Are Ancestral Medical Practices the Future Solution to Today's Medical Problems?

Our cells and organs are threatened and, in most cases, constantly subjected to the aggression of numerous situations, both endogenous, characterized by unfavorable genetics, and exogenous, by deficient or inadequate nutrition, and even by a hostile environment; in most cases, they ultimately cause a cascade of degenerative and cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and infections, as well as those related to the metabolic syndrome, all of which eventually generate irreversible damage to the organism and, consequently, a significant deterioration in its survival [...].

[The worlds of gods in medicine]. / Götterwelten in der Heilkunde.

BACKGROUND: A number of designations for diseases, medicines and human body structures derive from classical mythology. To date, these eponyms have not been systematically investigated. OBJECTIVES: This paper provides an overview of this fringe component of medical vocabulary, looks at the history of several terms and formulates hypotheses as to why such creative etymologies have come into being. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In addition to relevant texts on ancient mythology, a variety of medical textbooks from the early modern period were analyzed. RESULTS: Between the 16th and the 20th centuries some 30 figures from Greek and Roman literature made their way into the terminology of medical sciences. A few of these expressions can be encountered in clinical use (e. g., Caput Medusae, Proteus, Oedipus complex) and remain official anatomical (atlas, Achilles tendon) or pharmaceutical nomenclature (atropine, morphine). The choice of these designations has often been similarity of form or analogies in function. Classical eponyms have gained acceptance on account of their succinctness, conciseness and scholarly veneer. Finally, this vocabulary shares its origin with other relevant terminology. CONCLUSIONS: In clinical classes, mythological designations can serve as a point of departure for digressions into literary, art and medical history in order to provide an understanding of cultural traditions and enhance education.

The medical treatment of Maria, Dowager Empress of the Russian Empire: an analysis of her prescription book from 1807 and 1808.

This study analyzes the medicines that were used to treat the Dowager Russian Empress Maria, widow of Tsar Paul I, and describes the doctors who cared for her health in 1807 and 1808. The source for this research was the imperial court pharmacy prescription book 1807-1811. Hypotheses about the diseases and medical problems of the Empress and how treatment for her differed according to circumstances, particularly after the loss of her granddaughter Princess Elizabeth, have been made based on the prescriptions recorded in the book. The content of the prescriptions suggests that the Empress suffered from gastrointestinal tract disorders, skin and eye diseases, neuralgic pains and insomnia. Foreign physicians educated in European universities worked at the imperial court and implemented European medical traditions. They took high positions in the administration and the medical education system, and gradually spread their experience and modern knowledge to Tsarist Russian society.

The evil of the unknown--risk-benefit evaluation of new synthetic drugs in the 19th century.

In the 19th century, synthetic chemistry discovered completely new chemical entities for medicinal use, which dramatically enriched the therapeutic armamentarium. However, no information was available regarding the safety of these new drugs, which were unrelated to most of the medicinal agents formerly known. Therefore, the question arises, if and how far, considerations regarding the relationship between benefit and risks were made. In this study, chloroform, phenazone (antipyrine) and sulfonal, were investigated as examples for drugs newly introduced in the 19th century. The results revealed that these drugs were provided by the manufacturer, tested by the physicians in a multicentre pattern and side effects were published in the medical literature soon after. Within a few years, several hundred cases were reported but the data were rarely summarized statistically. Therefore, physicians needed to stay updated with the medical literature because neither systematic industrial research nor regulatory authorities existed. The number of case reports within the first years were sufficient to detect common (> 1/100 to < 1/10) side effects but rare events were also reported. An extraordinary example is the drug-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis, which is commonly known as the Lyell syndrome or its less severe form, the Stevens-Johnson syndrome. This reaction has been clearly described by Baruch Spitz (1854-1932) as a side effect of antipyrine in 1887, several decades before Stevens, Johnson and particularly Lyell.

