The concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)emphasizes the intrinsic connection between human beings and nature,positing that the human body undergoes distinct physiological changes in response to various natural ...The concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)emphasizes the intrinsic connection between human beings and nature,positing that the human body undergoes distinct physiological changes in response to various natural environments.Cold,as a primary external factor in cold areas,necessitates the body's autonomous adaptation to uphold optimal living conditions.The repercussions of cold on the body are both far-reaching and profound,with metabolic equilibrium adjustments playing a pivotal role.This article,rooted in the TCM principle of Yin-Yang balance,delves into the metabolic intricacies and adaptive responses to the human body in cold environments.The effects manifest in heat-producing tissues,systemic substance consumption,the blood substance concentrations,liver function,and metabolic rhythms.The article subsequently presents TCM recommendations for maintaining health in cold climates.It concludes by advocating the exploration of metabolic homeostasis changes as a key avenue for investigating the metabolic traits s of populations in cold regions.We posit that such insights will enhance comprehension of the metabolic shifts in cold region populations and advance the evolution of regional medicine.展开更多
Background: Obesity, diabetes, asthma, autism, birth defects, dyslexia, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia have increased in children in the last half century. These increases may depend on the...Background: Obesity, diabetes, asthma, autism, birth defects, dyslexia, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia have increased in children in the last half century. These increases may depend on the widespread, well known error in energy balance: the unremitting addition of fat at any will (decision) to eat. In most (60%) but not all people, the decision arises as conditioned before energy exhaustion of the energy available from previous meals. After meal suspension for few hours (up to 48 hours), healthy subjects identified the arousal of sensations of hunger that we named Initial Hunger (IH). After this identification, subjects distinguished IH from conditioned sensations before subsequent meals by mental comparison of the current arousal with the remembered IH. BG decreased to 76.6 ± 3.7 mg/dL and hunger sensations (Initial hunger, IH) arose spontaneously and corresponded to the complete exhaustion of the previous meals. Objective: Not Insulin Dependent (NID) diabetic people differ from fattening people in this: after meal suspension, they do not develop any hunger sensation nor the associated low blood glucose (BG). Methods: Meal suspension lets IH arise and after no arousal, reduction of energy intake. The two subjects consumed meals that provided at least 20 grams of animal protein and up to one kg of not-starchy vegetable (NSV) for 6 to 12 months. At reappearance of IH, we implemented an Initial Hunger Meal Pattern (IHMP). Results: We tried to implement IHMP training in two obese (BMI of 39 and 33) adults out of two consecutive recruitments of subjects who showed high fasting BG. We found an absence of BG decline to 76.6 ± 3.7 mg/dL and an absence of any hunger sensation after eating suspension. Both subjects lost 13% - 20% of their body weight and recovered 76.6 ± 3.7 mg/dL of BG and hunger sensations, i.e., went off diabetes. IHMP maintained the decreased body weight in the subsequent months. Conclusion: Diabetes develops for inveterate conditioned intake (when previous energy intak展开更多
The notion of health as balance has influenced health care for long. It is not known in what ways, if any, this notion has influenced health research, and whether such influence is helpful. I conduct here a conceptual...The notion of health as balance has influenced health care for long. It is not known in what ways, if any, this notion has influenced health research, and whether such influence is helpful. I conduct here a conceptual (rather than an empirical) study to address the unsolved problem whether the notion of health as balance (rather than balance restoring health), specified in various established ways, such as balance between internal and external forces, may be helpful when used in health research. I find that the notion of health as balance has challenges, such as when it focuses on homeostasis, as norms of health are not specified by such a notion. Yet the notion of self-organization has promise as a helpful specification of the notion of health as balance. Health research may benefit from the innovation of use of the notion of health as self-organization, such as by prioritizing host and person (rather than agent) in physical and mental health research and using complexity theory and related methods in relation to self-organization.展开更多
