Bmc Complem Altern M
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Bmc Complem Altern M · Jan 2013
Association study of gene polymorphisms and depression with abnormal humor in traditional Uighur medicine.
According to the humor theory of Traditional Uighur Medicine (TUM), a same disease is classified into different abnormal humor types and corresponding methods are applied to treat the diseases according to the type of abnormal humor characteristics. To date the biological foundation of classification of diseases by humor theory has been little studied and the mechanism of action is still unclear. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the association between some related gene polymorphisms and depression with abnormal humor in TUM. ⋯ It was concluded that there were significant relationship between the gene polymorphisms and classification of depression with abnormal humor in TUM. The 5-HT2A A-1438G, 5-HT2A T102C, BDNF Val66Met, and 5-HT1A C-1019G gene polymorphisms might predict the incidence of depression with ABB.
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Bmc Complem Altern M · Jan 2013
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation attenuates CFA-induced hyperalgesia and inhibits spinal ERK1/2-COX-2 pathway activation in rats.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-pharmacologic treatment for pain relief. In previous animal studies, TENS effectively alleviated Complete Freund's Adjuvant (CFA)- or carrageenan-induced inflammatory pain. Although TENS is known to produce analgesia via opioid activation in the brain and at the spinal level, few reports have investigated the signal transduction pathways mediated by TENS. Prior studies have verified the importance of the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signal transduction pathway in the spinal cord dorsal horn (SCDH) in acute and persistent inflammatory pains. Here, by using CFA rat model, we tested the efficacy of TENS on inhibiting the expressions of p-ERK1/2 and of its downstream cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and the level of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) at spinal level. ⋯ TENS may be an effective therapy in controlling inflammatory pain induced by CFA. Its analgesic effect may be associated with the inhibition of activation of the spinal ERK1/2-COX-2 pathway.
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Bmc Complem Altern M · Jan 2013
Antibacterial effects of Apis mellifera and stingless bees honeys on susceptible and resistant strains of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae in Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia.
Honey is a natural substance produced by honeybees and has nutritional and therapeutic uses. In Ethiopia, honeys are used traditionally to treat wounds, respiratory infections and diarrhoea. Recent increase of drug resistant bacteria against the existing antibiotics forced investigators to search for alternative natural remedies and evaluate their potential use on scientific bases. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial effects of different types of honeys in Ethiopia which are used traditionally to treat different types of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. ⋯ Honeys in Ethiopia can be used as therapeutic agents for drug resistant bacteria after pharmaceutical standardization and clinical trials.
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Bmc Complem Altern M · Jan 2013
Is acupuncture "stimulation" a misnomer? A case for using the term "blockade".
The term used most frequently in the literature to describe acupuncture's effects is "stimulation" which may be used to describe either (or both) the direct stimulus applied to a needle as well as putative stimulation of the nervous system, despite little published evidence describing what is actually being stimulated. In contrast, recent published work has suggested that acupuncture may, in fact be inhibitory at a peripheral level, acting by blocking neural transmission. ⋯ If the term "blockade" were applied to acupuncture, this would, likely, be expected to promote this minimally invasive technique, and, potentially, bring it into mainstream clinical practice for pain management as well as other therapeutic applications.
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Bmc Complem Altern M · Jan 2013
The contributions of muscarinic receptors and changes in plasma aldosterone levels to the anti-hypertensive effect of Tulbaghia violacea.
Tulbaghia violacea Harv. (Alliaceae) is used to treat various ailments, including hypertension (HTN) in South Africa. This study aims to evaluate the contributions of muscarinic receptors and changes in plasma aldosterone levels to its anti-hypertensive effect. ⋯ The results obtained in this study suggest that stimulation of the muscarinic receptors and a reduction in plasma aldosterone levels contribute to the anti-hypertesive effect of T. violacea.