Maternal supplementation with LGG reduces vaccine-specific immune responses in infants at high-risk of developing allergic disease

Probiotics are defined as live micro-organisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. Among their pleiotropic effects, inhibition of pathogen colonization at the mucosal surface as well as modulation of immune responses are widely recognized as the principal biological activities of probiotic bacteria. In recent times, the immune effects of probiotics have led to their application as vaccine adjuvants, offering a novel strategy for enhancing the efficacy of current vaccines. Such an approach is particularly relevant in regions where infectious disease burden is greatest and where access to complete vaccination programs is limited. In this study, we report the effects of the probiotic, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) on immune responses to tetanus, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and pneumococcal conjugate (PCV7) vaccines in infants. This study was conducted as part of a larger clinical trial assessing the impact of maternal LGG supplementation in preventing the development of atopic eczema in infants at high-risk for developing allergic disease. Maternal LGG supplementation was associated with reduced antibody responses against tetanus, Hib, and pneumococcal serotypes contained in PCV7 (N = 31) compared to placebo treatment (N = 30) but not total IgG levels. Maternal LGG supplementation was also associated with a trend to increased number of tetanus toxoid-specific T regulatory in the peripheral blood compared to placebo-treated infants. These findings suggest that maternal LGG supplementation may not be beneficial in terms of improving vaccine-specific immunity in infants. Further clinical studies are needed to confirm these findings. As probiotic immune effects can be species/strain specific, our findings do not exclude the potential use of other probiotic bacteria to modulate infant immune responses to vaccines

Vasorelaxant activity of indole alkaloids from Tabernaemontana dichotoma.

The aim of this study was to search for bioactive natural products from medicinal plants targeting vasorelaxant activity and we found the methanol extract from bark of Tabernaemontana dichotoma showed vasorelaxant activity on rat aorta. We isolated eight indole alkaloids including 10-methoxyalstonerine (1), a new macroline type indole alkaloid, from bark of T. dichotoma. These were respectively identified as 10-methoxyaffinisine (2), lochnerine (3), cathafoline (4), (−)-alstonerine (5), 19,20-dehydro-10-methoxytalcarpine (6), alstonisine (7), and alstonal (8) based on spectroscopic analysis. Among them, sarpagine type (2 and 3), akuammiline type (4), and macroline oxindole type (7 and 8) showed potent vasorelaxant activity. Mechanism of action on vasorelaxant activity of 10-methoxyaffinisine (2), cathafoline (4), and alstonisine (7) was clarified. Effects of 10-methoxyaffinisine (2), cathafoline (4), and alstonisine (7) were partially mediated the NO release from endothelial cells. Furthermore, 10-methoxyaffinisine (2) and alstonisine (7) attribute to the inhibitory effect of VDC and ROC, and cathafoline (4) have inhibitory effect on Ca2+ influx via ROC. In addition, 10-methoxyaffinisine (2) as a major compound from bark of T. dichotoma showed hypotensive effect on normotensive rats in vivo

Metabolite characterization of different palm date varieties and the correlation with their NO inhibitory activity, texture and sweetness

The aim of this study was to examine the variation in metabolite constituents of five commercial varieties of date fruits; Ajwa, Safawi and Ambar which originated from Madinah, the Iranian Bam and Tunisian Deglet Noor. The differences of metabolome were inves-tigated using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR) spectroscopy combined with multivariate data analysis (MVDA). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed clear separation between the date varieties. The Tunisian Deglet Noor demonstrated distinct cluster from the rest of the palm date samples based on the metabolite composition as shown by the pattern observed in Hierarchical Clustering Analysis (HCA) and PCA. Deglet Noor exhibited a significant higher level of sucrose (d5.40) and fructose (d4.16) in comparison with the other four varieties which can be associated with the distinctive sweet taste of this variety.Dates originated from Madinah and Tunisia exhibited a contrast manner in the amount of xylose and moisture content. These two aspects may contribute towards the soft texture of Tunisian dates. All Madinah dates were found to contain phenolic compounds which were well established as great antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Ajwa dates exerted greater effect in inhibiting the generation of nitric oxide (NO) from the stimulated RAW264.7 cells at 95.37% inhibition. Succinic acid was suggested to have the most significant correlation with the trend of NO inhibitory shown by the selected date palm varieties

Metabolomic analysis and biochemical changes in the urine and serum of streptozotocin-induced normal- and obese-diabetic rats

