Valproic Acid Induces Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition-Like Phenotypic Switching

Valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, is a widely used anticonvulsant drug that is currently undergoing clinical evaluation for anticancer therapy due to its anti-angiogenic potential. Endothelial cells (ECs) can transition into mesenchymal cells and this form of EC plasticity is called endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), which is widely implicated in several pathologies including cancer and organ fibrosis. However, the effect of VPA on EC plasticity and EndMT remains completely unknown. We report herein that VPA-treatment significantly inhibits tube formation, migration, nitric oxide production, proliferation and migration in ECs. A microscopic evaluation revealed, and qPCR, immunofluorescence and immunoblotting data confirmed EndMT-like phenotypic switching as well as an increased expression of pro-fibrotic genes in VPA-treated ECs. Furthermore, our data confirmed important and regulatory role played by TGFβ-signaling in VPA-induced EndMT. Our qPCR array data performed for 84 endothelial genes further supported our findings and demonstrated 28 significantly and differentially regulated genes mainly implicated in angiogenesis, endothelial function, EndMT and fibrosis. We, for the first time report that VPA-treatment associated EndMT contributes to the VPA-associated loss of endothelial function. Our data also suggest that VPA based therapeutics may exacerbate endothelial dysfunction and EndMT-related phenotype in patients undergoing anticonvulsant or anticancer therapy, warranting further investigation

Biofield Therapies: Helpful or Full of Hype? A Best Evidence Synthesis

Biofield therapies (such as Reiki, therapeutic touch, and healing touch) are complementary medicine modalities that remain controversial and are utilized by a significant number of patients, with little information regarding their efficacy. This systematic review examines 66 clinical studies with a variety of biofield therapies in different patient populations. We conducted a quality assessment as well as a best evidence synthesis approach to examine evidence for biofield therapies in relevant outcomes for different clinical populations. Studies overall are of medium quality, and generally meet minimum standards for validity of inferences. Biofield therapies show strong evidence for reducing pain intensity in pain populations, and moderate evidence for reducing pain intensity hospitalized and cancer populations. There is moderate evidence for decreasing negative behavioral symptoms in dementia and moderate evidence for decreasing anxiety for hospitalized populations. There is equivocal evidence for biofield therapies' effects on fatigue and quality of life for cancer patients, as well as for comprehensive pain outcomes and affect in pain patients, and for decreasing anxiety in cardiovascular patients. There is a need for further high-quality studies in this area. Implications and future research directions are discussed

Effects of biofield vs. mock healing for fatigue, cytokines, and cortisol variability in breast cancer survivors : a randomized, controlled trial

This randomized, placebo-controlled trial investigated the use of biofield healing (termed energy healing), compared to mock healing, for the alleviation of fatigue and inflammation after adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy for breast cancer. Thirty-three women breast cancer survivors were studied at the UCSD General Clinical Research Center prior to and following 4 weeks of healing or mock healing, as well as immediately before and after healing or mock healing sessions. Participants received 8 one-hour sessions (twice per week) of either biofield or mock healing. Outcome measures included fatigue (via the MFSI- sf), depression (via the CESD), mood disturbance (via the POMS-sf), quality of life (via the FACT-B), and self- reported sleep quality (via the PSQI). In addition, the study examined potential changes in pro- and anti- inflammatory cytokines and receptors (IL-6, sIL-6R, sIL- 1Ra, IL-4, and TNF-RII), as well as circadian rhythms of the hormone cortisol. Participants also rated their guess of treatment (energy healing or touch alone). Intent-to- treat analyses were performed for all psychological outcome variables. Results indicated that both groups significantly decreased in overall fatigue over time. There was a trend toward significant differences between the healing group and mock group on overall MFSI-sf fatigue scores, with the healing group showing a notably steeper decline over time compared to the mock group. There was a significant group x time interaction for CESD scores, such that the healing group decreased in depression over time compared to the mock group. Both groups decreased significantly in overall POMS-sf Total Mood Disturbance over time. Expectation itself predicted changes in FACT-B scores. Repeated-measures ANCOVA analyses for cytokine data revealed a significant group x time interaction for IL-4, such that the healing group decreased in this marker over time compared to the mock group. There was also a significant group x time interaction for sIL-1Ra, such that the mock group increased in this marker over time compared to the healing group. This pattern was also reflected in a trend for a group x time interaction for IL-6. Both groups showed significant time effects for sIL-6r. There were significant group x time interactions for cortisol slopes and mean cortisol, with women in the healing group had more negative slopes (increased variability) and decreased mean cortisol. Results suggest a differential outcome profile for breast cancer survivors who received healing sessions vs. those who received mock healing. Further research is warranted to better ascertain the specific vs. nonspecific effects of biofield healing for fatigue and immune function in breast cancer survivors

