Chemical and bioinformatics analyses of the anti-leishmanial and anti-oxidant activities of hemp essential oil

Industrial hemp is a multiuse crop that has been widely cultivated to produce fibers and nutrients. The capability of the essential oil (EO) from inflorescences as antimicrobial agent has been reported. However, literature data are still lacking about the hemp EO antiprotozoal efficacy in vivo. The present study aims to unravel this concern through the evaluation of the efficacy of hemp EOs (2.5 mL/kg, intraperitoneally) of three different cultivars, namely Futura 75, Carmagnola selezionata and Eletta campana, in mice intraperitoneally infected with Leishmania tropica. A detailed description of EO composition and targets-components analysis is reported. Myrcene, α-pinene and E-caryophyllene were the main components of the EOs, as indicated by the gas-chromatographic analysis. However, a prominent position in the scenario of the theoretical interactions underlying the bio-pharmacological activity was also occupied by selina-3,7(11)-diene, which displayed affinities in the micromolar range (5.4–28.9) towards proliferator-activated receptor α, cannabinoid CB2 receptor and acetylcholinesterase. The content of this compound was higher in Futura 75 and Eletta campana, in accordance with their higher scavenging/reducing properties and efficacy against the tissue wound, induced by L. tropica. Overall, the present study recommends hemp female inflorescences, as sources of biomolecules with potential pharmacological applications, especially towards infective diseases

Early screening for protective and risk factors—Polish adaptation of the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment

There is a lack of Polish-language assessment instruments measuring resilience in preschool children. One of the most comprehensive instruments is the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA): a parent- or teacher-report instrument that measures children's protective and risk factors. It is used to guide resilience training, and to screen for behavioral problems. We validated the Polish adaptation of DECA among parents and teachers of 526 preschool children aged 2-5 years. The DECA scale showed very good internal reliability with Cronbach's ɑs in the  .76-.94 range and decent criterion validity, in terms of correlations with the the Emotionality Activity and Sociability Scale for Children, Locus of Control Scale in Preschoolers and Social Development Scales. A confirmatory factor analysis of the three-factor model with weighted least square mean and variance adjusted estimation yielded satisfactory fit. Results thus indicate that the Polish version of the DECA scale may be used to assess resilience in children