The seeds of Herpetospermum pedunculosun (Ser.) C.B.Clarke. (HPD), Mormodica cochinchinensis (Lour.) Spreng. (MCC) and Mormodica charantia L. (MCR) share the same common name ("Bolengguazi") in the Tibetan medicine. The anti-inflammatory activities of the three "Bolengguazi" were evaluated using egg album-induced paw edema and cotton-pellet granuloma tests. Among them, HPD is the most active one in both models. Results showed that oral administration of ethanol extract of HPD seed (200 and 400mg/kg) significantly suppressed the development of egg albumin-induced paw edema (P<0.01). In the chronic test, the ethanol extract of HPD seed (200 and 400mg/kg) showed significant reduction in granuloma weight of rats (P<0.05). The anti-inflammatory effect of the ethanol HPD seed was similar to that of indomethacin (10mg/kg). Moreover, the free radical scavenging activities of "Bolengguazi" were investigated using the DPPH test. Only the ethanol extract of HPD seed showed a moderate free radical scavenging effect on DPPH (IC50, 198.69 microg/ml) when compared with the positive control, V(E), (IC50, 44.91 microg/ml). The HPD seeds showed more significant anti-inflammatory activities in additional to higher free radical scavenging activities than that of the MCC and MCR seeds. The results of the present study provide a scientific basis to explain, in part, the popular use of HPD seed in Tibetan folk medicine as "Bolengguazi". The present study also supports the claims by the traditional Tibetan medicine practitioners about the use of HPD seeds in inflammatory diseases, such as "Chiba".
The seeds of <ce:italic>Herpetospermum pedunculosun</ce:italic> (Ser.) C.B.Clarke. (HPD), <ce:italic>Mormodica cochinchinensis</ce:italic> (Lour.) Spreng. (MCC) and <ce:italic>Mormodica charantia</ce:italic> L. (MCR) share the same common name (“Bolengguazi”) in the Tibetan medicine. The anti-inflammatory activities of the three “Bolengguazi” were evaluated using egg album-induced paw edema and cotton-pellet granuloma tests. Among them, HPD is the most active one in both models. Results showed that oral administration of ethanol extract of HPD seed (200 and 400 <ce:hsp sp="0.25"/>mg/kg) significantly suppressed the development of egg albumin-induced paw edema ( <ce:italic>P</ce:italic>
In this paper, an efficient method was successfully established by the combination of macroporous resin (MR) and high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) for rapid enrichment and separation of aloe-emodin 8-O-β-D-glucoside, emodin 1-O-β-D-glucoside, emodin 8-O-β-D-glucoside and piceatannol 4'-O-β-D-(6″-O-gallate)-glucoside. Six kinds of macroporous resins were investigated in the first step and X-5 macroporous resin was selected for the enrichment of the target compounds. The recoveries of the target compounds reached 89.0, 85.9, 82.3 and 84.9% respectively after 40% ethanol elution. In the second step, the target compounds were separated by HSCCC with a two-phase solvent system composed of chloroform/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (8:1:6:5, v/v). The established method will be helpful for further characterization and utilization of Rheum tanguticum. The results demonstrate that MR coupled with HSCCC is a powerful technique for separation of bioactive compounds from natural products.
Swertia mussotii is a kind of rare medicinal materials, the relevant researches are mainly concentrated on its medicinal efficacy and medicinal value till now, researches of adaptive distribution by applying remote sensing and GIS are relatively less. This study is to analyze the adaptive distribution of S.mussotii in Sichuan province by applying remote sensing and GIS technology, and provide scientific basis for the protection and development of wild resources, artificial cultivation and adjustment of Chinese medicine industrial distribution in Sichuan province. Based on literature review and ecological factors such as altitude, annual precipitation and annual average temperature, this study extracted ecological factors, overlay analysis in GIS, as well as combining GPS field validation data by means of remote sensing and GIS, discusses the adaptive distribution of SMF sin Sichuan province. ①The area of adaptive distribution of S. mussotii in Sichuan province is 1 543.749 km², mainly in Dege county, Ganzi county, Daofu county, Kangding county, Barkam, Jinchuan county, Xiaojin county, Danba county, Daocheng county, Xiangcheng county, Xinlong county, Aba county, Muli county and other counties and cities, accounts for about 7.25% in total area. ② Combining statistical information and field validation, this study found that S. mussotii adaptive distribution gained by remote sensing and GIS is in conformity with its actual distribution. The study shows that remote sensing and GIS technology are feasible to obtain the S. mussotii adaptive distribution, they can further be applied to studies on adaptive distributions of other rare Chinese medicinal herb.
