Orange thyme: phytochemical profiling, in vitro bioactivities of extracts and potential health benefits

Orange thyme (Thymus fragrantissimus) is becoming widely used in food as a condiment and herbal tea, nevertheless its chemical composition and potential bioactivities are largely unknown. Thus the objective of this work is to obtain a detailed phytochemical profile of T. fragrantissimus by exhaustive ethanolic extraction and by aqueous decoction mimicking its consumption. Extracts showed high content in rosmarinic acid, luteolin-O-hexuronide and eriodictyol-O-hexuronide; these were the main phenolic compounds present in orange thyme accounting for 85% of the total phenolic compounds. Orange thyme extracts presented high scavenging activity against nitric oxide and superoxide radicals. Both extracts presented significant inhibitory effect of tyrosinase activity and moderate anti-acetylcholinesterase activity. Both extracts showed a good in vitro anti-inflammatory activity and a weak anti-proliferative/cytotoxic activity against Caco-2 and HepG2 cell lines supporting its safe use. Orange thyme is a very good source of bioactive compounds with potential use in different food and nutraceutical industries.This research was supported by INTERACT project–“Integrative Research in Environment, Agro-Chains and Technology”, no. NORTE 01-0145-FEDER-000017, in its line of research entitled ISAC, co financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through NORTE 2020 (North Regional Operational Program 2014/ 2020). By funds from the Portuguese Science and Technology Founda tion (FCT), Ministry of Science and Education (FCT/MEC) through na tional funds, and co-financed by FEDER/COMPETE/POCI, under the projects UIDB/04033/2020 (CITAB) and UIDB/00616/2020 and UIDP/ 00616/2020 (CQ-VR). The authors would like to thank the grants from INTERACT project: BI/UTAD/INTERACT/ISAC/203/2016 to L.F and BIM/UTAD/30/2018 to C.M.G.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Electrochemical sensing of ecstasy with electropolymerized molecularly imprinted poly(o-phenylenediamine) polymer on the surface of disposable screen-printed carbon electrodes

This study demonstrates the ability of an electrochemical sensor based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) to selectively quantify 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known as ecstasy, in biological samples. The device was constructed using ortho-phenylenediamine (o-PD) as the MIP’s building monomer at the surface of a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE). The step-by-step construction of the SPCE-MIP sensor was characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and modelling were performed not only to understand template-monomer interaction but also to comprehend which possible polymer structure - linear or ramified poly(o-PD) – indeed interacts with the analyte. The prepared sensor worked by directly measuring the MDMA oxidation signal through square-wave voltammetry (SWV) after an incubation period of 10 min. Several parameters were optimized, such as the monomer/template ratio, the number of electropolymerization scanning cycles, and the incubation period, to obtain the best sensing efficiency. Optimized sensors exhibited suitable selectivity, repeatability (2.6%), reproducibility (7.7%) and up to one month of stable response. A linear range up to 0.2 mmol L−1 was found with an r2 of 0.9990 and a limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of 0.79 and 2.6 μmol L−1 (0.15 and 0.51 μg mL−1), respectively. The proposed sensor was successfully applied to human blood serum and urine samples, showing its potential for application in medicine and in forensic sciences.This work received financial support from FCT/MCTES through national funds and was co-financed by FEDER, under Partnership Agreement PT2020-UID/QUI/50006/2013-POCI/01/0145/FEDER/007265. RASC wishes to acknowledge FCT for her PhD fellowship (PD/BD/127797/2016) from the PhD Programme in Medicines and Pharmaceutical Innovation (i3DU). AACB (grants 2014/25770-6 and 2015/01491-3) and LMG (grant 2018/14425-7) thank the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) for financial support. AACB (grant 309715/2017-2) also thanks the Brazilian National Research Council (CNPq) for financial support and fellowships. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brasil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A practical clinical score

