Volume 4, Issue 1

Recently, there has been an escalating interest in exploring novel pharmacological approaches in Alzheimer Dementia and Schizophrenia. We reviewed the pharmacology of Huperzine A, an alkaloid isolated from Huperzia Serrata. The dual action of Huperzine in inhibiting cholinesterase activity and modulating the excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartic acid) makes the compound highly appealing as target in pharmaceutical development as a cognitive enhancer agent.

Traditional medicine and complementary medicine are widely used in the health care system. The quantity and quality of the standardization, safety and efficacy data are far from sufficient to meet the criteria needed to support their use worldwide. Traditional methods have to be coupled with intelligent techniques so that comprehensive evaluation is done. A traditional drug, Terminalia chebula fruit, is classified by using modern analytical tools and fuzzy logic coupling. Analysis of the samples of the fruits of Terminalia chebula collected from sixty-four places in India and Nepal was done for %w/w of Tannic acid, Gallic acid, Ethyl gallate, Betulinic acid, Betulinaldehyde, 3,hydroxyfriedel-3-en-2-one, Carbohydrates, Proteins, Ascorbic acid, Citric acid, Chebuloside-I, Chebuloside-II, Chebulinic acid, Combreglucoside and Arjunglucoside. The %w/w of the phytoconstituents mentioned above were analyzed by fuzzy inference system which resulted in the classification of these fruits into five varieties. Results indicate that fuzzy logic and modern analytical tool coupling can accurately categorize the output and can support machinery decision making for automated quality control.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the developed world. With the emergence of herbal preparations, the number of people using these products to improve their health is growing. The purpose of this study is to investigate a product that contains a number of ingredients that singly have been shown to lower lipids.A commercial combination herbal extract containing phytosterols, fiber, and other plant extracts with lipid-lowering properties was investigated using a double blind placebo-controlled clinical study. There were two active phases and one placebo phase, each two months in length. Two groups of subjects were studied; one group was taking statin drugs and the other was not taking any cholesterol-lowering drugs but had high cholesterol.Safety was investigated with a battery of tests including blood chemistry, coagulation, hematology, blood pressure and weight. Efficacy for heart disease risk factors were evaluated and included lipids, homocysteine, and C-reactive protein. Glucose was also measured.There were no significant side effects with the active supplement and no changes in liver enzymes indicating a lack of toxicity. The product (11 g) taken daily and compared to placebo significantly lowered cholesterol, LDL and the risk ratio, and glucose only in the group not taking statins. There was no significant change vs. the placebo for two other heart disease risk factors, homocysteine and high sensitivity C-reactive protein. After combining both subject groups, the product lowered total cholesterol 4.8% (p < 0.001), decreased LDL 8.3% (p < 0.001) and lowered the cholesterol/HDL (heart disease risk ratio) 9.4% (p < 0.001). Triglycerides were also improved and declined 11.6%, but the change was not significant. Glucose was also significantly decreased 4.8% (p < 0.001).The product with low doses of herbal ingredients was shown to be safe and effective for improving the lipid profile and thus decreasing the risk of heart disease. An additional benefit was that glucose was lowered by the supplement.

“Integrative health care” (IHC), combining various aspects of Western biomedicine and complementary/alternative medicine (CAM), is a relatively new development in health care systems. IHC is recognized internationally, yet the occurrence of private CAM therapies and their various effects on IHC settings has not extensively been analyzed. This paper presents findings from a larger study of three IHC settings in Canada conducted between 2002 and 2003. The main research question addressed here is: How have private CAM therapies affected IHC settings combining CAM and biomedicine in a publicly funded health care system? Drawing on ethnography, 38 in-depth interviews are drawn upon, including those with 15 biomedical and eight CAM practitioners, 13 patients and two health care managers. Ethnographic observation and document analysis was conducted at each site. Findings illustrated that patients could not consistently afford unfunded CAM treatments, resulting in the premature termination of an integrative care plan. CAM practitioners from the private sector could not uniformly attend group rounds, resulting in disrupted care co-ordination. Certain biomedical institutions viewed CAM as a commodity from which to generate revenue and lower budgetary deficits. This study argues that the unfunded nature of CAM therapies in public health systems, although CAM has therapeutic value, does not contribute to an equitable partnership when attempting to integrate biomedicine and CAM. Future analyses of IHC need to take into account the complexities of health system context that continues to shape IHC.

