Chinese herbal medicine and depression: the research evidence

Background. Alternative approaches for managing depression are often sought and herbal mixtures are widely used in China. The aim of this paper was to provide an overall picture of the current evidence by analysing published systematic reviews and presenting a supplementary systematic review of trials in Western databases. Methods. Searches were conducted using AMED, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, and trial registers. Results were screened and selected trials were evaluated by two reviewers working independently. Systematic reviews were identified and assessed using key criteria. Results. Five systematic reviews were located addressing the Chinese literature, adjunctive use of Chinese herbs, and the formulae Chaihu-Shugan-San, Xiao Yao San, and Free and Easy Wanderer Plus. The supplementary review located 8 trials, 3 of which were not included in previous reviews. Positive results were reported: no significant differences from medication, greater effect than medication or placebo, reduced adverse event rates when combined or compared with antidepressants. However, limitations in methodology and reporting were revealed. Conclusions. Despite promising results, particularly for Xiao Yao San and its modifications, the effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine in depression could not be fully substantiated based on current evidence. Further well-designed, well-reported trials that reflect practice may be worth pursuing

Damages as a Remedy for Infringement of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Section 24(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms confers on the courts the power to award to anyone whose rights or freedoms under the Charter have been infringed such remedy as the court considers appropriate and just in the circumstances . This article discusses the issues with which the courts will have to deal if they are asked to award damages for infringement of constitutional rights. It considers, inter alias the purposes which the award of damages may serve; the elements of a constitutional damage claim; the defendants against whom such a claim may be made; and the appropriate measure of damages. In exercising this jurisdiction Canadian courts will no doubt find it useful to refer to the common law of damages and to the experience in the United States in the awarding of damages in constitutional cases. However the author concludes that the courts should not be constrained by common law principles and that the Charter confers on them a much broader jurisdiction than that of the United States courts. Canadian courts should therefore fashion a remedy in damages which will effectively redress contraventions of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Charter

Damages as a Remedy for Infringement of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Section 24(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms confers on the courts the power to award to anyone whose rights or freedoms under the Charter have been infringed such remedy as the court considers appropriate and just in the circumstances . This article discusses the issues with which the courts will have to deal if they are asked to award damages for infringement of constitutional rights. It considers, inter alias the purposes which the award of damages may serve; the elements of a constitutional damage claim; the defendants against whom such a claim may be made; and the appropriate measure of damages. In exercising this jurisdiction Canadian courts will no doubt find it useful to refer to the common law of damages and to the experience in the United States in the awarding of damages in constitutional cases. However the author concludes that the courts should not be constrained by common law principles and that the Charter confers on them a much broader jurisdiction than that of the United States courts. Canadian courts should therefore fashion a remedy in damages which will effectively redress contraventions of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Charter

Forbidden to Sacrifice Humans or Eat Dogs: Revisiting the Tophet Debate though a Demographic Lens

Due to recent osteoarchaeological publications, prominent historians, archaeologists and osteologists have reignited the debate over the practice of infant and child sacrifice at Phoenician sites in the central Mediterranean. In all previous studies, including osteoarchaeological approaches, the debate has been conducted on terms established by the Greco-Roman sources. Here, I move away from those sources and suggest a series of demographic models in order to understand better the effects of infanticide on population growth at Phoenician colonies in the Early Iron Age central Mediterranean

Examining the terminology of race issues in assessments for international exchange students

This study examined assignments by students from a university in Scotland and a university in the USA, and explored the terminology used by student when referring to race issues in assignments linked to practice. The findings suggest the terminology of race issues in assessments may be inappropriate for students because they allow racism to be marginalized from practice or presented in a way that conveys little analysis