Purpose. To examine the effects of a Tai Chi Chung (TCC) program, an efficiency approach, on anxiety and cardiovascular risk factors. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) reDesign. A quasi-experimental study. main the leading cause of morbidity Setting. A community in Taipei City, Taixuan. and mortality worldwide and constitute Subjects. One hundred thirty-three adults aged 55 years and older. a major problem to medical science and Intervention. Sixty-four participants (experimental group) attended a 60-minute Tai Chi exercise three public health.' In Taiwan, heart disease times per lueekfor 12 weeks, whereas 69 participants (control group) maintained their usual daily activities. and CVD are the second and third Measures. Anxiety states, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass leading causes of death, respectively.^ index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC) were assessed at baseline, 6 weeks into the experiment, and 12 weeks into tlie experiment. Analysis. Generalized estimjiting equations were used to evaluate the changes.Results. Participants showed a greater drop in anxiety levels (ß = -2.57, p= .001) and DBP (ß = -7.02, p < .001) at the 12-week follow-up than did the controls. SBP significantly decreased in the 6-week follow-up and 12-week folloxo-up tests. The participants in the intervention achieved a greater drop in BMJ at the 6-week and 12-zueek follow-up visits than the controls. The interventions demonstrated decreased average WC at the 6-week and 12-week folhw-up visits as compared to tlie controls.
Conclusion. The results highlight the long-term benefits of a TCC program in facilitating health promotion by reducing anxiety and risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. (Am f Health Promot 201328[l]:16-22.)
PURPOSE: An increasing number of cancer patients are choosing Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as an active way to manage the physical, psychological, and spiritual consequences of cancer. This trend parallels a movement to understand how a difficult experience, such as a cancer diagnosis, may help facilitate positive growth, also referred to as benefit finding. Little is known about the associations between the use of CAM and the ability to find benefit in the cancer experience. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of medical oncology outpatients in an urban academic cancer center. Patients completed measures of CAM use and benefit finding following a diagnosis of cancer. A hierarchical regression, adjusting for covariates, was performed to evaluate the unique contribution of CAM use on benefit finding. The relationship between specific CAM modalities and benefit finding was explored. RESULTS: Among 316 participants, 193 (61.3%) reported CAM use following diagnosis. Factors associated with CAM use were female gender (p=0.005); college, or higher, education (p=0.09); breast cancer diagnosis (p=0.016); and being 12 to 36 months post-diagnosis (p=0.017). In the hierarchical regression, race contributed the greatest unique variance to benefit finding (23%), followed by time from diagnosis (18%), and age (14%). Adjusting for covariates, CAM use uniquely accounted for 13% of the variance in benefit finding. Individuals using energy healing and healing arts reported significantly more benefit than nonusers. Special diet, herbal remedies, vitamin use, and massage saw a smaller increase in benefit finding, while acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, relaxation, yoga, and tai chi were not significantly associated with benefit finding. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who used CAM following a cancer diagnosis reported higher levels of benefit finding than those who did not. More research is required to evaluate the causal relationship between CAM use, benefit finding, and better psychosocial well-being.
Complementary and integrative treatments, such as massage, acupuncture, and yoga, are used by increasing numbers of cancer patients to manage symptoms and improve their quality of life. In addition, such treatments may have other important and currently overlooked benefits by reducing tissue stiffness and improving mobility. Recent advances in cancer biology are underscoring the importance of connective tissue in the local tumor environment. Inflammation and fibrosis are well-recognized contributors to cancer, and connective tissue stiffness is emerging as a driving factor in tumor growth. Physical-based therapies have been shown to reduce connective tissue inflammation and fibrosis and thus may have direct beneficial effects on cancer spreading and metastasis. Meanwhile, there is currently little knowledge on potential risks of applying mechanical forces in the vicinity of tumors. Thus, both basic and clinical research are needed to understand the full impact of integrative oncology on cancer biology as well as whole person health. Cancer Res; 76(21); 6159-62. (c)2016 AACR.
