Constipation research studies for holistic treatments

Probably the most common complaint which comes to a medical practitioner in today’s times is Malavarodh. One can say because of the chronicity of the symptom of constipation it has become a single most prevalent disease amongs the masses with a varied severity in scale of discomfort. The causes of Malavarodh in each patient are mostly difficult to comprehend and therefore many of us end up giving a generalised treatment to all patients. The purpose of this article is to list out the probable causes and enumerate possible line of treatments for the treating Malavarodh.

OBJECTIVES:
Functional constipation (FC) is a common clinical complaint. Despite a lack of consolidated evidence, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has become a popular alternative treatment for this condition. The aim of this study was to assess, with a rigidly designed study, the efficacy and safety of a CHM proprietary medicine, Hemp Seed Pill (HSP), in optimal dosage for treating FC.
METHODS:
This study comprised two parts: trial I, a dose determination study, and trial II, a placebo-controlled clinical study. In trial I, the optimal dosage of HSP was first determined from among three doses (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5?g b.i.d.). In trial II, a randomized double-blind study, the efficacy and safety of HSP for FC patients (Rome III criteria) in excessive syndrome as defined by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory were compared with placebo. All participants in trials underwent a 2-week run-in, an 8-week treatment, and an 8-week follow-up. The primary end point was the responder rate for complete spontaneous bowel movement (CSBM) during treatment. Participants with a mean increase of CSBM ?1/week compared with their baselines were defined as responders. Secondary outcome measures included responder rate during follow-up, individual and global symptom assessments, and reported adverse effects (AEs).
Results:
The dose of 7.5?g b.i.d. showed better therapeutic effect than that of 2.5 and 5.0?g b.i.d. among 96 subjects (32 per arm) in trial I and was therefore selected for comparison with placeboin trial II. In trial II, 120 subjects were randomized into two arms (60 per arm). Responder rates for the HSP and placebo groups were 43.3 and 8.3% during treatment and 30.0 and 15.0% in the follow-up period, respectively (P

Human esophageal epithelial cells play a key role in esophageal inflammation in response to acidic pH during gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), increasing secretion of IL-6 and IL-8. The mechanisms underlying IL-6 and IL-8 expression and secretion in esophageal epithelial cells after acid stimulation are not well characterized. We investigated the role of PKC, MAPK, and NF-kappaB signaling pathways and transcriptional regulation of IL-6 and IL-8 expression in HET-1A cells exposed to acid. Exposure of HET-1A cells to pH 4.5 induced NF-kappaB activity and enhanced IL-6 and IL-8 secretion and mRNA and protein expression. Acid stimulation of HET-1A cells also resulted in activation of MAPKs and PKC (alpha and epsilon). Curcumin, as well as inhibitors of NF-kappaB (SN-50), PKC (chelerythrine), and p44/42 MAPK (PD-098059) abolished the acid-induced expression of IL-6 and IL-8. The JNK inhibitor SP-600125 blocked expression/secretion of IL-6 but only partially attenuated IL-8 expression. The p38 MAPK inhibitor SB-203580 did not inhibit IL-6 expression but exerted a stronger inhibitory effect on IL-8 expression. Together, these data demonstrate that 1) acid is a potent inducer of IL-6 and IL-8 production in HET-1A cells; 2) MAPK and PKC signaling play a key regulatory role in acid-mediated IL-6 and IL-8 expression via NF-kappaB activation; and 3) the anti-inflammatory plant compound curcumin inhibits esophageal activation in response to acid. Thus IL-6 and IL-8 expression by acid may contribute to the pathobiology of mucosal injury in GERD, and inhibition of the NF-kappaB/proinflammatory cytokine pathways may emerge as important therapeutic targets for treatment of esophageal inflammation.

