Condensing the Realization of the Spiritual Teacher (Bla ma dgongs ‘dus) is a collection of Nyingma treasure revelations. It was revealed by Sangyé Lingpa in 1364. This edition was reproduced from Düjom Rinpoché's set of xylographic prints. The blocks from which the tracings were made were probably carved at Gajé (Sga rje) monastery in Khams.
<p>Condensing the Realization of the Spiritual Teacher (Bla ma dgongs ‘dus) is a collection of Nyingma treasure revelations. It was revealed by Sangyé Lingpa in 1364. This edition was reproduced from Düjom Rinpoché's set of xylographic prints. The blocks from which the tracings were made were probably carved at Gajé (Sga rje) monastery in Khams.</p>
Zhuxi is a mineral medicine widely used in traditional Tibetan medicine throughout history. However, the bioactive component in Zhuxi still remains unclear. In order to enunciate the material basis of its pharmacological activity, the present research has determined the chemical component and structure of Zhuxi. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were utilized to assay two samples of Zhuxi. XRF and ICP-OES analysis indicated that the main elements in Zhuxi are Fe, S and O, also containing some minor elements, such as Si, Na, Mg, Al, K, Ni, Ca, Ti and so on. XRD analysis suggested that the main crystal compound in Zhuxi is FeS2 (Cubic, Pa-3), also existing a few of Fe(+3)O(OH) (orthorhombic, Pbnm) and other some unknown compounds. These studies has highlighted the potential the element components and compound structures of Zhuxi, so it may be a good starting point for exploring the material basis of its pharmacological activity.
In order to reveal the chemical substance basis of pharmacodynamic effects of Zuotai, energy dispersive spectrometry of X-ray (EDX), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), synchrotron radiation X-ray absorption fine structure (SR-XAFS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) were used to analyze the elements, the chemical valence and local structure of mercury, and the chemical phase composition and micro-morphology of Zuotai. EDX and XRF analysis shows that the main elements in Zuotai are Hg and S, with some other minor elements, such as 0, Fe, Al, Cu, K, Ag, Ca, Mg etc. SR-XAFS analysis shows that: the oxidation state of mercury in Zuotai is divalence, its neighbor atoms are S, and its coordination number is four. XRD assay found that β-HgS (cubic, F-43m 216) and S8 (orthorhombic, Fddd 70) are the main phase compositions in Zuotai. Besides, it also has a small amount of C (hexagonal, P63/mmc 194), Fel.05 S0.95 (hexagonal, P63/mmc 194), Cu6S6 (hexagonal, P63/mmc 194), Cu1.8 S (cubic, F-43m 216) and so on. And it was found that the crystallinity of Zuotai is about 59%, and the amorphous morphology substance in it is about 41%. SEM and AFM detection suggests that Zuotai is a kind of ancient micro-nano drug, and its particle size is mainly in the range of 100-600 nm, even less than 100 nm, which commonly further aggregate into several to 30 µm loose amorphous particles. In summary, the present study elucidated physicochemical characterization(elements composition, coordination information of mercury, phase composition and micro-morphology) of Zuotai, and it will play a positive role in promoting the interpretation of this mysterious drug.;
BACKGROUND:Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been widely used to treat patients with depressive disorder to prevent relapse. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of newly developed MBCT program as an adjuvant to pharmacotherapy in the treatment of patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder.
METHODS:
Forty-six patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder were assigned to either MBCT or an anxiety disorder education (ADE) program for a period of 8 weeks. The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) were used to assess the patients at 0 week and after the two programs had been running for 2, 4, and 8 weeks.
RESULTS:
The MBCT group demonstrated significantly more improvement than the ADE group according to all anxiety (HAM-A, p<0.01; BAI, p<0.01; anxiety subscale of SCL-90-R, p=0.01) and depression (HAM-D, p<0.01; BDI, p<0.01; depression subscale of SCL-90-R, p<0.01) scale scores. The obsessive-compulsive and phobic subscales of the SCL-90-R also showed significantly more improvement in the MBCT group. However, no significant improvement was observed in the MBCT group versus the ADE group in terms of the somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideation, or psychoticism subscale scores of the SCL-90-R.
