Egyptian Medicine Research Articles

HIV and the Arab Spring

HIV and the Arab Spring

HPLC-DAD-MS/MS profiling of phenolics from Securigera securidaca flowers and its anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic activities

Securigera securidaca (L.) Degen & Döefl., Fabaceae, has been widely used in the Iranian, Indian and Egyptian folk medicine as antidiabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic remedy. Phenolic profiling of the ethanolic extract (90%) of the flowers of S. securidaca was performed via HPLC-DAD-MS/MS analysis in the positive and negative ion modes. The total polyphenols and flavonoids in the flowers were determined colorimetrically, and the quantification of their components was carried out using HPLC-UV. Total phenolics and flavonoids estimated as gallic acid and rutin equivalents were 82.39±2.79mg/g and 48.82±1.95mg/g of the dried powdered flowers, respectively. HPLC-DAD-MS/MS analysis of the extract allowed the identification of 39 flavonoids and eight phenolic acids. Quantitative analysis of some flavonoids and phenolics (mg/100g powdered flowers) revealed the presence of isoquercetrin (3340±2.1), hesperidin (32.09±2.28), naringin (197.3±30.16), luteolin (10.247±0.594), chlorogenic acid (84.22±2.08), catechin (3.94±0.57) and protocatechuic acid (34.4±0.15), in the extract. Moreover, the acute toxicity, hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of the extract were investigated using alloxan induced diabetes in rats in a dose of 100, 200, and 400mg/kgbwt. The ethanolic extract was safe up to a dose of 2000mg/kg. All tested doses of the flower extract showed marked decrease in blood glucose level by 31.78%, 66.41% and 63.8% at 100, 200 and 400mg/kgbwt, respectively, at p<0.05. Regarding the anti-hyperlipidemic effect, a dose of 400mg/kg of the flower extract showed the highest reduction in serum triacylglycerides and total cholesterol levels (68.46% and 51.50%, respectively at p<0.05). The current study proved the folk use of the flowers of S. securidaca as anti-diabetic and anti-hyperlipidemic agent which could be attributed to its high phenolic content.

Professional Diploma of Family Medicine in Egypt and Sudan: Face-to-Face Versus Synchronous Distant Learning

Background: Videoconferencing technology reduces time and costs between remote locations, fill gaps in teaching services, enables meetings that would not be possible due to prohibitive travel costs, and improves access to learning Aim: To explore the effectiveness of the theoretical module of PDFM (Professional Diploma of Family Medicine) in Sudan delivered via distant learning compared to that of PDFM in Egypt delivered via conventional learning by comparing the achievement level in the post-theoretical-module exam and the results of the exam analysis. Methods: This comparative study was conducted from November 2014 to April 2015. In PDFM Egypt and Sudan, the theoretical part was delivered via face-to face learning and synchronous videoconference respectively. The same exam was used to assess candidates' knowledge in PDFM in Egypt and Sudan at the same time. Item analysis was done to obtain item and test statistics. Also, candidates' feedback was assessed using a Web-based questionnaire Results: Thirty-two candidates (84.2%) passed the exam of PDFM in Egypt while 77 candidates (86.5%) passed it in Sudan. The reliability co-efficient of the exam in Egypt and Sudan were 0.9188 and 0.8140 respectively. There was no significant difference between the discrimination index of the exam (p value=0.074), while there was significant difference between the difficulty index; 70% of the exam questions were considered easy in PDFM Sudan compared to 40% in PDFM Egypt. Conclusion: Synchronous videoconferencing can be used to expand educational capacity and international cooperation between academic institutions in developing countries, a particular priority in the growing field of Family Medicine.

