, Canada (2009), Lucerne, Switzerland (2011), and Marina del Rey, USA (2013). The next conference will be held in Seoul, Korea in 2015. This collection of articles highlights recent progress in microtechnologies with medical and biological applications. We are

Perspectives in molecular imaging through translational research, human medicine, and veterinary medicine.

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Berry, Clifford R; Garg, Predeep

2014-01-01

The concept of molecular imaging has taken off over the past 15 years to the point of the renaming of the Society of Nuclear Medicine (Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging) and Journals (European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging) and offering of medical fellowships specific to this area of study. Molecular imaging has always been at the core of functional imaging related to nuclear medicine. Even before the phrase molecular imaging came into vogue, radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals were developed that targeted select physiological processes, proteins, receptor analogs, antibody-antigen interactions, metabolites and specific metabolic pathways. In addition, with the advent of genomic imaging, targeted genomic therapy, and theranostics, a number of novel radiopharmaceuticals for the detection and therapy of specific tumor types based on unique biological and cellular properties of the tumor itself have been realized. However, molecular imaging and therapeutics as well as the concept of theranostics are yet to be fully realized. The purpose of this review article is to present an overview of the translational approaches to targeted molecular imaging with application to some naturally occurring animal models of human disease. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.

The information infrastructure that supports evidence-based veterinary medicine: a comparison with human medicine.

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Toews, Lorraine

2011-01-01

In human medicine, the information infrastructure that supports the knowledge translation processes of exchange, synthesis, dissemination, and application of the best clinical intervention research has developed significantly in the past 15 years, facilitating the uptake of research evidence by clinicians as well as the practice of evidence-based medicine. Seven of the key elements of this improved information infrastructure are clinical trial registries, research reporting standards, systematic reviews, organizations that support the production of systematic reviews, the indexing of clinical intervention research in MEDLINE, clinical search filters for MEDLINE, and point-of-care decision support information resources. The objective of this paper is to describe why these elements are important for evidence-based medicine, the key developments and issues related to these seven information infrastructure elements in human medicine, how these 7 elements compare with the corresponding infrastructure elements in veterinary medicine, and how all of these factors affect the translation of clinical intervention research into clinical practice. A focused search of the Ovid MEDLINE database was conducted for English language journal literature published between 2000 and 2010. Two bibliographies were consulted and selected national and international Web sites were searched using Google. The literature reviewed indicates that the information infrastructure supporting evidence-based veterinary medicine practice in all of the 7 elements reviewed is significantly underdeveloped in relation to the corresponding information infrastructure in human medicine. This lack of development creates barriers to the timely translation of veterinary medicine research into clinical practice and also to the conduct of both primary clinical intervention research and synthesis research.

Herbal medicines for children: an illusion of safety?

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Tomassoni, A J; Simone, K

2001-04-01

Herbal medicaments are in common use. In general, the judicious use of carefully selected and prepared herbal medications seems to cause few adverse effects and may be beneficial. However, toxic effects of these products have been reported with increasing frequency. Infants and children may be even more susceptible to some of the adverse effects and toxicity of these products because of differences in physiology, immature metabolic enzyme systems, and dose per body weight. Although information promoting the use of herbal medicine is widespread, true evidence-based information about the efficacy and safety of herbal medications is limited. Although the most conservative approach is to recommend against use of herbal medicine until such evidence is available, some patients are not receptive to this approach. A reasonable approach for health care providers may be to follow such use closely, assist in herbal therapeutic decisions, and monitor for adverse effects and interactions. This manuscript discusses general concepts about herbal medicines, public health implications, and a framework for mechanisms of adverse effects from the use of botanicals. Adverse effects and toxicity of selected herbal products, including Chinese herbal medicines, are presented. The authors propose a risk reduction approach in which physicians actively seek information about the use of complementary or alternative medicine while taking medical histories.

Cytotoxic Activity of Selected Iranian Traditional Medicinal Plants on Colon, Colorectal and Breast Cancer Cell Lines

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Leila Mohammad Taghizadeh Kashani

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Background: Many natural products from plants have been recognized to exert anticancer activity. In this study, ethanolic extracts of selected medicinal herbs from Iranian flora including Alyssum homolocarpum Fisch. (from seeds, Urtica dioica L. (from aerial parts, Cichorium intybus L. (from roots and Solanum nigrum L. (from fruits, were evaluated for their cytotoxic effect on different cell lines.Methods: Cytotoxic effect of these extracts was studied on three different cancer cell lines; colon carcinoma (HT-29, colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2 and breast ductal carcinoma (T47D. In addition, Swiss mouse embryo fibroblasts (NIH 3T3 were used as normal nonmalignant cells. MTT assay (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide was utilized for calculating the cytotoxicity of extracts on cell lines.Results: Results showed the potent cytotoxic activity of U. dioica ethanolic extract against T47D cell line with IC50 value of 46.14±4.55 µg/ml. Other extracts showed poor activity with IC50>100 µg/ml.Conclusions: Cytotoxic activity recorded in the present study revealed high potential antiproliferative activity of U. dioica ethanolic extract against T47D cell line. The real IC50 values of this extract may be considerably lower than the IC50 measured in our study if its pharmacological active compounds become pure. The results emphasize the importance of studies on U. dioica ethanolic extract to characterize potential components as cytotoxic natural medicines.

Medicinal Cannabis: History, Pharmacology, And Implications for the Acute Care Setting.

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Bridgeman, Mary Barna; Abazia, Daniel T

2017-03-01

The authors review the historical use of medicinal cannabis and discuss the agent's pharmacology and pharmacokinetics, select evidence on medicinal uses, and the implications of evolving regulations on the acute care hospital setting.

Transfusion medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murawski, K.; Peetoom, F.

1986-01-01

These proceedings contain 24 selections, including papers presented at the conference of American Red Cross held in May 1985, on the Subject of transfusion medicine. Some of the titles are: Fluosol/sup R/-DA in Radiation Therapy; Expression of Cloned Human Factor VIII and the Molecular Basis of Gene Defects that Cause Hemophilia; DNA-Probing Assay in the Detection of Hepatitis B Virus Genome in Human Peripheral Blood Cells; and Monoclonal Antibodies: Convergence of Technology and Application

In vitro antimycobacterial and cytotoxic data on medicinal plants used to treat tuberculosis

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Joseph M. Nguta

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This article contains data on in vitro antimycobacterial activity and cytotoxicity of hydroethanolic crude extracts from five selected medicinal plant species traditionally used to treat tuberculosis in Ghanaian ethnomedicine, see “Medicinal plants used to treat TB in Ghana” [1]. The interpretation and discussion of these data and further extensive insights into drug discovery against tuberculosis from natural products of plant biodiversity can be found in “Antimycobacterial and cytotoxic activity of selected medicinal plant extracts” [2].

Medicinal Cannabis: History, Pharmacology, And Implications for the Acute Care Setting

OpenAIRE

Bridgeman, Mary Barna; Abazia, Daniel T.

2017-01-01

The authors review the historical use of medicinal cannabis and discuss the agent?s pharmacology and pharmacokinetics, select evidence on medicinal uses, and the implications of evolving regulations on the acute care hospital setting.

Community pharmacy customer segmentation based on factors influencing their selection of pharmacy and over-the-counter medicines.

Science.gov (United States)

Kevrekidis, Dimitrios Phaedon; Minarikova, Daniela; Markos, Angelos; Malovecka, Ivona; Minarik, Peter

2018-01-01

Within the competitive pharmacy market environment, community pharmacies are required to develop efficient marketing strategies based on contemporary information about consumer behavior in order to attract clients and develop customer loyalty. This study aimed to investigate the consumers' preferences concerning the selection of pharmacy and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, and to identify customer segments in relation to these preferences. A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and March 2016 on a convenient quota sample of 300 participants recruited in the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki, Greece. The main instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire with close-ended, multiple choice questions. To identify customer segments, Two-Step cluster analysis was conducted. Three distinct pharmacy customer clusters emerged. Customers of the largest cluster (49%; 'convenience customers') were mostly younger consumers. They gave moderate to positive ratings to factors affecting the selection of pharmacy and OTCs; convenience, and previous experience and the pharmacist's opinion, received the highest ratings. Customers of the second cluster (35%; 'loyal customers') were mainly retired; most of them reported visiting a single pharmacy. They gave high ratings to all factors that influence pharmacy selection, especially the pharmacy's staff, and factors influencing the purchase of OTCs, particularly previous experience and the pharmacist's opinion. Customers of the smallest cluster (16%; 'convenience and price-sensitive customers') were mainly retired or unemployed with low to moderate education, and low personal income. They gave the lowest ratings to most of the examined factors; convenience among factors influencing pharmacy selection, whereas previous experience, the pharmacist's opinion and product price among those affecting the purchase of OTCs, received the highest ratings. The community pharmacy market comprised of distinct

Evaluation of antitrypanosomal and anti inflammatory activities of selected Nigerian medicinal plants in mice.

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Adelodun, Victoria O; Elusiyan, C A; Olorunmola, F O; Adewoyin, F B; Omisore, N O; Adepiti, A O; Agbedahunsi, J M; Adewunmi, C O

2013-01-01

The extracts of nine selected Nigerian medicinal plants were investigated on Trypanosoma brucei brucei infected mice. The anti-inflammatory properties of hexane fraction of the most promising U. chamae extract was assessed by acute oedema of the mice paw model while the modulatory effect of the extract on Delayed-Type Hypersensitivity (DTH) response on in vivo leucocytes mobilization was evaluated. 'Dose-probing acute toxicity tests' established an oral and intraperitoneal LD50 for T. ivorensis stem bark as >1600 5000 mg/kg. Extracts of Khaya senegalensis, Harungana madagascariensis, Terminalia ivorensis, Curcuma longa, Ocimum gratissimum and Alcornea cordifolia showed weak anti-trypanosomal effect and did not exhibit significant clearance in parasitemia at the test dose administered compared with the positive control (Diminal®). However, the leaf extract of U. chamae and its hexane fraction demonstrated a significant response (P < 0.01). The fraction at 1000 mg/kg inhibited oedema by 107%. Uvaria. chamae demonstrated both antitrypanosomal and anti-inflammatory properties by increasing the survival time of infected mice due to reduction in parasitemia caused by T. brucei brucei.

Are essential medicines in Malaysia accessible, affordable and available?

Science.gov (United States)

Saleh, Kamaruzaman; Ibrahim, Mohamed I M

2005-12-01

To assess the pharmaceutical sector to know whether people have access to essential medicines. The study was conducted in 20 public health clinics, five public district drug stores and 20 private retail pharmacies selected randomly in five different areas randomly selected (four states and a federal territory). The methodology used was adopted from the World Health Organization study protocol. The degree of attainment of the strategic pharmaceutical objectives of improved access is measured by a list of tested indicators. Access is measured in terms of the availability and affordability of essential medicines, especially to the poor and in the public sector. The first survey in the public health clinics and public district drug stores gathered information about current availability of essential medicines, prevalence of stock-outs and affordability of treatment (except drug stores). The second survey assessed affordability of treatment in public health clinics and private retail pharmacies. Availability, stock-out duration, percent of medicines dispensed, accessibility and affordability of key medicines. The average availability of key medicines in the public health clinics for the country was 95.4%. The average stock-out duration of key medicines was 6.5 days. However, average availability of key medicines in the public district drug stores was 89.2%; with an average stock-out duration of 32.4 days. Medicines prescribed were 100% dispensed to the patients. Average affordability for public health clinics was 1.5 weeks salary and for the private pharmacies, 3.7 weeks salary. The present pharmaceutical situation in the context of essential medicines list implementation reflected that the majority of the population in Malaysia had access to affordable essential medicines. If medicines need to be obtained from the private sector, they are hardly affordable. Although the average availability of essential medicines in Malaysia was high being more than 95.0%, in certain

Ex Vivo Antioxidant Activity of Selected Medicinal Plants against Fenton Reaction-Mediated Oxidation of Biological Lipid Substrates

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Namratha Pai Kotebagilu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Free radical-mediated oxidation is often linked to various degenerative diseases. Biological substrates with lipids as major components are susceptible to oxygen-derived lipid peroxidation due to their composition. Lipid peroxide products act as biomarkers in evaluating the antioxidant potential of various plants and functional foods. The study focused on evaluation of the antioxidant potential of two extracts (methanol and 80% methanol of four medicinal plants, Andrographis paniculata, Costus speciosus, Canthium parviflorum, and Abrus precatorius, against Fenton reaction-mediated oxidation of three biological lipid substrates; cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and brain homogenate. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was measured by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances method. Also, the correlation between the polyphenol, flavonoid content, and the antioxidant activity in biological substrates was analyzed. Results indicated highest antioxidant potential by 80% methanol extract of Canthium parviflorum (97.55%, methanol extract of Andrographis paniculata (72.15%, and methanol extract of Canthium parviflorum (49.55% in cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and brain, respectively. The polyphenol and flavonoid contents of methanol extract of Andrographis paniculata in cholesterol (r=0.816 and low-density lipoprotein (r=0.948 and Costus speciosus in brain (r=0.977, polyphenols, and r=0.949, flavonoids correlated well with the antioxidant activity. The findings prove the antioxidant potential of the selected medicinal plants against Fenton reaction in biological lipid substrates.

Application and Exploration of Big Data Mining in Clinical Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yue; Guo, Shu-Li; Han, Li-Na; Li, Tie-Ling

2016-01-01

Objective: To review theories and technologies of big data mining and their application in clinical medicine. Data Sources: Literatures published in English or Chinese regarding theories and technologies of big data mining and the concrete applications of data mining technology in clinical medicine were obtained from PubMed and Chinese Hospital Knowledge Database from 1975 to 2015. Study Selection: Original articles regarding big data mining theory/technology and big data mining's application in the medical field were selected. Results: This review characterized the basic theories and technologies of big data mining including fuzzy theory, rough set theory, cloud theory, Dempster–Shafer theory, artificial neural network, genetic algorithm, inductive learning theory, Bayesian network, decision tree, pattern recognition, high-performance computing, and statistical analysis. The application of big data mining in clinical medicine was analyzed in the fields of disease risk assessment, clinical decision support, prediction of disease development, guidance of rational use of drugs, medical management, and evidence-based medicine. Conclusion: Big data mining has the potential to play an important role in clinical medicine. PMID:26960378

Expiry of medicines in supply outlets in Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakyanzi, Josephine Katabaazi; Kitutu, Freddy Eric; Oria, Hussein; Kamba, Pakoyo Fadhiru

2010-02-01

The expiry of medicines in the supply chain is a serious threat to the already constrained access to medicines in developing countries. We investigated the extent of, and the main contributing factors to, expiry of medicines in medicine supply outlets in Kampala and Entebbe, Uganda. A cross-sectional survey of six public and 32 private medicine outlets was done using semi-structured questionnaires. The study area has 19 public medicine outlets (three non-profit wholesalers, 16 hospital stores/pharmacies), 123 private wholesale pharmacies and 173 retail pharmacies, equivalent to about 70% of the country's pharmaceutical businesses. Our findings indicate that medicines prone to expiry include those used for vertical programmes, donated medicines and those with a slow turnover. Awareness about the threat of expiry of medicines to the delivery of health services has increased. We have adapted training modules to emphasize management of medicine expiry for pharmacy students, pharmacists and other persons handling medicines. Our work has also generated more research interest on medicine expiry in Uganda. Even essential medicines expire in the supply chain in Uganda. Sound coordination is needed between public medicine wholesalers and their clients to harmonize procurement and consumption as well as with vertical programmes to prevent duplicate procurement. Additionally, national medicine regulatory authorities should enforce existing international guidelines to prevent dumping of donated medicine. Medicine selection and quantification should be matched with consumer tastes and prescribing habits. Lean supply and stock rotation should be considered.

"This body does not want free medicines": South African consumer perceptions of drug quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Aarti; Gauld, Robin; Norris, Pauline; Rades, Thomas

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVES Like many other developing countries, South Africa provides free medicines through its public health care facilities. Recent policies encourage generic substitution in the private sector. This study explored South African consumer perceptions of drug quality and whether these perceptions influenced how people procured and used their medicines. METHODS The study was undertaken in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa between December 2005 and January 2006. A combination of purposive and snowball sampling was used to recruit participants from low and middle socio-economic groups as well as the elderly and teenagers. Data were collected through 12 focus group discussions involving a total of 73 participants. Interviews were tape-recorded. Thematic analysis was performed on the transcripts. RESULTS Irrespective of socio-economic status, respondents described medicine quality in terms of the effect the medicine produced on felt symptoms. Generic medicines, as well as medicines supplied without charge by the state, were considered to be poor quality and treated with suspicion. Respondents obtained medicines from three sources: public sector hospitals and/or clinics, dispensing doctors and community pharmacies. Cost, avoidance of feeling 'second-class', receiving individualized care and choice in drug selection were the main determinants influencing their procurement behaviour. Selection of over-the-counter medicines was influenced by prior knowledge of products, through advertising and previous use. Participants perceived that they had limited influence on selection of prescription medicines. Generic substitution would be supported if the doctor, rather than the pharmacist, recommended it. CONCLUSIONS Our findings emphasize the importance of meaningful consumer involvement in the development of national medicines policies, and strategic campaigns targeting consumers and prescribers regarding the quality of generic and essential medicines. Where

Community pharmacy customer segmentation based on factors influencing their selection of pharmacy and over-the-counter medicines

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Dimitrios Phaedon Kevrekidis

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Within the competitive pharmacy market environment, community pharmacies are required to develop efficient marketing strategies based on contemporary information about consumer behavior in order to attract clients and develop customer loyalty. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the consumers’ preferences concerning the selection of pharmacy and over-the-counter (OTC medicines, and to identify customer segments in relation to these preferences. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and March 2016 on a convenient quota sample of 300 participants recruited in the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki, Greece. The main instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire with close-ended, multiple choice questions. To identify customer segments, Two-Step cluster analysis was conducted. Results: Three distinct pharmacy customer clusters emerged. Customers of the largest cluster (49%; ‘convenience customers’ were mostly younger consumers. They gave moderate to positive ratings to factors affecting the selection of pharmacy and OTCs; convenience, and previous experience and the pharmacist’s opinion, received the highest ratings. Customers of the second cluster (35%; ‘loyal customers’ were mainly retired; most of them reported visiting a single pharmacy. They gave high ratings to all factors that influence pharmacy selection, especially the pharmacy’s staff, and factors influencing the purchase of OTCs, particularly previous experience and the pharmacist’s opinion. Customers of the smallest cluster (16%; ‘convenience and price-sensitive customers’ were mainly retired or unemployed with low to moderate education, and low personal income. They gave the lowest ratings to most of the examined factors; convenience among factors influencing pharmacy selection, whereas previous experience, the pharmacist’s opinion and product price among those affecting the purchase of OTCs

Medicinal plants from Mali: Chemistry and biology.

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Wangensteen, Helle; Diallo, Drissa; Paulsen, Berit Smestad

2015-12-24

Mali is one of the countries in West Africa where the health system rely the most on traditional medicine. The healers are mainly using medicinal plants for their treatments. The studies performed being the basis for this review is of importance as they will contribute to sustaining the traditional knowledge. They contribute to evaluate and improve locally produced herbal remedies, and the review gives also an overview of the plant preparations that will have the most potential to be evaluated for new Improved Traditional Medicines. The aim of this review is to give an overview of the studies performed related to medicinal plants from Mali in the period 1995-2015. These studies include ethnopharmacology, chemistry and biological studies of the plants that were chosen based on our interviews with the healers in different regions of Mali, and contribute to sustainable knowledge on the medicinal plants. The Department of Traditional Medicine, Bamako, Mali, is responsible for registering the knowledge of the traditional healers on their use of medicinal plants and also identifying compounds in the plants responsible for the bioactivities claimed. The studies reported aimed at getting information from the healers on the use of medicinal plants, and study the biology and chemistry of selected plants for the purpose of verifying the traditional use of the plants. These studies should form the basis for necessary knowledge for the development of registered Improved Traditional Medicines in Mali. The healers were the ethnopharmacological informants. Questions asked initially were related to wound healing. This was because the immune system is involved when wounds are healed, and additionally the immune system is involved in the majority of the illnesses common in Mali. Based on the results of the interviews the plant material for studies was selected. Studies were performed on the plant parts the healers were using when treating their patients. Conventional chromatographic

Analysis of Knowledge Level and Perception on Singkawang City Community towards Generic Medicines

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Forid Morison

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Survey data show that the use of generic medicines in Indonesia is relatively very small, which only amounted 7%. This is due to lack of knowledge and poor perceptions towards generic medicines. Knowledge level and perceptions towards generic medicines are inflenced by community characteristics and information resource regarding generic medicines. The aim of this study was to determine the association between community characteristic and information resources with knowledge level and perception towards generic medicines. This study was an analytical survey with cross-sectional descriptive approach on 142 selected respondents who were fulfi inclusion and exclusion criteria. This study was conducted in June 2014 at several randomly selected locations on Singkawang City. The study show that 76 respondents (53.5% had inadequate knowledge and 123 respondents (86.6% had a good perception towards generic medicines. There is signifiant relationship between ethnicity (p=0.000 and information resources (p=0.009 with knowledge level regarding generic medicines at signifiance level of p<0.05. Although good perceptions were noted among the respondents, widespread dissemination of information regarding generic medicines should be continued to increase generic medicines used.

Personalized Medicine and Cancer

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Mukesh Verma

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and more than 1.5 million new cases and more than 0.5 million deaths were reported during 2010 in the United States alone. Following completion of the sequencing of the human genome, substantial progress has been made in characterizing the human epigenome, proteome, and metabolome; a better understanding of pharmacogenomics has been developed, and the potential for customizing health care for the individual has grown tremendously. Recently, personalized medicine has mainly involved the systematic use of genetic or other information about an individual patient to select or optimize that patient’s preventative and therapeutic care. Molecular profiling in healthy and cancer patient samples may allow for a greater degree of personalized medicine than is currently available. Information about a patient’s proteinaceous, genetic, and metabolic profile could be used to tailor medical care to that individual’s needs. A key attribute of this medical model is the development of companion diagnostics, whereby molecular assays that measure levels of proteins, genes, or specific mutations are used to provide a specific therapy for an individual’s condition by stratifying disease status, selecting the proper medication, and tailoring dosages to that patient’s specific needs. Additionally, such methods can be used to assess a patient’s risk factors for a number of conditions and to tailor individual preventative treatments. Recent advances, challenges, and future perspectives of personalized medicine in cancer are discussed.

[Reduction of ADRs of essential traditional Chinese medicines].

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Nie, Qing; Liu, Yan; Chen, Jing

2016-01-01

The essential traditional Chinese medicines (ETCM) are the characteristics of our National Essential Medicine List (NEML) and we should give full play to its unique advantage. The essential medicines of ETCM are specific, but also have dual characters, namely efficacy and ADRs. Although ADRs cannot be avoided, we can make efforts to control some conditions to minimize the possibility of ADRs. It is significant to give suggestions to reduce ADRs of ETCM under the ETCM system by analyzing the possibility of ADRs during ETCM selection, production distribution and use. This research focuses on ETCM, and the conclusion is also applicable to common traditional Chinese medicines. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Alternative medicine and anesthesia: Implications and considerations in daily practice.

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Bajwa, Sukhminder Jit Singh; Panda, Aparajita

2012-10-01

Nowadays, herbal medicines are widely used by most of the people, including the pre-surgical population. These medicines may pose numerous challenges during perioperative care. The objective of the current literature review is to dwell upon the impact of the use of herbal medicines during the perioperative period, and to review the strategies for managing their perioperative use. The data was generated from various articles of different journals, text books, web source, including, Entrez Pubmed, Medscape, WebMD, and so on. Selected only those herbal medicines for which information on, safety, usage, and precautions during the perioperative period was available. Thereafter, the information about safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics from selected literature was gathered and analyzed. The whole review focused on the fact that these commonly used alternative medicines could sometimes pose as a concern during the perioperative period, in various ways. These complications could be due to their direct action, pharmacodynamic effect, or pharmacokinetic effect. In view of the serious impacts of herbal medicine usage in perioperative care, the anesthesiologist should take a detailed history, especially stressing on the use of herbal medicine during the preoperative anesthetic assessment. The anesthesiologist should also be aware of the potential perioperative effects of those drugs. Accordingly, steps should to be taken to prevent, recognize, and treat the complications that may arise due to their use or discontinuation.

History, Principles, and Policies of Observation Medicine.

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Ross, Michael A; Granovsky, Michael

2017-08-01

The history of observation medicine has paralleled the rise of emergency medicine over the past 50 years to meet the needs of patients, emergency departments, hospitals, and the US health care system. Just as emergency departments are the safety net of the health system, observation units are the safety net of emergency departments. The growth of observation medicine has been driven by innovations in health care, an ongoing shift of patients from inpatient to outpatient settings, and changes in health policy. These units have been shown to provide better outcomes than traditional care for selected patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ethnobotany and herbal medicine in modern complementary and alternative medicine: An overview of publications in the field of I&C medicine 2001-2013.

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Popović, Zorica; Matić, Rada; Bojović, Srđan; Stefanović, Milena; Vidaković, Vera

2016-04-02

Ethnobotanical knowledge and traditional medicinal practices from different parts of the world are of global importance and documentation of ethnobotanical, and ethnopharmacological data is a key prerequisite for further research in the area of herbal medicine and its implementation in clinical practice. An attempt was made to evaluate the scientific output of research related to ethnobotany and herbal medicine in journals indexed in the subject area "Integrative and Complementary Medicine" in the period 2001-2013, in order to ascertain research trends in both subdisciplines. All articles related to ethnobotany and herbal medicine, extracted from journals included in the field of I&C Medicine and published in the period 2001-2013, have been analyzed for general bibliometric data, and specific data: ethnobotanical data (geographic, floristic, pharmacological, sociological and other relevant data) and phytotherapeutic data (type of applied herbal medicine, plant species studied, pharmacological activity of studied plant species and disease and disorder type studied on a particular model). In the studied period, the number of articles dealing with ethnobotany and herbal medicine increased 6.3-fold. Articles related to ethnobotanical studies documented medicinal flora from 81 countries, either giving an overview of overall medicinal flora, or presenting the ethnomedicinal aspect of the use of plants for the treatment of ailments typical to the studied area. Additionally, the authors provided significant information on the methods of use and herbal preparations. In herbal medicine studies, plants, traditional plant remedies, herbal medicinal products and active herbal compounds were tested for many of pharmacological activities (146), with the curative activity emerging as most frequently tested. Out of 39 model systems, most of the studies were carried out under controlled in vitro conditions (4589 articles), followed by rat in vivo (2320), human in vivo (1285), mouse

Geriatric core competencies for family medicine curriculum and enhanced skills: care of elderly.

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Charles, Lesley; Triscott, Jean A C; Dobbs, Bonnie M; McKay, Rhianne

2014-06-01

There is a growing mandate for Family Medicine residency programs to directly assess residents' clinical competence in Care of the Elderly (COE). The objectives of this paper are to describe the development and implementation of incremental core competencies for Postgraduate Year (PGY)-I Integrated Geriatrics Family Medicine, PGY-II Geriatrics Rotation Family Medicine, and PGY-III Enhanced Skills COE for COE Diploma residents at a Canadian University. Iterative expert panel process for the development of the core competencies, with a pre-defined process for implementation of the core competencies. Eighty-five core competencies were selected overall by the Working Group, with 57 core competencies selected for the PGY-I/II Family Medicine residents and an additional 28 selected for the PGY-III COE residents. The core competencies follow the CanMEDS Family Medicine roles. Both sets of core competencies are based on consensus. Due to demographic changes, it is essential that Family Physicians have the required skills and knowledge to care for the frail elderly. The core competencies described were developed for PGY-I/II Family Medicine residents and PGY-III Enhanced Skills COE, with a focus on the development of geriatric expertise for those patients that would most benefit.

In Vitro Activity of Selected West African Medicinal Plants against Mycobacterium ulcerans Disease.

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Tsouh Fokou, Patrick Valere; Kissi-Twum, Abena Adomah; Yeboah-Manu, Dorothy; Appiah-Opong, Regina; Addo, Phyllis; Tchokouaha Yamthe, Lauve Rachel; Ngoutane Mfopa, Alvine; Fekam Boyom, Fabrice; Nyarko, Alexander Kwadwo

2016-04-13

Buruli ulcer (BU) is the third most prevalent mycobacteriosis, after tuberculosis and leprosy. The currently recommended combination of rifampicin-streptomycin suffers from side effects and poor compliance, which leads to reliance on local herbal remedies. The objective of this study was to investigate the antimycobacterial properties and toxicity of selected medicinal plants. Sixty-five extracts from 27 plant species were screened against Mycobacterium ulcerans and Mycobacterium smegmatis, using the Resazurin Microtiter Assay (REMA). The cytotoxicity of promising extracts was assayed on normal Chang liver cells by an MTT assay. Twenty five extracts showed activity with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 16 µg/mL to 250 µg/mL against M. smegmatis, while 17 showed activity against M. ulcerans with MIC values ranging from 125 µg/mL to 250 µg/mL. In most of the cases, plant extracts with antimycobacterial activity showed no cytotoxicity on normal human liver cells. Exception were Carica papaya, Cleistopholis patens, and Polyalthia suaveolens with 50% cell cytotoxic concentrations (CC50) ranging from 3.8 to 223 µg/mL. These preliminary results support the use of some West African plants in the treatment of Buruli ulcer. Meanwhile, further studies are required to isolate and characterize the active ingredients in the extracts.

In Vitro Activity of Selected West African Medicinal Plants against Mycobacterium ulcerans Disease

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Patrick Valere Tsouh Fokou

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Buruli ulcer (BU is the third most prevalent mycobacteriosis, after tuberculosis and leprosy. The currently recommended combination of rifampicin-streptomycin suffers from side effects and poor compliance, which leads to reliance on local herbal remedies. The objective of this study was to investigate the antimycobacterial properties and toxicity of selected medicinal plants. Sixty-five extracts from 27 plant species were screened against Mycobacterium ulcerans and Mycobacterium smegmatis, using the Resazurin Microtiter Assay (REMA. The cytotoxicity of promising extracts was assayed on normal Chang liver cells by an MTT assay. Twenty five extracts showed activity with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC values ranging from 16 µg/mL to 250 µg/mL against M. smegmatis, while 17 showed activity against M. ulcerans with MIC values ranging from 125 µg/mL to 250 µg/mL. In most of the cases, plant extracts with antimycobacterial activity showed no cytotoxicity on normal human liver cells. Exception were Carica papaya, Cleistopholis patens, and Polyalthia suaveolens with 50% cell cytotoxic concentrations (CC50 ranging from 3.8 to 223 µg/mL. These preliminary results support the use of some West African plants in the treatment of Buruli ulcer. Meanwhile, further studies are required to isolate and characterize the active ingredients in the extracts.

Microbial Load of Some Medicinal Plants Sold in Some Local ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Microbial Load of Some Medicinal Plants Sold in Some Local Markets in Abeokuta, Nigeria. I MacDonald, S Omonigho, J Erhabor, H Efijuemue. Abstract. Purpose: To evaluate the microbial load on 17 randomly selected plant samples from 60 ethnobotanically collected medicinal plants from five local markets in Abeokuta, ...

Design of Brand Names of Medicines Considering Subjects' Preferences.

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Pires, Carla Maria Batista Ferreira; Cavaco, Afonso

2018-03-01

Only recently, regulations on the names of medicines were developed. Regulations are mainly focused on avoiding the approval of medicine names that may be confusing to others. Furthermore, legal requirements do not include testing for human factors, such as potential users' preferences. To develop a set of new brand names of medicines, to determine subjects' preferred names, and to evaluate if the linguistic features of these names were related to subjects' preferences. Forty-six new names linguistically equivalent to the Portuguese brand names of medicines were developed. A panel of 13 postgraduates on linguistic studies were purposively enrolled. Participants were required to select and categorize the 6 most preferred names. From the 29 selected names: 62.1% ended in consonants, 65.5% contained at least one syllable of the CVC type, and 62.1% presented final stress. Considering these 3 linguistic features, there were statistically significant differences between the preferred and underpreferred names: χ 2 = 4.572, P = .032; χ 2 = 5.599, P = .018; and χ 2 = 4.572; P = .032, respectively. Some linguistic features of the evaluated names were related to subjects' preferences. Tests on subjects' preferences about the names of medicines may provide additional safety features addressed by the present regulations.

Careers in medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine: an innovative approach to specialty exploration and selection.

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Sweeney, Kyle R; Fritz, Ryan A; Rodgers, Scott M

2012-07-01

Research on resident attrition rates suggests that medical students would benefit from more comprehensive career advising programs during medical school. Responding to this need, students and administrators at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (Vanderbilt) introduced a broad Careers in Medicine (CiM) program in 2005 to complement the CiM resources offered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). In this article, the authors detail the Vanderbilt CiM program's four core components: career-related events, an elective course, specialty interest groups, and career advising. The authors discuss the program's implementation and its student-led organizational structure, and they provide a critical assessment of important lessons learned. Using data from internal satisfaction surveys and the AAMC's Medical School Graduation Questionnaire (GQ), they demonstrate the success of Vanderbilt's career counseling efforts. According to recent GQ data, Vanderbilt ranks above the U.S. medical school average on graduating students' ratings of overall satisfaction with career services and of the usefulness of key programming. The authors present this description of the Vanderbilt CiM model as a framework for other medical schools to consider adopting or adapting as they explore options for expanding their own career counseling services.

Advanced bioanalytics for precision medicine.

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Roda, Aldo; Michelini, Elisa; Caliceti, Cristiana; Guardigli, Massimo; Mirasoli, Mara; Simoni, Patrizia

2018-01-01

Precision medicine is a new paradigm that combines diagnostic, imaging, and analytical tools to produce accurate diagnoses and therapeutic interventions tailored to the individual patient. This approach stands in contrast to the traditional "one size fits all" concept, according to which researchers develop disease treatments and preventions for an "average" patient without considering individual differences. The "one size fits all" concept has led to many ineffective or inappropriate treatments, especially for pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease and cancer. Now, precision medicine is receiving massive funding in many countries, thanks to its social and economic potential in terms of improved disease prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. Bioanalytical chemistry is critical to precision medicine. This is because identifying an appropriate tailored therapy requires researchers to collect and analyze information on each patient's specific molecular biomarkers (e.g., proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites). In other words, precision diagnostics is not possible without precise bioanalytical chemistry. This Trend article highlights some of the most recent advances, including massive analysis of multilayer omics, and new imaging technique applications suitable for implementing precision medicine. Graphical abstract Precision medicine combines bioanalytical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, and imaging tools for performing accurate diagnoses and selecting optimal therapies for each patient.

Essential Medicines in National Constitutions: Progress Since 2008.

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Katrina Perehudoff, S; Toebes, Brigit; Hogerzeil, Hans

2016-06-01

A constitutional guarantee of access to essential medicines has been identified as an important indicator of government commitment to the progressive realization of the right to the highest attainable standard of health. The objective of this study was to evaluate provisions on access to essential medicines in national constitutions, to identify comprehensive examples of constitutional text on medicines that can be used as a model for other countries, and to evaluate the evolution of constitutional medicines-related rights since 2008. Relevant articles were selected from an inventory of constitutional texts from WHO member states. References to states' legal obligations under international human rights law were evaluated. Twenty-two constitutions worldwide now oblige governments to protect and/or to fulfill accessibility of, availability of, and/or quality of medicines. Since 2008, state responsibilities to fulfill access to essential medicines have expanded in five constitutions, been maintained in four constitutions, and have regressed in one constitution. Government commitments to essential medicines are an important foundation of health system equity and are included increasingly in state constitutions.

