Acupuncture analgesia: a review of its mechanisms of actions.

Am J Chin Med. 2008;36(4):635-45

Authors: Lin JG, Chen WL

The mechanism of acupuncture analgesia (AA) has been widely explored since the 1970s. Early studies investigated the relationship between acupuncture and endogenous opiates (beta-endorphin, enkephalin, endomorphin and dynorphin). Before the 1990s, most experts agreed on the concept that in normal animal models, lower frequency electroacupuncture (EA) stimulates the release of beta-endorphin, enkephalin and endomorphin, which in turn activates the mu- and delta-opioid receptors, and that higher frequency EA stimulates dynorphin which activates the kappa-opioid receptor. Besides endogenous opiates, our studies have focused on serotonin. The serotoninergic descending inhibitory pathway is suggested to be an important mechanism of acupuncture analgesic, collaborating with endogenous opiates. Many efforts have been made to clarify these mechanisms, but to date no satisfactory consensus has been reached. In the late 1990s, researchers began to focus on the different analgesic effects of EA between normal and hyperalgesic animal models. Published data from these studies imply that normal and hyperalgesic animals respond differently to EA. Results from experiments on the anti-hyperalgesia effect of EA have raised a new issue about the influences of EA on receptors to excitatory amino acid in the spinal cord level. Results from various studies have shown that these receptors play a role in the mechanism of AA. Recently, research on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) seem to indicate its connection with acupuncture. The inflammatory reflex (via the ANS) might be a crucial part of anti-hyperalgesia elicited by acupuncture, and this reflex, which regulates the immune system in the organism, can elucidate not only the mechanism of AA but also the mechanism of acupuncture applied to other inflammatory conditions. Innovation of functional image study enables us to analyze the responses of cortex on living human body to acupuncture. However, results of these experiments are still controversial. After 30 years of acupuncture research, there are still many puzzles left to be solved regarding the mechanism of AA.

PMID: 18711761 [PubMed - in process]

Altered urinary polyamine patterns of cancer patients under acupuncture therapy.

Amino Acids. 2008 Aug 20;

Authors: Paik MJ, Kuon D, Cho J, Kim KR

The reduction of elevated polyamine (PA) levels in biological fluids of cancer patients were known to be correlated with remission following diverse therapeutic treatments. In this study, altered urinary PA levels from three different cancer cases were monitored at different intervals during the long-term weekday acupuncture treatments. Nine urinary PA levels from 16 normal and three cancer patients with different types were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in selected ion monitoring mode as N-ethoxycarbonyl-N-pentafluoropropionyl derivatives. Their levels measured at three follow-up stages for each patient were then normalized to the corresponding normal group means and plotted into star symbol patterns. Large alterations of PA levels were observed for each patient. Each normalized concentration displayed elevation of the PA levels in multiples (0.0-57.7) of the respective normal mean values. The normalized PA values were transformed into distorted star patterns which were characteristic of each follow-up stage and of cancer type.

PMID: 18712271 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Acupuncture for psychiatric illness: a literature review.

Behav Med. 2008;34(2):55-64

Authors: Samuels N, Gropp C, Singer SR, Oberbaum M

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is on the rise, especially among psychiatric patients. Acupuncture is considered a safe and effective treatment modality, and traditional Chinese medicine teaches that acupuncture harmonizes the body's energies. Scientific research has found that acupuncture increases a number of central nervous system hormones (ACTH, beta-endorphins, serotonin, and noradrenaline) and urinary levels of MHPG-sulfate, an adrenergic metabolite inversely related to the severity of illness in schizophrenics. Acupuncture can have positive effects on depression and anxiety, although evidence is still lacking as to its true efficacy for these conditions. To the authors' knowledge, no trials have been conducted for schizophrenia, and researchers evaluating acupuncture in cases of substance abuse have found conflicting results. Further research is warranted.

PMID: 18682338 [PubMed - in process]

Chapter 4 B cells and autoantibodies in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and related inflammatory demyelinating diseases.

