To study the protective effect of Sarcandra glabra extract (SGE) on immune system in restrained mice.

METHOD:
The male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal control group, stress control group, 125, 500 mg x kg(-1) SGE group. The spleen lymphocyte suspensions of each group were prepared. The parameters of spleen T cells subsets, NK cell and NKT cell proportion and number was detected by Flow cytometry.

RESULT:
SGE regulated the balance of T cell subsets, increased the percent of NK cells and NKT cell proportion and number in restrained mice.

CONCLUSION:
SGE has immunologic protective effect in restrained mice probably via the amelioration of immune cells proportion and number.


"Effects of Sarcandra glabra extract on immune activity in restraint stress mice"
Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2009 Jan; 34(1): 100-3He R, Wang M, Li Y, Dai Y, Duan Y, Yao X, Kurihara H

Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 2009 Jan; 34(2): 148-51Chen Y, Chen F, Wei W, Zhang X, Feng Q, Jin ROBJECTIVE: To study the preparation ofnanostructured lipid carriers loaded with supercritical carbon dioxide fluid extraction of Xionggui powder. METHOD: Prepared nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) loaded with supercritical carbon dioxide fluid extraction of Xionggui powder (XG-CO2-SFE) with a microemulsion ultrasonication method , established the best prescription of XG-CO2-SFE-NLC by orthogonal design methods with entrapment efficiency of nanoparticles as index, and investigated their physicochemical characterizations. RESULT: The best prescription was m(phospholipid) : m(S-40) : m(lipid carriers) = 5 : 2 : 1, the entrapment efficiency of nanopartices was 86.8%, results revealed that nanoparticles were sphere like with the mean size of 92.6 nm and the mean zeta potential was -20.68 mV. CONCLUSION: The prep aration method of the XG-CO2-SFE-NLC is appropriate.

Rev Med Chil. 2009 Jan; 137(1): 115-20Avello L M, Avendaño O C, Mennickent C SHomeopathic medicine is a type of therapy that appeared in Europe at the end of the eighteenth century. At the present time, it is widely accepted in developed countries as a form of alternative medicine. In Chile, health regulation includes homeopathy as pharmaceutical products and homeopathy is also considered a form of complementary medicine, that is well accepted by the public. The scientific rationale of homeopathy is based on an empiric type of thought that goes from the general to the particular. The symptoms that are valued are those that are particular to each sick individual. It uses diluted solutions of plants, minerals, animals and even venoms. There are basically two hypotheses to explain its mechanisms of action: The "immunological memory" and the "memory of water" or the transmission of electromagnetic information of the water. There still is needed to perform new studies to scientifically assess homeopathy and its usefulness, as an accepted alternative therapy.

Homeopathy. 2008 Oct; 97(4): 214-9Rutten ALHow can Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) change our beliefs? The fact that they do update prior beliefs to different posterior beliefs is explained by Bayesian philosophy. Crucial points in Bayesian analysis include setting the first prior expectation right and sequential updating of the prior in the light of new evidence. Bayesian analysis depends highly on the evidence included. RCT evidence can only falsify the placebo hypothesis, it cannot indicate which mechanism of action could be responsible for an intrinsic effect and therefore cannot overturn existing beliefs. Bayesian reasoning could structure further discussion, but subjectivity is an inherent element of this process. In the case of homeopathy the first prior is not a common prior shared by all parties to the debate, but a paradigm, this prevents common updating of beliefs. Only by keeping an open mind towards other paradigms and all possible hypotheses can a low Bayesian prior be elevated to the point of accepting a new paradigm, this is more relevant than Bayesian calculations.