Anacardium occidentale Bark as an Antidiabetic Agent

Anacardium occidentale L. is used throughout the world to treat type 2 diabetes. In Portugal, a traditional herbal preparation made with stem bark of this species (AoBTHP) has been used for more than 30 years to treat this pathology. The AoBTHP was standardized on total phenolic content, and its hypoglycemic activity was assessed using db/db mice (n = 26) for 92 days. Three doses (40.2, 71.5, and 127.0 mg/kg/day, per os) were tested, and glibenclamide (5 mg/kg/day) was used as positive control. During the study, glycemia was measured under non-fasting or fasting states. In sequence, thin-layer chromatography bioautographic assays were used for the detection of possible alpha- and beta-glucosidase inhibitors. A significant hypoglycemic effect in fasting glycemia in days 31 and 57 was observed with the three tested doses. The 71.5 mg/kg and 127.0 mg/kg AoBTHPs significantly reduced non-fasting glycemia on day 24. The highest dose showed the most significant hypoglycemic effect. Gallic acid was identified as the major alpha- and beta-glucosidase inhibitor. The 127 mg/kg/day AoBTHP dose showed a greater glucose-lowering effect than glibenclamide. For the first time, a standardized AoBTHP was tested using an in vivo diabetes model, and its usage was preclinically validated for type 2 diabetes treatment. The hypoglycemic activity of an AoBTHP can be related to the presence of alpha- and beta-glucosidase inhibitors, such as gallic acid, but other mechanisms can also be involved.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of Marine Microalga Diacronema vlkianum Biomass Fatty Acid Assimilation in Wistar Rats

Diacronema vlkianum is a marine microalgae for which supposed health promoting effects have been claimed based on its phytochemical composition. The potential use of its biomass as health ingredient, including detox-shakes, and the lack of bioavailability studies were the main concerns. In order to evaluate the microalgae-biomass assimilation and its health-benefits, single-dose (CD1-mice) studies were followed by 66-days repeated-dose study in Wistar rats with the highest tested single-dose of microalgae equivalent to 101 mg/kg eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid (EPA+DHA). Microalgae-supplementation modulated EPA and docosapentaenoic acid enrichment at arachidonic acid content expenditure in erythrocytes and liver, while increasing EPA content of heart and adipose tissues of rats. Those fatty acid (FA) changes confirmed the D. vlkianum-biomass FA assimilation. The principal component analyses discriminated brain from other tissues, which formed two other groups (erythrocytes, liver, and heart separated from kidney and adipose tissues), pointing to a distinct signature of FA deposition for the brain and for the other organs. The improved serum lipid profile, omega-3 index and erythrocyte plasticity support the cardiovascular benefits of D. vlkianum. These results bolster the potential of D. vlkianum-biomass to become a “heart-healthy” food supplement providing a safe and renewable source of bioavailable omega-3 FA

Parasiticides: Weapons for Controlling Microbial Vector-Borne Diseases in Veterinary Medicine; The Potential of Ethnobotanic/Phytoparasiticides: An Asset to One Health

Some ectoparasites are vectors of illness-causing bacteria and viruses, and these are treated with antibiotic and antiviral drugs, which eventually contribute to the excessive use of antimicrobials. Therefore, the control of ectoparasites is crucial, and the challenge will be to manage them in a sustainable way. Data from a preliminary ethnobotanical survey was reanalyzed to obtain information on the use of various plant species in companion animals and livestock as ectoparasiticides. The survey responses were reviewed for traditional use of plants as ectoparasiticides, and cross-sectional bibliographic research was undertaken. The following plants were selected among the nine mentioned plants: Juglans regia, Daphne gnidium and Ruta graveolens, which have the most potential to be developed as veterinary ectoparasiticides. Moreover, the absence of published data for Plantago lanceolata and Cistus populifolius suggests that their traditional use as ectoparasiticides is noted here for the first time. In summary, these plants could give promising plant-derived veterinary ectoparasiticides that, ultimately, will help reduce and even avoid the excessive use of antimicrobials

Parasiticides: Weapons for Controlling Microbial Vector-Borne Diseases in Veterinary Medicine; The Potential of Ethnobotanic/Phytoparasiticides: An Asset to One Health

