Qualitative content analysis of complementary topical therapies used to manage diabetic foot in Jordan.
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In order to alleviate diabetic foot problems, patients sometimes seek complementary therapies outside the professional context. This paper describes the use of complementary remedies as a topical treatment for diabetic foot ulcers among Jordanians. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse written responses of 68 patients with diabetes who have used complementary therapies to treat diabetic foot problems. These 68 persons represented a subgroup of the study population surveyed using a questionnaire, to the effect of investigating diabetic foot treatments provided in Jordan. Informants were recruited from eight healthcare facilities established in the southern part of Jordan plus from one hospital established in the Jordanian capital. The study was approved by the Boards of Ethics of the participating healthcare facilities. Content analysis yielded the category "Complementary Therapies Used", which included a range of household items (olive oil, sesame oil, honey, and vinegar), and also some indigenous Jordanian herbs (Wormwood, Myrrh, Caper, and Henna among others). The remedies were used either as a monotherapy or as mixtures, to the common goal of treating diabetic foot problems. Other interventions like Al-cowy were also sought from traditional healers. Educational campaigns are required to increase the awareness of patients and their families on possible hazards of unwise complementary therapy use. The decisions on the use of such therapies should be made in agreement with the attending healthcare professionals. (+info)
What is the best strategy for enhancing the effects of topically applied ozonated oils in cutaneous infections?
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Interrelations of the renal kallikrein-kinin system and renal prostaglandins in the conscious rat. Influence of mineralocorticoids.
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To investigate possible relationships between mineralocorticoids, the renal kallikreinkinin system, and renal prostaglandins, we studied the effects of aldosterone and deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) and of an inhibitor of kallikrein, aprotinin, on the urinary excretion of kallikrein and prostaglandin E-like substance (PGE) by the conscious rat. Aldosterone (0.25 mg/day, sc), injected into six rats for 14 consecutive days, increased PGE and kallikrein excretion from 52.3 +/- 8.7 (mean +/- SE) ng/day and 29.8 +/- 3.0 U/day to 141.5 +/- 30.7 ng/day (P less than 0.02) and 105.6 +/- 28.1 U/day (P less than 0.05), respectively. Similarly, injections of DOCA (5 mg/day) into 14 rats increased the excretion of PGE and kallikrein, measured before and after 10 days of treatment, from 41.6 +/- 3.9 ng/day and 39.4 +/-4.9 U/day to 194.3 +/- 20.7 ng/day (P less than 0.001) and 90.6 +/- 14.7 U/day (P less than 0.001), respectively. Injections of aprotinin for 4 days (50,000 KIU twice daily, sc) in conjunction with DOCA into eight rats pretreated with the steroid for 10 days decreased the urinary excretion of kallikrein and PGE, measured on the 4th day of aprotinin administration, by 61% (P less than 0.01) and 80% (P less than 0.001), respectively. Urinary potassium excretion decreased throughout the course of aprotinin treatment, whereas sodium excretion and urine volume decreased during the first 2 days but subsequently returned toward control values. This study demonstrates that mineralocorticoids enhance the urinary excretion of PGE, and this effect appears to be a consequence of activation of the renal kallikrein-kinin system by the steroids. Thus, changes in the intrarenal activity of the kallikrein-kinin system may modulate renal prostaglandin release. (+info)
Age-related decline in deciduogenic ability of the rat uterus.
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To study age-related changes in uterine responsiveness to deciduogenic stimuli, virgin female rats of the T strain were ovariectomized at 4, 8, 10, or 12 mo of age and given daily s.c. injections of 3 mg progesterone for 7 days, commencing on the day after operation, and a single s.c. injection of 0.1 microgram estradiol-17 beta on the third day of the period. Endometrial stimulation was effected by either endometrial traumatization or intraluminal instillation of sesame oil or prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), applied 16 h after the injection of estradiol. Decidual response began to decrease at 8 mo of age and completely disappeared between 8 and 12 mo, regardless of the type of induction stimulus. At 8 mo of age, females formed deciduomata in response to instillation of oil or PGE2, only when they had been cycling regularly at the time of ovariectomy. In 10-mo-old rats, instillation of oil or PGE2 invariably failed to elicit a positive response, regardless of the pattern of estrous cycles at surgery. However, if an ovary was transplanted s.c. 5 or 7 mo after ovariectomy at 4 mo of age, the uteri responded positively to oil instillation at 10 and 12 mo of age, after the ovarian grafts had been removed and steroid treatments had been administered. Moreover, a 2-mo interval between ovariectomy at 8 mo of age and the commencement of the standard treatment schedule restored or maintained the uterus's ability to form deciduomata by 10 mo of age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) (+info)
The effects of androgens and gonadotropins on testicular development in the prepubertal rat.
