Upper respiratory tract infections (URIs) are a common
complaint in competitive swimmers and can adversely affect
performance. No intervention has yet been shown to reduce URI
incidence in intensively trained athletes. The University of
Virginia varsity swim team received three weeks of training in
qigong for the purpose of reducing stress and improving health. Our
primary objective was to assess the relationship between qigong
practice and symptoms of URI during a time when swimmers would be
at high URI risk. Secondary objectives were to assess degree of
compliance with a qigong practice regimen, to evaluate differences
between qigong practitioners and non-practitioners, and to
determine the response-rate and reliability of a newly developed
internet-based, self-report survey. The design was observational,
cross-sectional, and prospective. Weekly data on cold and flu
symptoms, concurrent health problems and medication use, and qigong
practice were gathered for seven weeks. Retrospective information
on health and qigong training response was also collected.
Participants were 27 of the 55 members of the University of
Virginia Swim Team in the Virginia Athletic Department. Main
outcomes were measures of aggregated cold/flu symptoms and Qigong
practice. Survey completion was 100%, with no missing data, and
reliability of the instrument was acceptable. Cold and flu symptoms
showed a significant non-linear association with frequency of
qigong practice (R2 = 0.33, p < 0.01), with a strong, inverse
relationship between practice frequency and symptom scores in
swimmers who practised qigong at least once per week (R2 = 0.70, p
< 0.01). Qigong practitioners did not differ from
non-practitioners in demographic or lifestyle characteristics,
medical history, supplement or medication use, or belief in qigong.
These preliminary findings suggest that qigong practice may be
protective against URIs among elite swimmers who practice at least
once per week.
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Acupuncture is often recommended for obstetrical and
gynecological conditions but the evidence is confusing. We aim to
summarize all recent systematic reviews in this area. Western and
Asian electronic databases were searched for systematic reviews of
any type of acupuncture for any type of gynecological conditions.
Our own files were hand-searched. Systematic reviews of any type of
acupuncture for any type of gynecological conditions were included.
Non-systematic reviews and systematic reviews published before 2004
were excluded. No language restrictions were applied. Data were
extracted according to predefined criteria and analysed
narratively. Twenty-four systematic reviews were included. They
relate to a wide range of gynecological conditions: hot flashes,
conception, dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome, nausea/vomiting,
breech presentation, back pain during pregnancy, and procedural
pain. Nine systematic reviews arrived with clearly positive
conclusions; however, there were many contradictions and caveats.
The evidence for acupuncture as a treatment of obstetrical and
gynecological conditions remains limited.
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This study was designed to examine antioxidant activities,
antiglycating abilities and neuroprotective effects of methanolic
extracts of Salvia choloroleuca, Salvia santolinifolia and Salvia
mirzayanii from Iran. The extracts were screened for their possible
antioxidant activities by several biochemical assays such as DPPH,
FRAP, β-carotene bleaching and TEAC assays. HPLC analysis of these
extracts led to the separation of a number of components such as
catechine and rosmarinic acid. Based on our results, all these
plants had antioxidant and antiglycating activities, among them S.
choloroleuca seems to be the most effective one. Furthermore, these
species not only showed no cytotoxic effects in neuron-like PC12
cells, but also protected them against oxidative stress-induced
cell death, exerted by H2O2. We further showed that these plants
increase superoxide dismutase and catalase levels, reduce lipid
peroxidation and up regulate hemeoxygenase-1 and glutamylcysteine
synthetase proteins. This study raised the possibility of
developing these plants as potential neuroprotective agents.
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Cordyceps Sobolifera (CS), an economic traditional Chinese
herb, may ameliorate nephrotoxicity-induced renal dysfunction in
the rat via antioxidant, anti-apoptosis, and anti-autophagy
mechanisms. We investigated the water extract of fermented whole
broth of CS on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced renal cell injury
in vitro and in vivo. CS effect on LPS-induced epithelial Lilly
pork kidney (PK1) and Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial (MDCK)
cell death was detected with MTT assay. Two-month treatment of CS
effects on renal blood flow (RBF), glomerular filtration rate
(GFR), plasma blood urea nitrogen, creatinine level and leukocytes
(WBC) count were determined in the LPS-treated rats. We further
examined the effects of CS supplement on renal tubular oxidative
stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, apoptosis and autophagy by
Western blot analysis. LPS dose-dependently induced PK1 and MDCK
cell death, which can be ameliorated by CS treatment. LPS
significantly decreased RBF and GFR and increased blood leukocyte
counts, plasma blood urea nitrogen and creatinine level in the rat
after 24 hours of injury. LPS enhanced renal tubular ER stress,
autophagy and apoptosis via by increase protein expressions of
GRP78, caspase 12, Beclin-1 and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. These findings are
associated with the significant staining in renal proximal and
distal tubular ED-1, GRP78, Beclin-1 autophagy, and TUNEL apoptosis
in the LPS-treated kidneys. Two months of CS supplement
significantly improved RBF, GFR and WBC values and reduced ED-1,
GRP78, Beclin-1 autophagy and TUNEL apoptosis in the LPS-treated
kidneys. Long-term CS treatment reduced LPS-induced stress
responses and tissue damage possibly via blocking LPS-triggered
signaling pathways.