A Possible Hypoglycemic and Antioxidant Effect of Herbal Mixture Extraction in Diabetic Rats

Back ground: The use of medicinal plants for management of diabetes mellitus is an old practice which has become even more relevant in modern perspective. The present work was designed to evaluate the effect of a mixture of five medicinal plants which used in folk medicine in Egypt especially in Sinai as hypoglycemic agents on the adult male diabetic rats. These plants are Cleome droserifolia (Samwah), Ambrosia maritima (Damsissa),Artemisia judaica (Shih kharasani), Chiliadenus montanus or Jasonia Montana (Neheda) and Artemisia annua (Kaysom).Material and Methods: Thirty male albino rats were divided equally into three groups including control, diabetic and diabetic treated with a mixture of aqueous extract. A single dose of alloxan (120 mg/kg body weight) was used to induce diabetes in rats. Diabetic rats were given plant mixture extract orally twice daily for 30 days (28.5 mg/kg body weight (b. wt.) twice/day). Results: there was a marked decline (p<0.01) in levels of serum insulin, body weight (4.98 %), total proteins, albumin, globulin and high density lipoproteins (HDL) accompanied with marked elevation (p<0.01) in levels of fasting blood glucose, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA_IR), aspartate aminotransferase(ASAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), urea, creatinine, uric acid, serum total lipids(TL), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides TG, low density lipoproteins (LDL), and very low density lipoproteins(VLDL),risk ratios of TC/HDL and LDL/HDL in diabetic rats as compared to the control rats. While administration of aqueous extract of plant mixture to alloxan diabetic rats significantly ameliorated the disturbed biochemical parameters. Conclusion: These results proved that this plant mixture extract has a significant hypoglycemic effect and ameliorating metabolic abnormalities induced by diabetes mellitus.

Health Promotion , Disease Prevention and Periodic Health Checks : Perceptions and Practice among Family Physicians in Eastern Mediterranean Region

(1) Department of Family Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan (2) Director General, Executive Board, Health Ministers’ Council for Cooperation Council States (3) Professor of Public Health, Director, WHO Collaborating Centre, Department of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine Imperial College London, UK (4) University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia (5) Department of Family & Community Medicine, Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain (6) Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, Oman Medical College, Sultanate of Oman (7) Family Physician, Bahrain (8) Department of Family Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (9) Department of Family Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt (10) Associate Professor of Community and Family Medicine. Senior Consultant Family Physician. Dubai (11) Family Physician, Amman, Jordan (12) Head of the Primary Health Care Faculty at the Kuwait Institution for Medical Specialization. (13) Assistant Program Director in Family Medicine Residency Program, Qatar. (14) Chair Person of Egyptian Family Medicine Association and Faculty of Medicine, Menoufiya University, Shebin El-Kom, Menoufia, Egypt

Identification Phenolic and Biological Activities of Methanolic Extract of Date Palm Pollen (Phoenix dactylifera)

Pollen of the date palm (DPP) has been used for long time as a traditional Egyptian herbal medicine forimproving male and female fertility. The chemical investigation of date pollen resulted from polar solvent. Six compounds which were identified as Caffeic Acid, Gallic Acid, Coumaric Acid, Chlorogenic Acid, Catchinand Quercetin. Also in this work represent the impact polar extract on biological activity;Antibacterial activity was done against six species pathogenic bacteria, it has a strong value at 22 mm inhibition zone with Staphylococcus Epidermises. Antifungal activity was done against two species pathogenic fungi, the extract and ketoconazole have the value with the two species. Finally the extract was tested against three human cell lines, and the results showed that it has cytotoxic activity against all cell lines.

Hypoglycemic and Antioxidant Effects of Cleome Droserifolia ( Samwah ) in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

Background:Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease caused by inherited or acquired deficiency in insulin secretion and by decreased responsiveness of the organs to the secreted insulin. Recently, some medicinal plants have been reported to be useful in diabetes treatment. Cleome droserifolia (Samwah) having a long history in Egyptian folk medicine for treatment of diabetes mellitus. Aim of the work:The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible antihyperglycemic property of Cleome droserifolia extract (CDE) and its antioxidant mechanism in alloxan induced diabetic rats. Material and Methods:This study was performed on thirty male albino rats of Sprague Dawely strain with an average body weight of 100-110g. Animals were divided into three groups (ten/cage), control untreated group, diabetic group and diabetic group treated with plant extract that was given orally (28.5 mg/kg body wt. twice/ day). Results: Results showed marked decline in levels of serum insulin, body weight, total proteins, albumin, globulin and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). These are accompanied with marked elevation in levels of fasting blood glucose, HOMA-IR, AST, ALT, GGT, urea, creatinine, uric acid, serum total lipids (TL), total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerols (TG), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL) and ratios of TC/HDL and LDL/HDL (risk factors) in diabetic rats as compared to the corresponding controls. While the daily administration of diabetic rats with CDE showed significant amelioration in most of these parameters. Conclusion: It could be concluded that CDE treatment exerts a therapeutic protective nature in diabetes by decreasing oxidative stress and pancreatic β-cells’ damage which may be attributed to its antioxidative potential and antidiabetic property.

