CHINESE MEDICINE NEWS

Tai chi soothes pain in arthritis sufferers

Susanna Ng — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:04:54 +0000

CM NEWS - The results of a new analysis have provided good evidence to suggest that Tai Chi is beneficial for arthritis. Specifically, it was shown to decrease pain with trends towards improving overall physical health, level of tension and satisfaction with health status.

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Musculoskeletal pain, such as that experienced by people with arthritis, places a severe burden on the patient and community and is recognized as an international health priority. Exercise therapy including such as strengthening, stretching and aerobic programs, have been shown to be effective for arthritic pain. Tai Chi, is a form of exercise that is regularly practiced in China to improve overall health and well-being. It is usually preformed in a group but is also practiced individually at one’s leisure, which differs from traditional exercise therapy approaches used in the clinic.

Recently, a new study examined the effectiveness of Tai Chi in decreasing pain and disability and improving physical function and quality of life in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. The study is published in the June issue of Arthritis Care & Research. Led by Amanda Hall of The George Institute in Sydney, Australia, researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. They analyzed seven eligible randomized controlled trials that used Tai Chi as the main intervention for patients with musculoskeletal pain. The results demonstrate that Tai Chi improves pain and disability in patients suffering arthritis.

The authors state, “The fact that Tai Chi is inexpensive, convenient, and enjoyable and conveys other psychological and social benefits supports the use this type of intervention for pain conditions such as arthritis.”

“It is of importance to note that the results reported in this systematic review are indicative of the effect of Tai Chi versus minimal intervention (usual health care or health education) or wait list control,” the authors note. Establishing the specific effects of Tai Chi would require a placebo-controlled trial, which has not yet been undertaken.

[Arthritis Care & Research June 2009]

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Related Posts CM NEWS - The results of a new analysis have provided good evidence to suggest that Tai Chi is beneficial for arthritis. Specifically, it was shown to decrease pain with trends towards improving overall physical health, level of tension and satisfaction with health status. READ ALSO: Famous toxic herb smoothes arthritis pain Herbal formula reduces knee arthritis pain

Study finds that heat is effective in treating throat condition

Susanna Ng — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:51:29 +0000

ASSOCIATED PRESS - Zapping away abnormal, precancerous cells in the throat may lower the risk of later developing esophageal cancer, the first major study to test this technique finds.

In a study of 127 people suffering from a heartburn-related problem known as Barrett’s esophagus, only about one% who had a procedure that uses heat to burn off precancerous spots went on to develop cancer over the next year. That’s compared with more than nine% of those who got a fake treatment in which no cells were destroyed.

What is Barrett’s esophagus? Barrett’s esophagus is a condition in which the tissue lining the esophagus—the muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach—is replaced by tissue that is similar to the lining of the intestine. This process is called intestinal metaplasia.

No signs or symptoms are associated with Barrett’s esophagus, but it is commonly found in people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). A small number of people with Barrett’s esophagus develop a rare but often deadly type of cancer of the esophagus.

Barrett’s esophagus affects about 1% of adults in the United States. The average age at diagnosis is 50, but determining when the problem started is usually difficult. Men develop Barrett’s esophagus twice as often as women, and Caucasian men are affected more frequently than men of other races. Barrett’s esophagus is uncommon in children.

What is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)?

GERD is a more serious form of gastroesophageal reflux (GER). GER occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter opens spontaneously for varying periods of time or does not close properly and stomach contents rise into the esophagus. GER is also called acid reflux or acid regurgitation because digestive juices called acids rise with the food or fluid.

When GER occurs, food or fluid can be tasted in the back of the mouth. When refluxed stomach acid touches the lining of the esophagus it may cause a burning sensation in the chest or throat called heartburn or acid indigestion. Occasional GER is common and does not necessarily mean one has GERD.

Persistent reflux that occurs more than twice a week is considered GERD and can eventually lead to more serious health problems. Overall, 10 to 20 percent2 of Americans experience GERD symptoms every day, making it one of the most common medical conditions. People of all ages can have GERD.