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Corydalis yanhusuo W.T. Wang (YHS) is a traditional Chinese
herb widely prescribed for promoting blood circulation, reinforcing
vital energy and alleviating pain. Our previous studies showed that
an ethanol extract of YHS inhibits metastasis of breast cancer
cells in vitro. In the present study, the anti-proliferative effect
of the extract was determined by MTT assay and the LDH release was
measured with a commercial kit. Intracellular reactive oxygen
species (ROS) production and mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm)
were monitored by CM- H2DCF-DA and JC-1 staining, respectively.
Cell cycle was analyzed with propidium iodide (PI) staining by flow
cytometry and protein expressions were measured by Western
blotting. The YHS extract significantly inhibited MCF-7 cell
proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Significant increase of
ROS formation and decrease of ΔΨm were observed. Furthermore, it
induced MCF-7 cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phases. In addition,
the p-cdc-2/cdc-2 protein expression ratio was increased while Rb
and p21 protein expressions were decreased.
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This study attempted to access the neuroprotective effect of
diosgenin on the senescent mice induced by d-galactose (D-gal). The
mice in the experiments were orally administered with diosgenin (1,
5, 25 and 125 mg/kg), for four weeks from the sixth week. The
learning and memory abilities of the mice in Morris water maze test
and the mechanism involved in the neuroprotective effect of
diosgenin on the mice brain tissue were investigated.
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Orostachys japonicus (O. japonicus), used to treat diseases
such as various cancers, gastric ulcers, fever, hepatitis,
arthritis, eczema, for hemostasis, and intoxication in folk
medicine, has been an important constituent in many herbal
formulae. We demonstrated that the water extract of O. japonicus
led to growth inhibition of LX2 cells by inducing apoptosis through
the caspase activation, related to the MAPK pathway. O. japonicus
inhibited proliferation of LX2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent
manner, increased the apoptosis fraction at cell cycle progression
with an accompanying DNA fragmentation, and resulted in a
significant decrease in Bcl-2 and an increase in Bax mRNA levels.
Exposure of LX2 cells to O. japonicus induced caspase-3 activation,
however when the LX2 cells were also treated with the pan-caspase
inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK and the caspase-3 inhibitor Z-DEVE-FMK,
apoptosis was blocked. O. japonicus inhibited anti-apoptotic Mcl-1
protein and MEK/ERK phosphorylation in LX2 cells. The results
indicate that O. japonicus inhibits the cell growth of LX2 cells by
inducing apoptosis through caspase activity. O. japonicus
down-regulated Mcl-1 protein levels and inhibited the
phosphorylation of MEK/ERK, suggesting that it mediates cell death
in LX2 cells through the down-regulation of Mcl-1 protein via a
MEK/ERK-independent pathway.
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Acremoniumterricola milleretal mycelium (AMM) is one of the
most precious traditional Chinese medicines. It has numerous
protective effects on organs, and has been used in Chinese herb
prescription to treat refractory diseases. Our preliminary studies
demonstrated that AMM had hepatoprotective activity in acute liver
injury. We further investigated the effects of AMM on liver
fibrosis in rats induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and explore
its possible mechanisms. The animal model was established by
injection with 50% CCl4 subcutaneously in male Sprague-Dawley rats
twice a week for eight weeks. Meanwhile, AMM (175, 350 and 700
mg/kg) was administered intragastrically per day until sacrifice.
We found that treatment with AMM (175, 350 and 700 mg/kg) decreased
CCl4-induced elevation of serum transaminase activities, hyaluronic
acid, laminin and procollagen type III levels, and contents of
hydroxyproline in liver tissues. It also restored the decreased SOD
and GSH-Px activities and inhibited the formation of lipid
peroxidative products during CCl4 treatment. Moreover, AMM (350 and
700 mg/kg) decreased the elevation of TGF-β1 by 19.6% and 34.3%,
respectively. In the pathological study, liver injury and the
formation of liver fibrosis in rates treated by AMM were improved
significantly. Immunoblot analysis showed that AMM (175, 350 and
700 mg/kg) inhibited Smad 2/3 phosphorylation, and elevated
inhibitor Smad 7 expression. These results suggested that AMM could
protect liver damage and inhibit the progression of hepatic
fibrosis induced by CCl4, and its mechanisms might be associated
with its ability to scavenge free radicals, decrease the level of
TGF-β1 and block TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.
