Community qigong for People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Pragmatic Feasibility Study.

Objectives: qigong, a traditional Chinese mind-body exercise, has been shown to improve balance and gait in several neurological conditions; however, community-delivered qigong has never been assessed for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The authors assessed the feasibility of community qigong classes for people with MS and explored outcomes of balance, gait, and quality of life (QOL). Design: Twenty adults with MS were randomly assigned to 10 weeks of community qigong classes or wait-list control. Settings/Location: Portland, Oregon. Subjects: People with MS. Intervention: Community qigong classes. Outcome measures: Feasibility criteria included recruitment, retention, adherence, and ability to participate in qigong movements. Secondary outcome measures included physical tests of mobility, gait, and balance and participant-reported mobility, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and QOL. Results: Recruitment of eligible and interested people with MS was feasible. Retention in the trial was 60%. Completers attended a mean of 7 of 10 classes. All completers participated with no or minor modifications to qigong movements. Exploratory within-group analyses showed trends toward improved mental health, QOL, and reduced fatigue and depression. Several participants spontaneously reported improved energy, flexibility, sleep, and mobility. Conclusions: Community qigong may be a feasible form of exercise for people with MS. To improve retention and capture potential effects of qigong on physical function and quality of life, future studies might consider pragmatic trials with tiered level classes, simpler forms of qigong, and/or refined inclusion criteria (CTR#: NCT04585659).

Effects of Hydrastis Canadensis, Commiphora Habessinica, Phytolacca Americana, and Echinacea Purpurea on Bacterial Growth.

CONTEXT: With the rise of antibiotic resistance, new strategies are needed to treat minor bacterial infections so that conventional antibiotics may be reserved for more serious conditions. One herbal formula, known as the HMPE formula, is often prescribed for minor infections. It includes Hydrastis canadensis (H. canadensis), Commiphora habessinica (C. habessinica), Phytolacca americana (P. americana), and Echinacea purpurea (E. purpurea). These herbs offer promise as treatments that may inhibit bacterial growth and stimulate the immune system. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antibacterial effects of the HMPE formula and its constituent herbs against two organisms, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli. DESIGN: The research team performed an in-vitro study. SETTING: The study occurred at the Helfgott Research Institute at the National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR, USA. INTERVENTION: The study tested HMPE and each of its ingredients alone for antibacterial properties. OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcome measure was a disc diffusion assay. Sterile paper discs were impregnated with 15 µl of E. purpurea, H. canadensis, C. habessinica , or P. americana as herbal tinctures; with the complete HMPE formula; or with 65% ethanol as the negative control, and dried at room temperature for 40 minutes. Commercially prepared 10 µg ampicillin discs were used as a positive control. RESULTS: H. Canadensis and, to a lesser extent, the complete HMPE formula significantly inhibited the growth of the gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis, but not the gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli. C. habessinica, P. americana, and E. purpurea alone did not inhibit growth of either bacterial strain. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that H. canadensis had antibacterial activity against S. epidermidis, but the HMPE formula was not active against S. epidermidis, when a zone of inhibition threshold of 12 millimeters (mm) was used to determine antibiotic activity. Because the HMPE formula was shown to be less effective than H. canadensis alone, the formula might benefit from an increased percentage of H. canadensis.

Pertussis Infection in a Naturopathic Primary Care Setting: Reflection on a Case.

INTRODUCTION: Pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease that has made a global resurgence in the 21st century. Vaccine hesitancy remains a persistent barrier to achieving protective vaccination rates. Vaccine-hesitant individuals may be more likely to seek counsel with a naturopathic doctor. Seven more state legislatures have voted to license and/or regulate naturopathic doctors in the last decade, illustrating the growing popularity of naturopathic medicine in the present health care landscape. Still, the growth of naturopathic medicine, and its potential relationship to vaccine hesitancy, is worrisome. Naturopathic doctors can be advocates for immunization to vaccine-hesitant individuals, but ambivalence toward vaccines within the profession remains a public health concern. CASE PRESENTATION: We report cases of pertussis in a family treated in a naturopathic primary care clinic, where naturopathic doctors served as vaccine advocates to a vaccine-hesitant family. DISCUSSION: Continued collaboration with public health programs and conventional clinicians is necessary to improve medical science training and vaccine advocacy in the field of naturopathic medicine.