Barrett’s esophagus occurs when stomach acid backs up into the throat, causing the normal lining to be replaced by abnormal growth. Barrett’s sufferers are 30 times more likely than others to develop esophageal cancer, one of the deadliest forms of the disease.

Scientists do not know what causes esophageal cancer, but some suspect smoking, drinking and obesity may play a role. The American Cancer Society estimates 16,470 people will be diagnosed with the disease this year, and incidence has been rising. An estimated 1,600 new cases will be diagnosed in Canada, according to Canadian cancer statistics.

Doctors typically perform down-the-throat exams and surgically remove the esophagus in severe cases of Barrett’s. A less drastic alternative, which has been available since 2005, uses a device down the throat and radiofrequency energy to destroy precancerous cells.

In the study published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine, Barrett’s patients who had signs of precancerous cells were treated with the device or given a sham procedure that did not involve heat.

After a year, 77% who had the procedure were free of precancerous spots compared with two% who got the fake treatment.

More Barrett’s patients who underwent the heat procedure had pain for about a week afterward. One in the heat group suffered gastrointestinal bleeding and five developed narrowing of the esophagus.

Still, the study had a low complication rate, Dr. Jacques Bergman of the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam wrote in an accompanying editorial.

The study was led by Dr. Nicholas Shaheen of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Several researchers and Bergman have received grants from or have other financial ties to Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Barrx Medical Inc., which makes the device and paid for the research.

The procedure, which takes about 30 minutes and is done in outpatient offices, costs about US$2,000. It is covered by Medicare in the U.S. and most insurance plans.

However, it’s not for everybody with Barrett’s: Not all have precancerous cells and Bergman said it is too early to recommend it to Barrett’s sufferers who show no signs of abnormal spots.

On the Net:

New England Journal: http://www.nejm.org

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Related Posts ASSOCIATED PRESS - Zapping away abnormal, precancerous cells in the throat may lower the risk of later developing esophageal cancer, the first major study to test this technique finds. In a study of 127 people suffering from a heartburn-related problem known as Barrett's esophagus, only about one% who had a procedure that uses heat to burn

Vitamin D helps brain to work well at later age

Susanna Ng — Sun, 24 May 2009 05:26:08 +0000

Vitamin D may have a key role in helping the brain to keep working well in later life, suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.

Previous research indicates that inadequate vitamin D intake may be linked to poorer mental agility in the ageing brain, but the results have been inconsistent.

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The researchers base their current findings on just over 3000 European men between the ages of 40 and 79, who were all part of the international European Male Ageing Study, drawn from eight different cities across Europe.

Their mental agility was assessed using a range of tests, designed to measure memory and speed of information processing as well as mood and physical activity levels, both of which affect mental agility.

Blood samples were then taken to measure circulating levels of vitamin D, which is obtained through dietary sources and by exposure to sunlight.

High circulating vitamin D levels were associated with high scores on the memory and information processing tests, but after adjusting for mood and physical activity, the association remained for only one of the two information processing tests.

Low vitamin D levels were associated with poor scores, with levels of 35 nmol/litre or under marking the threshold of poorer performance.

Experimental data point to the biological plausibility for an association between low circulating levels of vitamin D and poorer mental agility, but exactly how the two might be connected is not clear, say the authors.

Possible suggestions include vitamin D’s role in increasing certain hormonal activity or the protection of neurones and chemical signalling pathways.

The findings show that the magnitude of the association between vitamin D level and mental agility was comparatively small, say the authors.

But if it were possible to stave off the effects of ageing on the brain with vitamin D supplements, then the implications for population health could be quite significant, they contend, because many people, particularly in older age, are vitamin D deficient.