Some ectoparasites are vectors of illness-causing bacteria and viruses, and these are treated with antibiotic and antiviral drugs, which eventually contribute to the excessive use of antimicrobials. Therefore, the control of ectoparasites is crucial, and the challenge will be to manage them in a sustainable way. Data from a preliminary ethnobotanical survey was reanalyzed to obtain information on the use of various plant species in companion animals and livestock as ectoparasiticides. The survey responses were reviewed for traditional use of plants as ectoparasiticides, and cross-sectional bibliographic research was undertaken. The following plants were selected among the nine mentioned plants: Juglans regia, Daphne gnidium and Ruta graveolens, which have the most potential to be developed as veterinary ectoparasiticides. Moreover, the absence of published data for Plantago lanceolata and Cistus populifolius suggests that their traditional use as ectoparasiticides is noted here for the first time. In summary, these plants could give promising plant-derived veterinary ectoparasiticides that, ultimately, will help reduce and even avoid the excessive use of antimicrobials

Predicted Environmental Risk Assessment of Antimicrobials with Increased Consumption in Portugal during the COVID-19 Pandemic; The Groundwork for the Forthcoming Water Quality Survey

The environmental release of antimicrobial pharmaceuticals is an imminent threat due to ecological impacts and microbial resistance phenomena. The recent COVID-19 outbreak will likely lead to greater loads of antimicrobials in the environment. Thus, identifying the most used antimicrobials likely to pose environmental risks would be valuable. For that, the ambulatory and hospital consumption patterns of antimicrobials in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021) were compared with those of 2019. A predicted risk assessment screening approach based on exposure and hazard in the surface water was conducted, combining consumption, excretion rates, and ecotoxicological/microbiological endpoints in five different regions of Portugal. Among the 22 selected substances, only rifaximin and atovaquone demonstrated predicted potential ecotoxicological risks for aquatic organisms. Flucloxacillin, piperacillin, tazobactam, meropenem, ceftriaxone, fosfomycin, and metronidazole showed the most significant potential for antibiotic resistance in all analysed regions. Regarding the current screening approach and the lack of environmental data, it is advisable to consider rifaximin and atovaquone in subsequent water quality surveys. These results might support the forthcoming monitorisation of surface water quality in a post-pandemic survey

Atopic dermatitis-like disease in a rat model

The Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a most important topic in clinical dermatology. In fact, the pathogenesis of this chronic inflammatory skin disease, primarily characterized by pruritus and dry skin, is still far from being fully understood. To look further into this complex disease, male adult Wistar rats (n = 10) were used as a model where acetone (AA) acted as the active challenger in a 3-day treatment setting, and compared with water (AW). On day 3, one hour after the last treatment, the AA area exhibited higher transepidermal water loss (TEWL), capillary blood flow, and reduced hydration when compared to AW. The scratching behavior was markedly higher in the AA treated group (n = 5) than in the AW group (n = 5). These interesting results justify the application of this model as a clinical experimental tool for AD research

Chronic Hyperglycemia Modulates Rat Osteoporotic Cortical Bone Microarchitecture into Less Fragile Structures

The authors thank Cintramedica, Laboratorio de analises clinicas, Sintra, Portugal, for the assistance in biomarker analyses. This research has been partially financially supported with Grant UID/EMS/50022/2013, sponsored by the Portuguese Foundation for the Science and Technology ("Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia"-FCT).There is controversy concerning the diabetes impact on bone quality, notorious in type 2 diabetic postmenopausal women. One pointed cause might be uncontrolled glycemia. In this study, the effect of chronic hyperglycemia in bone turnover, morphology, and biomechanics was evaluated in female Wistar rats in the presence/absence of estrogens (ovariectomy). Animals (n=28) were divided into sham, ovariectomized (OVX), hyperglycemic (streptozotocin 40 mg/kg, single-dose i.p.-STZ), and hyperglycemic-ovariectomized (STZ + OVX) animals. Blood biomarkers were estimated 60 days postovariectomy. Body weight, vertebral microarchitecture (L4-histomorphometry), femur biomechanical properties (bending tests), tibia ultrastructure (scanning electron microscopy), and femur and urinary calcium (atomic absorption) were also evaluated. The increased PINP/CTX ratio of hyperglycemic animals and the similar ratio between STZ + OVX and healthy animals contrasting with the lower ratio of OVX (in line with its histomorphometric data) suggest a tendency for improved bone formation in hyperglycemic-ovariectomized animals. The increased tibia medullar canal, which contrasts with the unaffected cortical thickness of both hyperglycemic groups while that of OVX decreased, was associated to the increased stiffness and strength of STZ + OVX bones compared to those of OVX, in line with the observed ultrastructure. Concluding, chronic hyperglycemia in ovariectomized female rats causes bone morphological changes that translate positively in the ultrastructure and mechanical properties of cortical bones. © 2017 Cristina de Mello-Sampayo et al.publishersversionpublishe

