Complementary medicine: use and attitudes among GPs

BACKGROUND: Information about use and attitudes of GPs towards complementary medicine is required in order to inform the debate about its place within mainstream medicine. There is evidence that public use of complementary medicine is particularly high in the South-West of England. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the use of, and attitudes towards, complementary medicine among GPs. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was performed of all primary care physicians working in the health service in Devon and Cornwall. RESULTS: Replies were received from 461 GPs, a response rate of 47%. A total of 314 GPs (68%, range 32-85%) had been involved in complementary medicine in some way during the previous week. One or other form of complementary medicine was practised by 74 of the respondents (16%), the two most common being homoeopathy (5.9%) and acupuncture (4.3%). In addition, 115 of the respondents (25%) had referred at least one patient to a complementary therapist in the previous week, and 253 (55%) had endorsed or recommended treatment with complementary medicine. Chiropractic, acupuncture and osteopathy were rated as the three most effective therapies, and the majority of respondents believed that these three therapies should be funded by the health service. A total of 176 (38%) of respondents reported adverse effects, most commonly after manipulation. CONCLUSION: Over two-thirds of the GPs in Devon and Cornwall who responded to the survey had been involved with complementary medicine in some way during the previous week. This figure is higher than the national average. The majority of respondents believed that acupuncture, chiropractic and osteopathy were effective and should be funded by the NHS.      

红豆杉提取物中紫杉醇的反相高效液相色谱法测定

本文报道应用反相高效液相色谱法测定红豆杉提取物中紫杉醇的含量,以倍他米松作内标,在填充以10μm LiChrosorb RP-18固定相的250×4mm不锈钢柱上以甲醇-水(30:10v/v)作流动相。228 nm处检测。本法简便、快速、准确,适用于微量样品的测定。     

Expression of phosphorylcholine-specific B cells during murine development

The TEPC 15 (T15) clonotype, a putatively germline antibody specificity, does not appear in the neonatal B-cell repertoire until approximately 1 wk of age. This report extends this observation by the demonstration that (a) the T15 clonotype follows similar kinetics of appearance in germfree as well as conventionally-reared mice; (b) maternal influences and genetic background play a minor role in the development of the T15 clonotype since CBFI neonates raised by C57BL/6 or BALB/c mothers acquire the T15 clonotype at the same time in ontogeny as BALB/c neonates; (c) the lack of phosphorylcholine (PC)-specific B cells shortly after birth is reflected in a dearth of PC-binding cells in the neonate as well; and (d) no PC-specifc B cells are found in 19-day fetal liver or in bone marrow until 7 days of life, coincident with their appearance in the spleen. These findings, along with a previous report that PC-specific splenic B cells are tolerizable as late as day 10 after birth, confirm the invariant, late occurrence of the T15 clonotype and support a highly- ordered, rigorously predetermined mechanism for the acquisition of the B- cell repertoire. The results are discussed in light of other studies on the ontogeny of B-cell specificity, and in terms of the implications on the mechanism by which antibody diversity is generated.     

Hyaluronan-dependent motility of B cells and leukemic plasma cells in blood, but not of bone marrow plasma cells, in multiple myeloma: alternate use of receptor for hyaluronan-mediated motility (RHAMM) and CD44

We investigated the ability of blood B cells, bone marrow (BM) plasma cells, and terminal leukemic plasma cells (T-PCL) from patients with multiple myeloma (MM) to migrate on extracellular matrix proteins. Hyaluronan (HA), but not collagen type I, collagen type IV, or laminin, promoted migration of MM blood B cells, as determined by time-lapse video microscopy. Between 13% and 20% of MM blood B cells migrated on HA with an average velocity of 19 micron/min, and greater than 75% of MM blood B cells exhibited vigorous cell movement and plasma membrane deformation, as did circulating T-PCL and extraskeletal plasma cells from patients with MM. In contrast, plasma cells obtained from BM of patients with MM lacked motility on all substrates tested and did not exhibit cell membrane protrusions or cellular deformation. MM blood B cells and MM plasma cells from all sources examined expressed the HA- binding receptors receptor for HA-mediated motility (RHAMM) and CD44. On circulating MM B cells, both RHAMM and CD44 participated in HA- binding, indicating their expression ex vivo in an activated conformation. In contrast, for the majority of BM plasma cells in the majority of patients with MM, expression of RHAMM or CD44 was not accompanied by HA binding. A minority of patients did have HA-binding BM plasma cells, involving both RHAMM and CD44, as evidenced by partial blocking with monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) to RHAMM or to CD44. Despite HA binding by both RHAMM and CD44, migration of MM blood B cells on HA was inhibited by anti-RHAMM but not by anti-CD44 MoAbs, indicating that RHAMM but not CD44 mediates motility on HA. Thus, circulating B and plasma cells in MM exhibit RHAMM- and HA-dependent motile behavior indicative of migratory potential, while BM plasma cells are sessile. We speculate that a subset(s) of circulating B or plasma cells mediates malignant spread in myeloma.     

