European Journal of Integrative Medicine最新文献

{"title":"The role of Healthy Life Centres in delivering weight management: A retrospective study","authors":"Kübra Okuyucu ,&nbsp;Hüsna Kaya Kaçar ,&nbsp;Ertugrul Deniz Kose ,&nbsp;Amanda Avery","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102358","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102358","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>Healthy Life Centres (HLCs) in Turkey were established as primary health services to promote healthier lifestyle behaviours, aiming to reduce obesity and diseases linked to physical inactivity. This study aimed to investigate the weight management programme delivered by one HLC and to track the participants’ progress in terms of weight loss and adherence to the program.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>This was a retrospective study. Participants consisted of adults aged ≥18 who attended the HLC for weight management from Sept 2017-June 2020. Data including attendance, age, gender, height and body weight were collected and analysed at 3, 6, 12-month time-points. Missing data were interpreted using last observed weight carried forward analysis (LOCF).</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Over a two-year period 2652 adults (88% female) consulted the nutrition counselling service, of whom 43% attended once. Mean age of those attending once was 40.2 (12.35) years and age increased significantly with adherence. Baseline body mass index (BMI) was 31.4 (6.32) kg/m². For those attending at the different time-points, weight loss was 4.4 % of initial body weight at 3-months (<em>n</em> = 841), 8.6 % of initial body weight at 6-month (<em>n</em> = 237), and 11.8 % initial body weight at 12-month follow-up (<em>n</em> = 56). LOCF analysis revealed a significant time effect for change in percentage body weight for the data collected at 6 and 12 months.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>This programme was successful in reaching clinically meaningful weight loss at 3, 6, 12-month for the participants who committed to the weight management programme. However, there was a substantial decline in participant engagement, with only a 2 % attendance rate at 12 months. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that nearly half of the clients attended only one session during the study period. The findings of the current study can be used to inform policy makers about the strengths and weaknesses of HLCs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"68 ","pages":"Article 102358"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140407389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The 50 Top-Cited Clinical Studies in Tai Chi: A Bibliometric Analysis","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102356","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102356","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"68 ","pages":"Article 102356"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140279224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An observational study on 6-minute walk distance and its relationship with traditional Chinese medicine Qi and blood status among Chinese older adults","authors":"Zheng Sun ,&nbsp;Yiren Lin ,&nbsp;Hong Chen ,&nbsp;Haitian Sun ,&nbsp;Kuang Yu ,&nbsp;Yimin Zhu ,&nbsp;Lankun Zhang ,&nbsp;Jianbin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102357","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102357","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) declines with aging and is associated with age-related diseases. The decline in CRF among older adults has not been reported in China. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) believes that CRF is related to Qi and blood status, but there is no evidence to support this hypothesis. Therefore, the purpose of our study was 1) to observe the decline in CRF in Chinese older adults, and 2) to investigate the association between CRF and TCM Qi and blood status.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Eligible older adults underwent the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and the Qi and Blood Status Questionnaire (QBSQ) assessment. Data encompassed general information, demographic and anthropometric details, underlying medical conditions, and results of the 6MWT and QBSQ. Data were analyzed for normal and abnormal 6MWD cohorts, and the correlation between 6MWD and QBSQ scores was explored.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Among the 277 participants included, 77 individuals walked a distance of ≤450 m. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) for the normal-6MWD group was 472 (16) m and 420 (50) m for the abnormal-6MWD group. Comparative analysis between groups revealed disparities in age, sex, height, weight, BMI, education level, and the prevalence of chronic diseases such as hypertension, type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), coronary heart disease (CHD), and hyperlipidemia (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Moreover, a significant negative linear correlation was observed between 6MWD and the QBSQ scores (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated the potential diagnostic value of QBSQ scores in identifying abnormal 6MWD. The combined model exhibited optimal validity, evidenced by an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.87 (95 % confidence interval: 0.768–0.879), a sensitivity of 0.87, a specificity of 0.71, and a cut-off total score value of 45.