Screening of anti-SIV drugs from Chinese medicinal herbs

The inhibitory activities of more than 40 species of Chinese medicinal herbs or their single chemical components against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) have been studied. The study revealed that four species of medicinal herbs and a single chemical component had a more than 50% inhibition effect on SIV antigen expression, and the inhibitory rate of five other herbs on SIV antigen expression was between 30%～50%. The results suggest Chinese medicinal herbs could inhibit SIV activity.     

What has happened to the new antidepressant drugs?

Depression is a widespread and serious disease for which a multiplicity of antidepressant drugs is available for treatment. Although these agents are numerous, there is little to distinguish among them except for their different side-effects. This article reviews the antidepressant drugs that currently are available in Australia, the antidepressant drugs that are used in other countries and some antidepressant drugs that are likely to become available internationally in the next few years.     

中草药中发现新抗癌药物的途径

中草药的使用已有数千年的历史,对于各种疾病包括肿瘤的治疗都取得了十分宝贵的人体经验。丰富的中草药资源也为寻找新抗癌药提供了重要的物质基础。从传统中医药理论结合现代科学发现从4个方面阐述了进一步从中草药中发现新抗癌药的途径,以期对天然产物来源的新抗癌药物的发现起到一定的启发与促进作用。这4个方面分别是：根据传统中医理论发现抗癌药,包括清热解毒药、活血化瘀药、调节免疫药（补气扶正药）及有毒中草药（以毒攻毒）;从近年发现的抗肿瘤先导化合物中寻找;通过普筛或高通量筛选从中草药提取物中寻找和依据药用植物亲缘学的原理寻找。     

What it will take to create new Internet initiatives in health care

Today's Internet cannot fulfill the anticipated future needs of health care organizations. To address growing administrative, clinical, and research communication networking requirements and to serve as a test bed for future technology, two separate initiatives, the Next Generation Internet (NGI—federally funded by the NIH/NLM) and Internet2 (a consortium of academic partners), are establishing project partnerships that will create new and improved opportunities for health care applications and interactions such as telemedicine, medical imaging, virtual medicine, home health care, public health, consumer medicine, medical education, and medical research, among other uses. In addition to creating and improving large-scale health care networking, it is also expected that much of the technology developed and tested for NGI/Internet2 will filter down to improve the mainstream Internet.     

展望从天然产物创新药物研究

展望从天然产物创新药物的研究。创新药物研究关键切入点和前提是发现活性先导物,从天然产物中发现生物活性先导物必须更新观念,用创新思维改革传统天然产物研究模式,采用高效快速分离和高通量活性筛选的组合天然产物化学研究路线。我国丰富的天然资源蕴涵无穷尽的结构多样性,因而是发现特异生物活性先导物,进而创制新药的最佳来源。对具已知结构和生物活性的天然化合物进行结构修饰或类似物合成是创新药物研究的另一重要途径。研究代表性常用中药及其复方的药效物质和作用机理对实现中药现代化是至关重要的。     

Photosensitizer screening from Chinese medicinal herbs and photodynamic anticancer Studies

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新型抗结核病药物

根据世界卫生组织(WHO)报告，2002年全球约有1600万人患结核病，未接受治疗的患者病死率为50％。全球每年有800万新增结核病患者，因结核病死亡200万人；我国结核菌感染者近5．5亿，现有活动性肺结核患者约450万，约占世界结核病患者的1／4。     

Assessing new health technologies: lessons to be learned from drugs

Balancing the interests of producers, consumers and purchasers (governments) increases the complexity of evidence-based evaluation of non-drug health technologies.     

Clinical effect of chemotherapy combined with Chinese herbs and western drugs on leukocytes of gastric cancer patients

This study observed the effect of chemotherapy combined with Chinese herbs and western drugs on white blood cell count in 31 patients with gastric cancer. These patients were divided into 3 groups: (1) Fu Zheng (strengthen the body resistance) with invigorating the Spleen and Kidney recipe; (2) Fu Zheng with western drugs raising WBC and enhancing immunity; (3) Gong Xiao (eliminating the evil factors and mass) with promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis recipe or eliminating the evil factors and mass recipe. After chemotherapy, the mean of WBC count was greater than 4.0 X 10(9)/L in group I; less than 3.5 X 10(9)/L in group II; less than 3.0 X 10(9)/L in group III. Because of WBC count below 3.0 X 10(9)/L, in group II there were 5 cases (5/14) whose chemotherapies had to be discontinued, and in group III there were 4 cases (4/6). While all patients were completed their chemotherapies in group I. Its statistical difference was significant (P less than 0.05). It suggested that invigorating the Spleen and Kidney recipe had specific effect on decreasing the toxicity and side effect of chemotherapy, preventing bone marrow suppression and leukopenia, and was better than western drugs used in group II. It showed in the treatment of cancer with TCM, we must pay attention to the relationship between the Fu Zheng and the Gong Xiao.     

Antioxidant action of certain simple phenolic compounds derived from Chinese herbs.

H2O2 and hydroxyl free radical active oxygen generation systems were utilized to define the antioxidant activities of simple phenolic compounds derived from Chinese herbs. Although the antioxidant activities of compounds differed when assessed in the two systems, all compounds tested were found to be effective at preventing red blood cell membrane lipid peroxidation, with the propyl and butyl esters of gallic acid being especially potent. No compound was able to prevent hemoglobin oxidation. All compounds but salicylic acid were found to interact dose-dependently with H2O2 and hydroxyl free radical as determined by a chemiluminescence method.