Evidence for direct action of human biosynthetic (recombinant) GM-CSF on erythroid progenitors in serum-free culture

The biologic activity of human biosynthetic granulocyte-monocyte colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) was investigated in serum-free culture of erythroid progenitors derived from adult peripheral blood. The morphology of erythroid bursts and the cloning efficiency of BFU-E under serum-free conditions were similar to those observed in dishes with fetal bovine serum (FBS). For these experiments, progenitor cells were partially purified by Ficoll-Paque density centrifugation, adherence to a plastic surface, and complement-mediated cytotoxicity of Leu-1+ elements. For some studies, blastlike cells were harvested directly from 6-day-old semisolid cultures. In serum-free culture of the light-density cell fraction, biosynthetic erythropoietin (Ep) was sufficient for formation of pure and mixed erythroid colonies whereas GM-CSF was required for granulocyte-monocytic colonies. When adherent and Leu-1+ cells were removed, or when in vitro differentiated blast cells were used as a source of progenitors, neither Ep or GM-CSF alone induced colony formation. In dishes supplemented with both growth factors, erythroid bursts were detected. Although the presence of GM- CSF alone did not induce formation of any colony or clusters, BFU-E were recorded when Ep was added 8 days later, suggesting that BFU-E could be maintained. Terminal maturation of the resulting erythroid bursts was delayed by 8 days. These results provide evidence that GM- CSF acts directly on early erythroid progenitors. Furthermore, they suggest that both Ep and GM-CSF are necessary to start the differentiation process.     

PATZ1 acts as a tumor suppressor in thyroid cancer via targeting p53-dependent genes involved in EMT and cell migration

PATZ1, a POZ-Zinc finger protein, is emerging as an important regulator of development and cancer, but its cancer-related function as oncogene or tumor-suppressor is still debated. Here, we investigated its possible role in thyroid carcinogenesis. We demonstrated PATZ1 is down-regulated in thyroid carcinomas compared to normal thyroid tissues, with an inverse correlation to the degree of cell differentiation. In fact, PATZ1 expression was significantly further down-regulated in poorly differentiated and anaplastic thyroid cancers compared to the papillary histotype, and it resulted increasingly delocalized from the nucleus to the cytoplasm proceeding from differentiated to undifferentiated thyroid carcinomas. Restoration of PATZ1 expression in three thyroid cancer-derived cell lines, all characterized by fully dedifferentiated cells, significantly inhibited their malignant behaviors, including in vitro proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, migration and invasion, as well as in vivo tumor growth. Consistent with recent studies showing a role for PATZ1 in the p53 pathway, we showed that ectopic expression of PATZ1 in thyroid cancer cells activates p53-dependent pathways opposing epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cell migration to prevent invasiveness. These results provide insights into a potential tumor-suppressor role of PATZ1 in thyroid cancer progression, and thus may have potential clinical relevance for the prognosis and therapy of thyroid cancer.     

Hair Contamination of Sheepdog and Pet Dogs with Toxocara canis Eggs

Background

We tried to investigate the hair contamination of pet dogs and farm sheepdog with Toxocara eggs in terms of the different sex and age groups in north-west of Iran (Urmia and its suburbs).

Methods

Hair samples were collected from a total of 138 pet and farm sheepdogs from November 2008 to June 2009 in Urmia City and the suburb (West Azerbaijan-Iran) and examined for the presence of T. canis eggs.

Results

T. canis eggs found in 60 samples altogether (pet and shepherd dogs) showed a contamination rate of 36.2%. The number of observed T. canis eggs in each microscope field was varied from 1 to > 400. The age of the dog was found a significant factor to influence the prevalence and intensity of contamination, with 82% of all the eggs recovered from puppies (six months and younger). Additionally, the numbers of eggs in farm sheepdogs were significantly higher than pet dogs (P<0.05).

Conclusion

This report shows that direct contact with T. canis infected dogs, particularly puppies from shepherd dogs, may pose a serious hazard to human. Besides, as they may harbor a considerable number of eggs on their hair, they can contaminate the soil and the environment.     

Introducing Alphitobius diaperinus, (Insecta: Tenebrionidae) as a New Intermediate Host of Hadjelia truncata (Nematoda)

Background

Hadjelia truncata is a nematode that causes lesions in the gizzard lining of pigeons, which may even lead to death. The aim of this study was to introduce Alphitobius diaperinus as a new intermediate host for Hadjelia truncata.

Methods

H. truncata infection was identified in a pigeon flock in Ahvaz City, Khuzestan Province, Iran by performing fecal examination and autopsy. Adult and larval stages of beetles were collected from the litter of pigeon houses, and identified morphologically. The beetle larvae were cultured in a medium, containing feces of the infected pigeons. Nematode larval stages from naturally and experimentally (culturally) infected adult beetles were fed to two groups of pigeons

Results

The collected beetles were identified as Alphitobius diaperinus. Average length and width of the adult beetles were 6.31 mm and 2.88 mm respectively. Infection rates of naturally and experimentally infected beetles with larval stages of the nematode were 66.2% and 45.1% respectively. The adult nematodes collected from gizzards of experimentally infected pigeons were identified as H. truncata. Nematode infection rates in pigeons after feeding the infective larvae collected from naturally and experimentally infected beetles were 44.7% and 32.5% respectively.

Conclusion

A. diaperinus can serve as a natural intermediate host for H. truncata.