Protective effect of Opuntia ficus-indica L. cladodes against UVA-induced oxidative stress in normal human keratinocytes

Opuntia ficus-indica L. is known for its beneficial effects on human health, but still little is known on cladodes as a potent source of antioxidants. Here, a direct, economic and safe method was set up to obtain water extracts from Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes rich in antioxidant compounds. When human keratinocytes were pre-treated with the extract before being exposed to UVA radiations, a clear protective effect against UVA-induced stress was evidenced, as indicated by the inhibition of stress-induced processes, such as free radicals production, lipid peroxidation and GSH depletion. Moreover, a clear protective effect against apoptosis in pre-treated irradiated cells was evidenced. We found that eucomic and piscidic acids were responsible for the anti-oxidative stress action of cladode extract. In conclusion, a bioactive, safe, low-cost and high value-added extract from Opuntia cladodes was obtained to be used for skin health/protection

Role for Maternal Asthma in Severe Human Metapneumovirus Lung Disease Susceptibility in Children

Background: Severity of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) lower respiratory illness (LRTI) is considered similar to that observed for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). However, differences in severity between these pathogens have been noted, suggesting the degree of illness may vary in different populations. Moreover, a potential association between hMPV and asthma also suggests that hMPV may preferentially affect asthmatic subjects. Methods: In a population-based surveillance study in children aged <2 years admitted for severe LRTI in Argentina, nasopharyngeal aspirates were tested by RT-PCR for hMPV, RSV, influenza A, and human rhinovirus. Results: Of 3947 children, 383 (10%) were infected with hMPV. The hospitalization rate for hMPV LRTI was 2.26 per 1000 children (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.04-2.49). Thirty-nine (10.2%) patients infected with hMPV experienced life-threatening disease (LTD; 0.23 per 1000 children; 95% CI,. 16-.31/1000), and 2 died (mortality rate 0.024 per 1000; 95% CI,. 003-.086). In hMPV-infected children birth to an asthmatic mother was an increased risk for LTD (odds ratio, 4.72; 95% CI, 1.39-16.01). We observed a specific interaction between maternal asthma and hMPV infection affecting risk for LTD. Conclusions: Maternal asthma increases the risk for LTD in children <2 years old hospitalized for severe hMPV LRTI.Fil: Libster, Romina Paula. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Esteban, Ignacio. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; ArgentinaFil: Bianchi, Alejandra Silvina. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Alva Grimaldi, Luciano. Gobierno de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Hospital Zonal General de Agudos Doctor Lucio Melendez.; ArgentinaFil: Dueñas, Karina. Gobierno de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Hospital Interzonal de Agudos Evita.; ArgentinaFil: Sancillo, Andrea. Gobierno de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Hospital Interzonal de Agudos Evita.; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Andrea. Gobierno de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Hospital Provincial Evita Pueblo.; ArgentinaFil: Ferrero, Fernando. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Niños Pedro Elizalde (ex Casa Cuna); ArgentinaFil: Stein, Katherine. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Patricio Leandro. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ferolla, Fausto Martín. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Bergel, Eduardo. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Caballero, Mauricio Tomás. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Polack, Fernando Pedro. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Pellegrino, Gustavo. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez Gago, Guadalupe. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Pozzolo, Cecilia. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Castro, Laura. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Almeida, Rodrigo Egues. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Rebec, Beatriz. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: González, Mariela. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Calvo, Mariel. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Henrichsen, Julieta. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Nocito, Celina. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Barbero, Guillermo. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Ves Losada, Juan. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Bonina, Angel. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Flamenco, Edgardo. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez Perez, Alberto. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Kobylarz, Alicia. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Raggio, Mirta. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Schavlosky, Graciela. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Caria, Adriana. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Barboza, Edgar. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Sastre, Gustavo. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; Argentin

Efficacy and Safety of a Natural Remedy for the Treatment of Gastroesophageal Reflux: A Double-Blinded Randomized-Controlled Study

