Phytotherapeutics: an evaluation of the potential of 1000 plants.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this review is to evaluate and summarize the available scientific information on the commonest plant extracts marketed in Western countries. In view of the intense, ongoing search for new plant extracts with powerful anti-inflammatory activity, we paid particular attention to this topic. The aim is to provide broad coverage of as many potentially useful plants as possible and then to focus on those with the greatest therapeutic potential. METHODS: Our bibliographic sources were the SciFinder databases: CAPLUS, MEDLINE, REGISTRY, CASREACT, CHEMLIST, CHEMCATS (update to October 2007). In order to assess the value of clinical trials, we focused a specific search on clinical investigations concerning nine plants with the most trial data, viz., Althaea officinalis, Calendula officinalis, Centella asiatica, Echinacea purpurea, Passiflora incarnata, Punica granatum, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Vaccinium myrtillus, Valeriana officinalis. This was carried out in several databases (update to June 2008): ISI Web of Knowledge(SM) (ISI WoK), SciFinder (CAPLUS, MEDLINE, REGISTRY, CASREACT, CHEMLIST, CHEMCATS) and PubMed (indexed for MEDLINE). RESULTS: Our survey covers roughly a 1000 plants, although clinical trials have been published only for 156 plants supporting specific pharmacological activities and therapeutic applications. However, for about half of the plants, in vitro and in vivo studies provide some support for therapeutic use. For one-fifth of the plants included in our search, only phytochemical studies were found. Their properties and indications were often attributed to the presence of certain compounds, but no evidence concerning the activities of the whole extracts was presented. We found that for about 12% of the plants, currently available on the Western market, no substantial studies on their properties had been published, while there was strong evidence that 1 in 200 were toxic or allergenic, so that their use ought to be discouraged or forbidden. Nine plants had considerable evidence of therapeutic effect, viz., A. officinalis, Calendula officinalis, Centella asiatica, E. purpurea, Passiflora incarnata, Punica granatum, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Vaccinium myrtillus, Valeriana officinalis. CONCLUSION: The present review provides a baseline on the level of evidence available on many herbal preparations and should be of help to those intending to research further on these topics.

Immune response to anti-HBV vaccination: study of conditioning factors.

The Authors studied the immune responses of 691 health care workers who were given HEVAC B vaccine (455 subjects) and HB Vax vaccine (216 subjects). The immune responses were correlated with data obtained by questionnaires: age, sex, B.M.I., drinking habits, smoking. The results showed correlation between these variables and immune response to vaccine.

[Hospitalization in Turin for measles and related complications 1973-1983: medical and economic evaluation in relation to the opportunity for vaccination intervention]. / I ricoveri ospedalieri in Torino per morbillo e relative complicanze, nel periodo 1973-1983: valutazioni sanitarie ed economiche, in rapporto alla opportunità dell'intervento vaccinale.

Admission for measles and related complications in three hospitals of the city of Turin (Italy), during the period 1973-1983, have been examined. The aim of our research was to evaluate the frequency of admission, the more affected age class, the rate of hospital acquired infections, the mean cost of admission. 1790 admissions were observed during 11 years (1507 for measles and 283 for measles complications), for a total of 15092 days of stay. The age class less than 3 was found to be the more affected by measles complications, while the rate of nosocomial infections was 3.5%.

[Immunosorbent agglutination assay: comparison with other methods of indirect detection of anti-Toxoplasma gondii IgM]. / Immunosorbent agglutination assay (ISAGA): confronto con altri metodi di accertamento indiretto di IgM anti-Toxoplasma gondii.

Results obtained from the use of ISAGA method onto 180 serum samples in order to estimate its sensibility, specificity and reliability in detection of IgM anti-Toxoplasma gondii are referred. A comparison between ISAGA and ELISA-IgM or ISAGA and AD-GF/AD-2ME shows that the results coincide and that specificity and sensibility make it reliable in indirect detection of acquired or congenital toxoplasmosis.

[Epidemiological findings on Chlamydia trachomatis infections of the female genitalia. Comparison of detection methods]. / Rilievi epidemiologici nella infezione da Chlamydia trachomatis dell'apparato genitale femminile. Confronto di metodi di accertamento.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection has been investigated by means of cell culture and fluorescent monoclonal antibody technique in 100 women, partly suffering from cervico-vaginal disease and partly asymptomatic, attending to cytologic investigations. The results from the two methods have been correlated to each other and to anamnesis, bacteriological tests and to the existence of specific anti-Chlamydia trachomatis antibodies, detected by indirect immunofluorescence.

[Phage-typing in the surveillance of hospital infections: tests on strains of Staphylococcus aureus]. / La tipizzazione fagica nella sorveglianza di infezioni ospedaliere: indagine su stipiti di Staphylococcus aureus.

The sensitivity of 44 coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus strains to antibiotics has been determined. They have been isolated from in-patients and staff in a piedmontese hospital. It has been possible to obtain the phage typing of 26 of these strains: 4 have been attributed to group I, 3 to group II, 13 to group III and 6 to the "miscellanea". Some correlations have been established considering the data obtained by the laboratory and through epidemiologic research.