[J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. Published Online First: 21 May 2009. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2008.165720]

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Related Posts Vitamin D may have a key role in helping the brain to keep working well in later life, suggests research published ahead of print in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. Previous research indicates that inadequate vitamin D intake may be linked to poorer mental agility in the ageing brain, but the results have been

Adequate Vitamin D may stop cancer at outset

Susanna Ng — Sun, 24 May 2009 05:20:14 +0000

UC San Diego study - In studying the preventive effects of vitamin D, researchers at the Moores Cancer Centre at the University of California, San Diego, have proposed a new model of cancer development that hinges on a loss of cancer cells’ ability to stick together. The model, dubbed DINOMIT, differs substantially from the current model of cancer development, which suggests genetic mutations as the earliest driving forces behind cancer.

“The first event in cancer is loss of communication among cells due to, among other things, low vitamin D and calcium levels,” said epidemiologist Cedric Garland, DrPH, professor of family and preventive medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, who led the work. “In this new model, we propose that this loss may play a key role in cancer by disrupting the communication between cells that is essential to healthy cell turnover, allowing more aggressive cancer cells to take over.”

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Reporting online May 22, 2009 in the Annals of Epidemiology, Garland suggests that such cellular disruption could account for the earliest stages of many cancers. He said that previous theories linking vitamin D to certain cancers have been tested and confirmed in more than 200 epidemiological studies, and understanding of its physiological basis stems from more than 2,500 laboratory studies.

“Competition and natural selection among disjoined cells within a tissue compartment, such as might occur in the breast’s terminal ductal lobular unit, for example, are the engine of cancer,” Garland said. “The DINOMIT model provides new avenues for preventing and improving the success of cancer treatment.”

Garland went on to explain that each letter in DINOMIT stands for a different phase of cancer development. “D” stands for disjunction, or loss of intercellular communication; “I,” for initiation, where genetic mutations begin to play a role; “N” for natural selection of the fastest-reproducing cancer cells; “O” for overgrowth of cells; “M” for metastasis, when cancer cells migrate to other tissues, where cancer can kill; “I” refers to involution, and “T” for transition, both dormant states that may occur in cancer and potentially be driven by replacing vitamin D.

While there is not yet definitive scientific proof, Garland suggests that much of the evolutionary process in cancer could be arrested at the outset by maintaining vitamin D adequacy. “Vitamin D may halt the first stage of the cancer process by re-establishing intercellular junctions in malignancies having an intact vitamin D receptor,” he said.

According to Garland, other scientists have found that the cells adhere to one another in tissue with adequate vitamin D, acting as mature epithelial cells. Without enough vitamin D, they may lose this stickiness along with their identity as differentiated cells, and revert to a stem cell-like state.

Garland said that diet and supplements can restore appropriate vitamin D levels, and perhaps help in preventing cancer development. “Vitamin D levels can be increased by modest supplementation with vitamin D3 in the range of 2000 IU/day,” he noted.

The researchers noted that many studies show an apparent beneficial effect of vitamin D and calcium on cancer risk and survival of patients with breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. However, there are some studies that have not found such benefit, especially when taking smoking, alcohol and viruses into account. While more research needs to be done, Garland recommends that individuals should have their vitamin D level tested during an annual check up.

Garland and his colleagues have published epidemiological studies about the potential preventive effects of vitamin D for some two decades. Last year, his team showed an association between deficiency in sunlight exposure, low vitamin D and breast cancer. In previous work, they showed associations between increased levels of vitamin D3 or markers of vitamin D and a lower risk for breast, colon, ovarian and kidney cancers.

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Related Posts UC San Diego study - In studying the preventive effects of vitamin D, researchers at the Moores Cancer Centre at the University of California, San Diego, have proposed a new model of cancer development that hinges on a loss of cancer cells' ability to stick together. The model, dubbed DINOMIT, differs substantially from the current

Acupuncture eases chronic low back pain

Susanna Ng — Sun, 17 May 2009 08:50:56 +0000

Acupuncture can help people with chronic low back pain feel less bothered by their symptoms and function better in their daily activities, according to the largest U.S. randomized trial of its kind, published in the May 11, 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine. But the SPINE (Stimulating Points to Investigate Needling Efficacy) trial raises questions about how the ancient practice actually works.