A pair of stable isotope labeling (SIL) reagents, <b>N</b>-(4-(carbazole-9-yl)-phenyl)-<b>N</b>-maleimide (NCPM-d0) and its heavy analogue NCPM-d2, were used for labeling thiol-containing drugs. On basis of SIL, a global isotope internal standard quantitative method for the detection of five thiol-containing drugs by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) was developed. The NCPM-d0 and NCPM-d2 can easily label thiol-containing drugs under mild conditions within 10 min at 40 °C. The NCPM-d0 and NCPM-d2 labeled thiol-containing drugs can generate two characteristic product ions (<b>m</b>/<b>z</b> at 372.5 and 374.5) under collision induced dissociation, respectively, which is used to establish the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) based detection. The NCPM labeling combined with MRM analysis not only allowed trace detection of thiol-containing drugs due to the extremely high sensitivity, but also efficiently corrected the matrix effects during HPLC-MS/MS and the instrument fluctuation in the MS/MS signal intensity. The detection sensitivities of thiol-containing drugs improved by 14.5-650.5-fold due to NCPM-labeling, while the matrix and ion suppression effects were markedly minimized by the SIL strategy. The limits of detection (LODs) and the limits of quantitation (LOQs) were in the range 10.0-15.0 ng·mL−1 and 31.0-50.0 ng·mL−1, respectively. The proposed method was used for the simultaneous determination of five thiol-containing drugs in plasma samples with satisfactory recoveries in the range of 95.0-97.5%.<br>• A stable isotope labeling strategy for analyzing thiol-containing drugs has been developed. • A pair of SIL reagents NCPM-d0 and NCPM-d2 were used to label thiol-containing drugs. • The detection sensitivities of thiol-containing drugs improved by 14.5-650.5-fold. • The proposed method was successfully applied to pharmacokinetic study of captopril.
A typical indicator of sepsis is the development of progressive subcutaneous and body‑cavity edema, which is caused by the breakdown of endothelial barrier function, leading to a marked increase in vascular permeability. Microvascular leakage predisposes to microvascular thrombosis, breakdown of microcirculatory flow and organ failure, which are common events preceding mortality in patients with severe sepsis. Melilotus suaveolens (M. suaveolens) is a Traditional Tibetan Medicine. Previous pharmacological studies have demonstrated that an ethanolic extract of M. suaveolens has powerful anti‑inflammatory activity and leads to an improvement in capillary permeability. However, the mechanisms underlying its pharmacological activity remain elusive. The present study aimed to assess the impact of M. suaveolens extract tablets on pulmonary vascular permeability, and their effect on regulating lung inflammation and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the lung tissue of rats with sepsis. A cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) sepsis model was established for both the control and treatment groups. ~2 h prior to surgery, 25 mg/kg of M. suaveolens extract tablet was administered to the treatment group. Polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses were used to assess the expression of nuclear factor (NF)‑κB and VEGF in the lung tissue, and ELISA was applied to detect changes in serum tumor necrosis factor‑α as well as interleukins (IL) ‑1, ‑4, ‑6, and ‑10. The lung permeability, wet/dry weight ratio and lung pathology were determined. The results demonstrated that in the lung tissue of CLP‑rats with sepsis, M. suaveolens extract inhibited the expression of NF‑κB, reduced the inflammatory response and blocked the expression of VEGF, and thus significantly decreased lung microvascular permeability. The effects of M. Suaveolens extract may be of potential use in the treatment of CLP‑mediated lung microvascular permeability.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of short-term forest bathing on human health.
