New Insights Into the Anticonvulsant Effects of Essential Oil From Melissa officinalis L. (Lemon Balm)

Melissa officinalis L. is used in traditional European and Iranian folk medicines to treat a plethora of neurological diseases including epilepsy. We utilized the in vitro and in vivo models of epilepsy to probe the anticonvulsant potentials of essential oil from M. officinalis (MO) to gain insight into the scientific basis for its applications in traditional medicine for the management of convulsive disorders. MO was evaluated for effects on maximal electroshock (MES) and pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) -induced seizures in mice, on 4–aminopyridine (4-AP)-brain slice model of epilepsy and sustained repetitive firing of current clamped neurons; and its ameliorative effects were examined on seizure severity, anxiety, depression, cognitive dysfunction, oxidative stress and neuronal cell loss in PTZ-kindled rats. MO reversibly blocked spontaneous ictal-like discharges in the 4-AP-brain slice model of epilepsy and secondary spikes from sustained repetitive firing, suggesting anticonvulsant effects and voltage-gated sodium channel blockade. MO protected mice from PTZ– and MES–induced seizures and mortality, and ameliorated seizure severity, fear-avoidance, depressive-like behavior, cognitive deficits, oxidative stress and neuronal cell loss in PTZ–kindled rats. The findings warrant further study for the potential use of MO and/or its constituent(s) as adjunctive therapy for epileptic patients

Harnessing parent power: to what extent can parental engagement enhance the development of growth mindset in secondary school children?

This study has focussed on how parental engagement can be used as an intervention to develop a growth mindset in young adolescent boys. The research frame has been a case study approach designed to gather data that is rich enough to analyse a mediated act as complex as parenting. Therefore, the methods have been mixed and varied to enable thorough triangulation and have included semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, diaries, informal observation, drawing and pictures. The intervention period itself lasted six months. The context is set within a co-educational, fee paying, independent boarding school which is non-selective and provides bursarial assistance to those from lower socio-economic backgrounds; four local day boys in year 9 were randomly selected from a targeted group as the case study students. Many schools involve parents via emails and newsletters, reports and parents’ evenings, all of which serve to relay information in a useful and important way. However, in a complex and ever changing world I propose that schools must get more creative to strengthen the learning culture around each child. Parental participation in schools, particularly parental engagement (where parents are empowered to further develop their child’s learning dispositions at home) can have huge effects on that child’s lifetime achievement. All students developed a more incremental mindset as a result of the parental intervention albeit to varying degrees. The main factors that influenced the degree of progress were upheaval within the family unit and how the strategies we employed by the parents. Unsurprisingly, I found that parents experience responsible parenting to be challenging, and that they were very grateful for support and guidance. Providing autonomy was found to be an important factor in successful strategies with the young adolescents, as was working in a careful manner via questioning, using process oriented praise and collaborative, learning-orientated, goal setting; all of which were best deployed in a light-touch manner. The project sat within a whole school initiative to engage pupils, teachers and parents in strategies to develop learner self-sufficiency, as part of a collective culture, within a community of learning. The process and reflections of all involved within this project will help to develop our continued focus on a wholeness approach and continue to dissolve the boundaries between the silos of traditional educational practice and perceived responsibility.</p

Harnessing parent power: to what extent can parental engagement enhance the development of growth mindset in secondary school children?

This study has focussed on how parental engagement can be used as an intervention to develop a growth mindset in young adolescent boys. The research frame has been a case study approach designed to gather data that is rich enough to analyse a mediated act as complex as parenting. Therefore, the methods have been mixed and varied to enable thorough triangulation and have included semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, diaries, informal observation, drawing and pictures. The intervention period itself lasted six months. The context is set within a co-educational, fee paying, independent boarding school which is non-selective and provides bursarial assistance to those from lower socio-economic backgrounds; four local day boys in year 9 were randomly selected from a targeted group as the case study students. Many schools involve parents via emails and newsletters, reports and parentsâ evenings, all of which serve to relay information in a useful and important way. However, in a complex and ever changing world I propose that schools must get more creative to strengthen the learning culture around each child. Parental participation in schools, particularly parental engagement (where parents are empowered to further develop their childâs learning dispositions at home) can have huge effects on that childâs lifetime achievement. All students developed a more incremental mindset as a result of the parental intervention albeit to varying degrees. The main factors that influenced the degree of progress were upheaval within the family unit and how the strategies we employed by the parents. Unsurprisingly, I found that parents experience responsible parenting to be challenging, and that they were very grateful for support and guidance. Providing autonomy was found to be an important factor in successful strategies with the young adolescents, as was working in a careful manner via questioning, using process oriented praise and collaborative, learning-orientated, goal setting; all of which were best deployed in a light-touch manner. The project sat within a whole school initiative to engage pupils, teachers and parents in strategies to develop learner self-sufficiency, as part of a collective culture, within a community of learning. The process and reflections of all involved within this project will help to develop our continued focus on a wholeness approach and continue to dissolve the boundaries between the silos of traditional educational practice and perceived responsibility.</p

Molecules from nature: Reconciling biodiversity conservation and global healthcare imperatives for sustainable use of medicinal plants and fungi

Societal Impact Statement Plants and fungi have provided, or inspired, key pharmaceuticals for global health challenges, including cancer, heart disease, dementia, and malaria, and are valued as traditional medicines worldwide. Global demand for medicinal plants and fungi has threatened certain species, contributing to biodiversity loss and depletion of natural resources that are important for the health of humanity. We consider the evolving role of plants and fungi in global healthcare as new challenges to human health and to biodiversity arise. We present current and emerging scientific approaches, to uncover and preserve nature‐based health solutions for the future, through harmonization with biodiversity conservation strategies. Summary Non‐communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes, are the main causes of deaths globally, and communicable diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis affect billions of people. Plants and fungi have provided key pharmaceuticals in our armory against these global health challenges, while in some regions of the world, they continue to have a central role in healthcare systems as traditional medicines. Consequently, global demand for plants and fungi in healthcare has threatened certain medicinal species, and is a driving factor in biodiversity loss. Yet the future of therapeutics from nature is evolving. Scientific advances are enabling the untapped potential of the world's plants and fungi to be explored for their medicinal value, and to reveal other roles they may have for improving health and well‐being; this demonstrates the value of natural capital as an incentive for biodiversity conservation. Emerging technologies also offer new hope for safeguarding essential medicines for the future, by revealing more sustainable solutions for sourcing key natural products. This review discusses recent developments and future approaches for the discovery of natural products as medicines, for health and well‐being, and strategies to harmonize the therapeutic use of biodiversity with its proactive conservation through nature‐based solutions