During aging,the skeletal muscle tissue is one of the most affected,undergoing loss of mass and function,a process defined as sarcopenia.This age-related muscle mass and function decline,dependent on many factors,pred...During aging,the skeletal muscle tissue is one of the most affected,undergoing loss of mass and function,a process defined as sarcopenia.This age-related muscle mass and function decline,dependent on many factors,predispose individuals to decreased mobility,reduced muscle power and increased risk of falls.Several factors at the cellular and molecular level affect muscle aging,synergizing with each other.At present,it is broadly accepted that Reactive Oxygen Species(ROS)play a primary role in the aging process,especially in those tissues like skeletal muscle,where the generation of free radicals is more pronounced as a consequence of the high consumption of oxygen.Recently,several studies have highlighted the involvement of muscle stem cells(satellite cells,SCs)in the progression of sarcopenia,showing a concomitant regression of activity and number of these cells.At a sub-cellular level,the main processes correlated with sarcopenia are the alteration of protein synthesis and mitochondrial dysfunction.Attempts to slow down or revert sarcopenia are essentially based on three approaches:use of supplements,pharmaceutical therapies and physical activity.In brief,it seems that appropriate physical exercise training protocols could be capable of slowing down and sometimes reversing the sarcopenic process.This finding is the consequence of a beneficial action of physical exercise on mitochondria and/or on the regenerative process led by SCs with different effects on the basis of training characteristics.Furthermore,according to a recent hypothesis,early strength training should be considered as public health advice.展开更多
The human pharyngeal microbiome, which resides at the juncture of digestive and respiratory tracts, may have an active role in the prevention of respiratory tract infections, similar to the actions of the intestinal m...The human pharyngeal microbiome, which resides at the juncture of digestive and respiratory tracts, may have an active role in the prevention of respiratory tract infections, similar to the actions of the intestinal microbiome against enteric infections. Recent studies have demonstrated that the pharyngeal microbiome comprises an abundance of bacterial species that interacts with the local epithelial and immune cells, and together, they form a unique micro-ecological system. Most of the microbial species in microbiomes are obligate symbionts constantly adapting to their unique surroundings. Indigenous commensal species are capable of both maintaining dominance and evoking host immune responses to eliminate invading species. Temporary damage to the pharyngeal microbiome due to the impaired local epithelia is also considered an important predisposing risk factor for infections. Therefore, reinforcement of microbiome homeostasis to prevent invasion of infection-prone species would provide a novel treatment strategy in addition to antibiotic treatment and vaccination. Hence continued research efforts on evaluating probiotic treatment and developing appropriate procedures are necessary to both prevent and treat respiratory infections.展开更多
The mixed forests of the upper Rio Negro at the northern of the Amazon basin grow in oxisol soils that are extremely infertile. These areas exhibit deficiencies in several macro-nutrients, and may also be characterize...The mixed forests of the upper Rio Negro at the northern of the Amazon basin grow in oxisol soils that are extremely infertile. These areas exhibit deficiencies in several macro-nutrients, and may also be characterized by the shortage or toxic excess of some micronutrients. The overall goal of this research is to collect more comprehensive information regarding the micronutrient composition of the upper Rio Negro forests as well as discern the relationship between leaf micro- and macro-nutrients that may contribute to the homeostasis and balance of the ionome. Firstly, the nutrient composition within the oxisol soil and leaf tissues of two top canopy tree species from the mixed forests was determined. We then analyzed the relationship between leaf micronutrient composition with N and P levels of the two species and that of species inhabiting the Amazon caatinga. Extractable soil Zn, B, Mn and Cu were very low in the mixed forest. In contrast, Fe and Al levels were potentially toxic. The analysis of leaf N/P ratios revealed for the first time the co-limitation of N and P in the mixed forest. This contrasts with species from the adjacent Amazon caatinga toposequence that are characterized by strong N limitation. All micronutrients within leaves of species inhabiting the mixed forest were also found to have low concentrations. Moreover, Fe and Al were detected at concentrations well below those reported for accumulator species. This suggested that leaf ion homeostasis was maintained under potentially toxic soil Fe and Al conditions. Leaf micronutrient (Fe, Zn and B) contents mirrored that of leaf N and P contents, and comparable Fe/N, Fe/P, Zn/N, Zn/P, B/N as well as B/P ratios were found across species and forest types. Therefore, forest species exhibited the capability to maintain leaf nutrient balances under soil conditions with deficient or toxic levels of micronutrients.展开更多
基金This work was funded by the National Centre for the Development of TCM Education(TC2023002).