Objective - Our purpose was to determine the advantage of early treatment (before ovariectomy) on a preventive basis of an ethyl acetate extract of Erythrina lysistemon (EL) on menopausal signs, an extract which has previously shown estrogenic activity by acting through the oestrogen receptors.Methods - Female Wistar rats aged 1-1.5 month were randomised in groups and treated respectively from 28 days before ovariectomy to 84 days after. The fasting lipids levels, glucose tolerance, bone and uterine weight, uterine and vaginal epithelial height were determined at days 0, 28, 56 and 84; whereas body weight was determined every forth night.Results - Oral administration of 200mg/kg/d of EL significantly increased HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels on days 0 and 28 and decreased them at days 56 (70%) and 84 (48.27%) compared to untreated ovariectomized rats. It also significantly increased bone weight. Further, EL at day-56 controlled glucose intolerance; but it failed to do so at day-84 and significantly increased blood glucose level. At day 0, EL significantly decreased uterine weight of animals as well as E1. In contrast 28 days after ovariectomy, EL significantly increased uterine weight (36.43%), uterine (19.71%) and vaginal (31.76%) epithelial height with a more advance vaginal cornification compared to controls.Conclusion - These results suggest that oral administration of 200mg/kg/d of EL 28 days before ovariectomy prevented bone loss. EL had a transient effect on glucose intolerance. However EL significantly increased HDL-cholesterol and decreased TG levels.

Background: The Danish Multiple Sclerosis Society has initiated a research project dealing with bridge building and integrative treatment. Little attention has been paid to research on the experience of conventional and alternative practitioners with bridge building and integrative treatment through teamwork. Objective: The objective of this article is to describe essential features of the preparatory phase of the research project focusing on the process of initiating and developing a team of conventional and alternative practitioners before treating people with Multiple Sclerosis at a specialized MS hospital in Denmark. The team consists of five conventional and five alternative practitioners. Materials and Methods: The preparatory phase took place from August 2004 to May 2005. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the ten team practitioners. Each practitioner was interviewed before and eight months after joining the team, and after participating in four practitioner-researcher seminars. Written materials and participatory observations of practitioner-researcher seminars have been used in addition. Results: The team-building process involved motivation, emotions, challenges, professional and personal competences, and the development of a professional team identity. The practitioners assessed the preparatory phase based on researcher-practitioner seminars as an essential basis for moving on to provide treatments to people with MS.

To determine whether honey and sucrose would have differential effects on levels of neutrophil phagocytosis after long-term feeding 36 2-month old Sprague Dawley rats were fed a powdered diet that was either sugar-free or contained 7.9% sucrose or 10% honey (honey is 21% water) ad libitum for 52 weeks. The percent of neutrophils exhibiting phagocytosis, and the percentage of leukocytes that were lymphocytes were then measured by flow cytometry after 52 weeks. Results: Neutrophil phagocytosis was similar between sucrose- and honey-fed rats, and lower in rats fed the sugar-free diet (79.2%, 74.7% and 51.7 %, respectively). The percentage of leukocytes that were lymphocytes differed significantly between all three treatments, the levels being highest in honey-fed rats (53% vs 40.1% and 29.5% for sucrose- and sugar-free fed rats). In conclusion: Honey may have a beneficial effect on immune activity, possibly attenuating the decline seen in older age.

