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Skeptical Inquiry :: Science in Society
NCCAM Featured Content
Research Symposium Will Explore the Science of CAM
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:44:18 -0500
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) will celebrate a decade of rigorous research with NCCAM's 10th Anniversary Research Symposium: Exploring the Science of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Speakers will discuss topics including natural products, mind-body medicine, and the intersection of behavioral science and integrative medicine. People have used some CAM therapies since ancient times and often with little scientific evidence.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Focus on Research and Care November 2009
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:59:08 -0500
Urinary Tract Conditions: Examining the Evidence on Cranberry and Saw PalmettoPatients with urinary tract infections often ask health care providers about using complementary and alternative medicine to relieve symptoms or prevent recurrences.Also Featuring: NCCAM's 1st Decade of Discovery and Achievement; An Interview With Wendy Weber, N.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.; North American Research Conference on CAM/Integrative Medicine; New Survey Details Americans' Spending on CAM; and other storiesTake our Reader Survey at http://nccam.nih.gov/news/newsletter/survey.html?nav=rss
Pai You Guo, Marketed as Dietary Supplement, Recalled
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:19:17 -0500
GMP Herbal Products and FDA notified consumers and healthcare professionals of a recall of Pai You Guo, a weight loss dietary supplement, due to the presence of undeclared drug ingredients. FDA lab analyses of dietary supplements were found to contain undeclared sibutramine, an FDA-approved drug used as an appetite suppressant for weight loss; and phenolphthalein, a solution used in chemical experiments and a suspected cancer-causing agent that is not approved for marketing in the United States. The FDA has not approved the Pai You Guo products as a drug; therefore the safety and effectiveness of this product is unknown. The product is sold either in a box of 30 capsules or a bag of 10 g powder. The affected products were sold and distributed nationwide via the internet.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine - current issue
eCAM: A Closer Look at Clinical Analyses
Cooper, E. L.
Novel Diagnosis of Lyme Disease: Potential for CAM Intervention
Vojdani, A., Hebroni, F., Raphael, Y., Erde, J., Raxlen, B. Lyme disease (LD) is the most common tick-borne disease in the northern hemisphere, producing a wide range of disabling effects on multiple human targets, including the skin, the nervous system, the joints and the heart. Insufficient clinical diagnostic methods, the necessity for prompt antibiotic treatment along with the pervasive nature of infection impel the development and establishment of new clinical diagnostic tools with increased accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. The goal of this article is 4-fold: (i) to detail LD infection and pathology, (ii) to review prevalent diagnostic methods, emphasizing inherent problems, (iii) to introduce the usage of in vivo induced antigen technology (IVIAT) in clinical diagnostics and (iv) to underscore the relevance of a novel comprehensive LD diagnostic approach to practitioners of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). Utilization of this analytical method will increase the accuracy of the diagnostic process and abridge the time to treatment, with antibiotics, herbal medicines and nutritional supplements, resulting in improved quality of care and disease prognosis.
Cost Effectiveness of Natural Health Products: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials
Kennedy, D. A., Hart, J., Seely, D. Health care spending in North America is consuming an ever-increasing share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A large proportion of alternative health care is consumed in the form of natural health products (NHPs). The question of whether or not NHPs may provide a cost-effective choice in the treatment of disease is important for patients, physicians and policy makers. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature in order to find, appraise and summarize high-quality studies that explore the cost effectiveness of NHPs as compared to conventional medicine. The following databases were searched independently in duplicate from inception to January 1, 2006: EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, BioethicsLine, Wilson General Science abstracts, EconLit, Cochrane Library, ABI/Inform and SciSearch. To be included in the review, trials had to be randomized, assessed for some measure of cost effectiveness and include the use of NHPs as defined by the Natural Health Products Directorate. Studies dealing with diseases due to malnutrition were excluded from appraisal. The pooled searches unveiled nine articles that fit the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The conditions assessed by the studies included three on postoperative complications, two on cardiovascular disease, two on gastrointestinal disorders, one on critically ill patients and one on urinary tract infections. Heterogeneity between the studies was too great to allow for meta-analysis of the results. The use of NHPs shows evidence of cost effectiveness in relation to postoperative surgery but not with respect to the other conditions assessed. In conclusion, NHPs may be of use in preventing complications associated with surgery. The cost effectiveness of some NHPs is encouraging in certain areas but needs confirmation from further research.
