Monday, August 12, 2013

Far red/near infrared light treatment promotes femoral artery collateralization in the ischemic hindlimb.




HubMed - far infrared therapy





Far red/near infrared light treatment promotes femoral artery collateralization in the ischemic hindlimb.



J Mol Cell Cardiol. 2013 Sep; 62: 36-42
Lohr NL, Ninomiya JT, Warltier DC, Weihrauch D

Nitric oxide (NO) is a crucial mediator of hindlimb collateralization and angiogenesis. Within tissues there are nitrosyl-heme proteins which have the potential to generate NO under conditions of hypoxia or low pH. Low level irradiation of blood and muscle with light in the far red/near infrared spectrum (670nm, R/NIR) facilitates NO release. Therefore, we assessed the impact of red light exposure on the stimulation of femoral artery collateralization. Rabbits and mice underwent unilateral resection of the femoral artery and chronic R/NIR treatment. The direct NO scavenger carboxy-PTIO and the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-NAME were also administered in the presence of R/NIR. DAF fluorescence assessed R/NIR changes in NO levels within endothelial cells. In vitro measures of R/NIR induced angiogenesis were assessed by endothelial cell proliferation and migration. R/NIR significantly increased collateral vessel number which could not be attenuated with L-NAME. R/NIR induced collateralization was abolished with c-PTIO. In vitro, NO production increased in endothelial cells with R/NIR exposure, and this finding was independent of NOS inhibition. Similarly R/NIR induced proliferation and tube formation in a NO dependent manner. Finally, nitrite supplementation accelerated R/NIR collateralization in wild type C57Bl/6 mice. In an eNOS deficient transgenic mouse model, R/NIR restores collateral development. In conclusion, R/NIR increases NO levels independent of NOS activity, and leads to the observed enhancement of hindlimb collateralization.








HubMed - Laser Acupuncture





Study on the Formation of Novel Threadlike Structure through Intravenous Injection of Heparin in Rats and Refined Observation in Minipigs.



Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013; 2013: 731518
Tian YY, Jing XH, Guo SG, Jia SY, Zhang YQ, Zhou WT, Huang T, Zhang WB

Objective. To study if the novel threadlike structure (NTS) was caused by coagulation during injecting urethane intraperitoneally and the source of NTS. Methods. Twenty-two SD rats were anaesthetized by urethane injected intraperitoneally. Heparin was injected at 5 minutes before the anaesthesia from femoral vein in 11 rats, and saline was given in the other 11 rats randomly. Six Chinese minipigs were carried to look for NTS. One sample was taken to be stained by DAPI/Phalloidin and observed by a laser scanning confocal microscope. Results. In the group of heparin, 10 rats were found to have NTS with appearance rate of 90.9%, and 9 rats were found to have NTS with the appearance rate of 80.1%. Both groups have 1.81 average numbers of NTS in each rat without significant difference (P > 0.05). In the observation of pigs, the NTS was found to prolong from the serous membranes of abdominal wall and organ surface. Histological observation showed elongated nuclei and alignment which is similar to the characteristics of PVS. Conclusion. There is no strong evidence to say that the NTS on organ surface was caused by coagulation of blood. The source of NTS might be a prolonged structure from serous membrane in abdominal cavity during the development and more or less retained after birth.








HubMed - Alternative Health





Acceptability of HIV self-testing: a systematic literature review.



BMC Public Health. 2013 Aug 8; 13(1): 735
Krause J, Subklew-Sehume F, Kenyon C, Colebunders R

The uptake of HIV testing and counselling services remains low in risk groups around the world. Fear of stigmatisation, discrimination and breach of confidentiality results in low service usage among risk groups. HIV self-testing (HST) is a confidential HIV testing option that enables people to find out their status in the privacy of their homes. We evaluated the acceptability of HST and the benefits and challenges linked to the introduction of HST.A literature review was conducted on the acceptability of HST in projects in which HST was offered to study participants. Besides acceptability rates of HST, accuracy rates of self-testing, referral rates of HIV-positive individuals into medical care, disclosure rates and rates of first-time testers were assessed. In addition, the utilisation rate of a telephone hotline for counselling issues and clients` attitudes towards HST were extracted.Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria (HST had been offered effectively to study participants and had been administered by participants themselves) and demonstrated universally high acceptability of HST among study populations. Studies included populations from resource poor settings (Kenya and Malawi) and from high-income countries (USA, Spain and Singapore). The majority of study participants were able to perform HST accurately with no or little support from trained staff. Participants appreciated the confidentiality and privacy but felt that the provision of adequate counselling services was inadequate.The review demonstrates that HST is an acceptable testing alternative for risk groups and can be performed accurately by the majority of self-testers. Clients especially value the privacy and confidentiality of HST. Linkage to counselling as well as to treatment and care services remain major challenges.







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