Development of antiviral therapeutic agents from traditional medicines

Traditional medicines contain various metabolites derived from nucleic acid, protein, and lipid metabolism. Some of these specific metabolites may recognize the differences between viral and host metabolism resulting in anti-viral activity; hence traditional medicines may be useful sources for new antiviral agents. Traditional medicines can be cheaply obtained and have been orally administered as hot-water extracts. Therefore, they may be used for the prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of viral infection by drinking them, such as coffee or tea. Here we describe how the antiviral activity of traditional medicines was screened in vitro and how their therapeutic antiviral activities were verified in vivo, to obtain traditional antiviral medicines that can be clinically used. Therefore, we have selected 12 herbal extracts, from more than 250 herbal medicines, that exhibit therapeutic activities against cutaneous herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 (HSV-1) infection in mice. Four of the 12 augmented the therapeutic efficacy of acyclovir (ACV) in mice and showed potent anti-HSV activity against infection with ACV-resistant HSV-1 mutants in mice. These herbal extracts selectively inhibited viral DNA synthesis and showed a different mode of anti-HSV-1 action from that of ACV. They were also effective against both recurrent HSV and cytomegalovirus infections, without toxicity. Such prophylactic and therapeutic antiviral activities of the traditional medicines were verified by the purification of major active compounds. We could show new indications of traditional medicines as antiviral agents. Thus, the drinking of the extracts, in a daily tea or coffee, may be used for prophylaxis and therapy of diseases caused by herpes virus infection and improve the quality of life.     

Pharmacological properties of traditional medicines. XXIV. Classification of antiasthmatics based on constitutional predispositions

A 13q isodisomy in a balanced karyotype: 45,XY,-13,-13, + i(13)(q10) was found in cultured amniocytes studied because of advanced maternal age. The isochromosome was monocentric and a new mutation as both parents had normal chromosomes. Fetal blood was studied to exclude 13-trisomy mosaicism. All (100) lymphocytes studied had the same karyotype with i(13)(q10) as the amniocytes. To determine the origin of the isochromosome, six microsatellite markers from 13q were analysed: D13S175, D13S166, D13S162, AC224, COLAC1 and D13S122. The results indicated that the i(13)(q10) was of paternal origin and isodisomic. The father had a risk of 1/20 for being a carrier for an autosomal recessive, progressive brain disorder, variant late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN5). The risk for the fetus for this disorder of chromosome 13 was excluded by haplotype analysis. A healthy child was born at week 40 of pregnancy, supporting the idea that there are no paternally imprinted genes on chromosome 13q. Analysis of extra embryonal tissue (four samples studied) revealed the same balanced karyotype with the i(13)(q10)pat chromosome. According to the cytogenetic and molecular studies, the origin of the isochromosome 13 could be a transverse centromere cleavage at the paternal meiosis II or at an early mitosis.     

A study of ancient slags from Oman

Abstract

Microscopic, chemical and X-ray techniques were used to examine slags from an extensive ancient mining site in the Persian Gulf area. The experimental results indicated that the samples were pieces of tapped slag and furnace slag from a production of copper matte. Such copper mattes could have been smelted in furnaces similar to those used during the Roman period in Timna, Israel.

Résumé

Les auteurs ont utilisé des techniques microscopiques, chimiques et de rayon-X pour examiner les laitiers provenant d'un ancien site minier de grande envergure de la région du Golfe Persique. Les résultats expérimentaux ont révélé que les échantillons étaient des morceaux de laitier de perçage et de laitier de fourneau venant de la production d'une matte de cuivre. Le smeltage de telles mattes de cuivre aurait pu se faire dans des fourneaux semblables à ceux utilises dans la période romaine à Timna en Israel.     

Aconitine poisoning following the ingestion of Chinese herbal medicines: a report of eight cases

BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicines often contain 'chuanwu' and 'caowu', the roots of certain Aconitum species which are thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect in many conditions. Excessive amounts of these materials, which contain diterpene alkaloids particularly aconitine, can produce toxic effects and occasional fatalities. AIMS: This study was conducted to document the adverse effects related to these herbal medicines which resulted in hospital admission and to determine the outcome in these patients. METHODS: A retrospective survey was conducted of patients admitted to the Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong with suspected adverse effects from Chinese herbal medicines containing chuanwu or caowu over a two year period from 1989 to 1991. RESULTS: Eight patients were identified with features of mild to moderate intoxication including nausea and vomiting, paraesthesiae or numbness in the mouth and extremities, hypotension and ventricular extrasystoles. The management of aconitine poisoning is essentially supportive and in-hospital observation with ECG monitoring should be continued for at least 24 hours because of the risk of cardiovascular collapse and ventricular arrhythmias. The medical profession and general public should be alerted to the potential toxicity of these herbs and their usage should be controlled by legislation in Hong Kong as it is in some other countries.     