Aerospace Medicine Talk

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Williams, Richard S.

2015-01-01

The presentation is next Sunday, May 10th. It will be to the Civil Aviation Medical Association, for 2 hours at Disney World in Orlando. It is a high level talk on space medicine, including history, the role of my office, human health risks of space flight, general aspects of space medicine practice, human health risk management (including integrated activities of medical operations and the Human Research Program, and thoughts concerning health risks for long duration exploration class space missions. No proprietary data or material will be used, all is readily available in the public sector. There is also a short (30 min) talk on Monday at the CAMA lunch. There we will describe the Visual Impairment and Intracranial Pressure syndrome, with possible etiologies and plans for research (already selected studies). Again, nothing proprietary will be discussed.

Conservation of indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants of Western Himalayan region Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.

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Hussain, Sajjad; Murtaza, Ghulam; Mehmood, Ansar; Qureshi, Rizwana Aleem

2017-05-01

The aim of present was to document indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants traditionally used by inhabitants of Rawalakot Azad Kashmir and to screen selected medicinal plants for their antibacterial potential. Several field surveys were conducted to document indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants through interviews from local inhabitants during 2010-2013. During the study, 58 plant species, belonging to 37 families, were identified and their medicinal uses were recorded. Ethnobotanical data indicates that inhabitants of Rawalakot use medicinal plant mainly for the treatment of stomach, liver and sexual disorders. Usually fresh plant materials were used for medicinal preparations and administrated orally. Among all the species studied, three most frequently used medicinal plants Achillea millefolium, Berberis lycium and Zanthoxylum armatum were screened for their antibacterial potential by using disc diffusion method. The crude aqueous, petroleum ether and ethanolic extracts were found to be very active against selected bacterial strains. The present study contributes significantly to the medicinal plant knowledge and shows that medicinal plant knowledge is deteriorating among younger generations. Therefore, further research is needed to document indigenous knowledge, to find conservation status of medicinal plant species and to find antimicrobial compounds for more sophisticated usage of medicinal plants in future.

Research projects in family medicine funded by the European Union.

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Pavličević, Ivančica; Barać, Lana

2014-01-01

This study aimed at synthesizing funding opportunities in the field of family medicine by determining the number of family medicine projects, as well as number of project leaderships and/ or participations by each country. This was done in order to encourage inclusion of physicians in countries with underdeveloped research networks in successful research networks or to encourage them to form new ones. We searched the Community Research and Development Information Service project database in February 2013. Study covered the period from years 1992 - 2012, selecting the projects within the field of general/family medicine. The search was conducted in February 2013. First search conducted in the CORDIS database came up with a total of 466 projects. After excluding 241 projects with insufficient data, we analysed 225 remaining projects; out of those, 22 (9.8%) were in the field of family medicine and 203 (90.2%) were from other fields of medicine. Sorted by the number of projects per country, Dutch institutions had the highest involvement in family medicine projects and were partners or coordinators in 18 out of 22 selected projects (81.8%), followed by British institutions with 15 (68.8%), and Spanish with 10 projects (45.5%). Croatia was a partner in a single FP7 Health project. Research projects in family medicine funded by the European Union show significant differences between countries. Constant and high-quality international cooperation in family medicine is the prerequisite for improvement and development of scientific research and the profession. Copyright © 2014 by Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Brazilian medicinal plants with corroborated anti-inflammatory activities: a review.

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Ribeiro, Victor Pena; Arruda, Caroline; Abd El-Salam, Mohamed; Bastos, Jairo Kenupp

2018-12-01

Inflammatory disorders are common in modern life, and medicinal plants provide an interesting source for new compounds bearing anti-inflammatory properties. In this regard, Brazilian medicinal plants are considered to be a promising supply of such compounds due to their great biodiversity. To undertake a review on Brazilian medicinal plants with corroborated anti-inflammatory activities by selecting data from the literature reporting the efficacy of plants used in folk medicine as anti-inflammatory, including the mechanisms of action of their extracts and isolated compounds. A search in the literature was undertaken by using the following Web tools: Web of Science, SciFinder, Pub-Med and Science Direct. The terms 'anti-inflammatory' and 'Brazilian medicinal plants' were used as keywords in search engine. Tropicos and Reflora websites were used to verify the origin of the plants, and only the native plants of Brazil were included in this review. The publications reporting the use of well-accepted scientific protocols to corroborate the anti-inflammatory activities of Brazilian medicinal plants with anti-inflammatory potential were considered. We selected 70 Brazilian medicinal plants with anti-inflammatory activity. The plants were grouped according to their anti-inflammatory mechanisms of action. The main mechanisms involved inflammatory mediators, such as interleukins (ILs), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), cyclooxygenase (COX) and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The collected data on Brazilian medicinal plants, in the form of crude extract and/or isolated compounds, showed significant anti-inflammatory activities involving different mechanisms of action, indicating Brazilian plants as an important source of anti-inflammatory compounds.

Cardiovascular aspects of geriatric medicines in traditional Persian medicine; a review of phytochemistry and pharmacology.

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Zarshenas, Mohammad M; Jamshidi, Sahar; Zargaran, Arman

2016-10-15

Geriatrics are a group of patients over 65 years and with multiple comorbidities and different functional impairments. Apart from decline in body mass, presence of exhaustion and general fatigue, an aged person may also suffer from various disorders. Approximately, around 30% of geriatric subjects have significant cardiovascular ailments. Apart from the intensive management of cardiovascular aspects in elderly, monitoring of the complementary cardiac medicine in those people should be received more attention. There are many management lines for a cardio-geriatric condition in Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM). Accordingly, this paper aimed to deal with those medicaments as well as evidence-based clinical aspects and phytochemistry. By searching through main pharmaceutical manuscripts of Persian medicine during 10th-18th centuries (A.D.), concurrently, natural medicines for geriatrics and remedies for cardiovascular ailments were derived. On the other side, related phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of those remedies were highlighted. In all, 38 cardiovascular and 34 geriatric medicaments were found in those manuscripts. Antihyperlipidemic and cholesterol lowering activities of those medicines were the most reported activities in current medicine. However, other pharmacological reports were related to hypotensive, coagulant, cardio-protective and cardiotonic activities. In regard of the chemical composition, medicaments were mainly of polyphenols and flavonoids and also most of the employed extracts and fractions were yielded from polar or semi-polar solvents. With reference to these findings, flavonoid-rich medicaments from Persian medicine may be selected as considerable herbs for geriatrics with cardiovascular ailments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

The Future of Precision Medicine in Oncology.

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Millner, Lori M; Strotman, Lindsay N

2016-09-01

Precision medicine in oncology focuses on identifying which therapies are most effective for each patient based on genetic characterization of the cancer. Traditional chemotherapy is cytotoxic and destroys all cells that are rapidly dividing. The foundation of precision medicine is targeted therapies and selecting patients who will benefit most from these therapies. One of the newest aspects of precision medicine is liquid biopsy. A liquid biopsy includes analysis of circulating tumor cells, cell-free nucleic acid, or exosomes obtained from a peripheral blood draw. These can be studied individually or in combination and collected serially, providing real-time information as a patient's cancer changes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The rhizospheres of traditional medicinal plants in Panxi, China, host a diverse selection of actinobacteria with antimicrobial properties.

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Zhao, Ke; Penttinen, Petri; Chen, Qiang; Guan, Tongwei; Lindström, Kristina; Ao, Xiaoling; Zhang, Lili; Zhang, Xiaoping

2012-06-01

Actinobacteria are a prolific source of antibiotics. Since the rate of discovery of novel antibiotics is decreasing, actinobacteria from unique environments need to be explored. In particular, actinobacterial biocontrol strains from medicinal plants need to be studied as they can be a source of potent antibiotics. We combined culture-dependent and culture-independent methods in analyzing the actinobacterial diversity in the rhizosphere of seven traditional medicinal plant species from Panxi, China, and assessed the antimicrobial activity of the isolates. Each of the plant species hosted a unique set of actinobacterial strains. Out of the 64 morphologically distinct isolates, half were Streptomyces sp., eight were Micromonospora sp., and the rest were members of 18 actinobacterial genera. In particular, Ainsliaea henryi Diels. hosted a diverse selection of actinobacteria, although the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequence identity ranges of the isolates and of the 16S rRNA gene clone library were not congruent. In the clone library, 40% of the sequences were related to uncultured actinobacteria, emphasizing the need to develop isolation methods to assess the full potential of the actinobacteria. All Streptomyces isolates showed antimicrobial activity. While the antimicrobial activities of the rare actinobacteria were limited, the growth of Escherichia coli, Verticillium dahliae, and Fusarium oxysporum were inhibited only by rare actinobacteria, and strains related to Saccharopolyspora shandongensis and Streptosporangium roseum showed broad antimicrobial activity.

Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants in the Serra de Mariola ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants in the Serra de Mariola Natural Park, South-eastern Spain. ... This application is useful for the identification of individuals and the selection of species for specific medicinal properties. In the end, knowledge of these useful plants may be interesting to revive the local economy and in ...

Assessment of the in Vitro Antiprotozoal and Cytotoxic Potential of 20 Selected Medicinal Plants from the Island of Soqotra

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Louis Maes

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Malaria, leishmaniasis and human African trypanosomiasis continue to be major public health problems in need of new and more effective drugs. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vitro antiprotozoal activity of twenty endemic medicinal plants collected from the island of Soqotra in the Indian Ocean. The plant materials were extracted with methanol and tested for antiplasmodial activity against erythrocytic schizonts of Plasmodium falciparum, for antileishmanial activity against intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania infantum and for antitrypanosomal activity against intracellular amastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi and free trypomastigotes of T. brucei. To assess selectivity, cytotoxicity was determined against MRC-5 fibroblasts. Selective activity was obtained for Punica protopunica against Plasmodium (IC50 2.2 µg/mL while Eureiandra balfourii and Hypoestes pubescens displayed activity against the three kinetoplastid parasites (IC50 < 10 µg/mL. Acridocarpus socotranus showed activity against T. brucei and T. cruzi (IC50 3.5 and 8.4 µg/mL. Ballochia atrovirgata, Dendrosicycos socotrana, Dracaena cinnabari and Euphorbia socotrana displayed non-specific inhibition of the parasites related to high cytotoxicity.

Evaluation for antidiabetic activity in selected medicinal plants used in Malaysian traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shafii Khamis; Siti Harjieh Ibrahim; Noorul Azliana Jamaludin; Muhammad Hanafi Mohamad Mokhtar; Nor Azizah Marsiddi

2006-01-01

Aqueous extracts of three medicinal plants used in Malaysian traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes were investigated. The nuts of Areca cathecu, leaves of Lagerstroemia speciosa and Ficus deltoidea were each extracted by boiling in distilled water. The aqueous extracts were filtered and the filtrates were then spray dried. Their biological evaluation was conducted to determine their blood glucose lowering effect in normoglycaemic and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Commercially available antidiabetic drug, glybenclamide was used as positive control. Toxicity of the extracts was carried out using the brine shrimp lethality assay and in vivo acute toxicity test in rats. Aqueous extracts of all the plants studied showed significant reduction in blood glucose level up to 50% in rats over a period of 3 to 4 weeks. The largest reduction in blood glucose levels was exhibited by the aqueous extracts of the Lagestroemia speciosa, followed by the Ficus deltoidea and Areca cathecu. There was no evidence of toxicity of the extracts against the brine shrimp (up to 4,000 μg/ml) and in rats (up to 0.2% body weight). (Author)

Antimicrobial and anti-Quorum Sensing activities of selected medicinal plants of Ethiopia: Implication for development of potent antimicrobial agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Bacha, Ketema; Tariku, Yinebeb; Gebreyesus, Fisseha; Zerihun, Shibru; Mohammed, Ali; Weiland-Bräuer, Nancy; Schmitz, Ruth A; Mulat, Mulugeta

2016-07-11

Traditional medicinal plants have been used as an alternative medicine in many parts of the world, including Ethiopia. There are many documented scientific reports on antimicrobial activities of the same. To our knowledge, however, there is no report on the anti-Quorum Sensing (Quorum Quenching, QQ) potential of traditional Ethiopian medicinal plants. As many of the opportunistic pathogenic bacteria depend on Quorum Sensing (QS) systems to coordinate their virulence expression, interference with QS could be a novel approach to control bacterial infections. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate selected medicinal plants from Ethiopia for their antimicrobial activities against bacterial and fungal pathogens; and to assess the interference of these plant extracts with QS of bacteria. Antimicrobial activities of plant extracts (oil, resins and crude extracts) were evaluated following standard agar diffusion technique. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of potent extracts were determined using 96 well micro-titer plates and optical densities were measured using an ELISA Microplate reader. Interference with Quorum Sensing activities of extracts was determined using the recently established E. coli based reporter strain AI1-QQ.1 and signaling molecule N-(ß-ketocaproyl)-L-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C6-HSL). Petroleum ether extract of seed of Nigella sativa exhibited the highest activity against both the laboratory isolated Bacillus cereus [inhibition zone (IZ), 44 ± 0.31 mm] and B. cereus ATCC 10987 (IZ, 40 ± 2.33 mm). Similarly, oil extract from mature ripe fruit husk of Aframomum corrorima and mature unripe fruit of A. corrorima revealed promising activities against Candida albicans ATCC 90028 (IZ, 35 ± 1.52 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus DSM 346 (IZ, 25 ± 1.32 mm), respectively. Antimicrobial activities of oil extract from husk of A. corrorima and petroleum ether extract of seed of N. sativa were significantly higher than that of

Availability, diversification and versatility explain human selection of introduced plants in Ecuadorian traditional medicine.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G Hart

Full Text Available Globally, a majority of people use plants as a primary source of healthcare and introduced plants are increasingly discussed as medicine. Protecting this resource for human health depends upon understanding which plants are used and how use patterns will change over time. The increasing use of introduced plants in local pharmacopoeia has been explained by their greater abundance or accessibility (availability hypothesis, their ability to cure medical conditions that are not treated by native plants (diversification hypothesis, or as a result of the introduced plants' having many different simultaneous roles (versatility hypothesis. In order to describe the role of introduced plants in Ecuador, and to test these three hypotheses, we asked if introduced plants are over-represented in the Ecuadorian pharmacopoeia, and if their use as medicine is best explained by the introduced plants' greater availability, different therapeutic applications, or greater number of use categories. Drawing on 44,585 plant-use entries, and the checklist of >17,000 species found in Ecuador, we used multi-model inference to test if more introduced plants are used as medicines in Ecuador than expected by chance, and examine the support for each of the three hypotheses above. We find nuanced support for all hypotheses. More introduced plants are utilized than would be expected by chance, which can be explained by geographic distribution, their strong association with cultivation, diversification (except with regard to introduced diseases, and therapeutic versatility, but not versatility of use categories. Introduced plants make a disproportionately high contribution to plant medicine in Ecuador. The strong association of cultivation with introduced medicinal plant use highlights the importance of the maintenance of human-mediated environments such as homegardens and agroforests for the provisioning of healthcare services.

The Importance of Medicinal Chemistry Knowledge in the Clinical Pharmacist's Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandes, João Paulo S

2018-03-01

Objective. To show why medicinal chemistry must be a key component of the education of pharmacy students, as well as in the pharmacist's practice. Findings. Five case reports were selected by their clinically relevant elements of medicinal chemistry and were explained using structure-activity relationship data of the drugs involved in the case easily obtained from primary literature and in medicinal chemistry textbooks. Summary. This paper demonstrates how critical clinical decisions can be addressed using medicinal chemistry knowledge. While such knowledge may not explain all clinical decisions, medicinal chemistry concepts are essential for the education of pharmacy students to explain drug action in general and clinical decisions.

Antimicrobial Activity Of Some Medicinal Plants Used By Herbalists ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The aqueous extracts from medicinal plants commonly used by herbalists in Mbeere, and Embu districts of Eastern province, Kenya, were tested for their inhibitory activity against three selected strains of bacteria. All the selected plant extracts (infusions: 1.0g sample in 100 ml water) investigated showed activity against ...

Factors that influence medical student selection of an emergency medicine residency program: implications for training programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Love, Jeffrey N; Howell, John M; Hegarty, Cullen B; McLaughlin, Steven A; Coates, Wendy C; Hopson, Laura R; Hern, Gene H; Rosen, Carlo L; Fisher, Jonathan; Santen, Sally A

2012-04-01

An understanding of student decision-making when selecting an emergency medicine (EM) training program is essential for program directors as they enter interview season. To build upon preexisting knowledge, a survey was created to identify and prioritize the factors influencing candidate decision-making of U.S. medical graduates. This was a cross-sectional, multi-institutional study that anonymously surveyed U.S. allopathic applicants to EM training programs. It took place in the 3-week period between the 2011 National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) rank list submission deadline and the announcement of match results. Of 1,525 invitations to participate, 870 candidates (57%) completed the survey. Overall, 96% of respondents stated that both geographic location and individual program characteristics were important to decision-making, with approximately equal numbers favoring location when compared to those who favored program characteristics. The most important factors in this regard were preference for a particular geographic location (74.9%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 72% to 78%) and to be close to spouse, significant other, or family (59.7%, 95% CI = 56% to 63%). Factors pertaining to geographic location tend to be out of the control of the program leadership. The most important program factors include the interview experience (48.9%, 95% CI = 46% to 52%), personal experience with the residents (48.5%, 95% CI = 45% to 52%), and academic reputation (44.9%, 95% CI = 42% to 48%). Unlike location, individual program factors are often either directly or somewhat under the control of the program leadership. Several other factors were ranked as the most important factor a disproportionate number of times, including a rotation in that emergency department (ED), orientation (academic vs. community), and duration of training (3-year vs. 4-year programs). For a subset of applicants, these factors had particular importance in overall decision-making. The vast majority

Assessment of effect of hydroalcoholic and decoction methods on extraction of antioxidants from selected Indian medicinal plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaneria, Mital; Kanani, Bhavana; Chanda, Sumitra

2012-03-01

To assess the effects of extraction methods on antioxidant activities of selected Indian medicinal flora. Different parts of plants were extracted by hydroalcoholic and decoction methods using water and various concentrations of methanol (ME) viz. 75%, 50% and 25% ME. The antioxidant activity of all the different extracts was evaluated using two different antioxidant assays viz. 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and superoxide anion radical scavenging assay. Total phenol and flavonoid content was also estimated. The results showed that the extracting solvent significantly altered the antioxidant property estimations of screened plants. High correlations between phenolic compositions and antioxidant activities of extracts were observed. High levels of antioxidant activities were detected in Manilkara zapota (M. zapota) as compared with other screened plants. The results obtained appear to confirm the effect of different methods on extraction of antioxidants and antioxidant property of M. zapota.

Integrative Medicine in Preventive Medicine Education

Science.gov (United States)

Jani, Asim A.; Trask, Jennifer; Ali, Ather

2016-01-01

During 2012, the USDHHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration funded 12 accredited preventive medicine residencies to incorporate an evidence-based integrative medicine curriculum into their training programs. It also funded a national coordinating center at the American College of Preventive Medicine, known as the Integrative Medicine in Preventive Medicine Education (IMPriME) Center, to provide technical assistance to the 12 grantees. To help with this task, the IMPriME Center established a multidisciplinary steering committee, versed in integrative medicine, whose primary aim was to develop integrative medicine core competencies for incorporation into preventive medicine graduate medical education training. The competency development process was informed by central integrative medicine definitions and principles, preventive medicine’s dual role in clinical and population-based prevention, and the burgeoning evidence base of integrative medicine. The steering committee considered an interdisciplinary integrative medicine contextual framework guided by several themes related to workforce development and population health. A list of nine competencies, mapped to the six general domains of competence approved by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education, was operationalized through an iterative exercise with the 12 grantees in a process that included mapping each site’s competency and curriculum products to the core competencies. The competencies, along with central curricular components informed by grantees’ work presented elsewhere in this supplement, are outlined as a roadmap for residency programs aiming to incorporate integrative medicine content into their curricula. This set of competencies adds to the larger efforts of the IMPriME initiative to facilitate and enhance further curriculum development and implementation by not only the current grantees but other stakeholders in graduate medical education around integrative medicine

[International reference prices and cost minimization analysis for the regulation of medicine prices in Colombia].

Science.gov (United States)

Vacca, Caludia; Acosta, Angela; Rodriguez, Ivan

2011-01-01

To suggest a scheme of decision making on pricing for medicines that are part of Free Regulated Regime, a regulation way of the pharmaceutical pricing policy in Colombia. It includes two regulation tools: international reference prices and a cost minimization analysis methodology. Following the current pricing policy, international reference prices were built with data from five countries for selected medicines, which are under Free Regulated Regime. The cost minimization analysis methodology includes selection of those medicines under Free Regulated Regime with possible comparable medicines, selection of comparable medicines, and treatment costs evaluation. As a result of the estimate of International Reference Prices, four medicines showed in the domestic pharmaceutical market a bigger price than the Reference Price. A scheme of decision-making was design containing two possible regulation tools for medicines that are part of Free Regulated Regime: estimate of international reference prices and cost minimization analysis methodology. This diagram would be useful to assist the pricing regulation of Free Regulated Regime in Colombia. As present results shows, international reference prices make clear when domestic prices are higher than those of reference countries. In the current regulation of pharmaceutical prices in Colombia, the international reference price has been applied for four medicines. Would be suitable to extend this methodology to other medicines of high impact on the pharmaceutical expenditure, in particular those covered by public funding. The availability of primary sources about treatment costs in Colombia needs to be improved as a requirement to develop pharmaco-economic evidence. SISMED is an official database that represents an important primary source of medicines prices in Colombia. Nevertheless, having into account that SISMED represents an important advantage of transparency in medicines prices, it needs to be improved in quality and data

Relationship among Translational Medicine, Evidence-Based Medicine and Precision Medicine

OpenAIRE

Xin-en HUANG

2016-01-01

Translational medicine is a new concept in international medical field. It integrates experimental research results and clinical guidance into the optimal implementation criteria for promoting the prediction, prevention and treatment of diseases. Based on people’s higher demand for medicine and health, appearance of translational medicine changes the mode of medical research.Evidence-based medicine (EBM) refers to cautious and accurate application of the current best research evidence and com...

Integrative Medicine in Preventive Medicine Education

OpenAIRE

Jani, Asim A.; Trask, Jennifer; Ali, Ather

2015-01-01

During 2012, the USDHHS?s Health Resources and Services Administration funded 12 accredited preventive medicine residencies to incorporate an evidence-based integrative medicine curriculum into their training programs. It also funded a national coordinating center at the American College of Preventive Medicine, known as the Integrative Medicine in Preventive Medicine Education (IMPriME) Center, to provide technical assistance to the 12 grantees. To help with this task, the IMPriME Center esta...

The Basic Principles in Assessment and Selection of Reference Doses: Considerations in Nuclear Medicine (invited paper)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattsson, S.; Jacobsson, L.; Vestergren, E.

1998-01-01

The possible ways to optimise the relation between diagnostic information and patient absorbed dose differ between nuclear medicine and X ray imaging. In nuclear medicine, very little has been done to find an optimal dosage of radiopharmaceuticals. Current nuclear medicine methods are discussed in the light of the recent ICRP Publications and the new EU Patient Directive. The paper also discusses how reference levels for administered activity may be derived from patient studies. In order to eliminate the most inappropriate choices (too low or too high activities), knowledge of the current statistical distribution of administered activities may be helpful. Different methods to estimate the amount of activity that should be administered to children of various body sizes to guarantee the same image quality as for adults are also discussed. Examples of current activity levels for common nuclear medicine procedures, indicating the state of the practice, are given. (author)

Rapid Identification and Verification of Indirubin-Containing Medicinal Plants

OpenAIRE

Hu, Zhigang; Tu, Yuan; Xia, Ye; Cheng, Peipei; Sun, Wei; Shi, Yuhua; Guo, Licheng; He, Haibo; Xiong, Chao; Chen, Shilin; Zhang, Xiuqiao

2015-01-01

Indirubin, one of the key components of medicinal plants including Isatis tinctoria, Polygonum tinctorium, and Strobilanthes cusia, possesses great medicinal efficacy in the treatment of chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML). Due to misidentification and similar name, materials containing indirubin and their close relatives frequently fall prey to adulteration. In this study, we selected an internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) for distinguishing these indirubin-containing species from five of the...

[Innovation of characteristic medicinal cupping devices].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jianping; Zhang, Hui; Yang, Jianmei; Xu, Xinchun; Niu, Yanxia; Cai, Jun

2015-08-01

To compare the differences in the characteristic medicinal cupping therapy between the traditional cupping device and the innovated cupping device. Fifty patients of neck and low back pain were selected. The self-comparison was adopted. The cupping therapy was applied to the acupoints located on the left or right side with the traditional cupping device and the innovated cupping device. The cupping sites were centered at bilateral Quyuan (SI 13) and Dachangshu (BL 25). The cups were retained for 10 min. The traditional cupping device was the glass with smooth border, 100mL. The innovated cupping device was the vacuum-sucking cup. The operative time, medicinal leakage, comfort and cupping marks were observed for the two different cupping devices. The operative time with the innovated medicinal cupping device was shorter obviously compared with the traditional one at Quyuan (SI 13) and Dachangshu (BL 25, both Pcupping device was remarkably improved as compared with the traditional one at the two acupoints (both Pcupping operation (both P>0. 05). The cupping marks with the innovated medicinal cupping device were much deeper than those with the traditional one after cupping therapy. The innovated cupping device is more convenent and comfortable in operation during the characteristic medicinal cupping therapy.

Genetic Programming for Medicinal Plant Family Identification System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Indra Laksmana

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Information about medicinal plants that is available in text documents is generally quite easy to access, however, one needs some efforts to use it. This research was aimed at utilizing crucial information taken from a text document to identify the family of several species of medicinal plants using a heuristic approach, i.e. genetic programming. Each of the species has its unique features. The genetic program puts the characteristics or special features of each family into a tree form. There are a number of processes involved in the investigated method, i.e. data acquisition, booleanization, grouping of training and test data, evaluation, and analysis. The genetic program uses a training process to select the best individual, initializes a generate-rule process to create several individuals and then executes a fitness evaluation. The next procedure is a genetic operation process, which consists of tournament selection to choose the best individual based on a fitness value, the crossover operation and the mutation operation. These operations have the purpose of complementing the individual. The best individual acquired is the expected solution, which is a rule for classifying medicinal plants. This process produced three rules, one for each plant family, displaying a feature structure that distinguishes each of the families from each other. The genetic program then used these rules to identify the medicinal plants, achieving an average accuracy of 86.47%.

Investigation of targeted pyrrolizidine alkaloids in traditional Chinese medicines and selected herbal teas sourced in Ireland using LC-ESI-MS/MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffin, Caroline T; Gosetto, Francesca; Danaher, Martin; Sabatini, Stefano; Furey, Ambrose

2014-01-01

Publications linking hepatotoxicity to the use of herbal preparations are escalating. Herbal teas, traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) and dietary supplements have been shown to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). Acute PA toxicosis of the liver can result in sinusoidal-obstruction syndrome, also known as veno-occlusive disease (VOD). This paper describes a sensitive and robust method for the detection of targeted PAs and their N-oxides (PANOs) in herbal products (selected herbal teas and TCMs) sourced within Ireland. The sample preparation includes a simple acidic extraction with clean-up via solid-phase extraction (SPE). Sample extracts were accurately analysed by using LC-ESI-MS/MS applying for the first time a pentafluorophenyl (PFP) core-shell column to the chromatographic separation of PAs and PANOs. The method was validated for selectivity, taking into consideration matrix effects, specificity, linearity, precision and trueness. Limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantitation (LOQ) were quantified for all PAs and PANOs ranging from 0.4 to 1.9 µg kg⁻¹ and from 1.3 to 6.3 µg kg⁻¹, respectively. In this study 10 PAs and four PANOs were targeted because they are commercially available as reference standards. Therefore, this study can only report the levels of these PAs and PANOs analysed in the herbal teas and TCMs. The results reported represent the minimum levels of PAs and PANOs present in the samples analysed; commercially available herbal teas (n = 18) and TCMs (n = 54). A total of 50% herbal teas and 78% Chinese medicines tested positive for one or more PAs and/or PANOs included within this study, ranging from 10 to 1733 and from 13 to 3668 µg kg⁻¹, respectively.

Balancing personalized medicine and personalized care.

Science.gov (United States)

Cornetta, Kenneth; Brown, Candy Gunther

2013-03-01

The current description of personalized medicine by the National Institutes of Health is "the science of individualized prevention and therapy." Although physicians are beginning to see the promise of genetic medicine coming to fruition, the rapid pace of sequencing technology, informatics, and computer science predict a revolution in the ability to care for patients in the near future. The enthusiasm expressed by researchers is well founded, but the expectations voiced by the public do not center on advancing technology. Rather, patients are asking for personalized care: a holistic approach that considers physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. This perspective considers psychological, religious, and ethical challenges that may arise as the precision of preventive medicine improves. Psychological studies already highlight the barriers to single gene testing and suggest significant barriers to the predictive testing envisioned by personalized medicine. Certain religious groups will likely mount opposition if they believe personalized medicine encourages embryo selection. If the technology prompts cost-containment discussions, those concerned about the sanctity of life may raise ethical objections. Consequently, the availability of new scientific developments does not guarantee advances in treatment because patients may prove unwilling to receive and act on personalized genetic information. This perspective highlights current efforts to incorporate personalized medicine and personalized care into the medical curriculum, genetic counseling, and other aspects of clinical practice. Because these efforts are generally independent, the authors offer recommendations for physicians and educators so that personalized medicine can be implemented in a manner that meets patient expectations for personalized care.

Initial Studies on Alkaloids from Lombok Medicinal Plants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John B. Bremner

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Initial investigation of medicinal plants from Lombok has resulted in the collection of 100 plant species predicted to have antimicrobial, including antimalarial, properties according to local medicinal uses. These plants represent 49 families and 80 genera; 23% of the plants tested positively for alkaloids. Among the plants testing positive, five have been selected for further investigation involving structure elucidation and antimicrobial testing on the extracted alkaloids. Initial work on structural elucidation of some of the alkaloids is reported briefly.

Customer service in equine veterinary medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Blach, Edward L

2009-12-01

This article explores customer service in equine veterinary medicine. It begins with a discussion about the differences between customers and clients in veterinary medicine. An overview of the nature of the veterinary-client-patient relationship and its effects on the veterinarian's services sheds light on how to evaluate your customer service. The author reviews a study performed in 2007 that evaluated 24 attributes of customer service and their importance to clients of equine veterinarians in their decision to select a specific veterinarian or hospital. The article concludes with an overview of how to evaluate your customer service in an effort to optimize your service to achieve customer loyalty.

Radiochemistry in nuclear medicine. Radiopharmaceuticals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samochocka, K.

1999-01-01

Radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals play a kay role in nuclear medicine, both in diagnostics and therapy. Incorporation of radionuclides into biomolecules, and syntheses of radiolabelled compounds of high biological selectivity are a task for radiochemists working in the multidisciplinary field of radiopharmaceutical chemistry. The most commonly used radionuclide, 99m Tc, owes this popularity to its both nearly ideal nuclear properties in respect to medical imaging, and availability from inexpensive radionuclide generators. Also numerous other radionuclides are widely used for medical imaging and therapy. Labelling of biomolecules with radioiodine and various positron emitters is getting increasingly important. This review describes some chemical and radiochemical problems we meet while synthesizing and using 99m Tc-radiopharmaceuticals and radioiodine-labelled biomolecules. Also represented are the recent developments in the design and use of the second generation radiopharmaceuticals based on bifunctional radiochelates. Several principal routes of fast chemical synthesis concerning incorporation of short-lived positron emitters into biomolecules are outlined as well. The search for chemical structures of high biological selectivity, which would be activated by slow neutrons, is related to the method of Neutron Capture Therapy, an interesting option in nuclear medicine. (author)

Transforming Health Care Service Delivery and Provider Selection

OpenAIRE

Reiner, Bruce I.

2011-01-01

Commoditization pressures in medicine have risked transforming service provider selection from “survival of the fittest” to “survival of the cheapest.” Quality- and safety-oriented mandates by the Institute of Medicine have led to the creation of a number of data-driven quality-centric initiatives including Pay for Performance and Evidence-Based Medicine. A synergistic approach to creating quantitative accountability in medical service delivery is through the creation of consumer-oriented per...

[Advantages and problems of traditional Chinese medicine in treatment of acute pharyngitis].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xia; Xie, Yan-Ming; Li, Guang-Xi; Gao, Yang; Zhao, Yuan-Chen; Tang, Jing-Jing; Yao, Xiao-Yan; Li, Meng

2017-10-01

This paper systematically studies relevant literatures at home and abroad in recent years. China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) was used to collect the literatures for acute pharyngitis treated with traditional Chinese medicine from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2016, and the bibliometric method was employed for statistical analysis. A total of 493 papers were preliminarily selected. According to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, 182 eligible articles were selected. According to the evaluation and analysis of the literatures, the Guidelines for Clinical Research of New Drugs is currently used as the common standards for the diagnosis and treatment of acute pharyngitis; Chinese patent medicines are the main traditional Chinese medicine for treating this disease; Decoctions for treatment of this disease include Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, Scutellariae Radix, Platycodonis Radix, Forsythiae Fructus, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Scrophdlariae Radix, Isatidis Radix, and Ophiopogonis Radix; The bloodletting puncture is the common external therapy. Traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine have their own characteristics in the treatment of this disease. Western medicine for the treatment of acute pharyngitis are mainly antiviral, antibiotic and glucocorticoid drugs, whose disadvantages are toxicity, side effects, drug resistance and double infections. Traditional Chinese medicine doctors have rich experiences in the treatment of the disease, which is characterized by treatment determination based on syndrome differentiation, safe and reliable medication, significant curative effect, low drug resistance, and wide varieties of traditional Chinese medicine forms, convenient portability and taking, low price, and low toxic and side effects. It is an arduous and significant task to explore traditional Chinese medicine, and study and develop new-type effective drugs. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

Antibacterial activity of some selected plants traditionally used as ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Antibacterial activity of some selected plants traditionally used as medicine in Manipur. ... Hence these plants can be used to discover bioactive natural products that may serve as leads in the development of the new pharmaceuticals. Keywords: Antibacterial, human pathogens, methanolic extract, traditional medicine

[Analysis on traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions treating cancer based on traditional Chinese medicine inheritance assistance system and discovery of new prescriptions].

