Attentes des patients atteints d’un phénomène de Raynaud vis-à-vis de leur prise en charge, en vue du développement d’une application smartphone

Raynaud's phenomenon (RP), primary or secondary, is a vasomotor disorder characterized by paroxysmal ischemia of the extremities. This pathology is multifactorial and complex. There is currently no simple way to evaluate the evolution of its manifestations in a precise manner, and this constitutes a real obstacle to evaluating the effectiveness of treatments. We conducted a prospective, observational, monocentric study on 31 patients with RP. Our goal was to know the expectations and needs of patients regarding their management, in particular with the aim of developing a smartphone application to monitor the pathology. Furthermore, an inventory of knowledge and training needs was carried out with pharmacists. This work has allowed us to investigate the criteria of RP that have the greatest impact on patients: the main one retained is discomfort. This data will enable the development of new drug treatments that are better adapted to patients' needs and expectations. It should be noted that 55% of patients surveyed would be ready to take a treatment if it had a beneficial effect on their second cited criterion, without any improvement on their main criterion. However, 35% of these patients reported that taking this treatment would be conditioned by the risk/benefit balance of the treatment. Concerning the development of the smartphone application, all of the patients surveyed found this tool useful, particularly for monitoring and recording their seizures. The survey aimed at pharmacists revealed that half of them do not feel competent on the subject. This is why all of the pharmacists surveyed requested additional training on this subject in order to acquire the knowledge essential for patient management. Many challenges remain to be met in relation to this pathology. The development of specific approaches to prevention, more precise diagnostic and ambulatory monitoring tools, as well as the development of effective treatments are the main challenges in order to improve patients' quality of life.Le phénomène de Raynaud (PR), primaire ou secondaire, est un trouble vasomoteur caractérisé par une ischémie paroxystique des extrémités. Cette pathologie est multifactorielle et complexe. Il n'existe actuellement pas de moyen simple permettant d'évaluer l'évolution de ses manifestations de façon précise, et ceci constitue un réel frein pour évaluer l'efficacité des traitements. Nous avons réalisé une étude prospective, observationnelle, monocentrique sur 31 patients atteints du PR. Notre but était de connaitre les attentes et les besoins des patients concernant leur prise en charge, notamment dans l'objectif de développer une application smartphone de suivi de la pathologie. De plus, un état des lieux des connaissances et des besoins en termes de formation a été effectué auprès des pharmaciens d'officine. Ce travail nous a permis d'investiguer sur les critères du PR les plus impactant pour les patients : le principal retenu est la gêne. Cette donnée permettra le développement de nouveaux traitements médicamenteux plus adaptés aux besoins et aux attentes des patients. Notons que 55 % des patients interrogés seraient prêts à prendre un traitement si celui-ci a un effet bénéfique sur leur deuxième critère cité, sans avoir d’amélioration sur leur critère principal. Cependant, 35 % de ces patients nous rapporte que la prise de ce traitement sera conditionnée par la balance bénéfice/risque du traitement. Concernant le développement de l'application smartphone, la totalité des patients interrogés trouve cet outil utile notamment pour suivre et recenser leurs crises. L'enquête destinée aux pharmaciens d'officine a permis de mettre en évidence que la moitié d'entre eux ne se sentent pas compétents sur le sujet. C'est pourquoi, la totalité des pharmaciens interrogés sont demandeurs de formations supplémentaires sur ce sujet afin d'acquérir des connaissances indispensables à la prise en charge du patient. De nombreux défis restent à relever par rapport à cette pathologie. Le développement d'approches spécifiques de prévention, d'outils de diagnostic et de suivi ambulatoire plus précis, ainsi que la mise au point de traitements efficaces sont les principaux enjeux afin d'améliorer la qualité de vie des patients

Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activity of Lycium barbarum (Goji) cultivated in Greece