[Study on incompatibility of traditional Chinese medicines].

The incompatibility of traditional Chinese medicines is related to the clinical medication safety, so has attracted wide attentions from the public. With the deepening of studies on the incompatibility of traditional Chinese medicines represented by 18 incompatible herbs, the incompatibility of theory traditional Chinese medicines has raised to new heights. From the origin of incompatibility theory of traditional Chinese medicines, relationship of herbs, harms of incompatible herbs and principle of prevention to toxic effects of specific incompatible medicines, the innovation and development of the traditional Chinese medicine incompatibility theory was explored. Structurally, the incompatibility of traditional Chinese medicines refers to the opposition of two herbs based on seven emotions and clinical experience. The combination of incompatible herbs may lead to human harms, especially latent harm and inefficacy of intervention medicines. The avoidance of the combination of incompatible herbs and the consideration of both symptoms and drug efficacy are the basic method to prevent adverse reactions. The recent studies have revealed five characteristics of incompatible herbs. Toxicity potentiation, toxication, efficacy reduction and inefficacy are the four manifestations of the incompatible relations. The material changes can reflect the effects of toxicity potentiation and toxication of opposite herbs. The accumulation of toxicity and metabolic changes are the basis for latent harms. The antagonistic effect of main efficacies and the coexistence of positive and negative effects are the distinctive part of the incompatibility. The connotation of incompatible herbs plays an important role in the innovation of the traditional Chinese medicine incompatibility theory.

[Mining analysis on composition and medication of menstruation prescriptions in Fu Qingzhu's Obstetrics and Gynecology].

In this paper, menstruation prescriptions were selected from "Fu Qingzhu's Obstetrics and Gynecology" and analyzed by using GRI algorithm, correlation analysis, hierarchical clustering method through SPSS, Clementine and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) inheritance auxiliary systems, in order to screen out 15 menopathy prescriptions, which involve 45 traditional Chinese medicine herbs. In the study, blood-tonifying and qi-tonifying herbs were found to be frequent in the prescriptions. The most frequent single herb was white paeony root, accounting for 9.6% in the total number of prescriptions; The most frequent herb pairs were white paeony root-radix rehmanniae preparata and paeony root-angelica sinensis. Among Fu Shan's menopathy prescriptions, 61 herbal pairs showed a correlation coefficient exceeding 0.05, which evolved into 16 pairs of core combinations. The analysis showed that menopathy prescriptions in volume 1 of "Fu Qingzhu's Obstetrics and Gynecology" focused on tonic traditional Chinese medicines involving liver, spleen and kidney and were adjusted according to changes in qi, blood, cold, hot and wet, which could provide a specific reference for further studies on Fu Shan's academic thoughts and traditional Chinese medicine clinical treatment of menopathy.

[Venom as a cure--some notes on ancient medicine]. / Tiergifte als Heilmittel--ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der antiken Medizin.

Very little is known today about the linguistics and facts relating to venoms in the ancient world. The article concerns itself initially with the terminology: How were venoms conceptualized and what position did they occupy among medicines and other poisons? Additionally ancient knowledge of the constitution and location of the venoms will be examined. Furthermore, it shall be outlined how it was perceived that the poisons actually took effect. The results of our investigations indicate that it was unlikely that venoms were used for medicinal purposes in ancient times.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus therapy: past, present, and future.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Vancomycin was the "gold standard" of treatment for serious MRSA infections; however, the emergence of less-susceptible strains, poor clinical outcomes, and increased nephrotoxicity with high-dose therapy are challenging its current role as first-line therapy. Linezolid is recommended for PO or IV treatment of skin and skin structure infections (SSSIs) and pneumonia caused by MRSA. Daptomycin (IV) should be considered in patients with MRSA bacteremia and right-sided endocarditis as well as in complicated SSSIs, but should not be used to treat MRSA pneumonia. Tigecycline and telavancin are alternative (IV) treatments for SSSIs caused by MRSA; however, safety concerns have limited use of these agents. Ceftaroline is the newest of the approved parenteral agents for SSSIs caused by MRSA. Several investigational agents with activity against drug-resistant gram-positive pathogens are being developed primarily for treatment of MRSA infections, including tedizolid, dalbavancin, and oritavancin.

