Effect of myrrh (Commiphora molmol) on leukocyte levels before and during healing from gastric ulcer or skin injury

Myrrh (Commiphora molmol) has been widely used as an anti-inflammatory and wound healing commercial product. As white blood cell (WBC)/leukocyte counts have been used as an indicator by clinicians to monitor progress of healing in patients, the purpose of this study was to examine effects of myrrh supplementation on blood WBC numbers before an injury and during healing. Male rats (7–8-wk-of-age) were randomly assigned to four groups. Group 1 (SIM) served as “skin injury treated + myrrh treatment (500?mg/kg/day),” Group 2 (SI) as “skin injury alone”, Group 3 (GUM) as “gastric ulcer treated + myrrh treatment”, and Group 4 (GU) as gastric ulcer only. Myrrh treatments (via drinking water) began 4 wk before induction of injury and continued for a 2 wk period post-injury. Baseline values for each WBC type were recorded before start of the myrrh treatments. Counts were performed again on Day 1 of the 5th wk (1–2?hr before injury) and post-injury on Days 4 and 7 of the 5th wk, and a final time on Day 4 of the 6th wk. Results showed that levels of all WBC types were significantly (P?<?0.05) elevated before either injury in myrrh-treated rats (Groups 1 and 3) as compared with levels in rats in Groups 2 and 4. At all timepoints, there were neither significant differences between the values seen with rats in Groups 1 and 3, nor between those in Groups 2 and 4. Treatment with myrrh also induced an initial increase in WBC levels that persisted through the post-injury healing period. Levels of most cell types only increased in the Group 2 and 4 rats once the injury was induced, but then declined over the healing period. Since myrrh enhanced WBC levels before injury, we conclude that myrrh likely contains substances that could induce an apparent antigen-driven response. As the myrrh also helped maintain elevated WBC levels throughout the healing period, this implied it was also able to induce maturation/differentiation/activation of both myeloid and lymphoid cell types during the effector phase of the immune responses involved in wound healing.     

Development of Yogurts Enriched with Antioxidants from Wine

This study aimed to develop a new food product, attractive from the organoleptic point of view and with the advantage of being rich in phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. For that, a phenolic-rich solution was obtained from wine and included in the recipe of the yogurts. The product developed was therefore a yogurt with wine antioxidants, prepared in different aroma variations. The results showed that the addition of the phenolic-rich solution caused an increase in the content of antioxidants without affecting acidity. On the other hand, based on sensory analysis, it was possible to choose two final products which were the favorite among the members of the sensorial panel, namely the yogurt with flavor of mixed fruits and sugar and the addition of the wine antioxidants solution and the yogurt with flavor of cinnamon and sugar and the addition of wine antioxidants.     

Vinyl chloride industry in the courtroom and corporate influences on the scientific literature

Pressure from the vinyl chloride (VC) industry on researchers involved in industry‐sponsored studies and on regulatory agencies has been documented since 1970s. This commentary describes the influence of a lawsuit pursued by workers of an Italian VC plant on the recent scientific debate on VC exposure and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Original studies carried out by consultants of the public prosecutors and by independent researchers supported the above association. VC‐industry consultants published two reviews during the lawsuit, claiming that liver angiosarcoma was the only VC‐related cancer. The judges concluded that the evidence of the association between HCC and VC was still not convincing. After the trial, the risk of HCC was confirmed by a re‐assessment of VC carcinogenicity from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, but other subsequent industry‐funded reviews criticized the new evidence. Industry‐funded authors cited each other, and rarely disclosed conflicts of interest. Based on a network of collaborating researchers, industrial interests can shape the literature enhancing the background noise surrounding the scientific evidence. Am. J. Ind. Med. 54:470–473, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Evaluation of the California Safer Consumer Products Regulation and the impact on consumers and product manufacturers

Chemistry enables more than 95% of products in the marketplace. Over the past 20 years, various entities began to generate inventories of chemicals (“chemical watch lists”) potentially associated with human or environmental health risks. Some lists included thousands of chemicals, while others listed only a few chemistries with limited properties or toxicological endpoints (e.g., neurotoxicants). Enacted on October 1, 2013, the California Safer Consumer Products Regulation (SCP) utilized data from chemical inventory lists to create one master list. This paper aims to discuss the background and requirements of this regulation. Additionally, we wanted to understand the universe of Candidate Chemicals identified by the Regulation. Data from all 23 chemical lists identified in the SCP Regulation were entered into a database. The most prevalent chemicals among the ∼2900 chemicals are identified, including the most prevalent chemical, lead, appearing on 65% of lists, followed by DEHP (52%), perchloroethylene (48%), and benzene (48%). Our results indicated that the most prevalent Candidate Chemicals were either persistent, bioaccumulative, carcinogenic, or reprotoxic. This regulation will have wide-ranging impact in California and throughout the global supply chain, which is highlighted through selected examples and case studies.     