Methods
Twenty healthy male university students participated as subjects and were randomly divided into two groups of 10. One group was sent on a two-night trip to a broad-leaved evergreen forest, and the other was sent to a city area. Serum cytokine levels reflecting inflammatory and stress response, indicators reflecting oxidative stress, the distribution of leukocyte subsets, and plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) concentrations were measured before and after the experiment to evaluate the positive health effects of forest environments. A profile of mood states (POMS) evaluation was used to assess changes in mood states.
Results
No significant differences in the baseline values of the indicators were observed between the two groups before the experiment. Subjects exposed to the forest environment showed reduced oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory level, as evidenced by decreased malondialdehyde, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor a levels compared with the urban group. Serum cortisol levels were also lower than in the urban group. Notably, the concentration of plasma ET-1 was much lower in subjects exposed to the forest environment. The POMS evaluation showed that after exposure to the forest environment, subjects had lower scores in the negative subscales, and the score for vigor was increased.
Conclusion
Forest bathing is beneficial to human health, perhaps through preventive effects related to several pathological factors.
Pterocephalus hookeri (C. B. Clarke) Höeck, recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 version) as a Tibetan medicine for the treatment of various diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis, was believed to possess a slight toxicity. However, hardly any research has been carried out about it. The present study aimed to evaluate the toxicity in vivo and in vitro. Toxicity was observed by the evaluation of mice weight loss and histopathological changes in the liver. Then, the comparison research between ethyl acetate extract (EAE) and n-butanol extract (BUE) suggested that liver toxicity was mainly induced by BUE. The mechanical study suggested that BUE-induced liver toxicity was closely associated with necrosis detected by MTT and propidium iodide (PI) staining, via releasing lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), reducing the fluidity, and increasing the permeability of the cell membrane. Western blot analysis confirmed that the necrosis occurred molecularly by the up-regulation of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIP1) and receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3), as well as the activation of the nuclear factor-kappa-gene binding (NF-κB) signaling pathway in vivo and in vitro. This finding indicated that the liver toxicity induced by BUE from P. hookeri was mainly caused by necrosis, which provides an important theoretical support for further evaluation of the safety of this folk medicine.
Pterocephalus hookeri (C. B. Clarke) Höeck, recorded in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 version) as a Tibetan medicine for the treatment of various diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis, was believed to possess a slight toxicity. However, hardly any research has been carried out about it. The present study aimed to evaluate the toxicity in vivo and in vitro. Toxicity was observed by the evaluation of mice weight loss and histopathological changes in the liver. Then, the comparison research between ethyl acetate extract (EAE) and n-butanol extract (BUE) suggested that liver toxicity was mainly induced by BUE. The mechanical study suggested that BUE-induced liver toxicity was closely associated with necrosis detected by MTT and propidium iodide (PI) staining, via releasing lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), reducing the fluidity, and increasing the permeability of the cell membrane. Western blot analysis confirmed that the necrosis occurred molecularly by the up-regulation of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIP1) and receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3), as well as the activation of the nuclear factor-kappa-gene binding (NF-κB) signaling pathway in vivo and in vitro. This finding indicated that the liver toxicity induced by BUE from P. hookeri was mainly caused by necrosis, which provides an important theoretical support for further evaluation of the safety of this folk medicine.
Yoga has been shown to improve cancer survivors' quality of life, yet regular yoga practice is a challenge for those who are sedentary. We conducted a pilot randomized controlled study to assess feasibility and adherence of two types of yoga intervention among sedentary cancer survivors. Sedentary breast and ovarian cancer survivors were randomized to practice either restorative yoga (minimal physical exertion, Group R) or vigorous yoga (considerable physical exertion, Group V) in three 60-minute supervised sessions a week for 12 weeks, followed by 12 weeks of home practice. Accrual, adherence, and attendance rates were assessed. Of the 226 eligible patients, 175 (77%) declined to participate in the study, citing time commitment and travel as the most common barriers. Forty-two subjects consented to participate in the study. Of the 35 participants who began the intervention (20 in Group R and 15 in Group V), adherence rate (percentage remaining in the study at week 12) was 100% and 87%, respectively. Rate of adequate attendance (more than 66% of the scheduled supervised sessions) was 85% and 73%, respectively. Rate of completion of the home practice period was 85% and 77%, respectively. In this study, sedentary cancer survivors were able to adhere to a long-term, regular yoga regimen. The rate of adequate attendance was higher for restorative yoga. Future studies for sedentary patients should focus on reducing time commitment and travel requirements to improve recruitment, and on using restorative yoga as a more feasible intervention for this population.
