A scientometric visualization analysis for global toxicology and pharmacology research of natural products from 1962 to 2018

BackgroundA growing number of studies have been focused on the medicinal potential of natural products since 1962, while few scholars have analyzed the existing documents comprehensively.PurposeAiming to visualize the researches on toxicology and pharmacology of natural products (TPNP) published between 1962 and 2018, as well as to reveal their spatiotemporal patterns, a scientometric analysis with 3210 relevant documents collected from Web of Science was conducted in this study.ResultsThe most prominent contributors of TPNP research are mainly from the USA, China, Brazil, India and Germany. The knowledge domains of TPNP research focus mainly on the topics of (1) traditional Chinese medicine, (2) richardia grandiflora, (3) chemical conversion, (4) new generation, (5) modern medicine, (6) intelligent mixture, (7) hplc-based activity. Most countries have recognized the pharmaceutical potential of natural products, and have paid more attention to the pharmacological and toxicological characteristics of natural products in the past decade. Future TPNP research tends to focus more on complex analysis of mechanisms for diseases treatment, such as toxicology and pharmacology.ConclusionThis research has firstly demonstrated a comprehensive knowledge map for the existing toxicological and pharmacological researches of natural products, which offered essential instructions on medical application of natural products to future research.     

Genetic diversity and ecological distribution ofPhaseolus vulgaris (Fabaceae) in northwestern South America

Our goal was to investigate in more detail wild and cultivated common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) accessions from northwestern South America (Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Peru) because prior research had shown this region to be the meeting place of the two major gene pools (Middle American and Andean) of common bean. Explorations were conducted in these countries to collect additional materials not represented in germplasm collections. It was possible to identify wild common bean populations in Ecuador and northern Peru, where they had never been described before. In addition, we were able to extend the distribution of wild common bean in Colombia beyond what was known prior to this study. In all areas, the wild common bean habitat had suffered severely from destruction of natural vegetation. In Colombia, wild common beans were found on the Eastern slope of the Andes (in continuation of its distribution in Venezuela), whereas in Ecuador and northern Peru they were found on the western slope of this mountain range. This geographic distribution was correlated with an ecological distribution in relatively dry environments with intermediate temperatures (known as “dry mountain forest”). Isozyme andphaseolin seed protein analyses of the northern Peruvian and Ecuadoran wild populations showed that they were intermediate between the Middle American and Andean gene pools of the species. Phaseolin analyses conducted on landraces of the Upper Magdalena Valley in Colombia showed that Andean domesticates were grown at a higher altitude than Middle American domesticates suggesting that the former are adapted to cooler temperatures. Our observations and results have the following consequences for the understanding and conservation of genetic diversity in common bean and other crops: 1) Our understanding of the distribution of the wild relative of common bean (and other crops) is imperfect and further explorations are needed to more precisely identify and rescue wild ancestral populations; 2) For crops for which the wild ancestor has not yet been identified, it may be worthwhile to conduct additional explorations in conjunction with genetic diversity studies at the molecular level to guide the explorations; 3) Our study shows the benefit for more efficient germplasm conservation which can be derived from the dynamic interplay between field explorations (and other conservation operations) and molecular analyses to determine genetic distances and diversities; 4) The intermediate materials identified in northern Peru and Ecuador may have basic importance to understand the origin of the common bean and an applied role as a bridge between the Middle American and Andean gene pools; and 5) The differential adaptation to temperature of the two major cultivated gene pools may help breeders select genotypes based at least partially on their evolutionary origin.     

Natural Polyphenols: Biological Activity,Pharmacological Potential,Means of Metabolic Engineering (Review)

This review examines the main features of natural phytoalexines of flavonoid and stilbenoid natures, which are secondary metabolism products in numerous plants widely used as biologically active substances in the medicine, pharmacology, and agricultural plants protection. We considered the role of flavonoids and stilbenes in phytoimmune and antistress responses in plants, bactericide antifungul, and antiviral effects towards microorganisms, and the wide medical application for a number of mammalian pathologies. The main achievements in the metabolic engineering of flavonoids in microbial biotechnologies are discussed.     