CONCLUSIONS:
MBCT may be effective at relieving anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. However, well-designed, randomized controlled trials are needed.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been studied to treat patients with depressive or anxiety disorders. The aim of this study was to examine whether MBCT is effective as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy in the treatment of patients with panic disorder. Twenty-three patients with panic disorder were included in a MBCT program for a period of 8 weeks. The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised (ASI-R), Albany Panic and Phobia Questionnaire (APPQ), and Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) were used to assess the patients during the MBCT program. Both HAM-A and PDSS scores were significantly decreased at the 2nd, 4th and 8th weeks compared to baseline in the patients with panic disorder (HAM-A, p<0.01; PDSS, p<0.01). Also, BAI, APPQ and ASI-R were improved significantly after MBCT program (BAI, p<0.01; APPQ, p<0.01; ASI-R, p<0.01). In addition, all subscale scores of ASI-R decreased significantly. MBCT could be effective as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy in patients with panic disorder. However, randomized controlled trials are needed.
Background. Exercise is a promising approach in ameliorating the fatigue associated with cancer and its treatment. Design. A randomized design with control, experimental groups being assessed preand postintervention.Methods. Thirty-five patients were randomly selected, with 18 assigned to an exercise group and 17 to a control group. The exercise intervention lasted for 30 minutes every day for six weeks. It consisted of physical exercise combined with relaxation breathing exercise. Fatigue was measured by the revised version of the Piper Fatigue Scale.
Results. The exercise group had a greater decrease in fatigue than the control group.
Conclusion. These findings indicate that a relaxation breathing exercise would improve fatigue in allogenic haemopoietic stem cell transplantation patients.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of yogic exercise on nonspecific neck pain in university students.METHODS: This study is a pretest-posttest design with a non-equivalent control group. Thirty-eight university students were selected by convenience sampling, with 18 assigned to an exercise group and 20 assigned to a control group. The yoga group participated in one-hour sessions of yogic exercise two days a week for eight weeks. The exercise comprised eight stages: relaxation, flexion of neck, extension of neck, right lateral flexion of neck, left lateral flexion of neck, right rotation of neck, left rotation of neck, and relaxation. Neck pain intensity was measured using a 100 mm visual analogue scale.
RESULTS: The yoga group showed significantly decreased neck pain scores compared with those of the control group.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that yogic exercises could reduce neck pain in university students.
PurposeAlthough the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for panic disorder (PD) has been studied previously, data on the predictors of treatment outcomes in MBCT for PD are scarce.
Materials and Methods
Eighty patients with PD were screened to analyze treatment outcomes such as MBCT completion, treatment response, and remission after undergoing MBCT for PD. Sociodemographic characteristics, comorbid personality disorders, and baseline medication doses were examined. The study administered the Panic Disorder Severity Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Anxiety Sensitivity Inventory-Revised to patients at baseline and at eight weeks.
Results
Sixty-five participants were enrolled in the present study. Comorbid personality disorder was significantly associated with MBCT non-completion. We found that anxiety sensitivity (AS) improvement after an eight week MBCT program was a statistically significant factor associated with treatment response. Using logistic regression analysis, AS improvement after MBCT showed significant association with PD remission after MBCT.
Conclusion
Comorbid personality disorders of participants could be a potential predictor of MBCT non-completion. Furthermore, AS improvement after MBCT may predict treatment response and remission after MBCT for PD. However, better designed studies with a larger number of patients are needed to confirm our findings.
The changes of the immune function of rheumatoid arthritis before and after the Tibetan medicated-bath was observed. It showed a higher level of the rheumatoid factor (RF) titre, immunoglobulin (Ig) G, M, A and CD4 cells, but the CD8 cells was obviously lower before the treatment. Clinical data indicated that the medicated-bath had significant effective rate. In order to elucidate the mechanism of the medicated-bath upon rheumatoid arthritis the RF titre, Ig level, complement C3, 3H-TdR incorporated with lymphocytes transformation and CD3, CD4, CD8 cell level were assayed. Results showed that RF titre decreased after the bath and the negative transforming rate reached 70.6%, Ig level obviously dropped as well as the number of CD4 cells while CD8 cell level increased. The transforming stimulation index of lymphocyte cells obviously decreased. All of the above mentioned showed that there was a higher concentration of the enhancing factor of interleukin-2 (IL2-EF) involved in lymphocyte culture of rheumatoid arthritis patients. They suggested that the Tibetan medicated-bath had an immunomodulating effect on rheumatoid arthritis patients through increasing the level of CD8 cells and reducing CD4 cells.
ObjectiveIntolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a transdiagnostic construct in various anxiety and depressive disorders. However, the relationship between IU and panic symptom severity is not yet fully understood. We examined the relationship between IU, panic, and depressive symptoms during mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in patients with panic disorder.
Methods
We screened 83 patients with panic disorder and subsequently enrolled 69 of them in the present study. Patients participating in MBCT for panic disorder were evaluated at baseline and at 8 weeks using the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS), Panic Disorder Severity Scale-Self Report (PDSS-SR), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).