Medicine and Society in Ptolemaic Egypt by Philippa Lang (review)

Reviewed by: Medicine and Society in Ptolemaic Egypt by Philippa Lang A. Rosalie David Philippa Lang. Medicine and Society in Ptolemaic Egypt. Studies in Ancient Medicine, vol. 41. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 2013. xiv + 318 pp. Ill. $151.00 (978-90-04-21858-1). Medicine in ancient Egypt has traditionally been studied either as an important aspect of pharaonic culture (from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period), or from the perspective of Greek medicine practiced in Egypt during the Greco-Roman Period. However, scholars have generally made little attempt to examine the exchange of influence between Egyptian and Greek medical systems, or to study the impact that demography, agriculture, botany, and magico-religious practices had upon medical practice. This book sets out to address these issues within the context of Ptolemaic Egypt, using evidence from Egyptian and Greek medical texts, as well as archaeological and artifactual material, to consider disease occurrence and healing methods in this period. Patterns of immigration to Egypt over the millennia are discussed in chapter 1, with special emphasis on the historical background of Ptolemaic Egypt. The effects of geography, climate, demographics, and biological conditions upon disease occurrence are considered, particularly with regard to changed epidemiological environments resulting from the influx of ethnic groups during this era. A sizeable number of Greek immigrants would have posed unprecedented medical challenges: possibly new disease strains (although there is no evidence of large-scale epidemics among new arrivals or indigenes); health hazards due to changes in diet and foodstuffs, as well as exposure to local bacteria, viruses, and parasites; and new concepts and treatments introduced by foreign medical practitioners associated with the immigrant communities. The extent to which medicine was regarded as part of ethnocultural identity is explored: did Greeks and Egyptians each pursue healing processes exclusive to their own communities, or was there any overlap or interchangeability between the two systems? In chapter 2, the role of the gods within the two traditions is considered, with particular emphasis on the oracular and medical practices at religious sanctuaries in Egypt and Greece. Chapter 3 discusses Egyptian and Greek theoretical perspectives (the perceived nature and causes of illness, which dictate the principles of diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy), and how disease may be differently understood and interpreted by medical professionals and the lay population. A crucial difference was that, whereas the Egyptians believed that divine intervention played an essential role in treating a patient, the Greeks, although mindful of the gods’ power to heal, generally attributed ill health to the impact of environmental and dietary factors on naturally occurring bodily substances. The modern differentiation of Egyptian medicine as “irrational” and Greek practices as “rational” is [End Page 741] also discussed, as is evidence for the transmission of medical ideas and practices between the two traditions during the Ptolemaic period. The next chapter explores the responses of the patients and medical practitioners to illness, and the methods of treatment that were utilized by professional and folk healers in both traditions. Chapter 5 identifies the practitioners of Egyptian and Greek medicine, and defines their roles in healing; it also considers and compares patients’ opportunities for seeking treatment in pharaonic and Ptolemaic Egypt. Further important issues are addressed in chapters 5 and 6. These include whether Egyptian pharaonic medicine had any impact on the naturalistic and highly theoretical medicine practiced by Greek physicians at Alexandria, whether the Alexandrian system had any real influence beyond the royal court and related circles, and whether the tradition of human mummification in Egypt facilitated opportunities for high-status Greek practitioners to undertake human dissection and vivisection in Alexandria. There is an extensive bibliography. However, important references have been omitted regarding the history of opium use in Egypt (p. 169)1 and pharmaceutical quantification (pp. 181–82).2 Typographical errors occur on pages 230 (repetition of the words “and resources”) and 49 (“bowels of water”). The book effectively addresses two levels of readership: as a scholarly work, it fulfils a long-standing need among Egyptologists, classicists, and medical historians for a readily accessible discussion of medical practice in Ptolemaic Egypt; and for the wider general readership, it provides well-evidenced information about various aspects of the subject area. A...