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The initial findings suggest a considerable percentage of Chinese older adults, including those with chronic diseases, exhibited abnormal 6MWD. We observed negative linear correlations between 6MWD and QBSQ scores, indicating that CRF is related to TCM Qi and blood status. However, future multi-center studies with lager sample sizes are still needed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"68 ","pages":"Article 102357"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876382024000271/pdfft?md5=93d4dcd218b55e9cdb7d2eea0725c535&pid=1-s2.0-S1876382024000271-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140268873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Traditional Chinese medicine for airway remodelling in patients with asthma: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials","authors":"Ying-lan Lyu ,&nbsp;Jing-ze Song ,&nbsp;Yan Huang ,&nbsp;Wan-xin Fu ,&nbsp;Hui-lin Zhang ,&nbsp;Chun-li Lu ,&nbsp;Wan-di Feng ,&nbsp;Bao-sheng Zhao ,&nbsp;Yan-yan Meng","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102354","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102354","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) interventions for airway remodelling in patients with asthma.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>A systematic search was conducted of 8 international and Chinese databases and 2 clinical trial registries from the inception of the database to March 2022. The data were analysed for the outcomes of lung function, matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1), and adverse events. The Cochrane “Risk of bias” tool and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methods were used to assess the methodological quality and the certainty of the evidence. Descriptive analysis was employed to summarize the outcomes of TCM. The PROSPERO ID is CRD42022318617. This work was financially supported by the <span>National Natural Science Foundation of China</span> (No. 82,004,167).</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Twenty RCTs involving 1790 patients with asthma were included. The trials were at unclear or high risk of bias. The certainty of the evidence ranged from very low certainty to low certainty. The TCM used in each trial was different. Compared to those of conventional medicine, 9 trials showed greater effects of TCM alone or combined with conventional medicine on lung function, as indicated by the FEV₁, FVC, and FEV₁/FVC. Nine trials showed that TCM significantly reduced the expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1. Five trials reported adverse events.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>TCM alone or in combination with conventional medicine alleviated airway remodelling symptoms in patients with asthma. However, additional high-quality randomized trials are still needed to confirm the beneficial effectiveness of TCM.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"68 ","pages":"Article 102354"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876382024000246/pdfft?md5=0b61e83e507a9b511837c6f36528561e&pid=1-s2.0-S1876382024000246-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140282205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acupuncture for cyclic and noncyclic breast pain in women: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials","authors":"Hangyu Shi ,&nbsp;Huan Chen ,&nbsp;Shuai Gao ,&nbsp;Jiufei Fang ,&nbsp;Lili Zhu ,&nbsp;Zhishun Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102355","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102355","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>Breast pain is a frequently encountered problem in both pre- and postmenopausal women. The pain can be severe and persistent, and interferes with women's daily life. Acupuncture has been widely used for women with cyclic and noncyclic breast pain with possible favorable effects and few adverse events, however, the data have not been systematically reviewed. This systematic review aims to investigate the efficacy of acupuncture on alleviating breast pain.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Seven databases including Medline, Embase, Pubmed, CNKI, etc. were searched for English and Chinese literature from their inception to 22 January 2024. We included randomized clinical trials that assessed the effectiveness of acupuncture in reducing pain intensity for cyclic and noncyclic mastalgia unrelated to cancer. Two independent reviewers screened the retrieved studies and extracted the data. Risk of bias of included studies was assessed according to Cochrane Risk-of-Bias (RoB) tool version 2. Meta-analysis was conducted where applicable.