Copyright © 2022 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the most common etiology of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, there is controversy whether invasive coronary angiography (ICA) should be used initially to exclude CAD in patients presenting with new-onset HFrEF of unknown etiology. Our study aimed to develop a clinical score to quantify the risk of obstructive CAD in these patients. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional observational study of 452 consecutive patients presenting with new-onset HFrEF of unknown etiology undergoing elective ICA in one academic center, between January 2005 and December 2019. Independent predictors for obstructive CAD were identified. A risk score was developed using multivariate logistic regression of designated variables. The accuracy and discriminative power of the predictive model were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 109 patients (24.1%) presented obstructive CAD. Six independent predictors were identified and included in the score: male gender (2 points), diabetes (1 point), dyslipidemia (1 point), smoking (1 point), peripheral arterial disease (1 point), and regional wall motion abnormalities (3 points). Patients with a score ≤3 had less than 15% predicted probability of obstructive CAD. Our score showed good discriminative power (C-statistic 0.872; 95% CI 0.834-0.909: p<0.001) and calibration (p=0.333 from the goodness-of-fit test). CONCLUSIONS: A simple clinical score showed the ability to predict the risk of obstructive CAD in patients presenting with new-onset HFrEF of unknown etiology and may guide the clinician in selecting the most appropriate diagnostic modality for the assessment of obstructive CAD.proofepub_ahead_of_prin

Toxicological and anti-tumor effects of a linden extract (Tilia platyphyllos Scop.) in a HPV16-transgenic mouse model

Tilia platyphyllos Scop. is a popular broad-leaved tree, native to Central and Southern Europe. Hydroethanolic extracts rich in phenolic compounds obtained from T. platyphyllos Scop. have shown in vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties. The aim of this work was to evaluate the therapeutic properties of a hydroethanolic extract obtained from T. platyphyllos in HPV16-transgenic mice. The animals were divided into eight groups according to their sex and phenotype. Four groups of female: HPV+ exposed to linden (HPV linden; n = 6), HPV+ (HPV water; n = 4), HPV- exposed to linden (WT linden; n = 5) and HPV- (WT water; n = 4) and four groups of male: HPV+ exposed to linden (HPV linden; n = 5), HPV+ (HPV water; n = 5), HPV- exposed to linden (WT linden; n = 5) and HPV- (WT water; n = 7). The linden (Tilia platyphyllos Scop.) extract was orally administered at a dose of 4.5 mg/10 mL per animal (dissolved in water) and changed daily for 33 days. The hydroethanolic extract of T. platyphyllos consisted of protocatechuic acid and (-)-epicatechin as the most abundant phenolic acid and flavonoid, respectively, and was found to be stable during the studied period. In two male groups a significant positive weight gain was observed but without association with the linden extract. Histological, biochemical, and oxidative stress analyses for the evaluation of kidney and liver damage support the hypothesis that the linden extract is safe and well-tolerated under the present experimental conditions. Skin histopathology does not demonstrate the chemopreventive effect of the linden extract against HPV16-induced lesions. The linden extract has revealed a favourable toxicological profile; however, additional studies are required to determine the chemopreventive potential of the linden extract. This journal isThis work was supported by the project IBERPHENOL, project number 0377_IBERPHENOL_6_E; Interact R&D project, operation number NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000017, National Funds by FCT – Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UIDB/04033/2020 (CITAB), and project UIDB/ CVT/00772/2020 (CECAV) and the post-graduation grant SFRH/ BD/136747/2018 and 2020.04789.BD; the authors are also grateful to FCT, Portugal and FEDER under programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020) and L. Barros acknowledges the national funding by FCT, P. I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract. The authors would like to thank Cantinho das Aromáticas organic farmers from Vila Nova de Gaia (Portugal) for providing the samples. This work was financially supported by: Base Funding - UIDB/00511/2020 of the Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy – LEPABE - funded by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Human Papillomavirus Genotype Distribution among Cervical Cancer Patients prior to Brazilian National HPV Immunization Program

To evaluate the impact of HPV immunization and possible changes in virus type-specific prevalence associated with cervical cancer, it is important to obtain baseline information based on socioeconomic, educational, and environmental characteristics in human populations. We describe these characteristics and the type-specific HPV distribution in 1,183 women diagnosed with cervical cancer in two Brazilian healthcare institutions located at the Southeastern (Rio de Janeiro/RJ) and the Amazonian (Belém/PA) regions. Large differences were observed between women in these regions regarding economic, educational, and reproductive characteristics. The eight most frequent HPV types found in tumor samples were the following: 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45, 52, and 58. Some HPV types classified as unknown or low risk were found in tumor samples with single infections, HPV 83 in RJ and HPV 11, 61, and 69 in PA. The proportion of squamous cervical cancer was lower in RJ than in PA (76.3% versus 87.3%, p<0.001). Adenocarcinoma was more frequent in RJ than in PA (13.5% versus 6.9%, p<0.001). The frequency of HPV 16 in PA was higher in younger women (p<0.05). The success of a cervical cancer control program should consider HPV types, local health system organization, and sociodemographic diversity of Brazilian regions