AIM: Fructus phyllanthi tannin fraction (PTF) from the traditional Tibetan medicine Fructus phyllanthi has been found to inhibit lung and liver carcinoma in mice. In this study we investigated the anticancer mechanisms of PTF in human lung squamous carcinoma cells in vitro.METHODS: Human lung squamous carcinoma cell line (NCI-H1703), human large-cell lung cancer cell line (NCI-H460), human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549) and human fibrosarcoma cell line (HT1080) were tested. Cell viability was detected with MTT assay. Cell migration and invasion were assessed using a wound healing assay and a transwell chemotaxis chambers assay, respectively. Cell apoptosis was analyzed with flow cytometric analysis. The levels of apoptosis-related and metastasis-related proteins were detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence.
RESULTS: PTF dose-dependently inhibited the viability of the 3 human lung cancer cells. The IC50 values of PTF in inhibition of NCI-H1703, NCI-H460, and A549 cells were 33, 203, and 94 mg/L, respectively. PTF (15, 30, and 60 mg/L) dose-dependently induced apoptosis of NCI-H1703 cells. Treatment of NCI-H1703 and HT1080 cells with PTF significantly inhibited cell migration, and reduced the number of invasive cells through Matrigel. Furthermore, PTF dose-dependently down-regulated the expression of phosphor-ERK1/2, MMP-2 and MMP-9, up-regulated the expression of phosphor-JNK, but had no significant effect on the expression of ERK1/2 or JNK.
CONCLUSION: PTF induces cell apoptosis and inhibits the migration and invasion of NCI-H1703 cells by decreasing MPPs expression through regulation of the MAPK pathway.
AIM: Fructus phyllanthi tannin fraction (PTF) from the traditional Tibetan medicine Fructus phyllanthi has been found to inhibit lung and liver carcinoma in mice. In this study we investigated the anticancer mechanisms of PTF in human lung squamous carcinoma cells in vitro. METHODS: Human lung squamous carcinoma cell line (NCI-H1703), human large-cell lung cancer cell line (NCI-H460), human lung adenocarcinoma cell line (A549) and human fibrosarcoma cell line (HT1080) were tested. Cell viability was detected with MTT assay. Cell migration and invasion were assessed using a wound healing assay and a transwell chemotaxis chambers assay, respectively. Cell apoptosis was analyzed with flow cytometric analysis. The levels of apoptosis-related and metastasis-related proteins were detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence. RESULTS: PTF dose-dependently inhibited the viability of the 3 human lung cancer cells. The IC50 values of PTF in inhibition of NCI-H1703, NCI-H460, and A549 cells were 33, 203, and 94 mg/L, respectively. PTF (15, 30, and 60 mg/L) dose-dependently induced apoptosis of NCI-H1703 cells. Treatment of NCI-H1703 and HT1080 cells with PTF significantly inhibited cell migration, and reduced the number of invasive cells through Matrigel. Furthermore, PTF dose-dependently down-regulated the expression of phosphor-ERK1/2, MMP-2 and MMP-9, up-regulated the expression of phosphor-JNK, but had no significant effect on the expression of ERK1/2 or JNK. CONCLUSION: PTF induces cell apoptosis and inhibits the migration and invasion of NCI-H1703 cells by decreasing MPPs expression through regulation of the MAPK pathway.
