Effect of processing on the quality, composition and antioxidant properties of Terminalia catappa (Indian almond) seed oil

This study was aimed at extracting and purifying T. catappa seed oil with a view to investigating the effect of processing on the composition and antioxidant activity of the oil. Oil was extracted from the dried and roasted T. catappa seed and subjected to degumming and bleaching. The different processed oils were analysed for their fatty acid, phytosterols, and fat soluble vitamins composition. Antioxidant properties of the oils were also determined by measuring the Diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and inhibition of heat induced peroxidation. Roasting and processing caused a reduction in acid value, increased peroxide value, but had no effect on the iodine and saponification values of T. catappa oil. Palmitic acid was the most abundant saturated fatty acid (42.466%) while oleic acid was the most abundant unsaturated fatty acid (23.445%). Roasting significantly reduced fatty acid concentration of the oil, and bleaching of both unroasted and roasted oils increased the concentration of fatty acids except linoleic acid. Gamma-sitosterol and Betasitosterol were present in appreciable amounts only in the crude oils. Roasting increased Vitamins A and D concentrations but drastically reduced that of vitamin E. Degumming had no effect on the fat soluble vitamins of T. catappa oil, but bleaching significantly reduced the concentrations of all the vitamins. The DPPH radical scavenging activity of the seed oil was between 26.93 ± 15.42% and 65.47 ± 31.59%. Refining increased the free radical scavenging activity of the unroasted oil, but did not affect the antioxidant activity of roasted oil. The capacity of the oil in preventing heat induced peroxidation was comparable to that of Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Processing of the oil significantly increased its antioxidant activity. Loss of vitamin E did not affect the antioxidant activity of the oil. Thus, suggesting the presence of a heat stable antioxidant in the oil. This study indicated T. catappa seed oil to be potential pharmaceutical oil with good antioxidant characteristics.Key words: Terminalia catappa, composition, antioxidant, processing, oi

Crossing boundaries: teacher trainers and science curriculum implementation in East Timor

In-service teacher training is being implemented in East Timor in order to help Timorese teachers, who are ill-prepared to exploit new educational resources, as part of the restructuring of the secondary education curriculum in Portuguese. Such in-service teacher training has been implemented for all 14 disciplines, including the science and technology ones. Taking into account such issues, the purpose of the study is to i) characterize the Chemistry, Geology and Physics teacher training being implemented, using the new educational resources; ii) identify changes in the pedagogical practices of Timorese teachers resulting from such training and iii) identify possible constraints on quality pedagogical practice. The research paradigm adopted in this study is constructivist-interpretative, with the qualitative study as its organizing perspective. In conducting this study, semi-structured interviews were carried out with three Portuguese trainers at the beginning of 2014 and some training sessions were directly observed and audio recorded. Content analysis, guided by specific categories, was used to analyse the collected data. Findings show that the in-service teacher training developed in all of the three areas focused on subjects and teaching and learning methodologies regarding the new educational resources produced. The Timorese teachers have introduced some changes in pedagogical practices, such as group work and questioning. However, there is still much to do. The in-service teacher training needs to continue to support an appropriate use of these resources. It is also important to simultaneously focus on improvements in Timorese school infrastructures, and on the continuous training of Timorese trainers in the Portuguese language

Cleavage of an engulfment peptidoglycan hydrolase by a sporulation signature protease in <em>Clostridioides difficile</em>

\ua9 2024 The Author(s). Molecular Microbiology published by John Wiley &amp; Sons Ltd.In the model organism Bacillus subtilis, a signaling protease produced in the forespore, SpoIVB, is essential for the activation of the sigma factor σK, which is produced in the mother cell as an inactive pro-protein, pro-σK. SpoIVB has a second function essential to sporulation, most likely during cortex synthesis. The cortex is composed of peptidoglycan (PG) and is essential for the spore\u27s heat resistance and dormancy. Surprisingly, the genome of the intestinal pathogen Clostridioides difficile, in which σK is produced without a pro-sequence, encodes two SpoIVB paralogs, SpoIVB1 and SpoIVB2. Here, we show that spoIVB1 is dispensable for sporulation, while a spoIVB2 in-frame deletion mutant fails to produce heat-resistant spores. The spoIVB2 mutant enters sporulation, undergoes asymmetric division, and completes engulfment of the forespore by the mother cell but fails to synthesize the spore cortex. We show that SpoIIP, a PG hydrolase and part of the engulfasome, the machinery essential for engulfment, is cleaved by SpoIVB2 into an inactive form. Within the engulfasome, the SpoIIP amidase activity generates the substrates for the SpoIID lytic transglycosylase. Thus, following engulfment completion, the cleavage and inactivation of SpoIIP by SpoIVB2 curtails the engulfasome hydrolytic activity, at a time when synthesis of the spore cortex peptidoglycan begins. SpoIVB2 is also required for normal late gene expression in the forespore by a currently unknown mechanism. Together, these observations suggest a role for SpoIVB2 in coordinating late morphological and gene expression events between the forespore and the mother cell

Natural Coumarins: Exploring the Pharmacological Complexity and Underlying Molecular Mechanisms