Metabolism of N-ethylhexedrone and buphedrone: An in vivo study in mice using HPLC-MS/MS

N-ethylhexedrone (NEH) and buphedrone (BUPH) are synthetic drugs structurally related to natural cathinone. These synthetic cathinones (SC) are members of the heterogenous family of new psychoactive substances (NPS), which have caused major concern in scientific and forensic communities over the past years, due to their widespread consume. Thus, there is a constant need for monitoring the use of these new substances and gather knowledge on their metabolism and excretion profiles, in order to try to identify markers of NPS consumption. This study aimed at the identification and quantification of NEH, BUPH and selected phase I metabolites using HPLC-MS/MS. NEH, BUPH and some related metabolites were synthesized in-house and quantified in 24 h mice urine, following single dose administration of each drug (64 mg kg−1, i.p.). NEH and BUPH were quantified in mice urine at 58.3 ± 14.4 and 146.2 ± 14.9 µg mL−1, respectively. Similar metabolic pathways were observed for both drugs. Among the metabolites studied, the most excreted ones derived from N-dealkylation of either NEH or BUPH (at around 80 µg mL−1 of urine). Other metabolites resulting from ketone reduction and ketone reduction combined with N-dealkylation or 4-aryl hydroxylation (detected for the first time in non-ring substituted SC) were also identified and quantified. Urine samples were screened using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry and various phase II metabolites, including N-acetylated, glucuronides and dicarboxylic acid conjugates were tentatively identified, some of them for the first time. This work is a contribution to the identification of metabolites from SC that can become potential markers to estimate drug consumption

Fotografando o mundo colonial africano Moçambique, 1929 Taking pictures of the African Colonial World Moçambique, 1929

O registo fotográfico transformou-se, a partir da segunda metade do século XIX, num instrumento privilegiado de observação e de descrição do mundo. Um instrumento capaz de sugerir a realidade "objectiva" dos elementos fotografados, mas também de registar as realidades imaginadas por quem fotografa, pessoas e instituições que "encomendam" fotografias, por quem as recolhe, selecciona e organiza em álbuns ou caixas. Além de registar "realidades", as fotografias também condicionam a percepção daqueles que as visionam - os seus "públicos alvo", previamente escolhidos, ou outros públicos, mais espontâneos, difusos ou até imprevistos. Nesse sentido, com maior ou menor intencionalidade e com diferentes graus de "sucesso", as fotografias são performativas, fazem parte do processo de construção e de reconstrução da ordem (natural, social) do mundo, produzem e/ou reproduzem as classificações e as identificações do espaço social. A "autoridade" do discurso fotográfico, associada à "crença espontânea" na sua veracidade, na possibilidade de registar de forma "objectiva" uma realidade autónoma, neutra, independente do sujeito que fotografa, reforça ainda mais esta sua dimensão prescritiva. O que pretendo com este texto é, partindo dos sentidos que atrás expus, ensaiar uma interpretação sobre o modo como foi organizado o mundo colonial moçambicano e classificadas as suas populações num conjunto de álbuns fotográficos dos finais da década de 20 do século XX.<br>The photographic record has become, from the second half of the nineteenth century, a privileged instrument of observation and description of the world. An instrument able to suggest the "objective" reality of the elements photographed, but also to record the realities imagined by those photographers, people and institutions that "ordered" the photos, and also by those who collect, select and organize them into albums or boxes. In addition to record "reality", the photographs also influence the perception of those whom the photos were taken for - their "target audiences", previously chosen, or other public, more spontaneous, diffuse or even unexpected. In this sense, more or less intentional and with different degrees of "success", the photographs are performing, are part of the construction and reconstruction of the order (natural, social) of the world, producing and/or reproducing the classifications and identification of the social space. The "authority" of the photographic discourse, associated with "spontaneous belief" in its truthfulness, in the possibility of registering an "objective" reality that is independent and neutral from the subject that is pictured, strength their prescriptive dimension. My objective with this text is to try to achieve an interpretation on how was organized the colonial Mozambique world and its people was classified using a set of photographic albums from the end of the second decade of the XX century