Journal of Evidence-based Integrative Medicine最新文献

Joint pain is a common ailment among adults worldwide. Six men and 14 women (aged 51 ± 10 years) with self-reported joint pain were randomly assigned, using a cross-over design, to a botanical ointment (Yeahhh Baby!®) or placebo, twice daily for 14 days. Subjects completed questionnaires regarding their joint pain and discomfort (eg, WOMAC and subjective pain using a visual analog scale [VAS]) each evening and underwent a washout period of two weeks before crossing into the other condition. Pain and discomfort scores improved for subjects when using Yeahhh Baby!® ointment from day 1 to the average of days 2-15. For certain measures, similar, albeit insignificant, improvements were noted when subjects used the placebo-demonstrating the powerful placebo effect. Specifically, with Yeahhh Baby!® ointment, effects were noted for WOMAC pain (P = .008), WOMAC physical function (P = .024), WOMAC total (P = .019), and VAS mood interference (P = .042). The most pronounced improvement was noted for WOMAC pain (P = .048), with a 25% reduction observed with Yeahhh Baby!®, with a 10% reduction noted for placebo. These findings indicate that, as compared to a placebo, Yeahhh Baby!® ointment may provide relief to individuals suffering from joint pain in their knees and/or hips.

Background: Thimerosal (TML) is an organomercury antimicrobial. Low doses (1/250^th of the amount in a typical vaccine dose) may promote an antiviral immune response. Low-dose TML (BTL-TML) was evaluated for safety and efficacy against herpes labialis in two FDA-approved, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials.

Methods: BTL-TML was evaluated in a Phase IIa trial for its ability to block progression to lesion in subjects with recurrent oral herpes caused by dental trauma. Subjects were administered BTL-TML or a saline control over a 7-day period. In a Phase IIb trial, BTL-TML was evaluated for its ability to block progression to lesion over a 7-day period in subjects with herpes lip infections induced by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Results: Progression to lesion post-dental procedure was prevented in 54.5% (12/22) TML subjects versus 22.2% (2/9) control subjects (p = 0.106). Progression to lesion post-UV irradiation was blocked in 47.8% (11/23) BTL-TML treatment subjects and 42.8% (6/14) control subjects. A post-hoc analysis yielded 52.2% (12/23) BTL-TML subjects with no progression to lesion versus 28.6% (6/21) control subjects with no progression (p = 0.099). There were no significant differences in adverse effects between treatment and control groups in either trial.

Conclusions: Neither clinical trial showed a statistically significant effect of BTL-TML on progression to lesion. However, the post-hoc analysis suggested there is a 48-hour period following UV radiation exposure during which the anti-herpes activity of antivirals such as BTL-TML is reduced. Accordingly, BTL-TML may have promise in subsequent, properly designed and powered clinical trials.

The rapidly increasing global burden of healthcare associated infections (HAI) is resulting in proportionate increase in chemical disinfection in healthcare settings, adding an extra burden of environmental toxicity. Therefore, alternative disinfection techniques with less or no adverse side-effects need to be explored. In this regard, ayurvedic 'dhoopan' technique involving slow combustion of medicinal herbs, minerals and animal products hold great promise. In this study, dhoopan of a traditionally defined ayurvedic medicinal mix, 'Vishaghn Dhoop' (VD) has been assessed for its anti-microbial potentials against both Gram-positive and negative pathogenic bacteria, Mycobacterium and pathogenic fungus, Candida albicans. Fume generated from slow combustion of VD was subjected to physico-chemical characterization and was assessed for anti-microbial effects. VD fume contained particles of 354 ± 84 nm size, laden with anti-microbial metabolites. On agar plates, VD fumigation reduced bacterial growth by 13 - 38%. Liquid culture aeration with VD fume inhibited bacterial growth by 50 - 85%, and fungal growth by 80%. In real life settings (in vivo), un-sanitized rooms fumigated with VD fumes for 30 min reduced the environmental microbial loads by 10 folds. In addition, the safety of VD fumigation was evaluated through in vitro cytotoxicity assay on human lung epithelial (A549) cells. Cells exposed to media-collected VD fumes for 24 h exhibited normal cyto-safety profile. Collectively, these observations provide scientific evidence in support of a traditional technique of disinfection, which can be fine-tuned to have implications in clinical, healthcare and food industry where, disinfection is a prime requirement.

Individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) continually fall short of treatment targets using standard drug therapies alone. There is growing evidence that emphasizing physical and mental wellness is equally crucial for improving functioning among people with RA. The purpose of this formative study is to examine the feasibility of offering the wellness-based intervention ("KickStart30") in patients with RA. Thirteen individuals with RA on targeted immune modulators (a biologic or JAK inhibitor) enrolled in the KickStart30 program. Participants completed self-report measures of RA-specific disability (eg, pain) and other functional areas (eg, mood) in a pre- versus post- intervention design. Paired samples t-tests (and Related-Samples Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests for non-normal distributions) detected statistically significant results for 10 of 12 measures, including reductions in pain (M = 4.54 to M = 3.54; p = .025; BPI), functional disability (M = 0.94 to M = 0.73, p = .032; HAQ-II), cognitive and physical dysfunction (M = 25.46 to M = 13.54, p < .001; CPFQ), depressive symptoms (M = 9.31 to M = 5.54, p = .003; PHQ-9), anxiety (M = 5.69 to M = 3.23, p = .005; GAD-7), insomnia (M = 11.62 to M = 17.32, p = .007; Note: higher scores on the SCI indicate less insomnia), stress-related eating (M = 75.46 to M = 84.54, p = .021; Note: higher scores on the EADES indicate less stress-related eating), along with significant increases in mindfulness (M = 62.54 to M = 67.85, p = .040; MAAS), mental wellness (M = 4.46 to M = 5.69; HERO), and well-being (M_d = 8.00 to M_d = 5.00, p = .004; WHO-5). All significant measures had medium to large effect sizes (Cohen's d). The study gives preliminary support for the possibility that the adjunct intervention may have an effect.

Background: Variety of conventional treatments are used to treat cancer. Cancer patients adopt other alternative therapies including medicinal plants. Their curative power results in the presence of secondary metabolites in its different parts. However, they can have toxic effects and interactions with conventional treatment and even chemosensitivity of the cancer cells.

Objectives: This study aims to determine the prevalence of the use of medecinal plants by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, list the medecinal plants used, identify the most consumed, present the reported adverse effects and determine the predictive factors of their use.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 203 patients followed at the National Institute of Oncology in Rabat from 01 October 2018 to 30 November 2018. Regarding socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and data on the use of medicinal plants were collected from a questionnaire.

Findings: of 203 patients, 37% used medicinal plants. 30 plants also the honey were identified during this study. The "euphorbia honey"was consumed at (40%), The most used plants were garlic (13%), turmeric, fenugreek and thyme (11% each). 5% of patients presented side effects related to the consumption of medicinal plants. There is a significant association between the use of medicinal plants and socio-economic level (p  =  0.004) and duration of illness (p  =  0.048).

Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of medicinal plants used by cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at National Institute of Oncology. The more clinical studies are desirable to demonstrate the efficacy of medicinal plants and their therapeutic effects to encourage their consumption or prohibit them.

The prospective clinical, non-inferiority study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Thai traditional massage on lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) compared with Tamsulosin in Thai men. It was conducted on men aged 50 to 75 years old with LUTS (N = 45). Participants were blocked four randomly assigned into 2 groups. The control group (n = 25) was received 0.4 mg Tamsulosin daily and the study group (n = 20) was given Thai traditional massage for 4 weeks. The efficacy evaluation was performed by the International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS), a Thai version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHO-QoL Brief), Uroflowmetry, and Post-void residual urine (PVR) at baseline and end of study. The background characteristics of participants were not significantly different between groups. Both interventions relieved LUTS in the total IPSS and the quality of life score associated with urination were decreased, described as symptoms and quality of life due to urination improvement after 4 weeks of intervention. Interestingly, the Thai traditional massage has significant improvement in total IPSS and voiding score (p < .05). Additionally, the time to peak flow rate, peak flow rate (Qmax), average flow rate (Qave) and voided volume of both interventions were improved with no statistical significance. PVR was decreased in both interventions. The WHO-QoL brief score was improved the total score. There was no significant difference in terms of uroflowmetry, PVR, and WHO-QoL brief scores compared between groups. The result suggests that Thai traditional massage has the potential to be an alternative treatment for LUTS.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder is the most common form of dementia globally. Several studies have suggested alteration in the gut microbiota and HSV-1 infection as contributing factors to the development of the disease. As at now, there are no AD attenuating agents and AD pharmacotherapy is focused on managing symptoms while plants used in ethnomedicine remain potential sources of drugs for the treatment of the condition. Here, we reviewed published databases for African ethnomedicinal plants and functional foods of African origin that are used in the management of AD-related phenotypes, treatment of herpes simplex virus -1 (HSV-1) and/or improvement of gut microbiota. A total of 101 unique plant species and 24 different types of traditionally prepared African functional foodstuff were identified. Of the 101 identified plant species, 50 species serve as functional foodstuffs. Twenty-three (23) of the ethnomedicinal plant families were successfully identified for the treatment and management of AD-related phenotypes and age-related dementia. Eighteen (18) African plant species from 15 families were also identified as potent remedies for HSV-1; while many African wild fruits (3 species), roots and tubers (7 species), leafy vegetables (14 species), and seaweeds (26 species) were functional foods for modifying AD-related phenotypes. It was concluded that African medicinal plants are potential sources of both AD attenuating agents and phytocompounds that may be used against HSV-1 infection and alteration of gut microbiota. Additionally, a number of African functional foods are important sources of prebiotics and probiotics.