Scientific evidence for traditional claim of anti-obesity activity of Tecomella undulata bark

Ethnopharmacological relevance

The bark of Tecomella undulata is traditionally claimed in the treatment of various disease ailments including obesity and cancer. Till now there are no studies about anti-obesity activity of Tecomella undulata bark.

Aim of the study

The present study was aimed to establish a scientific evidence for anti-obesity efficiency of ethyl acetate extract of Tecomella undulata bark (EATUB). Further to standardize the active fractions of EATUB using different biomarkers.

Materials and methods

We investigated activity of EATUB fractions (F1–F7) using 3T3-L1 fibroblasts. Further, F1-mediated effects were characterized by determining mRNA and protein levels of SIRT1, one of the key targets for the treatment of obesity, using semi-quantitative RT-PCR (sqRT-PCR) and western blot analysis. The consequences of modulation of SIRT1 on mRNA and protein levels of various adipogenesis mediators like PPARγ, C/EBPα, E2F1, leptin, adiponectin and LPL were also studied. In vivo studies were performed using High Fat Diet (HFD) obese mice.

Results

Our data showed that compared to controls, preadipocytes and adipocytes incubated with F1 exhibited a significant decrease in adipogenesis and lipogenesis. In addition, sqRT-PCR and western blot analysis showed significant increase in SIRT1 and adiponectin levels and decrease in PPARγ, C/EBPα, E2F1, leptin and LPL levels in preadipocytes and adipocytes. In vivo studies of F1 in HFD induced obese mice showed significant improvement in lipid profile and glucose levels. The bioactive fraction (F1) was determined to possess 4.95% of ferulic acid.

Conclusion

Thus, our findings signified the beneficial effects of Tecomella undulata bark in pharmacologic interventions related to obesity and metabolic disorders. Ferulic acid and rutin are being reported and quantified for the first time from the bark of Tecomella undulata.     

数字时代中医药信息资源目录学的研究

本文阐述了传统中医药文献目录学的发展历程,分析了数字时代中医药信息资源的现状和特点,探讨构建中医药信息资源数字目录学的方法及中医药信息资源评价体系,以促进我国数字目录学的发展及中医药数字资源的建设。     

补气行气活血祛瘀法治疗冠心病心血瘀阻证85例体会

目的：探讨补气行气活血祛瘀法治疗冠心痛心血瘀阻证的临床效果。方法：将148例本病患者随机分为观察组85例与对照组63例,行常规治疗下,对照组加用消心痛进行治疗,观察组采用中药行补气行气活血化瘀治疗。结果：观察组总有效率N95.3％,对照组为77.8％,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）,观察组显著优于对照组。结论：补气行气活血祛瘀法治疗冠心病心血瘀阻证效果理想,值得临床进一步推广。     

古今灸材及灸法的比较

依据文献资料就古今灸材及灸法作一比较,以期推动灸法的应用与发展。古今灸疗临床施灸材料中艾占主要地位,其他材料辅之。在现代临床中,灸法出现频率居前3位的是艾条灸、艾炷间接灸、温针灸,这3项的累积频率达64．98％,而化脓灸仅占1．1％,居第17位。由此可以看出,在灸疗临床上化脓灸的使用减少,其他灸法应用增多。古代文献中间接灸法所应用的间隔材料种类繁多,其中以蒜、盐、豆豉饼、附子、姜占主要地位。现代临床文献中艾炷间接灸法所应用的间隔材料减少,以姜、药、蒜、盐占主要地位。古今文献对比,可以看出现代间接灸间隔材料的种类减少;隔蒜灸的应用明显减少,而隔姜灸和隔药灸的应用明显增多。古今对灸量都相当重视,古代医家多根据患者年龄、体质,施灸部位,病情、病性,艾炷大小,灸感,施灸次数,天时、地理,发灸疮与否及灸疮的颜色来定施灸的灸量;而现代人所掌握的灸量,多是在古代灸量的基础上,总结出的一套适用于现代临床的方法,是以艾炷的大小、壮数的多少,艾条的大小,施灸时间的长短,施灸的频率,施灸的疗程以及灸感等来决定的。     

16所军队三级医院近十年发表医学科研论文统计分析

通过对驻鲁豫部分军队三级医院2002-2011年发表医学科研论文的第一作者分布、核心期刊分布、基金论文情况、被引频次、SCI收录情况等方面进行比较和计量分析,为军队医疗卫生机构加强科研能力建设、提高科技水平和竞争力提供参考。     

以军事医学为特色凝聚医院核心竞争力

坚持把学科建设作为医院内涵建设和提升竞争力的的核心,科学谋划学科战略,合理构建学科体系,实施临床与科研相结合的学科思路,以军事医学为特色,以人才促学科,全面系统加强医院学科建设,推动医院整体发展。     

Science and technology for wealth and health in developing countries

Abstract

It is now widely accepted that the developing world needs to invest in science and technology or risk falling behind as the technology gap between the North and South widens. However, these investments must be balanced by continued investment in basic population-wide services, such as healthcare and water supply and sanitation. Achieving this balance is a matter of ongoing debate in policy circles, and leaders and policy-makers in developing countries often have to make difficult decisions that pit investment in new technologies and capacity-building in science and technology against basic population-wide services such as healthcare and water supply and sanitation. The tension is underscored by evidence which suggests that rapidly industrializing economies, like in China, India and Brazil, are actually experiencing a rise in economic and health disparities among their populations. The fact that poor people in an industrializing country must fall behind while the rest of the country marches ahead does not have to be an inevitable outcome of industrialization. This article shows that science and technology can make an important and vital contribution to development, using public health as an example. It suggests the need to focus investments in science and technology in such a way that they can have a positive impact on public health. For instance, the use of simple, hand-held molecular diagnostic tools can help unskilled health workers rapidly and accurately diagnose diseases, thus helping to reduce healthcare costs due to delayed or incorrect diagnoses. Recombinant vaccines can mitigate the risk of infection associated with live or attenuated vaccines, while needle-less delivery methods can help contain the spread of blood-borne infections.

Critical to making technology investments work for population health are government policies and strategies that align public health goals and technology priorities. Such policies can include cross-sectoral training programs to improve dialogue between the technology and health sectors, setting up technology transfer cells to increase commercialization of health research relevant to local needs, and leveraging the phenomenon of low-margin high-volume marketing for health products.     

The impact of pictorial realism in educational science television on U.S. children’s learning and transfer of biological facts

ABSTRACT

Although children’s science television shows aim to educate young audiences, a recent content analysis found that these shows are mostly animated and often depict science information anthropomorphically. An experiment examined the implications of these depictions for children’s learning and transfer of scientific information. Preschoolers viewed two videos about insect communication from a popular children’s television show that contained either realistic or anthropomorphic visuals of insects. Results indicated that initial learning from the show did not differ between conditions. However, one week later, children who viewed the show with realistic visuals were more likely to transfer what they learned to real insects, whereas children who viewed the show with anthropomorphic visuals were more likely to attribute humanlike characteristics to real insects. Contrary to predictions, these effects were not mediated by children’s attention to the show or their reality judgments of the factual content.