A profile of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in the burn center of the Sultanate of Oman

A retrospective study of patterns of infection in 168 patients admitted during 1995 and 1996 in the burns-unit of Khoula hospital at Muscat, Oman was performed. Out of 819 isolates positive for pathogenic bacterial culture, there were 326 (39.8%) isolates positive for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. Incidence of MRSA infection was marginally more than that of Pseudomonas aeroginosa. The proportion of patients developing MRSA infection sometime or the other during their burns-unit stay ranging from 1 to 112 days rose from 48% in 1995 to 52.7% in 1996. No sophisticated tests were done to identify the MRSA strain but study of the antibiograms of each MRSA positive isolate showed very similar patterns of sensitivity to different antibiotics. This suggests the source of infection to be common and in all probability 'noscomial', since all patients acquired MRSA infection in the hospital. The susceptibility of MRSA to ciprofloxacin, cotrimoxazole and fucidin was 76, 51 and 37% of isolates in 1995, and 59, 44 and 26% in 1996 were susceptible to these drugs. Vancomycin was the antibiotic to which most MRSA cultures were susceptible, but partial resistance was reported due to very low susceptibility observed in 1.4% of the isolates in 1995 and 1.1% of the isolates in 1996. The control measures being practiced in the burns-unit of Khoula Hospital, especially mechanical cleaning and chemical disinfection of all surfaces, are discussed in detail. This paper emphasizes the need for preventive measures against MRSA infection in the burns-unit.     

阿曼东部铬铁矿地球化学特征研究

铬是世界上重要的战略金属之一,铬铁矿作为唯一一种可以提炼铬的矿石,在工业中具有不可替代的作用。为进一步了解铬铁矿的成因和化学特征,通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和能谱仪（EDS）研究阿曼东部蛇绿岩中铬铁矿的镜下特征和相关地球化学参数（例如Cr#）,进而推测该铬铁矿可能的成因和类型。研究发现：阿曼东部铬铁矿Cr#值大于0.6,ω（TiO2）小于0.3%,从而推测出阿曼东部铬铁矿属于豆荚状铬铁矿;铬铁矿Cr#在63~68之间,表明阿曼东部铬铁矿为高铬型铬铁矿;阿曼东部铬铁矿原始岩浆可能具有似玻安岩的性质。     

预熔精炼渣组成对RH用镁铬砖侵蚀的影响

用旋转试样法研究了不同MgO含量和碱度的精炼渣对RH用镁铬砖的侵蚀行为.结果表明,随着渣中MgO含量的增加,渣系粘度明显增大,侵蚀明显减小.碱度为1.4时,侵蚀最大.碱度为1.8时,渣系对镁铬砖的侵蚀最小.超过此值时,随着渣系碱度的增大,侵蚀量不同.     

Investigation of the effect of structural factors and surface composition on the properties of eutectic silver-copper solders used in vacuum technology

Structural changes that occur in silver-copper solders during their production with the use of new technological processes are considered. Metallography, electron microanalysis (EMA), and Auger electron analysis (AES) have been used to study changes at the contact surface of the material and their effect on the processes of solder flowing. The contents of alloying elements in phase constituents of the alloy have been determined. The composition of films formed on the surface of the material has been found. The data obtained allowed the optimization of the technological process of fabricating solders and increasing the quality of soldering.     

Inventory of plants used in traditional medicine in Somalia. II. Plants of the families Combretaceae to Labiatae

Fifty-nine plants are listed, which are used by traditional healers in the central and southern parts of Somalia. For each species are listed: the botanical name with synonyms, collection number, vernacular name, medicinal use, preparation of remedy and dosage. Results of a literature survey are also reported including medicinal use, substances isolated and pharmacological effects.     

Radioisotope method of express analysis to determine the chemical composition of raw materials used in the metallurgical industry

A two-channel radiometric method developed by the authors makes it possible to quickly determine the contents of Mo, Zr, and Fe in metallurgical raw materials with an accuracy comparable to that achieved in chemical analysis. Among the main advantages of the method is the portability of the recording equipment and the fact that the monitoring can be performed under production conditions. __________ Translated from Metallurg, No. 7, pp. 41–43, July, 2007.     

