313 research outputs found
Immunomodulation of Autoimmune Arthritis by Herbal CAM
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a debilitating autoimmune disease of global prevalence. The disease is characterized by synovial inflammation leading to cartilage and bone damage. Most of the conventional drugs used for the treatment of RA have severe adverse reactions and are quite expensive. Over the years, increasing proportion of patients with RA and other immune disorders are resorting to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for their health needs. Natural plant products comprise one of the most popular CAM for inflammatory and immune disorders. These herbal CAM belong to diverse traditional systems of medicine, including traditional Chinese medicine, Kampo, and Ayurvedic medicine. In this paper, we have outlined the major immunological pathways involved in the induction and regulation of autoimmune arthritis and described various herbal CAM that can effectively modulate these immune pathways. Most of the information about the mechanisms of action of herbal products in the experimental models of RA is relevant to arthritis patients as well. The study of immunological pathways coupled with the emerging application of genomics and proteomics in CAM research is likely to provide novel insights into the mechanisms of action of different CAM modalities
One More Solution to Dolomite/Apatite Separation Problem
Dolomite, (Ca, Mg) CO3 represents a problematic impurity in phosphate deposits in different parts of the world Generally, acidulation of phosphate rock requires a feed of less than 0.7% MgO content. Selective mining, to avoid high dolomite deposits, has been practiced by phosphate mining industry. Reduction of the MgO content in the phos-phate rock to less than 1% has been the target of many studies, in various academic and industrial laboratories.
However, such goal has not been achieved at a commercial scale yet. Therefore, developing an efficient and economi-cal method for separating dolomite from apatite is an effective way to extend the phosphate mine life. Intense scientific research is being directed towards the imple-mentation of novel approaches dealing with the efficient removal of dolomite from phosphate Reactive Flotation (RF) constitutes a novel technology for solving this problem. RF
basically depends on the reactivity of carbonate minerals with acids in which the CO2 gas generates. Encapsulating the liberated CO2 gas at the surface via coating agent renders the particle more buoyant and easy to separate from phosphate. A major advantage is the selectivity of the separation, which is hard to achieve by conventional flotation or other methods for this type of ores due to the similarity of surface properties of apatite and dolo-mite. Researchers at the Particle Engineering Research Center at University of Florida have conducted systematic studies to develop this process and understand its under-lying fundamentals. This presentation discusses such efforts and the obtained results
P01.26. Traditional Chinese herbal formula HLXL controls ongoing arthritis by regulating the immune mediators of leukocyte trafficking and joint damage
Dynamic correlations in symmetric electron-electron and electron-hole bilayers
The ground-state behavior of the symmetric electron-electron and
electron-hole bilayers is studied by including dynamic correlation effects
within the quantum version of Singwi, Tosi, Land, and Sjolander (qSTLS) theory.
The static pair-correlation functions, the local-field correction factors, and
the ground-state energy are calculated over a wide range of carrier density and
layer spacing. The possibility of a phase transition into a density-modulated
ground state is also investigated. Results for both the electron-electron and
electron-hole bilayers are compared with those of recent diffusion Monte Carlo
(DMC) simulation studies. We find that the qSTLS results differ markedly from
those of the conventional STLS approach and compare in the overall more
favorably with the DMC predictions. An important result is that the qSTLS
theory signals a phase transition from the liquid to the coupled Wigner crystal
ground state, in both the electron-electron and electron-hole bilayers, below a
critical density and in the close proximity of layers (d <~ r_sa_0^*), in
qualitative agreement with the findings of the DMC simulations.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures, 2 table
A dot enzyme immunoassay for detection of IgM antibodies against phenolic glycolipid-1 in sera from leprosy patients
A visual dipstick dot enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for diagnosis
of leprosy is described. The assay is based on detection of IgM antibodies
against phenolic glycolipid (PGL-I) in sera from leprosy patients. The antigen
(PGL-1 or synthetic disaccharide of PGL-I) was dotted on a nitrocellulose pad
stuck on a plastic strip (dipstick). Sera were used at a dilution of 1:200. Peroxidase
coupled mouse anti-human IgM monoclonal antibodies were used as the
conjugate. A positive test gave a blue dot against a white background. The
test was highly specific for leprosy, and was quite sensitive for detection of bacilliferous
(BL/LL) leprosy. The antigen dotted and preblocked dipsticks stored
at room temperature upto 4 months of observation period, were unable in the
assay
Modified Huo-Luo-Xiao-Ling Dan Suppresses Adjuvant Arthritis by Inhibiting Chemokines and Matrix-Degrading Enzymes
