Secondary metabolites of the argan tree (Morocco) may have disease prevention properties

The argan tree (Argania spinosa L. Skeels) is native to Morocco, where after the Holly oak it constitutes the second most common tree in the country. Recent studies suggest that dietary argan oil, an endemic seed oil from argan fruits, may have a relevant role in disease prevention, and its consumption could protect against atherosclerosis and cancer. Unfortunately, in less than a century, more than a third of the forest has disappeared. It is therefore imperative to improve the tree\'s production potential so that it can regain its key position in the agricultural systems of the region. On the basis of ethnobotanical knowledge, researchers are screening metabolites of this rare plant to identify bioactive compounds for the development of new therapeutic agents and food supplements. This includes studies on secondary metabolites with chemopreventive activities. In this review, a complete outline of components (triglycerides, unsaponifiable, phenolic antioxidants and aroma constituents) are described. Finally, a discussion of the biological functions of the polar and non-polar A. spinosa products which have been evaluated using a range of in vitro bioassays are described.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (5), pp. 381-388, 200

Dual role of BdMUTE during stomatal development in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon.

Grasses form morphologically derived, four-celled stomata, where two dumbbell-shaped guard cells (GCs) are flanked by two lateral subsidiary cells (SCs). This innovative form enables rapid opening and closing kinetics and efficient plant-atmosphere gas exchange. The mobile bHLH transcription factor MUTE is required for SC formation in grasses. Yet, if and how MUTE also regulates GC development and if MUTE mobility is required for SC recruitment is unclear. Here, we transgenically impaired BdMUTE mobility from GC to SC precursors in the emerging model grass Brachypodium distachyon. Our data indicates that reduced BdMUTE mobility severely affected the spatiotemporal coordination of GC and SC development. Furthermore, while BdMUTE has a cell-autonomous role in GC division orientation, complete dumbbell morphogenesis of GCs required SC recruitment. Finally, leaf-level gas exchange measurements showed that dosage-dependent complementation of the four-celled grass morphology was mirrored in a gradual physiological complementation of stomatal kinetics. Together, our work revealed a dual role of grass MUTE in regulating GC division orientation and SC recruitment, which in turn was required for GC morphogenesis and the rapid kinetics of grass stomata

A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials evaluating the evidence base of melatonin, light exposure, exercise, and complementary and alternative medicine for patients with insomnia disorder

Insomnia is a prevalent disorder and it leads to relevant impairment in health-related quality of life. Recent clinical guidelines pointed out that Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) should be considered as first-line intervention. Nevertheless, many other interventions are commonly used by patients or have been proposed as effective for insomnia. These include melatonin, light exposure, exercise, and complementary and alternative medicine. Evaluation of comparable effectiveness of these interventions with first-line intervention for insomnia is however still lacking. We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis on the effects of these interventions. PubMed, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, MEDLINE, and CINAHL were systematically searched and 40 studies were included in the systematic review, while 36 were entered into the meta-analysis. Eight network meta-analyses were conducted. Findings support effectiveness of melatonin in improving sleep-onset difficulties and of meditative movement therapies for self-report sleep efficiency and severity of the insomnia disorder. Some support was observed for exercise, hypnotherapy, and transcranial magnetic resonance, but the number of studies for these interventions is still too small. None of the considered interventions received superior evidence to CBT-I, which should be more widely disseminated in primary care

Opposite polarity programs regulate asymmetric subsidiary cell divisions in grasses.

Grass stomata recruit lateral subsidiary cells (SCs), which are key to the unique stomatal morphology and the efficient plant-atmosphere gas exchange in grasses. Subsidiary mother cells (SMCs) strongly polarise before an asymmetric division forms a SC. Yet apart from a proximal polarity module that includes PANGLOSS1 (PAN1) and guides nuclear migration, little is known regarding the developmental processes that form SCs. Here, we used comparative transcriptomics of developing wild-type and SC-less bdmute leaves in the genetic model grass Brachypodium distachyon to identify novel factors involved in SC formation. This approach revealed BdPOLAR, which forms a novel, distal polarity domain in SMCs that is opposite to the proximal PAN1 domain. Both polarity domains are required for the formative SC division yet exhibit various roles in guiding pre-mitotic nuclear migration and SMC division plane orientation, respectively. Nonetheless, the domains are linked as the proximal domain controls polarisation of the distal domain. In summary, we identified two opposing polarity domains that coordinate the SC division, a process crucial for grass stomatal physiology

Ultra-cold Polarized Fermi Gases

Recent experiments with ultra-cold atoms have demonstrated the possibility of realizing experimentally fermionic superfluids with imbalanced spin populations. We discuss how these developments have shed a new light on a half- century old open problem in condensed matter physics, and raised new interrogations of their own.Comment: 27 pages; 8 figures; Published in Report in Rep. Prog. Phys. 73 112401 (2010