Public health service ; Chinese People

Japanese pharmacopoeia prescribes a crude drug, Uncaria hook, or the hook-like structures of Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.) Jacks, U. sinensis (Oliv.) Havil., and U. macrophylla Wall., while Chinese pharmacopoeia prescribes the hooks with attached stems of above3species, in addition to2other species of Uncaria hook; U. hirsuta Havil. and U. sessilifructus Roxb (all in the Rubiaceae family). Our herbological study has found that the botanical origin was Uncaria rhynchophylla before the Ming Dynasty, and that the part used was not the hook itself, but the plant's bark till the early Ming Dynasty. Use of the hooks with stems began in the late Ming Dynasty. On the other hand, in Japan, the hooks themselves have been mainly collected from wild U. rhynchophylla plants growing in southern warm-temperate zone of Japan, for use in Kampo medicines. We considered this differing Japanese custom was influenced by the descriptions in the Ben Cao Gan Mu (1596)written in the Ming dynasty by Li Si Chen, which state that the hook itself had medicinally sharp power. And we conclude that use of Uncaria bark alone is reasonable for prescriptions which originated before the early Ming dynasty, such as chotosan.
Unit ; Chinese People ; Japanese language ; Within ; Hook

The crude Chinese drug “Uncaria hook” is a hook, or a twig with an attached hook of Uncaria plants seen in today's Chinese and Japanese medicinal markets. However, through herbological studies we found that the botanical origin of Uncaria hook was Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.) Miq., and that until the middle of Ming Dynasty in ancient China, the medicinal part used was the twig bark, not the hook itself, and use of the twig with hook was begun in the later Ming Dynasty. This change in practice seems to have been influenced by herbal descriptions written in the Ming Dynasty. Some of these stated that the medical effect of hooks was stronger than that of the bark.To determine the appropriate medicinal part of this crude drug in terms of chemical quality, we analyzed the alkaloid contents of Uncaria rhynchophylla bark, hooks, and twigs collected in Japan. Our result showed that the alkaloid content of the bark was higher than that of the twigs and hooks. Rhynchophylline and hirsutine, the alkaloid contained in Uncaria hook, were reported to improve memory learning and to cure hypertension, respectively. Since the alkaloid content profile of the bark was different from that of the hook, a question arose as to whether the medicinal properties of the part commonly used as “Uncaria hook” meet the requirement of the crude drug. Further pharmacological study is expected.
Chinese People ; Alkaloids ; Within ; Hook ; Pharmaceutical Preparations

We sought a connection between the half-exterior half-interior symptoms (hanpyo hanri sho), mentioned in the classic Chinese Shang han lun text and used in Kampo medicine, and embryology. An agreement between these shao yang (lesser yang) symptoms, and embryonic brachial arch domains was found. A part of the brachial arches strongly agrees with the ruling domain from the trigeminal nerve to the vagal nerve, and a connection was also seen to the vestibulocochlear nerve and partly to the accessory nerve. Thus we believe that half-exterior half-interior symptoms are a condition which relate back to part of the brachial arches, and are a result of so-called Heat reaction. Shang han lun Chinese medicine and embryology are two completely different fields. However, we consider an embryological view of nerve pathways to be helpful in understanding half-exterior half-interior symptoms, at least to a certain degree.
symptoms <1> ; CONSIDERATION ; Chinese People ; Nerve ; Medicine

The molecular basis of variable phenotypes in P-thalassaemia patients with identical genotypes has been associated with co-inheritance of alpha-thalassaemia and persistence of HbF production in adult life. The Xmn I restriction site at -158 position of the Ggamma-gene is associated with increased expression of the Ggamma-globin gene and higher production of HbF This study aims to determine the frequency of the digammaferent genotypes of the Ggamma Xmn I polymorphism in P-thalassaemia patients in two ethnic groups in Malaysia. Molecular characterisation and frequency of the Ggamma Xmn I polymorphism were studied in fifty-eight Chinese and forty-nine beta-thalassaemia Malay patients by Xmn I digestion after DNA amplification of a 650 bp sequence. The in-house developed technique did not require further purification or concentration of amplified DNA before restriction enzyme digestion. The cheaper Seakem LE agarose was used instead of Nusieve agarose and distinct well separated bands were observed. Genotyping showed that the most frequent genotype observed in the Malaysian Chinese was homozygosity for the absence of the Xmn I site (-/-) (89.7%). In the Malays, heterozygosity of the Xmn I site (+/-) was most common (63.3%). Homozygosity for the Xmn I site (+/+) was absent in the Chinese, but was confirmed in 8.2% of the Malays. The ratio of the (+) allele (presence of the Xmn I site) to the (-) allele (absence of the Xmn I site)) was higher in the Malays (0.66) compared to the Chinese (0.05). The (+/-) and (+/+) genotypes are more commonly observed in the Malays than the Chinese in Malaysia.
Chinese People ; Thalassemia ; With frequency ; Malaysia ; seconds

