The effects of Rhizoma Curculiginis and Rhizoma Drynariae extracts on bones

Background  

Rhizoma Curculiginis (Xianmao) and Rhizoma Drynariae (Gusuibu) are 'Yang-tonifying' traditional Chinese herbal medicines used to strengthen bones. This investigation aims to assess the systemic effect of extracts of Rhizoma Curculiginis and Rhizoma Drynariae on bone histomorphology and formation, and their local effect on bone healing.     

CONTINUOUS INTERCOSTAL BLOCKADE AFTER CARDIAC SURGERY

The provision of analgesia using continuous bilateral intercostalblockade was compared with that provided by conventional i.v.narcotics for the first 48 h after cardiac surgery. The subjectivequality of analgesia was significantly superior with the regionaltechnique. However, pulmonary function tests, gas exchange,lung volume, and radiological and clinical evidence of pulmonarycomplications were not improved. The failure to reduce morbidityand the potential for complications such as pneumothorax, makesit difficult to recommend the regional analgesia technique inthis situation.     

Raised levels of antistreptokinase antibody and neutralization titres from 4 days to 54 months after administration of streptokinase or anistreplase

Streptokinase and anistreplase are antigenic and their administrationoften leads to antibody formation. These can cause allergicreactions and/or neutralization of streptokinase with resultingsuboptimal treatment. Currently, streptokinase re-administrationis considered appropriate for up to 5 days and from 1 year aftera previous dose. Antistreptokinase antibody and neutralizationtitres (NT) were measured in three groups of patients to determineif this practice is appropriate: 1. (early)—36 patientswhose titres were measured for at least 5 days after thrombolysis;2. (late)—57 patients who received thrombolysis 12–54months previously; 3. (controls)—182 consecutive suspectedmyocardial infarction patients (without previous exposure tothrombolysis). Results were as follows (mean±SEM): 1. (early)—theantibody and/or NT were raised by day 4 in 19.4% of the patients.One patient could have neutralized 1.97 million units (MU) ofstreptokinase by day 4. (Day 4—antibody 1:39±11,NT 0.19±0.05 MU; day 5–1:136±41 and NT 0.7±0.43MU respectively.) 2. (late)—23 patients (40%) had eitherantibody titres 1:160 and/or NT> 1.5 MU. (12–23 months—antibody1:243±43, NT 0.63±0.15 MU; 24–35 months—1:98±31and 0.69±0.22 MU; 36–54 months—1:87±14and 0.54±0.12 MU.) All titres were significantly higherthan the controls (antibody 1:25±3. NT 0.14±0.01MU, P<0.01). After streptokinase or antistreplase, antibodies are raisedfrom 4 days to at least 54 months. It would seem prudent toavoid their re-administration during this time interval.     

Early introduction of allergenic foods for the prevention of food allergy from an Asian perspective—An Asia Pacific Association of Pediatric Allergy,Respirology & Immunology (APAPARI) consensus statement

Emerging evidence for the early introduction of allergenic foods for the prevention of food allergies, such as peanut allergy in Western populations, has led to the recent publication of guidelines in the USA and Europe recommending early peanut introduction for high‐risk infants with severe eczema or egg allergy. Peanut allergy is, however, much less prevalent in Asia compared to the West. Varying patterns of food allergy are seen even within Asian countries—such as a predominance of wheat allergy in Japan and Thailand and shellfish allergy in Singapore and the Philippines. Customs and traditions, such as diet and infant feeding practices, also differ between Asian populations. Hence, there are unique challenges in adapting guidelines on early allergenic food introduction to the Asian setting. In this paper, we review the evidence and discuss the possible approaches to guide the timely introduction of allergenic food in high‐risk infants in Asia.     

Brain responses to stimuli mimicking dental treatment among non‐phobic individuals: A meta‐analysis

Numerous neuroimaging studies have attempted to identify how the brain responds to stimuli mimicking dental treatment in normal non‐phobic individuals. However, results were sometimes inconsistent due to small sample sizes and methodological variations. This meta‐analysis employs standardized procedures to summarize data from previous studies to identify brain regions that were consistently activated across studies, elicited by stimuli such as pictures, sounds, or audiovisual footage mimicking those encountered during dental treatments. A systematic literature search was carried out using PubMed and Scopus. The meta‐analysis analyzed data from 120 healthy subjects from seven neuroimaging studies. We assessed the risk of bias among the included studies with the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies. One study appeared to have a high risk of selection bias, whereas the others were considered to have a low risk of bias. Results revealed three clusters of activation with cluster sizes ranging from 768 mm³ to 1,424 mm³. Stimuli mimicking dental treatment consistently activated the bilateral anterior insula; right dorsal anterior cingulate, putamen, and medial prefrontal cortex; and left claustrum. This study confirmed that audio and/or visual stimuli mimicking dental treatment consistently activated the fear‐related brain regions among healthy subjects, mostly consistent with activations from general anxiety but without the involvement of the amygdala.