QUANTIFICATION OF XYLOPIC ACID AND CHROMATOGRAPHIC FINGERPRINT EVALUATIONS OF THE DRIED FRUITS OF XYLOPIA AETHIOPICA FROM FOUR AFRICAN COUNTRIES

Dunal) A. Rich, (herein called XYA), family Annonaceae, commonly known as “Guinea pepper”, “Ethiopian pepper” or “Negro pepper”, are widely used in traditional African medicines to treat a wide array of diseases including malaria, fungal infections, rheumatism, arthritis, etc. Scientific investigations have ascribed the following activities to the fruits of XYA; anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiplasmodial, analgesic, anti-nociceptive, anti-proliferative, spermatogenic and neuropharmacological effects. The main active principle reported is xylopic acid (XA), a kaurene diterpene. This study aimed to develop and validate a simple HPLC/UV (high performance liquid chromatography – ultraviolet detection) analytical method for the quantification of XA that can be reproduced in poor-resource settings where advanced analytical detection techniques such as HPLC-MS are unavailable. Materials and Methods: Thus in this study, a simple C18 solid-phase extraction (SPE) column-pretreatment ─ HPLC/UV analytical procedure was developed for the quantification of XA in the dried fruits of XYA from four African countries, Benin, Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria. The samples of XYA from the four countries were assessed for similarities using chromatographic fingerprinting. Results: The HPLC method was validated for linearity, limits of detection and quantification, precision and accuracy. The samples of XYA from Cameroon were found to have the highest average content of XA while those from Benin had the lowest average content of XA. Conclusion: Using the chromatographic fingerprint evaluation, the similarities of the samples from the four countries to the reference chromatogram was in the order: Benin > Cameroon > Nigeria > Ghana. Key words: Xylopia aethiopica, xylopic acid, C1

Trans-omics biomarker model improves prognostic prediction accuracy for early-stage lung adenocarcinoma

Limited studies have focused on developing prognostic models with trans-omics biomarkers for early-stage lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). We performed integrative analysis of clinical information, DNA methylation, and gene expression data using 825 early-stage LUAD patients from 5 cohorts. Ranger algorithm was used to screen prognosis-associated biomarkers, which were confirmed with a validation phase. Clinical and biomarker information was fused using an iCluster plus algorithm, which significantly distinguished patients into high- and low-mortality risk groups (Pdiscovery = 0.01 and Pvalidation = 2.71×10-3). Further, potential functional DNA methylation-gene expression-overall survival pathways were evaluated by causal mediation analysis. The effect of DNA methylation level on LUAD survival was significantly mediated through gene expression level. By adding DNA methylation and gene expression biomarkers to a model of only clinical data, the AUCs of the trans-omics model improved by 18.3% (to 87.2%) and 16.4% (to 85.3%) in discovery and validation phases, respectively. Further, concordance index of the nomogram was 0.81 and 0.77 in discovery and validation phases, respectively. Based on systematic review of published literatures, our model was superior to all existing models for early-stage LUAD. In summary, our trans-omics model may help physicians accurately identify patients with high mortality risk

Study Destination Choice and Career Preferences of International Students at China Pharmaceutical University

This study had two main thematic aims: first, to determine the factors that influenced the choice of international students at China Pharmaceutical University (CPU) to consider China as a study destination; second, to determine the career preferences of international students upon completion of their various programs of study. As a cross-sectional study, relevant data were collected from undergraduate pharmacy students and postgraduates using a self-administered questionnaire. On the whole, the five most important pull factors that influenced the choice of China as the study destination for the respondents were: (1) quality of education, (2) quality of academic staff, (3) security, (4) desire to obtain a certificate from a foreign country and (5) availability of scholarship opportunities. With respect to the career choices, the top three career preferences of the international students were: (1) to work in the pharmaceutical industry (i.e., pharmaceutical manufacturing companies), (2) to practice clinical pharmacy and (3) to seek employment opportunities outside their countries. This study provides additional details on why China has gradually become a study destination of choice for international students. The career preferences of students could be useful in the design of academic programs that could meet their job aspirations

<i>Xylopia aethiopica</i> Seeds from Two Countries in West Africa Exhibit Differences in Their Proteomes, Mineral Content and Bioactive Phytochemical Composition

Aside from its multiple medicinal uses, the fruit of Xylopia aethiopica is widely used in Africa as food. Herein, we characterize the protein profiles, mineral content and bioactive phytochemical composition of the seeds of this plant sourced in Ghana and Nigeria. Using label-free proteomics, a total of 677 proteins were identified, with 260 found in the Ghana-sourced samples while 608 proteins were detected in the samples from Nigeria. However, 114 proteins were common between the samples from the two countries, among which 48 were significantly changed. Bioinformatics and functional analyses revealed that the differential levels of the proteins were mainly linked to pathways involved amino acids metabolism and biosynthesis. The significantly changed proteins related mainly to catalytic activity and carbon metabolism. The samples from Nigeria also exhibited superior qualities in terms of their antioxidant effects, and total phenolic and flavonoid content. Finally, only the content of Na varied to a statistically significant level. This study lends support to its culinary use and hints towards the impact of location of cultivation on the quality of the seeds. There is however need for further mechanistic investigations to unravel the underlying reasons for the observed differences

Evaluation of various drying approaches on the physicochemical properties, rehydration kinetics, mathematical modeling and quality of tiger nut (Cyperus esculentum)

In this study, the quality and physicochemical properties as well as rehydration kinetics of dried tiger nuts were examined in relation to four different drying techniques. Tiger nuts were dried using the infrared dryer (ID), hot air dryer (HA-D), electric oven dryer (EOD), and sun dryer (SD). Effects of models on the rehydration kinetics of tiger nuts processing (drying) under various drying processes were tested, along with the antioxidation, sensory qualities, total phenolic content (TPC), moisture content (MC), and chromatic aspects of the dried slices. The Weibull model had the highest coefficient of determination (R2) > 0.99, residual sum of squares (RSS), reduced chi-square (2), and root mean square error (RMSE). In terms of chromatic characteristics, antioxidation, DPPH (83.55 mgTE/g db) and TPC (72.28 mg GAE/g db), the ID-tiger nut samples had the highest retention rates with lowest MC (5.67%). The dried samples varied significantly from HA-D, EOD, and SD in terms of their rehydration ratio (RR) and rehydration kinetics (p  HA-D > EOD >SD

A new two-dimensional chromatographic method for separation of saponins from steamed Panax notoginseng

The root and rhizome of Panax notoginseng (PNG) are used as folk medicine. Recent studies have reported PNG to possess immunomodulatory, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, anti-diabetic and anticancer activities among a host of other pharmacological effects. The main active constituents responsible for these pharmacological effects are saponins. It has also been proven that the chemical constituents of steamed PNG differs from the raw form. Traditional methods of separating individual components in crude extracts are usually tedious, almost irreproducible and time-consuming. In this study, an automated multi-step preparative separation system, known as Sepbox afforded a quick, reproducible and fast separation of saponins from PNG. With Sepbox, a total of 11 saponins of high purity were obtained in a short period of time. The separated compounds were identified as notoginsenosides R1, T5, ginsenosides Rb1, Rg1, Rg2, Rh1, Rh4, Rd, 20 (S) -Rg3 and a mixture of ginsenosides Rk1 and Rg5. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved