Monthly Archives: August 2011

Health, Social Progress

It Wasn’t Witchcraft—It Was Huntington Disease!

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Penaranda E, Garcia A, Montgomery L. It wasn’t Witchcraft–It was Huntington Disease! J Am Board Fam Med. 2011 Jan-Feb;24(1):115-6. PubMed PMID: 21209352. [Free full text via PubMed]

Investigators from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX, report about a Mexican woman and her family who were affected by Huntington disease:

“Chief complaint: “no puedo quedarme quieta” (“I can’t stay still”). Ms. G. is a 47-year-old Mexican woman who presented to a community clinic on the United States–Mexico border complaining of a 5-year history of progressively uncontrollable movements; they were initially twitches in her neck and mouth then grew to involve her 4 extremities, and they currently prevent her from independently performing her activities of daily living. She was seeing a curandero, (a Mexican folk healer), who attributed her symptoms to a magic spell that had been placed on all of her family. The curandero treated her with rituals and natural remedies: semilla de uva (grape seed), ojo de gallina (rooster eye), cola de caballo (horse tail), sarsaparilla extract, prune tea, and chamomile tea. Some of her family members have had or currently have similar symptoms. Physical examination revealed generalized, 2-second choreiform movements, dysarthria, wide-based station gait, and depressed mood. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed diffuse brain atrophy. Genetic testing showed IT15 allele 1: 46 CAG repeats and IT15 allele 2: 22 CAG repeats, confirming the diagnosis of Huntington disease (HD). Ms.G. was referred to genetic counseling and HD support groups. Her offspring refused genetic testing.”

The authors urge “the importance of cultural competency in fostering a trusting relationship that may lessen the burden of catastrophic diseases on individuals, families, and society at large.”

Free full text is available via PubMed.

The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.

Health

Deer Antlers – A Model of Mammalian Appendage Regeneration

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Kierdorf U, Kierdorf H. Deer antlers – a model of mammalian appendage regeneration: an extensive review. Gerontology. 2011;57(1):53-65. PubMed PMID: 20332600. [Free full text via PubMed]

Biologists at the University of Hildesheim, Germany, reviewed the scientific literature comparing deer antler regeneration with regenerative processes in other vertebrates. Recent studies suggest that antler regeneration is a stem cell-based process and that, despite their enormous growth rate, the antlers appear to be resistant to malignant transformation, which offers research opportunities for cancer biology.

From the conclusion:

“For different reasons, a deeper understanding of antler regeneration can be important for regenerative medicine. Thus, studying the mechanisms involved in the healing of the casting wound may provide clues for reducing scarring during wound healing in humans. In addition, a more profound understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling antler renewal could lead to new therapeutic approaches in stimulating limb regeneration. It has been suggested that the challenge of inducing limb regeneration in humans is to find a way to induce fibroblast dedifferentiation in the stump. This assumes that if limb regeneration could be induced in mammals, it would use mechanisms similar to those operating in amphibian limbs. This assumption may be true and is clearly a reasonable starting point for further research. However, antlers demonstrate that appendage regeneration in a mammal can also occur in a different way, suggesting that it may be worthwhile to also consider other approaches to stimulate a regenerative response. Finally, the antlers are of medical interest as a model for studying how a structure undergoing rapid regenerative growth can escape cancer development. In our view, the above prospects fully justify an intensification of studies on antler regeneration despite the obvious challenges posed by using deer as experimental animals.”

Fascinating reading, accompanied by exemplary photographs.

Free full text is available via PubMed.

The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.

Health

Global Cancer Statistics

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Jemal A, Bray F, Center MM, et al. Global cancer statistics. CA Cancer J Clin. 2011 Mar-Apr;61(2):69-90. PubMed PMID: 21296855. [Free full text via PubMed Central.]

Investigators from the American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on Cancer review the global burden of cancer, determining that cancer prevalence “continues to increase largely because of the aging and growth of the world population alongside an increasing adoption of cancer-causing behaviors, particularly smoking, in economically developing countries.”

They conclude:

“Cancer survival tends to be poorer in developing countries, most likely because of a combination of a late stage at diagnosis and limited access to timely and standard treatment. A substantial proportion of the worldwide burden of cancer could be prevented through the application of existing cancer control knowledge and by implementing programs for tobacco control, vaccination (for liver and cervical cancers), and early detection and treatment, as well as public health campaigns promoting physical activity and a healthier dietary intake.”