Context: The fruit of Lycium barbarum L. (Solanaceae), known as goji berry, has been exploited for a long time in traditional Chinese medicine. In recent decades, it has received much attention as one of the trendiest functional foods with a wide array of pharmacological activities in Western diets. Objective: In this study the phenolic profile and potential antioxidant capacity of Lycium barbarum cultivated in Crete (Greece) were investigated. Materials and methods: The berries were defatted with hexane and then extracted with dichloromethane and methanol using a Soxhlet apparatus. Furthermore, the methanol extract was fractionated with ethyl acetate and butanol. All fractions/extracts were tested for their antioxidant activity (DPPH, FRAP, chemiluminescence). Folin–Ciocalteu and LC-DAD-MS analyses were utilized for the identification of the phenolic compounds. Results: The total phenolic content ranged from 14.13 ± 0.40 (water fraction) to 109.72 ± 4.09 (ethyl acetate fraction) mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry extract. Ethyl acetate extract exhibited the highest scavenging activities determined as EC50 (4.73 ± 0.20 mg/mL) and IC50 (0.47 ± 0.001 mg/mL) using DPPH and chemiluminescence assays. Seventeen phenolic compounds, including cinnamoylquinic acids and derivatives, hydrocinnamic acids and flavonoid derivatives, were tentatively identified. To the best of our knowledge, quercetin 3-O-hexose coumaric ester and quercetin 3-O-hexose-O-hexose-O-rhamnose are reported for the first time in goji berry fruits. Discussion and conclusion: The results of this study suggest that consumption of goji berry fruits could serve as a potential source of natural antioxidant compounds and that goji berry phenolic extracts could be exploited for nutritional pharmaceutical purposes

Preparation and characterization of syrup from native dried date (Phoenix dactylifera L., variety Mech-Degla) fruits

Presently, three different evaporation procedures (oven heating, rotary evaporator, and lyophilization) were investigated at laboratory scale, for obtaining date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) syrup (DS) from date juice (DJ). The DJ was prepared by immersion of pitted date fruit (DF) pieces in pure water, according to the local traditional procedure. Compared to oven heating and lyophilization, the use of the rotavapor at 70°C seems to be more rational, since three hours of treatment are needed to reach a total of soluble solids (TSS) of about 61 Bx, against 6 and 18 h in the case of the two other cases, respectively. In addition, the DS thus obtained shows a lowest content in hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). From the point of view of rheological behavior, the final DS is of pseudo-plastic (Bingham) type, comparable to white syrup taken here as reference. Considering the growing interest for natural products, the DS can advantageously replace commercial white syrups.

High-performance green extraction of polyphenolic antioxidants from salvia fruticosa using cyclodextrins: Optimization, kinetics, and composition

S. fruticosa, collectively known as Cretan sage, is a medicinal plant to which a number of bioactivities have been attributed. In spite of its importance in nutrition and pharmacy, reports on the extraction of major polyphenols using sustainable processes are particularly limited. In this study, three common cyclodextrins, namely, methyl β-cyclodextrin (m-β-CD), hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD), and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), were tested as green boosters of aqueous extraction of polyphenols from aerial parts of S. fruticosa. To examine simultaneously important extraction parameters, including the concentration of cyclodextrins (CCD), pH, and liquid-to-solid ratio (RL/S), a Box-Behnken design was chosen, with three central points. Temperature effects on the extraction yield were also considered, by carrying out kinetics. The results showed that m-β-CD was the most effective extraction booster, providing total polyphenols yields that amounted to 98.39 mg gallic acid equivalents g-1 dry mass. The kinetic assay demonstrated that extraction was highly effective at 80 °C, increasing significantly polyphenol yield, as well as the ferric-reducing power and antiradical activity of the extracts. It was also proven that extraction with m-β-CD was the least energy-demanding process. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry examination revealed that m-β-CD might possess higher affinity for luteolin 7-O-glucuronide extraction, but β-CD for rosmarinic acid extraction. © 2020 by the authors

High-Performance Green Extraction of Polyphenolic Antioxidants from Salvia fruticosa Using Cyclodextrins: Optimization, Kinetics, and Composition