Clinical research before informed consent.

Clinical research with patient-subjects was routinely conducted without informed consent for research participation prior to 1966. The aim of this article is to illuminate the moral climate of clinical research at this time, with particular attention to placebo-controlled trials in which patient-subjects often were not informed that they were participating in research or that they might receive a placebo intervention rather than standard medical treatment or an experimental treatment for their condition. An especially valuable window into the thinking of clinical investigators about their relationship with patient-subjects in the era before informed consent is afforded by reflection on two articles published by psychiatric researchers in 1966 and 1967, at the point of transition between clinical research conducted under the guise of medical care and clinical research based on consent following an invitation to participate and disclosure of material information about the study. Historical inquiry relating to the practice of clinical research without informed consent helps to put into perspective the moral progress associated with soliciting consent following disclosure of pertinent information; it also helps to shed light on an important issue in contemporary research ethics: the conditions under which it is ethical to conduct clinical research without informed consent.

Medicines produced in Telsiai pharmacy (Vilnius governorate): analysis of prescription book from 1830.

The Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy has a prescription book by a pharmacist Teodor. Geldner from Telsiai (the tsarist Russia's Lithuanian Vilnius Governorate), dated 1830. Each medication that was produced at the pharmacy had to be registered in this book. The entries included the composition of the drug, its form, usage, price, the physician's name, and (sometimes) the method of production. This paper presents the content analysis of this book. The study revealed which medicines were used for the treatment of patients back then, which principles of therapy predominated, and what the social status of the patients was.

The history of 20th century malaria control in Peru.

Malaria has been part of Peruvian life since at least the 1500s. While Peru gave the world quinine, one of the first treatments for malaria, its history is pockmarked with endemic malaria and occasional epidemics. In this review, major increases in Peruvian malaria incidence over the past hundred years are described, as well as the human factors that have facilitated these events, and concerted private and governmental efforts to control malaria. Political support for malaria control has varied and unexpected events like vector and parasite resistance have adversely impacted morbidity and mortality. Though the ready availability of novel insecticides like DDT and efficacious medications reduced malaria to very low levels for a decade after the post eradication era, malaria reemerged as an important modern day challenge to Peruvian public health. Its reemergence sparked collaboration between domestic and international partners towards the elimination of malaria in Peru.

Papers published from 1995 to 2012 by six Traditional Chinese Medicine universities in China: a bibliometric analysis based on science citation index.

OBJECTIVE: The quality and quantity of published research papers are important in both scientific and technology fields. Although there are several bibliometric studies based on citation analysis, very few have focused on research related to Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. METHODS: The bibliometric method used in this study included the following focuses: publication outputs for each year, paper type, language of publication, distribution of internationally collaborative countries, sources of funding, authorization number, distribution of institutes regarding collaborative publications, research fields, distribution of outputs in journals, citation, data, and h-index. RESULTS: A total of 3809 papers published from 1995 to 2012 were extracted from the science citation index (SCI). The cumulative number of papers from all six universities is constantly increasing. The United States attained the dominant position regarding complementary and alternative medicine research. The Chinese Academy of Sciences was the greatest participator in collaborative efforts. Research field analysis showed that the research mainly focused on pharmacology pharmacy, chemistry, integrative complementary medicine, plant sciences, and biochemistry molecular biology. The Shanghai University of Chinese Medicine had the most citations. CONCLUSION: In recent years, in terms of SCI papers, the six Traditional Chinese Medicine universities studied here have made great advances in scientific research.

From methylene blue to chloroquine: a brief review of the development of an antimalarial therapy.