N-Acetylcysteine: A potential therapeutic agent for SARS-CoV-2.

COVID-19, a respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to spread across the globe. Predisposing factors such as age, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and lowered immune function increase the risk of disease severity. T cell exhaustion, high viral load, and high levels of TNF-ɑ, IL1ß, IL6, IL10 have been associated with severe SARS-CoV-2. Cytokine and antigen overstimulation are potentially responsible for poor humoral response to the virus. Lower cellular redox status, which leads to pro-inflammatory states mediated by TNF-ɑ is also potentially implicated. In vivo, in vitro, and human clinical trials have demonstrated N-acetylcysteine (NAC) as an effective method of improving redox status, especially when under oxidative stress. In human clinical trials, NAC has been used to replenish glutathione stores and increase the proliferative response of T cells. NAC has also been shown to inhibit the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway (IL1ß and IL18) in vitro, and decrease plasma TNF-ɑ in human clinical trials. Mediation of the viral load could occur through NAC's ability to increase cellular redox status via maximizing the rate limiting step of glutathione synthesis, and thereby potentially decreasing the effects of virally induced oxidative stress and cell death. We hypothesize that NAC could act as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of COVID-19 through a variety of potential mechanisms, including increasing glutathione, improving T cell response, and modulating inflammation. In this article, we present evidence to support the use of NAC as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of COVID-19.

Naturopathic Treatment of an Inflamed Epidermoid Cyst: A Case Report.

This case report examines the treatment of a 55-year-old White female who initially presented to the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) Lair Hill Health Center with a chief complaint of an inflamed epidermoid cyst of the posterolateral aspect of the left upper arm. The patient attended several visits over the course of 2 months. Initial treatment recommendations included oral antibiotics, which the patient declined, and natural treatments used to decrease progression of infection and to increase skin healing. Follow-up treatments consisted of wound irrigation, topical and oral botanical formulas, topical antibacterial ointment, and ongoing education regarding proper wound care and hygiene.

Impact of Food Immunoglobulin G-Based Elimination Diet on Subsequent Food Immunoglobulin G and Quality of Life in Overweight/Obese Adults.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to assess changes in serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) food antibody titers and quality-of-life measurements following a targeted elimination diet in overweight/obese adults. METHODS: We performed a randomized control trial. Participants were randomized in a 2:1 ratio to either an intervention group or waitlist group for 3 months. Food IgG testing was performed on all participants. The intervention group was instructed to eliminate up to 10 foods, for which they had high titers of IgG and communicated with health coaches for nutritional counseling for meal planning and adherence. The waitlist group did not receive their IgG testing results or health coaching. Primary outcome was serum IgG titers for foods eliminated during the trial, compared with baseline concentrations. Secondary outcomes were health-related quality of life measured by Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS-29) and change in participant-identified symptom severity measured by Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile. Exploratory outcomes were changes in body weight and waist circumference. RESULTS: IgG antibody concentrations decreased in 83% of the targeted foods in the treatment group and in 60% of the foods in the waitlist group, but this was not found to be a statistically significant difference. The intervention group reported improvement in sleep during the trial compared with waitlist, which was the only statistically significant finding in the study. CONCLUSIONS: The findings are consistent with changes in IgG titer measurements following an elimination diet based on IgG testing. Future larger clinical trials are necessary to determine the degree to which these findings are generalizable.

Effect Of Carica Papaya Leaf Extract On Platelet Count In Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura: A Case Series.