OBJECTIVE:
This study evaluated the short-term effect of bamboo shoot consumption as a dietary fiber source on blood glucose, lipid profiles, hepatic function, and constipation symptoms in healthy women.
METHODS:
Eight subjects, 21- to 23-y-old women, with normal health status received a dietary fiber-free diet (control), a diet containing 25 g of cellulose, and a diet containing 360 g of bamboo shoots, with each diet segment lasting 6 d. At the end of each diet, blood biochemical parameters, such as glucose, triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, and atherogenic index were measured and a questionnaire test for the evaluation of fecal excretion was taken. For statistical analysis, analysis of variance was performed.
Results:
Serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and the atherogenic index were decreased with the bamboo shoot diet feeding compared with the dietary fiber-free diet. There were no differences in serum glucose levels among the tested diets. Fecal volume and bowel movement frequency in subjects fed the bamboo shoot diet were significantly increased.
Conclusion:
Bamboo shoots as a dietary fiber source has beneficial effects on lipid profile and bowel function.

Constipation and haemorrhoids are common complaints after childbirth. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate impact of fermented milk containing Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) on stool consistency and frequency, constipation-related symptoms and quality of life, and incidence of haemorrhoids in women during puerperium. Forty women who had natural childbirth were randomised to group consuming either one bottle/day of fermented milk containing at least 6.5×109 cfu of LcS, or placebo, for 6 weeks after childbirth. Subjects filled in a diary on their bowel habits including number of bowel movement, stool consistency and incidence of haemorrhoids, and answered questionnaires on constipation-related symptoms (PAC-SYM) and quality of life (PAC-QOL) during the study period. The probiotic group showed the better scores on overall PAC-SYM (P=0.013), PAC-SYM subscales of abdominal symptoms (P=0.043) and rectal symptoms (P=0.031), and PAC-QOL satisfaction subscale (P=0.037) in comparison with the placebo group. In the probiotic group, two to four subjects experienced haemorrhoids during the first 3 weeks of treatment. The number decreased in week 4 and no one had haemorrhoids on most days in week 5-6. In the placebo group, on average four subjects had haemorrhoids from the beginning, and no obvious change was observed until week 6. No statistically significant effect was observed on stool consistency and frequency. The study products did not cause any adverse event in the subjects. Results of this study indicate that continuous consumption of fermented milk containing LcS might alleviate constipation-related symptoms, provide satisfactory bowel habit and result in earlier recovery from haemorrhoids in women during puerperium. Nonetheless, there are several limitations in interpretation of the results attributed to the study design, including lack of baseline data. Further study is required in order to confirm the efficacy.

Background:
This review discusses the epidemiologic features of bile duct and gallbladder cancer in Japan, mainly focusing on results of Japan Collaborative Cohort Study (JACC Study) for Evaluation of Cancer Risk Sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan (Monbusho) in comparison with results of other studies.
METHODS:
The theses and papers derived from JACC Study on bile duct and gallbladder cancer were all collected for this review. Hirayama’s cohort study, which is a representative epidemiologic study, and a large scale case-control study on bile duct and gallbladder cancer in Japan by Kato et al. were also taken into consideration. Small scale cross-sectional studies or ecological studies and the studies conducted outside Japan were collected by the literature reference services on the web net such as Pub Med or Japan Centra Revuo Medicina (Igaku- Chuo- Zasshi) limited to the published after 1980 and use key words bile duct cancer, gallbladder cancer and epidemiology.
Results:
In the JACC Study, high intake of fried food was regarded as a factor that significantly elevated the risk of the s (hazard ratio [HR]=2.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.08-6.16 in males; HR=2.98, 95% CI: 1.28-6.86 in females). The JACC Study indicated that a high intake of boiled beans had a significant preventive relation to the s in females (relative risk [RR]=0.50, 95% CI: 0.26-0.98). High consumption of fish also had a significant preventive relationship to bile duct cancer in males (RR=0.53, 95% CI: 0.26-0.98) and gallbladder cancer in females (RR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.24- 0.79). A history of blood transfusion also had a significant relationship (HR=2.27, 95% CI: 1.29-3.98) as which elevated the risk. The JACC Study determined bowel movement as a risk factor. The group with bowel movements less than once per six days had a significantly elevated hazard ratio (HR=5.21, 95% CI: 1.25-21.68).
Conclusion:
As to recent epidemiologic features of bile duct and gallbladder cancer revealed by the JACC Study, its outline became obvious in comparison with the results of other studies. Evidence for the contribution of the JACC Study is strong because it provides some important findings on the epidemiology of bile duct and gallbladder cancer.