Background: Cancer centers have increasingly offered integrative medicine therapies in response to their patients' unmet needs. We evaluated the growth of integrative medicine in leading academic cancer centers in the United States as reflected by their public-facing websites. Methods: We performed a systematic review of 45 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center websites. Two researchers independently evaluated whether the websites provided information regarding integrative medicine modalities and, if so, whether the services were provided in the same health system. They compared the proportion of cancer centers providing the information on each modality in 2016 with the data from the prior study in 2009. Results: The most common integrative medicine therapies mentioned on the 45 NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center websites were exercise (97.8%) and acupuncture and meditation (88.9% each), followed by yoga (86.7%), massage (84.4%), and music therapy (82.2%). The majority of the websites also provided information on nutrition (95.6%), dietary supplements (93.3%), and herbs (88.9%). The most common therapies offered in the health systems were acupuncture/massage (73.3% each), meditation/yoga (68.9% each), and consultations about nutrition (91.1%), dietary supplements (84.4%), and herbs (66.7%). Compared with 2009, there was a statistically significant increase in the number of websites mentioning acupuncture, dance therapy, healing touch, hypnosis, massage, meditation, Qigong, and yoga (all P < .05). Conclusions: Leading US cancer centers increasingly present integrative medicine content on their websites, and the majority of them provide these services to patients in the same health systems.
Arthralgia affects postmenopausal breast cancer survivors (BCSs) receiving aromatase inhibitors (AIs). This study aims to establish the feasibility of studying the impact of yoga on objective functional outcomes, pain, and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) for AI-associated arthralgia (AIAA). Postmenopausal women with stage I to III breast cancer who reported AIAA were enrolled in a single-arm pilot trial. A yoga program was provided twice a week for 8 weeks. The Functional Reach (FR) and Sit and Reach (SR) were evaluated as primary outcomes. Pain, as measured by the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), self-reported Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) were secondary outcomes. Paired t tests were used for analysis, and 90% provided data for assessment at the end of the intervention. Participants experienced significant improvement in balance, as measured by FR, and flexibility, as measured by SR. The PSFS improved from 4.55 to 7.21, and HR-QOL measured by FACT-B also improved; both P < .05. The score for the Pain Severity subscale of the BPI reduced. No adverse events nor development or worsening of lymphedema was observed. In all, 80% of participants adhered to the home program. Preliminary data suggest that yoga may reduce pain and improve balance and flexibility in BCSs with AIAA. A randomized controlled trial is needed to establish the definitive efficacy of yoga for objective functional improvement in BCSs related to AIAA.
The present study is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy (MBCBT) for reducing cognitive and somatic anxiety and modifying dysfunctional cognitions in patients with anxiety disorders. A single case design with pre- and post-assessment was adopted. Four patients meeting the specified inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited for the study. Three patients received a primary diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), while the fourth patient was diagnosed with Panic Disorder. Patients were assessed on the Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety Questionnaire (CSAQ), Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), Hamilton's Anxiety Inventory (HAM-A), and Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale. The therapeutic program consisted of education regarding nature of anxiety, training in different versions of mindfulness meditation, cognitive restructuring, and strategies to handle worry, such as, worry postponement, worry exposure, and problem solving. A total of 23 sessions over four to six weeks were conducted for each patient. The findings of the study are discussed in light of the available research, and implications and limitations are highlighted along with suggestions for future research.
The grief of bereavement is recognized as a severe psychosocial stressor that can trigger a variety of mental and physical disorders, and the long-lasting unresolved grief has a detrimental effect on brain functionality. Literature has documented mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) as an efficient treatment for improving well-being, specifically related to the mood and cognition, in a variety of populations. However, little attention has been devoted to neural mechanisms with regard to bereaved individuals' cognition after MBCT intervention. In this study, we recruited 23 bereaved participants who lost a significant relative within 6 months to 4 years to attend 8-week MBCT course. We used self-reporting questionnaires to measure emotion regulation and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with the numerical Stroop task to evaluate the MBCT effect on executive control among the bereaved participants. The self-reported questionnaires showed improvements on mindfulness and reductions in grief, difficulties in emotion regulation, anxiety, and depression after the MBCT intervention. The fMRI analysis demonstrated two scenarios: (1) the activity of the fronto-parietal network slightly declined accompanied with significant improvements in the reaction time of incongruent trials; (2) the activities in the posterior cingulate cortex and thalamus were positively associated with the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief, implying emotional interferences on cognitive functions. Results indicated that MBCT facilitated the executive control function by alleviating the emotional interferences over the cognitive functions and suggested that the 8-week MBCT intervention significantly improved both executive control and emotion regulation in bereaved individuals.
