Guarana (Paullinia cupana) is a plant native to the central Amazon and has been used medicinally for centuries. It has a popular reputation of being a stimulant and an aphrodisiac, as well as exhibiting gastric-protective effects. Guarana contains caffeine and other similar chemicals and has been used for the treatment of diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue. Evaluation in patients with cancer has been performed related to the symptoms of fatigue, hot flashes, sleep-wake disturbances, and depression.
Psychotherapy involves a variety of approaches to structured therapeutic interaction between a trained professional and a client addressing problems that are psychological in nature. Group psychotherapy involves providing this therapy in a setting that includes a group of patients.
Juice from grapes is rich in flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties and act as scavengers of free radicals. This may inhibit related damage to cells. The effect of grape juice ingestion as an adjunct to antiemetics was tested in patients with cancer for management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). Flavonoids were hypothesized to reduce the severity of chemotherapy-related cell damage, thereby reducing one of the possible stimuli for CINV.
Granulocytes, a type of white blood cell, may be obtained from donors via apheresis or from the separation of component parts of standard blood donation. Granulocyte transfusion is the administration of ABO matched granulocytes. Granulocyte transfusion has been examined in patients with cancer, particularly those undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation, for the prevention or treatment of infection.
Goshajinkigan is a Japanese herbal medicine composed of 10 ingredients that is reported to affect sensory nerves. This preparation was studied for its effectiveness in preventing and managing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone is a female sex hormone that increases estrogen production. Agonists to this hormone, including recombinant gonadotropin-releasing hormone and leuprolide, decrease estrogen production to induce a therapeutic amenorrhea. This approach has been evaluated in women undergoing severe myelosuppressive therapy to prevent excessive bleeding from menstrual periods.
Granulocyte macrophage–colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a substance that binds to hemopoetic stem cells, activating them to profliferate and differentiate into granulocytes and macrophages. Colony-stimulating factors also have local effects related to immune response and wound healing; local application has been evaluated in the treatment of mucositis. In this particular intervention, gauze was impregnated with GM-CSF solution and studied for its effect on prevention of radiodermatitis.
Ray Gel is the brand name of a gel formulation containing reduced glutathione, L-cysteine, and anthocyanins with potential antioxidant, immunostimulating, and chemoprotective activities. Reduced glutathione is the primary cellular antioxidant and plays important roles in the antioxidation of free radicals. In addition, glutathione affects DNA synthesis and repair and exerts immunostimulating activity by increasing the production of interleukin-2.
Glutathione is a peptide that contains one amino acid residue each of glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine that occurs widely in plant and animal tissues and plays an important role in biologic oxidation-reduction processes and as a coenzyme. Glutathione is used in metabolic and biochemical reactions such as DNA synthesis and repair, as well as synthesis of a variety of other proteins and operation of multiple body systems. Glutathione is synthesized by the body and is also present naturally in many foods.
Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body, comprising 60% of the free amino acid pool. Glutamine requirements increase during periods of metabolic stress and, therefore, glutamine is considered a conditionally essential amino acid. Glutamine is the primary fuel for rapidly dividing cells, including enterocytes, colonocytes, fibroblasts, and lymphocytes.