139 research outputs found
Pharmacological in vivo test to evaluate the bioavailability of some St. John’s wort innovative oral preparations
Rapid chemical analysis and antiprotozoal effect of the solvent extracts and the essential oil of Artemisia indica
Artemisia indica is used as antipyretic in malarial fevers during malaria outbreaks in India [1]. We selected this plant because reports concerning the presence of artemisinin is contradictory, the content of methoxyflavonoids that potentiate the antimalarial efficacy of artemisinin has remained unstudied and the essential oil of the plant from different regions shows great chemical variations. Solvent extracts [petroleum ether, n-hexane, dichloromethane, acetone, MeOH or EtOH (96, 80 or 60% v/v), and hot water] of A. indica leaves originated from the West Bengal region (India) were assessed by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS for the content of artemisinin and the characteristic Artemisia methoxyflavonoids, eupatin, casticin, chrysoplenetin, cirsilineol, chrysosphenol-D and artemetin. None of the extracts contained artemisinin or the methoxyflavonoids chrysosphenol-D and artemetin, while all extracts contained chrysoplenetin. Eupatin, casticin and cirsilineol were found in all extracts except for the p. ether, n-hexane and hot water infusion. The acetone and EtOH extracts contained the highest levels of polymethoxyflavonoids (1.15 â 1.17%), whereas the infusion was devoid of them. The essential oil of the plant was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC and GC-MS simultaneously. Of the 92 compounds detected in the oil, camphor (13.0%) and caryophyllene oxide (10.87%) were the major components. All solvent extracts and the volatile oil showed in vitro antimalarial activity (1.8 â 20 ”g/mL). Except for the infusion, all extracts were also active against other parasitic protozoa (Trypanosoma b. rhodesiense, T. cruzi, Leishmania donovani). This is the first study investigating both artemisinin and polymethoxyflavonoid content and detailed in vitro antiprotozoal potential of A. indica extracts and the essential oil
Distant echoes: evoking the soundscapes of the past in the radio documentary series Noise: a human history
This article asks whether radio can ever successfully evoke an accurate sense of the sound of the past. It does so through a reflective critical analysis of the 2013 BBC Radio 4 documentary series, Noise: A Human History, by its own writer and presenter. It explores how the âsound designâ of the series met the challenge of providing a longue durĂ©e history of sound without having recourse to authentic sound archive recordings for most of the period being covered. Through an analysis of key sequences, and by highlighting the significance of the broader context of production, it argues that it is possible for epistemologically valuable history to emerge, even via a medium that treats sound more as a device for evoking the imagination than as something possessing evidential status in itself. The article does this by invoking the series as a practical example of âhistorical acoustemologyâ, and by suggesting that in radio notions of subjectivity and perceptual mimesis are key to understanding the medium's success. In doing so, the article calls for a redefinition of the notion of the radiogenic â arguing for a move away from seeing ârawâ sound as the key ingredient of sound design, and towards greater attention to the influence of radio's other characteristics as a time-based, institutionally-produced mass medium
Rapid chemical analysis and antiprotozoal effect of the solvent extracts and the essential oil of Artemisia indica
3D printed masks for powders and viruses safety protection using food grade polymers: Empirical tests
The production of 3D printed safety protection devices (SPD) requires particular attention to the material selection and to the evaluation of mechanical resistance, biological safety and surface roughness related to the accumulation of bacteria and viruses. We explored the possibility to adopt additive manufacturing technologies for the production of respirator masks, responding to the sudden demand of SPDs caused by the emergency scenario of the pandemic spread of SARSâCOVâ 2. In this study, we developed different prototypes of masks, exclusively applying basic additive manufacturing technologies like fused deposition modeling (FDM) and dropletâbased precision extrusion deposition (dbâPED) to common food packaging materials. We analyzed the resulting mechanical characteristics, biological safety (cell adhesion and viability), surface roughness and resistance to dissolution, before and after the cleaning and disinfection phases. We showed that masks 3D printed with homeâgrade printing equipment have similar performances compared to the industrialâgrade ones, and furthermore we obtained a perfect face fit by customizing their shape. Finally, we developed novel approaches to the additive manufacturing postâprocessing phases essential to assure human safety in the production of 3D printed custom medical devices
Phosphorescent Sensor for Robust Quantification of Copper(II) Ion
A phosphorescent sensor based on a multichromophoric iridium(III) complex was synthesized and characterized. The construct exhibits concomitant changes in its phosphorescence intensity ratio and phosphorescence lifetime in response to copper(II) ion. The sensor, which is reversible and selective, is able to quantify copper(II) ions in aqueous media, and it detects intracellular copper ratiometrically.National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U.S.) ((Grant GM065519)Ewha Woman's University (Korea) (RP-Grant 2009
Evaluating the SERCA2 and VEGF mRNAs as Potential Molecular Biomarkers of the Onset and Progression in Huntington's Disease
Abnormalities of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and signalling as well as the down-regulation
of neurotrophic factors in several areas of the central nervous system and in peripheral
tissues are hallmarks of Huntington\u2019s disease (HD). As there is no therapy for this hereditary,
neurodegenerative fatal disease, further effort should be made to slow the progression
of neurodegeneration in patients through the definition of early therapeutic interventions.
For this purpose, molecular biomarker(s) for monitoring disease onset and/or progression
and response to treatment need to be identified. In the attempt to contribute to the research
of peripheral candidate biomarkers in HD, we adopted a multiplex real-time PCR approach
to analyse the mRNA level of targeted genes involved in the control of cellular calcium homeostasis
and in neuroprotection. For this purpose we recruited a total of 110 subjects possessing
the HD mutation at different clinical stages of the disease and 54 sex- and agematched
controls. This study provides evidence of reduced transcript levels of sarco-endoplasmic
reticulum-associated ATP2A2 calcium pump (SERCA2) and vascular endothelial
growth factor (VEGF) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of manifest and premanifest
HD subjects. Our results provide a potentially new candidate molecular biomarker
for monitoring the progression of this disease and contribute to understanding some early
events that might have a role in triggering cellular dysfunctions in HD
Neuropsychological and psychometric findings in a large Italian Family with the M239V mutation of the PSEN2 gene
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