Malarial treatment is widely and readily available today. However, there was a time in the not-so-distant past when malaria was a deadly disease with no known cause or cure. In this article, we trace the origins of an antimalarial therapy from the discovery of the nature of the malarial parasite through the development of chloroquine. We dedicate this article to Johann "Hans" Andersag, the scientist who developed chloroquine, on the 110th anniversary of his birth, 16 February 1902.

[Evolution and revolutionary events in oncology in the end of XX - beginning of XXI century].

This review highlights major achievements of the Russian oncology in the past decades, such as works of N.N. Petrov, L.A. Zilber, N.N. Blokhin, E.E. Pogosyants. Revolutionary shift in the understanding of the malignization process have become possible after decoding of human genome, as well as genome of several tumors such as breast cancer, acute myeloblastic leukemia, several brain tumors, testicular cancer and other neoplasms. The issue of stem cells being possible ancestors of tumor cells is also discussed in the review. Also the author observes main modern therapeutic approaches towards cancer treatment. It is specially highlighted that XXI century molecular biology achievements made it possible to start personal tumor treatment based on its' specific genotype.

[Literature survey on botanical origin and clinical application of traditional Tibetan medicine "Shengdeng"].

"Shengdeng" is its Tibetan transliteration referring to many medicines. Tibetan doctors and pharmacists in different areas use different drugs in formulation and clinical application, which are easily confused. In order to grasp the formula and clinical application accurately, we conduct a literature survey on history and current state of botanical origin and clinical application of "Shengdeng", making clear the application of various herbs named "Shengdeng" and providing reference to all Tibetan researchers and clinical workers in formulation and clinical application.

Novel therapies for septic shock over the past 4 decades.

Infections that result in shock and organ failure are a major public health problem worldwide. Severe sepsis and septic shock affect patients of all ages and often complicate chronic diseases. They are the major causes of death in critical care units and contribute substantially to hospital inpatient costs. Translating the scientific advances of the last 4 decades into clinical practice has been challenging. Despite many attempts to develop new therapies, the basic elements of treatment have not changed since the 1960s. In this Grand Rounds, we summarize the results of the clinical trials conducted during the last 4 decades, discuss some lessons learned, and suggest possible directions for future investigation.

The birth of chemotherapy at Yale. Bicentennial lecture series: Surgery Grand Round.

Chemotherapy, one of the mainstays of cancer treatment today, was pioneered at Yale during World War II. Last year, two Yale surgeons, Drs. John Fenn and Robert Udelsman, sought to unearth the mystery surrounding the discovery of chemotherapy and its first use at Yale. The first chemotherapy patient is known only as JD in the literature, and without a name, date of birth, or medical record number, a search for his record seemed futile. However, persistence coupled with sheer fortune led them to JD's chart, where they found information that differed from previous accounts. The riveting personal story of JD, an immigrant patient with lymphosarcoma, was revealed for the first time by Drs. Fenn and Udelsman on January 19, 2011, at a special Surgical Grand Rounds celebrating the bicentennial of Yale School of Medicine.

[Textual research on original plant and dietotherapy history of Prunella vulgaris].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the original plant and dietotherapy history of Prunella vulgaris by textual researches, and provide a theoretical basis for clinical medication, exploitation and protection of wild resources. METHOD: The ancient literatures in the graphic, geographical distribution and morphological description of P. vulgaris were used in this studied. RESULT: The varieties of P. vulgaris for therapeutic were no confusion. However, there has existed confusion between P. vulgaris and its confusable species (Ajuga ciliate, A. decumbens and Lagopsis supina) with appellations, morphological description and attached drawing of original plant. CONCLUSION: The original plant is originated from two species (P. vulgaris, P. asiatica). P. hispida was used as a certified medicinal material in Yunnan province from Ming Dynasty to modern time. The dietotherapy history of P. vulgaris in China can be traced back to Ming Dynasty or before.