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic disease that can affect metabolism of glucose and other metabolites. In this study, the normal-and obese-diabetic rats were compared to understand the diabetes disorders of type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus. This was done byevaluating their urine metabolites using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR)-based metabolomics and comparing withcontrols at different time points, considering the induction periods of obesity and diabetes. The biochemical parameters of theserum were also investigated. The obese-diabetic model was developed by feeding the rats a high-fat diet and inducing diabeticconditions with a low dose of streptozotocin (STZ) (25 mg/kg bw). However, the normal rats were induced by a high dose of STZ(55 mg/kg bw). A partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model showed the biomarkers of both DM typescompared to control. The synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies, tricarboxylic (TCA) cycles, and amino acid pathwayswere the ones most involved in the variation with the highest impact. The diabetic groups also exhibited a noticeable increase inthe plasma glucose level and lipid profile disorders compared to the control. There was also an increase in the plasma cholesteroland low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels and a decline in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) of diabetic rats. The normal-diabetic rats exhibited the highest effect of all parameters compared to the obese-diabetic rats in the advancement of the DMperiod. This finding can build a platform to understand the metabolic and biochemical complications of both types of DM and cangenerate ideas for finding targeted drugs

Relationship between metabolites composition and biological activities of Phyllanthus niruri extracts prepared by different drying methods and solvents extraction

The study investigated the changes in the metabolite, antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of Phyllanthus niruri after three drying treatments: air, freeze and oven dryings. Water extracts and extracts obtained using different solvent ratios of ethanol and methanol (50, 70, 80 and 100%) were compared. The relationships among the antioxidant, α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and metabolite levels of the extracts were evaluated using partial least-square analysis (PLS). The solvent selectivity was assessed based on the phytochemical constituents present in the extract and their concentrations quantitatively analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography. The freeze-dried P. niruri samples that were extracted with the mixture of ethanol or methanol with low ratio of water showed higher biological activity values compared with the other extracts. The PLS results for the ethanolic with different ratio and water extracts demonstrated that phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid and ellagic acid) and flavonoids were highly linked to strong α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activities

Cytotoxic prenylated xanthone and coumarin derivatives from Malaysian Mesua beccariana

Our recent research on the phytochemical constituents of the stem bark of Mesua beccariana gave one new xanthone, beccarixanthone T (1) and one new coumarin, beccamarin T (2) together with three known xanthones mesuarianone (3), mesuasinone (4), 1,5-dihydroxyxanthone (5) and four known terpenoids, friedelin (6), stigmasterol (7), beta-sitosterol (8) and gamma-sitosterol (9). The structures of these compounds were elucidated and determined using spectroscopic techniques such as NMR and MS. The cytotoxic activities of compounds 1-4 as well as the crude extracts were tested against two cancer cell lines, Hep G2 (liver cancer cell line) and HT-29 (colon cancer cell line) using MTT assays. Mesuarianone (3) gave a significant activity on the HT-29 cell line while mesuasinone (4) gave moderate activity against HT-29 cell line

5G hairpin bandpass filter

In this paper, Hairpin Bandpass Filter (HPBF) is designed, simulated and fabricated at two 5G low-frequency bands: 3.7 GHz-4.2 GHz and 5.975 GHz-7.125 GHz. This filter will be a part of our 5G narrowband/ Ultra Wide Band (UWB) reconfigurable antenna project that plays a significant role in the recent wireless networks, such as Cognitive Radios (CRs). Through the two frequency bands, the filter resulted in good matching and transmission responses with enhanced bandwidth. The measured reflection coefficient of the proposed HBPF, S11 is <-10 dB and <-11.66 dB through 3.45 GHz – 4.25 GHz and 5.62 GHz – 7.6 GHz, respectively. However, the transmission coefficient, S12 is around-1.5 dB and – 1.17 dB at the center frequencies FC = 3.75 GHz and 6.61 GHz, respectively. In this paper, the High-Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) software is used to carry out the simulation. The full-wave simulation results are validated with the hardware measurements

Exploration on Pavement Surface Conditions Attributed To Mineral Freight and Logistics Operations on Kuantan Road Network

Abstract The most active mineral mining operations in Malaysia are located in Kuantan, Pahang. The rapid increases of the minerals operations are of concern due to its significant impacts on the environment and human health. While effects to the environment and human health are a great of concern, the effect to the transportation system also should not be neglected. With the continuous growth of these industries, there will be more heavy vehicles generated on road transporting minerals related products leading to several issues especially on road pavement damages. Pavement damages are always associated with its optimum function and may contribute to road crashes. There are several factors that influenced the pavement damages such as weather changes, quality of material use, improper maintenance and traffic operations. This study was conducted to explore the pavement damages occurrence based on traffic operation which focusing on heavy vehicles composition as centre for critical analysis. To achieve this study, the identification of regular routing used for minerals logistic operation from the mining source to the port was chosen as study location. This study was conducted by using visual observation survey and traffic volume survey. A set of historical data on route inspection supplied by Road Care also been used for analysis. Then, data obtained were analyzed using road disability level and road rating assessment. The result shows that the road rating leading to Kuantan Port was less satisfactory (rating C) with the marks of 7.27 and the highest type of damage found was cracking with 36% followed by rutting (33%) and potholes (31%). The outcomes from this study were hoped to bring some understanding on the impact of heavy vehicles towards transportation system within a local road network in Kuantan.</jats:p