Results
There was a significant decrease in scores on the IUS (p<0.001), PDSS (p<0.001), and BDI (p<0.001) following MBCT for panic disorder. Pre-treatment IUS scores significantly correlated with pre-treatment PDSS (p=0.003) and BDI (p=0.003) scores. We also found a significant association between the reduction in IU and PDSS after controlling for the reduction in the BDI score (p<0.001).
Conclusion
IU may play a critical role in the diagnosis and treatment of panic disorder. MBCT is effective in lowering IU in patients with panic disorder.
Ethnopharmacological relevanceFrankincense oil and water extracts (FOE, FWE) have long been used for external treatment of inflammation and pain. The present study was conducted to identify the active ingredients responsible for the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects and to determine the underlying mechanisms.
Materials and methods
The compositions of FOE and FWE were identified and compared by GC–MS. The anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the two extracts and their possible active ingredients (α-pinene, linalool, and 1-octanol) were evaluated and compared in a xylene-induced ear edema model and a formalin-inflamed hind paw model. Inflammatory infiltrates and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in hind paw skin were investigated by histological staining.
Results
The contents of α-pinene, linalool, and 1-octanol in FOE were much higher than those in FWE. Mice treated with FOE exhibited greater and faster lessening of swelling and pain than mice treated with FWE. The combination of the three components had more potent pharmacological effects on hind paw inflammation and COX-2 overexpression than the three components used alone.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that topical application of FOE or its active ingredients (including α-pinene, linalool, and 1-octanol) exhibit significantly anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects through inhibiting nociceptive stimulus-induced inflammatory infiltrates and COX-2 overexpression.
As indicated by Chinese letters “沙赫” (sha-ji) is the ripe fruit of Seabuckthron(Hippophae rhamnoides Linneus) family Flaeagnaceae is one of ancient natural medicine used by the Tibetan and Mongolian nationallites with ancient methods to treat desease. It is an effectiv Traditional Tibetan medicine. Bud only now are they beginning to be understood in the world of modern medicine. Hippophae was written in the book of Traditional Tibetan Medicine - “Somalaza” (8th century), “Sibuyidian” (1840) and “Jingzhubencao” (Qing Dynasty). The “Sibuyidien” was trnslated in to the Russian and published at 1903 in the Russian. Then the Russian bigan to study on Hippophae and they have achieved great successes. The Chinese scientists began to study on the chemical constituent and medical action with modern technique at 1952. With more than 40 years painstaking eport they have conceived and used a wide variety of experimental screening systems, achieved successes. Finally they with one's own tests has keen verified that the crude drug being various kind of bioactive substance could inhibits tumor, increase immunity, wipe out free radical, prevent disease of cardiovascular system, have anti-radiation, anti-inflammeutory effects. At 1977 the Hippophae rhamnoides was written in Chinase Pharmacopoeia.
As indicated by Chinese letters "沙赫"(sha-ji) is the ripe fruit of Seabuckthron (Hippophae rhamnoides Linneus) Family Flaeagnaceae is one of ancient natural medicine used by the Tibetan and Mongolian nationallites with ancient methods to treat desease. It is an effectiv Traditional Tibetan medicine. Bud only now are they beginning to be understood in the world of modern medicine. Hippophae was written in the book of Traditional Tibetan Medicine - "Somalaza"(8th century), "Sibuyidian"(1840) and "Jingzhubencao"(Qing Dynasty). The "Sibuyidien" was trnslated in to the Russian and published at 1903 in the Russian. Then the Russian bigan to study on Hippophae and they have achieved great successes. The Chinese scientists began to study on the chemical constituent and medical action with modern technique at 1952. With more than 40 years painstaking eport they have conceived and used a wide variety of experimental screening systems, achieved successes. Finally they with one's own tests has heen verified that the crude drug being various kind of bioactive substance could inhibits tumor, increase immunity, wipe out free radical, prevent disease of cardiovascular system, have anti-radiation, anti-inflammeutory effects. At 1977 the Hippophae rhamnoides was written in Chinase Pharmacopoeia.
