EVALUATION OF QUANTITATIVE ELEMENTAL COMPOSITIONS AND ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIALS OF SPONDIAS MOMBIN EXTRACTS (LINN), A PRECURSOR AGAINST INFECTIOUS DISEASES

The purpose of this research work is to investigate the elemental composition and antioxidant potentials of Spondias mombin (leaf, root and stem bark) at concentration of 10, 20 and 5mg/ml. using different conventional laboratory methods, also to determine the antioxidant potentials of Spondias mombin. The element present are Sodium (Na), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Zinc (Zn), Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb), Copper(Cu), Manganese (Mn), Potasium (K) and Phosphorus (P).it was observed that all elements were present at appreciable quantity. It was observed that the highest and lowest quantity were found in Zinc (20.34) and Cu (1.22) for the leaf extract, Potasium (24.98) and (2.14) for stem bark, Calcium (29.35) and Pb (2.91) for the root extract. Pb has minimal quantity in all parts of Spondias mombin extract. P value< 0.0001, Significantly different standard deviations. The antioxidant composition are FRAP, DPPH, Fe2+,ABTS, H2O2 and superoxide. The percentage composition of FRAP, DPPH, Fe2+,ABTS, SO and H2O2, superoxide phenol and flavonoid were elucidated, it was observed that ABTS has the highest composition in the stem bark and superoxide (SO) has the lowest content in the aqueous root extract of Spondias mombin.it can be deduced that Spondias mombin is a very important medicinal plant which should not go into extinction, its uses, efficacy and importance should not be over emphasis for the fact that it is rich in both elemental and antioxidants potential, therefore, its cultivation and day to day usage of Spondias mombin should be therefore be encouraged

Polypharmacy Among Headache Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Polypharmacy can appropriately treat multiple chronic conditions, but it can also increase potential harm. Polypharmacy information for primary headaches is minimal, despite drugs being the main tools to manage headaches. Objective The aim was to evaluate the prevalence, characteristics and risk factors of polypharmacy in patients with primary headaches and examine whether these variables differ between episodic and chronic headache patients. Methods We analysed polypharmacy (simultaneous use of five or more medications), medication type, comorbidity, and risk factors in 300 patients (mean age 42.81 ± 13.21 years) with primary headaches, divided into episodic and chronic, afferent to a headache centre. Results Patients took an average of 4.37 medications. Polypharmacy was common in 40.7% of patients, and among chronic patients, it reached 58.8%. Most patients used medications (mainly nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; 73.5%) to treat acute headaches, and 30.4% of episodic and 64.7% of chronic sufferers underwent prophylactic treatment (P < 0.0001), mostly using antidepressants (77.3%). Up to 76.7% of the cohort was taking other medications, primarily for acid-related disorders (21.7%). Comorbidities were present in 59.7% of the cohort. Variables significantly associated with polypharmacy were comorbidities, prophylactic treatment, and triptans (P < 0.001). Conclusions Patients with primary headaches, mainly young adults, are exposed to high polypharmacy, comparable to that of the elderly. Because increased numbers of drugs increase the risk of adverse reactions, the many medications concomitantly taken by primary headache sufferers should be frequently reviewed

Investigation of the pigment use in the Tomb of the Reliefs and other tombs in the Etruscan Banditaccia Necropolis

The pigment use in the Tomb of the Reliefs (4th century BC) and four other tombs (7th-4th century BC) in the Etruscan Banditaccia Necropolis near Cerveteri, Italy, has been investigated. We made use of XRF and Raman spot analysis, XRF imaging, IR luminescence and photography supported by Dstretch contrast enhancement. We identified the use of haematite, goethite, calcite, carbon black, manganese oxide, Tyrian purple and Egyptian blue, with the last three only found under the central burial place of the Tomb of the Reliefs. The tuff in which these tombs were cut proved to be a significant challenge for XRF analysis as the signals of Ca, Mn and Fe vary strongly due to the heterogeneity of the stone, so that it is difficult to distinguish between signals from the tuff and the pigments. Finally, we show that lightweight instruments transported in check-in luggage may not answer all questions on pigment use, but do provide additional insights

