Herbals, cancer prevention and health.

The use of herbs for medical benefit has played an important role in nearly every culture on earth. Herbal medicine was practiced by ancient cultures in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The recent popularity in use of herbals can be tied to the belief that herbs can provide some benefit over and above allopathic medicine and allow users to feel that they have some control in their choice of medications. The widespread use of herbs, either directly or as dietary supplements, has raised many scientific questions. Are herbal preparations safe? Do herbs interact with pharmaceutical medications to enhance or reduce their efficacy? The first interaction can be shown by the effects of St. John's Wort, a mild herbal antidepressant, and many commonly used medicines. St. John's Wort can induce the CYP3A family of activation enzymes through which approximately 50% of drugs are metabolized. This poses some risk of inadvertently reducing the half-life of such drugs as indinavir, cyclosporin and cyclophosphamide. On the other hand, herbal products may act in a pathway similar to pharmaceuticals yet without side effects. Natural anti-inflammatory compounds abound in the herbal world and are found in green tea, the spices turmeric and rosemary, feverfew and others. Because the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) is associated with a reduced risk for several cancers, it is at least plausible that natural NSAID should be explored for possible use as cancer preventives.

Stability of vitamins in soybean oil fat emulsion under conditions simulating intravenous feeding of neonates and children.

The stability of the fat-soluble vitamins and thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, ascorbate, and folic acid when administered as part of Intralipid 10% was evaluated. Intravenous pediatric vitamin formulations (Vitalipid N Infant and Soluvit Infant) containing the daily dose for term neonates were diluted with Intralipid to final volumes of 12.5 mL or 260 mL. The volumes were then delivered for 24 hours via dihexylethyl-phthalate-free in vitro infusion systems that simulated clinical conditions. The first vitamin-Intralipid admixture (12.5-mL volumes) was pumped (by syringe) during 24 hours through neonatal infusion sets placed in an incubator (37 +/- 1 degree C, bilirubin light). Aliquots were collected at the beginning of the experiment and after 24 hours of infusion. The second admixture (260-mL volumes) was pumped (by a peristaltic pump) through infusion sets during 24 hours and was exposed to periodic indirect sunlight and to continuous fluorescent light to stimulate the feeding of a child. Aliquots were collected at 0, 8, and 24 hours during administration of the admixtures. The vitamin concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The effect of the vitamins on the stability of the emulsion was also assessed by visual inspection, lipid globule size distribution, and pH change. Losses of vitamins vary from different experimental conditions and were for the fat-soluble vitamins essentially nil, except for phylloquinone, which was 5% to 17% below the initial level. Thiamine, pyridoxine, and folic acid were stable. Losses of riboflavin and ascorbate amounted to 10% to 20% and 9% to 52%, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Tumors of the colon following ureterosigmoidostomy]. / Kolontumoren nach Ureterosigmoidostomie.

This report presents three cases of colon tumors which developed after an ureterosigmoidostomy. In a checkup, four years after the operation, an inflamed polyp was found in one patient. The second patient developed an adenoma in the section of the colon where the ureter had been implanted. The last patient died of adenocarcinoma of the colon 26 years after her operation. Possible reasons for the development of the tumors, specifically the cancerous ones, are discussed. The risk of developing colon carcinoma is 500 times higher in those who have had an ureterosigmoidostomy than in healthy people. In the case that the ureters are rediverted the section of the colon where they were previously attached must be excised; since there is a strong possibility of cancerous development. To detect the early development of tumors in the colon, we suggest that patients have their stool tested for blood at regular intervals starting 3 years post operatively. If no problems arise barium enema and coloscopy are recommended every five years.