Nematoxic effect of essential oils and their fractions against the pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

The pinewood nematode (PWN) Bursaphelenchus xylophilus is a highly pathogenic plant parasite that greatly affects pine forests. In Portugal, the most affected species is Pinus pinaster Aiton. Despite great efforts, since its fist detection in 1999, the PWN has spread through the country, including Madeira Island, having been recently detected in Spain [1,2]. Containing this pest is of the utmost importance for European pine forest safeguard. Since most synthetic chemicals used to control phytoparasites are toxic to humans and animals, and can accumulate in the soil and in food plants [3], in the present work, the nematoxic potential of over 80 essential oils (EOs), isolated from the Portuguese flora, were assessed against the PWN. EOs were isolated by hydrodistillation and analysed by GC and GC-MS [3]. EOs hydrocarbon and oxygen-containing fractions were obtained as in [4]. Direct-contact assays, adapted from [3], were performed by adding EOs/methanol stock-solutions to 50-100 mixed-stage PWN suspensions. After 24h in darkness, dead and live nematodes were counted under an inverted microscope. Assays were repeated at least 10 times in two series. Mortalities ≥96% were obtained with 2μL/mL of the EOs isolated from Cymbopogon citratus, Eucalyptus citriodora, Mentha arvensis, Origanum virens, Origanum vulgare, Ruta graveolens, Satureja montana, Syzygium aromaticum, Thymbra capitata, Thymus caespititius (carvacrol and/or thymol-rich), Thymus vulgaris and Thymus zygis. These EOs were further tested at 1, 0.5 and 0.25μL/mL. Minimum lethal concentrations (LC100) <0.4μL/mL, were obtained for the 2-undecanone-rich R. graveolens EO and the carvacrol and γ-terpinene-rich S. montana and T. capitata EOs. Assays with EO fractions revealed that the monoterpene-rich nematoxic EOs control PWN through their combined hydrocarbon and oxygen-containing fractions through additive and/or synergic relations. As complex mixtures of active components, EOs may prove to be effective nematoxic age nts

Control of the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus by essential oils and extracts obtained from plants: a review.

The pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is a serious threat to forest ecosystems at a global scale. The nematode has become a major quarantine problem due to its capability to completely destroy Pinus spp. trees, with great damage to the wood industry. Controlling the nematode inside a living tree is quite difficult, the techniques used being often ineffective and quite expensive. In the coming years, most chemicals used to control nematodes will be banned and replaced by safer and environmentally friendly products. As so, chemicals naturally produced by plants will play an important role in controlling diseases such as pine wilt. Plants, particularly aromatic ones, are commonly used due to the chemical properties of their secondary metabolites. Among these, essential oils and/or extracts are highly employed and are being tested as possible control of some organisms, like nematodes. Recent publications have evaluated essential oils derived from different plant species as natural nematicides [1; 2], antibacterial [3], anti-fungal [4] as well as insecticidal [5]. Concerning control of the PWN, a significant amount of information on plants tested, results obtained and employed techniques, is available. Our revision has extensively gathered this information, making it easier to search, read and use. It may become useful information for future studies on the subject, since it will be possible to check the plants already tested. Although numbers aren´t definitive, so far, tested plants are distributed amongst 148 families. The extracts or essential oils of plants belonging to the Asteraceae, Lamiaceae and Euphorbiaceae families show promising results on controlling the pinewood nematode

Development and validation of a Medication Adherence Universal Questionnaire: the MAUQ

