Herbal medicines for insomnia through regulating 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors: a systematic review / 中国天然药物

Insomnia is a common sleep disorder without effective therapy and can affect a person's life. The mechanism of the disease is not completely understood. Hence, there is a need to understand the targets related to insomnia, in order to develop innovative therapies and new compounds. Recently, increasing interest has been focused on complementary and alternative medicines for treating or preventing insomnia. Research into their molecular components has revealed that their sedative and sleep-promoting properties rely on the interactions with various neurotransmitter systems in the brain. In this review, the role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in insomnia development is summarized, while a systematic analysis of studies is conducted to assess the mechanisms of herbal medicines on different 5-HT receptors subtypes, in order to provide reference for subsequent research.

Estrogen-like activity of volatile components from Vitex rotundifolia L.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: The fruits of Vitex rotundifolia L. are used as a traditional medicine in China. Dried fruits of V. rotundifolia (rich in essential oils) have been known to show strong estrogenic activity. Therefore, we investigated volatile components in the essential oil isolated from the fruits of V. rotundifolia and its estrogen-like biological activity in human breast adenocarcinoma cells. METHODS: Essential oil was extracted by SFE (supercritical fluid extraction) and its chemical composition was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The estrogenic activity of essential oil was evaluated in the MCF-7 cells by proliferation assay. RESULTS: The chemical composition of 40 compounds was determined and this represented 84.1 per cent of the total oil which was characterized by a high content of unsaturated fatty acids (54.84% of total oil). The oil contained mainly linoleic acid (47.46%), palmitic acid (5.18%), untriacontane (2.28%), bicetyl (2.61%) and stearic acid (2.2%). The essential oil strongly stimulated the proliferation of MCF-7 cells, and this effect was significantly inhibited by the specific estrogen receptor antagonist ICI 182,780. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Our results showed estrogen-like biological activity of the essential oil of the fruits from V. rotundifolia, and in future has a potential medical application.

pattern of obstetrical and gynaecological admissions in Ribat University Hospital, Khartoum

Conditions related to pregnancy, child-birth and purperium account for 10% of general clinical practice and 19% of hospital admission. This paper aims at determining the pattern of Obstetrics and Gynaecology admissions in Ribat University Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan. All records of patients admitted in Obstetrics and Gynaecology department, Ribat University Hospital, from January to December 2003 were examined and analyzed using SPSS for Windows. Hospital admissions related to Obstetrics and Gynaecology constituted 28.9% of the total admissions in the hospital Malaria is the first cause for hospitalization followed by pregnancy induced hypertension. The study showed that normal vaginal delivery constituted 61.1% while caesarian section showed a high rate compared to the literature [30.9%]. Contractedpelvis was the first indication for caesarian sections [13.3% for emergency and 35.5% for elective]. The study concluded that the Obstetrics and Gynaecology admissions constitute a big burden in a Sudanese hospital Malaria is the main cause of pregnancy related admission, followed by pregnancy induced hypertension. The commonest mode of delivery was vaginal but the rate of emergency caesarian sections was higher than the international figures; the major indication of the procedure was contracted pelvis. The study highlighted the need for improving antenatal care services and raising the awareness of doctors about these findings

Closed reduction and percutaneous fixation of non-osteoporotic tibial plateau fractures

To highlight the advangages and disadvantages of closed reduction and percutanous fixation technique in patients with tibial plateau fractures type I and II accord i n g to the Schatzker classification. Venue: Al-Razi Orthopedic Hospital, Kuwait. Material and methods: A prospective study included 23 patients with different types of tibial plateau fractures classified according to Schatzker classification. They were treated with closed reduction and percutaneous cannulated screw fixation to minimize surgical trauma. Our patients were followed up for a minimum of 18 months. We had 74% excellent results in type I fractures and 50% excellent results in type II with no statistical difference between these two types [p = 0.735]. The results were comparable to other publications using the same technique. Our results were also compared to those using arthroscopically assisted technique