Five days of integrative body-mind training (IBMT) improves attention and self-regulation in comparison with the same amount of relaxation training. This paper explores the underlying mechanisms of this finding. We measured the physiological and brain changes at rest before, during, and after 5 days of IBMT and relaxation training. During and after training, the IBMT group showed significantly better physiological reactions in heart rate, respiratory amplitude and rate, and skin conductance response (SCR) than the relaxation control. Differences in heart rate variability (HRV) and EEG power suggested greater involvement of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in the IBMT group during and after training. Imaging data demonstrated stronger subgenual and adjacent ventral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity in the IBMT group. Frontal midline ACC theta was correlated with highfrequency HRV, suggesting control by the ACC over parasympathetic activity. These results indicate that after 5 days of training, the IBMT group shows better regulation of the ANS by a ventral midfrontal brain system than does the relaxation group. This changed state probably reflects training in the coordination of body and mind given in the IBMT but not in the control group. These results could be useful in the design of further specific interventions.
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Cirsilineol (4′,5-dihydroxy-3′,6,7-trimethoxyflavone) is a compound isolated from the herb of <i>Artemisia vestita</i> Wall (Compositae). In this study, we aimed at examining the anti-proliferative activity of cirsilineol against multiple types of cancer cells and the underlying mechanisms. Cirsilineol significantly inhibited proliferation of Caov-3, Skov-3, PC3 and Hela cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The compound also dose-dependently induced apoptosis in Caov-3 cells, as determined by annexin V/propidium iodide staining. Besides, cirsilineol induced a remarkable change in mitochondrial membrane potential and caused release of cytochrome <i>c</i> to cytosol. Furthermore, the compound caused a marked activation of capase-3, caspase-9 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). These results suggested that the induction of apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway was involved in the anti-proliferative activity of cirsilineol against cancer cells.
Total ash clearance rates and saponins' loss rates of <i>Panax notoginseng</i> rhizome, root tuber, and rootlet all increased with a prolonged washing time and the rising of water temperature. Under the same conditions, the total ash clearance rates of fresh <i>P. notoginseng</i> were significantly higher than those dried. Meanwhile, the saponins' loss rates were opposite. The highest daily intake of bioavailability heavy metals was rootlet. However, all of that was significantly lower than the recommended daily intake, and both the target hazard quotients and hazard index values were lower than 1. Conclusion, it is effective to decrease washing time and water temperature in order to reduce the loss of saponins of <i>P. notoginseng</i> on the premise that ash content of Notoginseng conforms to standard of Chinese Pharmacopeias. Safety risk assessments of heavy metals based on bioavailability can further reduce the health risk of the heavy metal exposure of Notoginseng.<br>Practical applications: Notoginseng possesses the functions of hemostatic and promoting blood circulation. Clay on the surface of Notoginseng contains high content of heavy metal and induces the exceeding of standard. Washing is the most effective way to clean heavy metal attached on Notoginseng. However, research about the washing technology of <i>Panax notoginseng</i> is still blank. Heavy metals in Notoginseng that are taken orally are much higher than the amount actually absorbed by humans. In such a condition, the risk of heavy metals in Notoginseng will be overestimated, which may bring unnecessary loss to the development of Notoginseng industry. Therefore, this experiment researches the remaining of heavy metal under different washing water temperature and washing time. Also, we evaluate the bioavailability and risk of heavy metals in Notoginseng that are washed in an optimum condition. In this way, we provide technological parameters for the washing operation in processing <i>P. notoginseng</i> and referential data to set the quantity standard of heavy metal in Notoginseng.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on reduced stress and perceived anxiety. 27 students with social anxiety, aged 16–40 years, from a China university were randomized to MBSR with routine care group (MBSR group, n = 14) and routine care group (non-MBSR group, n = 13). As expected, an increase in anxiety symptoms during the social situations led to more perceived anxiety in the non-MBSR group, but not in the MBSR group, due to the MBSR program. However, the MBSR group had significantly decreased anxiety and avoidance symptoms compared to the non-MBSR group. The results in this trial show that MBSR can protect students with social anxiety from an increase in perceived anxiety during the social situations.
Mining and smelting are important economic activities. However, mining-related industries are also some of the largest sources of environmental pollution from heavy metals. China is one of the largest producers and consumers of lead and zinc in the world. A large amount of lead, zinc, and related elements, such as cadmium, have been released into the environment due to mineral processing activities and have impacted water resources, soils, vegetables, and crops. In some areas, this pollution is hazardous to human health. This article reviews studies published in the past 10 years (2000–2009), on the environmental and human health consequences of lead/zinc mineral exploitation in China. Polluted areas are concentrated in the following areas: the junction of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces, west-central Hunan province, central Guangxi province, northern Guangdong, northwestern Henan province, the border between Shanxi and Gansu provinces, and the region of Liaoning province near Bohai. Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are the main pollutants and are associated with human health effects such as high lead blood levels in children, arthralgia, osteomalacia, and excessive cadmium in urine.