Adv Immunol. 2008;98:121-49

Authors: McLaughlin KA, Wucherpfennig KW

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The mainstream view is that MS is caused by an autoimmune attack of the CNS myelin by myelin-specific CD4 T cells, and this perspective is supported by extensive work in the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of MS as well as immunological and genetic studies in humans. However, it is important to keep in mind that other cell populations of the immune system are also essential in the complex series of events leading to MS, as exemplified by the profound clinical efficacy of B cell depletion with Rituximab. This review discusses the mechanisms by which B cells contribute to the pathogenesis of MS and dissects their role as antigen-presenting cells (APCs) to T cells with matching antigen specificity, the production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, as well as the secretion of autoantibodies that target structures on the myelin sheath and the axon. Mechanistic dissection of the interplay between T cells and B cells in MS may permit the development of B cell based therapies that do not require depletion of this important cell population.

PMID: 18772005 [PubMed - in process]

Chapter 1 ginsenosides chemistry, biosynthesis, analysis, and potential health effects.

Adv Food Nutr Res. 2008;55:1-99

Authors: Christensen LP

Ginsenosides are a special group of triterpenoid saponins that can be classified into two groups by the skeleton of their aglycones, namely dammarane- and oleanane-type. Ginsenosides are found nearly exclusively in Panax species (ginseng) and up to now more than 150 naturally occurring ginsenosides have been isolated from roots, leaves/stems, fruits, and/or flower heads of ginseng. Ginsenosides have been the target of a lot of research as they are believed to be the main active principles behind the claims of ginsengs efficacy. The potential health effects of ginsenosides that are discussed in this chapter include anticarcinogenic, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antiatherosclerotic, antihypertensive, and antidiabetic effects as well as antistress activity and effects on the central nervous system. Ginsensoides can be metabolized in the stomach (acid hydrolysis) and in the gastrointestinal tract (bacterial hydrolysis) or transformed to other ginsenosides by drying and steaming of ginseng to more bioavailable and bioactive ginsenosides. The metabolization and transformation of intact ginsenosides, which seems to play an important role for their potential health effects, are discussed. Qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques for the analysis of ginsenosides are important in relation to quality control of ginseng products and plant material and for the determination of the effects of processing of plant material as well as for the determination of the metabolism and bioavailability of ginsenosides. Analytical techniques for the analysis of ginsenosides that are described in this chapter are thin-layer chromatography (TLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) combined with various detectors, gas chromatography (GC), colorimetry, enzyme immunoassays (EIA), capillary electrophoresis (CE), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and spectrophotometric methods.

PMID: 18772102 [PubMed - in process]

Selection of IgE-binding aptameric green fluorescent protein (Ap-GFP) by the ribosome display (RD) platform.

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2008 Sep 26;374(3):409-14

Authors: Chen SS, Yang YM, Barankiewicz TJ

GFP-Ckappa fusion protein was previously shown selectable on ribosome display platform with solid phase antibodies against GFP determinant [Y.-M. Yang, T.J. Barankiewicz, M. He, M. Taussig, S.-S. Chen, Selection of antigenic markers on a GFP-Ckappa fusion scaffold with high sensitivity by eukaryotic ribosome display, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 359 (2007) 251-257]. Herein, we show that members of aptameric peptide library constructed within the site 6 and site 8/9 loops of GFP of the ribosome display construct are selectable upon binding to the solid phase IgE antigen. An input of 1.0 microg of the dual site aptameric GFP library exhibiting a diversity of 7.5x10(11) was transcribed, translated and incubated with solid phase IgE. RT-PCR products were amplified from mRNA of the aptamer-ribosome-mRNA (ARM) complex captured on the solid phase IgE. Clones of aptameric GFP were prepared from RT-PCR product of ARM complex following repetitive selection. Recombinant aptameric GFP proteins from the selected clones bind IgE coated on the 96-well plate, and the binding was abrogated by incubation with soluble human IgE but not human IgG. Selected aptameric GFP proteins also exhibit binding to three different sources of human IgE (IgE PS, BED, and JW8) but not irrelevant proteins. These observations indicate that appropriately selected aptameric GFP on a solid phase ligand by ribosome display may serve as an affinity reagent for blocking reactivity of a biological ligand.