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine - Latest Articles
Studies on the antidiarrhoeal activity of Aegle marmelos unripe fruit: Validating its traditional usage
Brijesh SPoonam DaswaniPundarikakshudu TetaliNoshir AntiaTannaz Birdi Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0000
Background: Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa has been widely used in indigenous systems of Indian medicine due to its various medicinal properties. However, despite its traditional usage as an anti-diarrhoeal there is limited information regarding its mode of action in infectious forms of diarrhoea. Hence, we evaluated the hot aqueous extract (decoction) of dried unripe fruit pulp of A. marmelos for its antimicrobial activity and effect on various aspects of pathogenicity of infectious diarrhoea. Methods: The decoction was assessed for its antibacterial, antigiardial and antirotaviral activities. The effect of the decoction on adherence of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and invasion of enteroinvasive E. coli and Shigella flexneri to HEp-2 cells were assessed as a measure of its effect on colonization. The effect of the decoction on production of E. coli heat labile toxin (LT) and cholera toxin (CT) and their binding to ganglioside monosialic acid receptor (GM1) were assessed by GM1-enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay whereas its effect on production and action of E. coli heat stable toxin (ST) was assessed by suckling mouse assay. Results: The decoction showed cidal activity against Giardia and rotavirus whereas viability of none of the six bacterial strains tested was affected. It significantly reduced bacterial adherence to and invasion of HEp-2 cells. The extract also affected production of CT and binding of both LT and CT to GM1. However, it had no effect on ST. Conclusion: The decoction of the unripe fruit pulp of A. marmelos, despite having limited antimicrobial activity, affected the bacterial colonization to gut epithelium and production and action of certain enterotoxins. These observations suggest the varied possible modes of action of A. marmelos in infectious forms of diarrhoea thereby validating its mention in the ancient Indian texts and continued use by local communities for the treatment of diarrhoeal diseases.
Cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of endophytic fungi isolated from plants at the National Park, Pahang, Malaysia
Nurul HazalinKalavathy RamasamyLim MengIbtisam Abdul WahabAnthony ColeAbu Abdul Majeed Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0000
Background: Endophytes, microorganisms which reside in plant tissues, have potential in producing novel metabolites for exploitation in medicine. Cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of a total of 300 endophytic fungi were investigated. Methods: Endophytic fungi were isolated from various parts of 43 plants from the National Park Pahang, Malaysia. Extracts from solid state culture were tested for cytotoxicity against a number of cancer cell lines using the MTT assay. Antibacterial activity was determined using the disc diffusion method. Results: A total of 300 endophytes were isolated from various parts of plants from the National Park, Pahang. 3.3% of extracts showed potent (IC50 < 0.01 ug/ml) cytotoxic activity against the murine leukemic P388 cell line and 1.7% against a human chronic myeloid leukemic cell line K562. Sporothrix sp. (KK29FL1) isolated from Costus speciosus showed strong cytotoxicity against colorectal carcinoma (HCT116) and human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) cell lines with IC50 values of 0.05 ug/ml and 0.02 ug/ml, respectively. Antibacterial activity was demonstrated for 8% of the extracts. Conclusions: Results indicate the potential for production of bioactive agents from endophytes of the tropical rainforest flora.
Bee products prevent VEGF-induced angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells
Hiroshi IzutaMasamitsu ShimazawaKazuhiro TsurumaYoko ArakiSatoshi MishimaHideaki Hara Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0000
Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key regulator of pathogenic angiogenesis in diseases such as cancer and diabetic retinopathy. Bee products [royal jelly (RJ), bee pollen, and Chinese red propolis] from the honeybee, Apis mellifera, have been used as traditional health foods for centuries. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-angiogenic effects of bee products using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Methods: In an in vitro tube formation assay, HUVECs and fibroblast cells were incubated for 14 days with VEGF and various concentrations of bee products [RJ, ethanol extract of bee pollen, ethanol extract of Chinese red propolis and its constituent, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE)]. To clarify the mechanism of in vitro angiogenesis, HUVEC proliferation and migration were induced by VEGF with or without various concentrations of RJ, bee pollen, Chinese red propolis, and CAPE. Results: RJ, bee pollen, Chinese red propolis, and CAPE significantly suppressed VEGF-induced in vitro tube formation in the descending order: CAPE > Chinese red propolis >> bee pollen > RJ. RJ and Chinese red propolis suppressed both VEGF-induced HUVEC proliferation and migration. In contrast, bee pollen and CAPE suppressed only the proliferation. Conclusions: Among the bee products, Chinese red propolis and CAPE in particular showed strong suppressive effects against VEGF-induced angiogenesis. These findings indicate that Chinese red propolis and CAPE may have potential as preventive and therapeutic agents against angiogenesis-related human diseases.
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