Schizophrenia - From Devilry to Disease

Symptoms of psychotic diseases historically instilled fear and distrust in onlookers, who associated them with witchcraft, demonic spirits, and the devil. From Egyptian medicine to medieval witch hunts, psychotic diseases have been associated with the supernatural throughout history. Yet even with advancements in neuroscience and improvements in our understanding of mental illness, stigma surrounding mental health remains prevalent today. Schizophrenia is a psychiatric illness which has evaded a clinical definition until relatively recently; even now, the precise features that constitute a schizophrenic patient are open to dispute. This article explores the ancient history of mental health with a particular emphasis on psychosis, and also considers the changing attitudes and understanding of schizophrenia throughout the last century, leading to its clinical definition as a treatable condition.

Reconstruction of Skull Defects in the Middle Ages and Renaissance

In Egyptian, Greco-Roman, and Arabic medicine, the closure of a skull defect was not provided at the end of a therapeutic trepanation or in cases of bone removal. The literature from the Middle Ages and Renaissance disclosed some striking and forgotten practices. Gilbertus Anglicus (c. 1180 to c. 1250) cites the use of a piece of a cup made from wooden bowl (ciphum or mazer) or a gold sheet to cover the gap and protect the brain in these patients; this citation probably reflected a widely known folk practice. Pietro d’Argellata introduced the use of a fixed piece of dried gourd for brain protection to reconstruct a skull defect. In the late Renaissance, the negative folklore describing this outlandish practice likely led to the use of silver and lead sheets. Nevertheless, for centuries, large numbers of surgeons preferred to leave the dura mater uncovered after bone removal, and failed to apply any brain protection.

Antihyperglycemic Activity and Standardization of the Bioactive Extract of Cleome droserifolia Growing in Egypt

Background: Cleome droserifolia herb is well known in the Egyptian folk medicine for the treatment of diabetes. However, a standardized active extract of the herb was never prepared for incorporation into a pharmaceutical dosage form. Materials and Methods: Comparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chromatographic profi les were established in order to study the ethnopharmacological use of the antihyperglycemic herb using a validated reversed phaseHPLC method which was developed for standardization of the active aqueous extract. A biologically guided fractionation of the antihyperglycemic aqueous extract was carried out in vivo using alloxan induced diabetic rats. Results: The aqueous extract contained the highest percent of the total active fl avonol glycosides (78.20%) compared to the 70% and 50% ethanolic extracts (51.17 and 42.66%, respectively). The aqueous extract and its ethyl acetate fraction possessed the highest antihyperglycemic activities. A standard calibration curve, established for the major bioactive methoxylated fl avonol glycoside (kaempferol-4’-methoxy-3,7-dirhamnoside) at a concentration range of 44-174 μg/ml, showed good linearity with a correlation coeffi cient (R2) of 0.998. The recovery of the method was 100.5%. A high degree of precision (relative standard deviation values <5%) was achieved. The limits of detection and quantifi cation were 0.01 and 0.02 μg/ml, respectively, indicating the sensitivity of the method.Conclusion: The aqueous extract contained the highest percent of the total active fl avonol glycosides. The extract, standardized to contain not <1.5 ± 0.06% of kaempferol-4’-methoxy3,7-dirhamnoside, was tested at three different dose levels showing a 63.3% activity of that of metformin at100 mg/kg body weight. Furthermore, it raised the blood insulin level by 146.26% at this dose level.

Vascular medicine and surgery in ancient Egypt

Lauded alike by ancient civilizations and modern society, pharaonic Egyptian medicine remains an object of fascination today. This article discusses its surprisingly sophisticated understanding of a cardiovascular system. The term "cardiovascular system," however, carries assumptions and meanings to a modern audience, especially readers of this journal, which simply do not apply when considering ancient conceptions of the heart and vessels. For lack of better language, this article will use "cardiovascular" and similar terms while recognizing the anachronistic inaccuracy. After briefly summarizing ancient Egyptian medicine generally, it will review the anatomy, pathology, and treatment of the vasculature. The practice of mummification in ancient Egypt provides a unique opportunity for paleopathology, and the conclusion will explore evidence of arterial disease from a modern scientific perspective.