PMID: 18619414 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Microbiological risk assessment in stem cell manipulation.

Crit Rev Microbiol. 2008;34(1):1-12

Authors: Pessina A, Bonomi A, Baglio C, Cavicchini L, Sisto F, Neri MG, Gribaldo L

Cell therapy based on the use of human stem cells is more complicated than transfusion or organ transplantation because cells may undergo many additional manipulations due to different treatments for isolation, expansion, differentiation, and other types of biological changes. These manipulations require the approval of regulatory agencies (other than ethical) and the processes must be monitored with more tests than the ones applied for minimally manipulated cells. The clinical safety and efficacy of transplanted cells depend on several factors such as homologous or non-homologous sources, extent of manipulation, and culture conditions. Moreover, the kind of information needed to address these issues may differ depending on whether the cells are to be used for tissue reconstruction or repair, or to recover metabolic functions. Also anatomical site, functional integration as well as duration of therapy, are crucial points that indirectly can influence safety. Many important assays have been suggested for environmental monitoring as well as to standardize microbiological controls in stem cell banks to prevent contamination. In order to guarantee safety two main aspects must be considered: one is related to the source of cells (the donor) and the other is depending on cell collection and processing. In this review we critically analyze the steps of the processes (from collection to banking) and consider the main factors involved in the clinical research (continuously in evolution) by suggesting a standardized facsimile form to use in the laboratory for the assessment of the microbiological risk related to the cell manipulations.

PMID: 18259977 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

The Efficacy of Reboxetine as an Antidepressant, a Meta-analysis of Both Continuous (Mean HAM-D Score) and Dichotomous (Response Rate) Outcomes.

Kobe J Med Sci. 2008;54(2):E147-58

Authors: Chuluunkhuu G, Nakahara N, Yanagisawa S, Kamae I

Reboxetine is the first selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (NRI). There are limited numbers of quantitative synthesis studies of the efficacy of this drug in treating depressive disorders. We have meta-analyzed the efficacy of the reboxetine using both continuous and dichotomous outcome measures. Data was collected from the Pubmed search of English-language studies published from 1997 to 2007 and manual search of retrieved articles. We have searched for controlled clinical trials of reboxetine with any other antidepressant comparator or placebo in adults with depressive disorders using HAM-D scale for the outcome measure. After 11 studies were selected, separate meta-analyses for the active drug and for the placebo were performed using random effect model. The overall effect size compared with the other antidepressants was -0.06 (95%CI: -0.19; 0.08), with placebo -1.54 (95%CI: -2.23; -0.85). It was calculated using the final mean HAM-D score (continuous outcome). The pooled SD was used when the variance was not available. Pooled odds ratios for the response rates (dichotomous outcome) were 1.04 (95%CI: 0.75; 1.46) and 2.85 (95%CI: 1.88; 4.31) for the active drug and placebo comparisons accordingly. These results suggest that the efficacy of the reboxetine and the other antidepressants (SSRI, TCA and SNRI) on both measures does not differ while it is significantly superior to placebo.

PMID: 18772616 [PubMed - in process]

Proline-functionalised calix[4]arene: an anion-triggered hydrogelator.

Chem Commun (Camb). 2008 Sep 7;(33):3900-2

Authors: Becker T, Yong Goh C, Jones F, McIldowie MJ, Mocerino M, Ogden MI

A water-soluble, chiral calix[4]arene has been found to form hydrogels when triggered by the presence of specific anions, with efficacy linked to the Hofmeister series; the gel properties are modified by the associated cations, and gelation can be reversibly switched off by increasing pH.

PMID: 18726028 [PubMed - in process]