Browsing by Subject "Plant Preparations"

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    Activated Coagulation Time and Hepcon Protamine Titration Device to Manage Unfractionated Heparin During Cardiopulmonary Bypass in a Hemophilia A Patient on Emicizumab.
    (Journal of cardiothoracic and vascular anesthesia, 2021-11) Isaacs, James; Welsby, Ian J; Schroder, Jacob N; Onwuemene, Oluwatoyosi A
    In the perioperative management of patients with hemophilia A, emicizumab prevents the accurate measurement of common clotting assays, including the activated clotting time (ACT), which is essential for high-dose heparin monitoring during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. The authors describe the successful perioperative management of a hemophilia A patient on maintenance emicizumab who, following a non-ST myocardial infarction, underwent cardiopulmonary bypass grafting surgery with heparin monitoring using both the ACT and heparin levels from the Hepcon protamine titration device. Postoperatively, the patient was transitioned to recombinant factor VIII replacement therapy. In hemophilia A patients on emicizumab who require heparin titration on cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, the ACT, combined with Hepcon heparin levels, may be used to complete the surgery successfully without excessive bleeding or morbidity.
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    Phytochemical mimicry of reproductive hormones and modulation of herbivore fertility by phytoestrogens.
    (Environmental health perspectives, 1988-06) Hughes, CL
    Plants have physical and chemical mechanisms for defense from attack by animals. Phytochemical defenses that protect plants from attack by insects include antifeedants, insecticides, and insect growth regulators. Phytochemical options exist by which plants can modulate the fertility of the other major group of plant predators, vertebrate herbivores, and thereby reduce cumulative attacks by those herbivores. The success of such a defense depends upon phytochemical mimicry of vertebrate reproductive hormones. Phytoestrogens do mimic reproductive hormones and are proposed to be defensive substances produced by plants to modulate the fertility of herbivores.
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    Traditional medicine practices among community members with chronic kidney disease in northern Tanzania: an ethnomedical survey.
    (BMC Nephrol, 2015-10-23) Stanifer, John W; Lunyera, Joseph; Boyd, David; Karia, Francis; Maro, Venance; Omolo, Justin; Patel, Uptal D
    BACKGROUND: In sub-Saharan Africa, chronic kidney disease (CKD) is being recognized as a non-communicable disease (NCD) with high morbidity and mortality. In countries like Tanzania, people access many sources, including traditional medicines, to meet their healthcare needs for NCDs, but little is known about traditional medicine practices among people with CKD. Therefore, we sought to characterize these practices among community members with CKD in northern Tanzania. METHODS: Between December 2013 and June 2014, we administered a previously-developed survey to a random sample of adult community-members from the Kilimanjaro Region; the survey was designed to measure traditional medicine practices such as types, frequencies, reasons, and modes. Participants were also tested for CKD, diabetes, hypertension, and HIV as part of the CKD-AFRiKA study. To identify traditional medicines used in the local treatment of kidney disease, we reviewed the qualitative sessions which had previously been conducted with key informants. RESULTS: We enrolled 481 adults of whom 57 (11.9 %) had CKD. The prevalence of traditional medicine use among adults with CKD was 70.3 % (95 % CI 50.0-84.9 %), and among those at risk for CKD (n = 147; 30.6 %), it was 49.0 % (95 % CI 33.1-65.0 %). Among adults with CKD, the prevalence of concurrent use of traditional medicine and biomedicine was 33.2 % (11.4-65.6 %). Symptomatic ailments (66.7 %; 95 % CI 17.3-54.3), malaria/febrile illnesses (64.0 %; 95 % CI 44.1-79.9), and chronic diseases (49.6 %; 95 % CI 28.6-70.6) were the most prevalent uses for traditional medicines. We identified five plant-based traditional medicines used for the treatment of kidney disease: Aloe vera, Commifora africana, Cymbopogon citrullus, Persea americana, and Zanthoxylum chalybeum. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of traditional medicine use is high among adults with and at risk for CKD in northern Tanzania where they use them for a variety of conditions including other NCDs. Additionally, many of these same people access biomedicine and traditional medicines concurrently. The traditional medicines used for the local treatment of kidney disease have a variety of activities, and people with CKD may be particularly vulnerable to adverse effects. Recognizing these traditional medicine practices will be important in shaping CKD treatment programs and public health policies aimed at addressing CKD.