Objective: The aim of the study was to determine whether mindfulness-based stretching and deep breathing exercise (MBX) normalizes cortisol levels and reduces PTSD symptom severity among individuals with subclinical features of PTSD. Design and Setting: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center. Participants: Twenty-nine nurses (28 female) aged 45– 66 years participated in the study. Intervention: Sixty-minute MBX sessions were conducted semiweekly for 8 weeks. Main Outcome Measures: Serum cortisol was measured, and the PTSD Checklist–Civilian version (PCL-C) was performed at baseline and weeks 4, 8, and 16.Results: Twenty-nine participants completed the study procedures, 22 (79%) with PTSD symptoms (MBX, n ϭ 11; control, n ϭ 11), and 7 (21%) without PTSD (BASE group). Eight-week outcomes for the MBX group were superior to those for the control group (mean difference for PCL-C scores, Ϫ13.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], Ϫ25.6, Ϫ1.6; P ϭ .01; mean difference for serum cortisol, 5.8; 95% CI, 0.83, 10.8; P ϭ .01). No significant differences were identified between groups in any other items. The changes in the MBX group were maintained at the 16-week follow-up (P ϭ .85 for PCL-C; P ϭ .21 for cortisol). Our data show that improved PTSD scores were associated with normalization of cortisol levels (P Ͻ .05).
Conclusions: The results suggest that MBX appears to reduce the prevalence of PTSD-like symptoms in individuals exhibiting subclinical features of PTSD. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 98: 2984 –2992, 2013)
<p>The Lamp for the Eye in Meditation (Bsam gtan mig sgron) is a treatise on meditative cultivation (bhāvana) and concentration (dhyāna) and the relationships between the various approaches to Buddhist contemplative practice. It was written by Nupchen Sangyé Yéshé in the 9th century. This edition was reproduced from a manuscript likely made from an eastern Tibetan block print by Khordong Tertrül Chimé Rindzin ('Khor gdong gter sprul 'chi med rig 'dzin).</p>
The Lamp for the Eye in Meditation (Bsam gtan mig sgron) is a treatise on meditative cultivation (bhāvana) and concentration (dhyāna) and the relationships between the various approaches to Buddhist contemplative practice. It was written by Nupchen Sangyé Yéshé in the 9th century. This edition was reproduced from a manuscript likely made from an eastern Tibetan block print by Khordong Tertrül Chimé Rindzin ('Khor gdong gter sprul 'chi med rig 'dzin).
: The objective of this study was to examine the usefulness of a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for treating insomnia symptoms in patients with anxiety disorder. Nineteen patients with anxiety disorder were assigned to an 8-week MBCT clinical trial. Participants showed significant improvement in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (Z = -3.46, p = 0.00), Penn State WorryQuestionnaire (Z = 3.83, p = 0.00), Ruminative Response Scale (Z = 3.83, p = 0.00), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (Z = 3.73, p = 0.00), and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores (Z =
3.06, p = 0.00) at the end of the 8-week program as compared with baseline. Multiple regression analysis showed that baseline Penn State Worry Questionnaire scores were associated with baseline Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores. These findings suggest that MBCT can be effective at relieving insomnia symptoms by reducing worry associated sleep disturbances in patients with anxiety disorder. However, well-designed, randomized, controlled trials are needed to confirm our findings.
BACKGROUND:Anxiety sensitivity (AS) refers to a fear of anxiety-related sensations and is a dispositional variable especially elevated in patients with panic disorder (PD). Although several functional imaging studies of AS in patients with PD have suggested the presence of altered neural activity in paralimbic areas such as the insula, no study has investigated white matter (WM) alterations in patients with PD in relation to AS. The objective of this study was to investigate the WM correlates of AS in patients with PD.
METHODS:
One-hundred and twelve right-handed patients with PD and 48 healthy control (HC) subjects were enrolled in this study. The Anxiety Sensitivity Inventory-Revised (ASI-R), the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), the Albany Panic and Phobia Questionnaire (APPQ), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered. Tract-based spatial statistics were used for diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging analysis.
RESULTS:
Among the patients with PD, the ASI-R total scores were significantly correlated with the fractional anisotropy values of the WM regions near the insula, the splenium of the corpus callosum, the tapetum, the fornix/stria terminalis, the posterior limb of the internal capsule, the retrolenticular part of the internal capsule, the posterior thalamic radiation, the sagittal striatum, and the posterior corona radiata located in temporo-parieto-limbic regions and are involved in interoceptive processing (p<0.01; threshold-free cluster enhancement [TFCE]-corrected). These WM regions were also significantly correlated with the APPQ interoceptive avoidance subscale and BDI scores in patients with PD (p<0.01, TFCE-corrected). Correlation analysis among the HC subjects revealed no significant findings.
LIMITATIONS:
There has been no comparative study on the structural neural correlates of AS in PD.
CONCLUSIONS:
The current study suggests that the WM correlates of AS in patients with PD may be associated with the insula and the adjacent temporo-parieto-limbic WM regions, which may play important roles in interoceptive processing in the brain and in depression in PD.
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