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Ming; Cao, Qi-chen; Su, Yu-xi; Sui, Xin; Yang, Hong-jun; Huang, Lu-qi; Wang, Wen-ping

2015-08-01

Malignant tumor is one of the main causes for death in the world at present as well as a major disease seriously harming human health and life and restricting the social and economic development. There are many kinds of reports about traditional Chinese medicine patent prescriptions, empirical prescriptions and self-made prescriptions treating cancer, and prescription rules were often analyzed based on medication frequency. Such methods were applicable for discovering dominant experience but hard to have an innovative discovery and knowledge. In this paper, based on the traditional Chinese medicine inheritance assistance system, the software integration of mutual information improvement method, complex system entropy clustering and unsupervised entropy-level clustering data mining methods was adopted to analyze the rules of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for cancer. Totally 114 prescriptions were selected, the frequency of herbs in prescription was determined, and 85 core combinations and 13 new prescriptions were indentified. The traditional Chinese medicine inheritance assistance system, as a valuable traditional Chinese medicine research-supporting tool, can be used to record, manage, inquire and analyze prescription data.

NON-MUSCULOSKELETAL SPORTS MEDICINE LEARNING IN FAMILY MEDICINE RESIDENCY PROGRAMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pasqualino Caputo

2008-06-01

, descriptive statistics such as the means, standard deviations, and reliabilities of the scales were not equal across years. Therefore, we analyzed data separately by year, and then combined the results across years using meta-analysis. We first discuss the logic of analyzing the data for a single year, and then present the logic of combining the analyses.We expected that the residents in programs with sports medicine fellowships would show superior performance on the non-musculoskeletal sports medicine items. However, because assignment to fellowship was not random, we wanted to control for any possible differences in general family medicine knowledge that might exist between those residents who did and did not have a sports medicine fellowship at their residency program. Therefore, we treated scores on the family medicine scale as a covariate. We computed analysis of covariance (fellowship being a categorical independent variable with non-musculoskeletal sports medicine items as the dependent variable. The results allow for a statistical test of the effect of sports medicine fellowship while holding general family medicine knowledge constant. In other words, we applied a statistical control for self-selection into groups. We present results both with and without statistical control (i.e., both with and without the covariate because statistical control in the absence of random assignment to treatment, results in a very conservative test of the treatment effect when the treatment and covariate are correlated.To combine the studies, we used the method recommended by Hedges and colleagues (Hedges and Olkin, 1985; Hedges and Vevea, 1998. For each year, we first transformed the raw data to standardized scores by subtracting the variable's mean and dividing by the variable's standard deviation, so that all transformed variables had a mean of zero and a standard deviation of one. We then computed the analysis of covariance for each year and found the standardized regression weight

Ethical conflict in the practice of occupational medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt-Rauf, P W

1989-01-01

The practice of occupational medicine has been portrayed as being fraught with ethical conflict and yet this problem has received little systematic study. A question and case study survey of a randomly selected cohort of members of the American Occupational Medical Association has been performed to examine the extent and nature of this problem in occupational medicine practice in the United States. The results indicate a strong reliance on traditional medical role models in responding to ethical conflict but with significant underlying tension between more deontological physician-patient approaches and more teleological public health approaches. These results have significant implications for the synthesis of bioethical theories based on a perceived complementarity of ethical reality, as well as suggesting important improvements in future occupational medicine training.

Antibacterial activity of eight medicinal plants against Diarrhoea ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The studies involve the phytochemical screening and antibacterial activity of leaf extracts eight medicinal plants. The selected plants were Timarindus indica, Guiera senegalensis, Prosopis africana, Deterium microcarpum, Citrus aurantifolia, Psidium guajava, Acacia nilotica and Momordica charantia. Methanolics and ...

Cytotoxicity of selected Cameroonian medicinal plants and Nauclea pobeguinii towards multi-factorial drug-resistant cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuete, Victor; Sandjo, Louis P; Mbaveng, Armelle T; Seukep, Jackson A; Ngadjui, Bonaventure T; Efferth, Thomas

2015-09-04

Malignacies are still a major public concern worldwide and despite the intensive search for new chemotherapeutic agents, treatment still remains a challenging issue. This work was designed to assess the cytotoxicity of six selected Cameroonian medicinal plants, including Nauclea pobeguinii and its constituents 3-acetoxy-11-oxo-urs-12-ene (1), p-coumaric acid (2), citric acid trimethyl ester (3), resveratrol (4), resveratrol β- D -glucopyranoside (5) and strictosamide (6), against 8 drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer cell lines. The resazurin reduction assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of the crude extracts and compounds, whilst column chromatography was used to isolate the constituents of Nauclea pobeguinii. Structural characterization of isolated compounds was performed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic data. Preliminary experiments on leukemia CCRF-CEM cells at 40 μg/mL showed that the leaves and bark extracts from Tragia benthamii, Canarium schweinfurthii, Myrianthus arboreus, Dischistocalyx grandifolius and Fagara macrophylla induced more than 50 % growth of this cell line contrary to the leaves and bark extracts of N. pobeguinii. IC50 values below or around 30 μg/mL were obtained with leaves and bark extracts of N. pobeguinii towards two and five, respectively, of the 8 tested cancer cell lines. The lowest IC50 value was obtained with the bark extract of N. pobeguinii against HCT116 (p53 (-/-) ) colon cancer cells (8.70 μg/mL). Compounds 4 and 6 displayed selective activity on leukemia and carcinoma cells, whilst 1-3 were not active. IC50 values below 100 μM were recorded with compound 5 on all 9 tested cancer cell lines as well as with 4 against 7 out of 8 and 6 against 2 out of 8 cell lines. Collateral sensitivity was observed in CEM/ADR5000 leukemia cells, MDA-MB-231-BCRP breast adenocarcinoma cells (0.53-fold), HCT116 (p53 (+/+) ) cells, human U87MG.ΔEGFR glioblastome multiforme cells to the methanolic

Clinical Strategy for Optimal Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Herbal Dose Selection in Disease Therapeutics: Expert Consensus on Classic TCM Herbal Formula Dose Conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Zha, Lin-Hua; He, Li-Sha; Lian, Feng-Mei; Zhen, Zhong; Ji, Hang-Yu; Xu, Li-Peng; Tong, Xiao-Lin

2015-01-01

The clinical therapeutics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitutes a complicated process which involves theory, diagnosis, and formula prescription with specific herbal dosage. Zhang Zhong-Jing's classic work, Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases, has been influencing TCM practice for almost 2000 years. However, during this extended period of time in Chinese history, the Chinese weight measurement system experienced noticeable changes. This change in the weight measurement system inevitably, and perhaps even negatively, affected TCM herbal dosage determination and treatment outcome. Thus, in modern society, a full understanding of the accuracy of herbal dose selection has a critical importance in the TCM daily practice of delivering the best treatment to the patients suffering from different illnesses. In the 973 Project of the Chinese National Basic Research Program, expert consensus on classic TCM formula dose conversion has been reached based on extensive literature review and discussion on the dose-effect relationship of classic TCM formulas. One "liang" in classic TCM formulas is equivalent to 13.8 g. However, based on many TCM basic and clinical studies of variable herbal formula prescriptions and herbal drug preparations, the rule of one liang equals 13.8 g should be adjusted according to different disease conditions. Recommended by the committee on TCM formula dose-effect relationship of the China Association of Chinese Medicine and the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, the following expert consensus has been reached: (i) One liang converts to 6-9 g for the severely and critically ill patients. (ii) One liang converts to 3-6 g for the patients suffering from chronic diseases. (iii) One liang converts to 1-3 g in preventive medicine. The above conversions should be used as a future TCM practice guideline. Using this recommended guideline should enhance the effectiveness of daily TCM practice.

Speciation and bioavailability of lead in complementary medicines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolan, S.; Naidu, R.; Kunhikrishnan, A.; Seshadri, B.; Ok, Y.S.; Palanisami, T.; Dong, M.; Clark, I.

2016-01-01

Complementary medicines have associated risks which include toxic heavy metal(loid) and pesticide contamination. The objective of this study was to examine the speciation and bioavailability of lead (Pb) in selected complementary medicines. Six herbal and six ayurvedic medicines were analysed for: (i) total heavy metal(loid) contents including arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), Pb and mercury (Hg); (ii) speciation of Pb using sequential fractionation and extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) techniques; and (iii) bioavailability of Pb using a physiologically-based in vitro extraction test (PBET). The daily intake of Pb through the uptake of these medicines was compared with the safety guidelines for Pb. The results indicated that generally ayurvedic medicines contained higher levels of heavy metal(loid)s than herbal medicines with the amount of Pb much higher than the other metal(loid)s. Sequential fractionation indicated that while organic-bound Pb species dominated the herbal medicines, inorganic-bound Pb species dominated the ayurvedic medicines. EXAFS data indicated the presence of various Pb species in ayurvedic medicines. This implies that Pb is derived from plant uptake and inorganic mineral input in herbal and ayurvedic medicines, respectively. Bioavailability of Pb was higher in ayurvedic than herbal medicines, indicating that Pb added as a mineral therapeutic input is more bioavailable than that derived from plant uptake. There was a positive relationship between soluble Pb fraction and bioavailability indicating that solubility is an important factor controlling bioavailability. The daily intake values for Pb as estimated by total and bioavailable metal(loid) contents are likely to exceed the safe threshold level in certain ayurvedic medicines. This research demonstrated that Pb toxicity is likely to result from the regular intake of these medicines which requires further investigation. - Highlights: • Pb species in complementary medicines was

Itinerant vending of medicines inside buses in Nigeria: vending strategies, dominant themes and medicine-related information provided.

Science.gov (United States)

Yusuff, Kazeem B; Wassi Sanni, Abd'

2011-07-01

To determine vending strategies and marketing themes employed by itinerant bus vendors, and assess the accuracy and completeness of information provided on medicines being sold in an urban setting in Nigeria. Cross-sectional study and content analysis of itinerant vending of medicines inside buses recorded with a mobile telephone on purposively selected routes in a mega city with an estimated 18 million residents in southwestern Nigeria over a 2-month period. Two coders independently assessed 192 vending episodes by 56 vendors for 147 OTC and prescription medicines. Inter-rater reliability (Gwet AC1 =0.924; p<0.0001). Fourteen thousands and four hundred potential consumers encountered 192 recorded episodes of vending of medicines inside 192 buses within the study periods. Forty-four (78•5%) of the 56 vendors were females in the 30-45 years age bracket, were mostly (75%) attired in the local 'Iro and Buba' Ankara fabric and showed laminated identity cards (97.5%) issued by the local association for 'marketers' of medicines inside buses, markets, and motor parks. Of the 14400 consumers encountered inside buses during the study period, between 6.7% and 48.3% purchased the medicines promoted. Prayers against death from road traffic accidents and diseases of physical and / or meta-physical origins were the most frequently used (76•8%) ice-breaking opening statement / strategy to gain consumers' attention. Hematinics, multi-vitamins, simple analgesic, NSAIDs and corticosteroids were the most frequently vended medicines. Consumers' enquiries were related to dosing for children (51.8%), elderly (28.6%), and pregnancy (52.7%); and contra-indications during pregnancy (8.9%). Factual medicines information such as dose, frequency, potential side effects and contra-indications were not provided in majority of vending episodes. Itinerant vending of medicines and the use of misleading and melodramatic themes to secure high consumer patronage appear considerable in Nigeria

Selective extraction and determination of chlorogenic acids as combined quality markers in herbal medicines using molecularly imprinted polymers based on a mimic template.

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Wenhua; Zhang, Mingming; Yan, Huijiao; Zhao, Hengqiang; Mu, Yan; Guo, Lanping; Wang, Xiao

2017-12-01

We describe a solid-phase extraction adsorbent based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), prepared with use of a mimic template. The MIPs were used for the selective extraction and determination of three chlorogenic acids as combined quality markers for Lonicera japonica and Lianhua qingwen granules. The morphologies and surface groups of the MIPs were assessed by scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and selectivity of the MIPs were systematically compared with those of non-molecularly imprinted polymers. The MIPs showed high selectivity toward three structurally similar chlorogenic acids (chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, and neochlorogenic acid). A procedure using molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography was established for the determination of three chlorogenic acids from Lonicera japonica and Lianhua qingwen granules. The recoveries of the chlorogenic acids ranged from 93.1% to 101.4%. The limits of detection and limits of quantification for the three chlorogenic acids were 0.003 mg g -1 and 0.01 mg g -1 , respectively. The newly developed method is thus a promising technique for the enrichment and determination of chlorogenic acids from herbal medicines. Graphical Abstract Mimic molecularly imprinted polymers for the selective extraction of chlorogenic acids.

[Concentrations of alkaloids, cyanogenic glycosides, polyphenols and saponins in selected medicinal plants from Ecuador and their relationship with acute toxicity against Artemia salina].

Science.gov (United States)

Jaramillo Jaramillo, Carmita; Jaramillo Espinoza, Anyi; D'Armas, Haydelba; Troccoli, Luis; Rojas de Astudillo, Luisa

2016-09-01

Alkaloids, polyphenols, cyanogenic glycosides and saponins are among the main chemical compounds synthesized by plants but not considered essential for their basic metabolism. These compounds have different functions in plants, and have been recognized with medicinal and pharmacological properties. In this research, concentrations of the mentioned secondary metabolites were determined in the medicinal plants Artemisia absinthium, Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, Parthenium hysterophorus, Piper carpunya and Taraxacum officinale, from Ecuador, and related with cytotoxic effects against Artemia salina. Alcoholic and aqueous extracts from leaves of these selected plants were prepared at different concentrations. To assess cytotoxicity of these extracts, different bioassays with A. salina were undertaken, and the mortality rates and LC50 were obtained. Besides, concentrations of alkaloids, cyanogenic glycosides, phenols, tannins and saponins were determined by spectrophotometric methods; this constituted the first report of quantification of secondary metabolites in the selected plants from Ecuador. T. officinale had the highest concentration of total phenols (22.30 ± 0.23 mg/g) and tannins (11.70 ± 0.10 mg/g), C. aconitifolius of cyanogenic glycosides (5.02 ± 0.37 µg/g) and P. hysterophorus of saponins (6.12 ± 0.02 mg/g). Tannins values obtained were not adverse to their consumption. Alcoholic and aqueous extracts of selected plants had hemolytic activity depending on the concentration of saponins. Although the values of cyanogenic glycosides were permissible, it was necessary to monitor the presence of this metabolite in plants to minimize health problems. LC50 values ranged from extremely toxic (3.37 µg/mL) to highly toxic (274.34 μg/mL), in P. carpunya and T. officinale, respectively. From correlation analysis, it was observed that increase values of alkaloids concentrations had highly significant (pplants cytotoxicity decreased significantly (pplant extracts

Evaluation of biological activities and chemical constituent of storage medicinal plant materials used as a traditional medicine in Nepal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bishnu Prasad Pandey

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Aim: The main aims of the study were to evaluate the phytochemicals, antioxidant, antibacterial and chemical constituents of storage medicinal plant materials used as a traditional medicine in Nepal. Methods: Phytochemical screening, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, antibacterial activities, anti-oxidant assay of the crude extract (water, methanol, n-hexane and acetone were carried out to identify the biological activities and phytonutrients present in the different extract. The chemical constituents present in the crude extract were analyzed using the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC equipped with UV detector. Results: Evaluated medicinal plant materials were found to have diverse phytonutrients. Results revealed that methanol extract of Pakhanved and Jethimadhu have highest total flavonoids and polyphenol content. Among the selected medicinal plant materials Jethimadhu extract revealed the highest antioxidant activities. Furthermore, evaluated medicinal plants extract were found to exert a range of in vitro growth inhibition activity against both gram positive and gram negative species. The highest antibacterial activities were observed in the case of methanol extract, whereas, least activity was observed with the hexane extract. HPLC analysis of the acetone extract of Jethimadhu reveals the presence of diosmetin. Conclusions: Our result revealed that among the five evaluated medicinal plant materials, Jethimadhu extract revealed biological activities and exhibits a higher amount of polyphenol and flavonoid content. [J Complement Med Res 2017; 6(4.000: 369-377

Striving for quality use of medicines: how effective is Australia's ban on direct-to-consumer prescription medicine advertising?

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Sonja

2009-02-01

The potential for both positive and negative effects arising from direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines challenges health policymakers to develop regulatory schemes which selectively capture the positive aspects of the practice. Australia has dealt with this quandary by banning the practice, while New Zealand and the United States permit it. However, in recent times pharmaceutical companies have been increasingly successful in introducing promotional materials into the Australian market. This article demonstrates that the Australian ban is consistent with striving for the major policy goal of quality use of medicines, thus providing the basis for arguing that solutions to strengthen the ban against the identified threats ought to be implemented. Quality use of medicines can be most effectively achieved via the combined effect of the strengthened ban and the mimicking of the limited positive aspects of direct-to-consumer advertising by government provision of non-promotional information to consumers.

Patients' concern about their medicine after a generic switch

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Østergaard Rathe, Jette; Søndergaard, Jens; Jarbøl, Dorte E

2014-01-01

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the possible association between patients' concerns about their medicine and generic switch. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey was carried out comprising responses from 2217 randomly selected persons aged 20 years or older and living in the Region of Southern...... Denmark, who had redeemed generically substitutable drugs in September 2008. For each patient, we focused on the purchase of one generically substitutable drug (index drug). We applied the specific concerns subscale from the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire (BMQ) to analyse lack of confidence....... RESULTS: No statistically significant associations were found between concerns about the index medicine and the generic switch (-0.02 95% CI: -0.10; 0.05). Viewing medicines as harmful in general was associated with increased concerns (BMQ general harm: 0.39 95% CI: 0.30; 0.47 and BMQ general overuse: 0...

Benchmarking: applications to transfusion medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Apelseth, Torunn Oveland; Molnar, Laura; Arnold, Emmy; Heddle, Nancy M

2012-10-01

Benchmarking is as a structured continuous collaborative process in which comparisons for selected indicators are used to identify factors that, when implemented, will improve transfusion practices. This study aimed to identify transfusion medicine studies reporting on benchmarking, summarize the benchmarking approaches used, and identify important considerations to move the concept of benchmarking forward in the field of transfusion medicine. A systematic review of published literature was performed to identify transfusion medicine-related studies that compared at least 2 separate institutions or regions with the intention of benchmarking focusing on 4 areas: blood utilization, safety, operational aspects, and blood donation. Forty-five studies were included: blood utilization (n = 35), safety (n = 5), operational aspects of transfusion medicine (n = 5), and blood donation (n = 0). Based on predefined criteria, 7 publications were classified as benchmarking, 2 as trending, and 36 as single-event studies. Three models of benchmarking are described: (1) a regional benchmarking program that collects and links relevant data from existing electronic sources, (2) a sentinel site model where data from a limited number of sites are collected, and (3) an institutional-initiated model where a site identifies indicators of interest and approaches other institutions. Benchmarking approaches are needed in the field of transfusion medicine. Major challenges include defining best practices and developing cost-effective methods of data collection. For those interested in initiating a benchmarking program, the sentinel site model may be most effective and sustainable as a starting point, although the regional model would be the ideal goal. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Behavioural aspects surrounding medicine purchases from pharmacies in Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmerton L

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: This study aimed to produce current data regarding behavioural aspects of non-prescription (over-the-counter medicine purchases, in light of changes in the pharmaceutical market and increasing provision of professional services in pharmacies.Methods: Data were collected in 15 community pharmacies in South-East Queensland, Australia, over 540 hours in five days in August, 2006. The method, previously validated, involved documentation of both observational and interview data. Fifteen trained researchers were stationed in a selected pharmacy each to unobtrusively observe all eligible sales of non-prescription medicines, and, where possible, interview the purchasers post-sale. Non-response was supplemented by observational data and recall by the salesperson. The data included details of the purchase and purchasing behaviour, while new questions addressed issues of topical importance, including customers’ privacy concerns. A selection of the analyses is reported here.Results: In total, 3470 purchases were documented (135-479 per pharmacy, with customers of 67.5% of purchases (74.7% excluding an outlier pharmacy participating in the survey. Customers averaged 1.2 non-prescription medicines per transaction. Two-thirds (67.2% of customers were female, and 38.8% of the customers were aged 31-45 years. Analgesics and respiratory medicines accounted for two-thirds of the sales data (33.4% and 32.4%, respectively. Intended-brand purchases comprised 71% of purchases (2004/2824; in-store substitution then occurred in 8.8% of these cases, mainly following recommendations by pharmacy staff. Medicines intended for self-use comprised 62.9% of purchases (1752/2785. First-time purchases (30.8%, 799/2594 were more commonly influenced by pharmacy staff than by advertising.Conclusions: This study used validated methods adapted to a changing marketplace, thus providing data that both confirm and add to knowledge surrounding medicine purchases. Despite the

PIXE-PIGE analysis of some Indian medicinal plants

Science.gov (United States)

Nomita Devi, K.; Nandakumar Sarma, H.

2010-06-01

The quantitative estimation of various trace element concentrations in medicinal plants is necessary for determining their effectiveness in treating various diseases and for understanding their pharmacological action. Elemental concentrations of some selected medicinal plants of north east India was measured by proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and proton induced γ-ray emission (PIGE) techniques. PIXE measurements were carried out using 2.4 MeV collimated protons from the 3 MV tandetron accelerator of NCCCM, Hyderabad (India) while the PIGE measurements were carried out using 3 MeV protons from the same accelerator in the same laboratory. Accuracy and precision of the techniques were assured by analyzing certified reference materials in the same experimental conditions. Various elements of biological importance in man's metabolism were found to be present in varying concentrations in the studied medicinal plants and no toxic heavy metals were detected. The concentration of the various elements in the medicinal plants and their role in treating various diseases are discussed.

PIXE-PIGE analysis of some Indian medicinal plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nomita Devi, K., E-mail: nomita_k@rediffmail.co [Department of Physics, Manipur University, Canchipur, Imphal 795003 (India); Nandakumar Sarma, H. [Department of Physics, Manipur University, Canchipur, Imphal 795003 (India)

2010-06-15

The quantitative estimation of various trace element concentrations in medicinal plants is necessary for determining their effectiveness in treating various diseases and for understanding their pharmacological action. Elemental concentrations of some selected medicinal plants of north east India was measured by proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and proton induced {gamma}-ray emission (PIGE) techniques. PIXE measurements were carried out using 2.4 MeV collimated protons from the 3 MV tandetron accelerator of NCCCM, Hyderabad (India) while the PIGE measurements were carried out using 3 MeV protons from the same accelerator in the same laboratory. Accuracy and precision of the techniques were assured by analyzing certified reference materials in the same experimental conditions. Various elements of biological importance in man's metabolism were found to be present in varying concentrations in the studied medicinal plants and no toxic heavy metals were detected. The concentration of the various elements in the medicinal plants and their role in treating various diseases are discussed.

Computer applications in nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lancaster, J.L.; Lasher, J.C.; Blumhardt, R.

1987-01-01

Digital computers were introduced to nuclear medicine research as an imaging modality in the mid-1960s. Widespread use of imaging computers (scintigraphic computers) was not seen in nuclear medicine clinics until the mid-1970s. For the user, the ability to acquire scintigraphic images into the computer for quantitative purposes, with accurate selection of regions of interest (ROIs), promised almost endless computational capabilities. Investigators quickly developed many new methods for quantitating the distribution patterns of radiopharmaceuticals within the body both spatially and temporally. The computer was used to acquire data on practically every organ that could be imaged by means of gamma cameras or rectilinear scanners. Methods of image processing borrowed from other disciplines were applied to scintigraphic computer images in an attempt to improve image quality. Image processing in nuclear medicine has evolved into a relatively extensive set of tasks that can be called on by the user to provide additional clinical information rather than to improve image quality. Digital computers are utilized in nuclear medicine departments for nonimaging applications also, Patient scheduling, archiving, radiopharmaceutical inventory, radioimmunoassay (RIA), and health physics are just a few of the areas in which the digital computer has proven helpful. The computer is useful in any area in which a large quantity of data needs to be accurately managed, especially over a long period of time

Community medicine in action: an integrated, fourth-year urban continuity preceptorship.

Science.gov (United States)

Brill, John R; Jackson, Thomas C; Stearns, Marjorie A

2002-07-01

To provide an opportunity for fourth-year students at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison to immerse in urban community medicine during a 34-week program. This experience enhances the integrity of the fourth year as well as merges medicine and public health perspectives in medical education as called for by the Medicine and Public Health Initiative. A limited number of fourth-year Wisconsin medical students have the opportunity to select a one-year, continuity-based preceptorship at the Milwaukee clinical campus with a focus in one of three domains: family medicine, internal medicine, or women's health. Students participate in the following clinical activities: a one-year, integrated preceptorship (one to three half days per week in a primary preceptor's office), medicine subinternship, senior surgery clerkship, selectives (16-20 weeks of clerkships relevant to preceptorship focus area), and one month of out-of-city electives. Complementing this community-based clinical experience is the opportunity to develop an increased appreciation for urban community health issues and resources by participating in a required urban community medicine clerkship and a mentored student scholarly project focusing on an aspect of urban community medicine and population health. All students begin the year in July with a four-week urban community medicine clerkship, which is based on the St. Luke's family practice residency's community medicine rotation and arranged by residency faculty. They conduct a "windshield survey" of a Milwaukee neighborhood, observing health hazards and identifying assets, and then present these observations to others in the clerkship. During this first month, students are introduced to the work of a variety of social service agencies, the Milwaukee City Health Department, and the Aurora Health Care/UW community clinics, which serve the state's most diverse zip codes. They meet with providers and researchers who share their expertise in

Nuclear Medicine

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... Parents/Teachers Resource Links for Students Glossary Nuclear Medicine What is nuclear medicine? What are radioactive tracers? ... funded researchers advancing nuclear medicine? What is nuclear medicine? Nuclear medicine is a medical specialty that uses ...

Readability assessment of package inserts of biological medicinal products from the European medicines agency website.

Science.gov (United States)

Piñero-López, Ma Ángeles; Modamio, Pilar; Lastra, Cecilia F; Mariño, Eduardo L

2014-07-01

Package inserts that accompany medicines are a common source of information aimed at patients and should match patient abilities in terms of readability. Our objective was to determine the degree of readability of the package inserts for biological medicinal products commercially available in 2007 and compare them with the readability of the same package inserts in 2010. A total of 33 package inserts were selected and classified into five groups according to the type of medicine: monoclonal antibody-based products, cytokines, therapeutic enzymes, recombinant blood factors and other blood-related products, and recombinant hormones. The package inserts were downloaded from the European Medicines Agency website in 2007 and 2010. Readability was evaluated for the entire text of five of the six sections of the package inserts and for the 'Annex' when there was one. Three readability formulas were used: SMOG (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook) grade, Flesh-Kincaid grade level, and Szigriszt's perspicuity index. No significant differences were found between the readability results for the 2007 package inserts and those from 2010 according to any of the three readability indices studied (p>0.05). However, there were significant differences (preadability scores of the sections of the package inserts in both 2007 and 2010. The readability of the package inserts was above the recommended sixth grade reading level (ages 11-12) and may lead to difficulties of understanding for people with limited literacy. All the sections should be easy to read and, therefore, the readability of the medicine package inserts studied should be improved.

Attitude and opinion towards essential medicine formulary.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Sangeeta; Kh, Reeta; Chaudhury, R Roy

2010-06-01

The Delhi State Drug Policy was adopted in 1994 following which the first Essential Medicines List (EML) was developed in 1996. The Delhi State Essential Medicines Formulary was brought out in 1997. A need was felt to revise the formulary to match with the EML as the EML is renewed every 2 years. A survey was undertaken to elicit the opinions of the doctors practicing in the state on the usefulness of the formulary before revising and printing the updated version. The survey covered dispensaries, 10-20 bedded hospitals, 100-bedded hospitals and two tertiary care hospitals. Discussions were focused on questionnaires on attitudes toward adopting Essential Medicines Formulary using a 10-point scale. Of the 200 doctors approached, only 90 doctors completed the questionnaire. Sixty-nine respondents (76.6%) had received the copy of the formulary. Most practitioners welcomed the formulary and were satisfied with the coverage and selection of the medicines. Most respondents (76.9%) agreed that a well-developed formulary would improve the quality of the public health care system, although they had reservations about the authority, relevance and effect on professional autonomy. About 74% of the respondents used the formulary in clinical practice as a source of medicine information, which makes its regular revision necessary.

Anti-leishmanial and toxicity activities of some selected Iranian medicinal plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Kheiri Manjili, Hamidreza; Jafari, Hamidreza; Ramazani, Ali; Davoudi, Noushin

2012-11-01

Leishmaniasis is caused by protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Leishmania. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common form of leishmaniasis in Iran. As there is not any vaccine for leishmaniasis, treatment is important to prevent the spreading of parasites. There is, therefore, a need to develop newer drugs from different sources. The aim of this study was to assess anti-leishmanial activity of the ethanolic extracts of 17 different medicinal plants against Leishmania major promastigotes and macrophage cell line J774. The selection of the hereby studied 17 plants was based on the existing information on their local ethnobotanic history. Plants were dried, powdered, and macerated in a hydroalcoholic solution. Resulting extracts have been assessed for in vitro anti-leishmanial and brine shrimp toxicity activities. Four plants, Caesalpinia gilliesii, Satureia hortensis, Carum copticum heirm, and Thymus migricus, displayed high anti-leishmanial activity (IC50, 9.76 ± 1.27, 15.625 ± 3.76, 15.625 ± 5.46, and 31.25 ± 15.44 μM, respectively) and were toxic against the J774 macrophage cell line at higher concentrations than those needed to inhibit the parasite cell growth (IC50, 45.13 ± 3.17, 100.44 ± 17.48, 43.76 ± 0.78, and 39.67 ± 3.29 μM, respectively). Glucantime as positive control inhibited the growth of L. major promastigotes with IC50 = 254 μg/ml on promastigotes (1 × 10(6)/100 μ/well) of a log phase culture, without affecting the growth of J774 macrophages. These data revealed that C. gilliesii, S. hortensis, C. copticum heirm, and T. migricus extracts contain active compounds, which could serve as alternative agents in the control of cutaneous leishmaniasis. The activity of these herbs against L. major promastigotes and macrophage cell line J774 was reported for the first time in our study.

Medicinal plants used to treat TB in Ghana.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguta, Joseph Mwanzia; Appiah-Opong, Regina; Nyarko, Alexander K; Yeboah-Manu, Dorothy; Addo, Phyllis G A

2015-06-01

The current study was designed to document medicinal plant species that are traditionally used to treat tuberculosis (TB) by Ghanaian communities. The medicinal plants used against TB or its signs and symptoms were selected using library and online published data searches. A guided questionnaire interview was also conducted with a botanist involved in plant collection at the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine (CSRPM) at Mampong. Data obtained were entered in Excel and summarized into means and frequencies using SPSS 12.0.1 for windows, and expressed as tables and bar graphs. A total of 15 medicinal plant species distributed between 13 genera and 13 families were documented. The following medicinal plant species were found to be used against TB in Greater Accra and Eastern parts of Ghana: Azadirachta indica A. Juss. Stem bark (Meliaceae), Hygrophila auriculata Heine, whole plant (Acanthaceae), Chenopodium ambrosioides L. leaves (Amaranthaceae), Coix lacryma-jobi L. glumes (Poaceae), Solanum torvum Sw. unripe fruits (Solanaceae), Solanum torvum Sw. leaves (Solanaceae), Bidens pilosa L. whole plant (Asteraceae), Phyllanthus fraternus G.L. Webster leaves (Phyllanthaceae), Dissotis rotundifolia (Sm.) Triana, leaves (Melastomataceae), Cymbopogon giganteus Chiov. Leaves (Poaceae), Cyperus articulatus L. roots (Cyperaceae), Allium sativum L. bulb (Amaryllidaceae), Zingiber officinale Roscoe, rhizomes (Zingiberaceae), Allium cepa L. bulbs (Amaryllidaceae), Allium cepa L. leaves (Amaryllidaceae), Aloe vera var. barbadensis aqueous extract from leaves (Xanthorrhoeaceae), Aloe vera var. barbadensis organic extract from leaves (Xanthorrhoeaceae), Cocos nucifera Linn, water (Arecaceae) and Cocos nucifera Linn. Husk (Arecaceae). The collected plant species could be a source of a new class of drugs against TB. Bioactivity guided fractionation is recommended to identify lead compounds for antimycobacterial activity. The current paper documents for the first time

Confronting zoonoses through closer collaboration between medicine and veterinary medicine (as 'one medicine').

Science.gov (United States)

Kahn, Laura H; Kaplan, Bruce; Steele, James H

2007-01-01

In the 19th century, the concept of 'one medicine' was embraced by leaders in the medical and veterinary medical communities. In the 20th century, collaborative efforts between medicine and veterinary medicine diminished considerably. While there have been some notable exceptions, such as Calvin W. Schwabe's proposal for unifying human and veterinary medicine and joint efforts by the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization to control zoonotic diseases, 'one medicine' has languished in the modern milieu of clinical care, public health, and biomedical research. Risks of zoonotic disease transmission are rarely discussed in clinical care which is of particular concern if humans and/or animals are immunosuppressed. Physicians and veterinarians should advise their patients and pet-owning clients that some animals should not be pets. The risk of zoonotic disease acquisition can be considerable in the occupational setting. Collaborative efforts in biomedical research could do much to improve human and animal health. As the threat of zoonotic diseases continues to increase in the 21st century, medicine and veterinary medicine must revive 'one medicine' in order to adequately address these challenges. 'One medicine' revival strategies must involve medical and veterinary medical education, clinical care, public health and biomedical research.

Prevalence of medicinal drugs in suspected impaired drivers and a comparison with the use in the general Dutch population

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bezemer, Karlijn D B; Smink, Beitske E; van Maanen, Rianne; Verschraagen, Miranda; de Gier, Johan J

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of psychotropic medicines in drivers suspected of driving under the influence of medicinal and illicit drugs in The Netherlands and to compare the prevalence of selected impairing medicines with the use of these medicines in the general Dutch

Determinants of utilisation differences for cancer medicines in Belgium, Scotland and Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrario, Alessandra

2017-12-01

Little comparative evidence is available on utilisation of cancer medicines in different countries and its determinants. The aim of this study was to develop a statistical model to test the correlation between utilisation and possible determinants in selected European countries. A sample of 31 medicines for cancer treatment that obtained EU-wide marketing authorisation between 2000 and 2012 was selected. Annual data on medicines' utilisation covering the in- and out-patient public sectors were obtained from national authorities between 2008 and 2013. Possible determinants of utilisation were extracted from HTA reports and complemented by contacts with key informants. A longitudinal mixed effect model was fitted to test possible determinants of medicines utilisation in Belgium, Scotland and Sweden. In the all-country model, the number of indications reimbursed positively correlated with increased consumption of medicines [one indication 2.6, 95% CI (1.8-3.6); two indications 2.4, 95% CI (1.4-4.3); three indications 4.9, 95% CI (2.2-10.9); all P marketing authorisation [1.2, 95% CI (1.02-1.4); p marketing authorisation. Prices had a negative effect on consumption in Belgium and Sweden. The positive impact of financial MEAs in Scotland suggests that the latter may remove the regressive effect of list prices on consumption.