The protective effect of Phoenix dactylifera L. seeds against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity in rats

Ethnopharmacological relevanceIn traditional Egyptian medicine, Phoenix dactylifera L. (date palm) seeds are listed in folk remedies for the management of diabetes, liver diseases and gastrointestinal disorders. The present study was conducted to investigate the protective effect of Phoenix dactylifera L. seeds aqueous suspension against the chemically-induced hepatic injury in rats. MethodsLiver injury was achieved by exposing Wistar rats to CCl4 (10% in olive oil; 0.5mL/rat; IP) twice a week for 4 weeks. Along with CCl4, aqueous suspensions of raw or roasted Phoenix dactylifera seeds (1.0g/kg) were administered orally in a daily manner. ResultsOur results demonstrated that Phoenix dactylifera seeds significantly improved the CCl4-induced alterations in liver function parameters (AST, ALT, ALP and albumin). Moreover, the CCl4-induced oxidative stress, represented by elevated thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS), nitric oxide and oxidative DNA damage, was ameliorated by Phoenix dactylifera seeds treatment. In addition, Phoenix dactylifera seeds restored the activities of hepatic antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione S-transferase) that were declined after CCl4 treatment. Examination of liver histopathology revealed that Phoenix dactylifera seeds attenuate the incidence of liver lesions (including vacuolization and fibroblast proliferation) triggered by CCl4 intoxication. ConclusionThe Phoenix dactylifera seeds could be a promising candidate for protection against the CCl4-induced liver intoxication, and this hepatoprotective effect might be attributed to the antioxidant and free radical scavenging activities.

Chemical constituents and their antibacterial and antifungal activity from the Egyptian herbal medicine Chiliadenus montanus

Phytochemical investigations of the CH2Cl2/MeOH (1:1) extract of air-dried aerial parts of Chiliadenus montanus afforded eight metabolites, in addition to eight other previously reported compounds, of which two were isolated for the first time as free acids. Structures were established by spectroscopic methods, including HREIMS, 1H, 13C, DEPT, 1H–1H COSY, HMQC and HMBC NMR analysis. Antimicrobial activity against an array of common bacterial and fungal strains was measured via a colorimetric assay with minimal growth inhibition observed in the μg/mL range for one of the tested metabolites.

When Affective Disorders Were Considered to Emanate From the Heart: The Ebers Papyrus