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Eleven studies were included. Eight studies with 588 women focused on cyclic breast pain (CBP), three studies with 210 women focused on noncyclic breast pain (NCBP). For CBP, the overall response rate of acupuncture was comparable to tamoxifen (3 studies, n=243; RR 1.24, 95% CI 0.75 to 2.06, p=0.39; very low certainty), however, the effect of acupuncture measured by visual analogue scale (VAS) score was inconsistent when compared with sham acupuncture in 3 studies (n=141; MD 11.08, 95% CI -3.95 to 26.10; p = 0.15; very low certainty). For NCBP, acupuncture provided significantly more reduction in VAS score than antibiotics for mastitis (2 studies, n=148; MD 12.69, 95% CI 8.38 to 17.00; p &lt; 0.001; low certainty). A total of five cases of adverse events were reported.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Acupuncture may have similar effects to tamoxifen in treating women with CBP, and may be more effective than antibiotics in alleviating breast pain for women with mastitis. Acupuncture may be an effective complementary treatment for breast pain. However, the overall certainty of evidence was very low. The evidence was not conclusive and requires further investigation with robust methodological quality.</p></div><div><h3>Registration number</h3><p>CRD42020220134</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"68 ","pages":"Article 102355"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876382024000258/pdfft?md5=242330d87d939a9ef36393d90ecf92ae&pid=1-s2.0-S1876382024000258-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140202221","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interactions between vitamin D binding protein variants and major dietary patterns on mental health status in apparently healthy adults","authors":"Yasaman Nasir ,&nbsp;Atiyeh Niknam ,&nbsp;Mohammad Hossein Rahimi ,&nbsp;Mahdi Molahosseini ,&nbsp;Khadijeh Mirzaei","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102352","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102352","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>Recent studies have shown that the risks of mental disorders resulting from vitamin D deficiency, such as depression, anxiety and stress, can be affected by various high-risk alleles. Among the genes interacting with environmental factors are those associated with vitamin D binding protein (DBP) that affects the status of 25- OH vitamin D. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the interaction between dietary patterns and <em>DBP</em> gene variants on mental health status in adults.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>This cross-sectional study was conducted on a random sample of adult participants (<em>n</em> = 265 and 18–55 years old) in Tehran. Major dietary patterns were determined using principal component analysis (PCA) method on 24 food groups, using a valid and reliable 147-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). <em>DBP</em> genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reactions - restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Data about the mental health status were collected using the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Score (DASS-21).</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Results demonstrated strong interactions between higher adherence to healthy dietary patterns in individuals with the major allele (low-risk allele) carriers of rs7041 (GG genotype), in relation to reduced stress score (OR= -2.54, 95 % CI = -4.60 to -0.48, P interaction = 0.02). Also, individuals with higher adherence to healthy dietary patterns with GG genotype of rs7041 indicated reduced stress score, but it was not significant (OR = -1.84, 95 % CI = 0.18 to -3.86, P interaction = 0.07).</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The present evidence indicates that interactions between healthy dietary patterns with <em>DBP</em> variants (rs7041 - GG genotype) may effectively reduce the odds of mental disorders , especially in stress, through consuming healthy food groups and inherited low-risk alleles.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102352"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140127643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Meta-analysis and network pharmacology-based investigation of Shenqi Fuzheng injection plus docetaxel for the efficacy and molecular mechanism of breast cancer","authors":"Yanqiong Luo,&nbsp;Yujiao Hou,&nbsp;Qian Li,&nbsp;Han Zhang,&nbsp;Moses Manaanye Njolibimi,&nbsp;Wenjing Li,&nbsp;Bo Hong","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102351","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102351","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>Breast cancer (BC), known as the \"pink killer,\" with a high incidence and poor prognosis, is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors in women. Shenqui Fuzheng injectin (SFI), a kind of Chinese medicine immunomodulator, has the potential to enhance efficacy and reduce toxicity in treating BC in combination with docetaxel (DOC) because of its pharmacological effects of tonifying Qi and strengthening body resistance. Hence, there is an urgent need to summarize the effects of SFI plus DOC on various outcomes in BC patients, and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of SFI plus DOC anti-BC.