From ancient medicine to modern medicine: ayurvedic concepts of health and their role in inflammation and cancer

Recent statistics indicate that the overall cancer incidence in the United States, in spite of billions of dollars spent on research each year, has not changed significantly in the last half-century. Cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, and colon, although most common in the Western world, are least common in the Eastern world. Allopathic medicine commonly practiced currently is only 100 years old. Although traditional medicine has been around for thousands of years, no integration exists between it and allopathic medicine. Ayurveda, the science of long life and one of the most ancient medical systems still practiced on the Indian subcontinent, can be used in combination with modern medicine to provide better treatment of cancer. This review focuses on the ayurvedic concept of the causes of cancer and its linkage with inflammation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. How ayurvedic medicine can be integrated with allopathic medicine is also discussed in this review.     

Complete recovery obtained with combined S-1 + CDDP therapy in a patient with multiple lung metastases from esophageal cancer

PURPOSE: There are numerous reports on the subject of effectiveness in radio-chemotherapy with regard to esophageal cancer, suggesting especially the combination therapy of 5-FU + CDDP aimed for recovery. Treatment becomes difficult when distal metastases appear during an adjuvant therapy followed by surgery. Our report here is a case in which a complete recovery was obtained after changing to S-1, a prodrug of 5-FU, in response to multiple lung metastases which appeared during the combined 5-FU + CDDP therapy followed by surgery for esophageal cancer. CASE: The patient was a 71-year-old male. Endoscopy during a physical examination showed a Type 1 tumor 27-30 cm from the anterior teeth. Detailed tests provided a preoperative diagnosis of esophageal cancer: Ut Type 1, T2-T3, N2, MO, IMO. A right thoracolaparotomic subtotal esophagectomy and retrosternal reconstruction were performed. Pathological findings showed well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, pT1b (sm), pN1 (106-rec R), pStage II. Postoperative combination of 5-FU + CDDP (day 1-5, 5-FU 500 mg; CDDP 10 mg/body) was started. Because of the appearance of multiple lung metastases after the completion of 3 courses, 2 courses of S-1 + CDDP (S-1 120 mg/body day 1-14; CDDP 5 mg/body day 1-5, day 8-12) were performed. After completing the chemotherapy, CT revealed the resolution of the lung metastases and complete recovery was diagnosed. Following this, a treatment with S-1 alone was continued until the appearance of bone metastases at which time radiotherapy was performed. The treatment is currently ongoing and no recurrence of the lung metastases has been shown. CONCLUSION: There have been numerous reports of the combination of S-1 + CDDP in esophageal cancer for NAC or in inoperable cases. However, our report suggests that this method may be effective in cases of recurrence or distal metastases.     

Structure-activity relationship of flavonoids for inhibition of epidermal growth factor-induced transformation of JB6 Cl 41 cells

We found that quercetin, myricetin, quercetagetin, fisetin, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and theaflavins, among 24 flavonoids examined, markedly inhibited epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced cell transformation of mouse epidermal JB6 Cl 41 cells. The six flavonoids suppressed the EGF-induced activation of activator protein 1 (AP-1). In addition, myricetin, quercetagetin, EGCG, and theaflavins directly inhibited EGF-induced phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activation. The important structural features of flavonoids for cell transformation-inhibitory activity are 3'- and 4'-OH on the B-ring, 3-OH on the C-ring, C2=C3 double bond in the C-ring, and the phenylchromone (C6-C5-C6) skeleton in the flavonols, and the galloyl group in EGCG and theaflavins. Our results provide new insight into possible mechanisms of the anti-carcinogenic effects of flavonoids, and could help to provide a basis for the design of novel cancer chemopreventive agents.     

Effects of flavoxate hydrochloride on voltage-dependent Ba<Superscript>2+</Superscript> currents in human detrusor myocytes at different experimental temperatures