Biofield Therapies: Helpful or Full of Hype? A Best Evidence Synthesis

Biofield therapies (such as Reiki, therapeutic touch, and healing touch) are complementary medicine modalities that remain controversial and are utilized by a significant number of patients, with little information regarding their efficacy. This systematic review examines 66 clinical studies with a variety of biofield therapies in different patient populations. We conducted a quality assessment as well as a best evidence synthesis approach to examine evidence for biofield therapies in relevant outcomes for different clinical populations. Studies overall are of medium quality, and generally meet minimum standards for validity of inferences. Biofield therapies show strong evidence for reducing pain intensity in pain populations, and moderate evidence for reducing pain intensity hospitalized and cancer populations. There is moderate evidence for decreasing negative behavioral symptoms in dementia and moderate evidence for decreasing anxiety for hospitalized populations. There is equivocal evidence for biofield therapies' effects on fatigue and quality of life for cancer patients, as well as for comprehensive pain outcomes and affect in pain patients, and for decreasing anxiety in cardiovascular patients. There is a need for further high-quality studies in this area. Implications and future research directions are discussed

Healing Touch With Guided Imagery for PTSD in Returning Active Duty Military: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains a significant problem in returning military and warrants swift and effective treatment. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine whether a complementary medicine intervention (Healing Touch with Guided Imagery [HT+GI]) reduced PTSD symptoms as compared to treatment as usual (TAU) returning combat-exposed active duty military with significant PTSD symptoms. Active duty military (n = 123) were randomized to 6 sessions (within 3 weeks) of HT+GI vs. TAU. The primary outcome was PTSD symptoms; secondary outcomes were depression, quality of life, and hostility. Repeated measures analysis of covariance with intent-to-treat analyses revealed statistically and clinically significant reduction in PTSD symptom

Sound healing reduces generalized anxiety during the pandemic: A feasibility study

Objectives: This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of a virtually-delivered, biofield-based sound healing treatment to reduce anxiety for individuals meeting criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Design: This one-group, mixed-method feasibility study was conducted virtually via Zoom during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic. Fifteen participants with moderate to high levels of anxiety as determined by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (≥10), were enrolled. Intervention: Five certified Biofield Tuning Practitioners performed the interventions. Participants were given three weekly, hour-long sound healing treatments virtually, over a month’s period. Outcome Measures: Attrition rates and reports on feasibility of intervention delivery and outcomes assessment were obtained by participants. Data on anxiety, positive and negative affect, spiritual experience, perceived stress, and quality of life were obtained via validated surveys and analyzed via repeated-measures analysis of variance with intention-to-treat. Linguistic inquiry and word count was utilized to assess changes in affective processing as reflected in participants’ spoken words over the course of the intervention. Qualitative interviews were conducted to further determine tolerability and experiences with receiving BT that may not have been captured by survey and language data. Results: Attrition rates were 13.3%, with two participants dropping out of the study after one session. The remaining participants reported acceptability of the data collection process and intervention delivery. Intention to treat analyses revealed statistically significant reductions in anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), negative affect (Positive and Negative Affect Scale), and perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale) (p < .001 in all cases). Linguistic and word count analysis revealed a significant linear decrease (p = .01) of participants’ use of negative affect words over the course of the intervention. Qualitative data results are reported in another paper. Conclusions: Results indicate that BT delivered virtually is feasible and amenable to study, and that the impact of BT may be substantial in reducing anxiety and improving mental health. This is the first study of its kind to report clinically significant reductions in anxiety levels in response to a virtually-delivered, biofield-based sound therapy. Data will be used to power a randomized controlled trial to more deeply examine the effects of BT on whole-person healing for those suffering from anxiety