Coumarins belong to the benzopyrone family commonly found in many medicinal plants. Natural coumarins demonstrated a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, anticancer, antibacterial, antimalarial, casein kinase-2 (CK2) inhibitory, antifungal, antiviral, Alzheimer's disease inhibition, neuroprotective, anticonvulsant, phytoalexins, ulcerogenic, and antihypertensive. There are very few studies on the bioavailability of coumarins; therefore, further investigations are necessitated to study the bioavailability of different coumarins which already showed good biological activities in previous studies. On the evidence of varied pharmacological properties, the present work presents an overall review of the derivation, availability, and biological capacities of coumarins with further consideration of the essential mode of their therapeutic actions. In conclusion, a wide variety of coumarins are available, and their pharmacological activities are of current interest thanks to their synthetic accessibility and riches in medicinal plants. Coumarins perform the valuable function as therapeutic agents in a range of medical fields

Chemical injuries of the oesophagus: aetiopathological issues in Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chemical injuries of the oesophagus occur worldwide. There is paucity of information on aetiopathological profile of chemical injuries of the oesophagus in Nigeria.</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>The aim of the study was to determine the aetiopathological pattern of chemical injuries of the oesophagus in Nigeria.</p> <p>Materials and methods</p> <p>This is a multi-centre hospital based study in Lagos metropolis spanning a period of 10 years.</p> <p>The patients' bio data, substances ingested, sources of corrosives, reasons for ingesting corrosives and patients' mental state were recorded.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In all, there were 78 patients (61 Males, 17 Females). The offending agents were acids in 55.1% of cases and it was accidental ingestion in 62 patients. The highest incidence of 57.6% was found in the middle 1/3 of the oesophagus.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Accidental ingestion of acids is the commonest cause of oesophageal injuries in Nigeria. The incidence of severe strictures necessitating oesophageal substitution could be reduced if early management of corrosive oesophagitis improves in Nigeria.</p

Veronica plants-drifting from farm to traditional healing, food application, and phytopharmacology

The Veronica genus, with more than 200 species, belongs to the Plantaginaceae family and is distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere and in many parts of Southern Hemisphere. These plants are traditionally used in medicine for wound healing, in the treatment of rheumatism, and in different human diseases. This paper reviews the chemical composition of some valuable Veronica species, the possibilities Veronica extracts have in food preservation and as food ingredients, and their functional properties. Veronica species represent a valuable source of biological active secondary metabolites, including iridoid glycosides and phenolic compounds. In particular, due to presence of these phytochemicals, Veronica species exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antimicrobial and antioxidant. In fact, some studies suggest that some Veronica extracts can inhibit foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, but only a few of them were performed in food systems. Moreover, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and other bioactivities were reported in vitro and in vivo. The bioactivity of Veronica plants was demonstrated, but further studies in food systems and in humans are required.M.d.M.C. is grateful for funding from the “Acción 6 del Plan de Apoyo a la Investigación de la Universidad de Jaén, 2017–2019”. N. Martins would like to thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-Portugal) for the Strategic project ref. UID/BIM/04293/2013 and “NORTE2020 – Northern Regional Operational Program” (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012)

Paving Plant-Food-Derived Bioactives as Effective Therapeutic Agents in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, where social and communication deficits and repetitive behaviors are present. Plant-derived bioactives have shown promising results in the treatment of autism. In this sense, this review is aimed at providing a careful view on the use of plant-derived bioactive molecules for the treatment of autism. Among the plethora of bioactives, curcumin, luteolin, and resveratrol have revealed excellent neuroprotective effects and can be effectively used in the treatment of neuropsychological disorders. However, the number of clinical trials is limited, and none of them have been approved for the treatment of autism or autism-related disorder. Further clinical studies are needed to effectively assess the real potential of such bioactive molecules.N.C.-M. acknowledges the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the Horizon 2020 Program (PTDC/PSI-GER/28076/2017)

Apium plants: Beyond simple food and phytopharmacological applications

Apium plants belong to the Apiaceae family and are included among plants that have been in use in traditional medicine for thousands of years worldwide, including in the Mediterranean, as well as the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa. Some highlighted medical benefits include prevention of coronary and vascular diseases. Their phytochemical constituents consist of bergapten, flavonoids, glycosides, furanocoumarins, furocoumarin, limonene, psoralen, xanthotoxin, and selinene. Some of their pharmacological properties include anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, nematocidal, anti-rheumatism, antiasthma, anti-bronchitis, hepatoprotective, appetizer, anticonvulsant, antispasmodic, breast milk inducer, anti-jaundice, antihypertensive, anti-dysmenorrhea, prevention of cardiovascular diseases, and spermatogenesis induction. The present review summarizes data on ecology, botany, cultivation, habitat, medicinal use, phytochemical composition, preclinical and clinical pharmacological efficacy of Apium plants and provides future direction on how to take full advantage of Apium plants for the optimal benefit to mankind.N. Martins would like to thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT-Portugal) for the strategic project ref. UID/BIM/04293/2013 and “NORTE2020-Northern Regional Operational Program” (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012)