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Saussurea laniceps Hand.-Mazz. (SL) has long been used under the herbal name Tibetan 'Snow Lotus' for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, stomachache and dysmenorrhea in Tibetan folk medicine. Since herbal medicine (HM) is a synergistical system with multiple components, both of the metabolism and pharmacokinetic studies of HM are interdependent. This study aimed to develop an integrated strategy based on the UPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS technique for metabolism and pharmacokinetic studies of HM.Material and methods: SL was used here as a test herb to verify the feasibility of the proposed strategy. SL was administered to rats, then, the blood plasma, urine and feces were analyzed to determine the metabolic profiles. Using our strategy, umbelliferone and scopoletin were evaluated to be the key bioactive components. Their pharmacokinetic parameters were measured and biotransformation pathways were elucidated.Results: After oral administration of SL to rats, 17 components in blood, 10 components in urine and 2 components in feces were identified and characterized using our UPLC-DAD-QTOF-MS method. Umbelliferone, scopoletin and their metabolites were found to be the major components involved in the metabolism process. Literature reports also suggest that umbelliferone and scopoletin are responsible for the therapeutic effects of SL, thus these two components were selected as the active markers for pharmacokinetic study. In the test of validity, the established method presented good linearity with R-2> 0.99. The relative standard deviation value was below 13.9% for precision, and recovery studies for accuracy were found to be within the range 91.8-112.5%.Conclusion: The present strategy offers, simultaneously, precision in quantitative analysis (metabolism study) and accuracy in quantitative analysis (pharmacokinetic study) with greater efficiency and less costs, which is therefore reliably used for integrated metabolism and pharmacokinetic studies of HM. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Environmental problems have attracted increasing attention, yet individuals’ connectedness to nature remains a significant concern for potential solutions to these problems. In this article, we propose a novel method to promote connectedness to nature: mindful learning. One hundred and thirty-four students participated in the experiment. First, baseline measurements using the Connectedness to Nature Scale were obtained. Participants were then assigned to either a mindful or mindless learning condition. Finally, as a posttest, participants completed the Implicit Association Test and the Inclusion of Nature in the Self Scale. The performance of the mindful-learning group was better for both measures. Participants in the mindful-learning condition performed better on the Implicit Association Test and scored higher on the Inclusion of Nature in the Self Scale. These results provide empirical evidence that mindful learning may promote connectedness to nature, both implicitly and explicitly.
Backgroundand purpose: The stress and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are intertwined and affecting each other. This pilot study evaluated the mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in Korean patients with SLE.
Materials and methods
The Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were evaluated for the effect of the MBCT in 25 patients.
Results
The BDI-II, BAI, SWLS, and PSS before the MBCT were 24.2 ± 10.6, 19.1 ± 9.7, 14.7 ± 6.5, and 20.4 ± 3.8, respectively. Eighteen patients completed the MBCT. After the MBCT, BDI-II, BAI, and PSS improved to 17.4 ± 13.0 (p < 0.01), 13.4 ± 7.7 (p = 0.04), and 17.9 ± 4.6 (p = 0.04), respectively. However, SWLS and SLE disease activity did not.
Conclusion
The MBCT could reduce the anxiety, depression, and stress but not SLE disease activity.
Background The receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) is an oncogenic multidisciplinary trans-membranous receptor, which is overexpressed in multiple human cancers. Recently, it has been shown that RAGE is also involved in carcinogenesis and tumor invasion. In this study, we investigated the expression levels and prognostic value of RAGE in primary gastric cancers (GC). Methods We investigated RAGE expression in primary GC and paired normal gastric tissue by real-time quantitative RT-PCR (n = 30) and Western blotting analysis (n = 30). Additionally, we performed immunohistochemistry on 180 paraffin-embedded GC specimens, 69 matched normal specimens. Results RAGE was overexpressed in GC compared with the adjacent noncancerous tissues (P＜0.001), and higher RAGE expression significantly correlated with the histological grade (P = 0.002), nodal status(P = 0.025), metastasis status(P = 0.002), and American Joint Committee on Cancer stage (P = 0.020). Furthermore, upregulation of RAGE expression is an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analysis using the Cox regression model (P = 0.001). Conclusions RAGE Overexpression may be a useful marker to predict GC progression and poor prognosis.
Oxyfadichalcones A and B, two unprecedented chalcone dimers fused through a cyclobutane ring by head-to-tail [2+2] cycloaddition of two chalcones that had never been found previously in nature, along with oxyfadichalcone C, a new head-to-head [2+2] cyclized chalcone dimer, were simultaneously obtained from Oxytropis falcata. Structural elucidation was succeeded by spectroscopic and single-crystal synchrotron radiation analysis. Additionally, the photosynthesis of the chalcone dimers was performed and the plausible biosynthesis was discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Although the rhizomes of Rheum nobile Hook. f. et Thoms (Polygonaceae) are widely used in Tibetan medicine, no previous investigations regarding the biological activities and rarely chemical constituents of this plant have been reported. As part of an ongoing search for novel bioactive agents, a phytochemical investigation of R. nobile led to the isolation of two new compounds Rheumone B (1) and piceatannol-4'-O-β-D-(6″-O-acetyl)-glucoside (2), together with 15 known compounds by gel filtration over Sephadex LH-20 and preparative HPLC. Their structures were determined by combined spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1-10 were evaluated for their ability to scavenge 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydzyl (DPPH) radical and compounds 7-10 showed relatively strong scavenging abilities with IC50 values from 2.76 μM to 11.80 μM. In conclusion, naphthalene glycosides, stilbene glycosides, flavanols, especially anthraquinones are main chemical constituents of this plant. The ability to scavenge DPPH radical of compound 8 was the highest among compounds 1-10.
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease, belonging to the "Arthromyodynia (Bi Zheng)" category in traditional Chinese medicine. However, the ethnomedicine has a unique understanding of RA, with a long-term clinical experience accumulation and significant efficacy in the treatment of RA, and it has now become one of the important means in treatment of RA. On the basis of literature research, the understanding of RA and commonly used Tibetan medicine, Mongolian medicine, Hui medicine and other herbs and preparations were reviewed in this paper, with the aim of providing a reference for its clinical treatment of RA and research and development of innovative drugs.
<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).
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