Molecular Imaging and Precision Medicine in Lung Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Zukotynski, Katherine A; Gerbaudo, Victor H

2017-01-01

Precision medicine allows tailoring of preventive or therapeutic interventions to avoid the expense and toxicity of futile treatment given to those who will not respond. Lung cancer is a heterogeneous disease functionally and morphologically. PET is a sensitive molecular imaging technique with a major role in the precision medicine algorithm of patients with lung cancer. It contributes to the precision medicine of lung neoplasia by interrogating tumor heterogeneity throughout the body. It provides anatomofunctional insight during diagnosis, staging, and restaging of the disease. It is a biomarker of tumoral heterogeneity that helps direct selection of the most appropriate treatment, the prediction of early response to cytotoxic and cytostatic therapies, and is a prognostic biomarker in patients with lung cancer. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Plasmas meet nanoparticles-where synergies can advance the frontier of medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong, M G; Keidar, M; Ostrikov, K

2011-01-01

Nanoparticles and low-temperature plasmas have been developed, independently and often along different routes, to tackle the same set of challenges in biomedicine. There are intriguing similarities and contrasts in their interactions with cells and living tissues, and these are reflected directly in the characteristics and scope of their intended therapeutic solutions, in particular their chemical reactivity, selectivity against pathogens and cancer cells, safety to healthy cells and tissues and targeted delivery to diseased tissues. Time has come to ask the inevitable question of possible plasma-nanoparticle synergy and the related benefits to the development of effective, selective and safe therapies for modern medicine. This perspective paper offers a detailed review of the strengths and weakenesses of nanomedicine and plasma medicine as a stand-alone technology, and then provides a critical analysis of some of the major opportunities enabled by synergizing nanotechnology and plasma technology. It is shown that the plasma-nanoparticle synergy is best captured through plasma nanotechnology and its benefits for medicine are highly promising.

The Traditional Medicine and Modern Medicine from Natural Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haidan Yuan

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Natural products and traditional medicines are of great importance. Such forms of medicine as traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Kampo, traditional Korean medicine, and Unani have been practiced in some areas of the world and have blossomed into orderly-regulated systems of medicine. This study aims to review the literature on the relationship among natural products, traditional medicines, and modern medicine, and to explore the possible concepts and methodologies from natural products and traditional medicines to further develop drug discovery. The unique characteristics of theory, application, current role or status, and modern research of eight kinds of traditional medicine systems are summarized in this study. Although only a tiny fraction of the existing plant species have been scientifically researched for bioactivities since 1805, when the first pharmacologically-active compound morphine was isolated from opium, natural products and traditional medicines have already made fruitful contributions for modern medicine. When used to develop new drugs, natural products and traditional medicines have their incomparable advantages, such as abundant clinical experiences, and their unique diversity of chemical structures and biological activities.

The Traditional Medicine and Modern Medicine from Natural Products.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Haidan; Ma, Qianqian; Ye, Li; Piao, Guangchun

2016-04-29

Natural products and traditional medicines are of great importance. Such forms of medicine as traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Kampo, traditional Korean medicine, and Unani have been practiced in some areas of the world and have blossomed into orderly-regulated systems of medicine. This study aims to review the literature on the relationship among natural products, traditional medicines, and modern medicine, and to explore the possible concepts and methodologies from natural products and traditional medicines to further develop drug discovery. The unique characteristics of theory, application, current role or status, and modern research of eight kinds of traditional medicine systems are summarized in this study. Although only a tiny fraction of the existing plant species have been scientifically researched for bioactivities since 1805, when the first pharmacologically-active compound morphine was isolated from opium, natural products and traditional medicines have already made fruitful contributions for modern medicine. When used to develop new drugs, natural products and traditional medicines have their incomparable advantages, such as abundant clinical experiences, and their unique diversity of chemical structures and biological activities.

[What is new in 2016 for the specialist in hospital internal medicine?

Science.gov (United States)

Mraihi, Hamza; Chevaux, Fabienne; Castoni, Julien; Aebischer, Oriane; Christou, Foetini; Jaccard, Evrim; Benmachiche, Malik; Tasheva, Plamena; Giroud, Sabine; Kraege, Vanessa; Lamy, Olivier

2017-01-18

The year 2016 was rich in significant advances in all areas of internal medicine. Many of them have an impact on our daily practice in general internal medicine. From the treatment of NSTEMI in population older than 80, to new sepsis and septic shock criteria to antidotes of new oral anticoagulants, this selection offers to the readers a brief overview of the major advances. The chief residents in the Service of internal medicine of the Lausanne University hospital are pleased to share their readings.

New developments in photodetection for medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Del Guerra, A.; Bisogni, M.G.; Damiani, C.; Di Domenico, G.; Marchesini, R.; Zavattini, G.

2000-01-01

Photodetection and photon imaging have always been an important tool for medical diagnosis, therapy and prognosis. Radiology and nuclear medicine are the two disciplines that have taken most advantage of the advent of new digital detector technology to improve their sensitivity and specificity. A brief overview will be given and selected new developments and new ideas will be discussed at length

Metabolic radiopharmaceutical therapy in nuclear medicine; Terapia metabolica mediante radiofarmacos en medicina nuclear

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reguera, L.; Lozano, M. L.; Alonso, J. C.

2016-08-01

In 1986 the National Board of Medical Specialties defined the specialty of nuclear medicine as a medical specialty that uses radioisotopes for prevention, diagnosis, therapy and medical research. Nowadays, treatment with radiopharmaceuticals has reached a major importance within of nuclear medicine. The ability to treat tumors with radiopharmaceutical, Radiation selective therapy has become a first line alternative. In this paper, the current situation of the different therapies that are sued in nuclear medicine, is reviewed. (Author)

Thinking and practice of accelerating transformation of traditional Chinese medicine from experience medicine to evidence-based medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Baoyan; Zhang, Yanhong; Hu, Jingqing; He, Liyun; Zhou, Xuezhong

2011-06-01

The gradual development of Chinese medicine is based on constant accumulation and summary of experience in clinical practice, but without the benefit of undergoing the experimental medicine stage. Although Chinese medicine has formed a systematic and unique theory system through thousands of years, with the development of evidence-based medicine, the bondage of the research methods of experience medicine to Chinese medicine is appearing. The rapid transition and transformation from experience medicine to evidence-based medicine have become important content in the development of Chinese medicine. According to the features of Chinese medicine, we propose the research idea of "taking two ways simultaneously," which is the study both in the ideal condition and in the real world. Analyzing and constructing the theoretical basis and methodology of clinical research in the real world, and building the stage for research technique is key to the effective clinical research of Chinese medicine. Only by gradually maturing and completing the clinical research methods of the real world could we realize "taking two ways simultaneously" and complementing each other, continuously produce scientific and reliable evidence of Chinese medicine, as well as transform and develop Chinese medicine from experience medicine to evidence-based medicine.

Medicines

Science.gov (United States)

Medicines can treat diseases and improve your health. If you are like most people, you need to take medicine at some point in your life. You may need to take medicine every day, or you may only need to ...

A Review Study on the Effect of Iranian Herbal Medicines on Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Ebrahimie, Marzieh; Bahmani, Mahmoud; Shirzad, Hedayatollah; Rafieian-Kopaei, Mahmoud; Saki, Kourosh

2015-10-01

Addiction is a chronic and recurring disease that recurrence phenomenon is the most important challenge in treatment of this disease. Recent experiences have shown that synthetic drugs have undesirable side effects. Recent studies on medicinal plants have shown that they might be effective in treatment of different stages of addiction with lower side effects and costs. The aim of this study was to review the effects of medicinal plants in the treatment of morphine addiction in experimental animals. In this review article, by using keywords of morphine, withdrawal, and plants or herbal medicine in databases of indexing cites, desired articles were obtained since 1994. Inclusion criteria for selecting articles were the articles related to application of medicinal plants in decreasing symptoms resulting from morphine withdrawal were selected. Results of this study on experimental studies have shown that medicinal plants such as Trachyspermum copticum L and Melissa officinalis decrease the symptoms of withdrawal syndrome in a dose-dependent. Also, medicinal plants like Avena sativa, Hypericum perforatu, Passiflora incarnate, Valeriana officinalis, Satureja hortensis L, and Mentha piperita can have effects on behavior, emotions, and other problems of addicts, decreasing withdrawal symptoms. Results of this study showed that medicinal plants can be effective in controlling deprivation, decreasing dependency creation, and possibly DETOXIFICATION: of opioid addicts. © The Author(s) 2015.

The use of quality of life measures in oral medicine: a review of the literature.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Riordain, R Ni

2010-07-01

To explore the use of patient reported quality of life measures in oral medicine, to highlight the importance of use of these measures in oral medicine practice and to provide guidance for the selection of such measures in the future.

Application and Exploration of Big Data Mining in Clinical Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yue; Guo, Shu-Li; Han, Li-Na; Li, Tie-Ling

2016-03-20

To review theories and technologies of big data mining and their application in clinical medicine. Literatures published in English or Chinese regarding theories and technologies of big data mining and the concrete applications of data mining technology in clinical medicine were obtained from PubMed and Chinese Hospital Knowledge Database from 1975 to 2015. Original articles regarding big data mining theory/technology and big data mining's application in the medical field were selected. This review characterized the basic theories and technologies of big data mining including fuzzy theory, rough set theory, cloud theory, Dempster-Shafer theory, artificial neural network, genetic algorithm, inductive learning theory, Bayesian network, decision tree, pattern recognition, high-performance computing, and statistical analysis. The application of big data mining in clinical medicine was analyzed in the fields of disease risk assessment, clinical decision support, prediction of disease development, guidance of rational use of drugs, medical management, and evidence-based medicine. Big data mining has the potential to play an important role in clinical medicine.

Research on the selection of innovation compound using Possibility Construction Space Theory and fuzzy pattern recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Songhua; Li, Dehua; Nie, Hui

2009-10-01

There are a large number of fuzzy concepts and fuzzy phenomena in traditional Chinese medicine, which have led to great difficulties for study of traditional Chinese medicine. In this paper, the mathematical methods are used to quantify fuzzy concepts of drugs and prescription. We put forward the process of innovation formulations and selection method in Chinese medicine based on the Possibility Construction Space Theory (PCST) and fuzzy pattern recognition. Experimental results show that the method of selecting medicines from a number of characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine is consistent with the basic theory of traditional Chinese medicine. The results also reflect the integrated effects of the innovation compound. Through the use of the innovation formulations system, we expect to provide software tools for developing new traditional Chinese medicine and to inspire traditional Chinese medicine researchers to develop novel drugs.

Internal Medicine Point-of-Care Ultrasound Curriculum: Consensus Recommendations from the Canadian Internal Medicine Ultrasound (CIMUS) Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Irene W Y; Arishenkoff, Shane; Wiseman, Jeffrey; Desy, Janeve; Ailon, Jonathan; Martin, Leslie; Otremba, Mirek; Halman, Samantha; Willemot, Patrick; Blouw, Marcus

2017-09-01

Bedside point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is increasingly used to assess medical patients. At present, no consensus exists for what POCUS curriculum is appropriate for internal medicine residency training programs. This document details the consensus-based recommendations by the Canadian Internal Medicine Ultrasound (CIMUS) group, comprising 39 members, representing 14 institutions across Canada. Guiding principles for selecting curricular content were determined a priori. Consensus was defined as agreement by at least 80% of the members on POCUS applications deemed appropriate for teaching and assessment of trainees in the core (internal medicine postgraduate years [PGY] 1-3) and expanded (general internal medicine PGY 4-5) training programs. We recommend four POCUS applications for the core PGY 1-3 curriculum (inferior vena cava, lung B lines, pleural effusion, and abdominal free fluid) and three ultrasound-guided procedures (central venous catheterization, thoracentesis, and paracentesis). For the expanded PGY 4-5 curriculum, we recommend an additional seven applications (internal jugular vein, lung consolidation, pneumothorax, knee effusion, gross left ventricular systolic function, pericardial effusion, and right ventricular strain) and four ultrasound-guided procedures (knee arthrocentesis, arterial line insertion, arterial blood gas sampling, and peripheral venous catheterization). These recommendations will provide a framework for training programs at a national level.

[Recent advances in internal medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Von Düring, Stephan; Mavrakanas, Thomas; Muller, Halima; Primmaz, Steve; Grosgurin, Olivier; Louis Simonet, Martine; Marti, Christophe; Nendaz, Mathieu; Serratrice, Jacques; Stirnemann, Jérome; Carballo, Sebastian; Darbellay Farhoumand, Pauline

2018-01-17

In medicine, there are progresses which radically transform practices, change recommendations and win unanimous support in the medical community. There are some which divide, questioning principles that seemed established. There are also small advances, which can answer the questions that internists ask themselves in the daily care of their patients. Here are several articles published in 2017, read and commented for you by hospitalists, selected according to their impact on the medical world.

OCCURRENCE OF ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI IN SOME MEDICINAL PLANTS OF KERALA

Science.gov (United States)

Mathew, Abraham; Malathy, M.R.

2006-01-01

The occurrence of mycorrhiza in 40 selected medicinal plants was studied. The percentage of mycorrhizal colonization in each of the plant was calculated. The colonization was found to be very less in four plants and very high in six plants. All others showed a moderate level of colonization. The present work suggests the use of mycorrhiza as a biofertilizer to enhance the growth and yield of medicinal plants. PMID:22557224

History of residency selection issues in podiatric medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Dorcey, E U; Tinkleman, A R

1996-08-01

Issues related to residency interview and selection processes have concerned the podiatric medical profession for nearly 20 years. This article presents a chronology and summary of efforts undertaken to address these problems, including a discussion of legal ramifications of residency approval requirements related to establishment of a uniform notification date and participation in a resident-matching service.

Medicinal plants used with Thai Traditional Medicine in modern healthcare services: a case study in Kabchoeng Hospital, Surin Province, Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Chotchoungchatchai, Somtanuek; Saralamp, Promchit; Jenjittikul, Thaya; Pornsiripongse, Saowapa; Prathanturarug, Sompop

2012-05-07

Thai Traditional Medicine (TTM) is available in many modern hospitals in Thailand. However, there have been difficulties in integrating TTM, particularly the practices of the use of herbal medicines, into modern healthcare services. Kabchoeng Hospital is one hospital that has been able to overcome these difficulties. Thus, this study aimed to document the successful utilization of herbal medicine at Kabchoeng Hospital. The documentation focused on both the knowledge of medicinal plants and the success factors that facilitated the utilization of herbal medicine in the context of a modern hospital in Thailand. Kabchoeng Hospital was intentionally selected for this case study. Participatory observation was used for the data collection. There were six groups of key informants: three applied Thai Traditional Medicine practitioners (ATTMPs), a pharmacist, two physicians, two folk healers, the head of an herbal cultivation and collection group, and 190 patients. The plant specimens were collected and identified based on the botanical literature and a comparison with authentic specimens; these identifications were assisted by microscopic and thin layer chromatography (TLC) techniques. Eighty-nine medicinal plants were used for the herbal preparations. The ATTMPs used these plants to prepare 29 standard herbal preparations and occasional extemporaneous preparations. Moreover, in this hospital, seven herbal preparations were purchased from herbal medicine manufacturers. In total, 36 preparations were used for 10 groups of symptoms, such as the treatment of respiratory system disorders, musculo-skeletal system disorders, and digestive system disorders. Four success factors that facilitated the utilization of herbal medicine at Kabchoeng Hospital were determined. These factors included a proper understanding of the uses of herbal medicines, the successful integration of the modern and TTM healthcare teams, the support of an herbal cultivation and collection group, and the

[Use of medicines and lifestyles among Italian adolescents].

Science.gov (United States)

Piccinini, Magda; Vieno, Alessio; Santinello, Massimo

2011-01-01

To determine the prevalence, among adolescents, of medicine use for headache, stomachache, difficulties in getting to sleep and nervousness, and to analyse its association with common lifestyles. Data were taken from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), a transnational study coordinated by the WHO. The data are collected through a self-administered questionnaire for investigating health and health behaviours. 80 middle schools and 84 high schools were randomly selected from all Italian public and private schools. The questionnaire was filled out by a representative sample of 2667 (50.1% males) 13- and 15- year-old Italian students. Medicine use for headache, stomachache, difficulties in getting to sleep and nervousness, socio-economic status, physical fitness, breakfast, smoking and drunkenness. Females are more likely than boys to use medicines for headache (41.2% vs 30%) and stomachache (29%vs 16.2%), but there are no gender differences regarding medicines for difficulties in getting to sleep and nervousness, which are used less frequently. The prevalence of the use of medicines does not increase with age. The related behaviours are: for headache, breakfast, smoking and drunkenness; for stomachache, physical fitness, breakfast and smoking; for difficulties in getting to sleep and nervousness, drunkenness. The extensive use of medicines in adolescence and its association with some lifestyles suggest the importance to develop education programmes for adolescents.

Selected Topical Agents Used in Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Minor Injuries- A Review

OpenAIRE

Leung, Ping-chung; Ko, Erik Chun-hay; Siu, Wing-sum; Pang, Ellie Suet-yee; Lau, Clara Bik-san

2016-01-01

Topical medicinal patches have been popular for the treatment of minor injuries like sprains and avulsions. Other inflammatory conditions like chronic musculo-tendinous pain and or fasciitis are also taken care of by local ointments or rubs. In the oriental communities, medicinal herbs frequently form the major components of the patches. In spite of the lack of scientific evidence of efficacy, the popularity of such traditional application persists for centuries. In this era of evidence-based...

Selected topical agents used in Traditional Chinese Medicine in the treatment of minor injuries- a review

OpenAIRE

Ping Chung eLEUNG; Ping Chung eLEUNG; Ping Chung eLEUNG; Sammy Wing-sum eSIU; Chun Hay eKo; Clara Bik-san eLau; Clara Bik-san eLau

2016-01-01

Topical medicinal patches have been popular for the treatment of minor injuries like sprains and avulsions. Other inflammatory conditions like chronic musculo-tendinous pain and or fasciitis are also taken care of by local ointments or rubs. In the oriental communities, medicinal herbs frequently form the major components of the patches.In spite of the lack of scientific evidence of efficacy, the popularity of such traditional application persists for centuries.In this era of evidence-based c...

Use Medicines Safely

Science.gov (United States)

... Prescription Medicines 1 of 7 sections The Basics: Prescription Medicines There are different types of medicine. The 2 ... medicine are prescription and over-the-counter (OTC). Prescription medicines Prescription medicines are medicines you can get only ...

Total phenolics and total flavonoids in selected Indian medicinal plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Sulaiman, C T; Balachandran, Indira

2012-05-01

Plant phenolics and flavonoids have a powerful biological activity, which outlines the necessity of their determination. The phenolics and flavonoids content of 20 medicinal plants were determined in the present investigation. The phenolic content was determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu assay. The total flavonoids were measured spectrophotometrically by using the aluminium chloride colorimetric assay. The results showed that the family Mimosaceae is the richest source of phenolics, (Acacia nilotica: 80.63 mg gallic acid equivalents, Acacia catechu 78.12 mg gallic acid equivalents, Albizia lebbeck 66.23 mg gallic acid equivalents). The highest total flavonoid content was revealed in Senna tora which belongs to the family Caesalpiniaceae. The present study also shows the ratio of flavonoids to the phenolics in each sample for their specificity.

Attitude and opinion towards essential medicine formulary

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Sangeeta; Kh, Reeta; Chaudhury, R. Roy

2010-01-01

Objective: The Delhi State Drug Policy was adopted in 1994 following which the first Essential Medicines List (EML) was developed in 1996. The Delhi State Essential Medicines Formulary was brought out in 1997. A need was felt to revise the formulary to match with the EML as the EML is renewed every 2 years. Materials and Methods: A survey was undertaken to elicit the opinions of the doctors practicing in the state on the usefulness of the formulary before revising and printing the updated version. The survey covered dispensaries, 10–20 bedded hospitals, 100-bedded hospitals and two tertiary care hospitals. Discussions were focused on questionnaires on attitudes toward adopting Essential Medicines Formulary using a 10-point scale. Results: Of the 200 doctors approached, only 90 doctors completed the questionnaire. Sixty-nine respondents (76.6%) had received the copy of the formulary. Most practitioners welcomed the formulary and were satisfied with the coverage and selection of the medicines. Most respondents (76.9%) agreed that a well-developed formulary would improve the quality of the public health care system, although they had reservations about the authority, relevance and effect on professional autonomy. Conclusion: About 74% of the respondents used the formulary in clinical practice as a source of medicine information, which makes its regular revision necessary. PMID:20871765

Mapping actions to improve access to medicines for mental disorders in low and middle income countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbui, C; Dua, T; Kolappa, K; Saraceno, B; Saxena, S

2017-10-01

In recent years a number of intergovernmental initiatives have been activated in order to enhance the capacity of countries to improve access to essential medicines, particularly for mental disorders. In May 2013 the 66th World Health Assembly adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020, which builds upon the work of WHO's Mental Health Gap Action Programme. Within this programme, evidence-based guidelines for mental disorders were developed, including recommendations on appropriate use of medicines. Subsequently, the 67th World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on access to essential medicines, which urged Member States to improve national policies for the selection of essential medicines and to promote their availability, affordability and appropriate use. Following the precedent set by these important initiatives, this article presents eleven actions for improving access and appropriate use of psychotropic medicines. A 4 × 4 framework mapping actions as a function of the four components of access - selection, availability, affordability and appropriate use - and across four different health care levels, three of which belong to the supply side and one to the demand side, was developed. The actions are: developing a medicine selection process; promoting information and education activities for staff and end-users; developing a medicine regulation process; implementing a reliable supply system; implementing a reliable quality-control system; developing a community-based system of mental health care and promoting help-seeking behaviours; developing international agreements on medicine affordability; developing pricing policies and a sustainable financing system; developing or adopting evidence-based guidelines; monitoring the use of psychotropic medicines; promoting training initiatives for staff and end-users on critical appraisal of scientific evidence and appropriate use of psychotropic medicines. Activating

Imaging characteristics of meningiomas in Yemen - impact of Khat abuse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alansi, M.

2011-01-01

Intracranial meningiomas are the most common tumor derived from non-neural epithelial tissues, accounting for 13% to 26% of all intracranial tumors. In Yemen, several epidemiological studies have showed an increasing rate of meningiomas during the last 15-20 years. This can be explained by the influence of specific epidemiological factors (racial, genetic, toxic, etc) as well as, noticeably improved diagnostic imaging. A specific risk factor for Yemeni sub-population groups is chronic use of Khat (Catha Edulis Forskal, CE ) - an amphetamine-like product, associated with a variety of serious health, social and economic problems. The present study analyzed the imaging characteristics of meningiomas in Yemeni patients, who systematically use CE, compared to those who never consume it.

Esquisse d'une communication gestuelle yéménite (Taez et Sanaa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent Battesti

2001-09-01

Full Text Available Cette étude donne un premier aperçu de la richesse des gestuelles yéménites utilisées dans des contextes de communication. Plus de 150 gestes sont classés selon deux modalités d'expression : être en relation avec quelqu'un (Saluer, s'opposer, promettre, etc. et décrire (une personne, un objet, etc..An Outline of Yemeni Gestural Communication (Taez et SanaaThis study is the first survey of the rich Yemeni gestures used as a means of communication. More than 150 gestures are classified as to whether they are used in interaction with someone (greeting, opposing, promising, etc. or to describe someone or something.

The Brazilian medicinal chemistry from 1998 to 2008 in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters and European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry [A química medicinal brasileira de 1998 a 2008 nos periódicos Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters e European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

OpenAIRE

Bárbara Vasconcellos da Silva; Renato Saldanha Bastos; Angelo da Cunha Pinto

2009-01-01

In this article we present the Brazilian publications, the research groups involved, the contributions per states and the main diseases studied from 1998 to 2008 in the following periodicals: Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters and European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Price and availability survey of essential medicines in the Harare ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

their innovator and/or generic equivalents) in both private retail and public pharmacies. Setting: Private and public sector retail pharmacies in Harare metropolitan province, Zimbabwe. Materials and Methods: Forty medicines were selected for ...

Chinese materia medica used in medicinal diets.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Fang; Chen, Yalin; Tan, Xiaolei; Ma, Yunyun; Peng, Yong

2017-07-12

Medicinal diets have a history of more than 2000 years. Locally referred to as yaoshan (Chinese: ), a medicinal diet is understood in China as a dietary product that combines herbs and food with the purpose of preventing and treating diseases or improving health under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine theory. Medicinal diets are used in Chinese people's daily life and in specialized restaurants. Hundreds of Chinese materia medica (CMM) are used in medicinal diets; however, a comprehensive evaluation of medicinal diets is lacking. This is an exploratory study that aims to identify the CMM that are most frequently used in medicinal diets and to provide an updated view of the current situation of medicinal diets in China. A field study of 1221 people in 32 Chinese provinces was conducted over a period of approximately 6 months and included various types of interviews as well as a written questionnaire. Two approaches were used to analyse the data collected in the survey: (1) estimating the frequency of CMM consumed in daily diets; and (2) collecting CMM used in medicinal diet restaurants. Complementary information on the selected CMM was obtained from relevant databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, CNKI, and Web of Science. Ten CMM were reported as commonly used by more than 50% of the participants. Among these 10 species, most medicinally used parts were seeds and fruits. Pharmacological data from the literature revealed that these species are associated with a wide spectrum of biological properties, including antitumour (80%), antioxidant (50%), anti-diabetic (40%), antilipemic (40%), anti-aging (40%), antimicrobial (40%) and cardioprotective (40%) activities. Our survey shows that most medicinal diet restaurants are located in the eastern part of China, with the greatest numbers being found in Beijing and Guangzhou. Only Dioscoreae Rhizoma, Lycii Fructus, Chrysanthemi Flos and Longan Arillus were frequently consumed both in daily

Heart failure - medicines

Science.gov (United States)

CHF - medicines; Congestive heart failure - medicines; Cardiomyopathy - medicines; HF - medicines ... You will need to take most of your heart failure medicines every day. Some medicines are taken ...

Toxic element profiles in selected medicinal plants growing on serpentines in Bulgaria.

Science.gov (United States)

Pavlova, Dolja; Karadjova, Irina

2013-12-01

Populations of medicinal plants growing on serpentines and their respective soils were analyzed for Fe, Ni, Mn, Cr, Co, Cd, Cu, Zn, and Pb using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Aqua regia extraction and 0.43 M acetic acid extraction were used for the quantification of pseudototal and bioavailable fractions, respectively, of elements in soil and nitric acid digestion for determination of total element content in plants. Screening was performed to (1) document levels of toxic metals in herbs extensively used in preparation of products and standardized extracts, (2) compare accumulation abilities of ferns and seed plants, and (3) estimate correlations between metal content in plants and their soils. The toxic element content of plants varied from site to site on a large scale. The concentrations of Fe and Ni were elevated while those of Cu, Zn, and Pb were close to average values usually found in plants. The highest concentrations for almost all elements were measured in both Teucrium species. Specific differences in metal accumulation between ferns and seed plants were not recorded. The investigated species are not hyperaccumulators but can accumulate toxic elements, in some cases exceeding permissible levels proposed by the World Health Organization and European Pharmacopoeia. The harvesting of medicinal plants from serpentines could be hazardous to humans.

Mind-Body Medicine Practices in Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

... Visitor Information RePORT NIH Fact Sheets Home > Mind-Body Medicine Practices in Complementary and Alternative Medicine Small Text Medium Text Large Text Mind-Body Medicine Practices in Complementary and Alternative Medicine YESTERDAY ...

Histiocytosis X | Mohammed | Annals of African Medicine

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Annals of African Medicine. Journal Home · ABOUT · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives · Journal Home > Vol 8, No 1 (2009) >. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Download this PDF file. The PDF file you selected should load here if your Web ...

Patient Perspectives of Midlevel Providers in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Manning, Blaine T; Bohl, Daniel D; Hannon, Charles P; Redondo, Michael L; Christian, David R; Forsythe, Brian; Nho, Shane J; Bach, Bernard R

2018-04-01

Midlevel providers (eg, nurse practitioners and physician assistants) have been integrated into orthopaedic systems of care in response to the increasing demand for musculoskeletal care. Few studies have examined patient perspectives toward midlevel providers in orthopaedic sports medicine. To identify perspectives of orthopaedic sports medicine patients regarding midlevel providers, including optimal scope of practice, reimbursement equity with physicians, and importance of the physician's midlevel provider to patients when initially selecting a physician. Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. A total of 690 consecutive new patients of 3 orthopaedic sports medicine physicians were prospectively administered an anonymous questionnaire prior to their first visit. Content included patient perspectives regarding midlevel provider importance in physician selection, optimal scope of practice, and reimbursement equity with physicians. Of the 690 consecutive patients who were administered the survey, 605 (87.7%) responded. Of these, 51.9% were men and 48.1% were women, with a mean age of 40.5 ± 15.7 years. More than half (51.2%) perceived no differences in training levels between physician assistants and nurse practitioners. A majority of patients (62.9%) reported that the physician's midlevel provider is an important consideration when choosing a new orthopaedic sports medicine physician. Patients had specific preferences regarding which services should be physician provided. Patients also reported specific preferences regarding those services that could be midlevel provided. There lacked a consensus on reimbursement equity for midlevel practitioners and physicians, despite 71.7% of patients responding that the physician provides a higher-quality consultation. As health care becomes value driven and consumer-centric, understanding patient perspectives on midlevel providers will allow orthopaedic sports medicine physicians to optimize efficiency and patient

Antibacterial activities of medicinal plants used in Mexican traditional medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Ashutosh; Flores-Vallejo, Rosario Del Carmen; Cardoso-Taketa, Alexandre; Villarreal, María Luisa

2017-08-17

We provide an extensive summary of the in vitro antibacterial properties of medicinal plants popularly used in Mexico to treat infections, and we discuss the ethnomedical information that has been published for these species. We carried out a bibliographic investigation by analyzing local and international peer-reviewed papers selected by consulting internationally accepted scientific databases from 1995 to 2014. We provide specific information about the evaluated plant parts, the type of extracts, the tested bacterial strains, and the inhibitory concentrations for each one of the species. We recorded the ethnomedical information for the active species, as well as their popular names and local distribution. Information about the plant compounds that has been identified is included in the manuscript. This review also incorporates an extensive summary of the available toxicological reports on the recorded species, as well as the worldwide registries of plant patents used for treating bacterial infections. In addition, we provide a list with the top plant species with antibacterial activities in this review RESULTS: We documented the in vitro antibacterial activities of 343 plant species pertaining to 92 botanical families against 72 bacterial species, focusing particularly on Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The plant families Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae and Euphorbiaceae included the largest number of active species. Information related to popular uses reveals that the majority of the plants, in addition to treating infections, are used to treat other conditions. The distribution of Mexican plants extended from those that were reported to grow in just one state to those that grow in all 32 Mexican states. From 75 plant species, 225 compounds were identified. Out of the total plant species, only 140 (40.57%) had at least one report about their toxic effects. From 1994 to July 2014 a total of 11

Brazilian scientific production on herbal medicines used in dentistry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R.D. Castro

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to critically analyze the scientific production published in specialized Brazilian journals concerning the use of medicinal plants in dentistry. A literature review was carried out using an indirect documentation technique by means of a bibliographical study. Four examiners performed independent searches in Brazilian journals of medicinal plants indexed in the database SciELO (Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy; Brazilian Journal of Medicinal Plants; Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences; and Acta Botanica Brasilica using the descriptors "herbal medicine/phytotherapy" or "medicinal plants" and "dentistry ". The articles published from 2002 to 2012 addressing the use of medicinal plants in dentistry were included and analyzed. The searches based on the descriptors and reading of abstracts, resulted in 155 articles. Of these, 44 were read in full and a total of 16 publications met the eligibility criteria and were selected. Laboratory studies predominated (10 and were limited to the evaluation of antimicrobial properties by means of tests for determining inhibitory, fungicidal and bactericidal concentrations. Three literature reviews and only one clinical trial with no blinding and randomization were found. It is highlighted the need for better methodological designs in the researches and greater production of clinical or in vivo studies.

Culture modifies expectations of kinship and sex-biased dispersal patterns: a case study of patrilineality and patrilocality in tribal Yemen.

Science.gov (United States)

Raaum, Ryan L; Al-Meeri, Ali; Mulligan, Connie J

2013-04-01

Studies of the impact of post-marital residence patterns on the distribution of genetic variation within populations have returned conflicting results. These studies have generally examined genetic diversity within and between groups with different post-marriage residence patterns. Here, we directly examine Y chromosome microsatellite variation in individuals carrying a chromosome in the same Y haplogroup. We analyze Y chromosome data from two samples of Yemeni males: a sample representing the entire country and a sample from a large highland village. Our results support a normative patrilocality in highland Yemeni tribal populations, but also suggest that patrilocality is violated often enough to break down the expected correlation of genetic and geographic distance. We propose that a great deal of variation in male dispersal distance distributions is subsumed under the "patrilocal" label and that few human societies are likely to realize the idealized male dispersal distribution expected under strict patrilocality. In addition, we found almost no specific correspondence between social kinship and genetic patriline at the level of the clan (large, extended patrilineal kinship group) within a large, highland Yemeni village. We discuss ethnographic accounts that offer several cultural practices that explain exceptions to patrilocality and means by which social kinship and genetic patriline may become disentangled. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Nuclear medicine imaging in clinical practice: Current applications and future trends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galli, G.; Maini, C.L.

1985-01-01

The following conclusions can be drawn: 1) Even though developments in data digitalization enable also other imaging techniques to extract functional information, it is likely that nuclear medicine will keep and possibly increase its key role for functional studies requiring quantitative data analyses. This statement is true at present and it will probably remain true for a long time to come. 2) Nuclear medicine is and will remain an important clinical tool also for morphological or morphodynamic studies in selected situations. Of course the integration of nuclear medicine studies with other diagnostic procedures is highly desirable. The highest clinical yield of multi-test diagnostic protocols will be anyway obtained by the wisest physician as sophysticated technology is no substitution for intelligent clinical judgment. 3) The development of new radiopharmaceuticals with well characterized biokinetic features allowing precise tissue characterization opens new frontiers to be exploited by nuclear medicine centers equipped with conventional technology (digital gammacameras, SPECT). 4) Positron emission tomography is the most important new development of nuclear medicine imaging. Not only PET has already shown its enormous possibilities for physiological and pathophysiological studies, but the clinical relevance of selected applications has been proved. More experience is however needed to assess systematically the whole impact of PET studies in clinical practice and to perform dependable cost/benefit studies. 5) Among all other imaging techniques NMR is the closest to nuclear medicine because of a strict ''compatibility of aptitudes, training and methodology'' (4). Accordingly future improvements of both methods will be better achieved if they could be integrated and the results compared with the same institutions

Antimicrobial activity of traditional medicinal plants from Ankober District, North Shewa Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

OpenAIRE

Molla, Ermias Lulekal; Rondevaldova, J; Bernaskova, E; Cepkova, J; Asfaw, Z; Kelbessa, E; Kokoska, L; Van Damme, Patrick

2014-01-01

Context: Traditional medicinal plants have long been used in Ethiopia to treat human and livestock ailments. Despite a well-documented rich tradition of medicinal plant use in the country, their direct antimicrobial effects are still poorly known. Objective: To investigate the antimicrobial activity of 19 medicinal plant species that were selected based on the ethnobotanical information on their traditional use to treat infectious diseases in Ankober District. Methods: About 23 differ...