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Compared to the group that got usual care, results were similar for all three of the SPINE trial’s acupuncture groups: individualized, standardized, and simulated (without going through skin). Of the people who got any kind of acupuncture, an extra one in five were functioning significantly better at the end of the seven-week treatment—and an extra one in eight were still functioning better at one year.

“This study suggests that acupuncture is about as effective as other treatments for chronic back pain that have been found helpful,” said SPINE trial leader Daniel C. Cherkin, PhD, a senior investigator at Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle. “But we found that simulated acupuncture, without penetrating the skin, produced as much benefit as needle acupuncture—and that raises questions about how acupuncture works.”

The SPINE trial included 638 adult patients at two nonprofit health plans: Group Health Cooperative in Seattle and Northern California Kaiser Permanente in Oakland. They all rated the “bothersomeness” of their chronic low back pain as at least a 3 on a 0-to-10 scale. None of them had received acupuncture before. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups:

Individualized needle acupuncture, involving a customized prescription for acupuncture points from a diagnostician
Standardized needle acupuncture, using a single prescription for acupuncture points on the back and backs of the legs, which experts consider generally effective for chronic low back pain
Simulated acupuncture on those same standardized points, mimicking needle acupuncture but instead of a needle using a toothpick in a needle guide tube without penetrating the skin
Usual care, which is the standard medical care they would have gotten anyway—and that all patients in all groups received

Everyone in the three acupuncture groups (individualized, standardized, or simulated) was treated twice a week for three weeks, and then weekly for four weeks. At eight weeks, half a year, and one year, researchers measured back-related dysfunction and how much symptoms bothered patients.

The SPINE team found that at eight weeks all three acupuncture groups were functioning substantially better, while the group getting only usual care was functioning only slightly better. Dysfunction scores improved significantly more for all three acupuncture groups than for the usual care group. These benefits lasted for a year, although they waned over time.

Notably, the outcomes for groups that received the needle and simulated forms of acupuncture did not differ significantly. So, although acupuncture effectively treated low back pain, that therapeutic benefit seemed to require neither tailoring acupuncture needle sites to an individual patient nor inserting needles into the skin.

“We don’t know precisely why people got back pain relief from the simulated acupuncture,” said Cherkin’s co-author Karen J. Sherman, PhD, MPH, a senior investigator at Group Health Center for Health Studies. “Historically, some types of acupuncture have used non-penetrating needles. Such treatments may involve physiological effects that make a clinical difference.” Or it might be all about the mind-body connection, she said: “Maybe the context in which people get treatment has effects that are more important than the mechanically induced effects.”

Western medicine does not have highly effective medical treatments for chronic back pain, Cherkin said. Back pain is the number-one reason that Americans use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), including acupuncture.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health, funded the SPINE trial.

“The findings of this research show that acupuncture-like treatments, including simulated acupuncture, can elicit positive responses,” said Josephine P. Briggs, MD, director of NCCAM. “This adds to the growing body of evidence that something meaningful is taking place during acupuncture treatments outside of actual needling. Future research is needed to delve deeper into what is evoking these responses.”

Cherkin and Sherman’s SPINE trial co-authors were Richard A. Deyo, MD, MPH, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland; Partap S. Khalsa, DC, PhD, of NCCAM’s Division of Extramural Research; Andrew L. Avins, MD, MPH, Luisa Hamilton, MD, and Alice Pressman, MS, of Northern California Kaiser Permanente in Oakland; William E. Barlow, PhD of Cancer Research and Biostatistics and Group Health Center for Health Studies; and Laura Ichikawa, MS, Janet H. Erro, RN, MN, Kristin Delaney, MPH, and Rene Hawkes of Group Health Center for Health Studies.