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article PerspectivesFull AccessWhen Affective Disorders Were Considered to Emanate From the Heart: The Ebers PapyrusRami Bou Khalil, M.D., and Sami Richa, M.D., Ph.D.Rami Bou KhalilSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., and Sami RichaSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., Ph.D.Published Online:1 Mar 2014https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13070860AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Among the oldest and most important medical papyri of ancient Egypt, the Ebers Papyrus, contains a “book of hearts” constituting a collection of extracts from different existing sources dating as far back as 3400 B.C.E. The Ebers Papyrus was obtained by Georg Ebers at Thebes in 1872. The papyrus was written in about 1500 B.C.E. in hieratic Egyptian writing and preserves for us the most voluminous record of ancient Egyptian medicine known. In the book, the unknown author notes three types of healers: physicians, surgeons, and sorcerers. Among the medicines mentioned in the papyrus figure treatments such as pomade for baldness, consisting of equal parts of lion, hippopotamus, crocodile, serpent, and ibex fats. The manuscript describes a few mental disorders as well as many organic diseases, mainly relating them to different dysfunctions in the heart, which is “the center of the blood supply with vessels attached for every member of the body” (1).In the book’s chapter related to disorders and remedies of the nervous system, no mention is made of any of the mental disorders known in the contemporary medical nosology. However, in the book’s chapter on disorders of the heart and the circulatory system, some of the conditions described in the papyrus are believed to correspond to affective disorders. The following quotations are taken from the papyrus as they were translated to English by Cyril P. Bryan in 1930 (1):When the heart is sad, behold it is the moroseness of the heart, or the vessels of the heart are closed up in so far as they are not recognizable under thy hand.When the heart is miserable and is beside itself, behold it is the breath of the heb-xer priest that causes it through the hollow of his hand. It penetrates right down to the rectum in such a manner that the heart comes forth and loses its way under the disease.When his heart is afflicted and has tasted sadness, behold his heart is closed in and darkness is in his body because of anger which is eating up his heart.In these passages, the author tends to relate the occurrence of affective disorders to a dysfunction in the cardiovascular system. While the contemporary medical community has related the occurrence of affective disorders to dysfunctions in brain areas such as the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the prefrontal cortex, the medical literature points to the presence of a cross-talk between affective and cardiovascular regulatory systems (2). On one hand, affective disorders, such as major depressive disorder, have been shown to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease through direct biological mechanisms as well as many indirect influences related to the patient’s lifestyle, and on the other hand, patients already having cardiovascular diseases have been found to be at a higher risk of developing affective disorders (3). Accordingly, our Egyptian ancestors were not completely wrong when they accidentally assessed and treated the heart in patients with affective disorders.From the Department of Psychiatry, Saint Joseph University, Beirut; the Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jalledib, Lebanon; and the Department of Psychiatry, Hotel Dieu de France, Beirut.Address correspondence to Dr. Bou Khalil ([email protected]com).Photograph used by permission of University Library Leipzig,Leipzig, Germany.References1 Bryan CP (translator): The Papyrus Ebers. London, Geoffrey Bles, 1930Google Scholar2 Palazidou E: The neurobiology of depression. Br Med Bull 2012; 101:127–145Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar3 Chauvet-Gélinier JC, Trojak B, Vergès-Patois B, Cottin Y, Bonin B: Review on depression and coronary heart disease. Arch Cardiovasc Dis 2013; 106:103–110Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited BySuicidal Depression in Ancient Egypt27 January 2021 | Archives of Suicide Research, Vol. 26, No. 3Genomics and psychiatry: a historical overviewŞİZOFRENİNİN GENETİK TEMELİNİN TARİHTEKİ İLK İZLERİ İLE ANLAŞILMASI2 June 2021 | Mersin Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Lokman Hekim Tıp Tarihi ve Folklorik Tıp DergisiOn the diagnostic and neurobiological origins of bipolar disorder23 April 2020 | Translational Psychiatry, Vol. 10, No. 1Background to Mental Health Law19 May 2020 Volume 171Issue 3 March 2014Pages 275-275 Metrics PDF download History Accepted 1 August 2013 Published online 1 March 2014 Published in print 1 March 2014

Polyherbal formulation: Concept of ayurveda.

Ayurveda is one of the traditional medicinal systems of Indian. The philosophy behind Ayurveda is preventing unnecessary suffering and living a long healthy life. Ayurveda involves the use of natural elements to eliminate the root cause of the disease by restoring balance, at the same time create a healthy life-style to prevent the recurrence of imbalance. Herbal medicines have existed world-wide with long recorded history and they were used in ancient Chinese, Greek, Egyptian and Indian medicine for various therapies purposes. World Health Organization estimated that 80% of the word's inhabitants still rely mainly on traditional medicines for their health care. The subcontinent of India is well-known to be one of the major biodiversity centers with about 45,000 plant species. In India, about 15,000 medicinal plants have been recorded, in which the communities used 7,000-7,500 plants for curing different diseases. In Ayurveda, single or multiple herbs (polyherbal) are used for the treatment. The Ayurvedic literature Sarangdhar Samhita’ highlighted the concept of polyherbalism to achieve greater therapeutic efficacy. The active phytochemical constituents of individual plants are insufficient to achieve the desirable therapeutic effects. When combining the multiple herbs in a particular ratio, it will give a better therapeutic effect and reduce the toxicity. This review mainly focuses on important of the polyherbalism and its clinical significance.

Assessment of some Herbal Drugs for Prophylaxis of Peptic Ulcer.