Epidemiology of Tropical Neglected Diseases in Ecuador in the Last 20 Years

Background

Tropical and zoonotic diseases are major problems in developing countries like Ecuador. Poorly designed houses, the high proportion of isolated indigenous population and under developed infrastructure represent a fertile environment for vectors to proliferate. Control campaigns in Ecuador over the years have had varying success, depending on the disease and vectors targeted.

Aims

In our study we analyse the current situation of some neglected diseases in Ecuador and the efficiency of the control campaigns (by measuring changes in numbers of cases reported) that the Ecuadorian government has been running to limit the spread of these infectious and parasitic diseases.

Results

Our study reveals that Brucellosis, Chagas Disease, Rabies and Onchocerciasis have been controlled, but small outbreaks are still detected in endemic areas. Leptospirosis and Echinococcosis have been increasing steadily in recent years in Ecuador since the first records. The same increase has been reported world-wide also. Better diagnosis has resulted in a higher number of cases being identified, particularly with regard to the linking of outdoor activities and contact with farm animals as contributing vectors. Improvements in diagnosis are due to regular professional training, implementation of automatized systems, establishing diagnosis protocols and the creation of an epidemiological vigilance network that acts as soon as a case is reported.

Conclusion

Control campaigns performed in Ecuador have been successful in recent years, although natural phenomena limit their efficiency. Leptospirosis and Echinococcosis infections remain a growing problem in Ecuador as it is worldwide.     

Research ethics and the use of placebo: status of the debate in Canada

The question of the use of the placebo is one of the most controversial in the field of the ethics of research today. The use of the placebo remains the standard practice of biomedical research in spite of the fact that various revisions of the Helsinki Declaration have sought to limit its use. In Canada, the Tri-council policy statement: Ethical conduct for research involving humans adopted a very restrictive position with respect to the use of placebos, precisely defining the situations in which its use would meet the demands of ethical research. The positions taken by the various ethical decision-making bodies are, however, hardly shared by regulatory bodies such as the Food and drug administration (FDA), the Council for international organization of medical sciences (CIOMS) or the European agency for the evaluation of medicinal products (EMEA). This divergence of opinions reveals two quite different conceptions of what constitutes the ethical. In the case of decision-making bodies in the ethical field, it is clearly medicine's Hippocratic Oath which explains their reluctance to use placebos. The first responsibility of the doctor is to "do no harm" to his or her patient. This duty is inherent to the medical profession and as such is not grounded in the view of medicine as a contract for care. In the case of regulatory bodies, it is the vision of "medicine as contract" which is in view; and it is this notion that justifies the use of placebos once free and informed consent has been obtained. It is also worth noting that these regulatory bodies make frequent use of arguments based on utilitarian ends. In an unprecedented move, the World medical association published in October 2001 a clarification note about the use of placebos. An analysis of this text raises the question about its real meaning: clarification or concession?     

Prospects for translational regenerative medicine

Translational medicine is an evolutional concept that encompasses the rapid translation of basic research for use in clinical disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment. It follows the idea "from bench to bedside and back", and hence relies on cooperation between laboratory research and clinical care. In the past decade, translational medicine has received unprecedented attention from scientists and clinicians and its fundamental principles have penetrated throughout biomedicine, offering a sign post that guides modern medical research toward a patient-centered focus. Translational regenerative medicine is still in its infancy, and significant basic research investment has not yet achieved satisfactory clinical outcomes for patients. In particular, there are many challenges associated with the use of cell- and tissue-based products for clinical therapies. This review summarizes the transformation and global progress in translational medicine over the past decade. The current obstacles and opportunities in translational regenerative medicine are outlined in the context of stem cell therapy and tissue engineering for the safe and effective regeneration of functional tissue. This review highlights the requirement for multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary cooperation to ensure the development of the best possible regenerative therapies within the shortest timeframe possible for the greatest patient benefit.     