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the joints that can lead to deformities and disability. The prolonged use of conventionally used drugs is associated with severe adverse reactions. Therefore, safer and less expensive therapeutic products are continually being sought. Huo-Luo-Xiao-Ling dan (HLXL), a traditional Chinese herbal mixture, and its modified versions possess anti-arthritic activity. In this paper, we examined the influence of modified HLXL on two of the key mediators of arthritic inflammation and tissue damage, namely, chemokines and matrix-metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the rat adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) model of RA. We treated arthritic Lewis rats with HLXL (2.3 g/kg) by daily gavage beginning at the onset of AA. The control rats received the vehicle. At the peak phase of AA, rats were sacrificed and their draining lymph node cells (LNC) and spleen adherent cells (SAC) were tested. The HLXL-treated rats showed a significant reduction in the levels of chemokines (RANTES, MCP-1, MIP-1α, and GRO/KC), MMPs (MMP 2 and 9), as well as cytokines (IL-6 and IL-17) that induce them, compared to the control vehicle-treated rats. Thus, HLXL controls arthritis in part by suppressing the mediators of immune pathology, and it might offer a promising alternative/adjunct treatment for RA
Recruitment of ethnic minority patients to a cardiac rehabilitation trial: The Birmingham Rehabilitation Uptake Maximisation (BRUM) study [ISRCTN72884263]
Background: Concerns have been raised about low participation rates of people from minority ethnic groups
in clinical trials. However, the evidence is unclear as many studies do not report the ethnicity of participants and
there is insufficient information about the reasons for ineligibility by ethnic group. Where there are data, there
remains the key question as to whether ethnic minorities more likely to be ineligible (e.g. due to language) or
decline to participate. We have addressed these questions in relation to the Birmingham Rehabilitation Uptake
Maximisation (BRUM) study, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing a home-based with a hospital-based
cardiac rehabilitation programme in a multi-ethnic population in the UK.
Methods: Analysis of the ethnicity, age and sex of presenting and recruited subjects for a trial of cardiac
rehabilitation in the West-Midlands, UK.
Participants: 1997 patients presenting post-myocardial infarction, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty
or coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
Data collected: exclusion rates, reasons for exclusion and reasons for declining to participate in the trial by ethnic
group.
Results: Significantly more patients of South Asian ethnicity were excluded (52% of 'South Asian' v 36% 'White
European' and 36% 'Other', p < 0.001). This difference in eligibility was primarily due to exclusion on the basis of
language (i.e. the inability to speak English or Punjabi). Of those eligible, similar proportions were recruited from
the different ethnic groups (white, South Asian and other). There was a marked difference in eligibility between
people of Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin
Suppression of Ongoing Experimental Arthritis by a Chinese Herbal Formula (Huo-Luo-Xiao-Ling Dan) Involves Changes in Antigen-Induced Immunological and Biochemical Mediators of Inflammation
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the major autoimmune diseases of global prevalence. The use of the anti-inflammatory drugs for the treatment of RA is associated with severe adverse reactions and toxicity. This limitation has necessitated the search for novel therapeutic products. We report here a traditional Chinese medicine-based herbal formula, Huo luo xiao ling dan (HLXL), which has potent antiarthritic activity as validated in the rat adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) model. HLXL (2.3 g/Kg) was fed to Lewis (RT.11) rats daily by gavage beginning at the onset of arthritis and then continued through the observation period. HLXL inhibited the severity of ongoing AA. This suppression of arthritis was associated with significant alterations in the T cell proliferative and cytokine responses as well as the antibody response against the disease-related antigen, mycobacterial heat-shock protein 65 (Bhsp65). There was a reduction in the level of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-17 and IL-1β but enhancement of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 level. In addition, there was inhibition of both the anti-Bhsp65 antibody response and the serum level of nitric oxide. Thus, HLXL is a promising CAM modality for further testing in RA patients
Correlation energy of a two-dimensional electron gas from static and dynamic exchange-correlation kernels
We calculate the correlation energy of a two-dimensional homogeneous electron
gas using several available approximations for the exchange-correlation kernel
entering the linear dielectric response of the system.
As in the previous work of Lein {\it et al.} [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 67}, 13431
(2000)] on the three-dimensional electron gas, we give attention to the
relative roles of the wave number and frequency dependence of the kernel and
analyze the correlation energy in terms of contributions from the plane. We find that consistency of the kernel with the electron-pair
distribution function is important and in this case the nonlocality of the
kernel in time is of minor importance, as far as the correlation energy is
concerned. We also show that, and explain why, the popular Adiabatic Local
Density Approximation performs much better in the two-dimensional case than in
the three-dimensional one.Comment: 9 Pages, 4 Figure
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