Antiplasmodial activity of ethanolic extracts of some selected medicinal plants from the northwest of Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Sangian, Hadi; Faramarzi, Hossein; Yazdinezhad, Alireza; Mousavi, Seyed Javad; Zamani, Zahra; Noubarani, Maryam; Ramazani, Ali

2013-11-01

The effectiveness of antimalarial drugs is declining at an ever accelerating rate, with consequent increase in malaria-related morbidity and mortality. The newest antiplasmodial drug from plants is needed to overcome this problem. The aim of this study was to assess antimalarial activity of the ethanolic extracts of 10 different medicinal plants from eight families against Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine-sensitive 3D7 strain. The selection of the hereby studied plants was based on the existing information on their local ethnobotanic history. Plants were dried, powdered, and macerated in a hydroalcoholic solution. Resulting extracts have been assessed for in vitro and in vivo antimalarial and brine shrimp toxicity activities. Of 10 plant species tested, four plants: Althea officinalis L. (Malvaceae), Myrtus communis Linn (Myrtaceae), Plantago major (Plantaginaceae), and Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (Papilionaceae) displayed promising antimalarial activity in vitro (50% inhibitory concentration values of 62.77, 42.18, 40.00, and 13.56 μg/mL, respectively) with no toxicity against brine shrimp larvae. The crude extracts of three active plants, G. glabra, M. communis, and A. officinalis, also significantly reduced parasitemia in vivo in female Swiss albino mice at a dose of 400 mg/kg compared to no treatment. Antiplasmodial activities of extracts of A. officinalis and M. communis are reported for the first time.

Integrating herbal medicine into mainstream healthcare in Ghana: clients' acceptability, perceptions and disclosure of use.

Science.gov (United States)

Agyei-Baffour, Peter; Kudolo, Agnes; Quansah, Dan Yedu; Boateng, Daniel

2017-12-01

Although there are current efforts to integrate herbal medicine (HM) into mainstream healthcare in Ghana, there is paucity of empirical evidence on the acceptability and concurrent use of HM, in the formal health facilities in Ghana. This study sought to determine client perception, disclosure and acceptability of integrating herbal medicine in mainstream healthcare in Kumasi, Ghana. A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to August, 2015. Five hundred patients presenting at the outpatient departments of Kumasi South, Suntreso and Tafo Government Hospitals in Kumasi were randomly selected. Interviews were conducted with the use of structured questionnaires. A logistic regression analysis, using backward selection, was conducted to determine the influence of socio-demographic and facility related factors on the odds of using HM at the facility. All statistical tests were two-sided and considered significant at a p-value of herbal medicines. Respondents who rated themselves wealthy had increased odds of using herbal medicines at the health facility as compared to those who rated themselves poor (OR = 4.9; 95%CI = 1.6-15.3). This study shows that integration of herbal medicine is feasible and herbal medicines may be generally accepted as a formal source of healthcare in Ghana. The results of this study might serve as a basis for improvement and upscale of the herbal medicine integration programme in Ghana.

Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Interviews: Structure and Organization of the Interview Day.

Science.gov (United States)

Haislup, Brett D; Kraeutler, Matthew J; Baweja, Rishi; McCarty, Eric C; Mulcahey, Mary K

2017-12-01

Over the past few decades, there has been a trend toward an increasing subspecialization in orthopaedic surgery, with orthopaedic sports medicine being one of the most competitive subspecialties. Information regarding the application and interview process for sports medicine fellowships is currently lacking. To survey orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship program directors (PDs) to better define the structure of the sports medicine fellowship interview and to highlight important factors that PDs consider in selecting fellows. Cross-sectional study. A complete list of accredited programs was obtained from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) website. An anonymous survey was distributed to fellowship PDs of all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships in the United States. The survey included 12 questions about the fellowship interview and selection process. Of the 95 orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship PDs surveyed, 38 (40%) responded. Of these, 16 (42.1%) indicated that they interview between 21 and 30 applicants per year. Eleven of the 38 fellowship programs (28.9%) have only 1 fellow per year at their respective program. Most programs (27/37, 73%) reported that between 0 and 5 faculty members interview applicants, and 29 of the 38 programs (76.3%) arrange for applicants to have ≥4 interviews during their interview day. Large group interviews are conducted at 36 of 38 (94.7%) sports medicine fellowship programs, and most programs (24/38, 63.2%) hold individual interviews that last between 5 and 15 minutes. The most important applicant criterion taken into account by PDs was the quality of the interview, with an average score of 8.68 of 10. The most significant factor taken into account by PDs when deciding how to rank applicants was the quality of the interview. Many orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs interview between 21 and 30 applicants per year

Developing precision medicine for people of East Asian descent.

Science.gov (United States)

McAllister, Stacy L; Sun, Katherine; Gross, Eric R

2016-11-11

The goal of precision medicine is to separate patient populations into groups to ultimately provide customized care tailored to patients. In terms of precision medicine, ~540 million people in the world have a genetic variant of the aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) enzyme causing a flushing response and tachycardia after alcohol consumption. The genetic variant is identified as ALDH2*2 and originates from East Asian descendants of the Han Chinese. The variant is particularly important to consider when discussing lifestyle choices with patients in terms of risk for developing specific diseases, preventative screening, and selection of medications for treatment. Here we provide examples why patients with an ALDH2*2 variant need more individualized medical management which is becoming a more standard practice in the precision medicine era.

A Feasibility Assessment of Behavioral-based Interviewing to Improve Candidate Selection for a Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatem, Geneva; Kokas, Maria; Smith, Cathy L; DiGiovine, Bruno

2017-04-01

Traditional interviews for residency and fellowship training programs are an important component in the selection process, but can be of variable value due to a nonstandardized approach. We redesigned the candidate interview process for our large pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship program in the United States using a behavioral-based interview (BBI) structure. The primary goal of this approach was to standardize the assessment of candidates within noncognitive domains with the goal of selecting those with the best fit for our institution's fellowship program. Eight faculty members attended two BBI workshops. The first workshop identified our program's "best fit" criteria using the framework of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's six core competencies and additional behaviors that fit within our programs. BBI questions were then selected from a national database and refined based on the attributes deemed most important by our faculty. In the second workshop, faculty practiced the BBI format in mock interviews with third-year fellows. The interview process was further refined based on feedback from the interviewees, and then applied with fellowship candidates for the 2014 recruitment season. The 1-year pilot of behavioral-based interviewing allowed us to achieve consensus on the traits sought for our incoming fellows and to standardize the interview process for our program using the framework of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies. Although the effects of this change on the clinical performance of our fellows have not yet been assessed, this description of our development and implementation processes may be helpful for programs seeking to redesign their applicant interviews.

Availability of medicines in public sector health facilities of two North Indian States.

Science.gov (United States)

Prinja, Shankar; Bahuguna, Pankaj; Tripathy, Jaya Prasad; Kumar, Rajesh

2015-12-23

Access to free essential medicines is a critical component of universal health coverage. However availability of essential medicines is poor in India with more than two-third of the people having limited or no access. This has pushed up private out-of-pocket expenditure due to medicines. The states of Punjab and Haryana are in the process of institutionalizing drug procurement models to provide uninterrupted access to essential medicines free of cost in all public hospitals and health centres. We undertook this study to assess the availability of medicines in public sector health facilities in the 2 states. Secondly, we also ascertained the quality of storage and inventory management systems in health facilities. The present study was carried out in 80 public health facilities across 12 districts in Haryana and Punjab states. Overall, within each state 1 MC, 6 DHs, 11 CHCs and 22 PHCs were selected for the study. Drug procurement mechanisms in both the states were studied through document reviews and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders. Stock registers were reviewed to collect data on availability of a basket of essential medicines -92 at Primary Health Centre (PHC) level, 132 at Community Health Centre (CHC) level and 160 at tertiary care (District Hospital/Medical College) level. These essential medicines were selected based on the Essential Medicine List (EML) of the Department of Health (DOH). Overall availability of medicines was 45.2% and 51.1% in Punjab and Haryana respectively. Availability of anti-hypertensives was around 60% in both the states whereas for anti-diabetics it was 44% and 47% in Punjab and Haryana respectively. Atleast one drug in each of the categories including analgesic/antipyretic, anti-helminthic, anti-spasmodic, anti-emetic, anti-hypertensive and uterotonics were nearly universally available in public sector facilities. On the contrary, medicines such as thrombolytics, anti-cancer and endocrine medicines were available in less

Challenges in integrating component level technology and system level information from Ayurveda: Insights from NMR phytometabolomics and anti-HIV potential of select Ayurvedic medicinal plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Jayasundar, Rama; Ghatak, Somenath; Makhdoomi, Muzamil Ashraf; Luthra, Kalpana; Singh, Aruna; Velpandian, Thirumurthy

2018-01-03

Information from Ayurveda meeting the analytical challenges of modern technology is an area of immense relevance. Apart from the cerebral task of bringing together two different viewpoints, the question at the pragmatic level remains 'who benefits whom'. The aim is to highlight the challenges in integration of information (Ayurvedic) and technology using test examples of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) metabolomics and anti-HIV-1 potential of select Ayurvedic medicinal plants. The other value added objective is implications and relevance of such work for Ayurveda. Six medicinal plants (Azadirachta indica, Tinospora cordifolia, Swertia chirata, Terminalia bellerica, Zingiber officinale and Symplocos racemosa) were studied using high resolution proton NMR spectroscopy based metabolomics and also evaluated for anti-HIV-1 activity on three pseudoviruses (ZM53 M.PB12, ZM109F.PB4, RHPA 4259.7). Of the six plants, T.bellerica and Z.officinale showed minimum cell cytotoxicity and maximum anti-HIV-1 potential. T.bellerica was effective against all the three HIV-1 pseudoviruses. Untargeted NMR profiling and multivariate analyses demonstrated that the six plants, all of which had different Ayurvedic pharmacological properties, showed maximum differences in the aromatic region of the spectra. The work adds onto the list of potential plants for anti-HIV-1 drug molecules. At the same time, it has drawn attention to the different perspectives of Ayurveda and Western medicine underscoring the inherent limitations of conceptual bilinguism between the two systems, especially in the context of medicinal plants. The study has also highlighted the potential of NMR metabolomics in study of plant extracts as used in Ayurveda. Copyright © 2017 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Medicinal plants in Brazil: Pharmacological studies, drug discovery, challenges and perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Dutra, Rafael C; Campos, Maria M; Santos, Adair R S; Calixto, João B

2016-10-01

This review article focuses on pre-clinical and clinical studies with some selected Brazilian medicinal plants in different areas of interest, conducted by research groups in Brazil and abroad. It also highlights the Brazilian market of herbal products and the efforts of Brazilian scientists to develop new phytomedicines. This review is divided into three sections. The section I describes the Brazilian large biodiversity and some attempts of Brazilian scientists to assess the pharmacological profile of most plant extracts or isolated active principles. Of note, Brazilian scientists have made a great effort to study the Brazilian biodiversity, especially among the higher plants. In fact, more than 10,000 papers were published on plants in international scientific journals between 2011 and 2013. This first part also discussed the main efforts to develop new medicines from plants, highlighting the Brazilian phytomedicines market. Despite the large Brazilian biodiversity, notably with the higher plants, which comprise over 45,000 species (20-22% of the total worldwide), and the substantial number of scientific publications on medicinal plants, only one phytomedicine is found in the top 20 market products. Indeed, this market is still only worth about 261 million American dollars. This represents less than 5% of the global Brazilian medicine market. The section II of this review focus on the use of Brazilian plant extract and/or active principles for some selected diseases, namely: central nervous systems disorders, pain, immune response and inflammation, respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal tract and metabolic diseases. Finally, section III discusses in more details some selected Brazilian medicinal plants including: Cordia verbenacea, Euphorbia tirucalli, Mandevilla velutina, Phyllanthus spp., Euterpe oleracea, Vitis labrusca, Hypericum caprifoliatum and Hypericum polyanthemum, Maytenus ilicifolia, Protium kleinii and Protium heptaphylium and Trichilia catigua. Most

Personalized medicine: a confluence of traditional and contemporary medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Jafari, Samineh; Abdollahi, Mohammad; Saeidnia, Soodabeh

2014-01-01

Traditional systems of medicine have attained great popularity among patients in recent years. Success of this system in the treatment of disease warrants consideration, particularly in cases for which conventional medicine has been insufficient. This study investigates the similarities in principles and approaches of 3 traditional systems and explores whether conventional medicine is able to exploit the advantages of traditional systems. This study first identifies and explores the advantages of 3 well-known systems-traditional Iranian medicine (TIM), ayurveda, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-that are similar in their basic principles and methods. Second, it clarifies whether and how conventional medicine could exploit the advantages of traditional systems as it modernizes, to become more personalized. Finally, this study investigates the possibility that conventional medicine could benefit from traditional typology to improve its personalization. The acknowledgment of the unity of humans and nature, applying rational methods, and personalized approaches is fundamentally similar in the 3 systems. Additionally, they all promote the holistic view that health is harmony and disease is disharmony of the body. Other similarities include their recognition of the unique nature of every person and their categorization of people into different body types. Although conventional medicine has mostly failed to incorporate the advantages of traditional medicine, its integration with traditional medicine is achievable. For instance, exploiting traditional typologies in genomic and other studies may facilitate personalization of conventional medicine. From its review, the research team concludes that prospects are bright for the integration of traditional and conventional medicines and, consequently, for a dramatic improvement in health systems.

Personalised medicine in interstitial lung diseases: Number 6 in the Series "Personalised medicine in respiratory diseases" Edited by Renaud Louis and Nicolas Roche.

Science.gov (United States)

Kokosi, Maria A; Margaritopoulos, George A; Wells, Athol U

2018-06-30

Interstitial lung diseases in general, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in particular, are complex disorders with multiple pathogenetic pathways, various disease behaviour profiles and different responses to treatment, all facets that make personalised medicine a highly attractive concept. Personalised medicine is aimed at describing distinct disease subsets taking into account individual lifestyle, environmental exposures, genetic profiles and molecular pathways. The cornerstone of personalised medicine is the identification of biomarkers that can be used to inform diagnosis, prognosis and treatment stratification. At present, no data exist validating a personalised approach in individual diseases. However, the importance of the goal amply justifies the characterisation of genotype and pathway signatures with a view to refining prognostic evaluation and trial design, with the ultimate aim of selecting treatments according to profiles in individual patients. Copyright ©ERS 2018.

A bioactivity versus ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants from Nigeria, west Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Lifongo, Lydia L; Simoben, Conrad V; Ntie-Kang, Fidele; Babiaka, Smith B; Judson, Philip N

2014-02-01

Traditional medicinal practices play a key role in health care systems in countries with developing economies. The aim of this survey was to validate the use of traditional medicine within local Nigerian communities. In this review, we examine the ethnobotanical uses of selected plant species from the Nigerian flora and attempt to correlate the activities of the isolated bioactive principles with known uses of the plant species in African traditional medicine. Thirty-three (33) plant species were identified and about 100 out of the 120 compounds identified with these plants matched with the ethnobotanical uses of the plants.

Antiviral Activities of Several Oral Traditional Chinese Medicines against Influenza Viruses.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Lin-Lin; Ge, Miao; Wang, Hui-Qiang; Yin, Jin-Qiu; Jiang, Jian-Dong; Li, Yu-Huan

2015-01-01

Influenza is still a serious threat to human health with significant morbidity and mortality. The emergence of drug-resistant influenza viruses poses a great challenge to existing antiviral drugs. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) may be an alternative to overcome the challenge. Here, 10 oral proprietary Chinese medicines were selected to evaluate their anti-influenza activities. These drugs exhibit potent inhibitory effects against influenza A H1N1, influenza A H3N2, and influenza B virus. Importantly, they demonstrate potent antiviral activities against drug-resistant strains. In the study of mechanisms, we found that Xiaoqinglong mixture could increase antiviral interferon production by activating p38 MAPK, JNK/SAPK pathway, and relative nuclear transcription factors. Lastly, our studies also indicate that some of these medicines show inhibitory activities against EV71 and CVB strains. In conclusion, the 10 traditional Chinese medicines, as kind of compound combination medicines, show broad-spectrum antiviral activities, possibly also including inhibitory activities against strains resistant to available antiviral drugs.

A national survey on availability, price and affordability of selected essential medicines for non communicable diseases in Sri Lanka

OpenAIRE

Dabare, Panthihage Ruvini L; Wanigatunge, Chandanie A; Beneragama, BVS Hemantha

2014-01-01

Background Access to medicines is a universal right. Low availability and low affordability of medicines are issues that deny this right to a significant proportion of the world population. The objective of this study was to determine the availability, price and affordability of essential medicines prescribed to treat non communicable diseases in Sri Lanka. Methods Methodology was based on the 2nd edition of the World Health Organization Health Action International Manual. A country survey wa...

Ethnoveterinary Medicine: The prospects of integrating medicinal ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Medicinal plants products are part of the natural products that have been in use in traditional medicine and also a source of novel drugs. Therefore, the use of medicinal plant products would be a rational alternative to synthetic drugs. Ethnobotanical surveys carried out in many parts of Kenya have revealed a lot of plants ...

E-film - an interactive clinical teaching tool for nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zohar, T.; VanEvery, B.

2002-01-01

Full text: With the advent of technology the old fashioned film library used by our Nuclear Medicine staff has been updated and remodelled from 'hard copy learning' with film and light boxes to 'soft-copy learning' using standard PC hardware and software. The new model 'e-film' is a web browser based image viewer written in HTML. It incorporates interesting case studies with interactive questions and answers based on pathology. The easy-to-use design involves selecting a Nuclear Medicine scan e g bone scan, and then the pathology of interest e g osteomyelitis. Each pathology selected has a normal and a number of abnormal cases, which can be viewed as static planar and dynamic images or as movies. The text displayed with each case study is a question with an answer that can be revealed when ready. A general learning tip pertaining to the scan type or particular pathology can also be revealed on request. Many of the case studies incorporate images from other modalities such as CT or MRI for comparison with the Nuclear Medicine images. Pre- and post- treatment scans can also be viewed to assess outcome 'e film' allows staff to search in a specific area of Nuclear Medicine and then test themselves on their understanding of the scan and relevant pathologies. Standard web browsers on PC's allow department-wide user accessibility of e-film via an intranet configuration. In summary, e-film is a convenient, time efficient way of learning with the potential of unlimited data expansion. Copyright (2002) The Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine Inc

Herbal Medicines: from Traditional Medicine to Modern Experimental Approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bahram Rasoulian

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Academic writings indicate that the medicinal use of plants dates back to 4000 - 5000 B.C. (1. Utilization of medicinal herbs has indeed a long history not only in human's life, but also in animals and there are some interesting evidences about the animals' self-medication, in both the prevention and treatment of diseases (2-5. The World Health Organization (WHO has recognized the importance of traditional medicines and created strategies, guidelines and standards for botanical medicines (6, 7. A significant part of those traditional text dealing with medicine, which were appreciated by ancient scientific communities worldwide, such as The Canon of Medicine by Persian physician–philosopher Ibn Sina (or Avicenna, 980 to 1032 AD, is allocated to herbal medicines. The Canon explores nearly 500 medicinal plants and herbal drugs. It should be noted that this book was used as a medical textbook in Europe until the 17th century AD (8, 9. Although there are important evidences about using some kinds of experimental approaches in traditional medicine (8, the efficacy of such approaches is in doubt because it is generally agreed that they might have been part of physicians' personal experiences. Not only the demand for herbal drugs is growing in developing countries, but also there are some evidences that consumers in developed countries are becoming disillusioned with modern healthcare; hence, the demand for traditional alternatives including herbal medicines is increasing in developing countries (10. On the one hand, the increased interest in herbal medicines throughout the world (10, 11, on the other hand, the need for direct empirical evidence about the effectiveness of herbal medicines in the proper statistical society with the appropriate number and method, denote the significance of new studies about medicinal plants and publishing their results. Herbal Medicines Journal (eISSN: 2538-2144 reports valuable research results for researchers all

Job satisfaction of occupational medicine nurses in Poland.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakowski, Piotr

2012-03-01

The study aimed at assessment of the Polish occupational medicine service system after over ten years of functioning in the current shape, made by occupational nurses. The article focuses on the job satisfaction level among Polish occupational medicine nurses. The survey was performed among 600 randomly selected occupational medicine nurses, registered in the regional occupational medicine centers. A questionnaire, designed by the research team, containing several questions concerning different aspects of OMS system assessment, including a part dedicated to job satisfaction assessment, was sent to the selected occupational nurses. The response rate was 33.3% (200 questionnaires). The survey shows a relatively high satisfaction level in case of five out of eleven investigated job aspects, and a very low satisfaction level in case of two of them ("Possibility of professional promotion", "Salary"). 26% of the OMS nurses had considered going abroad to work as a nurse in the general health care system, and 17% in the OHS system. Almost 25% of them would not choose a profession of an occupational nurse once again, including 10% who would not choose a nurse job at all. There is a statistically significant correlation between the general job satisfaction and satisfaction with other aspects of nursing work. A strong correlation was observed in case of "Scope of performed tasks" and "Cooperation with employers (clients of the occupational medicine service units)". There is a statistically significant correlation of average strength between the decision concerning choosing an occupational nurse job in case of taking a decision on professional carrier once again and "General job satisfaction". Polish occupational nurses are satisfied with their job, however only 26% are fully satisfied. In their work there is place for improvement. The areas which definitely need attention and improvement are "Possibility of professional promotion" and "Salary". Improvements in cooperation

Network pharmacology of medicinal attributes and functions of Chinese herbal medicines: (IV Classification and network analysis of medicinal functions of Chinese herbal medicines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

WenJun Zhang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In present study I used the data from CHM-DATA, the interactive database of 1127 Chinese herbal medicines with 78 medicinal functions (attributes. The relational network for medicinal functions of Chinese herbal medicines was constructed using my earlier data and methods. Results of network analysis showed that the network is a scale-free complex network at the significance level of alpha=0.01. It was demonstrated that Clear away heat, Detoxification, Remove lung-heat or nourish lung, Promote secretion of saliva or body, Relieve pain, Regulate or enhance energy flow (Qi, Nourish or warm spleen / stomach / Qi, and Dispel endogenous wind, are the most influential medicinal functions. Seven main modules, corresponding links and module functions were identified and three of them were (Clear away heat, Detoxification, Relieve pain, Regulate or enhance energy flow (Qi, (Loosen the bowels, Moisten dryness, Tonify blood, Nourish essential fluid (Yin, Inhibit or break energy flow (Qi, and (Relieve external syndrome, Induce perspiration, Relieve muscular spasm, Expose exthanthema or promote eruption. PCA of 78 medicinal functions demonstrated that the medicinal functions 1-50 accounted for 79% of the total variance. There were not absolutely significant components and medicinal functions. The 78 components from PCA were substantially 78 independent and comprehensive medicinal functions. Major medicinal functions for every component can be simply determined by their importance and contribution coefficients in the component. New medicinal definition for some the most important principal components were given. Category characteristics of medicinal functions were described. At a certain level, for example, the medicinal functions -Consolidate or warm kidney, -Whet the appetite or reinforce stomach, Cool blood, -Regulate or enhance energy flow (Qi, -Nourish or warm spleen / stomach / Qi, Clear away heat, Detoxification, and Dispel endogenous cold, are the

Patterns and predictors of non-prescription medicine use among Malaysian pharmacy patrons: a national cross sectional study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Azmi Hassali

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: The study aims to evaluate the predictors of non-prescription medicine purchasing patterns among pharmacy patrons in Malaysia. METHODS: A cross-sectional nationwide study was undertaken in 2011 in sixty randomly selected community pharmacies across 14 Malaysian states. A pharmacy exit survey was conducted over a 6-month period across Malaysia. A one-stage random cluster sampling technique was employed as there was no national sampling framework available for conducting this survey. Face-to-face interviews using a validated and pre-tested questionnaire were conducted by trained data collectors. The non-prescription medicine purchasing pattern was explored and analysed descriptively. Chi-square/Fisher exact test was used to determine the association between study variables. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of type of non-prescription medicine purchased. RESULTS: A total of 2729 pharmacy patrons agreed to participate in 60 selected pharmacy outlets. A total of 3462 non-prescription medicine were purchased during the study period with an average of 1.3 medicines per participant. Most of the non-prescription medicine purchased was meant for alimentary tract and metabolism (31.8%, followed by respiratory system (19.4% and musculoskeletal system (15.8% usage. Factors found to be associated with the choice of non-prescription medicine purchased were age group [χ2 = 170.75, (df = 57, p<0.01], locality [χ2 = 48.16, (df = 19, p<0.01], gender [χ2 = 32.93, (df = 13, p = 0.002], ethnic group [χ2 = 118.89, (df = 39, p<0.01] and type of occupation [χ2 = 222.434, (df = 117, p<0.01]. Non-prescription medicine purchased defined about 20% of the variance in the combination of predictors such as locality, gender, age, ethnicity, type of occupation and household income. CONCLUSION: The predictors for selection of non-prescription medicine were locality (urban or rural, gender, age, ethnicity, type of

Family Medicine in Egypt From Medical Students' Perspective: A Nationwide Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

AlKot, Mohammad Mahmoud; Gouda, Mohamed Alaa; KhalafAllah, Mahmoud Tawfik; Zahran, Mohamed Salah; Kallaf, Mostafa Mohamed; Zayed, Ahmed Medhat

2015-01-01

PHENOMENON: Attitudes of medical students toward family medicine as a specialty choice can provide information on the future supply of family physicians. Due to the current worldwide shortage of family physicians, these attitudes, with their subsequent effects on the state and dynamics of the healthcare system, are important to investigate. A web-based questionnaire was sent to 600 medical students, selected by a systematic random sampling technique, in 7 Egyptian medical schools. Participants were surveyed to assess their perception of the family medicine specialty as a future career and explore the impact of different factors, including undergraduate family medicine clerkships, on their attitudes toward family medicine. We had a response rate of 75.2% (n = 451). Although 90.7% of students believed in the vital role that family medicine can play in Egypt's healthcare system, only 4.7% showed an intention to choose it as a future career. Students choosing family medicine as a first-career choice were more likely to have a prior contact with family physicians as consumers. Exposure to an undergraduate family medicine curriculum was associated with increased knowledge about family medicine but not the intentions to pursue it as a career. INSIGHTS: Medical students in Egypt have a positive perception of family medicine as an important specialty but low interest in its choice as a future career.

Dictionary/handbook of nuclear medicine and clinical imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iturralde, M.P.

1989-01-01

This book covers the following topics: Fundamentals of English medical etymology, Abbreviations, acronyms, symbols, denotations, and signs commonly used or defined in the dictionary, Characteristics of the elements, Characteristics of practicable radioisotopes and of selected radionuclides commonly used in nuclear medicine, Properties and production of radionuclides, Radioactive decay, Radiopharmaceuticals, and Radiation dosimetry

Antibacterial activity of selected Myanmar medicinal plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nwe Yee Win; Nyunt Wynn; Mar Mar Nyein; Win Myint; Saw Hla Myint; Myint Khine

2001-01-01

Thirteen plants which are traditionally used for the treatment of dysentery and diarrhoea in Myanmar were selected and tested for antibacterial activity by using agar disc diffusion technique. Polar and nonpolar solvents were employed for extraction of plants. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts with the most significant predominant activity were evaluated by plate dilution method. The plants Eugenia jambolana, Quisqualis indica, Leucaena glauca and Euphorbia splendens var. 1 were found to show significant antibacterial activity. It was also observed that extracts using nonpolar solvents did not show any antibacterial activity and extracts using polar solvents showed antibacterial activity on tested bacteria, indicating that the active chemical compound responsible for the antibacterial action must be a polar soluble compound. (author)

Screening of Antibacterial Activities of Essential Oils from Selected Medicinal Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Le Phyo; Moe Moe Thwe; Mar Lar Than

2010-12-01

Essential oils were extracted from the five medicinal plants (Syzygium aromaticum Linn, Cinnamoum tamala. Nees, Piper betle. Linn, Ocimum sanctum, Clausena exacavata Burn) by steam distillation method and percolation method with petroleum ether. These plants do not contain cyanogenic glycosides according to phytochemical tests. Essential oils from these plants were also tested on antimicrobial activity by agar well diffusion method. It was observed that essential oils extracted from these five plants have various effects on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungus. Among them, essential oils of Syzygium aromaticum possess the highest antimicrobial activity aganist all test organisms. B. pumalis and Calbican are the most susceptible to the five plants.

Screening of Antibacterial Activities of Essential Oils from Selected Medicinal Plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phyo, Le Le; Thwe, Moe Moe; Than, Mar Lar

2010-12-15

Essential oils were extracted from the five medicinal plants (Syzygium aromaticum Linn, Cinnamoum tamala. Nees, Piper betle. Linn, Ocimum sanctum, Clausena exacavata Burn) by steam distillation method and percolation method with petroleum ether. These plants do not contain cyanogenic glycosides according to phytochemical tests. Essential oils from these plants were also tested on antimicrobial activity by agar well diffusion method. It was observed that essential oils extracted from these five plants have various effects on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungus. Among them, essential oils of Syzygium aromaticum possess the highest antimicrobial activity aganist all test organisms. B. pumalis and Calbican are the most susceptible to the five plants.

POTENCY OF THE INDONESIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS AS ANTIMALARIAL DRUGS

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Subeki Subeki

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The Indonesian traditional herbal medicine has been practiced for many centuries in Indonesia to treat malaria diseases. Although modern medicine is becoming increasingly important, herbal medicine is still very popular. In order to select raw material for preparation of safety herbal medicines, forty five medicinal plants have been tested for acute toxicity in mouse at a dose 715 mg/kg body weight. The extracts of Asclepias curassavica leave, Alstonia scholaris leave, Decospermum fruticosum leave, Elaocarpus petiolatus bark, Elaocarpus parvifolius bark, Eurycoma longifolia root, Garcinia rigida bark, Nephelium lappaceum bark, Pentaspodan motleyi leave, Picrasma javanica leave, Phyllanthus niruri whole, Quassia indica leave, Syzygium pycnanthum bark, Tetrasera scandens leave, Cratoxylum glaucum bark, Sandoricum emarginatum bark, Mallotus paniculatus leave, Microcos ovatolanceolata bark, Poikilospermum suaveolens leave, Fibraurea chloroleuea leave, Tetrasera scandens root, and Timonius billitonensis bark showed toxicity with mortality level of 20-100%. The remaining 32 plant extracts were not toxic at dose tested. The toxic plant species should be considered in the preparation of herbal medicines. Of the safety extracts were tested for their antimalarial activity against Plasmodium berghei in vivo at a dose 715 mg/kg body weight. Extract of Carica papaya leave was most active than other plant extracts with parasitemia 1.13%, while control showed 17.21%. More research is needed to scientifically prove efficacy and to identity antimalarial constituents in the plant extracts. Key words: Indonesian medicinal plant, jamu, toxicity, antimalarial activity, Plasmodium berghei.

Review of Medicinal Remedies on Hand Eczema Based on Iranian Traditional Medicine: A Narrative Review Article

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MANSOURI, Parvin; KHADEMI, Aleme; PAHLEVAN, Daryoush; MEMARIANI, Zahra; ALIASL, Jale; SHIRBEIGII, Laila

2016-01-01

Background: Hand Eczema (HE) is a dermatological disorder with frequent relapses and multiple causes such as atopic, allergic and irritant contact dermatitis. The management is complex because of the wide range of different pathogenesis. Efficacy of some of available treatments is not well established and it can affect patients’ quality of life significantly. Methods: Reports on HE such as diagnosis, pathophysiology, pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapy that described in medieval Iranian medicine, were gathered and analyzed from selected medical and pharmaceutical textbooks of Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM). The search of databases such as PubMed, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Science direct, Scopus, Google scholar, Web of science, Sid, Iran medex, Irandoc, was performed to reconfirm the efficacy of ITM remedies in conventional medicine from 1980-Jan-1 to 2015-Dec-30. Results: According to their opinion, HE is highly associated with liver function. This disorder was categorized into two main types as wet and dry ones. Most Iranian textbook explained signs of HE, as excessive skin itching, redness, burning and dryness. Treatments recommended by Iranian scientists were lifestyle modification, dietary intervention and performing the rules of prevention as well as herbal therapy and special manipulations. Conclusion: Iranian practitioners believed that, six essential principles, diet therapy and medicinal plants have high impact on treatment of HE. These remedies based on Iranian scholar’s experiences might be useful for further studies to the management of HE. PMID:27928524

Are patients who use alternative medicine dissatisfied with orthodox medicine?

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Donnelly, W J; Spykerboer, J E; Thong, Y H

1985-05-13

Approximately 45% of asthmatic families and 47% of non-asthmatic families had consulted an alternative-medicine practitioner at some time. The most popular form of alternative medicine was chiropractic (21.1% and 26.4%, respectively), followed by homoeopathy/naturopathy (18.8% and 12.7%, respectively), acupuncture (9.4% and 10.9%, respectively), and herbal medicine (4.7% and 6.4%, respectively), while the remainder (20.3% and 11.8% respectively) was distributed among iridology, osteopathy, hypnosis, faith healing and megavitamin therapy. More families were satisfied with orthodox medicine (87.1% and 93.6%, respectively) than with alternative medicine (84.2% and 75.1%, respectively). Crosstabulation analysis of pooled data both from asthma and from non-asthma groups showed that 76.4% were satisfied both with orthodox and with alternative medicine, and 16.4% were satisfied with orthodox, but not with alternative, medicine. In contrast, only 2.7% were dissatisfied with orthodox medicine and satisfied with alternative medicine (chi2 = 9.33; P less than 0.01). These findings do not support the view that patients who use alternative medicine are those who are disgruntled with orthodox medicine.

Medicines by Design

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... Home > Science Education > Medicines By Design Medicines By Design Spotlight Nature's Medicine Cabinet A Medicine's Life Inside ... hunt for drugs of the future. Medicines By Design in PDF | E-PUB Tell Us What You ...

General Nuclear Medicine

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... Resources Professions Site Index A-Z General Nuclear Medicine Nuclear medicine imaging uses small amounts of radioactive ... of General Nuclear Medicine? What is General Nuclear Medicine? Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging ...

Sex ratio at birth in India, its relation to birth order, sex of previous children and use of indigenous medicine.

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Samiksha Manchanda

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Sex-ratio at birth in families with previous girls is worse than those with a boy. Our aim was to prospectively study in a large maternal and child unit sex-ratio against previous birth sex and use of traditional medicines for sex selection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sex-ratio among mothers in families with a previous girl and in those with a previous boy, prevalence of indigenous medicine use and sex-ratio in those using medicines for sex selection. RESULTS: Overall there were 806 girls to 1000 boys. The sex-ratio was 720:1000 if there was one previous girl and 178:1000 if there were two previous girls. In second children of families with a previous boy 1017 girls were born per 1000 boys. Sex-ratio in those with one previous girl, who were taking traditional medicines for sex selection, was 928:1000. CONCLUSION: Evidence from the second children clearly shows the sex-ratio is being manipulated by human interventions. More mothers with previous girls tend to use traditional medicines for sex selection, in their subsequent pregnancies. Those taking such medication do not seem to be helped according to expectations. They seem to rely on this method and so are less likely use more definitive methods like sex selective abortions. This is the first such prospective investigation of sex ratio in second children looked at against the sex of previous children. More studies are needed to confirm the findings.

Display of nuclear medicine imaging studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, B.; Kataria, S.K.; Samuel, A.M.