A useful benchmark.

Free full text is available via PubMed Central.

Health, Social Progress

Anticancer Activity and Nutritional Value of Glinus lotoides

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Mengesha AE, Youan BB. Anticancer activity and nutritional value of extracts of the seed of Glinus lotoides. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2010;56(5):311-8. PubMed PMID: 21228502. [Free full text via PubMed Central.]

Researchers from the University of Missouri-Kansas City studied the anticancer activity and nutritional values of the seeds of Glinus lotoides, used as a dietary vegetable and medicinal plant in Asia and Africa.

They found that the seeds of G. lotoides contain protein, carbohydrate, fat, ash, moisture, sugar profile and fatty acids, supporting the nutritional value of the seeds. They also found nutritional compounds of well-established chemopreventive activity, including vitamin E, folic acid, selenium and calcium, and evidence of antioxidant activity, suggesting that the seeds could potentially be used in the diet for prevention of cancer and warranting further confirmatory studies.

Free full text is available via PubMed Central.

The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.

Health, Social Progress

Edible and Therapeutic Insects of Arunachal Pradesh, North-East India

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Chakravorty J, Ghosh S, Meyer-Rochow VB. Practices of entomophagy and entomotherapy by members of the Nyishi and Galo tribes, two ethnic groups of the state of Arunachal Pradesh (North-East India). J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2011 Jan 14;7:5. PubMed PMID: 21235790; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3031207. [Free full text via PubMed Central.]

Investigators from Rajiv Gandhi University (Arunachal Pradesh, India) and Jacobs University (Bremen, Germany) prepared a consolidated list of edible and therapeutic insects used in Arunachal Pradesh (North-East India) by two tribal societies: the Nyishi of East Kameng and the Galo of West Siang.

Through field interviews, the authors identified more than 80 species of local insects used as food, belonging to 26 families and five orders, namely Coleoptera (beetles; 24 species), Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets and locusts; 17 species), Hemiptera (true bugs; 16 species), Hymenoptera (sawflies, wasps, bees and ants; 15 species) and Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies; 9 species). They also identified 12 species of insects used as therapy:

“Species of the order Hymenoptera are the therapeutically most widely used insects, but the Coleoptera also feature with three medicinal species. Most of the therapeutic insects are taken raw or boiled and they are being used primarily to remedy stomach disorders, coughs and colds, skin allergies, boils, malaria, blood pressure anomalies, scabies (in case of humans) and foot and mouth disease of bovids like mithun and cattle.”

Scientific names, families, English names, vernacular names, seasonal availability, uses, and mode of preparation/intake are detailed in tables.

In their Conclusion, the authors argue for a balance between conservation of indigenous practices and prevention of over-exploitation of insects:

“Unfortunately the availability of all types of modern food stuffs and the degradation of resources makes ethnic people worldwide (and the Galo and Nyishi are no exception) inclined to abandon their traditions and discard their rich indigenous knowledge. This is particularly lamentable in view of the fact that from a nutritional aspect, the traditional food is often not only healthier, it is also the product of generations of harmonious co-existence between tribe and environmental resource. The flipside of the coin is that due to unprecedented population increases, the resources of the forest, including food insects, can become over-exploited and this has apparently already resulted in the diminishment of biotic resources (including edible insects and species deemed therapeutically useful by the local people) in some parts of North-East India … we see an urgent need to assess insect biodiversity and the role of ethno-entomology together and not separated from each other.”

Free full text is available via PubMed Central.

The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.

Health

Dogs Detect Ovarian Cancer by Odor in Blood

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Horvath G, Andersson H, Paulsson G. Characteristic odour in the blood reveals ovarian carcinoma. BMC Cancer. 2010 Nov 24;10:643. PubMed PMID: 21106067; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3004816. [Free full text via PubMed Central.]

Researchers at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden, followed on to their earlier work to determine whether trained dogs can detect a specific odor emitted by ovarian carcinomas and borderline ovarian tumors in blood from patients with those diseases.

When two trained dogs tested ovarian cancer tissues and blood from patients with ovarian carcinoma, the results in cancer tissues showed a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 95%, while the blood tests showed sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 98%.

Free full text is available via PubMed Central.

The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.