Targeting pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) with monoclonal antibodies in migraine prevention: a brief review

Introduction Interest is growing in the role of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) and its specific PAC1 receptor in migraine and in their antagonism as a strategy for migraine prevention. Areas covered We discuss and critically evaluate (i) the evidence of the role of PACAP in migraine pathophysiology and (ii) the first clinical trials in migraine prophylaxis with monoclonal antibodies AMG 301 and ALD1910 which act against PAC1 and PACAP38 respectively. We examined PubMed, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov electronic databases to examine the relevant material. Expert opinion There is much proof of the ability of PACAP to cause migraine, but there is limited evidence that blocking PACAP or PAC1 receptor can prevent migraine. However, the potential of anti-PACAP antibodies in migraine prophylaxis is high. Theoretically, if these antibodies block the activation of the trigeminovascular system, they will prevent the onset of migraine attacks. There are still knowledge gaps in the role of PACAP in migraine and the risk/benefit ratio of anti-PACAP antibodies must be carefully studied

Study of Black Core, ceramic tile’s defect, by a multi technique approach

The traditional ceramic industrial production, for most of its applications, i.e. Ceramic Tiles, Heavy Clay Products, Tableware and Sanitaryware, is often affected by the formation, during the firing process, of a dark color core, normally named “Black Core”, that can represent an aesthetical and technological problem. The true nature of this defect was never clearly stated, but it is known to be due to the presence of chromophores, like Iron, and organic or reducing materials, combined with a lack of permeability of the unfired body. A novel, mullti-approach study was made by XRD, XRF, SEM-EDS, FTIR and Mossbauer Spectroscopy, and by micro Raman spectroscopy and mapping, with the aim to clarify the morphology, the composition and the Iron oxidation state of this inner layer. Possible solutions were suggested, by the addition to the recipe of proper additives

Induced expression of the Fragaria × ananassa Rapid alkalinization factor-33-like gene decreases anthracnose ontogenic resistance of unripe strawberry fruit stages

Rapid alkalinization factor (RALF) genes encode for ubiquitous small peptides that stimulate apoplastic alkalinization through interaction with malectin-like receptor kinase. RALF peptides may act as negative regulators of plant immune response, inhibiting the formation of the signal receptor complex for immune activation. Recently RALF homologues were identified in different fungal pathogen genomes contributing to host infection ability. Here, FaRALF-33-like gene expression was evaluated in strawberry fruits inoculated with Colletotrichum acutatum, Botrytis cinerea, or Penicillium expansum after 24 and 48 h post-infection. To investigate the role of FaRALF-33-like in strawberry susceptibility, transient transformation was used to overexpress it in white unripe fruits and silence it in red ripe fruits. Agroinfiltrated fruits were inoculated with C. acutatum and expression, and histological analysis of infection were performed. Silencing of FaRALF-33-like expression in C. acutatum-inoculated red fruits led to a delay in fruit colonization by the fungal pathogen, and infected tissues showed less penetrated infective hyphae than in wild-type fruits. In contrast, C. acutatum-inoculated white unripe fruits overexpressing the FaRALF-33-like gene decreased the ontogenic resistance of these fruits, leading to the appearance of disease symptoms and penetrated subcuticular hyphae, normally absent in white unripe fruits. The different response of transfected strawberry fruits to C. acutatum supports the hypothesis that the FaRALF-33-like gene plays an important role in the susceptibility of fruits to the fungal pathogen C. acutatum.Fil: Merino, Maria Cecilia. Universidad de Bologna; Italia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Guidarelli, Michela. Universidad de Bologna; ItaliaFil: Negrini, Francesca. Universidad de Bologna; ItaliaFil: De Biase, Dario. Universidad de Bologna; ItaliaFil: Pession, Annalisa. Universidad de Bologna; ItaliaFil: Baraldi, Elena. Universidad de Bologna; Itali

Serum levels of allopregnanolone, progesterone and testosterone in menstrually-related and postmenopausal migraine: A cross-sectional study