In vitro antitrypanosomal activity of African plants used in traditional medicine in Uganda to treat sleeping sickness

In Uganda, as in many other African countries, herbal treatment of various diseases is still common. In the present study, 9 plant species collected from Tanzania and Uganda and used by traditional healers in southern-eastern Uganda for the treatment of human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) were extracted and screened for their in vitro activity against Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, one of the two causative agents of sleeping sickness. Eight lipophilic extracts of 5 plants revealed very promising antitrypanosomal activity with IC50 values below 1 microgram/ml; among them were extracts prepared from Albizia gummifera (2), Ehretia amoena (1), Entada abyssinica (2), Securinega virosa (1) and Vernonia subuligera (2). Activity with IC50 values between 1 and 10 micrograms/ml was determined for 15 further extracts. Cytotoxicity of active extracts, tested on a human fibroblast cell line (WI-38), was found to be high, and therefore selectivity indices resulted in less favourable ranges than those for the few commercially available drugs. Nevertheless, the results confirm the potential of ethnobotanically selected plants as remedies against sleeping sickness and call for phytochemical studies.     

Observations on ethnoveterinary medicines in Trinidad and Tobago

In 1995 research was conducted in Trinidad and Tobago with the aim of collecting knowledge on ethnoveterinary medicines in order to lay a foundation for further scientific study and validation. This paper describes only the ethnoveterinary practices used in the poultry sub-sector. A four stage process was used to conduct the research and document these ethnoveterinary practices. 28 ethnoveterinary respondents were identified using a modified Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) technique, the student essay method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these respondents as well as with 30 veterinarians, 27 extension officers and 19 animal health assistants/agricultural officers, and the 7 key respondents that they identified. 5 participatory workshops were then held with 55 of the respondents interviewed to discuss the data generated from the interviews and to determine dosages for some of the plants mentioned. 12 plant species were used to treat 4 categories of health problems common to poultry production. Aloe vera, Bryophyllum pinnatum, Citrus sp. and Momordica charantia were the main medicinal plants being used.     

Base composition of rubella virus RNA. Brief report

The base composition of 32P-labelled RNA of rubella virus was shown to be; Gp:31.1, Ap:21.9, Cp:34.3 and Up:12.8 per 100 nucleotides. The result demonstrates that the virus is distinct from other members of family Togaviridae in that it possesses RNA with relatively high contents of Gp and Cp, and low content of Up. Viral RNA adsorbed to oligo (dT)-cellulose column was shown to be infectious, whereas no infectivity of RNA appearing in the void volume was found. This may indicate that viral RNA needs to carry a minimal length of poly(A) to be infectious.     

Profiles of effects of traditional oriental herbal medicines on central nervous systems in humans--assessment of saiboku-to and saiko-ka-ryukotsu-borei-to using EEG and pharmacokinetics of herbal medicine-derived ingredients as indices

To elucidate usefulness of traditional oriental herbal medicines in psychiatric fields, we investigated their influences on central nervous systems in humans by using EEG and pharmacokinetics of herbal medicine-derived ingredients as the indices. The subjects were 12 healthy male volunteers who received single oral administration and after that received repeated oral administrations at a daily dose of Saiko-ka-ryukotsu-borei-to or Saiboku-to; EEG was recorded before administration, 1, 3, 6 hours and 10 days after administration. On direct comparison of global field powers calculated from 19-lead EEG before and after administration, it was verified that Saiboku-to possessed effects on central nervous systems. For assessment of pharmacokinetics of ingredients derived from Saiboku-to, pre- and post-treatment serum samples were assayed by HPLC and two ingredients were detected, besides individual differences being observed in their pharmacokinetic profiles. Given that these pharmacokinetics could be interpreted as the phenomena associated with Sho (traditional physical status classifications of patients), the subjects were classified into groups according to individual differences whereby quantitative pharmaco-EEG were employed to elucidate neurotropic effects of Saiboku-to. As the result, following two groups were evidenced: (1) a group demonstrating the mood elevator type after a single administration despite of no changes after repeated administrations, and (2) a group with a shift from the mood elevator type to the nootropics type being observed over time, delineating overt differences in EEG profiles among groups. Consequently, individual differences were evidenced to be involved in onset of neurotropic effects of Saiboku-to, permitting prediction of possible responses following repeated administrations by using EEG profiles. It was also suggested that neurotropic effects of respective ingredients could be anticipated by monitoring the time-course changes of both EEG and plasma levels of these ingredients. In summary, once further studies on oriental herbal medicines might progress based on efficacy assessments of respective ingredients with a clue of the present study, it is conceivable that these findings would play an important role as the objective indices in clinical application of herbal medicines in psychiatric fields, resulting in broadening the usefulness of oriental herbal medicines.     

Influence of the composition of high-temperature nickel-alloy electrodes on the ingot composition in vacuum arc remelting

Statistical analysis of the chemical composition of high-temperature VZh159 nickel alloy in vacuum-induction melting and vacuum arc remelting yields regression equations that may be used to predict the metal composition in the ingots obtained by vacuum arc remelting as a function of the components in the consumable electrodes. The variation in oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus concentrations in remelting is determined. The results are used in the design of production processes for high-temperature nickel-alloy ingots at PAO Ruspolimet.