Effects of Coleus Forskohlii Supplementation on Body Composition and Hematological Profiles in Mildly Overweight Women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Purpose</p> <p>This study investigated the effects of <it>Coleus Forskohlii </it>(CF) on body composition, and determined the safety and efficacy of supplementation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In a double blind and randomized manner, 23 females supplemented their diet with ForsLean™ (250 mg of 10% CF extract, (n = 7) or a placebo [P] (n = 12) two times per day for 12-wks. Body composition (DEXA), body weight, and psychometric instruments were obtained at 0, 4, 8 & 12 weeks of supplementation. Fasting blood samples and dietary records (4-d) were obtained at 0 and 12-wks. Side effects were recorded on a weekly basis. Data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA and are presented as mean changes from baseline for the CF and placebo groups, respectively.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>No significant differences were observed in caloric or macronutrient intake. CF tended to mitigate gains in body mass (-0.7 ± 1.8, 1.0 ± 2.5 kg, p = 0.10) and scanned mass (-0.2 ± 1.3, 1.7 ± 2.9 kg, p = 0.08) with no significant differences in fat mass (-0.2 ± 0.7, 1.1 ± 2.3 kg, p = 0.16), fat free mass (-0.1 ± 1.3, 0.6 ± 1.2 kg, p = 0.21), or body fat (-0.2 ± 1.0, 0.4 ± 1.4%, p = 0.40). Subjects in the CF group tended to report less fatigue (p = 0.07), hunger (p = 0.02), and fullness (p = 0.04). No clinically significant interactions were seen in metabolic markers, blood lipids, muscle and liver enzymes, electrolytes, red cells, white cells, hormones (insulin, TSH, T3, and T4), heart rate, blood pressure, or weekly reports of side effects.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results suggest that CF does not appear to promote weight loss but may help mitigate weight gain in overweight females with apparently no clinically significant side effects.</p

Monophasic synovial sarcoma of the pharynx: a case report

Synovial sarcomas are a rare form of soft tissue sarcomas. We present a case of a 62 year-old male presenting with a left thyroid lump initially though to be a thyroid adenoma but subsequently diagnosed as a monophasic synovial sarcoma of the pharynx. We discuss the diagnosis and treatment of this case

Comparing linear and circular supply chains: A case study from the construction industry

© 2016 Elsevier B.V. In the last decades, green and sustainable supply chain management practices have been developed in efforts to try and reduce the negative consequences of production and consumption processes on the environment. In parallel to this, the circular economy discourse has been propagated in the industrial ecology and production economics literature and, lately, in business and practice. The ideals of circular economy principles suggests that the frontiers of environmental sustainability can be pushed by emphasising the idea of transforming products in such a way that there are workable relationships between ecological systems and economic growth. By arguing for these ideals to be integrated into green supply chain management theory and practice, the paper uses a case study from the construction industry to demonstrate the environmental gains in terms of carbon emissions that can be achieved through some circular economy principles as against traditional linear production systems. The paper therefore asserts that an integration of circular economy principles within sustainable supply chain management can provide clear advantages from an environmental point view despite some external supply chain influences and scenarios. Further to this, emerging supply chain management challenges and market dynamics are also highlighted and discussed

Peptide-Induced Biomineralization of Tin Oxide (SnO₂) Nanoparticles for Antibacterial Applications

Recently, there has been growing attention and effort to search for new microbicidal drugs which present different mode of action from those already existing, as an alternative to the global threat of fungal and bacterial multi drug resistance (MDR). Here we propose biological synthesis of SnO2 nanoparticles using mammalian cells as an economic and ecofriendly platform. This presents a novel biogenic method for SnO2 synthesis using metal binding peptides extracted from MCF-7 human cancer cells, which induces the biomineralization of SnO2 nanoparticles. A series of electron donor functional groups and metal binding sites in these peptides reacts with Sn2+ ions and directs the growth of SnO2 nanoparticles without addition of toxic redox and capping agents in the reaction system. Since peptides present reactive sites in aqueous solution at room temperature, a facile reaction environment can be easily achieved. Furthermore, by tuning the reactants' concentration and pH, the size, shape and 3D-structures of SnO2 nanoparticles can be controlled. Peptides also ensure biocompatibility, and SnO2 nanoparticles provide antibacterial properties, which broadens their applications in biomedical fields