Abstract Background Different questionnaires assess self-reported medication adherence and others quantify aspects of patients attitudes towards medication, but not together in a single instrument. Gathering these two aspects in a single instrument could reduce patients survey burden. Aim The aim of this study was to develop the Medication Adherence Universal Questionnaire (MAUQ) using the Maastricht Utrecht Adherence in Hypertension short version (MUAH-16) factorial structure as the hypothesized model. Method A multistep process started with the modification of the MUAH-16 to obtain the MAUQ. Patients using at least one antihypertensive medicine were recruited. The two questionnaires, the MUAH-16 and MAUQ, were applied. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed using the initial MUAH-16 s-order 4-factor model. An additional bifactor model with four uncorrelated factors and an overall score was tested. The comparative fit index (CFI), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) with confidence intervals (CIs), and standardized root mean squared residual (SRMR) were used to assess both models. Results A sample of 300 hypertensive patients completed the instruments. The CFA with the second-order 4-factor solution resulted in similar results for the MUAH-16 and MAUQ: CFIs of 0.934 and 0.930, RMSEAs of 0.043 [CI 0.0300.056] and 0.045 [CI 0.0310.057] and SRMRs of 0.060 and 0.061, respectively. The CFA with the bifactor model showed slightly better results for both the MUAH-16 and MAUQ: CFIs of 0.974 and 0.976, RMSEAs of 0.030 [CI 0.0050.046] and 0.028 [CI 0.0010.044], and SRMRs of 0.043 and 0.044, respectively. Conclusion CFA demonstrated that the MAUQ presented a better fit to both models than the MUAH-16, obtaining a robust universal free instrument to assess medicine-taking behaviour and four medicine beliefs components. </jats:sec

Phytochemicals as Biopesticides against the Pinewood Nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus: A Review on Essential Oils and Their Volatiles

The impacts of a rapidly changing environment together with the growth in global trade activities has promoted new plant pest pandemic events in forest ecosystems. The pinewood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, causes strong worldwide economic and ecological impacts. Direct control is performed through trunk injection of powerful nematicides, however many of these (hemi)synthetic compounds have raised ecological and human health concerns for affecting non-target species and accumulating in food products. As sustainable alternatives, essential oils (EOs) have shown very promising results. In this work, available literature on the direct activity of EOs against PWN is reviewed, as a contribution to advance the search for safer and greener biopesticides to be used in sustainable PWD pest management strategies. For the first time, important parameters concerning the bioassays performed, the PWNs bioassayed, and the EOs used are summarized and comparatively analyzed. Ultimately, an overview of the chemical composition of the most active EOs allowed to uncover preliminary guidelines for anti-PWN EO efficiency. The analysis of important information on the volatile phytochemicals composing nematicidal EOs provides a solid basis to engineer sustainable biopesticides capable of controlling the PWN under an integrated pest management framework and contributes to improved forest health

A Universal Pharmacological-Based List of Drugs with Anticholinergic Activity

Anticholinergic burden tools have relevant pharmacological gaps that may explain their limited predictive ability for clinical outcomes. The aim of this study was to provide a universal pharmacological-based list of drugs with their documented affinity for muscarinic receptors. A comprehensive literature review was performed to identify the anticholinergic burden tools. Drugs included in these instruments were searched in four pharmacological databases, and the investigation was supplemented with PubMed. The evidence regarding the potential antagonism of the five muscarinic receptors of each drug was assessed. The proportion of drugs included in the tools with an affinity for muscarinic receptors was evaluated. A universal list of drugs with anticholinergic activity was developed based on their documented affinity for the different subtypes of muscarinic receptors and their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. A total of 23 tools were identified, including 304 different drugs. Only 48.68%, 47.70%, 48.03%, 43.75%, and 42.76% of the drugs had an affinity to the M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5 receptor, respectively, reported in any pharmacological database. The proportion of drugs with confirmed antagonism varied among the tools (36.8% to 100%). A universal pharmacological-based list of 133 drugs is presented. It should be further validated in different clinical settings. (c) 2023 by the authors

An anaphase surveillance mechanism prevents micronuclei formation from frequent chromosome segregation errors