Claiming respectable American motherhood: homebirth mothers, medical officials, and the state

Based on ethnographic research regarding public policy and grassroots organizing for midwifery in Virginia, this article explores how medical discourses around appropriate health care practices intersect with state discourses about what practices are considered "respectable" versus "pathological" for its citizens. In recent legislative debates about the legalization of direct-entry midwifery, medical officials have extended their criticism of midwifery and homebirth to mothers who resist state-sanctioned childbirth practices. This article examines how medical officials challenge the respectable mothering practices of homebirthers by linking them with women they deem pathological--child abusers, negligent mothers, and drug users--and placing them outside the cadre of "normal" American mothers who acknowledge the "logical" and "natural" superiority of biomedical childbirth practices. I also address homebirth mothers' responses, which assert that their political advocacy for midwives is a respectable mothering practice because they are responsible citizens who desire what they deem the best care for their children.     

PPA受体天然激动剂的研究进展

从天然产物中筛选低毒高效的PPARs(peroxisome proliferators activated receptors)激动剂已成为开发治疗代谢综合症药物的研究热点。现针对近年来关于PPARs天然激动剂的研究报道进行综述,包括药用和食用植物、复方中药,以及生理活性物质中含有的PPARs三个亚型α、β、γ的激动剂,或是PPARs的双重和泛天然激动剂,这些天然产物均能通过激动PPARs发挥治疗预防疾病和调节生理功能的作用。     

粘细菌生物活性产物及其应用研究进展

粘细菌(myxobacteria)是一类具有多细胞群体行为特征的药源微生物类群。粘细菌能通过次级代谢产生大量结构新颖并具有生物活性的小分子天然产物,还能分泌种类、功能丰富多样的酶类。这些生物活性产物使粘细菌不仅具有重要的研究价值,还有广泛的应用前景。然而,资源挖掘困难、次级代谢产物得率低等制约因素的存在严重阻碍了粘细菌的研究和应用。本文主要对粘细菌的生物学特征、生物活性产物、生物合成调控及在医疗、农业和食品上的应用进行归纳总结,并结合已有成果对粘细菌研究存在的问题提出可能的对策和展望,为今后粘细菌的深入研究和资源开发利用提供参考。     

Osteopathic research: elephants, enigmas, and evidence

Background

The growth and acceptance of osteopathic physicians as conventional medical practitioners in the United States has also raised questions about the distinctive aspects of osteopathic medicine. Although the use of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) and a focus on primary care are most often cited as rationales for the uniqueness of osteopathic medicine, an osteopathic professional identity remains enigmatic.

Discussion

The fledgling basic osteopathic research efforts of the early and mid-twentieth century have not been sustained and expanded over time. Thus, there is presently a scarcity of basic mechanistic and translational research that can be considered to be uniquely osteopathic. To be sure, there have been advances in osteopathic clinical trials, particularly those involving OMT for low back pain. Meta-analysis of these low back pain trials has provided evidence that: (1) OMT affords greater pain reduction than active or placebo control treatments; (2) the effects of OMT are comparable regardless of whether treatment is provided by fully-licensed osteopathic physicians in the United States or by osteopaths in the United Kingdom; and (3) the effects of OMT increase over time. However, much more clinical research remains to be done. The planning and implementation of a large longitudinal study of the natural history and epidemiology of somatic dysfunction, including an OMT component, represents a much-needed step forward. Osteopathic medicine's use of OMT and its focus on primary care are not mutually exclusive aspects of its uniqueness. The intersection of these fundamental aspects of osteopathic medicine suggests that the profession may successfully adopt a generic strategy of "focused differentiation" to attain a competitive advantage in the health care arena. While there are both requisite demands and risks for the osteopathic profession in adopting such a strategy, these are reasonable in relation to the potential rewards to be attained. To help promote an osteopathic identity, "omtology" and its derivative terms are recommended in referring to the study of OMT.

