Alcohol & Alcoholism; 07/01/2011
(AN 2011180929)
CINAHL Plus

Chinese Journal Of Integrative Medicine; 01/01/2011
The basic concept of integrative medicine (IM) is that by combining mainstream (biomedicine) with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), synergistic therapeutic effects can be attained. When the methods of mind/body medicine (MBM) are added to this combination, as in Western countries, a new concept emerges that drastically changes the approach toward illness.It is interesting to note that the joining of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine in the early days of the Peoples' Republic of China preceded the Western model of IM by almost 50 years. Several elements that make up the key components of IM as practiced today in the West were already present in the Chinese version of IM, and Chinese medicine has played and continues to play an important role in advancing IM. However, one of the major differences between the Chinese and the Western models of IM today, besides MBM and some other treatment options, is that Western integrative medicine (WIM) strictly requires its CAM methods to be supported by scientific evidence.The therapeutic methods of IM and their applications are many and varied. However, they are most frequently employed to treat chronic medical conditions, e.g., bronchial asthma, rheumatic disease, chronic inflammatory bowel disorder and chronic pain. Other fields in which IM may be applied are internal medicine (inflammatory bowel diseases and cardiovascular diseases), musculoskeletal disorders, oncology (chemotherapy-induced side effects), obstetrics and gynecology (dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, infertility and menopausal complaints), pediatrics, geriatrics, neurology (migraine and chronic headache), and psychiatry (anxiety and depression).The concept of WIM is discussed here in detail by reviewing its scope and implications for the practice of medicine and focusing on the role of Chinese medicine in WIM.
(AN 21258891)
MEDLINE

Fitoterapia; 01/01/2011
Abstract: While the popularity of and expenditures for herbal therapies (aka “ethnomedicines”) have increased globally in recent years, their efficacy, safety, mechanisms of action, potential as novel therapeutic agents, cost-effectiveness, or lack thereof, remain poorly defined and controversial. Moreover, published clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of herbal therapies have rightfully been criticized, post hoc, for their lack of quality assurance and reproducibility of study materials, as well as a lack of demonstration of plausible mechanisms and dosing effects. In short, clinical botanical investigations have suffered from the lack of a cohesive research strategy which draws on the expertise of all relevant specialties. With this as background, US and Chinese co-investigators with expertise in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), botany, chemistry and drug discovery, have jointly established a prototype library consisting of 202 authenticated medicinal plant and fungal species that collectively represent the therapeutic content of the majority of all commonly prescribed TCM herbal prescriptions. Currently housed at Harvard University, the library consists of duplicate or triplicate kilogram quantities of each authenticated and processed species, as well as “detanninized” extracts and sub-fractions of each mother extract. Each species has been collected at 2–3 sites, each separated geographically by hundreds of miles, with precise GPS documentation, and authenticated visually and chemically prior to testing for heavy metals and/or pesticides contamination. An explicit decision process has been developed whereby samples with the least contamination were selected to undergo ethanol extraction and HPLC sub-fractionation in preparation for high throughput screening across a broad array of biological targets including cancer biology targets. As envisioned, the subfractions in this artisan collection of authenticated medicinal plants will be tested for biological activity individually and in combinations (i.e., “complex mixtures”) consistent with traditional ethnomedical practice. This manuscript summarizes the rationale, methods and preliminary “proof of principle” for the establishment of this prototype, authenticated medicinal plant library. It is hoped that these methods will foster scientific discoveries with therapeutic potential and enhance efforts to systematically evaluate commonly used herbal therapies worldwide.
(AN 2010913843)
CINAHL Plus