Background: Reduced blood or cerebrospinal fluid levels of allopregnanolone are involved in menstrual cycle-linked CNS disorders, such as catamenial epilepsy. This condition, like menstrually-related migraine, is characterized by severe, treatment-resistant attacks. We explored whether there were differences in allopregnanolone, progesterone and testosterone serum levels between women with menstrually-related migraine (MM, n¼30) or postmenopausal migraine without aura who had suffered from menstrually-related migraine during their fertile age (PM, n¼30) and non-headache control women in fertile age (FAC, n¼30) or post-menopause (PC, n¼30). Methods: Participants were women with migraine afferent to a headache centre; controls were female patients’ acquaintances. Serum samples obtained were analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Results: In menstrually-related migraine and postmenopausal migraine groups, allopregnanolone levels were lower than in the respective control groups (fertile age and post-menopause) (p&lt;0.001, one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey-Kramer post-hoc comparison test) while progesterone and testosterone levels were similar. By grouping together patients with migraine, allopregnanolone levels were inversely correlated with the number of years and days of migraine/ 3 months (p 0.005, linear regression analysis). Conclusion: Decreased GABAergic inhibition, due to low allopregnanolone serum levels, could contribute to menstrually-related migraine and persistence of migraine after menopause. For the management of these disorders, a rise in the GABAergic transmission by increasing inhibitory neurosteroids might represent a novel strategy

Seizures of illicit substances for personal use in two Italian provinces: analysis of trends by type and purity from 2008 to 2017

Background: The use of illicit substances represents one of the most difficult problems to confront in the health system. Drug use is a global problem but is not uniform throughout the world, within the same country and changes over time. Therefore, knowing the illicit substances that are used in a territory is essential to better organize health services in that specific geographical area. To this aim, we analysed 4200 samples confiscated from individuals who held them for personal use by police forces in the Italian provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia from 2008 to 2017. Methods: The suspected samples were screened by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS); all samples were subsequently analysed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) for quantitative analyses. Results: Cannabis was the most seized illicit substance (70.7%). Over the study period, the number of seizures of herb with a high content of \u3949-THC increased. The number of cocaine seizures remained stable (total 16.1%), but the median purity of seized cocaine increased to 75% in 2017. Heroin seizures decreased over time, but the median purity of seized heroin reached 16.8% in 2017. In almost all the years, heroin samples with a purity exceeding the 97.5 percentile were found. Especially from 2014, the range of seized substances increased and started to include synthetic cathinones, phenylethylamines, UR-144, LSD, psilocybe, prescription opioid and hypnotics. In two cases, tramadol together with tropicamide was seized. Most of the seizures involved male subjects and 82% of the seizures were from individuals younger than 35 years of age. Conclusions: The persistence of old illicit drugs and the rapid emergence of new psychoactive substances represented a serious challenge for public health in the studied Italian area. Some useful interventions might be: informing mainly young people about the possible complications of cannabis use; implementing standardized procedures to diagnose and treat cocaine-related emergencies in hospitals; increasing the distribution of naloxone to antagonize possible heroin overdoses; equipping laboratories to be able to identify the new psychoactive substances

Investigating Novel Syntheses of a Series of Unique Hybrid PLGA-Chitosan Polymers for Potential Therapeutic Delivery Applications

Discovering new materials to aid in the therapeutic delivery of drugs is in high demand. PLGA, a FDA approved polymer, is well known in the literature to form films or nanoparticles that can load, protect, and deliver drug molecules; however, its incompatibility with certain drugs (due to hydrophilicity or charge repulsion interactions) limits its use. Combining PLGA or other polymers such as polycaprolactone with other safe and positively-charged molecules, such as chitosan, has been sought after to make hybrid systems that are more flexible in terms of loading ability, but often the reactions for polymer coupling use harsh conditions, films, unpurified products, or create a single unoptimized product. In this work, we aimed to investigate possible innovative improvements regarding two synthetic procedures. Two methods were attempted and analytically compared using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC) to furnish pure, homogenous, and tunable PLGA-chitosan hybrid polymers. These were fully characterized by analytical methods. A series of hybrids was produced that could be used to increase the suitability of PLGA with previously non-compatible drug molecule