2002-08-01

Nuclear medicine imaging studies involve evaluation of a large amount of image data. Digital signal processing techniques have introduced processing algorithms that increase the information content of the display. Nuclear medicine imaging studies require interactive selection of suitable form of display and pre-display processing. Static imaging study requires pre-display processing to detect focal defects. Point operations (histogram modification) along with zoom and capability to display more than one image in one screen is essential. This album mode of display is also applicable to dynamic, MUGA and SPECT data. Isometric display or 3-D graph of the image data is helpful in some cases e.g. point spread function, flood field data. Cine display is used on a sequence of images e.g. dynamic, MUGA and SPECT imaging studies -to assess the spatial movement of tracer with time. Following methods are used at the investigator's discretion for inspection of the 3-D object. 1) Display of orthogonal projections, 2) Display of album of user selected coronal/ sagital/ transverse orthogonal slices, 3) Display of three orthogonal slices through user selected point, 4) Display of a set of orthogonal slices generated in the user-selected volume, 5) Generation and display of 3-D shaded surface. 6) Generation of volume data and display along with the 3-D shaded surface, 7) Side by side display orthogonal slices of two 3-D objects. Displaying a set of two-dimensional slices of a 3-D reconstructed object through shows all the defects but lacks the 3-D perspective. Display of shaded surface lacks the ability to show the embedded defects. Volume display -combining the 3-D surface and gray level volume data is perhaps the best form of display. This report describes these forms of display along with the theory. (author)

Prioritizing of effective factors on development of medicinal plants cultivation using analytic network process

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Ghorbanali Rassam

2014-07-01

Full Text Available For the overall development of medicinal plants cultivation in Iran, there is a need to identify various effective factors on medicinal plant cultivation. A proper method for identifying the most effective factor on the development of the medicinal plants cultivation is essential. This research conducted in order to prioritizing of the effective criteria for the development of medicinal plant cultivation in North Khorasan province in Iran using Analytical Network Process (ANP method. The multi-criteria decision making (MCDM is suggested to be a viable method for factor selection and the analytic network process (ANP has been used as a tool for MCDM. For this purpose a list of effective factors offered to expert group. Then pair wise comparison questionnaires were distributed between relevant researchers and local producer experts of province to get their opinions about the priority of criteria and sub- criteria. The questionnaires were analyzed using Super Decision software. We illustrated the use of the ANP by ranking main effective factors such as economic, educational-extension services, cultural-social and supportive policies on development of medicinal plants. The main objective of the present study was to develop ANP as a decision making tool for prioritizing factors affecting the development of medicinal plants cultivation. Results showed that the ANP methodology was perfectly suited to tackling the complex interrelations involved in selection factor in this case. Also the results of the process revealed that among the factors, supporting the cultivation of medicinal plants, build the infrastructure for marketing support, having educated farmer and easy access to production input have most impact on the development of medicinal plant cultivation.

Heterogeneous effects of health insurance on out-of-pocket expenditure on medicines in Mexico.

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Wirtz, Veronika J; Santa-Ana-Tellez, Yared; Servan-Mori, Edson; Avila-Burgos, Leticia

2012-01-01

Given the importance of health insurance for financing medicines and recent policy changes designed to reduce health-related out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) in Mexico, our study examined and analyzed the effect of health insurance on the probability and amount of OOPE for medicines and the proportion spent from household available expenditure (AE) funds. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis by using the Mexican National Household Survey of Income and Expenditures for 2008. Households were grouped according to household medical insurance type (Social Security, Seguro Popular, mixed, or no affiliation). OOPE for medicines and health costs, and the probability of occurrence, were estimated with linear regression models; subsequently, the proportion of health expenditures from AE was calculated. The Heckman selection procedure was used to correct for self-selection of health expenditure; a propensity score matching procedure and an alternative procedure using instrumental variables were used to correct for heterogeneity between households with and without Seguro Popular. OOPE in medicines account for 66% of the total health expenditures and 5% of the AE. Households with health insurance had a lower probability of OOPE for medicines than their comparison groups. There was heterogeneity in the health insurance effect on the proportion of OOPE for medicines out of the AE, with a reduction of 1.7% for households with Social Security, 1.4% for mixed affiliation, but no difference between Seguro Popular and matched households without insurance. Medicines were the most prevalent component of health expenditures in Mexico. We recommend improving access to health services and strengthening access to medicines to reduce high OOPE. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Divergent Fates of the Medical Humanities in Psychiatry and Internal Medicine: Should Psychiatry Be Rehumanized?

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Rutherford, Bret R.; Hellerstein, David J.

2008-01-01

Objective: To determine the degree to which the medical humanities have been integrated into the fields of internal medicine and psychiatry, the authors assessed the presence of medical humanities articles in selected psychiatry and internal medicine journals from 1950 to 2000. Methods: The journals searched were the three highest-ranking…

هجرة اليمنيين الدولية وأثرها على التنمية الوطنية Yemenis International Migration and Its Effects on National Development

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Daris Saleh Abonashtan دارس صالح ابونشطان

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Yemen is famous for the migration of the population for a long time in football, has continued to evolve even today, and even though they knew concussion in some stages by crises and wars in the region and the world, especially emanating immigration since the seventies of the twentieth century . The remittances from migrants abroad to Yemen the most important aspect in the phenomenon of the Yemeni international migration, as the contribution of migrants through the flow of remittances have played an active role in providing the necessary funding for the national economy and the financial resources At the national level, we can say that the state through this hard currency can fill disability which affects the balance of payments, and increase its contribution to the national income, were migrant remittances before the discovery of oil represents the primary source of foreign currency flowing into Yemen, enabling it to carry out a crucial role in the formation of national savings in finance and capital formation and imports all kinds of private consumer spending, In reducing the unemployment rate at the national level

ADDRESSING ETHNIC INEQUALITIES IN MEDICINE USE IN DENMARK:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cantarero Arevalo, Lourdes; Traulsen, Janine Marie; Nørgaard, Lotte Stig

2016-01-01

with that orientation were selected. Results: A total of 24 studies were selected and analysed. The following successful practices were identified: (i) building trust between the pharmacist and the user/patient; (ii) involving ethnic minorities in all phases of the intervention (design, implementation and follow......‑up); (iii) developing an ethnically sensitive culture among pharmacists based on openness, curiosity and respect; and (iv) when possible, involving family, friends and the close social network of the patient, especially when there is a need for behaviour change related to medicine use or lifestyle habits...

[Application of Delphi method in traditional Chinese medicine clinical research].

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Bi, Ying-fei; Mao, Jing-yuan

2012-03-01

In recent years, Delphi method has been widely applied in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinical research. This article analyzed the present application situation of Delphi method in TCM clinical research, and discussed some problems presented in the choice of evaluation method, classification of observation indexes and selection of survey items. On the basis of present application of Delphi method, the author analyzed the method on questionnaire making, selection of experts, evaluation of observation indexes and selection of survey items. Furthermore, the author summarized the steps of application of Delphi method in TCM clinical research.

Topical herbal remedies for treatment of joint pain according to Iranian Traditional Medicine

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A. Ziaei

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Joint pain is one of the most common complaints with many possible causes.Some medicines used for joint pain relief such as NSAIDs have substantial and frequent side effects. Topical route possibly reduces adverse reactions by maximizing local delivery and minimizing systemic toxicity. Throughout history, plants have been the most important sources of medicines for human health and Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM is well known for its extensive use of herbal medicines to treat diseases accompanied with joint pain for centuries. In the present study, the plants used topically for relieving joint pain in ITM were searched. Moreover, their pharmacological effectiveness in modern medicine was reviewed. The terms “Waja mafasil” (joint pain, “Waja-ol-mafasil” (joint pain, “Irq-on-nasa” (sciatica, “Waja-ol-warik” (coxalgia, ‘Waja-ol-zahr” (back pain, “Waja-ol-rakbah” (knee pain and “Niqris” (gout were searched in three important Iranian traditional books including “Canon”, “Al-Hawi” and “Tohfat al-mu’minin” and topical preparations introduced as “Tela” and “Zemad” were selected. The scientific literatures were searched for their effectiveness related to the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. Thirty five plants were selected on the basis of their topical use to relief joint pain. Among these plants, 22 species have been found to exhibit anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities.

Nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lentle, B.C.

1986-01-01

Several growth areas for nuclear medicine were defined. Among them were: cardiac nuclear medicine, neuro-psychiatric nuclear medicine, and cancer diagnosis through direct tumor imaging. A powerful new tool, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) was lauded as the impetus for new developments in nuclear medicine. The political environment (funding, degree of autonomy) was discussed, as were the economic and scientific environments

Mathematical methods in medicine: neuroscience, cardiology and pathology

Science.gov (United States)

Amigó, José M.

2017-01-01

The application of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering to medicine is gaining momentum as the mutual benefits of this collaboration become increasingly obvious. This theme issue is intended to highlight the trend in the case of mathematics. Specifically, the scope of this theme issue is to give a general view of the current research in the application of mathematical methods to medicine, as well as to show how mathematics can help in such important aspects as understanding, prediction, treatment and data processing. To this end, three representative specialties have been selected: neuroscience, cardiology and pathology. Concerning the topics, the 12 research papers and one review included in this issue cover biofluids, cardiac and virus dynamics, computational neuroscience, functional magnetic resonance imaging data processing, neural networks, optimization of treatment strategies, time-series analysis and tumour growth. In conclusion, this theme issue contains a collection of fine contributions at the intersection of mathematics and medicine, not as an exercise in applied mathematics but as a multidisciplinary research effort that interests both communities and our society in general. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Mathematical methods in medicine: neuroscience, cardiology and pathology’. PMID:28507240

Mathematical methods in medicine: neuroscience, cardiology and pathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Amigó, José M; Small, Michael

2017-06-28

The application of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering to medicine is gaining momentum as the mutual benefits of this collaboration become increasingly obvious. This theme issue is intended to highlight the trend in the case of mathematics. Specifically, the scope of this theme issue is to give a general view of the current research in the application of mathematical methods to medicine, as well as to show how mathematics can help in such important aspects as understanding, prediction, treatment and data processing. To this end, three representative specialties have been selected: neuroscience, cardiology and pathology. Concerning the topics, the 12 research papers and one review included in this issue cover biofluids, cardiac and virus dynamics, computational neuroscience, functional magnetic resonance imaging data processing, neural networks, optimization of treatment strategies, time-series analysis and tumour growth. In conclusion, this theme issue contains a collection of fine contributions at the intersection of mathematics and medicine, not as an exercise in applied mathematics but as a multidisciplinary research effort that interests both communities and our society in general.This article is part of the themed issue 'Mathematical methods in medicine: neuroscience, cardiology and pathology'. © 2017 The Author(s).

European regulatory tools for advanced therapy medicinal products.

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Flory, Egbert; Reinhardt, Jens

2013-12-01

Increasing scientific knowledge and technical innovations in the areas of cell biology, biotechnology and medicine resulted in the development of promising therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of human diseases. Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) reflect a complex and innovative class of biopharmaceuticals as these products are highly research-driven, characterised by innovative manufacturing processes and heterogeneous with regard to their origin, type and complexity. This class of ATMP integrates gene therapy medicinal products, somatic cell therapy medicinal products and tissue engineering products and are often individualized and patient-specific products. Multiple challenges arise from the nature of ATMPs, which are often developed by micro, small and medium sized enterprises, university and academia, for whom regulatory experiences are limited and regulatory requirements are challenging. Regulatory guidance such as the reflection paper on classification of ATMPs and guidelines highlighting product-specific issues support academic research groups and pharmaceutical companies to foster the development of safe and effective ATMPs. This review provides an overview on the European regulatory aspects of ATMPs and highlights specific regulatory tools such as the ATMP classification procedure, a discussion on the hospital exemption for selected ATMPs as well as borderline issues towards transplants/transfusion products.

Dissolution test of herbal medicines containing Passiflora sp.

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Ane R. T. Costa

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The dissolution test is an essential tool to assess the quality of herbal medicines in the solid dosage form for oral use. This work aimed to evaluate the dissolution behavior of three herbal medicines in the form of capsules and tablet containing Passiflora, produced with powder or dried extract. Assay of total flavonoids and dissolution methods were validated and obtained results allowed the quantification of flavonoids with precision, accuracy and selectivity. The percentage of total flavonoids found was 2% for capsule A (containing only powder, 0.97% for capsule B (containing only dried extract and 5.5% for tablet. Although the content was lower, the release of flavonoids present in the capsule containing dried extract was 12% higher over 30 min, with dissolved percentage values of 87 and 75, for the capsules containing extract and powder, respectively. The tablet containing dried extract presented dissolution of 76%, despite the higher content of flavonoids, which may be due to pharmacotechnical problems. Obtained data demonstrated the need to implement these tests in the quality control of herbal medicines, confirming the release of the active ingredients that underlie the pharmacological action of these medicines.

Potentials for progress in laser medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parrish, J.A.; Walsh, J.T. Jr.

1985-01-01

Lasers could come to occupy a highly important position in the armament of medicine. They are the brightest known sources of light, man-made or natural, and emit light having such properties as coherence and monochromaticity. Furthermore, lasers have the ability to deliver very brief pulses of light which can cause unique alterations in biological materials. The major obstacle to the increased use of lasers in medicine and surgery is not the availability of laser devices, but the dearth of basic information about laser-tissue interactions. We have recently demonstrated that, even in turbid tissue such as the dermis, it is possible simultaneously to induce microscopically selective thermal damage, localized to millions of selectively absorbing targets, while sparing surrounding tissues. These targets may be as small as organelles or as large as blood vessels. Such localized thermal damage is truly unique to pulsed laser exposures. The scope and medical utility of these lesions has yet to be fully understood. Thus, there is much research to be done in describing and characterizing laser-induced injury. There is, however, ample evidence that several laser therapies could be improved by using selectively absorbed, short pulses that lead to the spatial confinement of thermal injury. Treatment of port wine stains, pigmented lesions, atheromatous arterial plaques, and the fragmentation of kidney and gall stones are examples. It should also be possible to use a variety of systems to deliver exogenous laser targets on or within individual types of cells or organelles. Such chromophores may lead to new forms of cancer therapy, for example

What Is Important During the Selection of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in a Health Care Reimbursement or Insurance System?" Critical Issues of Assessment from the Perspective of TCM Practitioners.

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Zhang, Fang; Xie, Jing-Min; Zhang, Yi-Ye; Kong, Lin-Lin; Li, Shu-Chuen

2013-05-01

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has gained increasing popularity over the last several decades internationally, leading to an increasing interest from decision makers and researchers as to how to assess the effectiveness of CAM. The attempts, however, have been unsatisfactory. The most important reason is a lack of attention to the theoretical characteristics of CAM, which are completely different from those of allopathic medicine or biomedicine. This study attempted to survey expert Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners in China to elucidate critical issues when assessing the effectiveness of TCM. A questionnaire (with 20 close-ended and 2 open-ended questions) about the influencing factors of measuring the cost and effectiveness of TCM was distributed to TCM practitioners who had been working in the field of research for at least 5 years and had published at least one related scientific article in the last 5 years. Internal consistency test was performed for all questions to verify the reliability of the questionnaire. Principal-component analysis was performed for remaining items after Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) index and Bartlett's test of sphericity. A linear combination model was then built to evaluate the contribution of various factors involved for the selection of TCM into the health care reimbursement or insurance system. Of 429 questionnaires issued, 137 were returned from respondents from 31 medical and research institutions, giving a recovery rate of 31.93%. Internal consistency coefficient obtained was 0.745, indicating good reliability of this measurement scale, and the data passed the KMO test and Bartlett's test of sphericity (KMO index = 0.691). In addition, eight common factors were extracted after the rotation of principal-component analysis with a cumulative variance of 70.92%. Our findings suggested that factors to be considered during the selection of TCM in health care reimbursement or insurance system include patient

Scientific-practical and legal problems of implementation of the personalized medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Bezdieniezhnykh, N O; Reznikova, V V; Rossylna, O V

2017-09-01

The article is devoted to the comprehensive analysis of scientific, practical and legal issues of personalized medicine that is a rapidly developing science-driven approach to healthcare. It is concluded that there is lack of general legal framework for the encouragement of scientific researches and practical implementation in this field. The article shows foreign experience and prospects for the introduction of personalized medicine as a key concept of healthcare system, which is based on a selection of diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive measures that would be the most effective for a particular person in view of individual characteristics. The conclusions and proposals to improve the current legislation and development of personalized medicine in Ukraine are suggested.

Study on Antimicrobial Activities and Wound Healing Activities of Some Traditional Medicinal Herbs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Win, San San; Than, Mar lar; Thwe, Moe Moe

2011-12-15

Herbs extracts were extracted from the four medicinal herbs, Alternanthera sessili Linn. (pazun-sa) , Heliotropium indicum Linn. (sin-nha-maung-gyi), Plantago asiatica Linn. (se-gyaw gyi) and Scoparia dulcis Linn. (Thagya-pin), by extract with water and soxhlet method with 95% ethonal and petroleum ether.These herbs do not contain cyanogenic glycosides according to the phytochemical tests. Extracts from these foure herbs have various effects on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungus. The anti-microbial activity of these plant extracts were tested by agar well diffusion method. The six selected microorganism such as Bacillus subtilis , Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeurginosa, Bacillus pumilus, Candda albicons, Escherichia coli, were assumed. Each medicinal herbs enable us to be applied not only many diseases but to swelling, wounds, skin-inflammation. Cell viability studies showed its degradation. In vivo screenins of antimicrobial activity of four selected medicinal herbs extracts were experimented by evaluation of their healing affects on the wound of mice.

Study on Antimicrobial Activities and Wound Healing Activities of Some Traditional Medicinal Herbs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

San San Win; Mar lar Than; Moe Moe Thwe

2011-12-01

Herbs extracts were extracted from the four medicinal herbs, Alternanthera sessili Linn. (pazun-sa) , Heliotropium indicum Linn. (sin-nha-maung-gyi), Plantago asiatica Linn. (se-gyaw gyi) and Scoparia dulcis Linn. (Thagya-pin), by extract with water and soxhlet method with 95% ethonal and petroleum ether.These herbs do not contain cyanogenic glycosides according to the phytochemical tests. Extracts from these foure herbs have various effects on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungus. The anti-microbial activity of these plant extracts were tested by agar well diffusion method. The six selected microorganism such as Bacillus subtilis , Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeurginosa, Bacillus pumilus, Candda albicons, Escherichia coli, were assumed. Each medicinal herbs enable us to be applied not only many diseases but to swelling, wounds, skin-inflammation. Cell viability studies showed its degradation. In vivo screenins of antimicrobial activity of four selected medicinal herbs extracts were experimented by evaluation of their healing affects on the wound of mice.

Determination of elements in ayurvedic medicinal plants by AAS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teerthe, Santoshkumar S.; Kerur, B. R.

2015-01-01

India has a rich country for the uses of Ayurvedic medicinal plants for treatment and also the north- Karnataka boasts an unparallel diversity of medicinal plants. The present study attempts to estimate and compare the level of trace and heavy metals in some selected leaves and root samples of Ayurvedic medicinal plants such as Mg, Al, K, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Cd. The samples are collected from different places of North-Karnataka regions and sample solutions prepared as the ratio of 1:25:25+950ml=1000ppm.the trace and heavy elemental concentration was estimated using Atomic Absorption Spectrometric (AAS) Method. The average concentrations of Mg, Mn, Fe and Zn, are ranging from 2ppm to 5250.2ppm and potassium (K) has more concentration as compare to all other. The other elements likes Al, Cr, Cu, and Cd were also estimed and presented in the table. Therefore, these medicinal plants are rich in some essential minerals, especially K, Mg, Mn, Fe and Zn which are essential for human health

Determination of elements in ayurvedic medicinal plants by AAS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teerthe, Santoshkumar S.; Kerur, B. R., E-mail: kerurbrk@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga, and Karnataka, India – 585106 (India)

2015-08-28

India has a rich country for the uses of Ayurvedic medicinal plants for treatment and also the north- Karnataka boasts an unparallel diversity of medicinal plants. The present study attempts to estimate and compare the level of trace and heavy metals in some selected leaves and root samples of Ayurvedic medicinal plants such as Mg, Al, K, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Cd. The samples are collected from different places of North-Karnataka regions and sample solutions prepared as the ratio of 1:25:25+950ml=1000ppm.the trace and heavy elemental concentration was estimated using Atomic Absorption Spectrometric (AAS) Method. The average concentrations of Mg, Mn, Fe and Zn, are ranging from 2ppm to 5250.2ppm and potassium (K) has more concentration as compare to all other. The other elements likes Al, Cr, Cu, and Cd were also estimed and presented in the table. Therefore, these medicinal plants are rich in some essential minerals, especially K, Mg, Mn, Fe and Zn which are essential for human health.

Individual Biomarkers Using Molecular Personalized Medicine Approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Zenner, Hans P

2017-01-01

Molecular personalized medicine tries to generate individual predictive biomarkers to assist doctors in their decision making. These are thought to improve the efficacy and lower the toxicity of a treatment. The molecular basis of the desired high-precision prediction is modern "omex" technologies providing high-throughput bioanalytical methods. These include genomics and epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, microbiomics, imaging, and functional analyses. In most cases, producing big data also requires a complex biomathematical analysis. Using molecular personalized medicine, the conventional physician's check of biomarker results may no longer be sufficient. By contrast, the physician may need to cooperate with the biomathematician to achieve the desired prediction on the basis of the analysis of individual big data typically produced by omex technologies. Identification of individual biomarkers using molecular personalized medicine approaches is thought to allow a decision-making for the precise use of a targeted therapy, selecting the successful therapeutic tool from a panel of preexisting drugs or medical products. This should avoid the treatment of nonresponders and responders that produces intolerable unwanted effects. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

[Social medicine in medical faculties: realisation of the topic in the specialty "social medicine, occupational health"].

Science.gov (United States)

Behmann, M; Bisson, S; Walter, U

2011-12-01

The 9 (th) Revision of German Medical Licensing Regulations for Physicians has come into effect on October 1 (st) 2003. Social medicine was separated into the fields "occupational health, social medicine" and the various cross-sectional modules: epidemiology, biometry, medical computer science; health economics, health-care system, public health; prevention, health promotion; rehabilitation, physical medicine, naturopathic treatment. This paper studies the realisation of teaching in the field social medicine at German medical faculties. The survey was conducted in collaboration with the German Association for Social Medicine and Prevention (DGSMP). A survey was conducted at 38 institutes of 36 German medical faculties. The written questionnaire contained mostly selection items in which chances and barriers of the field were queried with supply items. Information about time scale, general conditions and resources was aked for. On the basis of the guidelines of the DGSMP, the topics to be taught were evaluated concerning their relevance and integration into education. The response rate was 68% (n=26). Social insurance, basic principles, responsibility in the Social Security Code and the different providers were judged as the most important topics. There was a strong demand for lecturing material. 82% (n=18) of the faculties wished to have specific material, for example e-learning, examples, lesson plans, curricula and also textbooks. 91% (n=19) of the faculties requested an exchange of information between the faculties concerning educational contents, motivation of students and e-learning. The realisation of teaching is different between the faculties concerning the number of hours, teaching methods and number of students per year. The motivation of the students is one of the problems, but also the lack of acceptance within the clinic. Specific resources and exchange between the faculties are necessary concerning e-learning, which is offered at only few faculties so

Islamic medicine and evolutionary medicine: a comparative analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Saniotis, Arthur

2012-01-01

The advent of evolutionary medicine in the last two decades has provided new insights into the causes of human disease and possible preventative strategies. One of the strengths of evolutionary medicine is that it follows a multi-disciplinary approach. Such an approach is vital to future biomedicine as it enables for the infiltration of new ideas. Although evolutionary medicine uses Darwinian evolution as a heuristic for understanding human beings' susceptibility to disease, this is not necessarily in conflict with Islamic medicine. It should be noted that current evolutionary theory was first expounded by various Muslim scientists such as al-Jāḥiẓ, al-Ṭūsī, Ibn Khaldūn and Ibn Maskawayh centuries before Darwin and Wallace. In this way, evolution should not be viewed as being totally antithetical to Islam. This article provides a comparative overview of Islamic medicine and Evolutionary medicine as well as drawing points of comparison between the two approaches which enables their possible future integration.

Aerospace Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Michaud, Vince

2015-01-01

NASA Aerospace Medicine overview - Aerospace Medicine is that specialty area of medicine concerned with the determination and maintenance of the health, safety, and performance of those who fly in the air or in space.

The future is written: impact of scripts on the cognition, selection, knowledge and transmission of medicinal plant use and its implications for ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology.

Science.gov (United States)

Leonti, Marco

2011-04-12

Apart from empirically learned medicinal and pharmacological properties, the selection of medicinal plants is dependent on cognitive features, ecological factors and cultural history. In literate societies the transmission of medicinal plant knowledge through texts and, more recently, other media containing local as well as non-local knowledge has a more immediate and a more prolonged effect than oral transmission. Therefore, I try to visualize how field based studies in ethnobiology and especially medical ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology run the risk of repeating information and knowledge and illustrate the importance of differentiating and acknowledging the origin, transmission and rationale of plant use made by humans. Reviewing literature dealing with the traditional parameters (e.g. hot/cold dichotomy, organoleptic properties, doctrine of signatures) influencing the selection and transmission of plant use in a juxtaposition to our recent finding of causal influence of text on local plant use. Discussing the passing down of knowledge by text as a special case of oblique/one-to-many knowledge transmission. Historical texts on materia medica, popular books on plant use, clinical studies, and informants of ethnobotanical field studies generate a circle of information and knowledge, which progressively conditions the results of ethnobotanical field studies. While text reporting on phytotherapeutical trends may cause innovation through the introduction of "new" applications to local customs, persistently repeating well established folk remedies leads to the consolidation of such uses adding a conservative dimension to a local pharmacopoeia, which might not actually be there to that extent. Such a "shaping" of what might appear to be the results of a field investigation is clearly outside the ordinary principles of scientific enquiry. The traditional pillars of ethnobotanical field studies - that is, "input to drug discovery" and "conservation of cultural heritage

Availability and use of essential medicines in China: manufacturing, supply, and prescribing in Shandong and Gansu provinces.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Wen; Tang, Shenglan; Sun, Jing; Ross-Degnan, Dennis; Wagner, Anita K

2010-07-17

The current health care reform in China launched in 2009 tackles the problem of access to appropriate medicines for its 1.3 billion people by focusing on providing essential medicines to all. To provide evidence for the reform process, we investigated the manufacturing, purchasing, and prescribing of essential medicines in two provinces. We conducted surveys in 2007 of all manufacturers (n = 253) and of 59 purposively selected retail and 63 hospital pharmacies in Shandong and Gansu provinces to assess production and supply of products on the 2004 National Essential Medicines List (NEML), as well as factors underlying decision making about production and supply. We also reviewed prescriptions (n = 5456) in health facilities to calculate standard indicators of appropriate medicines use. Overall, manufacturers in Shandong and Gansu produced only 62% and 50%, respectively, of the essential medicines they were licensed to produce. Of a randomly selected 10% of NEML products, retail pharmacies stocked up to 60% of Western products. Median availability in hospital pharmacies ranged from 19% to 69%. Manufacturer and retail pharmacy managers based decisions on medicines production and stocking on economic considerations, while hospital pharmacy managers cited clinical need. Between 64% and 86% of prescriptions contained an essential medicine. However, overprescribing of antibiotics (34%-77% of prescriptions) and injectables (22%-61%) for adult non-infectious outpatient consultations was common. We found that manufacturers, retail pharmacies, and hospital pharmacies paid limited attention to China's 2004 NEML in their decisions to manufacture, purchase, and stock essential medicines. We also found that prescribing of essential medicines was frequently inappropriate. These results should inform strategies to improve affordable access to essential medicines under the current health care reform.

Breviscapine Injection Improves the Therapeutic Effect of Western Medicine on Angina Pectoris Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chuan; Li, Yafeng; Gao, Shoucui; Cheng, Daxin; Zhao, Sihai; Liu, Enqi

2015-01-01

To evaluate the beneficial and adverse effects of breviscapine injection in combination with Western medicine on the treatment of patients with angina pectoris. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline, Science Citation Index, EMBASE, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Wanfang Database, the Chongqing VIP Information Database and the China Biomedical Database were searched to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effects of Western medicine compared to breviscapine injection plus Western medicine on angina pectoris patients. The included studies were analyzed using RevMan 5.1.0 software. The literature search yielded 460 studies, wherein 16 studies matched the selection criteria. The results showed that combined therapy using Breviscapine plus Western medicine was superior to Western medicine alone for improving angina pectoris symptoms (OR=3.77, 95% Cl: 2.76~5.15) and also resulted in increased electrocardiogram (ECG) improvement (OR=2.77, 95% Cl: 2.16~3.53). The current evidence suggests that Breviscapine plus Western medicine achieved a superior therapeutic effect compared to Western medicine alone.

[Exploration of microcosmic Chinese medicine used by western medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Zhi-jing

2015-02-01

"Microcosmic syndrome", "treatment based on syndrome differentiation", and "combination of disease identification and syndrome differentiation" generally refer to a mode: following the syndrome if with no disease identified, following the disease if with no syndrome type differentiated. For example, Chinese medical treatment of hypertension, high blood lipids, increased transaminase, and so on candirectly use Chinese recipes, but no longer with syndrome differentiation. Clinical application of Chinese patent medicine can also obtain favorable clinical. Western doctors need not follow syndrome differentiation. The invention of artemisinin was screened from more than 40 000 kinds of compounds and herbs, but with no reference of any traditional Chinese medical theory. A lot of folk remedy and empirical recipes have obtained effective efficacy but unnecessarily with profound Chinese medical theories. Various evidences showed that disease can also be cured without syndrome differentiation. I held that it might be associated with the same mechanism of Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Any disease can be cured or alleviated by Chinese medicine is a result from its modern pharmacological effect, which is achieved by improving etiologies, and pathogeneses. I was inspired by whether we can directly use traditional Chinese medicine with modern pharmacological effects to treat symptomatic disease. So I raised an idea of microcosmic Chinese medicine used by Western medicine, i.e., we find and use Chinese herbs with relatively effective modern pharmacological effect to treat diseases targeting at patients' clinical symptoms and signs, as well as various positive laboratory results (collectively called as microscopic dialectical indicators). More Western doctors would use it to treat disease due to omission of complicated and mysterious syndrome differentiation. This will promote extensive application and expansion of Chi- nese medicine and pharmacy, enlarge the team of

Study on the irradiation decontamination of traditional Chinese medicines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, B.; Shi, S.; Li, B.; Wang, G.

2005-01-01

Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs) are natural products prepared from plants, minerals and animals, it is easy for contamination by microorganisms to occur; thus causing problems in complying with the requirements laid down for passing microbial limit tests. We selected some kinds of TCMs, including unprocessed materia medica, traditional Chinese patent medicine (TCPMs) and chemical constituents for irradiation by 60 Co gamma ray and investigating the results in terms of microbiology, chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology. We found no evidence of changes in most of the tested items, which indicates that the irradiation method could be employed for decontamination of TCMs. However, some chemical constituents of unprocessed materia medica, such as gentiopicrin in Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae and 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucoside in Radix Polygoni Multiflori, decomposed when these crude materials were irradiated with dose of 5kGy. Further study revealed that although the medicinal were altered by irradiation, the monomers of some of these chemical constituents were not affected. In addition to investigation of the items described above, the doses of irradiation were selected experimentally to ensure that, after irradiation, the TCMs passed the microbial limit tests described in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The lowest possible doses were used in order to avoid any impairment of the quality and clinical efficacy of the effective ingredients of the TCMs. (author)

H-index in medicine is driven by original research.

Science.gov (United States)

Nowak, Jan K; Lubarski, Karol; Kowalik, Lukasz M; Walkowiak, Jaroslaw

2018-02-28

To investigate the contribution of selected types of articles to h-indices of medical researchers. We used the Web of Science to export the publication records of various members from 26 scientific medical societies (13 European, 13 North American) associated with 13 medical specialties. Those included were presidents (n=26), heads of randomly chosen committees (n=52), and randomly selected members of those committees (n=52). Publications contributing to h-index were categorized as research articles, reviews, guidelines, meta-analyses, or other published work. Overall, 3259 items authored by 129 scholars were analyzed. The median h-index was 19.5. The median contribution of research articles to h-index was 84.4%. Researchers in the upper h-index tercile (≥28.5) had a larger share of research articles that contributed to h-index in comparison with those in the lower h-index tercile (≤12.5) (median 87.3% [1st-3rd quartile: 80.0%-93.1%] vs 80.0% [50.0%-88.9%], P=0.015). We observed an analogous difference with regard to guidelines (1.1% [0%-3.7%] vs 0% [0%-0%], P=0.007). Original research drives h-indices in medicine. Although guidelines contribute to h-indices in medicine, their influence is low. The specific role of randomized controlled trials in building h-index in medicine remains to be assessed.

Study on drug costs associated with COPD prescription medicine in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, M; Anker, N; Dollerup, J

2013-01-01

that the costs associated with COPD in Denmark are significant, but costs of prescription medicine for COPD were not analysed. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the societal costs associated with prescription medicine for COPD in Denmark. METHODS: The study was designed as a nationwide retrospective register study...... in 2010 with total costs of DKK 685 million (EUR 92 million). The average lifetime costs associated with COPD prescription medicine were estimated to be DKK 70,000-75,000 (EUR 9,416-10,089) per patient (2010 prices). CONCLUSION: The costs associated with prescription medicine for COPD in Denmark...... of the drug costs (ATC group R03) associated with COPD in the period 2001-2010. Data were retrieved from the Prescription Database, the National Patient Register and the Centralised Civil Register. The population comprised individuals (40+ years) who had at least one prescription of selected R03 drugs and who...

STUDY ON DRUG COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH COPD PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE IN DENMARK

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Iris Marie; Anker, Niels; Dolleru, Jens

2012-01-01

that the costs associated with COPD in Denmark are significant, but costs of prescription medicine for COPD were not analysed. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the societal costs associated with prescription medicine for COPD in Denmark. METHODS: The study was designed as a nationwide retrospective register study...... in 2010 with total costs of DKK 685 million (EUR 92 million). The average lifetime costs associated with COPD prescription medicine were estimated to be DKK 70,000-75,000 (EUR 9,416-10,089) per patient (2010 prices). CONCLUSION: The costs associated with prescription medicine for COPD in Denmark...... of the drug costs (ATC group R03) associated with COPD in the period 2001-2010. Data were retrieved from the Prescription Database, the National Patient Register and the Centralised Civil Register. The population comprised individuals (40+ years) who had at least one prescription of selected R03 drugs and who...