The herbs used as the material for traditional Chinese medicine are mostly planted at mountain areas where there is appropriate weather condition. Due to the complex terrain condition in mountain area, the planting at such places is always associated with a scattered pattern, which inevitably bring difficulty to the work of accurate measurement for the planting area. Advanced research about monitoring the planting area for medicine-herb under complex environmental condition is so critical and meaningful for developing the medicine-herb planting to a large scale and an industry. Therefore, this research, taking the planting of Herpetospermum pedunculosum in Luding county as an example, utilizes RS&GIS: using the image data from TM and ETM datum as the remote sensing information source, integrating GPS data from quadrat survey on the spots, and analyzing on a GIS platform, to extract the planting area of H. pedunculosum in Luding county. The results indicate that: (1) the method and technology used to estimate the planting area of H. pedunculosum are feasible and can be applied to monitoring the planting area of medicine-herb at mountain area under complex environmental conditions: (2) the planting area of H. pedunculosum in Luding county is estimated to be 857. 246 acres by the methods utilized in this research, which is closed to the value from local statistical data with an error range less than 5%; (3) in consideration of those inevitable errorrs generating from the procedures such as remote sensing data acquisition, data preprocessing, data interpretation, and so on, and the fact that the classification of remote sensing data, which must be implemented by those above procedures, was used directly to extract the herb type, the accuracy of area estimation for the herb is significantly influenced by the accuracy of classification for herb type, and the estimated area is inevitably associated with some error.
OBJECTIVE: Emerging research suggests that yoga may be beneficial for reducing symptoms and improving quality of life among breast cancer patients. However, very little is known about the characteristics of breast cancer patients who use yoga; thus, this study seeks to identify the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of yoga users among this population.DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted.
SETTING: The study was conducted at an outpatient breast oncology clinic at a large university hospital.
PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred postmenopausal breast cancer patients currently receiving aromatase inhibitors were included in this study.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: Self-reported use of yoga following the cancer diagnosis was collected along with sociodemographic and clinical data. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of yoga use among breast cancer patients.
RESULTS: Of 300 participants, 53 (17.7%) reported having used yoga following cancer diagnosis. White patients were significantly more likely to use yoga than nonwhite patients (P = .02). Higher education level, lower BMI (body mass index), part-time employment status, previous chemotherapy, and radiation therapy were all associated with greater yoga use (all P < .05). Controlling for other factors, greater yoga use was independently associated with higher education level (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.72, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-6.46), and lower BMI (AOR 0.25, 95% CI, 0.09-0.66).
CONCLUSION: Yoga use following breast cancer diagnosis was substantially higher for white patients and those with lower BMI and higher education levels. Considering its potential benefits for symptom management in cancer, more research is needed to understand the attitudes and barriers to yoga use among individuals with nonwhite race, lower education, and higher BMI level. Such investigation will help design yoga programs that are aligned to the needs of these populations.
INTRODUCTION: This paper assesses both patients' perspectives on the differences in primary care quality between traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM) hospitals and western medicine (WM) hospitals and the efficacy of the government's investment in these two Prefecture-level primary care structures in Tibet.METHOD: A validated Tibetan version of the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT-T) was used to collect data on 692 patients aged over 18 years old, who reported the sampling site was their regular source of health care. T-tests were performed to compare the separate and total primary care attributes between WM hospitals and TTM hospitals. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of the health care setting with primary care attributes while controlling for socio-demographic, health service use and health status characteristics.
RESULTS: Compared to WM hospitals, the results showed that TTM hospitals had patients who were older (15.8 % versus 8.4 % over 60 years); with lower education levels (66.0 % versus 35.8 % with below junior high school ) and income levels (46.9 % versus 26.5 % with annual household income below 30,000RMB); more likely to be married (79.2 % versus 60.5 %); made less frequent health care visits; and had higher self-rated health status. Overall, patients assessed the primary care performance in TTM hospitals significantly higher (80.0) than WM hospitals (74.63). There were no differences in health care assessment by patient gender, age, income, education, marital status and occupation.