Journal of Ethnopharmacology; 06/14/2011
Abstract: Aim of the study: Cornu Saigae Tataricae (antelope horn), Manis Squama (pangolin scale), Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum (velvet antler) and Cornu Bovis grunniens (yak horn) are valuable medicinal animal horns and shells (MAHS). As the major source of biological agents and ethnodrugs, MAHS show pretty good bioactivities. However, with the increased demand for MAHS, some of the medicinal resources are endangered, and there has been a concomitant increase in the prevalence of adulterated or impostor MAHS. It is of great significance to exploit the substitutes for endangered medicinal animal resources. This study is going to provide a new mode for the exploitation of the substitutes of MAHS. Materials and methods: Plasma recalcification time, thrombin time and thrombin consumption were recorded to evaluate the anticoagulation effect of MAHS. Dissolution rate of thrombus in vitro and whole blood–gore were observed to appraise the antithrombotic effect of MAHS. Results: All the MAHS involved in this study except Cornu Procaprae Gutturosae (argali horn), Cornu Saigae Tataricae and Cornu Bovis (cattle horn) could not only prolong recalcification time (P <0.01) and thrombin time (P <0.01), but also dissolve the thrombus in vitro (P <0.01) and whole blood–gore (P <0.01). The bioactivities among MAHS differed greatly from each other. Conclusions: The results indicate that Cornu Caprae Hircus (goat horn), Cornu Bubali (water buffalo horn) and Trionycis Carapax (turtle shell) are rational to be explored as the substitutes of Cornu Saigae Tataricae, Cornu Bovis grunniens and Manis Squama, respectively. On the contrary, velvet antler is not suitable to be substituted by Cornu Cervi (deerhorn). We presume that the bioactive evaluation methods are effective means of seeking substitutive resources of endangered medicinal animals with the advantages of close correlation to drug action, low dosage, and high sensitiveness.
(AN 2011165183)
CINAHL Plus

Western Folklore; 01/01/2011
This paper examines the place of Chinese food, identity, and everyday religion in the Canadian rural Midwest. Through a discussion of an annual grave custom to honor the earliest Chinese Canadian settlers in a small community, it develops the argument that Chinese cafes signify complex and efficacious public and private identities. Intersecting cafes both connect and attract Chinese people from hundreds of miles away to celebrate public festivals, rites of passage, and private achievements.
(AN 61154663)
MasterFILE Premier

Applied Physiology, Nutrition & Metabolism; 12/01/2010
(AN 2010882476)
CINAHL Plus

American Journal of Family Therapy; 07/01/2011
In order to profile family therapy users in China, this study examined 612 cases of a family therapy center in Beijing, including demographic data and presenting problems. It was found that, different to the western experience, cases reviewed were predominately families who presented with problems concerning children and adolescents. Typically presenting relationship issues, individual users had lower intake than the family modality, and couples had the lowest among three modalities. The overall results would seem to evidence some Chinese cultural characteristics, such as prioritizing the filial relationship above the couple one, and a particular focus on the children.
(AN 2011209757)
CINAHL Plus

Asian Survey; 05/01/2011
The article focuses on Chinese governmental extra-budgetary revenue (EBR) and how it provides funding for local governments. Information is provided on the high rate of growth in the Chinese economy since 1980, how the central government uses exaction when necessary to promote economic development and political stability, and the impacts that central government intervention has on the political atmosphere within local government and the public. An explanation of the principle-agent relationship between local government and central government is provided.
(AN 63483001)
MasterFILE Premier

The American Journal Of Gastroenterology; 01/01/2011
Functional constipation (FC) is a common clinical complaint. Despite a lack of consolidated evidence, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has become a popular alternative treatment for this condition. The aim of this study was to assess, with a rigidly designed study, the efficacy and safety of a CHM proprietary medicine, Hemp Seed Pill (HSP), in optimal dosage for treating FC.
(AN 21045817)
MEDLINE

The American Journal Of Chinese Medicine; 01/01/2011
Alcohol has long been used as a daily beverage in China and around the world. It is a medicinal substance with various biological activities. In fact, alcohol has played an important role in the development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), within which it is considered as the earliest exhilarant and anaesthetic. Yet, as a substance with great potency of misuse and addiction, the consumption of alcohol can lead to serious damage to individual health and the society. Over the past 20 years, alcohol abuse or alcoholism has become an increasing social problem in China along with the rapid economic development. China, the country of origin for TCM, has accumulated abundant clinical experience in the treatment of alcoholism with its ancient medicine. In the present research, we have summarized clinical and primary studies concerning various remedies of TCM for alcohol abuse, including herbal components (such as Kudzu/Pueraria Lobata, Pediculus melo, Hypericumpperforatum L.), decoctions and acupuncture.
(AN 21213394)
MEDLINE

