Friday, October 12, 2012

Antifibrotic effect of aloe vera in viral infection-induced hepatic periportal fibrosis.




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Antifibrotic effect of aloe vera in viral infection-induced hepatic periportal fibrosis.



World J Gastroenterol. 2012 May 7; 18(17): 2026-34
Hegazy SK, El-Bedewy M, Yagi A

To investigate the anti-oxidative and anti-fibrotic effects of aloe vera in patients with liver fibrosis.Aloe vera high molecular weight fractions (AHM) were processed by patented hyper-dry system in combination of freeze-dry technique with microwave and far infrared-ray radiation. Fifteen healthy volunteers as the control group and 40 patients were included. The patients were randomly subdivided into two equal groups: the conventional group was treated with placebo (starch), and AHM group was treated with 0.15 gm/d AHM, both for 12 consecutive weeks. The patients were investigated before and after treatment. Serum activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), hyaluronic acid (HA), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and matrixmetalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) were determined. The reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in liver were assayed and the expression of hepatic α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was identified by immunohistochemistry.At the start of the study, the hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed fibro-proliferated bile ductules, thick fibrous septa and dense inflammatory cellular infiltration in the patients before treatment. The use of AHM for 12 wk significantly ameliorated the fibrosis, inhibited the inflammation, and resulted in minimal infiltration and minimal fibrosis compared to the conventional group. The enzyme activities of the liver (ALT, AST and ALP) were attenuated after treatment in both groups, and the decrease in the AHM group was more significant as compared with the conventional group. Similar to the AST, the MDA levels were significantly higher before treatment, and were attenuated after treatment in both groups. In contrast, the hepatic glutathione content in the patients were decreased significantly in the AHM group compared to the controls. The serum levels of the fibrosis markers (HA, TGF-β and MMP-2) were also reduced significantly after treatment. The expression of α-SMA was modified in patients before and after treatment as compared with the normal controls. In the conventional group, there was only thin and incomplete parenchymal α-SMA positive septum joining the thickened centrilobular veins, while in the AHM group, few α-SMA positive cells were present in sinusoid and lobule after treatment.Oral supplementation with AHM could be helpful in alleviating the fibrosis and inflammation of hepatic fibrosis patients.








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Clinical studies on treatment of earthquake-caused posttraumatic stress disorder using electroacupuncture.



Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012; 2012: 431279
Wang Y, Hu YP, Wang WC, Pang RZ, Zhang AR

The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture in 138 patients with earthquake-caused PTSD using Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs). 138 cases enrolled were randomly assigned to an electro-acupuncture group and a paroxetine group. The electro-acupuncture group was treated by scalp electro-acupuncture on Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Shenting (GV 24), and Fengchi (GB 20), and the paroxetine group was treated with simple oral administration of paroxetine. The efficacy and safety of the electro-acupuncture on treatment of 69 PTSD patients were evaluated using Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) according to clinical data. The total scores of CAPS, HAMD, and HAMA in the two groups after treatment showed significant efficacy compared to those before treatment. The comparison of reduction in the scores of CAPS, HAMD, and HAMA between the two groups suggested that the efficacy in the treated group was better than that in the paroxetine group. The present study suggested that the electro-acupuncture and paroxetine groups have significant changes in test PTSD, but the electro-acupuncture 2 group was more significant.








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