心血管介入患者的医疗照射水平

[目的]分析心血管介入诊疗中患者的医疗照射水平,探讨相应的辐射防护对策。[方法]回顾性分析262例共4组患者（组1：单行冠状动脉造影术;组2：冠状动脉造影＋球囊预扩张和支架置入术;组3：心脏起搏器置入、更换术;组4：电生理检查＋射频消融术）,测算不同类别心血管介入诊疗的剂量与面积之积（dose-area product,DAP,mGycm2）和空气比释动能（air kerma,AK,mGy）,用Monte-Carlo转换系数从剂量与面积之积估算有效剂量。[结果]DAP值、AK值、有效剂量均以组2最高,分别为（131941.91±112242.64）mGycm2、（1131.07±635.75）mGy、（18.47±15.71）mSv;均以组3最低,分别为（32045.50±57475.17）mGycm2、（158.98±379.50）mGy、（4.49±8.05）mSv;各组中个体的辐射暴露差异均较大。透视时间以组4最长,为（17.03±3.35）min。摄影帧数以组2最多,为（787.12±316.53）帧;组4最少,仅为（3.55±6.27）帧。[结论]不同类别心血管介入诊疗,患者的医疗照射水平差异较大。患者所受辐射剂量较高,应采取适当防护措施,有效防范患者可能受到的潜在电离辐射危险。     

慢性阻塞性肺疾病与血浆纤维蛋白（原）的研究现状

COPD 是一种具有不完全可逆性气流阻塞特征的慢性炎性疾病，常伴有心血管疾病增加、静脉血栓栓塞风险和系统性炎症反应等并发症，是全球发病和死亡的主要原因之一。FEV1是在疾病严重程度和进展方面使用最广泛的的指标，鉴于其与症状和疾病进展其他方面存在较弱的相关性，探索能充分体现 COPD 特征的标志物更是备受关注。纤维蛋白原是急性时相反应蛋白，也是凝血系统中重要的凝血因子，纤维蛋白原与其降解产物 Aα-Val360以及纤维蛋白降解产物 D-二聚体可以作为监测疾病进展和急性发作的潜力标志物。在此主要从静脉血栓栓塞以及炎症反应等方面对相关生物学标志物进行阐述，以进一步理解其在疾病发生、发展中的作用，为疾病的监测和治疗预防提供新的思路。     

The expanding role of the clinical haematologist in the new world of advanced therapy medicinal products

Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP s) represent the current pinnacle of ‘patient‐specific medicines’ and will change the nature of medicine in the near future. They fall into three categories; somatic cell‐therapy products, gene therapy products and cells or tissues for regenerative medicine, which are termed ‘tissue engineered’ products. The term also incorporates ‘combination products’ where a human cell or tissue is combined with a medical device. Plainly, many of these new medicines share similarities with conventional haematological stem cell transplant products and donor lymphocyte infusions as well as solid organ grafts and yet ATMP s are regulated as medicines and their development has remained predominantly in academic settings and within specialist centres. However, with the advent of commercialisation of dendritic cell vaccines, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR )‐T cells and genetically modified autologous haematopoietic stem cells to cure single gene‐defects in β‐thalassaemia and haemophilia, the widespread availability of these therapies needs to be accommodated. Uniquely to ATMP s, the patient or an allogeneic donor is regularly part of the manufacturing process. All of the examples given above require procurement of blood, bone marrow or an apheresate from a patient as a starting material for manufacture. This can only occur in a clinical facility licensed for the procurement of human cells for therapeutic use and this is likely to fall to haematology departments, either as stem cell transplant programmes or as blood transfusion departments, to provide under a contract with the company that will manufacture and supply the final medicine. The resource implications associated with this can impact on all haematology departments, not just stem cell transplant units, and should not be under‐estimated.     

Cochlear function tests in estimation of speech dynamic range

Objectives: The loss of active cochlear mechanics causes elevated thresholds, loudness recruitment, and reduced frequency selectivity. The problems faced by hearing-impaired listeners are largely related with reduced dynamic range (DR). The aim of this study was to determine which index of the cochlear function tests correlates best with the DR to speech stimuli.

Methods: Audiological data on 516 ears with pure tone average (PTA) of ≤55?dB and word recognition score of ≥70% were analyzed. PTA, speech recognition threshold (SRT), uncomfortable loudness (UCL), and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) were explored as the indices of cochlear function. Audiometric configurations were classified. Correlation between each index and the DR was assessed and multiple regression analysis was done.

Results: PTA and SRT demonstrated strong negative correlations with the DR (r?=??0.788 and??0.860, respectively), while DPOAE sum was moderately correlated (r?=?0.587). UCLs remained quite constant for the total range of the DR. The regression equation was Y (DR)?=?75.238???0.719?×?SRT (R^2?=^?0.721, p?Conclusion: SRT was the most predictive of the DR among the indices of the cochlear function tests. A reduced DR in cochlear hearing loss was the product of an elevated audiometric threshold and a relatively constant UCL level. The results enable prediction of the DR from SRT and possibly PTA using the suggested regression equation.