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The current study was designed to test the efficacy of
auricular acupressure on weight reduction and changes of waist
circumference and waist-to-hip ratio. This study used a randomized
design with one control group and one experimental group consisting
of Asian young adults with a waist circumference ≥80 cm in the
females and ≥90cm in the males. At completion of eight weeks of
auricular therapy, the total sample size was 55 young adults who
ranged in age from 18 to 20 years old.
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The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether
Panax ginseng extract intake would influence exercise-induced
muscle damage and inflammation responses. Eighteen male college
students were randomly assigned to either an RG intake group (RG, n
= 9) or a placebo group (P, n = 9). All subjects performed a
high-intensity uphill treadmill running task (two rounds of 45 min
at 10 km/h speed with a 15 degree uphill slope separated by 5 min
of rest). The RG group ingested 20 g/day of Korean red ginseng
extract (mixed with 200 ml of water) three times/day for seven days
prior to performing the uphill treadmill exercise test and for four
days after the treadmill test, while the P group ingested 200 ml of
water containing Agastachis Herba on the same schedule. Plasma
creatine kinase activity (CK) and interlukin-6 (IL-6) levels were
measured at pre-exercise and 24, 48, 72, and 96 h post-exercise;
the IL-6 level was also measured at 1 and 2 h post-exercise. To
evaluate insulin sensitivity, the oral glucose tolerance test
(OGTT) was performed 24 h post-exercise. Plasma CK level in RG was
significantly lower than that in P 72 h post-exercise (p <
0.05), and IL-6 level was significantly decreased in RG during the
2 h and 3 h recovery period compared to that of P (p < 0.05).
Plasma glucose and insulin responses in RG were significantly
reduced compared to those of P (p < 0.05). The results of this
study suggest that RG supplementation could reduce exercise-induced
muscle damage and inflammatory responses, resulting in improvements
in insulin sensitivity.
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Lentinula edodes mycelia extract (L.E.M.) is extensively
utilized as an herbal medicine. However, its safety and
effectiveness have not yet been scientifically verified. In this
study, we investigated its safety and its influence on quality of
life (QOL) and the immune response in patients undergoing cancer
chemotherapy. Seven patients were studied in total. The patients
were undergoing postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for breast
cancer (n = 3) or gastrointestinal cancer (n = 2), or were
receiving chemotherapy to prevent recurrence of gastrointestinal
cancer (n = 2). The first course of treatment was chemotherapy
alone and the second was chemotherapy plus concomitant
administration of L.E.M. Adverse events and changes in the QOL
score, lymphocyte subpopulations, lymphocyte activity and serum
immune indices were evaluated during the study period. No adverse
events attributable to L.E.M. were observed. Compared to the
pre-chemotherapy state, no changes in QOL or immune parameters were
noted after the first chemotherapy course. In contrast, following
the second course of combined therapy, improvements were noted in
QOL (p < 0.05), NK cell activity (p < 0.05) and
immunosuppressive acidic protein (IAP) (p < 0.01) levels.
Although a future large-scale investigation is necessary to confirm
these results, these data suggest that the concomitant of L.E.M.
with chemotherapy is safe and improves the QOL and immune function
of patients undergoing chemotherapy.
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The hepatoprotective potential of Crossostephium chinensis
(L.) Makino water extract (CCW) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)
induced liver damage was evaluated in preventive and curative rat
models. Not only were indicators of hepatic damage including GPT,
GOT, lipid peroxides and TBARS were examined, the activities of
antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GPx) and GSH were examined as well.
The results showed that CCW (0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 g/kg) significantly
reduced the elevated levels of GPT and GOT by CCl4 administration
(p < 0.05). TBARS level was dramatically reduced, and SOD, CAT,
GPx and GSH activities were significantly increased. In addition,
CCW decreased NO production and TNF-α activation in CCl4-treated
rats. Therefore, we speculate that CCW protects against acute liver
damage through its radical scavenging ability. CCW inhibited the
expression of MMP-9 protein, indicating that MMP-9 played an
important role in the development of CCl4-induced chronic liver
damage in rats. In LC-MS-MS analysis, the chromatograms of CCW with
good hepatoprotective activities were established. Scopoletin may
be an important bioactive compound in CCW.
