Neem oil nanoemulsions: characterisation and antioxidant activity

The aim of the present work is to develop nanoemulsions (NEs), nanosized emulsions, manufactured for improving the delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients. In particular, nanoemulsions composed of Neem seed oil, contain rich bioactive components, and Tween 20 as nonionic surfactant were prepared. A mean droplet size ranging from 10 to 100nm was obtained by modulating the oil/surfactant ratio. Physicochemical characterisation was carried out evaluating size, f-potential, microviscosity, polarity and turbidity of the external shell and morphology, along with stability in simulated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), activity of Neem oil alone and in NEs, HEp-2 cell interaction and cytotoxicity studies. This study confirms the formation of NEs by Tween 20 and Neem oil at different weight ratios with small and homogenous dimensions. The antioxidant activity of Neem oil alone and in NEs was comparable, whereas its cytotoxicity was strongly reduced when loaded in NEs after interaction with HEp-2 cells

Donor-Specific Anti-HLA Antibodies in Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation with Post-Transplantation Cyclophosphamide: Risk of Graft Failure, Poor Graft Function, and Impact on Outcomes.

The presence of donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA) is associated with a 10-fold increased risk of graft failure in haploidentical stem cell transplantation (haplo-SCT). Consensus guidelines from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation set a mean fluorescence intensity (MFI)1000 as a cutoff for DSA positivity. In the absence of an alternative donor, it is recommended that patients undergo desensitization therapy, especially with high DSA levels (5000 MFI). The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of DSA on risk of graft failure and poor graft function, as well as on major outcomes in a consecutive cohort of patients who were systematically screened for DSA before haplo-SCT. A total of 141 consecutive patients were candidates for unmanipulated haplo-SCT with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide (PT-Cy) at our center between January 2012 and January 2018, and 135 were analyzed for the presence of HLA antibodies. Of these 134 patients underwent haplo-SCT. HLA antibodies were detected in 40 patients, including 19 with DSA and 21 without DSA. Ten of the 19 patients with DSA underwent transplantation using that donor, whereas 2 underwent a desensitization program before transplantation. Only 2 patients experienced primary graft failure (1.4 %), both of whom were without DSA. Twenty patients developed a poor graft function (15%). The 3-year overall survival (OS), 3-year progression-free survival (PFS), and 1-year nonrelapse mortality (NRM) were analyzed according to the presence or absence of DSA. No statistically significant difference was found. No impact of the presence of DSA on the risk of developing graft failure and poor graft function was revealed. Major outcomes of transplantation were analyzed separately in patients with poor graft function and those with good graft function. The 3-year OS, 3-year PFS, and 1-year NRM in good graft function and poor graft function populations were 62% versus 20% (P.0001), 53% versus 20% (P.0001), and 12% versus 40% (P = .009), respectively. The presence of low-level DSA in the absence of desensitization did not correlate with the risk of developing graft failure and poor graft function. Patients who experienced poor graft function had worse outcomes than patients with good graft function

Micropropagación de Guadua angustifolia Kunth a partir de explantes nodales

Se evaluó el efecto de diferentes estrategias de desinfección, así como de varias concentraciones de la citoquinina 6-bencilamino purina (BAP) en el medio de cultivo, sobre el establecimiento y desarrollo in vitro de explantes nodales de Guadua angustifolia Kunth. Se observó que la utilización de explantes de plantas cultivadas en invernadero y la desinfección secuencial con un detergente alcalino, una mezcla de Benomyl y Agrimycin, seguidos de hipoclorito de sodio (1.5%), permitió reducir la contaminación externa en los explantes. Además, la incorporación en el medio de cultivo de un agente biocida, desarrollado para ser utilizado en cultivo in vitro de plantas (Plant Preservative Mixture®), a una concentración de 2 ml/l, redujo el desarrollo de organismos contaminantes localizados en el interior de los explantes. De las concentraciones de BAP evaluadas, la mayor brotación de yemas axilares se observó con 3 mg/l. Las yemas brotadas crecieron rápidamente, con la consiguiente formación de un eje con varias hojas. El sucesivo subcultivó de estos ejes, cada tres semanas en el mismo medio, permitió la formación de nuevos ejes laterales, así como de raíces. Al cabo de 6 subcultivos, se observó la formación de macollas compuestas por 8-12 ejes. La división posterior de estas macollas en grupos de 5-6, ejes permitió la multiplicación de estas plantas.Universidad de Costa Rica/[734-A1-549]/UCR/Costa RicaIngeniería en Calidad Ambiental y Asociados/[ICA4-CT-2001-10091]/ICA/ArgentinaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Centro para Investigaciones en Granos y Semillas (CIGRAS

Neem oil or almond oil nanoemulsions for vitamin E Delivery: from structural evaluation to in vivo assessment of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity