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is a common, chronic, relapsing symptom. Often people self-diagnose and self-treat it even though health-related quality of life is significantly impaired. In the lack of a valid alternative approach, current treatments focus on suppression of gastric acid secretion by the use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), but people with GER have a significantly lower response rate to therapy. We designed a randomized double-blinded controlled clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of a formulation based on sodium alginate/bicarbonate in combination with extracts obtained from Opuntia ficus-indica and Olea europaea associated with polyphenols (Mucosave®; verum), on GER-related symptoms. Male/female 118 (intention to treat) subjects with moderate GER and having at least 2 to 6 days of GER episodes/week were treated with verum (6 g/day) or placebo for two months. The questionnaires Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease-Health-Related Quality of Life (GERD-HRQoL) and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Symptom Assessment Scale (GSAS) were self-administered by participants before the treatment and at the end of the treatment. Verum produced statistically significant reduction of GERD-HRQoL and GSAS scores, −56.5% and −59.1%, respectively, in comparison to placebo. Heartburn and acid regurgitation episodes for week were significantly reduced by verum (p<0.01). Results indicate that Mucosave formulation provides an effective and well-tolerated treatment for reducing the frequency and intensity of symptoms associated with gastroesophageal reflux

HPLC and NMR analysis of the phenyl-ethanoid glycosides pattern of Verbascum thapsus L. cultivated in the Etnean area

Verbascum thapsus L., commonly known as great mullein or common mullein, is a biennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Scrophulariaceae family [1]. It has a long tradition of use in ethnopharmacology since it is well know to posses several medicinal properties going from the expectorant and demulcent to the diuretic, anti-inflammatory, sedative, astringent, antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal ones and for these it has been long used in several parts of the world to treat respiratory problems as well as earache, eczema, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, fever, tumor and allergies [2]. Several phytochemical constituents have been evidenced in this species such as volatile oils, saponins, flavonoids, phenyl-ethanoid glycosides and iridoids [2]. Nevertheless, no study has ever been performed on a cultivated exemplar of this species coming from the Etnean area and, in particular, the attention was focused on phenyl-ethanoid glycosides which can be very useful additive compounds for food products especially due to their high antioxidant and antimicrobial effects [3]. This phytochemical analysis was carried out by means of HPLC-UV, HPLC-MSn and NMR and evidenced the presence of seven phenyl-ethanoid glycosides i.e. verbascoside (1), iso-verbascoside (2), leucosceptoside A (3), martynoside (4), samioside (5), alyssonoside (6) and leucosceptoside B (7). These results were extremely peculiar since leucosceptoside A (3) represents a new constituent for the genus, samioside (5) is a new strict constituent for the species and martynoside (4) is a new real constituent for the species. Moreover, this huge accumulation of specific PhGs in a cultivated exemplar of V. thapsus has never been seen before and this is probably due to the specific environmental conditions adopted for the plant growth. In conclusion, this analysis showed how this specimen derived from such particular method of cultivation may be a possible perfect source for these compounds and also of potential use in the ethnopharmacological field like other wild V. thapsus exemplars

A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Clinical Trial on Effects of a Vitis vinifera Extract on Cognitive Function in Healthy Older Adults

Introduction: Gradual population aging is creating a new set of needs in the general population. Memory capacity decreases with age, and memory deficits are considered an early symptom of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), one of the most prevalent cognitive disorders in older people. Numerous studies have shown that grape polyphenolic compounds (GPs) are able to attenuate cognitive impairment and reduce brain lesions in experimental AD animal models. These GP effects are associated with improvement in brain antioxidant status and prevention of free radical-induced neuronal damage. We designed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to investigate the potential beneficial effects of a Vitis vinifera-based dietary supplement on cognitive function and neuropsychological status in healthy older adults.Methods: One-hundred eleven subjects were recruited and randomly divided in two groups: one group received the V. vinifera-based dietary supplement Cognigrape® for 12 weeks (250 mg/day) and the second group received placebo over the same period of time. Before and after the end of the supplementation period, cognitive function and neuropsychological status were evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), and Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) evaluations.Results: MMSE scores were significantly improved after supplementation with Cognigrape® in comparison with baseline levels (p &lt; 0.0001) and placebo (r = 0.59, 0.95% CI 0.11, 1.22; p &lt; 0.0001). Cognigrape® supplementation produced a significant reduction in BDI (-15.8%) and HARS (-24.9%) scores with respect to baseline levels (p &lt; 0.0001) and placebo (p &lt; 0.0001 for BDI and p &lt; 0.05 for HARS). RBANS total score was significantly improved by Cognigrape® with respect to baseline levels and placebo (r = 0.55, 0.95% CI 0.48, 6.07; p &lt; 0.0001). The comparison with the placebo revealed improvements in several parameters among participants receiving Cognigrape®: attention (p &lt; 0.001); language (p &lt; 0.05); immediate memory (p &lt; 0.0001); and delayed memory (p &lt; 0.0001). Visuospatial/constructional abilities were not modified. During the study, no adverse effects were detected.Conclusion: The results show that 12 weeks of Cognigrape® supplementation is safe, can improve physiological cognitive profiles, and can concurrently ameliorate negative neuropsychological status in healthy older adults