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Treatment of male rat pups from five to 34 days of age with dihydrotestosterone or 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha, 17 beta-diol, resulted in reduced testicular size at 35 days of age. This appeared to be due to decreased tubular diameters and reduced spermatocyte numbers, especially late pachytene cells in stages X to XIII. In rat pups treated with dihydrotestosterone or 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha, 17 beta-diol, treatment with luteinizing hormone resulted in some restoration of tubular diameter and spermatocyte numbers. In 5 alpha-androstane-3 alpha, 17 beta-diol treated rat pups partial restoration of testes size resulted from follicle-stimulating hormone treatment, but tubular diameter and spermatocyte numbers were depressed. Single serum samples collected at 35 days of age were analysed for luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormone concentrations. These data indicated that the effects of administered androgens were due primarily to depression of circulating gonadotropin concentrations but a direct inhibition at the level of the testis could not be ruled out. (+info)
Sustained release of BCNU for the treatment of intraocular malignancies in animal models.
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Sustained release of 1,3-bis(2)chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) via an episcleral implanted silicone device was used to treat Brown-Pearce epithelioma in the anterior chamber of rabbit eyes. One group of test eyes received BCNU dissolved in sesame oil; a second group received BCNU in pure ethanol. Control eyes received only the diluent, sesame oil or pure ethanol. The effectiveness of the various dosages and diluents was compared by clinical observation, by weight of the enucleated eyes, and by histopathologic examination. Sustained release of BCNU via an episcleral implanted silicone device delayed the growth of Brown-Pearce epithelioma in rabbit eyes of both test groups. The most effective action resulted from administration of BCNU in pure ethanol. (+info)
Enhancement of the cancer chemotherapeutic effect by anticancer agents in the form of fat emulsion.
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Utilizing the lipid-adsorbing ability of lymphatic capillaries, anticancer agents were given in the form of fat emulsion in order to deliver them to regional lymph nodes. The emulsion, in which the drug solution is contained as the innermost phase, yielded high drug concentration in the lymphatic system. Intratumoral injection of emulsified anticancer agent resulted in significantly prolonged retension of the drug within the tumor tissue. Therapeutic experiments of the emulsion also disclosed remarkable tumor reduction and cure rate as compared with aqueous solution of drugs. Oral administration of emulsified 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) was also attempted for stomach cancer. With 5-FU, the maximum concentration of drug in thoracic lymph and stomach was greater when administered as an emulsion than as an aqueous solution, and a high concentration persisted longer. As a clinical trial of the emulsion method, eight patients with inoperable malignant growth were injected locally with emulsified anticancer agents and 121 patients were given 5-FU emulsion orally. From the clinical and histological findings, it was thought that the emulsion enhanced the chemotherapeutic effect of the anticancer agent on lymph node metastasis. (+info)
Coconut oil and sesame oil affect lymphatic absorption of cholesterol and fatty acids in rats.
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Five groups of male Wistar rats weighing approximately 200 g consumed 12 or 24% sesame oil or coconut oil diets or a control diet (14% corn oil) ad libitum for 4 wk. The thoracic ducts of these rats were cannulated, and a lipid emulsion containing [3H]cholesterol and [14C]oleic acid was given through a duodenal catheter. Lymph was collected for 24 h and the isotopic tracers for cholesterol and fatty acid were measured. Rats fed the 24% sesame oil diet had significantly lower lymphatic cholesterol and fatty acid compared with the control group. Absorption of oleic acid in rats fed 24% coconut oil was significantly greater than in controls during 0-8 h but was not significantly different during 0-24 h. There were no differences among groups in the distribution of cholesterol and oleic acid either in the lymph lipoproteins or in the lipid classes. The significant reduction in lymph cholesterol and fatty acids due to sesame oil feeding may be an important factor in reducing hypercholesterolemia. (+info)