(From Group Health Centre for Health Studies)

[Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 169 No. 9, May 11, 2009]

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Related Posts Acupuncture can help people with chronic low back pain feel less bothered by their symptoms and function better in their daily activities, according to the largest U.S. randomized trial of its kind, published in the May 11, 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine. But the SPINE (Stimulating Points to Investigate Needling Efficacy) trial raises questions about

€1 million EU funding for Chinese medicine research

Susanna Ng — Sun, 17 May 2009 08:34:05 +0000

King’s College London - King’s College London successfully led a consortium bid for €995,100 of EU funding for a ground-breaking research project that will play an important role in the unification of Western and Chinese approaches to medicine.

The project entitled ‘Good Practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine Research in the Post-genomic Era’ (GP-TCM) will review the current status of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) research, identify problems and propose solutions by applying modern methods of investigation, as well as providing a forum for the exchange of opinions, experience and expertise among scientists in the EU and China.

The three-year project aims to propose guidelines and priority areas for future research, and will lead to the formation of a new academic society, the European Society of TCM Research, which is to facilitate and foster sustainable EU-China collaboration in this area.

The research consortium consists of 29 beneficiary partner institutions and small-and-medium-sized enterprises from the EU and China. Partnerships with more than 20 additional non-beneficiary institutions, companies and independent experts are further strengthening its research.

Holistic approach

Dr Qihe Xu, Lecturer in the Department of Renal Medicine, Division of Gene and Cell Based Therapy, and coordinator of the project, explains: ‘In contrast to the reductionist approach of Western medicine that is based on modern anatomy and cell and molecular biology, TCM uses a unique theory system and an individualised holistic approach to describe health and disease, which is based on the philosophy of Yin-Yang balance. These two medicine systems disagree with each other in many situations since they observe health from their own limited perspective. GP-TCM aims to inform best practice and harmonise research of the safety and efficacy of TCM, especially Chinese herbal medicines and acupuncture, in the EU.’

‘The project will be divided into ten parts, which will review aspects of quality control, extraction and analysis of Chinese herbal medicines. Discussion fora that explore the role of functional genomics methodology in researching the safety, efficacy and mechanisms of action of Chinese herbal medicines and acupuncture are at the core of this project. New guidelines about good practice and agreed protocols in related research areas will harmonise future TCM research in the EU, and online tools and research resources will be made available to all EU member states. As an open-start and open-ending consortium, we will invite more organisations to become involved in the work.’

Professor Peter Hylands, Head of the Department of Pharmacy and Director of the Centre for Natural Medicines Research, continues: ‘We are delighted to be part of this unique group. In the Centre for Natural Medicines Research at King’s we are examining the application of emerging technologies to the solution of difficult problems in the use of traditional medicines. This forum provides an unparalleled opportunity to share our experiences with Chinese and European colleagues and together to develop a 21st-century road map for the global development of traditional medicines.’

Professor Bruce Hendry, Professor of Renal Medicine, concludes: ‘This programme grant is an excellent opportunity for King’s College London to play a leading role in the unification of Western and Chinese approaches to medicinal therapeutics.’

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Related Posts King's College London - King’s College London successfully led a consortium bid for €995,100 of EU funding for a ground-breaking research project that will play an important role in the unification of Western and Chinese approaches to medicine. The project entitled ‘Good Practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine Research in the Post-genomic Era’ (GP-TCM) will review the

Ginseng is nature’s anti-inflammatory

Susanna Ng — Sun, 17 May 2009 05:56:16 +0000

CM NEWS - The famous immunological effects of ginseng have been confirmed and defined by a recent study. Ginseng is believed to have beneficial effects against human diseases, and its active components, ginsenosides, may play critical roles in its diverse physiological actions.

Researchers writing in BioMed Central’s open access Journal of Translational Medicine have shown that the herb, much used in traditional Chinese and other Asian medicine, does have anti-inflammatory effects.