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Studies matching this topic were identified by searching PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CNKI, CBM, VIP, and the Wanfang database, and screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two researchers evaluated the methodological quality of the studies using the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool. Review Manager 5.4 and Stata 17.0 were used to conduct the meta-analysis of the extracted data. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were conducted to investigate the potential mechanism of SFI combined with DOC in treating BC.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Overall, 11 studies involving 1280 participants were included. Meta-analysis revealed that SFI plus DOC was beneficial for increasing the objective response rate [RR=1.32, 95 %CI (1.14, 1.51)], improving immune capacity [MD=2.15, 95 %CI (1.41, 2.89)], decreasing tumor marker levels [MD=-11.08, 95 %CI (-13.00, -9.16)], and reducing the incidence of adverse reactions [RR=0.57, 95 %CI (0.47, 0.69)]. Network pharmacology revealed that the 3 most active ingredients were luteolin, quercetin, and kaempferol. The core target genes were ERBB2, EGFR, PIK3CG, GSTP1, TOP2A, and HIF1A. The relevant pathways were the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway and the HIF-1 signaling pathway. Molecular docking showed that the core active ingredients combined well with potential targets.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>SFI plus DOC can achieve better therapeutic effects than DOC alone in treating BC. Moreover, SFI combined with DOC may treat BC through a multitarget and multipathway network. Further pharmacological experiments are needed to validate the potential mechanism of SFI combined with DOC in treating BC.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102351"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140087474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Kuntai capsule for the treatment of ovulatory disorder infertility: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials","authors":"Xudong Zhang ,&nbsp;Xue Bai ,&nbsp;Lina Zhang ,&nbsp;Ling Xiong ,&nbsp;Juwen Zhang ,&nbsp;Yun Li ,&nbsp;Wenjing Chang ,&nbsp;Wei Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102350","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102350","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>Ovulatory disorders contribute significantly to infertility, due to menstrual cycle disturbances and endocrine abnormalities. Kuntai capsule, a Chinese patent medicine, has been widely used in China to enhance ovarian function and fertility<strong>.</strong> This review is to evaluate Kuntai capsule's potential benefits and harms for ovulatory disorder infertility (ODI).</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WANFANG Database, Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase were searched from their inception to May 2023. All Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) comparing the combination of Kuntai capsule with reproductive medicine to reproductive medicine for ODI were included. Primary outcomes were ovulation rate and pregnancy rate. Secondary outcomes were the number of mature ovarian follicles and adverse events.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Meta-analysis was conducted on 27 RCTs with a total of 2506 patients. The results showed that the combination of Kuntai capsule with clomiphene citrate (CC) had better effect in ovulation rate (Risk Ratio (RR)=1.27, 95 % confidence interval (CI) [1.15, 1.40]) and pregnancy rate (RR=1.66, 95 % CI [1.37, 2.01]) in ODI patients. The combination of Kuntai capsule with letrozole (LE) demonstrated improvements in ovulation rate (RR=1.22, 95 % CI [1.15, 1.29]) and pregnancy rate (RR=1.57, 95 % CI [1.39, 1.77]) in ODI patients. However, further large-scale RCTs are needed to validate these findings.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The combination of Kuntai capsule with reproductive medicine may improve the ovulation rate, pregnancy rate, and number of mature ovarian follicles in patients with ODI. However, considering the methodological quality issues in the included studies, it may potentially affect the reliability of the conclusions to some extent.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102350"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876382024000209/pdfft?md5=7e25ac5f13ab9f66a31693a9a8cd46cf&pid=1-s2.0-S1876382024000209-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140190826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring why individuals utilise naturopathic treatment and choose to combine naturopathy with biomedicine","authors":"Asmita Patel ,&nbsp;Robyn Carruthers ,&nbsp;Wayne Hill ,&nbsp;Karen Wesseling ,&nbsp;Karen Mees","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102347","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102347","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>There has been a global increase in the utilisation of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM), including that of naturopathy. Limited New Zealand research exists that has examined why individuals use naturopathic treatment, and why in some cases, naturopathy is combined with biomedicine. The present study had two main aims: (1) To identify why individuals utilise naturopathic treatment, and (2) to identify why individuals choose to combine naturopathy with biomedicine in the management of chronic health conditions or ongoing symptoms.