Aqueous (hydrophilic) and chloroform (Lipophilic) extracts of nine medicinal plants currently used in Egyptian traditional medicine to treat some gastrointestinal tract (GIT) disorders were tested for their gastro-protective effect against the incidence of peptic ulcer. Indomethacin-induced ulcer in a rat model was used for this testing. Mentha microphylla, Brassica oleracea Capitata (Cabbage), B. oleracea Botrytis (cauliflower) aqueous fraction, Portolaca oleracea polysaccharide fraction, Oreganum marjoranum, Matricaria recutita, Solanum nigrum hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions, in addition to the chloroform fraction of Portolaca oleracea and Cicorium intybus afforded high protection against the incidence of gastric ulcer (~95%). O. syriacum hydrophilic and lipophilic fractions and gum arabic afforded moderate prophylactic effect. L. sicerarea, C. intybus hydrophilic fractions and M. microphylla lipophilic fraction were inactive. Herbs represent excellent resources for cost-effective and readily available gastro-protective remedies without side effects.

Orthopaedics in the dawn of civilisation, practices in ancient Egypt.

Orthopaedics in the dawn of civilisation, practices in ancient Egypt.

The use of opioids at the end-of-life and the survival of Egyptian palliative care patients with advanced cancer.

One of the barriers to cancer pain control and palliative care (PC) development is the misconception that the use of opioids may hasten death. This concern is exaggerated when higher doses of opioids are used at the end-of-life. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between survival and the dose of opioids used at the end-of-life of patients with advanced cancer in an Egyptian PC setting. Retrospective review of the medical records of 123 patients with advanced cancer managed in an Egyptian cancer center-based palliative medicine unit (PMU). Patients were classified according to the last prescribed regular opioid dose expressed in milligrams of oral morphine equivalent (OME) per day (mg OME/24 h) into three groups: no opioid or low-dose group (<120 mg OME/24 h), intermediate-dose group (120-<300 mg OME/24 h) and high-dose group (≥300 mg OME/24 h). Survival was calculated from the date of first referral to the PMU to death. The median age of patients was 53 years, breast cancer was the most common diagnosis (18%) and the majority (68%) died at home. Opioids were prescribed for pain control in 94% of patients and were prescribed on regular basis in 89%. The mean last prescribed opioid dose for the whole group of patients was 167 (±170) mg OME/24 h and it was highest among patients with pleural mesothelioma [245 (±258) mg OME/24 h]. The last prescription included no opioids or low-dose opioids in 57 (46%) patients, intermediate-dose in 42 (34%) and high-dose in 24 (20%). The estimated median survival was 45 days for the no opioid/low-dose group, 75 days for the intermediate-dose group and 153 days for the high-dose group (P=0.031). The results suggest that the dose of opioids has no detrimental impact on the survival of patients with advanced cancer in an Egyptian PC setting. Further research is needed to overcome barriers to cancer pain control especially in settings with inadequate cancer pain control.

The Effect of Lupinus Albus and Hyphaene the Baica on Chromosomal Aberrations and Histopathological Changes of Liver and Pancreas in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Background: The folk medicine in Egypt has described several kinds of Egyptian herbs and plant prescriptions, belonging to various families to be concerned with the treatment of diabetes mellitus.The present study focuses on evaluating the chromosomal aberration in somatic cells of STZ-diabetic rats treated with Lupinus albus (termis) and Hyphaene thebaica (doum) as well as their effect on liver and pancreas histopathology. Material and methods: STZ was injected intraperitoneally at a single dose of 50 mg/kg to induce diabetes. Termis seeds suspension (75 mg/100 g b.wt.) was daily orally administered, doum fruit suspension was daily orally administered (1g/kg b.wt.) and also gliclazide, reference drug, was administered at a dose equivalent to the therapeutic dose of rat. After four weeks of administration, bone-marrow metaphases were prepared for examining chromosomal aberration. These were followed by statistical analysis. Liver and pancreas were dissected, processed and stained with H&E for investigating histopathological changes. Results: The results of chromosomal analysis showed that, diabetic rats had a highly significant increase of chromosomal aberrations compared to that of normal healthy control. Animals which were treated with Lupinus albus and Hyphaene thebaica showed significant improvements in the frequencies of chromosomal aberrations. Also, treatment of diabetic rats with termis and doum revealed marked improvement in liver and pancreas histopathology. Conclusion: It is concluded that diabetes is much harmful on the histological picture of liver and pancreas and on chromosomal aberration frequencies in the animal body, whilst the administration of termis or doum reduced these harmful effects of diabetes.