CONCLUSIONS: TTM patients reported better primary care experiences than patients using WM hospitals, which validated the government's investment in traditional Tibetan medicine.
INTRODUCTION: This paper assesses both patients' perspectives on the differences in primary care quality between traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM) hospitals and western medicine (WM) hospitals and the efficacy of the government's investment in these two Prefecture-level primary care structures in Tibet. METHOD: A validated Tibetan version of the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT-T) was used to collect data on 692 patients aged over 18 years old, who reported the sampling site was their regular source of health care. T-tests were performed to compare the separate and total primary care attributes between WM hospitals and TTM hospitals. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of the health care setting with primary care attributes while controlling for socio-demographic, health service use and health status characteristics. RESULTS: Compared to WM hospitals, the results showed that TTM hospitals had patients who were older (15.8 % versus 8.4 % over 60 years); with lower education levels (66.0 % versus 35.8 % with below junior high school ) and income levels (46.9 % versus 26.5 % with annual household income below 30,000RMB); more likely to be married (79.2 % versus 60.5 %); made less frequent health care visits; and had higher self-rated health status. Overall, patients assessed the primary care performance in TTM hospitals significantly higher (80.0) than WM hospitals (74.63). There were no differences in health care assessment by patient gender, age, income, education, marital status and occupation. CONCLUSIONS: TTM patients reported better primary care experiences than patients using WM hospitals, which validated the government's investment in traditional Tibetan medicine.
Introduction This paper assesses both patients’ perspectives on the differences in primary care quality between traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM) hospitals and western medicine (WM) hospitals and the efficacy of the government’s investment in these two Prefecture-level primary care structures in Tibet. Method A validated Tibetan version of the Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCAT-T) was used to collect data on 692 patients aged over 18 years old, who reported the sampling site was their regular source of health care. T-tests were performed to compare the separate and total primary care attributes between WM hospitals and TTM hospitals. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of the health care setting with primary care attributes while controlling for socio-demographic, health service use and health status characteristics. Results Compared to WM hospitals, the results showed that TTM hospitals had patients who were older (15.8 % versus 8.4 % over 60 years); with lower education levels (66.0 % versus 35.8 % with below junior high school ) and income levels (46.9 % versus 26.5 % with annual household income below 30,000RMB); more likely to be married (79.2 % versus 60.5 %); made less frequent health care visits; and had higher self-rated health status. Overall, patients assessed the primary care performance in TTM hospitals significantly higher (80.0) than WM hospitals (74.63). There were no differences in health care assessment by patient gender, age, income, education, marital status and occupation. Conclusions TTM patients reported better primary care experiences than patients using WM hospitals, which validated the government’s investment in traditional Tibetan medicine.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the protective effects of Tibetan medicine Zuo-Mu-A Decoction (, ZMAD) on the blood parameters and myocardium of high altitude polycythemia (HAPC) model rats.METHODS: Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups by a random number table, including the normal, model, Rhodiola rosea L. (RRL) and ZMAD groups (10 in each group). Every group was raised in Lhasa to create a HAPC model except the normal group. After modeling, rats in the RRL and the ZMAD groups were administered intragastrically with RRL (20 mL/kg) and ZMAD (7.5 mL/kg) once a day for 2 months, respectively; for the normal and the model groups, 5 mL of distilled water was administered intragastrically instead of decoction. Then routine blood and hematologic rheology parameters were taken, levels of erythropoietin and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were tested, and ultrastructural change in the left ventricular myocardium was observed using transmission electron microscopy.
RESULTS: Compared with the model group, ZMAD significantly reduced the red blood cell count, hemoglobin levels, whole blood viscosity at low/middle shear rates, plasma viscosity, erythrocyte electrophoretic time, erythropoietin and 8-OHdG levels, and also increased the erythrocyte deformation index (P<0.05). There was no difference in all results between the RRL and the ZMAD groups. The cardiac muscle fibers were well-protected, mitochondrial matrix swelled mildly and ultrastructure changes were less prominent in the ZMAD group compared with the model group.
CONCLUSION: ZMAD has significant protective effects on the blood parameters against HAPC, and also has the beneficial effect in protecting against myocardial injury.
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