What are the powers of ginseng? Ginseng roots contain multiple active constituents including ginsenosides, polysaccharides, peptides, polyacetylenic alcohols and fatty acids that have been shown to have different effects on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism as well as on the function of neuroendocrine, immune, cardiovascular and central nervous systems in humans.

Previous studies have shown that ginseng and its active components are potent immunomodulators. Their immunomodulatory effects are mostly due to its regulation of cytokine production and phagocytic activities of monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cells, as well as activation of T- and B- lymphocytes.

Ginsenosides, the steroid saponins, are major biologically active compounds of ginseng. Over 30 ginsenosides have been identified to date. Studies indicate that ginsenosides and their metabolites are responsible for many of the diverse physiological actions including the anti-inflammatory effects of ginseng.

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Allan Lau led a team of researchers from the University of Hong Kong who identified seven ginseng constituents, ginsenosides, which showed immune-suppressive effects.

He said, “The anti-inflammatory role of ginseng may be due to the combined effects of these ginsenosides, targeting different levels of immunological activity, and so contributing to the diverse actions of ginseng in humans”.

The scientists treated human immune cells with different extracts of ginseng. They found that of the nine ginsenosides they identified, seven could selectively inhibit expression of the inflammatory gene CXCL-10.

Lau concludes, “Further studies will be needed to examine the potential beneficial effects of ginsenosides in the management of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases in humans”.

Uniquely, the researchers were able to holistically test the ginseng extract’s immune effects by using sophisticated purification technologies to identify individual constituents and define their bioactivity using genomics and bioactivity assays. After that, they reconstituted them back into a whole extract with definable individual ginsenosides for re-confirmation of effects. This potentially opens up a vigorous methodology to study medicinal herbs with state-of-the-art technologies.

[Journal of Translational Medicine 2009, 7:34; full article]

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Related Posts CM NEWS - The famous immunological effects of ginseng have been confirmed and defined by a recent study. Ginseng is believed to have beneficial effects against human diseases, and its active components, ginsenosides, may play critical roles in its diverse physiological actions. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access Journal of Translational Medicine have shown that

Ginger eases nausea from cancer treatment

Susanna Ng — Sun, 17 May 2009 05:09:56 +0000

Ginger inhibits overian cancer cell growth

Reuters - Ginger, long used as a remedy for upset tummies, can help ease the nausea caused by cancer drugs, researchers reported.

They found the lowest doses of ginger worked best.

“Patients ask all the time what else they can do to relieve their symptoms,” Dr. Richard Schilsky, president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and a blood cancer specialist at the University of Chicago, said in an interview.

“Ginger has been used for thousands of years for all types of stomach problems.”

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Dr. Julie Ryan and colleagues at the University of Rochester in New York tested 614 people with various cancers who were being treated with chemotherapy and standard anti-nausea medications.

They got either a placebo or one of three doses of powdered ginger in a capsule.

“All of the doses of ginger were effective in reducing nausea,” Schilsky said.

The lowest two doses — half a gram and one gram of powdered ginger — were more effective than 1.5 grams, Ryan’s team reported.

Ryan said it was not exactly clear how ginger helps relieve nausea in these patients. “There is other research that shows it is a potent anti-inflammatory agent in the gut,” she told reporters in a telephone briefing.

She said it might be possible to get the same effect by eating ginger cookies, depending on how much ginger is used.

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Related Posts Ginger inhibits overian cancer cell growth Reuters - Ginger, long used as a remedy for upset tummies, can help ease the nausea caused by cancer drugs, researchers reported. They found the lowest doses of ginger worked best. "Patients ask all the time what else they can do to relieve their symptoms," Dr. Richard Schilsky, president of the American

Pandemic is a blink away

Susanna Ng — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 19:43:20 +0000

U of Maryland - A new study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought. Results also illustrate how the current swine flu outbreak likely came about.