The polysaccharide and low molecular weight components of Opuntia ficus indica cladodes: Structure and skin repairing properties

The Opuntia ficus-indica multiple properties are reflected in the increasing interest of chemists in the identification of its natural components having pharmaceutical and/or cosmetical applications. Here we report the structural elucidation of Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage that highlighted the presence of components differing for their chemical nature and the molecular weight distribution. The high molecular weight components were identified as a linear galactan polymer and a highly branched xyloarabinan. The low molecular weight components were identified as lactic acid, D-mannitol, piscidic, eucomic and 2-hydroxy-4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-butanoic acids. A wound healing assay was performed in order to test the cicatrizing properties of the various components, highlighting the ability of these latter to fasten dermal regeneration using a simplified in vitro cellular model based on a scratched keratinocytes monolayer. The results showed that the whole Opuntia mucilage and the low molecular weight components are active in the wound repair

HPLC and NMR analysis of the phenyl-ethanoid glycosides pattern of <i>Verbascum thapsus</i> L. cultivated in the Etnean area

<p>In this work the HPLC and NMR analysis of the phenyl-ethanoid glycosides (PhGs) pattern of a cultivated exemplar of <i>Verbascum thapsus</i> L. (Scrophulariaceae) from the Etnean area (Sicily, Italy) was performed in order to verify their possible presence. Wild <i>V. thapsus</i> is well-known in ethnopharmacology due to the several beneficial effects that it is able to exert and which are primarily due to these compounds. So, it’s extremely important that also cultivated exemplars of this species biosynthesize them in order to maintain their pharmacological properties. This study revealed the presence of seven PhGs in an unusual novel pattern. Thus, this exemplar is a very good potential source of this class of natural products and may be employed for several beneficial ethnopharmacological purposes.</p

NATURAL AND WASTE MATERIALS AS ADSORBENTS IN OIL POLLUTION MANAGEMENT

In this research, oil pollution management using natural and waste materials as adsorbents was studied. Most of the oil based industries emit oily wastewater rich in heavy oil particles. Therefore, this study was mainly focused to investigate a solution to the oily wastewater. Oil pollution management was achieved in two ways as oil recovery and oil treating using two different adsorbents in two stages. In recovery stage, human hair was used as the adsorbent and experiments were carried out in two ways; as batch wise using hair pieces and continuously using a belt skimmer. Experiments revealed that human hair can recover 70.5% of oil from oily water and 1.35 mL of oil was recovered per gram of hair. The skimmer belt was prepared using human hair and the unit was used for continuous oil recovery. Skimmer Experiments showed that 75% of oil recovery after 30 rotations of the belt. The dissolved and emulsified oil amount in wastewater was not reduced in recovery section. Therefore, in treatment stage, treating the dissolved and emulsified oil is the main objective and adsorption of oil onto carbonized rice husk was studied. Though carbonized rice husk was the main adsorbent in treatment stage other adsorbents, raw rice husk and saw dust, were also tested. The optimum carbonization temperature, 600°C and optimum carbonization period, 3 hours were used to prepare the carbonized rice husk. Batch experiments showed that carbonized rice husk has capability to adsorb 84% of dissolved and emulsified oil from aqueous solutions within 30 minutes when adsorbent dosage is 5g/L. Batch experiments were examined in detail for carbonized rice husk to determine the factors affecting the oil adsorption. Experiments showed that Initial solution pH, initial oil concentration, contact time, adsorbent dosage and particle size affect on oil adsorption. The adsorption kinetics of oil onto carbonized rice husk followed second order kinetic model confirming the chemisorption of oil particles onto carbonized rice husk and equilibrium data were satisfactorily fitted to Langmuir isotherm confirming monolayer oil adsorption onto the carbonized rice husk. Monolayer oil adsorption capacity of 2.24 mg of oil/ g of carbonized rice husk was observed. Tests on oily wastewater samples from a service station showed that combination of these two units can be used effectively for treating the oily wastewater. Key words: Oily wastewater, human hair, rice husk, oil recovery, oil adsorptio