Naturopathic Medicine in Vermont\u27s Healthcare System: A Thematic Analysis

Naturopathic Medicine is a system of health care that utilizes education, natural medicines, and natural therapies to support and stimulate a patient\u27s intrinsic self-healing processes and prevents, diagnoses, and treats human health conditions, injuries, and pain. There are 5 accredited schools of naturopathic medicine in the US and 2 in Canada. Naturopathic physicians were recognized as primary care providers (PCP) in 2009. There are 355 NDs licensed in VT, and 88 NDs with a VT address. 81% participate in Medicaid. OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of naturopathic physicians in Vermont\u27s healthcare systemhttps://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1317/thumbnail.jp

Roles of Free Radicals in Type 1 Phototherapeutic Agents: Aromatic Amines, Sulfenamides, and Sulfenates

Detailed analyses of the electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra, cell viability, and DNA degradation studies are presented for the photolyzed Type I phototherapeutic agents: aromatic amines, sulfenamides, and sulfenates. The ESR studies provided evidence that copious free radicals can be generated from these N–H, N–S, and S–O containing compounds upon photoirradiation with UV/visible light. The analyses of spectral data allowed us to identify the free radical species. The cell viability studies showed that these agents after exposure to light exert cytotoxicity to kill cancer cells (U937 leukemia cell lines HTC11, KB, and HT29 cell lines) in a dosage- and time-dependent manner. We examined a possible pathway of cell death via DNA degradation by a plasmid cleavage assay for several compounds. The effects of photosensitization with benzophenone in the presence of oxygen were examined. The studies indicate that planar tricyclic amines and sulfenamides tend to form π-electron delocalized aminyl radicals, whereas nonplanar ones tend to yield nitroxide radicals resulting from the recombination of aminyl radicals with oxygen. The ESR studies coupled with the results of cell viability measurements and DNA degradation reveal that planar N-centered radicals can provide higher potency in cell death and allow us to provide some insights on the reaction mechanisms. We also found the formation of azatropylium cations possessing high aromaticity derived from azepines can facilitate secondary electron transfer to form toxic O₂^•– radicals, which can further exert oxidative stress and cause cell death

Early detection of lung function abnormalities in young children with cystic fibrosis

The onset of lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF) begins early in life with respiratory infection, inflammation, and structural lung damage all reported in infants with CF in the first months of life. As new treatments become available, it is essential that we have outcome measures that can be used to track disease progression and treatment efficacy. In this review, we have examined the role of lung function testing in infants and preschool children with CF. In particular, we have focused on the ability of the various lung function tests to detect the presence of respiratory pathogens and structural lung disease, increased inflammation, and the onset of acute exacerbations

Identifying peroxidases and their oxidants in the early pathology of cystic fibrosis

We aimed to determine whether myeloperoxidase (MPO) is the main peroxidase present in the airways of children with cystic fibrosis (CF) and to assess which oxidants it produces and whether they are associated with clinical features of CF. Children with CF (n = 54) and without CF (n = 16) underwent bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for assessment of pulmonary infection and inflammation. BAL fluid was analyzed for MPO, halogenated tyrosines as markers of hypohalous acids, thiocyanate, and protein carbonyls. MPO was the only peroxidase detected in BAL samples from children with CF and its concentration was markedly higher than in controls. Levels of 3-chlorotyrosine and 3-bromotyrosine in proteins were higher in the CF group. They correlated with neutrophils and MPO. The concentration of thiocyanate in BAL samples was below 1 mu M. Protein carbonyl levels correlated with MPO and halogenated tyrosines in patients with CF. Levels of MPO and halogenated tyrosines were higher in children with infections, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and in the presence of respiratory symptoms. They also correlated with the Kanga clinical score. Our findings suggest that MPO produces hypobromous acid as well as hypochlorous acid in the airways of children with CF and that these oxidants are involved in the early pathogenesis of CF. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Random networks of core-shell-like Cu-Cu2O/CuO nanowires as surface plasmon resonance-enhanced sensors

Abstract The rapid oxide formation on pristine unprotected copper surfaces limits the direct application of Cu nanomaterials in electronics and sensor assemblies with physical contacts. However, it is not clear whether the growing cuprous (Cu2O) and cupric oxides (CuO) and the formation of core-shell-like Cu-Cu2O/CuO nanowires would cause any compromise for non-contact optical measurements, where light absorption and subsequent charge oscillation and separation take place such as those in surface plasmon-assisted and photocatalytic processes, respectively. Therefore, we analyze how the surface potential of hydrothermally synthetized copper nanowires changes as a function of time in ambient conditions using Kelvin probe force microscopy in dark and under light illumination to reveal charge accumulation on the nanowires and on the supporting gold substrate. Further, we perform finite element modeling of the optical absorption to predict plasmonic behavior of the nanostructures. The results suggest that the core-shell-like Cu-Cu2O/CuO nanowires may be useful both in photocatalytic and in surface plasmon-enhanced processes. Here, by exploiting the latter, we show that regardless of the native surface oxide formation, random networks of the nanowires on gold substrates work as excellent amplification media for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy as demonstrated in sensing of Rhodamine 6G dye molecules