Andrographolide, the active constituent, isolated from the plant Andrographis paniculata showed concentration dependent (1-100 microg/mL) activity against galactosamine (GALN 400 microg/mL) induced acute injury in isolated monkey hepatocytes, following 48 hours of the incubation at 370 C. The effect of andrographolide was measured on viability (trypan blue exclusion and oxygen uptake tests), biochemical marker enzymes - aspartate amino transaminase (AST), alanine amino transaminase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (AlP) and bile contents (bile salts and bile acids). It significantly increased the percent viability of cells and was capable of preserving 90-100% cell integrity. The cellular leakage of enzymes and bile contents following incubation with GALN was significantly modulated by andrographolide treatment. Its activity was found superior to that of silymarin, a standard hepatoprotective compound, tested simultaneously for comparison. The findings also emphasize the possible use of an in-vitro primary cell culture system as an alternative to in-vivo, in the early stage of drug discovery.

Objectives: Ginger, an herb with diverse pharmacotherapeutic properties, is used as an anti-inflammatory agent in immunological disorders like rheumatoid arthritis. The objective of the present investigation was to study the effect of ginger on alloreactivity and on prolongation of cardiac allograft in mice.Design: We tested the effect of ginger extract on lymphocytes in vitro and in vivo and the response of ginger treated lymphocytes to allostimulation and cytosine release. We also studied the effect of ginger extract on cardiac allograft survival in a non vascularized transplantation model in mice.Results: We observed an immunosuppressive effect of ginger in vitro and in vivo. Ginger extract decreased lymphocyte proliferation in response to allostimulation. Ginger extract also decreased the production of the immunostimulatory cytokines IL-2, IL-4 and IFN-? and increased the production of the immunomudulatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF?1. Ginger extract by itself produced a modest increase in the survival of cardiac allografts in mice survival.Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that ginger extract has immunosuppressive effects both in vitro on lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production and in vivo on allograft survival.

In recent years, there has been a push for mainstream health care professionals to develop a greater knowledge and understanding of Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in order to better meet patient needs. However, the perceived notion that mainstream health practitioners are eligible to advise upon, and to practice a range of complementary and alternative therapies based on minimal training or education is not entirely correct. To address this notion of open-practice requires a closer look at the assumptions behind why orthodox practitioners may use or advise on CAM, in order to challenge this taken-for-granted belief.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies, products and practices are increasingly being used across the United States and worldwide by individuals who are healthy, as well as by those who are ill (Barnes, Powell-Griner, McFann & Nahin et al., 2004; Burstein, Gelber, Guadagnoli, & Weeks, 1999; Eisenberg, et al., 1998; Ernst & Cassileth, 1998; Kessler, et al., 2001; Richardson & Straus, 2002). This trend, which is anticipated to continue, reflects changing health care behavior. Individuals, who are experiencing illness, use CAM for treatment, management of illness related symptoms and to enhance quality of life. Those who are well also use CAM to promote health, and prevent disease. This increasing prevalence of CAM has created a need to identify patterns and predictors of use among the diverse populations of users. Concurrently, this trend evokes questions about the effect of CAM on the utilization of conventional health services and providers, health outcomes and quality of life. This paper presents an emerging conceptual framework, referred to as the CAM Healthcare Model. This model aims to identify factors associated with the use of CAM providers, therapies, products and practices within a health services framework, thereby providing a guide for CAM research and practice. The CAM Healthcare Model is a modification of Andersen's Behavioral Model for Health Service Use, a framework that has guided research on conventional health services for more than three decades (Andersen, 1969, 1995). The CAM Healthcare Model identifies factors influencing the use of CAM health services and resources that are provider-directed, and CAM use as a self-directed health care activity and/or practice. The authors propose that CAM use, with or without a provider, has the potential to affect utilization of conventional health services as it offers more choices to healthcare consumers. These choices ultimately affect healthcare outcomes, research, health service delivery and policy, hence the importance of this work Understanding the trends and implications of CAM use further emphasizes the need for a model to study CAM within a health service/resource context.

The following are abstracts of oral and poster presentations given at the fourth annual IN-CAM Research Symposium Coming of Age: Emerging Issues and New Directions in CAM Research, held on November 1 & 2, 2007 at the Four Seasons Hotel, Vancouver, Canada. For more information on the symposium, please visit: www.incamresearch.ca.