文摘The concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)emphasizes the intrinsic connection between human beings and nature,positing that the human body undergoes distinct physiological changes in response to various natural environments.Cold,as a primary external factor in cold areas,necessitates the body's autonomous adaptation to uphold optimal living conditions.The repercussions of cold on the body are both far-reaching and profound,with metabolic equilibrium adjustments playing a pivotal role.This article,rooted in the TCM principle of Yin-Yang balance,delves into the metabolic intricacies and adaptive responses to the human body in cold environments.The effects manifest in heat-producing tissues,systemic substance consumption,the blood substance concentrations,liver function,and metabolic rhythms.The article subsequently presents TCM recommendations for maintaining health in cold climates.It concludes by advocating the exploration of metabolic homeostasis changes as a key avenue for investigating the metabolic traits s of populations in cold regions.We posit that such insights will enhance comprehension of the metabolic shifts in cold region populations and advance the evolution of regional medicine.
文摘Background: Obesity, diabetes, asthma, autism, birth defects, dyslexia, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenia have increased in children in the last half century. These increases may depend on the widespread, well known error in energy balance: the unremitting addition of fat at any will (decision) to eat. In most (60%) but not all people, the decision arises as conditioned before energy exhaustion of the energy available from previous meals. After meal suspension for few hours (up to 48 hours), healthy subjects identified the arousal of sensations of hunger that we named Initial Hunger (IH). After this identification, subjects distinguished IH from conditioned sensations before subsequent meals by mental comparison of the current arousal with the remembered IH. BG decreased to 76.6 ± 3.7 mg/dL and hunger sensations (Initial hunger, IH) arose spontaneously and corresponded to the complete exhaustion of the previous meals. Objective: Not Insulin Dependent (NID) diabetic people differ from fattening people in this: after meal suspension, they do not develop any hunger sensation nor the associated low blood glucose (BG). Methods: Meal suspension lets IH arise and after no arousal, reduction of energy intake. The two subjects consumed meals that provided at least 20 grams of animal protein and up to one kg of not-starchy vegetable (NSV) for 6 to 12 months. At reappearance of IH, we implemented an Initial Hunger Meal Pattern (IHMP). Results: We tried to implement IHMP training in two obese (BMI of 39 and 33) adults out of two consecutive recruitments of subjects who showed high fasting BG. We found an absence of BG decline to 76.6 ± 3.7 mg/dL and an absence of any hunger sensation after eating suspension. Both subjects lost 13% - 20% of their body weight and recovered 76.6 ± 3.7 mg/dL of BG and hunger sensations, i.e., went off diabetes. IHMP maintained the decreased body weight in the subsequent months. Conclusion: Diabetes develops for inveterate conditioned intake (when previous energy intak
文摘The notion of health as balance has influenced health care for long. It is not known in what ways, if any, this notion has influenced health research, and whether such influence is helpful. I conduct here a conceptual (rather than an empirical) study to address the unsolved problem whether the notion of health as balance (rather than balance restoring health), specified in various established ways, such as balance between internal and external forces, may be helpful when used in health research. I find that the notion of health as balance has challenges, such as when it focuses on homeostasis, as norms of health are not specified by such a notion. Yet the notion of self-organization has promise as a helpful specification of the notion of health as balance. Health research may benefit from the innovation of use of the notion of health as self-organization, such as by prioritizing host and person (rather than agent) in physical and mental health research and using complexity theory and related methods in relation to self-organization.