Conclusion

The osteopathic profession should adopt a coherent strategy for developing and promoting its identity. Failure to do so will likely ensure that osteopathic medicine remains "stuck in the middle."     

Using home gardens to decipher health and healing in the Andes

Home gardens are a pervasive component of Andean agricultural systems, but have been ignored in anthropological and agronomic research. Recent research in the indigenous community of Saraguro, Ecuador, employed a combination of in-depth interviews, free-listing, videotaped walk-throughs, and mapping to explore the role of home gardens, which are established and controlled by women. Findings reveal that, although gardens offer multiple benefits, they are overwhelmingly devoted to the cultivation of medicinal plants, operating as de facto medicine cabinets that supply women with most of the resources they need to treat family illnesses. Results also suggest that the natural history of home gardens mirrors transformations within the family, and that Saraguro women study the contents of their neighbors' gardens, using this knowledge as a foundation for deciphering the owners' economic and health status. New threats to the sustainability of home gardens threaten the foundation of Saraguro's ethnomedical system and women's authority in the home and community.     

天然来源的乙型和丙型肝炎病毒抑制剂的研究进展

慢性病毒性肝炎是威胁人类健康的主要流行病之一,目前全球约有 4 亿慢性乙型和丙型肝炎患者,现有临床药物仍不能很好地治愈 病毒性肝炎。作为药物发现的重要来源,天然产物提供了许多能强效抑制乙型肝炎病毒 (hepatitis B virus, HBV) 和丙型肝炎病毒（hepatitis C virus, HCV）的抑制剂。综述近 10 年来国内外报道的抗 HBV 和 HCV 的活性中药成分和天然产物的研究进展。     

Naturopathy: a critical appraisal

"Naturopathic medicine" is a recent manifestation of the field of naturopathy, a 19th-century health movement espousing "the healing power of nature." "Naturopathic physicians" now claim to be primary care physicians proficient in the practice of both "conventional" and "natural" medicine. Their training, however, amounts to a small fraction of that of medical doctors who practice primary care. An examination of their literature, moreover, reveals that it is replete with pseudoscientific, ineffective, unethical, and potentially dangerous practices. Despite this, naturopaths have achieved legal and political recognition, including licensure in 13 states and appointments to the US Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee. This dichotomy can be explained in part by erroneous representations of naturopathy offered by academic medical centers and popular medical Web sites.     

‘It is hard being the different one all the time’: gringos and racialized identity in lifestyle migration to Ecuador

This paper explores the identities that North American lifestyle migrants in Ecuador adopt as they adjust to life in a new racialized social environment. It is based on qualitative interviews with migrants from North America, as well as ethnographic field notes. North Americans describe their growing community in racialized terms and adopt a series of practices that demonstrate anxiety about their position in the racialized social order of Ecuador. The paper discusses the strategies that North American migrants engage in to diminish the importance of their racialized identities in Ecuador. I identify two main practices that complicate North American incorporation in Ecuador: self-policing practices that aim to optimize Ecuadorians' perceptions of them; and desires for integration and ethnic mobility, which seek to erase their ‘Otherness’.     

Health,illness, and immigration. East Indians in the United States.

East Indian immigrants to the United States represent the diversity in religion, language, and culture that exists in India, so it is difficult to make unequivocal statements about their health beliefs and behaviors. Despite the diversity, an understanding of Ayurvedic humoral concepts of health and illness provides a key to some pervasive and persistent ideas and practices. India has a pluralistic medical system in which Western medicine, which is increasingly popular for some ailments, is one option among many. Even those who are familiar with the "Western" medical system in India may find American medicine alien.     

Clinical expertise and the limits of explicit knowledge

This article questions the view that medical decision-making can be reduced to a series of explicit rules, adherence to which will necessarily improve outcomes. Instead, it attempts to rehabilitate the concepts of clinical expertise and clinical experience, arguing that medicine, like other areas of expertise, depends on forms of implicit knowledge that can only be acquired through years of experience. Recent research on "fast and frugal" heuristics in medical decision-making suggest that statistical techniques are not necessarily superior to clinician judgment. Since clinical decisions are made on individual patients within the constraint of limited information, they must rest on clinical expertise and not clinical rules.     