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Participants were 20 clients who attended a student naturopathy and herbal medicine teaching clinic in Auckland, New Zealand. Participants were individually interviewed. A structured interview schedule comprising of open-ended questions was used. Data was analysed using an inductive thematic approach.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Five main themes were identified in relation to why individuals utilised naturopathic treatment and combined naturopathy with biomedicine in the management of their chronic health conditions or ongoing symptoms: (1) A holistic approach, (2) a new and different approach, (3) wanting to utilise natural remedies, (4) previous use of naturopathic treatment and/or other forms of TCIM, and (5) word-of-mouth: the role of family and friends in influencing the utilisation of naturopathic treatment.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>There was an alignment between what participants desired to seek from naturopathic treatment and the philosophy and core naturopathic treatment principles: a holistic approach to health and healing and the utilisation of natural remedies. Participants combined naturopathic treatment with biomedicine, as it allowed for the use of natural and less invasive ways in treating and managing some of their symptoms. Integration of treatment modalities allowed individuals to retain some control over how their body was treated. Previous use of naturopathy and/or other forms of TCIM influenced current utilisation of naturopathy, either for the same condition or for new condition(s). Family and friends also had a salient role in influencing individuals to seek naturopathic treatment.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102347"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-02-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139954061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the potential of Cytisus purgans as a source of bioactive molecules: In vitro pharmacological evaluation","authors":"Safa Chaira ,&nbsp;Badra Bouzghaia ,&nbsp;Mourad Hanfer ,&nbsp;Imededdine Kaddi ,&nbsp;Mohammed Tahar Ben Moussa ,&nbsp;Patrick Pale ,&nbsp;Hassina Harkat","doi":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102349","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.eujim.2024.102349","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p><em>Cytisus purgans</em> is an uncommon species found in Algeria (Aures, Mahdids and Lella Khadidja). In the current study, we present, to the best of our knowledge, the first detailed chemical profile of its extracts and collect various pieces of evidence that underscore their therapeutic potential.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>The ethyl acetate extract (EAE) of <em>C. purgans</em> was purified using different chromatographic methods. The bioactive compounds obtained were analysed by NMR and mass spectroscopy to identify their structures. The therapeutic potential of the extracts was investigated using several in vitro assays.</p></div><div><h3>Results and discussion</h3><p>The developed spectral analysis techniques enabled the structural elucidation of seven compounds. The analysis identified four isoflavones, including daidzein, genistein, isoprunetin and biochanin A. Additionally, one flavone, chrysin and one flavonol, quercetin, were positively identified. Notably, the phytosterol daucosterol was also isolated and characterised. The studied extracts were found to be rich in polyphenols and flavonoids. The EAE had the highest polyphenolic (163.85 ± 3.82 mg GAE/g dry extract) and flavonoid content (180.84 ± 3.68 mg QE/g dry extract). The extracts showed potent anti-oxidant activity, as demonstrated by DPPH 50 % inhibitory concentration (EAE: IC₅₀ = 26.66 µg/mL, BuE: IC₅₀ = 30.91 µg/mL), ferric reducing anti-oxidant power IC₅₀ (EAE: IC₅₀ = 6.37 ± 0.27 µg/mL, BuE: IC₅₀ = 13.02 ± 0.1 µg/mL) and total anti-oxidant capacity values (EAE 106.57 ± 5.81 AAE/g dry extract, BuE 105.46 ± 8.64 AAE/g dry extract). This anti-oxidant activity contributed significantly to effective sun protection (EAE sun protection factor (SPF) = 87.84, BuE SPF = 31.67). Additionally, the extracts inhibited acetylcholinesterase (EAE IC₅₀ = 24.40 ± 2.84 µg/mL, BuE IC₅₀ = 68.07 ± 02.26 µg/mL) and butyrylcholinesterase enzymes (EAE IC₅₀ = 36.39 ± 0.75 µg/mL, BuE IC₅₀ = 66.19 ± 01.25 µg/mL) the most and significantly inhibited urease (EAE IC₅₀ = 77.82 ± 4.59 µg/mL, BuE IC₅₀ = 127.05 ± 2.87 µg/mL).</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Considering the findings, <em>C. purgans</em> emerges as a promising reservoir of bioactive compounds that have the potential to contribute to the development of treatments for specific diseases. The identification of these compounds and their therapeutic potential provides valuable insights into their potential use in drug development.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":11932,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Integrative Medicine","volume":"67 ","pages":"Article 102349"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139954041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}