East Asia: An International Quarterly; 09/01/2011
There have been several profound features embedded in the contemporary Chinese political leadership, all having their roots in the Chinese centuries-long traditions or the modern/contemporary creative practice, together with their shaping impacts upon China's foreign policy or remarkable reflections in her external behavior. They are: reforms inherently differentiated; central idea of 'maintenance', notion of 'biological circle governing universe', paradox in the question of equality, the emphasis on morality, overwhelmingly domestic function of foreign policy, firm belief in the Chineseness per sue and its overwhelming importance, and political prudence in the perennial context of 'Strong China, Weak China.' China is facing enormous domestic historical challenges and substantial international pressure, while a generally peaceful China can be assured at least from her self-regarding realistic perspective.
(AN 64417657)
MasterFILE Premier

Current Pharmaceutical Design; 05/01/2010
While many experimental and clinical studies of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have been reported over recent years, the applications of computational methods to drug discovery from Chinese herbs are still at an early stage. In the light of the spread of TCM to other parts of the world over the last few decades, and the growing number of publications in languages other than Chinese, this article focuses on work published in English and accessible to an international audience. Sources of information in appropriate format are particularly important for informatics, and the growing number of TCM-related databases is discussed. Applications of virtual screening both to the identification of single and multiple target ligands are covered, as are developments in 'target fishing', a novel technique which seeks to identify multiple receptors to which a compound may bind. Finally, the role of informatics in bridging the gulf between the paradigms of TCM and biomedical science is explored, and a discussion presented as to its use in probing the molecular basis of TCM.
(AN 20222858)
MEDLINE

Journal of Contemporary Religion; 01/01/2011
(AN ATLA0001835014)
ATLA Religion Database

Fitoterapia; 04/01/2011
Abstract: Danggui-Shaoyao-San (DSS), a traditional Chinese medicinal prescription, is clinically used for the treatment of vascular dementia (VD). This study compared the pharmacokinetics of paeoniflorin, the main active ingredients in Paeonia lactiflora Pall, in VD and normal rats administrated with DSS or pure paeoniflorin. The absorptions of paeoniflorin in both VD and normal group of rats were better when orally administrated with DSS than that with pure paeoniflorin, which justified the combined use as formula DSS. Moreover, a better absorption of paeoniflorin in rats of the VD than in normal group was observed, which is helpful for the treatment of VD.
(AN 2010940350)
CINAHL Plus

Science (New York, N.Y.); 02/08/2008
(AN 18258866)
MEDLINE

Chinese Journal Of Integrative Medicine; 01/01/2011
The paper explores the concept of integrative medicine (IM) in relation to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It contrasts IM available in China to its availability in the West. The second part of the paper highlights tools which could facilitate opportunities for IM. The paper concludes with a plea to ensure and maintain the integrity of traditional Chinese medical practice, and to continue to increase developing the evidence base through a funded European Coordination Action between EU member states and China.
(AN 21258892)
MEDLINE

International Archives Of Allergy And Immunology; 01/01/2011
Severe and widespread atopic dermatitis often fails to respond adequately to topical steroids and oral antihistamines and requires immunomodulatory drugs which, although effective, have undesirable toxic effects.
(AN 21196758)
MEDLINE

Chinese Journal Of Integrative Medicine; 04/01/2010
(AN 20473732)
MEDLINE

World Policy Journal (MIT Press); 12/01/2010
The article describes the city of Kangbashi, China, located in the Chinese autonomous region of Inner Mongolia. It has six-lane roads, an opera house, a stadium, and enough high-rise apartment buildings to house millions of people. The city has only some 30,000 inhabitants, however. Its construction, which began in 2004, was financed by mining revenues from the surrounding Ordos Township region. Ordos exports the majority of rare earth minerals mined in China, which are needed for a wide variety of high-technology products.
(AN 56536112)
MasterFILE Premier

Journal of Asian History; 09/01/2010
The article chronicles the history of the Liao Dynasty in China and examines the functions, purpose, and power of the five capital cities within the borders of the civilization. It explores ways in which the nomadic culture of the empire led rulers such as Taizu and Taizong, as well as the empress Chengitan, to establish capital cities at various sites including the Liaoxi Steppe, the Chinese Central Plain, and the Laoha River Valley throughout its history. Other topics include conflicts over territory between the Liao and the Jin and Song dynasties, descriptions of the architecture and layout of the capital cities, and the common belief among the people of the Liao Dynasty that they were destined to rule the world.
(AN 60126038)
MasterFILE Premier