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Chungshinchongyitang (CSCYT) is an herbal drug formula
containing Chrysanthemum indicum and 13 other herbs used for
treating auditory diseases. Irreversible hearing loss is a
characteristic effect of a number of heavy metals. Cadmium (Cd2+)
is an environmental contaminant that causes a variety of adverse
effects. In the present study, we investigate the protective
effects of CSCYT against Cd2+ induced ototoxicity in vitro and ex
vivo. The findings of this study show that CSCYT prevents the
destruction of hair cell arrays induced by Cd2+ in the rat organ of
Corti primary explants. CSCYT inhibited cell death, release of
cytochrome c and generation of reactive oxygen species induced by
Cd2+ in HEI-OC1 auditory cell line. In addition, we also
demonstrated that CSCYT exerted its effect by modulating of
apoptosis via the caspase-3 activation and extracellular
signal-regulated kinase activation. These results are expected to
improve the understanding of the pharmacological mechanism of CSCYT
and aid in the development of potential therapeutic strategies
against ototoxicity.
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Atractylodes macrocephala polysaccharide (AMP), a traditional
Chinese medicine, is thought to have protective effects against
liver injury. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the
effects of AMP on hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and
elucidate the possible mechanisms. Ninety-six Sprague-Dawley rats
were randomly divided into four groups with 24 rats per group: a
normal control group, an IRI group, an AMP-treated group (0.4
g/kg/d) and a bifendate-treated group (100 mg/kg). Rats were
treated with AMP or bifendate once daily for seven days by gastric
gavage. The normal control group and the IRI model group received
an equivalent volume of physiological saline. At 1, 6 and 24 h
after surgery, the rats were killed and liver tissue samples were
obtained to determine interleukin-1 (IL-1) expression by Western
blotting and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) expression by
immunohistochemistry. Liver morphology was assessed by microscopy
and transmission electron microscopy. Blood samples were obtained
to measure liver function (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate
aminotransferase, total bilirubin and direct bilirubin). AMP
significantly reduced the elevated expression of markers of liver
dysfunction and the hepatic morphologic changes induced by hepatic
IRI in rats. AMP also markedly inhibited IRI-induced lipid
peroxidation and altered the activities of the antioxidant enzyme
superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde levels. Moreover,
pretreatment with AMP suppressed the expression of interleukin-1β
and NF-kB in IRI-treated rats. These results suggest that AMP
exerts protective and therapeutic effects against hepatic IRI in
rats, which might be associated with its antioxidant properties and
inhibition of NF-κB activation. More studies are needed to better
understand the mechanisms underlying the protective effects of AMP
on hepatic IRI.
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Thirty male pigs were infected orally with E. coli and
Salmonella typhimurium, and divided into a control group and two
additive groups to determine the effect of an additive mixture on
the changes in protein expression. The pigs were given a food
supplemented with a natural herbal additive containing
immunoglobulin yolksac (IgY) at concentrations of 0.5% or 1%. On
the 1st day and after eight weeks of feeding, the body weight gain,
food intake and serum GOT/GPT levels were examined. The GOT/GPT
levels on the 1st day were similar in the three groups. However,
after eight weeks of feeding, the GOT level was significantly lower
in the additive treatment groups (0.5% and 1.0%). In addition, the
changes in the spleen proteome as a response to the herbal additive
were examined using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel
electrophoresis. A total of 31 differentially expressed protein
spots were identified by comparing the protein profiles of the
control and additive treated porcine spleens. Finally, 19 proteins
were detected by MALDI-TOF/MS. Overall, the proteins detected are
involved in a range of biological process, such as metabolic
processes, biological processes, transport, carbohydrate metabolic
processes, generation of precursors and energy. In conclusion,
these results support of the hypothesis that a natural herbal
additive containing IgY can affect the immune regulation system and
reduce the stress of microbial infections.
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Cassia obtusifolia (CO) has been traditionally used in Korea
to treat eye inflammation, photophobia, and lacrimation. However,
the regulatory effect and molecular mechanism of CO in intestinal
inflammation has not been understood. In this study, we investigate
the protective effect of CO in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced
colitis. CO reduced clinical signs of DSS-induced colitis,
including body weight loss, shortened colon length, and increased
disease activity index. The results show that CO significantly
suppressed the levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and expression of
cyclooxygenase-2 in DSS-treated colon tissues. Additionally, we
observed that CO reduced the activation of transcription nuclear
factor-κB p65 in DSS-treated colon tissues. Taken together, these
findings suggest that CO has improving effects on DSS-induced
ulcerative colitis, which may explain its beneficial effect in the
regulation of chronic intestinal inflammation.
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