Health, Social Progress

Naturopathy and Primary Care Practice

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Fleming SA, Gutknecht NC. Naturopathy and the primary care practice. Prim Care. 2010 Mar;37(1):119-36. Review. PubMed PMID: 20189002; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2883816. [Free full text via PubMed Central.]

Sara Fleming and Nancy Gutknecht, postdoctoral research fellows at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have written a comprehensive review of naturopathic medicine and its current practice in North America, including education, licensing, and therapeutic modalities.

From the Synopsis:

“Naturopathy is a distinct type of primary care medicine that blends age-old healing traditions with scientific advances and current research. It is guided by a unique set of principles that recognize the body’s innate healing capacity, emphasize disease prevention, and encourage individual responsibility to obtain optimal health. Naturopathic treatment modalities include diet and clinical nutrition, behavioral change, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, botanical medicine, physical medicine, pharmaceuticals, and minor surgery.”

The article includes a historical timeline and a list of introductory readings.

The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.

Health, Social Progress

Chumnguh thleum: Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer among the Khmer Diaspora

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Burke NJ, Do HH, Talbot J, et al. Chumnguh thleum: understanding liver illness and hepatitis B among Cambodian immigrants. J Community Health. 2011 Feb;36(1):27-34. PubMed PMID: 20496000; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3020312.
[Free full text via PubMed Central.]

Noting that Cambodian immigrants are over 25 times more likely to have evidence of chronic hepatitis B infection than the general US population and over ten times more likely to be diagnosed with liver cancer, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, and University of Washington, Seattle, undertook group interviews with Cambodian Americans about sociocultural influences on understanding about hepatitis B transmission, disease course, and prevention and treatment informed by theories underlying Khmer medicine, by biomedicine, and by migration experiences.

Health, Social Progress

Medicinal Plants in Oyam district, Northern Uganda

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Kamatenesi MM, Acipa A, Oryem-Origa H. Medicinal plants of Otwal and Ngai Sub Counties in Oyam district, Northern Uganda. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2011 Jan 17;7:7. PubMed PMID: 21241484; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3029220.
[Free full text via PubMed.]

Investigators at Makerere University undertook an ethnobotanical study in four parishes in Oyam district, Northern Uganda, where insurgency has been prevalent for the past 20 years.

They report 71 plant species used in the treatment of various diseases, with Asteraceae being the most represented.

From the Conclusion:

“The use of medicinal plant species in primary health care is still a common practice in Ngai and Otwal Sub-County. The inadequate health services and abject poverty still make these people dependent on herbal medicine for their day to day health needs. The generation gap caused by the over 20 years of insurgency in the area has brought about knowledge gap between the young and the old with regard to medicinal plant species.”

Importantly, the authors include recommendations:

  • There is need for ex-situ conservation of the useful medicinal plant species.
  • There is need for community awareness and education concerning the values of medicinal plant species of the area especially among the young people.
  • Further studies should be done on the medicinal plant species to determine their pharmacological potentials.
  • Government should develop policy to integrate use of medicinal plant species in health care at national level.

The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.

Art, Health

Medical Narrative: Is There a Shaman in the House?

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de Schweinitz P. Is there a shaman in the house? J Am Board Fam Med. 2010 Nov-Dec;23(6):794-6. PubMed PMID: 21057077.
[Free full text via PubMed.]

Peter de Schweinitz, a Visiting Instructor at University of Utah School of Medicine, writes about a fundamental dilemma of modern medicine:

“As physicians, we render a clear synopsis of the medical facts. We seek to understand the values and preferences of the patient. We express respectful support for the autonomy of the family. But what happens when, despite our best efforts at education and explanation, the family cannot make a decision? Many families do not want us to stay neutral. They find ways to work around our neutrality. They say, “What would you do if this were your wife/husband/father?” Perhaps we’re quite aware that our words may deeply influence the trajectory of many lives. Some of us may feel comfortable accepting this responsibility. Others may not.”

In this context, Dr. de Schweinitz recounts a story of shared decision making between a veteran neurosurgeon and the family of a comatose patient who had suffered a hemorrhagic stroke, in which the neurosurgeon leaves behind the world of the rational and makes a statement that reconnects the family to their deepest values.

The information on my blog is not intended as a substitute for medical professional help or advice but is to be used only as an aid in understanding current medical knowledge. A physician should always be consulted for any health problem or medical condition.