This graphic shows why the Type A virus can't be eradicated. (U of Maryland)

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As of now, avian flu viruses can infect humans who have contact with birds, but these viruses tend not to transmit easily between humans. However, in research recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Associate Professor Daniel Perez from the University of Maryland showed that after reassortment with a human influenza virus, a process that usually takes place in intermediary species like pigs, an avian flu virus requires relatively few mutations to spread rapidly between mammals by respiratory droplets.

“This is similar to the method by which the current swine influenza strain likely formed,” said Perez, program director of the University of Maryland-based Prevention and Control of Avian Influenza Coordinated Agricultural Project, AICAP. “The virus formed when avian, swine, and human-like viruses combined in a pig to make a new virus. After mutating to be able to spread by respiratory droplets and infect humans, it is now spreading between humans by sneezing and coughing.”

This is the influenza A virus. (U of Maryland)

In his study, Perez used the avian H9N2 influenza virus, one that is on the list of candidates for human pandemic potential. Using reverse genetics, a technique whereby individual genes from viruses are separated, selected, and put back together, Perez and his team created a hybrid human-avian virus. Their research hybrid has internal human flu genes and surface avian flu genes from the H9N2 virus. Though it comes from a different strain of avian flu than the one that contributed to the hybrid virus now causing the swine flu outbreak, Perez’s research virus is similar in origin to the swine flu virus, in that both involved a combination of avian and human influenza viruses.

Perez infected ferrets (considered a good model for human influenza transmission) with the virus he created, and allowed the virus to mutate in the species. Before long, healthy ferrets that shared air space but not physical space with the infected ferret had the virus, showing that the virus had mutated to spread by respiratory droplets.

When the genetic sequences of the mutant virus and original hybrid virus were compared, the only differences were five amino acid mutations, three on the surface, and two internally. Two of the surface mutations were determined to be solely responsible for supporting respiratory droplet transmission. Because so few mutations were necessary to make the hybrid H9N2 transmissible this way, they concluded that after an animal-human hybrid influenza virus forms in nature, a human pandemic of this virus is potentially just a few mutations away.

“We do not know if the mutations we saw in the lab are the same that have made the H1N1 swine flu transmissible by respiratory droplets,” Perez said. “We will be doing more research on the current swine flu strain to study its specific genetic mutations.”

Perez found that one of the two of the genetic mutations in his lab strain that enabled respiratory transmission between mammals was on the tip of the HA surface protein, one of the sites where human antibodies created in response to current vaccines would bind.

“Because the binding site of the mutant virus is different from the virus upon which the vaccine is modelled, it may mean that current vaccine stocks would not be as effective against the H9N2 mutant strain as previously anticipated,” said Perez. “We should keep this in mind when designing vaccines for an avian flu pandemic in humans.”

However, scientists cannot predict what the actual mutations will look like if and when they occur in nature, or even which strain of avian influenza will mutate to infect mammals.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Perez. “Many more studies have to be done to see which combinations of mutations cause this type of transmission before we can design the appropriate vaccines.”

Perez will be talking this week with the NIH and the CDC to discuss his team’s role in researching the current swine flu virus strain. Perez will likely do studies related to vaccine development, virus transmission between humans and animals, and the pathogenesis of the virus.

A virus vaccine is derived from the virus itself. The vaccine consists of virus components or killed viruses that mimic the presence of the virus without causing disease. These prime the body’s immune system to recognize and fight against the virus. The immune system produces antibodies against the vaccine that remain in the system until they are needed. If that virus, or in some cases a closely similar one is later introduced into the system, those antibodies attach to viral particles and remove them before they have time to replicate, preventing or lessening symptoms of the virus.

The immune system also retains antibodies to a virus after being infected with it, so humans have general immunity to human strains of avian influenza strains. But humans do not generally have immunity to avian flu strains because they have not been infected by them before. The surface proteins are sufficiently different to escape the human immune response. Avian flu strains are therefore more dangerous for humans because the human immune system cannot recognize the virus or protect against it.

