Comparison of the antioxidant potential of some herbal teas produced from ecological and traditional crops

The growing public awareness of the dangers regarding chemicals used in traditional agriculture has led to consumers seeking valuable and contaminant-free products. Ecological agriculture has become synonymous with high health value and product safety. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity and the total polyphenolic content of infusions of herbal tea bags and loose teas from traditional crops, as well as infusions of loose teas from ecological crops. Raw material comprised dried flowers of Matricaria chamomilla and Tilia cordata, as well as dried leaves of Urtica dioica, Melissa officinalis and Mentha piperita. Herbal infusions were prepared using three brewing times: 5, 10 and 20 min. The analysis of antioxidant potential was performed using in vitro methods such as DPPH, ABTS and FRAP. The polyphenolic content was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The antioxidant activity of the studied tea infusion depended on the method by which the plants were cultivated and the brewing time. The ecological agriculture conditions seem not to stimulate the synthesis of antioxidants. However, the possibility to obtain other beneficial properties of the studied plants is an indication to carry out ecological cultivation

Wartość diagnostyczna wybranych markerów biochemicznych w diagnostyce wznowy raka rdzeniastego tarczycy — porównanie kalcytoniny, prokalcytoniny, chromograniny A i antygenu karcynoembrionalnego

Introduction: Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a malignancy of the thyroid gland, which derives from parafollicular C cells. Periodic measurement of biochemical markers of MTC remains a crucial part of patient follow-up and disease monitoring. The aim of the study was to compare the diagnostic value of four selected markers — calcitonin (Ct), procalcitonin (PCT), chromogranin A (CgA), and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). Material and methods: Patients with histopathologically confirmed MTC hospitalised in a single department between January 2015 and December 2015 were included in the study. Patients were subdivided into two groups: a remission group and an active disease group, based upon serum markers of MTC and imaging. Levels of Ct, PCT, CgA, and CEA were compared between the groups. Results: Forty-four patients were included; 20 patients presented active disease and 24 were in remission. All patients with active disease had Ct exceeding the upper limit of normal range (10 pg/mL) — for that threshold the sensitivity was 100.0% and the specificity was 73.9%; for the best-fit threshold of 121.0 pg/mL the specificity was 95.8% with sensitivity 100.0%. There was significant correlation between Ct and PCT — p < 0.000001, r = 0.93. All patients with active disease exceeded the upper limit of the normal range (0.5 ng/mL) — for that threshold the sensitivity was 100.0% and the specificity was 83.3%; for the best-fit threshold of 0.95 ng/mL the specificity was 95.8% with sensitivity 100.0%. In case of CEA for the best-fit threshold of 12.66 ng/mL the specificity was 100.0% with sensitivity 57.9%; for CgA the best-fit threshold was 75.66 ng/mL with specificity 83.3% and sensitivity 75.0%. Conclusions: Our study confirms that PCT can be considered as an equivalent alternative for measurement of calcitonin. On the other hand, it is also worth noting that MTC can be a rare cause of very high levels of PTC not resulting from infectious diseases. The diagnostic value of CEA and chromogranin A is much lower and can be within the normal range even in patients with advanced, metastatic MTC. They should be used only as accessory markers.Wstęp: Rak rdzeniasty tarczycy (RRT) to nowotwór złośliwy tarczycy wywodzący się z przypęcherzykowych komórek C. Okresowa kontrola markerów biochemicznych RRT stanowi kluczowy element prowadzenia pacjenta i monitorowania choroby. Celem obecnej pracy było porównanie wartości diagnostycznej czterech wybranych markerów — kalcytoniny (Ct), prokalcytoniny (PCT), chromograniny A (CgA) i antygenu karcynoembrionalnego (CEA). Metody: Do badania włączono pacjentów z histopatologicznie potwierdzonym RRT hospitalizowanych w jednym oddziale szpitalnym w 2015 roku. Pacjentów podzielono na dwie podgrupy — grupę pacjentów w remisji oraz z aktywną chorobą zależnie od wartości markerów osoczowych oraz wykonanej diagnostyki obrazowej. Wyniki: Włączono czterdziestu czterech pacjentów; 20 pacjentów prezentowało cechy aktywnej choroby, 24 było w remisji. Wszyscy pacjenci z aktywną chorobą wykazywali stężenia Ct przekraczające górną granicę normy (10 pg/ml); dla optymalnego punktu odcięcia 121,0 pg/ml swoistość wyniosła 95,8% przy czułości 100,0%. Wykazano istotną korelację pomiędzy Ct i PCT- p < 0.000001, r = 0.93. Dla optymalnego punktu odcięcia wynoszącego 0.95 ng/ml swoistość wyniosła 95.8% przy czułości 100.0%. W przypadku CEA dla najlepiej dopasowanego progu 12,66 ng/ml swoistość wyniosła 100,0% przy czułości 57,9%; dla CgA optymalny punkt odcięcia wyniósł 75,66 ng/ml przy swoistości 83,3% i czułości 75,0%. Wnioski: Nasze badanie potwierdza, że PCT może być uważana za równoważną alternatywę dla oznaczenia kalcytoniny. Wartość diagnostyczna CEA i chromograniny A jest znacznie mniejsza i parametry te mogą pozostawać w granicach normy nawet u pacjentów z zaawansowanym RRT z przerzutami odległymi. Powinny być one traktowane jedynie jako pomocnicze markery

