50 research outputs found
FROM PRECLINICAL TO CLINICAL EVIDENCE: EXPLORING THE MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES AND HEALING POWER OF BOSWELLIA SERRATA ROXB. EX COLEBR
Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex Colebr. is a species belonging to the Burseraceae family, typical of dry environments of the
Indian region. The oil-gum-resin, obtained from the trunk and thick branches, is known in phytotherapy for the volatile
fraction which contains up to 70% terpenes. The most important and characteristic constituents are represented by
pentacyclic triterpenes, named boswellic acids. B. serrata is known for multiple beneficial effects, mainly correlated
to anti-inflammatory activity. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview on the activities and potential
applications of B. serrata based on clinical and preclinical evidence.
An up-to-date literature review of preclinical and clinical studies related to the applications of B. serrata preparations in
different pathological conditions was conducted using the main databases of scientific literature.
A body of evidence point out the role of B. serrata extracts and its active constituents in the treatment of several
inflammatory diseases. In particular, clinical trials revealed its use as a topical remedy of skin diseases, such as eczema
and psoriasis, and internally in the treatment of asthma, intestinal and osteoarticular inflammatory diseases. Preclinical
findings highlighted the positive effects of B. serrata extracts in cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and in
cancer. Finally, B. serrata finds application as a feed additive in veterinary use.
Although some limitations must be overcome, such as poor bioavailability, evidence supports that B. serrata is a promising medicinal plant. Furthermore, the use of B. serrata appears to have a favorable toxicological profile, but caution may be necessary regarding potential botanical-drug interactions
Electronic interactions in Dirac fluids visualized by nano-terahertz spacetime mapping
Ultraclean graphene at charge neutrality hosts a quantum critical Dirac fluid
of interacting electrons and holes. Interactions profoundly affect the charge
dynamics of graphene, which is encoded in the properties of its collective
modes: surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). The group velocity and lifetime of
SPPs have a direct correspondence with the reactive and dissipative parts of
the tera-Hertz (THz) conductivity of the Dirac fluid. We succeeded in tracking
the propagation of SPPs over sub-micron distances at femto-second (fs) time
scales. Our experiments uncovered prominent departures from the predictions of
the conventional Fermi-liquid theory. The deviations are particularly strong
when the densities of electrons and holes are approximately equal. Our imaging
methodology can be used to probe the electromagnetics of quantum materials
other than graphene in order to provide fs-scale diagnostics under
near-equilibrium conditions
Oleoylethanolamide decreases frustration stress-induced binge-like eating in female rats: a novel potential treatment for binge-eating disorder
Binge-eating disorder (BED) is the most frequent eating disorder, for which current pharmacotherapies show poor response rates and safety concerns, thus highlighting the need for novel treatment options. The lipid-derived messenger oleoylethanolamide (OEA) acts as a satiety signal inhibiting food intake through the involvement of central noradrenergic and oxytocinergic neurons. We investigated the anti-binge effects of OEA in a rat model of binge-like eating, in which, after cycles of intermittent food restrictions/refeeding and palatable food consumptions, female rats show a binge-like intake of palatable food, following a 15-min exposure to their sight and smell (âfrustration stressâ). Systemically administered OEA dose-dependently (2.5, 5, and 10 mg kgâ1) prevented binge-like eating. This behavioral effect was associated with a decreased activation (measured by mapping the expression of c-fos, an early gene widely used as a marker of cellular activation) of brain areas responding to stress (such as the nucleus accumbens and amygdala) and to a stimulation of areas involved in the control of food intake, such as the VTA and the PVN. These effects were paralleled, also, to the modulation of monoamine transmission in key brain areas involved in both homeostatic and hedonic control of eating. In particular, a decreased dopaminergic response to stress was observed by measuring dopamine extracellular concentrations in microdialysates from the nucleus accumbens shell, whereas an increased serotonergic and noradrenergic tone was detected in tissue homogenates of selected brain areas. Finally, a decrease in corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA levels was induced by OEA in the central amygdala, while an increase in oxytocin mRNA levels was induced in the PVN. The restoration of a normal oxytocin receptor density in the striatum paralleled the oxytocinergic stimulation produced by OEA. In conclusion, we provide evidence suggesting that OEA might represent a novel potential pharmacological target for the treatment of binge-like eating behavior