The inhibitory effects of flavoxate hydrochloride (piperidinoethyl-3-methylflavone-8-carboxylate; hereafter referred as flavoxate) on voltage-dependent nifedipine-sensitive inward Ba²⁺ currents (I _Ba) in human detrusor myocytes were investigated at different temperatures using conventional whole-cell patch-clamp techniques. When the bath-solution temperature was increased from 22°C to 30°C, I _Ba peak amplitude was enhanced by approximately twice at several test potentials. Neither the I _Ba threshold nor the membrane potentials for the I _Ba maximum peak amplitude was affected by the temperature change. The concentration-response curves of flavoxate at both 30°C (K _i  = 5.1 μM) and 37°C (K _i  = 4.6 μM) were slightly shifted to the left in comparison with that at 22°C (K _i  = 10.3 μM). Similar results were also obtained in the presence of nifedipine (K _i  = 14 nM at 22°C vs. K _i  = 2.5 nM at 30°C and K _i  = 2.1 nM at 37°C). Altering the bath-solution temperature from 22°C to 30°C shifted the steady-state inactivation curve of I _Ba at −90 mV to the left. At 30°C, the steady-state inactivation curve of I _Ba in the presence of flavoxate was also shifted to the left in comparison with that in the absence of flavoxate. Either 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) or theophylline, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor, caused little effects on I _Ba, although cyclic nucleotides (dibutyryl cAMP and 8-Br-cGMP) inhibited I _Ba. These results suggest that the inhibitory actions of flavoxate on I _Ba in human detrusor myocytes were slightly changed at different experimental temperatures and that flavoxate directly blocked voltage-dependent L-type Ca²⁺ channels, not through the inhibition of phosphodiesterase activity pathway.     

Proximal motor conduction evaluated by transcranial magnetic stimulation in acquired inflammatory demyelinating neuropathies.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate conduction abnormalities in the proximal motor nerve in patients with acquired inflammatory demyelinating neuropathies by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). METHODS: TMS intensity and background voluntary contraction (BVC) to evoke maximal size of motor evoked potential (MEP) in hand muscle were investigated in 24 normal subjects. Effect of experimentally induced conduction block by injecting local anesthetics in the peripheral nerve on MEP size was also studied in two normal subjects. In 22 patients with inflammatory demyelinating neuropathies, maximal MEPs were recorded in the deteriorating and recovery stages of the illness. RESULTS: In normal subjects, the MEP became maximal with 30-50% of maximal BVC and at more than 80% the maximal stimulator output of the 2.0 T circular coil. The change in MEP size well reflected the degree of conduction block induced by local anesthetics. Findings for patients suggested conduction abnormalities proximal to axilla in 9 patients, and that the abnormal reduction of Erb CMAP was the result of submaximal stimulation, not true conduction block, in 3 patients. The increase in MEP/wrist CMAP ratio was better correlated with improvement in muscle strength than with change in the axilla or Erb CMAP/wrist CMAP ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Problems such as conduction abnormalities in the motor tract of the central nervous system could not fully be excluded, but we consider that maximal MEP size can be used to predict proximal motor nerve conduction abnormalities.     

Effects of thermal therapy combining sauna therapy and underwater exercise in patients with fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disorder that is characterized by widespread pain with localized tenderness. We aimed to investigate whether thermal therapy combining sauna therapy and underwater exercise improved pain, symptoms, and quality of life (QOL) in FMS patients. Forty-four female FMS patients who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria received 12-week thermal therapy program comprising sauna therapy once daily for 3 days/week and underwater exercise once daily for 2 days/week. Pain, symptoms, and QOL were assessed using a pain visual analog scale (VAS), a fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ), and a short form 36-item questionnaire (SF-36), respectively. All of the patients reported significant reductions in pain and symptoms of 31–77% after the 12-week thermal therapy program, which remained relatively stable (28–68%) during the 6-month follow-up period (that is, the thermal therapy program improved both the short-term and the long-term VAS and FIQ scores). Improvements were also observed in the SF-36 score. Thermal therapy combining sauna therapy and underwater exercise improved the QOL as well as the pain and symptoms of FMS patients.     

Culture of cells derived from the human sebaceous gland under serum-free conditions without a biological feeder layer or specific matrices

We succeeded in serially culturing cells derived from human sebaceous gland (sebocytes) under serum-free conditions. Sebaceous glands were isolated from dispase-treated facial skin specimens and cultured using two different methods, explant culture and dispersed cell culture, in KGM. In both types of culture the sebocytes proliferated rapidly without a biological feeder layer or specific matrices. It was possible to cultivate the cells serially for at least three passages (explant culture) and six passages (dispersed cell culture), and to store the cells in liquid nitrogen with good recovery. Analytical thin-layer chromatography revealed that the cells synthesized a large amount of sebum-specific lipids, squalene and wax esters in vitro. Both testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone significantly stimulated the proliferation of the sebocytes. The methods presented here may permit a large series of studies on the function of sebaceous glands or cells derived from sebaceous glands.