The leaves of Carica papaya have been used to treat thrombocytopenia in Dengue fever in areas where the virus is endemic. This case series describes the use of C. papaya leaf liquid extract (CPLE) as an adjunctive therapy for four patients receiving standard-of-care treatment for chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). The cases presented here indicate that CPLE may prove beneficial in the management of chronic ITP for patients interested in alternative therapy before progressing to second-line treatments. A larger clinical trial is warranted to evaluate CPLE as an adjunctive therapy in chronic ITP.

Thigmotaxis Mediates Trail Odour Disruption.

Disruption of foraging using oversupply of ant trail pheromones is a novel pest management application under investigation. It presents an opportunity to investigate the interaction of sensory modalities by removal of one of the modes. Superficially similar to sex pheromone-based mating disruption in moths, ant trail pheromone disruption lacks an equivalent mechanistic understanding of how the ants respond to an oversupply of their trail pheromone. Since significant compromise of one sensory modality essential for trail following (chemotaxis) has been demonstrated, we hypothesised that other sensory modalities such as thigmotaxis could act to reduce the impact on olfactory disruption of foraging behaviour. To test this, we provided a physical stimulus of thread to aid trailing by Argentine ants otherwise under disruptive pheromone concentrations. Trail following success was higher using a physical cue. While trail integrity reduced under continuous over-supply of trail pheromone delivered directly on the thread, provision of a physical cue in the form of thread slightly improved trail following and mediated trail disruption from high concentrations upwind. Our results indicate that ants are able to use physical structures to reduce but not eliminate the effects of trail pheromone disruption.

Aerosol delivery of trail pheromone disrupts the foraging of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta.

BACKGROUND: The fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is one of the most aggressive and invasive species in the world. The trail pheromone Z,E-α-farnesene (91% purity) was prepared, and disruption of worker trail orientation was tested using an ethanol-based aerosol formulation presenting a single puff of this compound by airbrush and compressed air. Trail-following behaviour was recorded by overhead webcam and ants digitised before and after presentation of the aerosol treatment at four rates (1.6, 16, 160 and 1600 ng cm(-2)). RESULTS: Ants preferred 110 ng cm(-1) over 11, 1.1 and 0.11 ng cm(-1) for trail following. Within seconds of presentation of 1600 ng cm(-2), the highest dose tested, trail disruption was observed. Disruption was evident as reduced arrival success and reduction in the trail integrity statistic (r(2)), as well as increased deviation from the trail (deg). The distribution of walking track angles was also flattened. CONCLUSIONS: The feasibility of using aerosol for delivery of trail pheromone was demonstrated, but the need for high purity combined with the difficulty of commercial supply makes this technique impractical. However, the commercial production of Z,E-α-farnesene of high purity by industrial biotechnology or from (E)-nerolidol may be possible in future, which would facilitate further development of trail pheromone disruption of S. invicta.

Argentine ant trail pheromone disruption is mediated by trail concentration.

Argentine ant trail pheromone disruption, using continuous release of the trail pheromone compound (Z)-9-hexadecanal, reduces the incidence of trails and foraging rates of field populations. However, little is known about the concentrations of pheromone required for successful disruption. We hypothesized that higher pheromone quantities would be necessary to disrupt larger ant populations. To test this, we laid a 30-cm long base trail of (Z)-9-hexadecanal on a glass surface at low and high rates (1 and 100 pg/cm) (Trail 1), and laid a second, shorter trail (Trail 2, 10 cm long, located 1.5 cm upwind) near the middle of Trail 1 at six rates (1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, and 100,000 pg/cm). We then recorded and digitized movements of individual ants following Trail 1, and derived a regression statistic, r (2), as an index of trail integrity, and also recorded arrival success at the other end of the trail (30 cm) near a food supply. Disruption of trails required 100 fold more pheromone upwind, independent of base-trail concentration. This implies that in the field, trail disruption is likely to be less successful against high ant-trail densities (greater concentration of trail pheromone), and more successful against newly formed or weak trails, as could be expected along invasion fronts.