242 research outputs found
Visceral Hypersensitivity in Functional Dyspepsia (FD): Therapeutic Approaches to FD Based on Suppression of Visceral Hypersensitivity
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Pain and Herbal Medicine: Effectiveness of Japanese Kampo Medicines on Pains Associated with Cancer Patients
No full textRikkunshito, a ghrelin potentiator, ameliorates anorexia-cachexia syndrome
No full textAnorexia-cachexia syndrome develops during the advanced stages of various chronic diseases in which patients exhibit a decreased food intake, weight loss, and muscle tissue wasting. For these patients, this syndrome is a critical problem leading to an increased rate of morbidity and mortality. The present pharmacological therapies for treating anorexia-cachexia have limited effectiveness. The Japanese herbal medicine rikkunshito is often prescribed for the treatment of anorexia and upper gastrointestinal disorders. Thus, rikkunshito is expected to be beneficial for the treatment of patients with anorexia-cachexia syndrome. In this review, we summarize the effects of rikkunshito and its mechanisms of action on anorexia-cachexia.Persistent loss of appetite leads to a progressive depletion of body energy stores, which is frequently associated with cachexia. Consequently, regulating appetite and energy homeostasis is critically important for treating cachexia. Ghrelin is mainly secreted from the stomach, and it plays an important role in initiating feeding, controlling gastrointestinal motility, and regulating energy expenditure. Recent clinical and basic science studies have demonstrated that the critical mechanism of rikkunshito underlies endogenous ghrelin activity. Interestingly, several components of rikkunshito target multiple gastric and central sites, and regulate the secretion, receptor sensitization, and degradation of ghrelin. Rikkunshito is effective for the treatment of anorexia, body weight loss, muscle wasting, and anxiety-related behavior. Furthermore, treatment with rikkunshito was observed to prolong survival in an animal model of cachexia. The use of a potentiator of ghrelin signaling, such as rikkunshito, may represent a novel approach for the treatment of anorexia-cachexia syndrome
Anorexia in human and experimental animal models: physiological aspects related to neuropeptides
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An instability criterion for activator–inhibitor systems in a two-dimensional ball
Get PDFLet B be a two-dimensional ball with radius R. Let(u(x,y),ξ) be a non-constant steady state of the shadow system ut=Du∆u+f(u,ξ) in B×R+ and τξt =1/|B|∬Bg(u,ξ)dxdy in R+, ∂νu=0 on∂B×R+, where f and g satisfy the following:fξ(u,ξ)0, where U(θ):=u(Rcosθ,Rsinθ) and Z [w(・)] denotes the cardinal number of the zero level set of w(・)∈Cº(R/2πZ). The contrapositive of this result is the following: if(u,ξ)is stable for someτ>0, then Z[Uθ(・)]=2. In the proof of these results, we use a strong continuation property of partial differential operators of second order on the boundary of the domain
Tariffs and Welfare of an Exporting Country in a Free Entry Oligopoly under Integrated Markets.
No full textIn this paper, the author examines the effects of an increase in the specific and ad valorem tariff in the importing country on the welfare of the exporting country in a free-entry oligopoly under integrated markets. The author shows that if the demand function in the importing country is strictly concave (or convex), an increase in the specific (or ad valorem) tariff raises the welfare of the exporting country. Copyright 1992 by Royal Economic Society.
Traditional Japanese oral mucositis medicine hangeshashinto to upregulate antimicrobial peptides in human salivary gland cells.
No full text 517 Background: The cause of chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis (COM) is thought to be direct injury and indirect stomatotoxic effects that result from the release of inflammatory mediators, loss of protective salivary constituents, and therapy-induced neutropenia. We previously found that gargling with hangeshashinto (HST), a traditional Japanese medicine, was effective for treatment of COM. Focusing on the pain and inflammation of COM, we reported at ASCO-GI 2013 and DDW 2013 that HST exhibited ameliorating effects in a hamster model of COM and multi-targeted effects on prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production, followed by identification of active ingredients by PGE2 culture systems and LC-MS/MS. Our aim in this study was to address whether HST affects protective oral constituents. Methods: Human oral keratinocytes (HOK) and human salivary gland (HSG) cells were used for cell culture assays. Expression levels of mRNAs for antimicrobial peptides, extracellular matrixes, keratinocyte growth factor, amylase, COX-1/COX-2, and cNOS/iNOS in cells with or without HST (10–300 μg/mL) treatment were measured by RT-PCR. Results: HST increased gene expressions of some antimicrobial peptides (defensin β1, adrenomedullin, cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide), and amylase 1A in HSG cells. Further, HST dramatically inhibited COX-2 and iNOS mRNAs in IL-1β treated HOK cells, while it exerted no or little effect on expressions of any protective oral constituents in non-treated HOK cells. A random test to identify the ingredients that increase defensin β1 revealed that isoquinoline alkaloids like berberine were active. Conclusions: HST is expected to maintain oral homeostasis through two paths: increased production of antimicrobial peptides and decreased oral damage induced by excessive prostanoids and nitric oxide. HST thus functions as a multitarget agent, indicating that it may be beneficial in COM treatment. </jats:p
Enhancement of catecholamine release from PC12 cells by the traditional Japanese medicine, rikkunshito
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