Ancient Egyptian Medicine: A Systematic Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel Adu-Gyamfi

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Our present day knowledge in the area of medicine in Ancient Egypt has been severally sourced from medical papyri several of which have been deduced and analyzed by different scholars. For educational purposes it is always imperative to consult different literature or sources in the teaching of ancient Egypt and medicine in particular. To avoid subjectivity the author has found the need to re-engage the efforts made by several scholars in adducing evidences from medical papyri. In the quest to re-engage the efforts of earlier writers and commentaries on the medical papyri, we are afforded the opportunity to be informed about the need to ask further questions to enable us to construct or reconstruct both past and modern views on ancient Egyptian medical knowledge. It is this vocation the author sought to pursue in the interim, through a preliminary review, to highlight, comment and reinvigorate in the reader or researcher the need for a continuous engagement of some pertinent documentary sources on Ancient Egyptian medical knowledge for educational and research purposes. The study is based on qualitative review of published literature. The selection of those articles as sources was based on the focus of the review, in order to purposively select and comment on articles that were published based either on information from a medical papyrus or focused on medical specialization among the ancient Egyptians as well as ancient Egyptian knowledge on diseases and medicine. It was found that the Egyptians developed relatively sophisticated medical practices covering significant medical fields such as herbal medicine, gynecology and obstetrics, anatomy and physiology, mummification and even the preliminary form of surgery. These practices, perhaps, were developed as remedies for the prevailing diseases and the accidents that might have occurred during the construction of their giant pyramids. It must be stated that they were not without flaws. Also, the

Healthcare databases in Europe for studying medicine use and safety during pregnancy

OpenAIRE

Charlton, Rachel A.; Neville, Amanda J.; Jordan, Sue; Pierini, Anna; Damase-Michel, Christine; Klungsøyr, Kari; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo; Hansen, Anne Vinkel; Gini, Rosa; Bos, Jens H.J.; Puccini, Aurora; Hurault-Delarue, Caroline; Brooks, Caroline J.; De Jong-van den Berg, Lolkje T.V.; de Vries, Corinne S.

2014-01-01

Purpose The aim of this study was to describe a number of electronic healthcare databases in Europe in terms of the population covered, the source of the data captured and the availability of data on key variables required for evaluating medicine use and medicine safety during pregnancy. Methods A sample of electronic healthcare databases that captured pregnancies and prescription data was selected on the basis of contacts within the EUROCAT network. For each participating database, a data...

Origins and canons: medicine and the history of sociology.

Science.gov (United States)

Collyer, Fran

2010-01-01

Differing accounts are conventionally given of the origins of medical sociology and its parent discipline sociology. These distinct "histories" are justified on the basis that the sociological founders were uninterested in medicine, mortality and disease. This article challenges these "constructions" of the past, proposing the theorization of health not as a "late development of sociology" but an integral part of its formation. Drawing on a selection of key sociological texts, it is argued that evidence of the founders' sustained interest in the infirmities of the individual, of mortality, and in medicine, have been expunged from the historical record through processes of "canonization" and "medicalization."

Medicinal plants with hepatoprotective activity in Iranian folk medicine

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Majid Asadi-Samani

2015-02-01

Full Text Available There are a number of medicinal combinations in the Iranian traditional medicine which are commonly used as tonic for liver. In this review, we have introduced some medicinal plants that are used mainly for the treatment of liver disorders in Iranian folk medicine, with focus on their hepatoprotective effects particularly against CC14 agent. In this study, online databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Science Direct were searched for papers published from January 1970 to December 2013. Search terms consisted of medicinal plants, traditional medicine, folk medicine, hepatoprotective, Iran, liver, therapeutic uses, compounds, antioxidant, CC14, anti-inflammatory, and antihepatotoxic, hepatitis, alone or in combination. Allium hirtifolium Boiss., Apium graveolens L., Cynara scolymus, Berberis vulgaris L., Calendula officinalis, Nigella sativa L., Taraxacum officinale, Tragopogon porrifolius, Prangos ferulacea L., Allium sativum, Marrubium vulgare, Ammi majus L., Citrullus lanatus Thunb, Agrimonia eupatoria L. and Prunus armeniaca L. are some of the medicinal plants that have been used for the treatment of liver disorders in Iranian folk medicine. Out of several leads obtained from plants containing potential hepatoprotective agents, silymarin, β-sitosterol, betalain, neoandrographolide, phyllanthin, andrographolide, curcumin, picroside, hypophyllanthin, kutkoside, and glycyrrhizin have been demonstrated to have potent hepatoprotective properties. Despite encouraging data on possibility of new discoveries in the near future, the evidence on treating viral hepatitis or other chronic liver diseases by herbal medications is not adequate.

Nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kand, Purushottam

2012-01-01

Nuclear medicine is a specialized area of radiology that uses very small amounts of radioactive materials to examine organ function and structure. Nuclear medicine is older than CT, ultrasound and MRI. It was first used in patients over 60-70 years ago. Today it is an established medical specialty and offers procedures that are essential in many medical specialities like nephrology, pediatrics, cardiology, psychiatry, endocrinology and oncology. Nuclear medicine refers to medicine (a pharmaceutical) that is attached to a small quantity of radioactive material (a radioisotope). This combination is called a radiopharmaceutical. There are many radiopharmaceuticals like DTPA, DMSA, HIDA, MIBI and MDP available to study different parts of the body like kidneys, heart and bones etc. Nuclear medicine uses radiation coming from inside a patient's body where as conventional radiology exposes patients to radiation from outside the body. Thus nuclear imaging study is a physiological imaging, whereas diagnostic radiology is anatomical imaging. It combines many different disciplines like chemistry, physics mathematics, computer technology, and medicine. It helps in diagnosis and to treat abnormalities very early in the progression of a disease. The information provides a quick and accurate diagnosis of wide range of conditions and diseases in a person of any age. These tests are painless and most scans expose patients to only minimal and safe amounts of radiation. The amount of radiation received from a nuclear medicine procedure is comparable to, or often many times less than, that of a diagnostic X-ray. Nuclear medicine provides an effective means of examining whether some tissues/organs are functioning properly. Therapy using nuclear medicine in an effective, safe and relatively inexpensive way of controlling and in some cases eliminating, conditions such as overactive thyroid, thyroid cancer and arthritis. Nuclear medicine imaging is unique because it provides doctors with

Recommended integrative medicine competencies for family medicine residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Locke, Amy B; Gordon, Andrea; Guerrera, Mary P; Gardiner, Paula; Lebensohn, Patricia

2013-01-01

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and Integrative Medicine (IM) has grown steadily over the past decade. Patients seek physician guidance, yet physicians typically have limited knowledge and training. There is some coverage of IM/CAM topics in medical schools and residencies but with little coordination or consistency. In 2008, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) group on Integrative Medicine began the process of designing a set of competencies to educate Family Medicine residents in core concepts of IM. The goal was creation of a set of nationally recognized competencies tied to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) domains. These competencies were to be achievable by diverse programs, including those without significant internal resources. The group compiled existing curricula from programs around the country and distilled these competencies through multiple reviews and discussions. Simultaneously, the Integrative Medicine in Residency program run by the University of Arizona underwent a similar process. In 2009, these competencies were combined and further developed at the STFM annual meeting by a group of experts. In 2010, the STFM Board approved 19 measurable competencies, each categorized by ACGME domain, as recommended for Family Medicine residencies. Programs have implemented these competencies in various ways given individual needs and resources. This paper reviews the development of IM competencies for residency education in Family Medicine and presents those endorsed by STFM. By educating physicians in training about IM/CAM via competency-based curricula, we aim to promote comprehensive patient-centered care. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Women in Sanaa: Public Appearance and Visual Representation

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Irina Linke

2009-03-01

Full Text Available An exponential increase in media usage in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa (foreign satellite channels, Yemeni TV, photography and video changes not only the (media public (Öffentlichkeit, but social spaces in a local setting within a particular global-local framework. In this article I discuss women in the Yemeni capital who use television and other pictorial representations strategically, and, in reworking the frontiers between visibility and invisibility, change the gendered social spaces of their life world (Lebenswelt. Pictures, as parts of the life world open up views into new spaces ([Blick-] Räume and make new relationships ([Blick-] Kontakte possible. Looks and gazes determine social space and play a part in the social construction of bodies and spaces. This is negotiated on the performative as well as on the discursive level. The case study I present is part of a larger research project based on one year of fieldwork, field notes and 45 hours of audio-visual material. Analysis of the discourses of young women about their own image practices reveals how they perceive the endangerment of a social order, how they articulate their interest in change, and their strategies for becoming "visible." Thus, this article refers to culturally different readings of what can be seen. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0902150

What has traditional Chinese medicine delivered for modern medicine?

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jigang; Wong, Yin-Kwan; Liao, Fulong

2018-05-11

The field of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) represents a vast and largely untapped resource for modern medicine. Exemplified by the success of the antimalarial artemisinin, the recent years have seen a rapid increase in the understanding and application of TCM-derived herbs and formulations for evidence-based therapy. In this review, we summarise and discuss the developmental history, clinical background and molecular basis of an action for several representative TCM-derived medicines, including artemisinin, arsenic trioxide, berberine and Salvia miltiorrhiza or Danshen. Through this, we highlight important examples of how TCM-derived medicines have already contributed to modern medicine, and discuss potential avenues for further research.

Nuclear Medicine and Application of Nuclear Techniques in Medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiharto, Kunto

1996-01-01

The use of nuclear techniques medicine covers not only nuclear medicine and radiology in strict sense but also determination of body mineral content by neutron activation analysis and x-ray fluorescence technique either in vitro or in vivo, application of radioisotopes as tracers in pharmacology and biochemistry, etc. This paper describes the ideal tracer in nuclear medicine, functional and morphological imaging, clinical aspect and radiation protection in nuclear medicine. Nuclear technique offers facilities and chances related to research activities and services in medicine. The development of diagnostic as well as therapeutic methods using monoclonal antibodies labeled with radioisotope will undoubtedly play an important role in the disease control

Evidence-based medicine: the fourth revolution in American medicine?

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Kevin C; Ram, Ashwin N

2009-01-01

The use of evidence has become a force in American medicine to improve the quality of health care. Funding decisions from payers will demand studies with high-level evidence to support many of the costly interventions in medicine. Plastic surgery is certainly not immune to this national tidal wave to revamp the health care system by embracing evidence-based medicine in our practices. In scientific contributions of plastic surgery research, application of evidence-based principles should enhance the care of all patients by relying on science rather than opinions. In this article, the genesis of evidence-based medicine is discussed to guide plastic surgery in this new revolution in American medicine.

Application of Feedback System Control Optimization Technique in Combined Use of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy and Herbal Medicines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Liu

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Aim: Combined use of herbal medicines in patients underwent dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT might cause bleeding or thrombosis because herbal medicines with anti-platelet activities may exhibit interactions with DAPT. In this study, we tried to use a feedback system control (FSC optimization technique to optimize dose strategy and clarify possible interactions in combined use of DAPT and herbal medicines.Methods: Herbal medicines with reported anti-platelet activities were selected by searching related references in Pubmed. Experimental anti-platelet activities of representative compounds originated from these herbal medicines were investigated using in vitro assay, namely ADP-induced aggregation of rat platelet-rich-plasma. FSC scheme hybridized artificial intelligence calculation and bench experiments to iteratively optimize 4-drug combination and 2-drug combination from these drug candidates.Results: Totally 68 herbal medicines were reported to have anti-platelet activities. In the present study, 7 representative compounds from these herbal medicines were selected to study combinatorial drug optimization together with DAPT, i.e., aspirin and ticagrelor. FSC technique first down-selected 9 drug candidates to the most significant 5 drugs. Then, FSC further secured 4 drugs in the optimal combination, including aspirin, ticagrelor, ferulic acid from DangGui, and forskolin from MaoHouQiaoRuiHua. Finally, FSC quantitatively estimated the possible interactions between aspirin:ticagrelor, aspirin:ferulic acid, ticagrelor:forskolin, and ferulic acid:forskolin. The estimation was further verified by experimentally determined Combination Index (CI values.Conclusion: Results of the present study suggested that FSC optimization technique could be used in optimization of anti-platelet drug combinations and might be helpful in designing personal anti-platelet therapy strategy. Furthermore, FSC analysis could also identify interactions between different

Medication regularity of pulmonary fibrosis treatment by contemporary traditional Chinese medicine experts based on data mining.

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Zhang, Suxian; Wu, Hao; Liu, Jie; Gu, Huihui; Li, Xiujuan; Zhang, Tiansong

2018-03-01

Treatment of pulmonary fibrosis by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has accumulated important experience. Our interest is in exploring the medication regularity of contemporary Chinese medical specialists treating pulmonary fibrosis. Through literature search, medical records from TCM experts who treat pulmonary fibrosis, which were published in Chinese and English medical journals, were selected for this study. As the object of study, a database was established after analysing the records. After data cleaning, the rules of medicine in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in medical records of TCM were explored by using data mining technologies such as frequency analysis, association rule analysis, and link analysis. A total of 124 medical records from 60 doctors were selected in this study; 263 types of medicinals were used a total of 5,455 times; the herbs that were used more than 30 times can be grouped into 53 species and were used a total of 3,681 times. Using main medicinals cluster analysis, medicinals were divided into qi-tonifying, yin-tonifying, blood-activating, phlegm-resolving, cough-suppressing, panting-calming, and ten other major medicinal categories. According to the set conditions, a total of 62 drug compatibility rules have been obtained, involving mainly qi-tonifying, yin-tonifying, blood-activating, phlegm-resolving, qi-descending, and panting-calming medicinals, as well as other medicinals used in combination. The results of data mining are consistent with clinical practice and it is feasible to explore the medical rules applicable to the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in medical records of TCM by data mining.

[Evolutionary medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Wjst, M

2013-12-01

Evolutionary medicine allows new insights into long standing medical problems. Are we "really stoneagers on the fast lane"? This insight might have enormous consequences and will allow new answers that could never been provided by traditional anthropology. Only now this is made possible using data from molecular medicine and systems biology. Thereby evolutionary medicine takes a leap from a merely theoretical discipline to practical fields - reproductive, nutritional and preventive medicine, as well as microbiology, immunology and psychiatry. Evolutionary medicine is not another "just so story" but a serious candidate for the medical curriculum providing a universal understanding of health and disease based on our biological origin. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Pain research in complementary and alternative medicine in Australia: a critical review.

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Zheng, Zhen; Xue, Charlie C L

2013-02-01

Sixty percent (60%) to 80% of patients who visit chiropractic, osteopathic, or Chinese medicine practitioners are seeking pain relief. This article aimed to identify the amount, quality, and type of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) pain research in Australia by systematically and critically reviewing the literature. PubMed, Scopus, Australasian Medical Index, and Cochrane library were searched from their inception to July 2009. Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trial Registration and National Health and Medical Research Council databases were searched for human studies yet to be completed. Predefined search terms and selection criteria were used for data identification. Of 204 studies selected, 54% were on chiropractic, 27% on Chinese medicine, 15% about multitherapy, and 4% on osteopathy. Chronic spinal pain was the most studied condition, with visceral pain being the least studied. Half of the articles in Chinese medicine or multitherapy were systematic reviews or randomized control trials. In comparison, only 5% of chiropractic and none of osteopathy studies were in these categories. Government funding was rare, and most studies were self-funded or internally funded. All chiropractic, osteopathic, and Chinese herbal medicine studies were conducted by the researchers of the professions. In contrast, half of the acupuncture studies and all t'ai chi studies were conducted by medical doctors or physiotherapists. Multidisciplinary collaboration was uncommon. The quantity and the quality of CAM pain research in Australia are inconsistent with the high utilization of the relevant CAM therapies by Australians. A substantial increase in government funding is required. Collaborative research examining the multimodality or multidisciplinary approach is needed.

Review of complementary and alternative medicine and selected nutraceuticals: background for a pilot study on nutrigenomic intervention in patients with advanced cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Varker, Kimberly A; Ansel, Adam; Aukerman, Glen; Carson, William E

2012-01-01

As commonly defined, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a broad category that includes biologically based practices, mind-body medicine, manipulative and bodybased practices, and energy medicine as well as complete medical systems such as naturopathy, homeopathy, Ayurvedic medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine. Several CAM methodologies show promise for the treatment of chronic conditions such as depression and pain disorders or have demonstrated effects upon the immune response in experimental studies. There is growing interest in the use of integrative medicine the combination of CAM methodologies with a conventional medical approach-for the optimization of treatment of various cancers. The Ohio State University Center for Integrative Medicine has developed a specialized nutrigenomic protocol for integrative cancer care. The center uses a comprehensive nutritional and medical evaluation, including a panel of proinflammatory molecules and physiologic parameters, to guide a program of individualized dietary interventions. Dietary supplementation is a current focus of study, including: (1) Omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins, which are thought to play important roles in immunomodulation; (2) Magnesium oxide, which has been shown to decrease inflammation and improve insulin resistance and lipid profiles; and (3) Cinnamon extract, which reportedly decreases serum glucose levels. This article presents a brief overview of CAM and integrative medicine and a discussion of the relevant nutraceuticals.

Ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants used by Maonan people in China.

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Hong, Liya; Guo, Zhiyong; Huang, Kunhui; Wei, Shanjun; Liu, Bo; Meng, Shaowu; Long, Chunlin

2015-04-30

This paper is based on an ethnobotanical investigation that focused on the traditional medicinal plants used by local Maonan people to treat human diseases in Maonan concentration regions. The Maonan people have relied on traditional medicine since ancient times, especially medicinal plants. The aim of this study is to document medicinal plants used by the Maonans and to report the status of medicinal plants and associated traditional knowledge. Ethnobotanical data were collected from June 2012 to September 2014 in Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County, northern Guangxi, southwest China. In total, 118 knowledgeable informants were interviewed. Following statistically sampling method, eighteen villages from 5 townships were selected to conduct field investigations. Information was collected through the approache of participatory observation, semi-structured interviews, ranking exercises, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and participatory rural appraisals. A total of 368 medicinal plant species were investigated and documented together with their medicinal uses by the Maonans, most of which were obtained from the wild ecosystems. The plants were used to treat 95 human diseases. Grinding was a widely used method to prepare traditional herbal medicines. There were significant relationships between gender and age, and between gender and informants' knowledge of medicinal plant use. Deforestation for agricultural purposes was identified as the most destructive factor of medicinal plants, followed by drought and over-harvest. The species diversity of medicinal plants used by the Maonans in the study area was very rich. Medicinal plants played a significant role in healing various human disorders in the Maonan communities. However, the conflicts between traditional inheriting system and recent socio-economic changes (and other factors) resulted in the reduction or loss of both medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge. Thus, conservation efforts

Sasang constitutional medicine as a holistic tailored medicine.

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Kim, Jong Yeol; Pham, Duong Duc

2009-09-01

Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM) is a unique traditional Korean therapeutic alternative form of medicine. Based on the Yin and Yang theory and on Confucianism, humans are classified into four constitutions. These differ in terms of (i) sensitivity to certain groups of herbs and medicines, (ii) equilibrium among internal organic functions, (iii) physical features and (iv) psychological characteristics. We propose that two main axes in the physiopathology of SCM (food intake/waste discharge and consuming/storing Qi and body fluids) are equivalent to the process of internal-external exchange and catabolism/anabolism in modern physiology, respectively. We then used this hypothesis to discuss the physiological and pathological principles of SCM. Constitution-based medicine is based on the theory that some medicinal herbs and remedies are only appropriate for certain constitutions and can cause adverse effects in others. The constitutional approach of SCM share the same vision as tailored medicine; an individualized therapy that can minimize the risk of adverse reaction while increasing the efficacy and an individualized self-regulation that can help prevent specific susceptible chronic disease and live healthily. There is still a long way to this goal for both SCM and tailored medicine, but we may benefit from systems approaches such as systems biology. We suggest that constitutional perspective of SCM and our hypothesis of two main processes may provide a novel insight for further studies.

Sasang Constitutional Medicine as a Holistic Tailored Medicine

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Jong Yeol Kim

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM is a unique traditional Korean therapeutic alternative form of medicine. Based on the Yin and Yang theory and on Confucianism, humans are classified into four constitutions. These differ in terms of (i sensitivity to certain groups of herbs and medicines, (ii equilibrium among internal organic functions, (iii physical features and (iv psychological characteristics. We propose that two main axes in the physiopathology of SCM (food intake/waste discharge and consuming/storing Qi and body fluids are equivalent to the process of internal–external exchange and catabolism/anabolism in modern physiology, respectively. We then used this hypothesis to discuss the physiological and pathological principles of SCM. Constitution-based medicine is based on the theory that some medicinal herbs and remedies are only appropriate for certain constitutions and can cause adverse effects in others. The constitutional approach of SCM share the same vision as tailored medicine; an individualized therapy that can minimize the risk of adverse reaction while increasing the efficacy and an individualized self-regulation that can help prevent specific susceptible chronic disease and live healthily. There is still a long way to this goal for both SCM and tailored medicine, but we may benefit from systems approaches such as systems biology. We suggest that constitutional perspective of SCM and our hypothesis of two main processes may provide a novel insight for further studies.

Perceptions and Development of Political Leadership Skills of Women in Academic Medicine: A Study of Selected Women Alumnae of the Hedwig Van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program

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Evers, Cynthia D.

2014-01-01

Despite women having much to offer in the field of academic medicine, women may not be sufficiently attuned to developing their political leadership skills, which are crucial for successful leadership (Ferris, Frink, & Galang, 1993; Ferris & Perrewe, 2010). The study's purpose was to examine how 14 women in academic medicine perceived…

Medicinal plants used by Tibetans in Shangri-la, Yunnan, China

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Yang Chunyan

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Medicinal plants used by the local people in Xizang (Tibet have been investigated since the 1960s. The others out of Xizang, however, have been less understood, although they may be easily and strongly influenced by the various local herbal practices, diverse environments, local religious beliefs and different prevalent types of diseases. In 2006, two ethnobotanical surveys were organized in the county of Shangri-la, Yunnan Province, SW China, to document the traditional medicinal plants used by the Tibetan people. Methods After literature surveying, four local townships were selected to carry out the field investigation. Three local healers were interviewed as key informants. The methods of ethnobotany, anthropology and participatory rural appraisal (PRA were used in the field surveys. Plant taxonomic approach was adopted for voucher specimen identification. Results Sixty-eight medicinal plant species in 64 genera of 40 families were recorded and collected. Among them, 23 species were found to have medicinal values that have not been recorded in any existing Tibetan literatures before, and 31 species were recorded to have traditional prescriptions. Moreover, the traditional preparations of each species and some folk medicinal knowledge were recorded and analyzed. These traditional prescriptions, preparations, new medicinal plants and folk medicinal knowledge and principles were discovered and summarized by local traditional Tibetan healers through times of treatment practices, and were passed down from generation to generation. Conclusion As a part of the cultural diversity of Tibetan community, these traditional medicinal knowledge and experiences may provide data and information basis for the sustainable utilization and development of Tibetan medicine, and may contribute to the local economic development. However, for many reasons, they are disappearing gradually as time goes by. Our study showed that there were abundant

Medicinal plants used by Tibetans in Shangri-la, Yunnan, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yanchun; Dao, Zhiling; Yang, Chunyan; Liu, Yitao; Long, Chunlin

2009-05-05

Medicinal plants used by the local people in Xizang (Tibet) have been investigated since the 1960s. The others out of Xizang, however, have been less understood, although they may be easily and strongly influenced by the various local herbal practices, diverse environments, local religious beliefs and different prevalent types of diseases. In 2006, two ethnobotanical surveys were organized in the county of Shangri-la, Yunnan Province, SW China, to document the traditional medicinal plants used by the Tibetan people. After literature surveying, four local townships were selected to carry out the field investigation. Three local healers were interviewed as key informants. The methods of ethnobotany, anthropology and participatory rural appraisal (PRA) were used in the field surveys. Plant taxonomic approach was adopted for voucher specimen identification. Sixty-eight medicinal plant species in 64 genera of 40 families were recorded and collected. Among them, 23 species were found to have medicinal values that have not been recorded in any existing Tibetan literatures before, and 31 species were recorded to have traditional prescriptions. Moreover, the traditional preparations of each species and some folk medicinal knowledge were recorded and analyzed. These traditional prescriptions, preparations, new medicinal plants and folk medicinal knowledge and principles were discovered and summarized by local traditional Tibetan healers through times of treatment practices, and were passed down from generation to generation. As a part of the cultural diversity of Tibetan community, these traditional medicinal knowledge and experiences may provide data and information basis for the sustainable utilization and development of Tibetan medicine, and may contribute to the local economic development. However, for many reasons, they are disappearing gradually as time goes by. Our study showed that there were abundant traditional Tibetan medicinal prescriptions and using methods. It

[The status of occupational health of female migrant workers in traditional Chinese medicine, western medicine and bio-pharmaceutical industry in Gansu province].

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Liao, Ping-Tai; Kou, Zhen-Xia; Li, Zhi-Lan; He, Yu-Hong; Yu, Wen-Lan; Zho, An-Shou

2011-09-01

To understand the status of occupational health of female migrant workers in different kinds of pharmaceutical industries in Gansu province and to provide the basis for improving occupational health condition. One thousand eight hundreds and one female workers from 16 enterprises were selected by cluster sampling in Gansu province and investigated by interviewing and questionnaires. There were statistical significances of education level, status of residency registrations, employment relationship and occupational hazards among female workers in three types of enterprises (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The morbidities of skin disease in female workers for three kinds of enterprises were 4.46%, 2.53% and 3.70%, respectively. The morbidities of reproductive system disease in female workers for three kinds of enterprises were 48.57%, 36.70% and 36.11%, respectively. The levels of education and working conditions of female workers in the traditional Chinese medicine, western medicine plants are low. There are more severe occupational hazards in female workers of the traditional Chinese medicine plants.

Gamma amino butyric acid accumulation in medicinal plants without stress

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P Anju

2014-01-01

Results and Conclusion: Among the screened medicinal plants, Zingiber officinale and Solanum torvum were found to have GABA. The percentage of GABA present in Z. officinale and S. torvum were found to be 0.0114% and 0.0119%, respectively. The present work confirmed that among the selected CNS active medicinal plants, only two plants contain GABA. We found a negative correlation with plant having CNS activity and accumulation of GABA. The GABA shunt is a conserved pathway in eukaryotes and prokaryotes but, although the role of GABA as a neurotransmitter in mammals is clearly established, its role in plants is still vague.

What is legal medicine--are legal and forensic medicine the same?

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Beran, Roy G

2010-04-01

Some consider the terms "forensic" and "legal" medicine to be synonymous but this is counter to the title of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine or the dual strands for progression to fellowship of the Australian College of Legal Medicine. The paper examines a very brief historical background to legal medicine and develops a definition of the strands thereof, namely legal and forensic medicine. It demonstrates that the two are different components of the application of medical knowledge upon the legal system. Legal medicine has greater relevance to civil and tort law, impacting upon patient care, whereas forensic medicine relates to criminal law and damage to, or by, patients.

[Evidence-based medicine: an approach without any weakness?].

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Junod, A F

2000-04-06

Evidence-based medicine is a methodological approach giving access to the best information derived from clinical research for an individual patient. It requires the formulation of a question, a strategy to search for the best information, the selection of the latter, its critical appraisal and its application to the patient. The qualities, but also the limitations of this approach are discussed.

Precision medicine, an approach for development of the future medicine technologies

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Iraj Nabipour

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Precision medicine is an approach in medicine that takes into account individual differences in people's genes, environments, and lifestyle. This field of medicine redefines our understanding of disease onset and progression, treatment response, and health outcomes through the more precise measurement of molecular, environmental, and behavioral factors that contribute to health and disease. Undoubtedly, the advances in omics technologies including genomics, data collection and storage, computational analysis, and mobile health applications over the last decade produced significant progress for precision medicine. In fact, precision medicine is a platform for the growth of personalized medicine, wearable biosensors, mobile health, computational sciences, genomic singularity, and other omics technologies. In the pathway of precision medicine, mathematics and computational sciences will be revolutionized to overcome the challenges in Big Data. By the birth of precision medicine, novel therapeutic strategies for chronic complex diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancers would be designed in Systems Medicine.

Availability and use of essential medicines in China: manufacturing, supply, and prescribing in Shandong and Gansu provinces

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Ross-Degnan Dennis

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The current health care reform in China launched in 2009 tackles the problem of access to appropriate medicines for its 1.3 billion people by focusing on providing essential medicines to all. To provide evidence for the reform process, we investigated the manufacturing, purchasing, and prescribing of essential medicines in two provinces. Methods We conducted surveys in 2007 of all manufacturers (n = 253 and of 59 purposively selected retail and 63 hospital pharmacies in Shandong and Gansu provinces to assess production and supply of products on the 2004 National Essential Medicines List (NEML, as well as factors underlying decision making about production and supply. We also reviewed prescriptions (n = 5456 in health facilities to calculate standard indicators of appropriate medicines use. Results Overall, manufacturers in Shandong and Gansu produced only 62% and 50%, respectively, of the essential medicines they were licensed to produce. Of a randomly selected 10% of NEML products, retail pharmacies stocked up to 60% of Western products. Median availability in hospital pharmacies ranged from 19% to 69%. Manufacturer and retail pharmacy managers based decisions on medicines production and stocking on economic considerations, while hospital pharmacy managers cited clinical need. Between 64% and 86% of prescriptions contained an essential medicine. However, overprescribing of antibiotics (34%-77% of prescriptions and injectables (22%-61% for adult non-infectious outpatient consultations was common. Conclusions We found that manufacturers, retail pharmacies, and hospital pharmacies paid limited attention to China's 2004 NEML in their decisions to manufacture, purchase, and stock essential medicines. We also found that prescribing of essential medicines was frequently inappropriate. These results should inform strategies to improve affordable access to essential medicines under the current health care reform.

Nuclear medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

The area of nuclear medicine, the development of artificially produced radioactive isotopes for medical applications, is relatively recent. Among the subjects covered in a lengthy discussion are the following: history of development; impact of nuclear medicine; understanding the most effective use of radioisotopes; most significant uses of nuclear medicine radioimmunoassays; description of equipment designed for use in the field of nuclear medicine (counters, scanning system, display systems, gamma camera); description of radioisotopes used and their purposes; quality control. Numerous historical photographs are included. 52 refs

Pharmacy customers' knowledge of side effects of purchased medicines in Mexico

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wirtz, Veronika J.; Taxis, Katja; Dreser, Anahi

To analyse pharmacy customers' knowledge and information sources about side effects of medicines they purchased and factors associated with this knowledge. Cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews with customers of 52 randomly selected community pharmacies in Morelos state, Mexico.

[Evolutionary medicine: the future looking at the past].

Science.gov (United States)

Carvalho, Serafim; Rosado, Margarida

2008-01-01

Evolutionary medicine is an emergent basic science that offers new and varied perspectives to the comprehension of the human health and disease, considering them as a result of a gap between our modern lives and the environment where human beings evolve. This work's goals are to understand the importance of the evolutionary theories on concepts of health and disease, providing a new insight on medicine investigation. This bibliography review is based on Medline and PsycINFO articles research between 1996 and 2007 about review and experimental studies published in English, using the key words evolutionary and medicine, psychiatry, psychology, behaviour, health, disease, gene. There were selected forty-five articles based on and with special interest on the authors' practice. There were also consulted some allusive books. The present human genome and phenotypes are essentially Palaeolithic ones: they are not adapted to the modern life style, thus favouring the so called diseases of civilization. Fitting evolutionary strategies, apparently protective ones, when excessive, are the core syndromes of many emotional disruptive behaviours and diseases. Having the stone age's genes, we are obliged to live in the space age. With the evolutionary approach, postmodern medicine is detecting better the vulnerabilities, restrictions, biases, adaptations and maladaptations of human body, its actual diseases and its preventions and treatment.

La poterie contemporaine au Yémen 

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Jeanne Bonnefoy-Mercuriali

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Contrairement à d’autres traditions et arts populaires, la poterie yéménite contemporaine suscite peu l’intérêt, que ce soit de la part du public yéménite ou étranger, ou des chercheurs. Le rendu final des pièces apparaît en effet souvent comme décevant et de qualité médiocre, laissant penser que l’on aurait affaire à un artisanat mineur. Pourtant, au vu des contraintes auxquelles sont confrontés les potiers, il faut reconnaître que ceux-ci font preuve d’un réel savoir-faire technique. à travers l’étude de trois ateliers situés dans différentes régions du Yémen, cet article entend dresser un état des lieux de la poterie contemporaine. Il se focalise notamment sur les forces et les faiblesses d’un artisanat aujourd’hui confronté à de multiples défis liés par exemple à la transmission des savoirs, au renouvellement des techniques ou à la concurrence de produits de consommation importés.Contrary to other forms of popular arts and crafts, contemporary Yemeni pottery is often overlooked by the public, whether Yemeni or foreign, and by academics. The production often appears as disappointing and mediocre, letting one feel that it is a minor and uninteresting craft industry. Yet, if one takes into account the different constraints that they have to deal with, Yemeni potters appear to master a specific technique. Building on three case-studies located in different Yemeni regions, this article presents an inventory of contemporary pottery. It focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of a craft industry confronted to a wide range of challenges amongst which the transmission of knowledge, the renewal of techniques and the competition created by imported products.

Towards an outcome documentation in manual medicine: a first proposal of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) intervention categories for manual medicine based on a Delphi survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirchberger, I; Stucki, G; Böhni, U; Cieza, A; Kirschneck, M; Dvorak, J

2009-09-01

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a useful framework for the comprehensive description of the patients' functional health. The aim of this study was to identify the ICF categories that represent the patients' problems treated by manual medicine practitioners in order to facilitate its application in manual medicine. This selection of ICF categories could be used for assessment, treatment documentation and quality management in manual medicine practice. Swiss manual medicine experts were asked about the patients' problems commonly treated by manual medicine practitioners in a three-round survey using the Delphi technique. Responses were linked to the ICF. Forty-eight manual medicine experts gave a total of 808 responses that were linked to 225 different ICF categories; 106 ICF categories which reached an agreement of at least 50% among the participants in the final Delphi-round were included in the set of ICF Intervention Categories for Manual Medicine; 42 (40%) of the categories are assigned to the ICF component body functions, 36 (34%) represent the ICF component body structures and 28 (26%) the ICF component activities and participation. A first proposal of ICF Intervention Categories for Manual Medicine was defined and needs to be validated in further studies.

Comparison of Leiomyoma of Modern Medicine and Traditional Persian Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Tansaz, Mojgan; Tajadini, Haleh

2016-04-01

Leiomyoma is the most common benign tumor of the pelvic that is associated with reproductive problems such as infertility, frequent abortions, and undesirable prenatal outcomes. High prevalence of leiomyoma and its relation with important gynecological complications, especially during reproductive ages, on the one hand, and high medical expenses and significant complications of common treatments, on the other, made us search traditional Persian medicine texts for a similar disease. In traditional Persian medicine, a condition has been introduced similar to leiomyoma (Oram-e-rahem). In this article, by collecting materials from traditional medicine texts on leiomyoma, we aim to provide theories for further studies on this topic, as there is an obvious difference between traditional Persian medicine and modern medicine with regard to leiomyoma. When modern medicine has not found a suitable response to treatment, reviewing of traditional Persian medicine for finding better treatment strategies is wise. © The Author(s) 2015.

