"Protective Medicine"

Over the past 40 years there has been a steady rise in the number of people with chronic kidney disease due mainly to a significant increase in the number of people with diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Current treatments (blood pressure control, blood sugar control, and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors) have had a significant impact on slowing progression of DKD. But the continued rise illustrates that there is a great need for new medications. Recently, a number of potentially reno-protective medicines have been studied...

This introduction provides an overview to the special issues on medical neglect in childhood guest edited by Barbara L. Knox, MD, FAAP, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, The Children's Hospital at Providence, Medical Director of Alaska Child Abuse Response and Evaluation Services; Randell C. Alexander, MD, PhD, FAAP, Professor and Chief, Division of Child Protection and Forensic Pediatrics at the University of Florida-Jacksonville; Francois M. Luyet, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; and Debra D...

Rare earth elements, which are extensively used in environmental protection, medicine, food, aerospace and other fields, have attracted widespread attention in recent years. However, the effect on atherosclerosis and its biological mechanism remains unclear. To elucidate these problems, here we performed a study that Apolipoprotein E-deficient mice were fed with high-fat diet to promote the development of atherosclerosis, meanwhile, mice were received 0.1, 0.2, 1.0, 2.0 mg/kg lanthanum nitrate (La(NO3 )3 ) for 12 weeks...

Ionizing radiation is a double-edged sword because of its benefits and risks to human health. Therefore, protecting human organs from harmful effects of radiation is an important concern of researchers. Kefir, as a good source of probiotics, received growing interest in protective medicine owing to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory properties. Thus, this study was planned to investigate the protective role of kefir against γ-radiation-induced hepatotoxicity. Thirty-two male rats were distributed in four groups: (I) control, (II) received Kefir orally (5 ml/kg body weight) for 28 days, (III) exposed to whole body γ-irradiation (6...

Thirty years ago, the transgender child would have made no sense to the general public, nor to young people. Today, children and adolescents declare themselves transgender, the National Health Service diagnoses 'gender dysphoria', and laws and policy are developed which uphold young people's 'choice' to transition and to authorize stages at which medical intervention is permissible and desirable. The figure of the 'transgender child' presumed by medicine and law is not a naturally occurring category of person external to medical diagnosis and legal protection...

Dignitary medicine (DM) involves the provision of healthcare to government leaders and other high-profile individuals collectively referred to as "dignitaries." Due to the unique circumstances around their lifestyle, dignitaries often receive suboptimal healthcare. We define the requisite skills needed to practice DM based on the available literature and provide a framework for training providers in these skills. A review of the English language medical literature focussing on adult subjects was performed, searching for terms such as "dignitary medicine," "VIP medicine," and "protective medicine...

S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe) is a kind of common liver-protection medicine. Recent studies have shown that SAMe has the inhibitory effects on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). But the specific mechanism has not been elucidated. Here, we examine the effects and relevant mechanisms of SAMe on human hepatocellular carcinoma cell HepG2 and mouse hepatocyte AML12. We applied the technique of RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to identify the differentially expressed genes between HepG2 cells which were treated with SAMe or not...

Introduction: Substandard and falsified medicines undermine health systems. We sought to unravel the political and economic factors which drive the production of these products, and to explain how they reach patients. Methods: We conducted in-depth case studies in China, Indonesia, Turkey and Romania. We reviewed academic papers and press reports (n = 840), developing semi-structured questionnaires. We interviewed regulators, policy-makers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, physicians, pharmacists, patients and academics (n=88)...

Guangdong Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae is the traditional Chinese herbal medicine, and has been used for a long history. The authentic drug name Guangdong Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae was rare in the Song Dynasty literature, but from the textual research of the authors, it was otherwise nicknamed as "real orange peel" or "real tangerine peel". These two names were ahead of the origin of Guangdong Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae. Some scholars believe that the name Guangdong Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae was from the Ming Dynasty Dr...

Entecavir (ETV) is a superior nucleoside analogue used to treat hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Although its advantages over other agents include low viral resistance and the elicitation of a sharp decrease in HBV DNA, adverse effects such as hepatic steatosis, hepatic damage and lactic acidosis have also been reported. Glycyrrhizin has long been used as hepato-protective medicine. The clinical combination of ETV plus glycyrrhizin in China displays better therapeutic effects and lower rates of liver damage...

Oxymatrine (OMT), a monosomic alkaloid extracted from the Chinese herb, Sophora flavescens Ait, has long been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential anti‑inflammatory effect of OMT, and its modulation on imbalance between regulatory T (Treg) cells and T helper (Th) 17 cells in rats with collagen‑induced arthritis (CIA). Sprague‑Dawley rats were immunized with type II collagen and following a second collagen immunization, the rats were treated with OMT or dexamethasone (DXM) intraperitoneally once a day for 43 days...

Objective: To study the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of corneal epithelial dysfunction after cataract extraction. Methods: Fifteen cases diagnosed as corneal epithelial dysfunction after cataract extraction between November 2014 and September 2016 were retrospectively analyzed, mainly including clinical manifestations, characteristics of morphological changes imaged by in vivo laser confocal microscopy, management and therapeutic effects. Results: There were 6 (40%) males and 9 (60%) females with an average age of 66±7 years (59 to 86 years)...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The high cost of patent-protected brand-name drugs can strain budgets and curb the widespread use of new medicines. An example is the case of direct-acting antiviral drugs for the treatment of hepatitis C. While prices for these drugs have come down in recent months, they still create barriers to treatment. Additionally, prescribing restrictions imposed by insurers put patients at increased risk of medical complications and contribute to transmission of the hepatitis C virus. We propose that the federal government invoke its power under an existing "government patent use" law to reduce excessive prices for important patent-protected medicines...

OBJECTIVE: To study the medicinal plant resources and their diversity in Kangle County, Gansu Province, and to provide scientific basis on utilization and protection of the medicinal plant resources of the county. METHODS: By field survey, sample collection, taxonomic identification and data verification methods. RESULTS: There were 258 species, 65 families in existing medicinal plants, of which 43 species, 39 genera and 24 families were national protection medicinal plants...

Microdosimetry is the study and application of the microscopic features and stochastics of ionising radiations that cannot be described by the average macroscopic quantity absorbed dose. Microdosimetry is intimately related to radiation quality, but it also encompasses the inhomogeneities of interactions and energy depositions within a single radiation type. A variety of past and current approaches will be summarised and some examples given of implications to radiation protection and medicine, as well as to basic mechanistic studies of radiation effects...

BACKGROUND: Phyllanthus amarus, a traditional herbal liver-protecting medicine, is known to contain an active ingredient phyllanthin. Many research studies and clinical trials performed in the past using this plant have given contentious results which clearly accentuates the need for the standardization of the extracts. AIM: In this study, P. amarus extract was standardized for phyllanthin content by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis...

During armed conflicts over the past several years, attacks on humanitarian workers and patients have increased, including the most recent overt killing of patients in their hospital beds in South Sudan and Central African Republic, and bombardments of hospitals in Iraq, Syria, and other countries. Direct attacks on patients inside hospitals, as well as social structural dynamics that undermine patient safety and security, are met with apparent indifference by international and medical communities. How can the medical profession remain silent and stand by while these factors render its core mission futile? In this article, I aim to shed light on this issue, and its implications for the future of the neutral and impartial provision of medical care; provide an analysis of underlying and contributing factors; discuss current international strategies; reflect on the responsibility of health providers; explore ways to strengthen our roles as physician advocates; and call for the medical profession to do more to protect medicine's core values...