[U of Maryland study]

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Related Posts U of Maryland - A new study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought. Results also illustrate how the current swine flu outbreak likely came about. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="368" caption="This graphic shows why the Type A virus

Common herb has flavonoids that fight flu virus

Susanna Ng — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:48:10 +0000

CM NEWS - A commonly used Chinese herb for cold and fever contains ingredients that can fight influenza viruses, a study in China suggests.

Elsholtzia rugulosa (野拔子 ye ba zi), a common Chinese herb, is widely used in the treatment of cold and fever. A group of researchers of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, as well as University of Macau investigated the anti-flu functions of the ingredients of this plant.

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In order to elucidate the action mechanism and the active principles from the plant against anti-influenza virus, the influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) activity assay and in vitro antiviral activity assay were established, and the isolation of the active principles was guided by NA activity.

Their study established that five active constituents were found in ye ba zi and they are all flavonoids.

What are flavonoids? Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids) are a class of plant secondary metabolites fulfilling many functions including producing yellow or red/blue pigmentation in flowers and protection from attack by microbes and insects. The widespread distribution of flavonoids, their variety and their relatively low toxicity compared to other active plant compounds (for instance alkaloids) mean that many animals, including humans, ingest significant quantities in their diet. Flavonoids have been referred to as “nature’s biological response modifiers” because of strong experimental evidence of their inherent ability to modify the body’s reaction to allergens, viruses, and carcinogens. They show anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-cancer activity.

Consumers and food manufacturers have become interested in flavonoids for their medicinal properties, especially their potential role in the prevention of cancers and cardiovascular disease. The beneficial effects of fruit, vegetables, and tea or even red wine have been attributed to flavonoid compounds rather than to known nutrients and vitamins.

The five constituents are:

apigenin
luteolin
apiin
galuteolin
luteolin 3′-glucuronyl acid methyl ester

According to the researchers, these constituents all possessed anti-influenza virus activity. Among them, apigenin and luteolin exhibited the highest activities against influenza virus (H3N2).

What is apigenin? Apigenin is described as a nonmutagenic bioflavonoid which is presented in leafy plants and vegetables (e.g., parsley, artichoke, basil, celery) and has significant chemopreventive activity against UV-radiation. Current research trials indicate that it may reduce DNA oxidative damage; inhibit the growth of human leukemia cells and induced these cells to differentiate; inhibit cancer cell signal transduction and induce apoptosis (cell death); act as an anti-inflammatory; and as an anti-spasmodic or spasmolytic.

Apigenin is also reported to be useful in fighting against antiestrogen-resistant breast cancer.

Apigenin is a bioflavone, considered to have a bioactive effect on human health as antioxidant, radical scavenger, anti-inflammatory, carbohydrate metabolism promoter, immunity system modulater.

What is luteolin? Luteolin is a flavonoid thought to play an important role in the human body as an antioxidant, a free radical scavenger, an agent in the prevention of inflammation, a promoter of carbohydrate metabolism, and an immune system modulator. These characteristics of luteolin are also believed to play an important part in the prevention of cancer. Multiple research experiments describe luteolin as a biochemical agent that can dramatically reduce inflammation.

Luteolin inhibited the excess production of TNF-alpha, which directly causes inflammation and apoptosis. Luteolin also offers hope to develop a novel type of anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic drugs.

Luteolin is most often found in leaves, but it is also seen in rinds, barks, clover blossom and ragweed pollen. It has also been isolated from Salvia tomentosa. Dietary sources include celery, green pepper, perilla and camomile tea.

[Planta Med 2008; 74: 847-851]

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Related Posts CM NEWS - A commonly used Chinese herb for cold and fever contains ingredients that can fight influenza viruses, a study in China suggests. Elsholtzia rugulosa (野拔子 ye ba zi), a common Chinese herb, is widely used in the treatment of cold and fever. A group of researchers of the Chinese Academy of Medical