S. fruticosa, collectively known as Cretan sage, is a medicinal plant to which a number of bioactivities have been attributed. In spite of its importance in nutrition and pharmacy, reports on the extraction of major polyphenols using sustainable processes are particularly limited. In this study, three common cyclodextrins, namely, methyl β-cyclodextrin (m-β-CD), hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD), and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), were tested as green boosters of aqueous extraction of polyphenols from aerial parts of S. fruticosa. To examine simultaneously important extraction parameters, including the concentration of cyclodextrins (CCD), pH, and liquid-to-solid ratio (RL/S), a Box–Behnken design was chosen, with three central points. Temperature effects on the extraction yield were also considered, by carrying out kinetics. The results showed that m-β-CD was the most effective extraction booster, providing total polyphenols yields that amounted to 98.39 mg gallic acid equivalents g−1 dry mass. The kinetic assay demonstrated that extraction was highly effective at 80 °C, increasing significantly polyphenol yield, as well as the ferric-reducing power and antiradical activity of the extracts. It was also proven that extraction with m-β-CD was the least energy-demanding process. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry examination revealed that m-β-CD might possess higher affinity for luteolin 7-O-glucuronide extraction, but β-CD for rosmarinic acid extraction

Increasing the robustness of SIFT-MS volatilome fingerprinting by introducing notional analyte concentrations

Selected-ion-flow-tube-mass-spectrometry (SIFT-MS) is an analytical technique for volatile detection and quantification. SIFT-MS can be applied in a ‘white box’ approach, measuring concentrations of target compounds, or as a ‘black box’ fingerprinting technique, scanning all product ions during a full scan. Combining SIFT-MS full scan data acquired from multi-batches or large-scale experiments remains problematic due to signal fluctuation over time. The standard approach of normalizing full scan data to total signal intensity was insufficient. This study proposes a new approach to correct SIFT-MS fingerprinting data. In this concept, all the product ions from a full scan are considered individual compounds for which notional concentrations can be calculated. Converting ion count rates into notional analyte concentrations accounts for any changes in instrument parameters. The benefits of the proposed approach are demonstrated on three years of data from both multi-batches and long-term experiments showing a significant reduction of system-induced fluctuations providing a better focus on the changes of interest

Naar een meer uniforme tomatenkwaliteit tijdens het volledige seizoen

status: publishe

Quality variation of Goji (fruits of Lycium spp.) in China: a comparative morphological and metabolomic analysis

Goji (fruits of Lycium barbarum L. and L. chinense Mill.) has been used in China as food and medicine for millennia, and globally has been consumed increasingly as a healthy food. Ningxia, with a semi-arid climate, always had the reputation of producing best goji quality (daodi area). Recently, the increasing market demand pushed the cultivation into new regions with different climates. We therefore ask: How does goji quality differ among production areas of various climatic regions? Historical records are used to trace the spread of goji production in China over time. Quality measurements of 51 samples were correlated with the four main production areas in China: monsoon (Hebei), semi-arid (Ningxia, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia), plateau (Qinghai) and arid regions (Xinjiang). We include morphological characteristics, sugar and polysaccharide content, antioxidant activity, and metabolomic profiling to compare goji among climatic regions. Goji cultivation probably began in the East (Hebei) of China around 100 CE and later shifted westward to the semi-arid regions. Goji from monsoon, plateau and arid regions differ according to its fruit morphology, whereas semi-arid goji cannot be separated from the other regions. L. chinense fruits, which are exclusively cultivated in Hebei (monsoon), are significantly lighter, smaller and brighter in color, while the heaviest and largest fruits (L. barbarum) stem from the plateau. The metabolomic profiling separates the two species but not the regions of cultivation. Lycium chinense and samples from the semi-arid regions have significantly (p < 0.01) lower sugar contents and L. chinense shows the highest antioxidant activity. Our results do not justify superiority of a specific production area over other areas. Instead it will be essential to distinguish goji from different regions based on the specific morphological and chemical traits with the aim to understand what its intended uses are