文摘During aging,the skeletal muscle tissue is one of the most affected,undergoing loss of mass and function,a process defined as sarcopenia.This age-related muscle mass and function decline,dependent on many factors,predispose individuals to decreased mobility,reduced muscle power and increased risk of falls.Several factors at the cellular and molecular level affect muscle aging,synergizing with each other.At present,it is broadly accepted that Reactive Oxygen Species(ROS)play a primary role in the aging process,especially in those tissues like skeletal muscle,where the generation of free radicals is more pronounced as a consequence of the high consumption of oxygen.Recently,several studies have highlighted the involvement of muscle stem cells(satellite cells,SCs)in the progression of sarcopenia,showing a concomitant regression of activity and number of these cells.At a sub-cellular level,the main processes correlated with sarcopenia are the alteration of protein synthesis and mitochondrial dysfunction.Attempts to slow down or revert sarcopenia are essentially based on three approaches:use of supplements,pharmaceutical therapies and physical activity.In brief,it seems that appropriate physical exercise training protocols could be capable of slowing down and sometimes reversing the sarcopenic process.This finding is the consequence of a beneficial action of physical exercise on mitochondria and/or on the regenerative process led by SCs with different effects on the basis of training characteristics.Furthermore,according to a recent hypothesis,early strength training should be considered as public health advice.
基金supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (863 Program, Grant No. 2006AA02Z4A9)the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, Grant No. 2011CB944100)
文摘The human pharyngeal microbiome, which resides at the juncture of digestive and respiratory tracts, may have an active role in the prevention of respiratory tract infections, similar to the actions of the intestinal microbiome against enteric infections. Recent studies have demonstrated that the pharyngeal microbiome comprises an abundance of bacterial species that interacts with the local epithelial and immune cells, and together, they form a unique micro-ecological system. Most of the microbial species in microbiomes are obligate symbionts constantly adapting to their unique surroundings. Indigenous commensal species are capable of both maintaining dominance and evoking host immune responses to eliminate invading species. Temporary damage to the pharyngeal microbiome due to the impaired local epithelia is also considered an important predisposing risk factor for infections. Therefore, reinforcement of microbiome homeostasis to prevent invasion of infection-prone species would provide a novel treatment strategy in addition to antibiotic treatment and vaccination. Hence continued research efforts on evaluating probiotic treatment and developing appropriate procedures are necessary to both prevent and treat respiratory infections.
文摘The mixed forests of the upper Rio Negro at the northern of the Amazon basin grow in oxisol soils that are extremely infertile. These areas exhibit deficiencies in several macro-nutrients, and may also be characterized by the shortage or toxic excess of some micronutrients. The overall goal of this research is to collect more comprehensive information regarding the micronutrient composition of the upper Rio Negro forests as well as discern the relationship between leaf micro- and macro-nutrients that may contribute to the homeostasis and balance of the ionome. Firstly, the nutrient composition within the oxisol soil and leaf tissues of two top canopy tree species from the mixed forests was determined. We then analyzed the relationship between leaf micronutrient composition with N and P levels of the two species and that of species inhabiting the Amazon caatinga. Extractable soil Zn, B, Mn and Cu were very low in the mixed forest. In contrast, Fe and Al levels were potentially toxic. The analysis of leaf N/P ratios revealed for the first time the co-limitation of N and P in the mixed forest. This contrasts with species from the adjacent Amazon caatinga toposequence that are characterized by strong N limitation. All micronutrients within leaves of species inhabiting the mixed forest were also found to have low concentrations. Moreover, Fe and Al were detected at concentrations well below those reported for accumulator species. This suggested that leaf ion homeostasis was maintained under potentially toxic soil Fe and Al conditions. Leaf micronutrient (Fe, Zn and B) contents mirrored that of leaf N and P contents, and comparable Fe/N, Fe/P, Zn/N, Zn/P, B/N as well as B/P ratios were found across species and forest types. Therefore, forest species exhibited the capability to maintain leaf nutrient balances under soil conditions with deficient or toxic levels of micronutrients.