Purpose: Vitamin E (VitE) may be classified in "the first line of defense" against the formation of reactive oxygen species. Its inclusion in nanoemulsions (NEs) is a promising alternative to increase its bioavailability. The aim of this study was to compare O/W NEs including VitE based on Almond or Neem oil, showing themselves antioxidant properties. The potential synergy of the antioxidant activities of oils and vitamin E, co-formulated in NEs, was explored. Patients and methods: NEs have been prepared by sonication and deeply characterized evaluating size, ζ-potential, morphology (TEM and SAXS analyses), oil nanodroplet feature, and stability. Antioxidant activity has been evaluated in vitro, in non-tumorigenic HaCaT keratinocytes, and in vivo through fluorescence analysis of C. elegans transgenic strain. Moreover, on healthy human volunteers, skin tolerability and anti-inflammatory activity were evaluated by measuring the reduction of the skin erythema induced by the application of a skin chemical irritant (methyl-nicotinate). Results: Results confirm that Vitamin E can be formulated in highly stable NEs showing good antioxidant activity on keratinocyte and on C. elegans. Interestingly, only Neem oil NEs showed some anti-inflammatory activity on healthy volunteers. Conclusion: From the obtained results, Neem over Almond oil is a more appropriate candidate for further studies on this application

Synthesis, structures, and reactivity of isomers of [RuCp*(1,4- (Me2N)2C6H4)]2

[RuCp*(1,3,5-R3C6H3)]2 {Cp* = &eta;5-pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, R = Me, Et} have previously been found to be moderately air stable, yet highly reducing, with estimated D+/0.5D2 (where D2 and D+ represent the dimer and the corresponding monomeric cation, respectively) redox potentials of ca. &minus;2.0 V vs. FeCp2+/0. These properties have led to their use as n-dopants for organic semiconductors. Use of arenes substituted with &pi;-electron donors is anticipated to lead to even more strongly reducing dimers. [RuCp*(1-(Me2N)-3,5-Me2C6H3)]+PF6&minus; and [RuCp*(1,4-(Me2N)2C6H4)]+PF6&minus; have been synthesized and electrochemically and crystallographically characterized; both exhibit D+/D potentials slightly more cathodic than [RuCp*(1,3,5-R3C6H3)]+. Reduction of [RuCp*(1,4-(Me2N)2C6H4)]+PF6&minus; using silica-supported sodium&ndash;potassium alloy leads to a mixture of isomers of [RuCp*(1,4-(Me2N)2C6H4)]2, two of which have been crystallographically characterized. One of these isomers has a similar molecular structure to [RuCp*(1,3,5-Et3C6H3)]2; the central C&ndash;C bond is exo,exo, i.e., on the opposite face of both six-membered rings from the metals. A D+/0.5D2 potential of &minus;2.4 V is estimated for this exo,exo dimer, more reducing than that of [RuCp*(1,3,5-R3C6H3)]2 (&minus;2.0 V). This isomer reacts much more rapidly with both air and electron acceptors than [RuCp*(1,3,5-R3C6H3)]2 due to a much more cathodic D2˙+/D2 potential. The other isomer to be crystallographically characterized, along with a third isomer, are both dimerized in an exo,endo fashion, representing the first examples of such dimers. Density functional theory calculations and reactivity studies indicate that the central bonds of these two isomers are weaker than those of the exo,exo isomer, or of [RuCp*(1,3,5-R3C6H3)]2, leading to estimated D+/0.5D2 potentials of &minus;2.5 and &minus;2.6 V vs. FeCp2+/0. At the same time the D2˙+/D2 potentials for the exo,endo dimers are anodically shifted relative to those of [RuCp*(1,3,5-R3C6H3)]2, resulting in much greater air stability than for the exo,exo isomer. &nbsp;</p

Acute heart failure in patients with acute aortic syndrome: Pathophysiology and clinical-prognostic implications

Aims Although acute heart failure (AHF) is a potential complication of acute aortic syndromes (AAS), its clinical details and management implications have been scarcely evaluated. This study aimed to assess prevalence, pathophysiological mechanisms, impact on treatment, and in-hospital mortality of AHF in AAS. Methods and results Data were collected from a prospective AAS registry (398 patients diagnosed between 2000 and 2013). Patients with AHF were identified by the presence of dyspnoea as the presentation symptom or radiological signs of pulmonary congestion or cardiogenic shock, including patients with cardiac tamponade (CT). AHF frequency was 28% (Stanford type A 32% vs. type B 20%, P = 0.01). Four mechanisms leading to AHF were identified, alone or in combination: CT (26%), aortic regurgitation (25%), myocardial ischaemia (17%), and hypertensive crisis (10%). In type A patients, aortic regurgitation and CT were the most frequent mechanisms, whereas myocardial ischaemia and hypertensive crisis were the most frequent in type B patients. Although no difference was noted for diagnostic times, AHF at presentation led to a longer surgical delay in type A AAS. In-hospital mortality was higher in patients with AHF compared with those without (34% vs. 17%, P &lt; 0.001). After multivariable analysis, AHF was associated with increased risk of in-hospital death (adjusted odds ratio 1.97, 95% confidence interval 1.14-3.36, P = 0.014). Conclusion AHF occurs in more than a quarter of patients with AAS of both type A and type B, is due to a variety of pathophysiological mechanisms, and is associated with increased surgical delay and in-hospital mortality. © 2015 The Authors European Journal of Heart Failure © 2015 European Society of Cardiology