Evidence-based alternative medicine?

The validity of evidence-based medicine (EBM) is the subject of ongoing controversy. The EBM movement has proposed a "hierarchy of evidence," according to which randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses of RCTs provide the most reliable evidence concerning the efficacy of medical interventions. The evaluation of alternative medicine therapies highlights problems with the EBM hierarchy. Alternative medical researchers-like those in mainstream medicine-wish to evaluate their therapies using methods that are rigorous and that are consistent with their philosophies of medicine and healing. These investigators have three ways to relate their work to EBM. They can accept the EBM hierarchy and carry out RCTs when possible; they can accept the EBM standards but argue that the special characteristics of alternative medicine warrant the acceptance of "lower" forms of evidence; or they can challenge the EBM approach and work to develop new research designs and new standards of evidence that reflect their approach to medical care. For several reasons, this last option is preferable. First, it will best meet the needs of alternative medicine practitioners. Moreover, because similar problems beset the evaluation of mainstream medical therapies, reevaluation of standards of evidence will benefit everyone in the medical community--including, most importantly, patients.     

Pain, paradox, and value

The author argues that "as soon as one begins to study the understanding and management of pain in science, human medicine, and veterinary medicine, one begins to encounter a variety of apparent paradoxes." He contends that these paradoxes, ten of which he identifies and discusses in this essay, are based on flawed philosophical and valuational assumptions underlying science and medicine. Rollins concludes that, as social morality increasingly has an impact on science, a new ideology will evolve that is more receptive to the moral universe and more capable of a "coherent vision of pain, one which acknowledges that the medical notion of adequacy of anaesthesia is as much a moral as a scientific one."     

保肝降酶的天然药物研究进展

天然药物治疗肝损伤的功效及其低毒性已得到广泛的认可。由于大多肝损伤均有氧化应激的参与,天然药物的保肝作用通常与其抗氧化特性或激发体内抗氧化防御系统的能力有关。然而,越来越多的证据表明,除了抗氧化,天然药物还具有许多其他保肝机制。文章综述了近年来保肝降酶的天然药物的研究进展,将国内外已报道的天然药物分黄酮类、生物碱类、皂苷类、多糖类、木脂素类、萜类及其他类并分别列举其治疗机制及效果,为天然药物保肝降酶相关性的研究提供文献依据和研究思路,并对未来保肝降酶的新药研发方向进行展望。     

药用植物资源在水产动物疾病控制中的研究进展*

随着生活水平的不断提高,人们对水产品的需求量日益增加,水产养殖业得到飞速发展。然而,各种寄生虫、细菌和病毒诱发的疾病给水产养殖业造成了巨大的经济损失,严重制约了水产养殖业的快速稳定发展。作为传统的防治手段,抗生素等化学合成药物常用于水产养殖过程。大量化学合成药物的滥用诱发了药物残留、耐药菌等环境污染问题,危害人类健康。因此,具有多种有效活性成分的中草药因其天然、安全、副作用小等原因,成为探索新型防控水产病害暴发手段的研究对象。当前,中草药常被用于调节水产动物的免疫力、生长速度和预防疾病暴发等。同时,中草药还可用于改善养殖环境,降低环境因子对水产动物的胁迫。然而,目前的研究主要集中在从中草药中获取防控疾病暴发的复合有效成分,存在药效不稳定、活性成分不明确等问题,无法满足生产高效、廉价、稳定防治剂的需求。论述了当前中草药在防控水产动物疾病暴发中的应用及其作用机制,揭示了对中草药活性分子作用机制研究的不足,强调了中草药作为一种更环保、更有效的水产养殖疾病防控手段进行应用的潜力,对其抗病机制的深入研究尤为重要。