Human Papillomavirus Genotype Distribution among Cervical Cancer Patients prior to Brazilian National HPV Immunization Program

To evaluate the impact of HPV immunization and possible changes in virus type-specific prevalence associated with cervical cancer, it is important to obtain baseline information based on socioeconomic, educational, and environmental characteristics in human populations. We describe these characteristics and the type-specific HPV distribution in 1,183 women diagnosed with cervical cancer in two Brazilian healthcare institutions located at the Southeastern (Rio de Janeiro/RJ) and the Amazonian (Belém/PA) regions. Large differences were observed between women in these regions regarding economic, educational, and reproductive characteristics. The eight most frequent HPV types found in tumor samples were the following: 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45, 52, and 58. Some HPV types classified as unknown or low risk were found in tumor samples with single infections, HPV 83 in RJ and HPV 11, 61, and 69 in PA. The proportion of squamous cervical cancer was lower in RJ than in PA (76.3% versus 87.3%, 푝 &lt; 0.001). Adenocarcinoma was more frequent in RJ than in PA (13.5% versus 6.9%, 푝 &lt; 0.001). The frequency of HPV 16 in PA was higher in younger women (푝 &lt; 0.05). The success of a cervical cancer control program should consider HPV types, local health system organization, and sociodemographic diversity of Brazilian regions

Assessing specialized metabolite diversity in the cosmopolitan plant genus Euphorbia l.

Coevolutionary theory suggests that an arms race between plants and herbivores yields increased plant specialized metabolite diversity and the geographic mosaic theory of coevolution predicts that coevolutionary interactions vary across geographic scales. Consequently, plant specialized metabolite diversity is expected to be highest in coevolutionary hotspots, geographic regions, which exhibit strong reciprocal selection on the interacting species. Despite being well-established theoretical frameworks, technical limitations have precluded rigorous hypothesis testing. Here we aim at understanding how geographic separation over evolutionary time may have impacted chemical differentiation in the cosmopolitan plant genus Euphorbia. We use a combination of state-of-the-art computational mass spectral metabolomics tools together with cell-based high-throughput immunomodulatory testing. Our results show significant differences in specialized metabolite diversity across geographically separated phylogenetic clades. Chemical structural diversity of the highly toxic Euphorbia diterpenoids is significantly reduced in species native to the Americas, compared to Afro-Eurasia. The localization of these compounds to young stems and roots suggest a possible ecological relevance in herbivory defense. This is further supported by reduced immunomodulatory activity in the American subclade as well as herbivore distribution patterns. We conclude that computational mass spectrometric metabolomics coupled with relevant ecological data provide a strong tool for exploring plant specialized metabolite diversity in a chemo-evolutionary framework

HTLV-1 infection in solid organ transplant donors and recipients in Spain

HTLV-1 infection is a neglected disease, despite infecting 10-15 million people worldwide and severe illnesses develop in 10% of carriers lifelong. Acknowledging a greater risk for developing HTLV-1 associated illnesses due to immunosuppression, screening is being widely considered in the transplantation setting. Herein, we report the experience with universal HTLV testing of donors and recipients of solid organ transplants in a survey conducted in Spain. All hospitals belonging to the Spanish HTLV network were invited to participate in the study. Briefly, HTLV antibody screening was performed retrospectively in all specimens collected from solid organ donors and recipients attended since the year 2008. A total of 5751 individuals were tested for HTLV antibodies at 8 sites. Donors represented 2312 (42.2%), of whom 17 (0.3%) were living kidney donors. The remaining 3439 (59.8%) were recipients. Spaniards represented nearly 80%. Overall, 9 individuals (0.16%) were initially reactive for HTLV antibodies. Six were donors and 3 were recipients. Using confirmatory tests, HTLV-1 could be confirmed in only two donors, one Spaniard and another from Colombia. Both kidneys of the Spaniard were inadvertently transplanted. Subacute myelopathy developed within 1 year in one recipient. The second recipient seroconverted for HTLV-1 but the kidney had to be removed soon due to rejection. Immunosuppression was stopped and 3 years later the patient remains in dialysis but otherwise asymptomatic. The rate of HTLV-1 is low but not negligible in donors/recipients of solid organ transplants in Spain. Universal HTLV screening should be recommended in all donor and recipients of solid organ transplantation in Spain. Evidence is overwhelming for very high virus transmission and increased risk along with the rapid development of subacute myelopathy