The Mi III phenotype of the Miltenberger subsystem (or GP Mur) is relatively common in Southeast Asia especially along the south-east coast lines of China and Taiwan. The term anti-"Mia" describes antibodies that react with the Mi III phenotype. Since the Peninsula Malaysian population is a multiethnic one with a significant proportion of Chinese, a study was conducted into the prevalence of anti-"Mia" in patients from its 3 major ethnic groups--Chinese, Malays and Indians, as well as the GP Mur phenotype in blood donors (healthy individuals). Blood samples from 33,716 patients (general and antenatal) were screened for anti-"Mia" from January 1999 to December 2000. The investigation for the GP Mur phenotype representing the corresponding sensitizing antigen complex was carried out in 655 blood donors. Serum anti-"Mia" antibody was found to be the third most commonly occurring antibody detected in our patients and was found in all the ethnic groups. The antibody was detected in 0.2% of 33,716 antenatal and general patients with a prevalence in Chinese of 0.3%, Malay 0.2% and Indian 0.2%. The detection of these antibodies in the ethnic groups other than the Chinese is a noteworthy finding as such information is not well documented. The GP Mur red cell phenotype was detected in 15/306 (4.9%) of Chinese blood donors, a lower prevalence than in Chinese populations in other countries in the region. More significant was its detection in the Malays (2.8%) and the Indians (3.0%). Because of the many reports of clinical problems associated with the "Mia" antibody including the causation of fetal hydrops and haemolytic transfusion reactions, it is warranted that the GP Mur red cells be included in screening panels for group and screen procedures in countries with a significant Asian population.
seconds ; Glycoproteins ; Chinese People ; Antibodies ; Prevalence aspects

seconds ; Indian race ; Chinese People ; Infant, Newborn

Antioxidant activity, free radical scavenging activity and phenolic content of red cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata rubra), Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa pekinensis var cylindrica), green cabbage (Brassica oleracea var capitata), mustard cabbage (Brassica juncea var rugosa) and Chinese white cabbage (Brassica rapa var chinensis), grown in Malaysia, were evaluated. Red cabbage had the highest antioxidant activity and phenolic content compared to the other cruciferous vegetables studied (p < 0.05). The contributions of all cruciferous vegetables to the antioxidant activity was >79%. The radical scavenging activity was in the order of Chinese white cabbage > red cabbage > mustard cabbage > Chinese cabbage > green cabbage. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the means of scavenging activity observed between cabbage, Chinese cabbage and Chinese mustard. Phenolic content was significantly different (p < 0.05) among all the cruciferous vegetables studied, and was in the order of red cabbage > Chinese white cabbage > green cabbage > Chinese cabbage >mustard cabbage. The study indicated that red cabbage possessed the highest antioxidant capacity and phenolic compounds concentration among all the cruciferous vegetables studied.
Cabbage ; cruciferous vegetables ; Chinese cabbage ; Red color ; Chinese People

This study examined the difference in dietary intake between middle−aged and elderly Japanese and Chinese. Volunteers aged 50∼79 living in two cities in both Japan and China were recruited in local community service centers and were asked to complete a 3−day diet recording. The final results were based on 356 subjects (166 Chinese and 190 Japanese). In men, the Japanese subjects significantly consumed more energy, with a large proportion of the energy coming from carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin C and they consumed less iron, and a lower proportion of energy from protein and fat than in the Chinese subjects. In women, the Japanese subjects had significantly higher intakes of energy, the proportion of energy from carbohydrates, dietary fiber, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C and they consumed less iron, with the proportion of energy from protein and from fat in comparison with the Chinese women. Fat intake provided more than 29% of the total dietary energy in Chinese subjects. Daily intake of food items was significantly greater in the Japanese participants, both men and women (18.54±2.85, 20.11±2.40, respectively), than in the Chinese subjects (14.11±3.62, 15.51±4.15, respectively) (p<0.01 by Mann Whitney U−test). The present study suggests that the middle−aged and elderly Chinese subjects should increase their variety of foods consumed while decreasing their consumption of high−fat foods. For the Japanese subjects, the higher intake of total calories among the woman should also be noted.
Chinese People ; Japanese language ; Energy, Physics ; Human Females ; Elderly

In China, the roots of several species of Paeonia plants in the Paeoniaceae family have been used as crude drugs under the names of Ji-shao-yao, or the red peony, and Bai-shao-yao, or the white peony, since olden times. While in Japan, the simply dried root of Paeonia lactiflora Pallas has been used as the Chinese crude drug Shao-yao, or Shakuyaku in Japanese. As for the origins of the modern “red” and “white” peony names, there have been a variety of theories, e.g. the names were perhaps derived from differences in their root or flower colors, or whether they were wild or cultivated. Based on our herbological study, we have concluded that the dried root with a cork surface was named the red peony, and those peeled cork layers, the white peony. During the Ming Dynasty, in China, the root of wild peonies such as Paeonia veiitchii and P. obovata, whose flowers are reddish, were processed into the red peony, while cultivated peony root of the white flowered variety, P. lactiflora, was processed into the white peony drug. Because of this coincidence in flower color and name of the processed product, red flowered varieties or wild plants came to be called the plant origin of the red peony, while the white flowered varieties or cultivated plants came to be called the white peony.
Red color ; Plant Roots ; Peony ; Paeonia ; Chinese People