Micronuclei are a hallmark of cancer and several other human disorders. Recently, micronuclei were implicated in chromothripsis, a series of massive genomic rearrangements that may drive tumor evolution and progression. Here, we show that Aurora B kinase mediates a surveillance mechanism that integrates error correction during anaphase with spatial control of nuclear envelope reassembly to prevent micronuclei formation. Using high-resolution live-cell imaging of human cancer and non-cancer cells, we uncover that anaphase lagging chromosomes are more frequent than previously anticipated, yet they rarely form micronuclei. Micronuclei formation from anaphase lagging chromosomes is prevented by a midzone-based Aurora B phosphorylation gradient that stabilizes kinetochore-microtubule attachments and assists spindle forces required for anaphase error correction while delaying nuclear envelope reassembly on lagging chromosomes, independently of microtubule density. We propose that a midzone-based Aurora B phosphorylation gradient actively monitors and corrects frequent chromosome segregation errors to prevent micronuclei formation during human cell division.We thank António Pereira and Ana Almeida for assistance with CH-STED, Ariana Jacome for the generation of lentiviral vectors, Cristina Ferrás and Marco Novais-Cruz for drawing attention to the effects of nocodazole treatment and washout on the Aurora B phosphorylation gradient, current and former lab members for suggestions, and Jonathan Higgins and Andrew McAinsh for discussing results prior to publication. This work was funded by the European Research Council (ERC) consolidator grant CODECHECK , under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement 681443 ), and Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia of Portugal ( PTDC/MED-ONC/3479/2020 )

Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Pre-Existing Diabetes

OBJETIVO: Avaliar as alterações epidemiológicas, de perfil clínico e de prognóstico obstétrico em pacientes portadoras de diabetes mellitus pré-gestacional. MÉTODOS: Estudo retrospetivo (coorte) de todas as gestações simples, com diagnóstico de diabetes prévio que foram seguidas num centro com apoio perinatal diferenciado entre 2004 e 2011 (n=194). Analisaram-se tendências relacionadas com dados demográficos e variáveis clínicas maternas, dados de indicadores de cuidados pre-concepcionais e durante a gravidez, e de controle metabólico. Dados do parto como a idade gestacional(IG) do parto, via do parto e peso do neonato foram variáveis também estudadas. RESULTADOS: A frequência global de diabetes prévia, durante o período estudado, foi de 4,4 por mil, não se verificando variações significativas durante o período de estudo. Os casos de diabetes tipo 2 permaneceram constantes. Em 67% dos casos o parto foi de termo(máximo de 80% em 2010–2011), registrou-se uma redução significativa dos partos por cesárea eletiva (p=0,03) e na incidência de neonatos considerados grandes para a IG (p=0,04) ao longo dos anos em estudo. Apesar dos bons resultados relacionados com o controle metabólico ao longo da vigilância da gravidez não foi registrada nenhuma melhora ao longo do tempo. Da mesma forma a proporção de gestantes diabéticas com avaliação pre-concepcional permaneceu pouco animadora. CONCLUSÕES: O seguimento de gestantes portadoras de diabetes mellitus em unidades multidisciplinares parece permitir um ajuste metabólico tão precoce quanto possível, de forma a conseguir melhorar o prognóstico obstétrico. A melhora nos cuidados pré-concepcionais continua sendo um desafio

Phenols, essential oils and carotenoids of Rosa canina from Tunisia and their antioxidant activities

The antioxidant activity of leaf extracts of Rosa canina from diverse localities of Tunisia were evaluated by ABTS and DPPH methods, whereas in those of essential oils and carotenoids extracts such activity was determined only by the ABTS method. Total phenols determined by the Folin method revealed that at Aindraham, samples showed a great variability of phenol content in contrast to those from Feija. After chemical analysis of the essential oils by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectra (GC-MS), revealed that the oils of Feija were predominantly composed of palmitic acid, vitispirane, linoleic acid, lauric acid, myristic acid and phytol acetate, while in thosesamples from Aindraham predominated vitispirane, palmitic acid, linoleic acid and phytol acetate. Higher concentrations of b-carotene and lycopene were found in the samples from Aindraham after determination by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). All samples possess antioxidant activity, nevertheless much more significant in phenol extracts in contrast to the carotenoid extracts, which possess the lowest activity