A Peripheral Blood Diagnostic Test for Acute Rejection in Renal Transplantation
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/93759/1/j.1600-6143.2012.04253.x.pd
Long-Lived Phonon Polaritons in Hyperbolic Materials
Natural hyperbolic materials with dielectric permittivities of opposite signs along different principal axes can confine long-wavelength electromagnetic waves down to the nanoscale, well below the diffraction limit. Confined electromagnetic waves coupled to phonons in hyperbolic dielectrics including hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and α-MoO3 are referred to as hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPPs). HPP dissipation at ambient conditions is substantial, and its fundamental limits remain unexplored. Here, we exploit cryogenic nanoinfrared imaging to investigate propagating HPPs in isotopically pure hBN and naturally abundant α-MoO3 crystals. Close to liquid-nitrogen temperatures, losses for HPPs in isotopic hBN drop significantly, resulting in propagation lengths in excess of 8 Όm, with lifetimes exceeding 5 ps, thereby surpassing prior reports on such highly confined polaritonic modes. Our nanoscale, temperature-dependent imaging reveals the relevance of acoustic phonons in HPP damping and will be instrumental in mitigating such losses for miniaturized mid-infrared technologies operating at liquid-nitrogen temperatures.Research at Columbia is supported by Vannevar Bush Faculty
Fellowship ONR-VB: N00014-19-1-2630. We thank A.
Sternbach and S. Zhang for helpful discussions. Exfoliation
and transfer of hBN onto desired substrates and electron beam
lithography of gold disks were performed by J.T.M. and
supported by the National Science Foundation
(DMR1904793). Additional structure fabrication was supported
by the Center on Precision-Assembled Quantum
Materials, funded through the U.S. National Science
Foundation (NSF) Materials Research Science and Engineering
Centers (award no. DMR-2011738). Initial simulations
and experimental design from Vanderbilt were provided by
J.D.C. in collaboration with the Columbia team (D.N.B. and
G.N.) and was supported by the Office of Naval Research
(N00014-18-1-2107). The hBN phonon band structure
calculation was performed by R.C. and L.A. and supported
by the Spanish MINECO/FEDER grant (MAT2015-71035-
R). Cryogenics nano-optics experiments at Columbia were
solely supported as part of Programmable Quantum Materials,
an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Basic Energy
Sciences (BES), under award no. DE-SC0019443. D.N.B is the
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundationâs EPiQS Initiative
Investigator no. 9455.Peer reviewe
Association of kidney disease measures with risk of renal function worsening in patients with type 1 diabetes
Background: Albuminuria has been classically considered a marker of kidney damage progression in diabetic patients and it is routinely assessed to monitor kidney function. However, the role of a mild GFR reduction on the development of stage 653 CKD has been less explored in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic role of kidney disease measures, namely albuminuria and reduced GFR, on the development of stage 653 CKD in a large cohort of patients affected by T1DM. Methods: A total of 4284 patients affected by T1DM followed-up at 76 diabetes centers participating to the Italian Association of Clinical Diabetologists (Associazione Medici Diabetologi, AMD) initiative constitutes the study population. Urinary albumin excretion (ACR) and estimated GFR (eGFR) were retrieved and analyzed. The incidence of stage 653 CKD (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) or eGFR reduction > 30% from baseline was evaluated. Results: The mean estimated GFR was 98 \ub1 17 mL/min/1.73m2 and the proportion of patients with albuminuria was 15.3% (n = 654) at baseline. About 8% (n = 337) of patients developed one of the two renal endpoints during the 4-year follow-up period. Age, albuminuria (micro or macro) and baseline eGFR < 90 ml/min/m2 were independent risk factors for stage 653 CKD and renal function worsening. When compared to patients with eGFR > 90 ml/min/1.73m2 and normoalbuminuria, those with albuminuria at baseline had a 1.69 greater risk of reaching stage 3 CKD, while patients with mild eGFR reduction (i.e. eGFR between 90 and 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) show a 3.81 greater risk that rose to 8.24 for those patients with albuminuria and mild eGFR reduction at baseline. Conclusions: Albuminuria and eGFR reduction represent independent risk factors for incident stage 653 CKD in T1DM patients. The simultaneous occurrence of reduced eGFR and albuminuria have a synergistic effect on renal function worsening