"Hormetic" responses are intrinsic to biology

[Muckerheide <muckerheide@attbi.com>]

Friends,



A current report further to the fact that the biological responses

underlying "hormesis" (taking "hormesis" as limited to the condition of an

enhanced macroscopic endpoint) is intrinsic to biology.



Note that vitamins may not have a macroscopic endpoint if the "controls" do

not have rickets or scurvy, etc. :-)



Regards, Jim Muckerheide





Ned Tijdschr Tandheelkd 2002 Sep;109(9):334-8

[Article in Dutch]

ten Bosch JJ.

Disciplinegroep Biomaterialen, Faculteit der Medische Wetenschappen,

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Postbus 196 9700 AD Groningen.

j.j.ten.bosch@med.rug.nl

A soft laser is a low-power laser emitting in the red and near-infrared part

of the spectrum. Studies with cell cultures have shown that radiation from a

soft laser, when used under proper conditions, promotes cell function and

cell proliferation. However, wavelength and dose should be carefully

adjusted to an optimum value: too low a dose does not work and neither does

a high dose. The dose should be adjusted within an interval of about 10%. In

a few animal studies a positive effect on wound healing has been

demonstrated, although other studies did not show such an effect. Of the

human studies done in the dental field, many do not meet scientific

standards because there was no control group or the study was not

double-blind. A few studies showed a positive effect but most did not.

Perhaps the large variation in results may be explained by the required

accuracy of adjustment of the dose, combined with the complicated processes

that relate the incident dose to the dose to cells lying on or in tissue.

More research, in particular studies in which the dose and wave length are

varied systematically, are needed before responsible clinical use can be

recommended.



************************************************************************

You are currently subscribed to the Radsafe mailing list. To unsubscribe,

send an e-mail to Majordomo@list.vanderbilt.edu  Put the text "unsubscribe

radsafe" (no quote marks) in the body of the e-mail, with no subject line.

You can view the Radsafe archives at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/radsafe/