Angeles)—The UCLA Center fosters interdiscipli-
nary research to develop systematic evaluation of
the safety and efficacy of botanical dietary supple-
ments. The CDSRB is:
- Determining the effects of putative active ingre-
dients (lovastatin in Chinese Red Yeast Rice,
EGCG in Green Tea, Hypericin in St. John‘s
wort)compared to the combination of com-
pounds (Monacolin, Catechins, Hyperforin/Hyper-
icin) that naturally occur in these botanicals; - Examining the specific immune-enhancing
actions of Echinacea; - Establishing a screening assay for plant estro-
gens; - Developing information on the bioavailability of
flavonoids; and - Assessing the inhibitory effects of soy
isoflavones compared to genistein on prostate
cancer growth.
RESEARCH TRAINING
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS
NCCAM provides individual National Research
Service Awards (NRSAs)to postdoctoral fellows
with aim of developing a cadre of investigators
capable of conducting rigorous CAM research.
Yihui He, PhD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
Center
Antihyperglycemic Activities of Bamboo
Shoot Phytosterol—Dr. He will examine a
potential antihyperglycemic effect of bamboo
shoot and its ethanol and methanol extracts using
diabetic rodent models 3T3-L1 (preadipocyte)and
L6 (myoblast)cell lines. The proposed study aims
at (1)identifying active antihyperglycemic phytos-
terols present in the solvent extracts using a
genetic diabetic mouse model; (2) the active phy-
tosterols for their effects on oral glucose tolerance
and insulin sensitivity in streptozotocin diabetic
rats fed a high-fructose diet; and (3) examining
the effects of the phytosterols on glucose uptake
GLUT4 mRNA levels in both the adipocyte and
muscle cell lines.
Shujia Pan, PhD,University of Texas at Austin
Ginseng’s Effects on mRNA Profiles in a Dia-
betes-2 Model—The objectives of this postdoc-
toral fellowship training are to study (1) the effects
of herbal medicine on diabetes and metabolism; (2)
the effects complementary intervention (including
diet and exercise); and (3) molecular biology tech-
niques on the control of gene expression.CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARDS
Mentored Research Scientist Development
Award—(provides support of a scientist, commit-
ted to research, in need of both advanced research
training and additional experience)Raymond G. Devries, PhD, St. Olaf College
An Ethnographic Study of Institutional
Review Boards—This Mentored Research Scien-
tist Development Award in Research Ethics
focuses on describing the social influences on
Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and the deci-
sions they generate.The research has two aims:(1)
to promote the development of the applicant as a
scholar in the ethics of research on human sub-
jects and (2) to address the behavior and effec-
tiveness of IRBs.
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research
Career Development Award—(provides support
for the career development of an investigator who
has made a commitment to focus his/her research
endeavors on patient-oriented research, for three to
five years of supervised study and research for clini-
cally trained professionals who have the potential to
develop into productive, clinical investigators)Bruce Barrett, MD, PhD, University of Wisconsin
Medical School
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career
Development—Dr. Barrett will design and imple-
ment randomized trials of Echinacea for upper res-
piratory infection (URI)to test the efficacy of early
Echinacea as treatment for URI.INSTITUTIONAL TRAINING GRANTS
NCCAM awards grants to institutions to establish
programs for individuals to train for careers in238 The Encyclopedia of Complementary and Alternative Medicine