Anti-Allergic Compounds from Red Tomato Peel

Daily food habit with anti-allergic activities is expected to prevent the onset of allergic diseases and ameliorate allergic symptoms. The red color of ripe tomato fruit is due mainly to the accumulation of the carotenoid all-trans-lycopene, which is produced during fruit ripening. Red tomato peel extract (RTPE) contain lycopene (450mg/ kg) and has been found to have anti-allergic effects on man compare its flesh extract and yellow tomato peel extract (YTPE). RTPE could possibly inhibit histamine release and relieve the symptoms of all types of allergy including cedar pollinosis. To evaluate the anti-allergic effect of RTPE, we performed a research study randomized, on three groups in 50 perennial allergy patients with red peel extract; yellow peel extract; tomato flesh and Dextrin (20 healthy university students as control). All patients using oral administration of red tomato peel extract (RTPE); yellow/pink tomato peel extract (YTPE) and tomato flesh extract (TFE) 30mg per day /patient each group and Dextrin as control (30mg per day /patient each group) for 56 days. We found that the skin test for allergy score significantly decreased in the RTPE group only at the end of the trial compared to the beginning and treated with YTPE and TFE groups. Besides this, we also found that sneezing score decreases significantly at the end of experiment time compare to the beginning (p<0.03). There were decreasing tendencies of rhinorrhea and nasal obstruction in the RTPE group. The patients quality of life was significantly improved in the RTPE group after 56 days of treatment (p=0.02) but not in YTPE; tomato flesh extract (TFE) and dextrin group. A significant improvement in total symptom scores, combining sneezing, rhinorrhea and nasal obstruction, was observed after oral administration of RTPE for 56 days (p=0.01). Thus, this evidence will be helpful for the development of low molecular compounds for allergic diseases and it is expected that a dietary menu including an appropriate intake of carotenoids (fruits & vegetables) may provide a form of complementary and alternative medicine and a preventative strategy for allergic diseases

Two-Dimensional Nonlinear Propagation of Ion Acoustic Waves through KPB and KP Equations in Weakly Relativistic Plasmas

Two-dimensional three-component plasma system consisting of nonextensive electrons, positrons, and relativistic thermal ions is considered. The well-known Kadomtsev-Petviashvili-Burgers and Kadomtsev-Petviashvili equations are derived to study the basic characteristics of small but finite amplitude ion acoustic waves of the plasmas by using the reductive perturbation method. The influences of positron concentration, electron-positron and ion-electron temperature ratios, strength of electron and positrons nonextensivity, and relativistic streaming factor on the propagation of ion acoustic waves in the plasmas are investigated. It is revealed that the electrostatic compressive and rarefactive ion acoustic waves are obtained for superthermal electrons and positrons, but only compressive ion acoustic waves are found and the potential profiles become steeper in case of subthermal positrons and electrons

A Multicentre Study of Shigella Diarrhoea in Six Asian Countries: Disease Burden, Clinical Manifestations, and Microbiology

BACKGROUND: The burden of shigellosis is greatest in resource-poor countries. Although this diarrheal disease has been thought to cause considerable morbidity and mortality in excess of 1,000,000 deaths globally per year, little recent data are available to guide intervention strategies in Asia. We conducted a prospective, population-based study in six Asian countries to gain a better understanding of the current disease burden, clinical manifestations, and microbiology of shigellosis in Asia. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Over 600,000 persons of all ages residing in Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand were included in the surveillance. Shigella was isolated from 2,927 (5%) of 56,958 diarrhoea episodes detected between 2000 and 2004. The overall incidence of treated shigellosis was 2.1 episodes per 1,000 residents per year in all ages and 13.2/1,000/y in children under 60 months old. Shigellosis incidence increased after age 40 years. S. flexneri was the most frequently isolated Shigella species (1,976/2,927 [68%]) in all sites except in Thailand, where S. sonnei was most frequently detected (124/146 [85%]). S. flexneri serotypes were highly heterogeneous in their distribution from site to site, and even from year to year. PCR detected ipaH, the gene encoding invasion plasmid antigen H in 33% of a sample of culture-negative stool specimens. The majority of S. flexneri isolates in each site were resistant to amoxicillin and cotrimoxazole. Ciprofloxacin-resistant S. flexneri isolates were identified in China (18/305 [6%]), Pakistan (8/242 [3%]), and Vietnam (5/282 [2%]). CONCLUSIONS: Shigella appears to be more ubiquitous in Asian impoverished populations than previously thought, and antibiotic-resistant strains of different species and serotypes have emerged. Focusing on prevention of shigellosis could exert an immediate benefit first by substantially reducing the overall diarrhoea burden in the region and second by preventing the spread of panresistant Shigella strains. The heterogeneous distribution of Shigella species and serotypes suggest that multivalent or cross-protective Shigella vaccines will be needed to prevent shigellosis in Asia

A Knob for Changing Light Propagation from Subluminal to Superluminal

We show how the application of a coupling field connecting the two lower metastable states of a lambda-system can produce a variety of new results on the propagation of a weak electromagnetic pulse. In principle the light propagation can be changed from subluminal to superluminal. The negative group index results from the regions of anomalous dispersion and gain in susceptibility.Comment: 6 pages,5 figures, typed in RevTeX, accepted in Phys. Rev.