Patients' intention to consume prescribed and non-prescribed medicines: A study based on the theory of planned behaviour in selected European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamekis, A; Bertsias, A; Moschandreas, J; Petelos, E; Papadakaki, M; Tsiantou, V; Saridaki, A; Symvoulakis, E K; Souliotis, K; Papadakis, N; Faresjö, T; Faresjö, A; Martinez, L; Agius, D; Uncu, Y; Sengezer, T; Samoutis, G; Vlcek, J; Abasaeed, A; Merkouris, B; Lionis, C

2018-02-01

Polypharmacy has a significant impact on patients' health with overall expenditure on over-the-counter (OTC) medicines representing a substantial burden in terms of cost of treatment. The aim of this study, which was conducted within the framework of a European Project funded by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Programme and was entitled OTC-SOCIOMED, was to report on possible determinants of patient behaviour regarding the consumption of medicines, and particularly OTCs, in the context of primary care. A multicentre, cross-sectional study was designed and implemented in well-defined primary healthcare settings in Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Malta and Turkey. Patients completed a questionnaire constructed on the basis of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), which was administered via face-to-face interviews. The percentage of patients who had consumed prescribed medicines over a 6-month period was consistently high, ranging from 79% in the Czech Republic and 82% in Turkey to 97% in Malta and 100% in Cyprus. Reported non-prescribed medicine consumption ranged from 33% in Turkey to 92% in the Czech Republic and 97% in Cyprus. TPB behavioural antecedents explained 43% of the variability of patients' intention to consume medicines in Malta and 24% in Greece, but only 3% in Turkey. Subjective norm was a significant predictor of the intention to consume medicines in all three countries (Greece, Malta and Turkey), whereas attitude towards consumption was a significant predictor of the expectation to consume medicines, if needed. This study shows that parameters such as patients' beliefs and influence from family and friends could be determining factors in explaining the high rates of medicine consumption. Factors that affect patients' behavioural intention towards medicine consumption may assist in the formulation of evidence-based policy proposals and inform initiatives and interventions aimed at increasing the appropriate use of medicines

Stability of medicines after repackaging into multicompartment compliance aids: eight criteria for detection of visual alteration.

Science.gov (United States)

Albert, Valerie; Lanz, Michael; Imanidis, Georgios; Hersberger, Kurt E; Arnet, Isabelle

2017-01-01

Multicompartment compliance aids (MCA) are widely used by patients. They support the management of medication and reduce unintentional nonadherence. MCA are filled with medicines unpacked from their original packaging. Swiss pharmacists currently provide MCA for 1-2 weeks, although little and controversial information exists on the stability of repackaged medicines. We aimed to validate the usefulness of a simple screening method capable of detecting visual stability problems with repackaged medicines. We selected eight criteria for solid formulations from The International Pharmacopoeia : (1) rough surface, (2) chipping, (3) cracking, (4) capping, (5) mottling, (6) discoloration, (7) swelling, and (8) crushing. A selection of 24 critical medicines was repackaged in three different MCA (Pharmis ® , SureMed™, and self-produced blister) and stored at room temperature for 4 weeks. Pharmis ® was additionally stored at accelerated conditions. Appearance was scored weekly. Six alterations (rough surface, cracking, mottling, discoloration, swelling, and crushing) were observed at accelerated conditions. No alteration was observed at room temperature, except for the chipping of tablets that had been stuck to cold seal glue. The eight criteria can detect alterations of the appearance of oral solid medicines repackaged in MCA. In the absence of specific guidelines, they can serve as a simple screening method in community pharmacies for identifying medicines unsuitable for repackaging.

Core Content for Wilderness Medicine Training: Development of a Wilderness Medicine Track Within an Emergency Medicine Residency.

Science.gov (United States)

Schrading, Walter A; Battaglioli, Nicole; Drew, Jonathan; McClure, Sarah Frances

2018-03-01

Wilderness medicine training has become increasingly popular among medical professionals with numerous educational opportunities nationwide. Curricula for fellowship programs and for medical student education have previously been developed and published, but a specific curriculum for wilderness medicine education during emergency medicine (EM) residency has not. The objective of this study is to create a longitudinal wilderness medicine curriculum that can be incorporated into an EM residency program. Interest-specific tracks are becoming increasingly common in EM training. We chose this model to develop our curriculum specific to wilderness medicine. Outlined in the article is a 3-year longitudinal course of study that includes a core didactic curriculum and a plan for graduated level of responsibility. The core content is specifically related to the required EM core content for residency training with additions specific to wilderness medicine for the residents who pursue the track. The wilderness medicine curriculum would give residencies a framework that can be used to foster learning for residents interested in wilderness medicine. It would enhance the coverage of wilderness and environmental core content education for all EM residents in the program. It would provide wilderness-specific education and experience for interested residents, allowing them to align their residency program requirements through a focused area of study and enhancing their curriculum vitae at graduation. Finally, given the popularity of wilderness medicine, the presence of a wilderness medicine track may improve recruitment for the residency program. Copyright © 2017 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using AGREE II to Evaluate the Quality of Traditional Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Wei; Li, Le; Wang, Zixia; Chang, Xiaonan; Li, Rui; Fang, Ziye; Wei, Dang; Yao, Liang; Wang, Xiaoqin; Wang, Qi; An, Guanghui

2016-03-15

To evaluate/assess the quality of the Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) of traditional medicine in China. We systematically searched the literature databases WanFang Data, VIP, CNKI and CBM for studies published between 1978 and 2012 to identify and select CPGs of traditional medicine. We used the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument to evaluate these guidelines. A total of 75 guidelines were included, of which 46 guidelines (62%) were on Traditional Chinese Medicine, 19 (25%) on Chinese Integrated Medicine, and 10 (13%) on Uyghur Medicine. Most traditional medicine CPGs published in domestic journals scored medicine. In each domain of AGREE II, traditional Medicine CPGs performed clearly better than international CPGs. The same trend was seen in guidelines of Modern Medicine. An increasing amount of CPGs are being published, but their quality is low. Referring to the key points of international guidelines development, supervision through AGREE II, cooperating with international groups and exploring the strategy of guideline development could improve the quality of CPGs on traditional medicine. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Tobacco use and its predictors among Ethiopian adults: A further ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

A review of prevalence, distribution, and social determinants of ..... Table 8: Distribution of exposure to any tobacco related information through media and other means of advertising ..... UK resident male Yemeni adults: an exploratory study.

Publications | Page 530 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Results 5291 - 5300 of 6341 ... Health and dietary diversity in Yemen : traditional Yemeni rural diets ... production systems and natural resources (NR) management ... the strategic use of ICTs for sustainable human development of the Caribbean.

Publications | Page 503 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Results 5021 - 5030 of 6345 ... Health and dietary diversity in Yemen : traditional Yemeni rural diets ... production systems and natural resources (NR) management ... the strategic use of ICTs for sustainable human development of the Caribbean.

Pediatric hospital medicine core competencies: development and methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Stucky, Erin R; Ottolini, Mary C; Maniscalco, Jennifer

2010-01-01

Pediatric hospital medicine is the most rapidly growing site-based pediatric specialty. There are over 2500 unique members in the three core societies in which pediatric hospitalists are members: the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Academic Pediatric Association (APA) and the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM). Pediatric hospitalists are fulfilling both clinical and system improvement roles within varied hospital systems. Defined expectations and competencies for pediatric hospitalists are needed. In 2005, SHM's Pediatric Core Curriculum Task Force initiated the project and formed the editorial board. Over the subsequent four years, multiple pediatric hospitalists belonging to the AAP, APA, or SHM contributed to the content of and guided the development of the project. Editors and collaborators created a framework for identifying appropriate competency content areas. Content experts from both within and outside of pediatric hospital medicine participated as contributors. A number of selected national organizations and societies provided valuable feedback on chapters. The final product was validated by formal review from the AAP, APA, and SHM. The Pediatric Hospital Medicine Core Competencies were created. They include 54 chapters divided into four sections: Common Clinical Diagnoses and Conditions, Core Skills, Specialized Clinical Services, and Healthcare Systems: Supporting and Advancing Child Health. Each chapter can be used independently of the others. Chapters follow the knowledge, skills, and attitudes educational curriculum format, and have an additional section on systems organization and improvement to reflect the pediatric hospitalist's responsibility to advance systems of care. These competencies provide a foundation for the creation of pediatric hospital medicine curricula and serve to standardize and improve inpatient training practices. (c) 2010 Society of Hospital Medicine.

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 for selective extraction of a highly active anti-oxidant flavonoid from Caragana Jubata.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Yuan-Yuan; Yang, Cheng-Xiong; Yang, Xue-Dong; Yan, Xiu-Ping

2018-04-06

The medicinal compositions or active components in medicinal plants are the major sources to find new drugs or lead compounds. Exploring novel sorbents with good selectivity for extraction and separation of medicinal compositions or active components from complex medicinal plants are interesting and challenging. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) show great potential in adsorption and extraction recently. Herein, we report our primary attempt of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) as a model MOF for selective extraction of a flavonoid named 3,4-dihydroxy-8,9-methylenedioxypterocarpan (compound 1) from a traditional medicinal plant Caragana Jubata. The enrichment factor of ZIF-8 for compound 1 is 57.7. The recoveries of compound 1 at three spiked levels (50, 100, 150 mg L -1 ) in Caragana Jubata dichloromethane extract are 62.1%, 66.4%, and 75.4%, respectively, with the relative standard deviations of less than 2.9%. The compound 1 also gave good linearity (R 2 of 0.999) in the concentration range of 5-1000 mg L -1 . The obtained compound 1 gave highly antioxidant activity (DPPH radical scavenging rate of 79.03%, inhibitory rate on lipid peroxidation of 75.30%, which were higher than the positive controls Vitamin C and BHT) and low IC 50 values (5.438 ± 0.068, 20.970 ± 0.083 μg mL -1 for DPPH radical scavenging activities and inhibitory effects on lipid peroxidation, respectively). These results demonstrated the feasibility of MOFs in selective extraction of medicinal compositions or active components from complex medicinal plants. The current work may open a new way of MOFs in selective extraction of pharmacological active components from medicinal plants. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Examining Critical Thinking Skills in Family Medicine Residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, David; Schipper, Shirley; Westbury, Chris; Linh Banh, Hoan; Loeffler, Kim; Allan, G Michael; Ross, Shelley

2016-02-01

Our objective was to determine the relationship between critical thinking skills and objective measures of academic success in a family medicine residency program. This prospective observational cohort study was set in a large Canadian family medicine residency program. Intervention was the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST), administered at three points in residency: upon entry, at mid-point, and at graduation. Results from the CCTST, Canadian Residency Matching Service file, and interview scores were compared to other measures of academic performance (Medical Colleges Admission Test [MCAT] and College of Family Physicians of Canada [CCFP] certification examination results). For participants (n=60), significant positive correlations were found between critical thinking skills and performance on tests of knowledge. For the MCAT, CCTST scores correlated positively with full scores (n=24, r=0.57) as well as with each section score (verbal reasoning: r=0.59; physical sciences: r=0.64; biological sciences: r=0.54). For CCFP examination, CCTST correlated reliably with both sections (n=49, orals: r=0.34; short answer: r=0.47). Additionally, CCTST was a better predictor of performance on the CCFP exam than was the interview score at selection into the residency program (Fisher's r-to-z test, z=2.25). Success on a critical thinking skills exam was found to predict success on family medicine certification examinations. Given that critical thinking skills appear to be stable throughout residency training, including an assessment of critical thinking in the selection process may help identify applicants more likely to be successful on final certification exam.

The Priority of Intersectionality in Academic Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckstrand, Kristen L; Eliason, Jennifer; St Cloud, Tiffani; Potter, Jennifer

2016-07-01

Recent societal events highlight inequities experienced by underrepresented and marginalized communities. These inequities are the impetus for ongoing efforts in academic medicine to create inclusive educational and patient care environments for diverse stakeholders. Frequently, approaches focus on singular populations or broad macroscopic concepts and do not always elucidate the complexities that arise at the intersection between multiple identities and life experiences. Intersectionality acknowledges multidimensional aspects of identity inclusive of historical, structural, and cultural factors. Understanding how multiple identity experiences impact different individuals, from patients to trainees to providers, is critical for improving health care education and delivery. Building on existing work within academic medicine, this Commentary outlines six key recommendations to advance intersectionality in academic medicine: embrace personal and collective loci of responsibility; examine and rectify unbalanced power dynamics; celebrate visibility and intersectional innovation; engage all stakeholders in the process of change; select and analyze meaningful metrics; and sustain the commitment to achieving health equity over time. Members of the academic medical community committed to advancing health equity can use these recommendations to promote and maintain meaningful changes that recognize and respond to the multidimensional voices and expressed needs of all individuals engaged in providing and receiving health care.

Writing a case report for the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozçakar, Levent; Franchignoni, Franco; Negrini, Stefano; Frontera, Walter

2013-02-01

Case reports (CRs) have led to the description and discovery of new diseases, syndromes, therapeutic complications or side effects, and previously unknown potential benefits of pharmacologic agents. CRs may also be used as an effective training strategy for novice authors to develop the skills needed for medical writing. However, too often, CRs do not follow standards for excellence in scientific writing. Therefore, in this article, the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine collaborate with the purpose of providing guidance to authors in selecting CRs that might be appropriate for publication. In addition, the authors discuss different aspects of the preparation of a well written CR in accordance with the mission and editorial views of both journals.

Ship Sensor Observations for Deep Sea Medicines 2003 - Office of Ocean Exploration

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Hourly measurements made by selected ship sensors on the NOAA ship Ronald H. Brown during the "Deep Sea Medicines 2003: Exploration of the Gulf of Mexico" expedition...

Natural Fostering in Fritillaria cirrhosa: Integrating herbal medicine production with biodiversity conservation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiwen Li

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Protected areas are generally regarded as a power tool to conserve biodiversity. Nonetheless, few protected areas could address three crucial problems simultaneously, namely funding, public participation and rural living. Here, we introduced a new protective approach, Natural Fostering, which integrated herbal medicine production with community conservation. The principles of Natural Fostering adopted species–species interaction at community level. Most effective chemical components of herbal medicine are derived from such interaction. Fritillaria cirrhosa was selected as an economic botany, one of herbal medicines, to carry out Natural Fostering. Community habitats, herbal medicine production, funding and income of local family were investigated to verify the feasibility of Natural Fostering for biodiversity. We found the density of plant populations and the annual average personal income of rural people increased. F. cirrhosa production could provide sufficient funds for sustainable conservation. Local people gradually changed their life style of wild collection and overgrazing, instead of herbal medicine production. The fostering area set up a good sustainable economic cycle. Natural Fostering can be presented as an effective and pragmatic way to conserve biological diversity and sustainable utilization of traditional medicinal resources.

Health risk due to radionuclides in medicinal plants Western Ghats of Karnataka

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laveena, K.B.; Chandra, M.; Kaliprasad, C.S.; Narayana, Y.

2018-01-01

Medicinal plants are unique type of natural product requiring special consideration due to their potential impact on human health. The pharmacological properties of the medicinal plants have been attributed to the presence of active chemical constituents which are responsible for important physiological function in living organisms. According to the International Food Safety Authorities Network, plants used as food commonly have 40 K, 232 Th and 238 U and their progenies. It is expected that similarities would be found in plants used for medicinal purposes since plants are the primary pathway of natural radionuclides entering into the human body through the food chain. In many developing countries, pollution is the main causes for the contamination of vegetation with heavy metals, pesticides, or radioactivity. Therefore the medical properties and effectiveness of medicinal plants depend on environmental conditions, which also have a direct influence on their growth in the place of their occurrence and cultivation. So the objective of my study is to study the concentration of radionuclides present in selected medicinal plants and to assess the radiological risk associated with the use of these medicinal plants which has great significance

Integrative medicine is a future medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samosyuk, I.Z.; Chukhraev, N.V.

2001-01-01

An analysis is given of the modern integrative medicine basis which is the synthesis of: 1. Theology, philosophy and sociology; 2. Physico-mathematical sciences, cybernetics, chemistry and astrology; 3. Medico-biological and clinical experience; 4. Traditional and scientific medicine; 5. Use of traditional and new medical technologies. Problems of 'holistic' medicine which considers Man as a unity of biological, emotional, psychological and social phenomena are exposed. Advantages in combining the drug therapy with modern physiotherapy and physioacupuncture methods seem to be obvious. All visible effects of a disease can de represented in the following forms of changes: information-energy - biochemical - ultrastructure - tissue - clinical diseases. Self-regulation of functional systems has a multilevel structure and needs application of different methods for body recovery. Short-wave irradiation (lasers, magnetotherapy) can be used for energy restoration in functional systems or meridians, and acupuncture plays the role of a 'trigger' which activises the body recovery. Integration of Western and Oriental medicines is the way for achieving the qualitative new level of health protection

Medicinal applications of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and marijuana.

Science.gov (United States)

Voth, E A; Schwartz, R H

1997-05-15

The use of crude marijuana for herbal medicinal applications is now being widely discussed in both the medical and lay literature. Ballot initiatives in California and Arizona have recently made crude marijuana accessible to patients under certain circumstances. As medicinal applications of pure forms of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and crude marijuana are being considered, the most promising uses of any form of THC are to counteract the nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy and to stimulate appetite. We evaluated the relevant research published between 1975 and 1996 on the medical applications, physical complications, and legal precedents for the use of pure THC or crude marijuana. Our review focused on the medical use of THC derivatives for nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy, glaucoma, stimulation of appetite, and spinal cord spasticity. Despite the toxicity of THC delivered in any form, evidence supports the selective use of pure THC preparations to treat nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy and to stimulate appetite. The evidence does not support the reclassification of crude marijuana as a prescribable medicine.

Integrated Development of Chinese Herbal Medicine Planting and Tourist Commodities: A Case Study of Green Handmade Soap Development in Shandong Province

OpenAIRE

LI, Xiu; CHEN, Mengxuan; SONG, Xiaoli

2015-01-01

Combining current situations of Chinese herbal medicine planting industry in Shandong, in line with existing problems of Chinese herbal medicine planting industry, this paper analyzed development prospect of tourist commodity industry in Shandong Province, and came up with actual selection and recommendations for integrated development of Chinese herbal medicine planting and tourist commodities.

Effect of Health Care Professionals' Continuing Education ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of educational intervention by health care providers on clinical outcomes in type 2 diabetes patients in a Yemeni health facility. Methods: A .... compliance, exercise and diets recommended for diabetes patients.

Folk Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

... lead’s effects on health. How to tell if herbal medicines or folk medicines contain lead You only can ... as high as 90%. Ghasard, an Indian folk medicine, has also been found to contain lead. It is a brown powder used as a tonic. Ba-baw-san is a Chinese herbal remedy that contains lead. It is used to ...

Traditional medicine in Sakarya province (Turkey) and antimicrobial activities of selected species.

Science.gov (United States)

Uzun, Ergin; Sariyar, Günay; Adsersen, Anne; Karakoc, Berna; Otük, Gülten; Oktayoglu, Ercan; Pirildar, Sevda

2004-12-01

Traditional medicine in North-West of Turkey (Sakarya province) were studied during a 2 months field study by interviewing local informants from several villages. Plant species used to treat infections were tested for antimicrobial activity. Information was collected for 46 plant species from 30 families and for 5 animal species. Twenty four of the plant species were cultivated. Most used families were Asteraceae, Cucurbitaceae, Lamiaceae and Rosaceae and the most used plants were Artemisia absinthium, Equisetum telmateia, Lavandula stoechas, Melissa officinalis, Tussilago farfara and Urtica dioica. A total of 139 medicinal uses were obtained. Plants are used mainly for infectious diseases (18%), for neurological and psychological disorders (13.7%), cardiovascular disorders (13%), skin disorders (12.2%) and respiratory disorders (10.1%). Extracts were tested in vitro for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 65538, Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228, Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Klebsiella pneumonia ATCC 4352, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 1539, Salmonella typhi, Shigella flexneri, Proteus mirabilis and Candida albicans ATCC 10231, using microbroth dilution technique according to National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). This research showed that Arum maculatum, Datura stramonium, Geranium asphodeloides and Equisetum telmateia petroleum ether extracts had MIC values of 39.1 microg/ml, 78.1 microg/ml, 78.1 microg/ml and 39.1 microg/ml, respectively against Staphylococcus epidermidis. Datura stramonium petroleum ether extract had a MIC value of 39.1 microg/ml against Escherichia coli and Trachystemon orientalis ethanol extract had a MIC value of 39.1 microg/ml against Escherichia coli. The antimicrobial activity of Arum maculatum, Equisetum telmateia, Geranium asphodeloides, Plantago intermedia, Senecio vulgaris and Trachystemon orientalis has been reported here for the first time.

[Holistic integrative medicine: the road to the future of the development of burn medicine].

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, D M

2017-01-20

Holistic integrative medicine is the road to the future of the development of burn medicine. Not only burn medicine, but also human medicine gradually enters the era of holistic integrative medicine. Holistic integrative medicine is different from translational medicine, evidence-based medicine or precision medicine, which integrates the most advanced knowledge and theories in medicine fields with the most effective practices and experiences in clinical specialties to form a new medical system.

The practice of internal medicine in Europe: organisation, clinical conditions and procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Cranston, Mark; Semple, Colin; Duckitt, Roger; Vardi, Moshe; Lindgren, Stefan; Davidson, Christopher; Palsson, Runolfur

2013-10-01

Current information on the role of internists in the European countries is scarce. This report describes the results of a survey of the practice of internists in Europe. Two online questionnaire-based surveys were carried out by the European Board of Internal Medicine, one on the practice of internists and the other on postgraduate training in internal medicine. The national internal medicine societies of all 30 member countries of the European Federation of Internal Medicine were invited to participate. The responses were reviewed by internal medicine trainees from the respective countries and summaries of the data were sent to the national societies for approval. Descriptive analysis of the data on the practice of internists was carried out. Twenty-seven countries (90%) completed the questionnaire and approved their datasets. In 8 European countries, most internists practised internal medicine alone and in 7 countries at least half of physicians practised internal medicine together with a subspecialty. Internal medicine was considered a hospital-based specialty in most countries. The majority of selected presenting problems and diagnoses were rated as commonly encountered in all countries. More variability between countries was observed in the performance of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Many similarities exist in the practice of internal medicine between the European countries, while some differences are present that likely reflect the variable impact of subspecialisation. The results of the survey should prove valuable for the definition of specific competencies and development of a common curriculum for internal medicine at the European level. © 2013.

Nuclear medicine methods in the assessment of acupuncture effects: a short review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Souza, Deise Elisabete; Rebello, Bernardo Machado; Agostinho, Raquel Terra; Silva Filho, Reginaldo de Carvalho; Bernardo-Filho, Mario

2007-01-01

The mechanisms of acupuncture are poorly understood. In consequence, numerous investigators have conducted clinical trials to test the efficacy of acupuncture in various conditions. We have used PubMed database system to evaluate the number of publications in acupuncture and nuclear medicine procedures in the period from 1964 to 2007, using the keywords: 'nuclear medicine and acupuncture', 'SPECT and acupuncture, 'PET and acupuncture', 'scintigraphy and acupuncture, 'radionuclide and acupuncture', 'radiopharmaceutical and acupuncture', 'radioisotope and acupuncture' and 99m Tc and acupuncture'. Some papers published in English language were selected and a short review is presented The analysis of the number of publications shows that when a method is well accepted by the scientific community, as the methods used in nuclear medicine, the interest in the development of research increases. Moreover, important findings are presented when the nuclear medicine image is used to evaluate the effect of the acupuncture. (author)

United States National Library of Medicine Drug Information Portal.

Science.gov (United States)

Hochstein, Colette; Goshorn, Jeanne; Chang, Florence

2009-01-01

The Drug Information Portal is a free Web resource from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) that provides a user-friendly gateway to current information for more than 15,000 drugs. The site guides users to related resources of NLM, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies. Current drug-related information regarding consumer health, clinical trials, AIDS, MeSH pharmacological actions, MEDLINE/PubMed biomedical literature, and physical properties and structure is easily retrieved by searching on a drug name. A varied selection of focused topics in medicine and drugs is also available from displayed subject headings. This column provides background information about the Drug Information Portal, as well as search basics.

Different perceptions of narrative medicine between Western and Chinese medicine students.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chien-Da; Liao, Kuo-Chen; Chung, Fu-Tsai; Tseng, Hsu-Min; Fang, Ji-Tseng; Lii, Shu-Chung; Kuo, Han-Pin; Yeh, San-Jou; Lee, Shih-Tseng

2017-05-10

Western medicine is an evidence-based science, whereas Chinese medicine is more of a healing art. To date, there has been no research that has examined whether students of Western and Chinese medicine differentially engage in, or benefit from, educational activities for narrative medicine. This study fills a gap in current literature with the aim of evaluating and comparing Western and Chinese Medicine students' perceptions of narrative medicine as an approach to learning empathy and professionalism. An initial 10-item questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale was developed to assess fifth-year Western medical (MS) and traditional Chinese medical (TCMS) students' perceptions of a 4-activity narrative medicine program during a 13-week internal medicine clerkship. Exploratory factor analysis was undertaken. The response rate was 88.6% (412/465), including 270 (65.5%) MSs and 142 (34.5%) TCMSs, with a large reliability (Cronbach alpha = 0.934). Three factors were extracted from 9 items: personal attitude, self-development/reflection, and emotional benefit, more favorable in terms of enhancement of self-development/reflection. The perceptions of narrative medicine by scores between the two groups were significantly higher in TCMSs than MSs in all 9-item questionnaire and 3 extracted factors. Given the different learning cultures of medical education in which these student groups engage, this suggests that undertaking a course in Chinese medicine might enhance one's acceptance to, and benefit from, a medical humanities course. Alternatively, Chinese medicine programmes might attract more humanities-focused students.

Development of a novel sports medicine rotation for emergency medicine residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Waterbrook, Anna L; Pritchard, T Gail; Lane, Allison D; Stoneking, Lisa R; Koch, Bryna; McAtee, Robert; Grall, Kristi H; Min, Alice A; Prior, Jessica; Farrell, Isaac; McNulty, Holly G; Stolz, Uwe

2016-01-01

Musculoskeletal complaints are the most common reason for patients to visit a physician, yet competency in musculoskeletal medicine is invariably reported as a deficiency in medical education in the USA. Sports medicine clinical rotations improve both medical students' and residents' musculoskeletal knowledge. Despite the importance of this knowledge, a standardized sports medicine curriculum in emergency medicine (EM) does not exist. Hence, we developed a novel sports medicine rotation for EM residents to improve their musculoskeletal educational experience and to improve their knowledge in musculoskeletal medicine by teaching the evaluation and management of many common musculoskeletal disorders and injuries that are encountered in the emergency department. The University of Arizona has two distinct EM residency programs, South Campus (SC) and University Campus (UC). The UC curriculum includes a traditional 4-week orthopedic rotation, which consistently rated poorly on evaluations by residents. Therefore, with the initiation of a new EM residency at SC, we replaced the standard orthopedic rotation with a novel sports medicine rotation for EM interns. This rotation includes attendance at sports medicine clinics with primary care and orthopedic sports medicine physicians, involvement in sport event coverage, assigned reading materials, didactic experiences, and an on-call schedule to assist with reductions in the emergency department. We analyzed postrotation surveys completed by residents, postrotation evaluations of the residents completed by primary care sports medicine faculty and orthopedic chief residents, as well as the total number of dislocation reductions performed by each graduating resident at both programs over the last 5 years. While all residents in both programs exceeded the ten dislocation reductions required for graduation, residents on the sports medicine rotation had a statistically significant higher rate of satisfaction of their educational

Expert system for skin problem consultation in Thai traditional medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Nopparatkiat, Pornchai; na Nagara, Byaporn; Chansa-ngavej, Chuvej

2014-01-01

This paper aimed to demonstrate the research and development of a rule-based expert system for skin problem consulting in the areas of acne, melasma, freckle, wrinkle, and uneven skin tone, with recommended treatments from Thai traditional medicine knowledge. The tool selected for developing the expert system is a software program written in the PHP language. MySQL database is used to work together with PHP for building database of the expert system. The system is web-based and can be reached from anywhere with Internet access. The developed expert system gave recommendations on the skin problem treatment with Thai herbal recipes and Thai herbal cosmetics based on 416 rules derived from primary and secondary sources. The system had been tested by 50 users consisting of dermatologists, Thai traditional medicine doctors, and general users. The developed system was considered good for learning and consultation. The present work showed how such a scattered body of traditional knowledge as Thai traditional medicine and herbal recipes could be collected, organised and made accessible to users and interested parties. The expert system developed herein should contribute in a meaningful way towards preserving the knowledge and helping promote the use of Thai traditional medicine as a practical alternative medicine for the treatment of illnesses.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Residents of Wayu Town, Western Ethiopia

Science.gov (United States)

Belachew, Negash; Tadesse, Tarekegne

2017-01-01

Complementary and alternative medicine covers a wide variety of therapies and practices, which vary from country to country and region to region. The study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of complementary and alternative medicine among the residents of Wayu town, Western Ethiopia. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 302 residents. A systematic sampling was used to select households. Data were entered in SPSS (version 20; IBM Corp) and descriptive statistics was carried out. Of 302 participants, 51.65% have a good knowledge, 78.6% were aware of complementary and alternative medicine, and 74.22% used it in the past 2 years. A total of 23.83% believe that complementary and alternative medicine is more effective than modern medicine and 28.8% preferred complementary and alternative medicine to modern medicine. This study revealed that in Wayu town, there is relatively high public interest in complementary and alternative medicine practices and a significant number has a good knowledge but generally the attitude toward complementary and alternative medicine is relatively low. PMID:29250965

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Residents of Wayu Town, Western Ethiopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Belachew, Negash; Tadesse, Tarekegne; Gube, Addisu Alemayehu

2017-10-01

Complementary and alternative medicine covers a wide variety of therapies and practices, which vary from country to country and region to region. The study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of complementary and alternative medicine among the residents of Wayu town, Western Ethiopia. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 302 residents. A systematic sampling was used to select households. Data were entered in SPSS (version 20; IBM Corp) and descriptive statistics was carried out. Of 302 participants, 51.65% have a good knowledge, 78.6% were aware of complementary and alternative medicine, and 74.22% used it in the past 2 years. A total of 23.83% believe that complementary and alternative medicine is more effective than modern medicine and 28.8% preferred complementary and alternative medicine to modern medicine. This study revealed that in Wayu town, there is relatively high public interest in complementary and alternative medicine practices and a significant number has a good knowledge but generally the attitude toward complementary and alternative medicine is relatively low.

Assessment of general public perceptions toward traditional medicines used for aphrodisiac purpose in state of Penang, Malaysia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hassali, Mohamed Azmi; Saleem, Fahad; Shafie, Asrul Akmal; Al-Qazaz, Harith Khalid; Farooqui, Maryam; Aljadhey, Hisham; Atif, Muhammad; Masood, Imran

2012-11-01

The study aims to evaluate general public perceptions regarding the use of Traditional and Complementary Medicines (TCM) for aphrodisiac purposes. A questionnaire based, cross-sectional study was undertaken. Respondents were selected in the state of Penang, Malaysia. A total of 392 respondents were included in the study. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Chi Square/Fischer Exact tests were used where appropriate. Out of 392 respondents, 150 (38.26%) reported using specific Traditional medicines for aphrodisiac purposes. Most respondents (46.94%) agreed that aphrodisiac medicines were easily available t. Moreover, 40.31% of the respondents reported that traditional aphrodisiac medicines were cheaper than modern (prescription) medicines. This study highlights limited public knowledge regarding the use of traditional aphrodisiac medicine. Healthcare professionals should be aware of informal TCM usage when prescribing allopathic medicines. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Children's (Pediatric) Nuclear Medicine

Science.gov (United States)

... Professions Site Index A-Z Children's (Pediatric) Nuclear Medicine Children’s (pediatric) nuclear medicine imaging uses small amounts ... Children's Nuclear Medicine? What is Children's (Pediatric) Nuclear Medicine? Nuclear medicine is a branch of medical imaging ...

Global Emergency Medicine: A Review of the Literature From 2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Torben K; Hansoti, Bhakti; Bartels, Susan; Hayward, Alison Schroth; Hexom, Braden J; Lunney, Kevin M; Marsh, Regan H; Osei-Ampofo, Maxwell; Trehan, Indi; Chang, Julia; Levine, Adam C

2017-09-01

The Global Emergency Medicine Literature Review (GEMLR) conducts an annual search of peer-reviewed and gray literature relevant to global emergency medicine (EM) to identify, review, and disseminate the most important new research in this field to a global audience of academics and clinical practitioners. This year 13,890 articles written in four languages were identified by our search. These articles were distributed among 20 reviewers for initial screening based on their relevance to the field of global EM. An additional two reviewers searched the gray literature. All articles that were deemed appropriate by at least one reviewer and approved by their editor underwent formal scoring of overall quality and importance. Two independent reviewers scored all articles. A total of 716 articles met our inclusion criteria and underwent full review. Fifty-nine percent were categorized as emergency care in resource-limited settings, 17% as EM development, and 24% as disaster and humanitarian response. Nineteen articles received scores of 18.5 or higher out of a maximum score of 20 and were selected for formal summary and critique. Inter-rater reliability testing between reviewers revealed Cohen's kappa of 0.441. In 2016, the total number of articles identified by our search continued to increase. The proportion of articles in each of the three categories remained stable. Studies and reviews with a focus on infectious diseases, pediatrics, and the use of ultrasound in resource-limited settings represented the majority of articles selected for final review. © 2017 The Authors. Academic Emergency Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM).

Traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine: Focusing on research into traditional Tibetan medicine in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Peipei; Xia, Jufeng; Rezeng, Caidan; Tong, Li; Tang, Wei

2016-07-19

As a form of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine (TCAM), traditional Tibetan medicine has developed into a mainstay of medical care in Tibet and has spread from there to China and then to the rest of the world. Thus far, research on traditional Tibetan medicine has focused on the study of the plant and animal sources of traditional medicines, study of the histology of those plants and animals, chemical analysis of traditional medicines, pharmacological study of those medicines, and evaluation of the clinical efficacy of those medicines. A number of papers on traditional Tibetan medicines have been published, providing some evidence of the efficacy of traditional Tibetan medicine. However, many traditional Tibetan medicines have unknown active ingredients, hampering the establishment of drug quality standards, the development of new medicines, commercial production of medicines, and market availability of those medicines. Traditional Tibetan medicine must take several steps to modernize and spread to the rest of the world: the pharmacodynamics of traditional Tibetan medicines need to be determined, the clinical efficacy of those medicines needs to be verified, criteria to evaluate the efficacy of those medicines need to be established in order to guide their clinical use, and efficacious medicines need to be acknowledged by the pharmaceutical market. The components of traditional Tibetan medicine should be studied, traditional Tibetan medicines should be screened for their active ingredients, and techniques should be devised to prepare and manufacture those medicines.

Teaching evidence based medicine in family medicine

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Davorka Vrdoljak

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The concept of evidence based medicine (EBM as the integrationof clinical expertise, patient values and the best evidence was introduced by David Sackett in the 1980’s. Scientific literature in medicine is often marked by expansion, acummulation and quick expiration. Reading all important articles to keep in touch with relevant information is impossible. Finding the best evidence that answers a clinical question in general practice (GP in a short time is not easy. Five useful steps are described –represented by the acronym “5A+E”: assess, ask, acquire, appraise, apply and evaluate.The habit of conducting an evidence search “on the spot’’ is proposed. Although students of medicine at University of Split School of Medicine are taught EBM from the first day of their study and in all courses, their experience of evidence-searching and critical appraisal of the evidence, in real time with real patient is inadequate. Teaching the final-year students the practical use of EBM in a GP’s office is different and can have an important role in their professional development. It can positively impact on quality of their future work in family practice (or some other medical specialty by acquiring this habit of constant evidence-checking to ensure that best practice becomes a mechanism for life-long learning. Conclusion. EBM is a foundation stone of every branch of medicine and important part of Family Medicine as scientific and professional discipline. To have an EB answer resulting from GP’s everyday work is becoming a part of everyday practice.

Monographs for medicines on WHO's Model List of Essential Medicines.

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