On Using Speed as the Criteria of State Selection for Minimization of Finite State Machines

Part 7: DecisionsInternational audienceThis paper presents a heuristic method for minimization of incompletely specified Mealy finite state machines. In this method, such optimization criteria as the speed and possibility of merging other states are taken into account already at the stage of minimizing internal states. Algorithms for the estimation of optimization criteria values are described. The proposed method is based on two states merging. Experimental results for two styles of state encoding and two types of programmable structures are presented. The results show that this approach to minimization of FSM in most of cases is more effective than classical methods in respect of FSM performance

Synthesis Method of Finite State Machines Based on State Minimization for Low Power Design

Part 6: Modelling and OptimizationInternational audienceA new method for the synthesis of finite state machines (FSMs) is proposed. In this method, such optimization criterion as the power consumption is taken into account already at the stage of minimizing internal states. In addition, the proposed method allows one to minimize the number of transitions and input variables of the FSM. The method is based on sequential merging of two internal states. For this purpose, the set of all pairs of states that can be merged is found, and the pair that best satisfies the optimization criteria is chosen for merging. The sequential algorithm is used for low power state encoding. Experimental results show, that the dissipated power is less by 7% comparing to traditional methods

The beneficial effect of green tea polyphenols on human health

Zielona herbata jest uzyskiwana z liści rośliny Camellia sinensis L. Jest jednym z najbardziej popularnych (obok wody) napojów spożywanych na świecie. Działanie zdrowotne zielonej herbaty, przypisywane polifenolom obecnym w suchej masie w około 20-40%, sprawia, że stanowi ona około 20% ogólnej ilości spożywanej herbaty (czarnej, czerwonej, żółtej itp.). Skład chemiczny tej odmiany jest taki sam w świeżych, jak i w suszonych liściach. Do podstawowych składników zaliczany galusan-3-epikatechiny, epigalokatechinę oraz galusan-3-epigalokatechiny. Ponadto zawiera kofeinę, teobrominę, teofilinę oraz inne ważne składniki jak aminokwasy, minerały, węglowodany, lipidy i witaminy. Po spożyciu zielonej herbaty zarówno w formie napoju jak i suchego wyciągu stwierdzono obecność polifenoli w krążeniu ogólnym. Regularna jej konsumpcja może wywierać działanie antyoksydacyjne, przeciwnowotworowe, przeciwbakteryjne, przeciwwirusowe oraz przeciwzapalne. Dodatkowo katechiny zawarte w zielonej herbacie mogą wpłynąć przynajmniej w wysokich dawkach na utrzymanie prawidłowej masy ciała u ludzi. Podsumowując, często spożywana zielona herbata może wywierać korzystny wpływ na ludzkie zdrowie.Green tea is a beverage made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis plant. It is the most popular, next to water, consumed liquid in the word. Due to the health promoting effect of green tea, attributed mainly to the high content of polyphenols (20-40 percent in dry mass), its consumption contributes about 20 percent to the world tea's consumption. The chemical composition of green tea and the fresh leaves is similar and consists of four kinds of basic polyphenols: epicatechin-3-gallate, epigallocatechin and epigallocatechin-3-gallate. In addition, there are present caffeine, theobromine and theophylline; also trace amounts of amino acids, minerals, carbohydrates, lipids and vitamins can be found. Tea polyphenols are bioavailable in the systemic circulation after administration of green tea as a beverage or as an oral product. The regular consumption of green tea as the beverage may lead to health benefits including antioxidant action, prevention of cancer, and antibacterial, antiviral as well as antiinflamatory effects. Moreover, green tea catechins, at least at high doses, may help to retain proper body weight. To sum up, the green tea seems to have a number of beneficial effects on the human health

State Merging and Splitting Strategies for Finite State Machines Implemented in FPGA

Different strategies for the combination of merging and splitting transformation procedures for incompletely specified finite state machines implemented on field-programmable logic devices are offered. In these methods, such optimization criteria as the speed of operation, power consumption and implementation cost are considered already in the early phase of finite state machine synthesis. The methods also take into account the technological features of programmable logic devices and the state assignment method. The transformation quality ratio is calculated on the base of estimations of consumed power, critical path delay and number of utilized logic cells. The user is also able to choose the order of merging and splitting procedures and the direction of the optimization by setting weights for each criterion. The methods of the estimation of optimization criteria values are described, and the experimental results are also discussed

Antioxidant potential of Hippophae rhamnoides L. extracts obtained with green extraction technique

Introduction: Antioxidants, isolated from different plant parts, are widely used due to their ability to prevent the development of so-called oxidative stress. Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) is one of the plants with expected antioxidant properties

Quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) as a useful source of antioxidants – antioxidant activity evaluation

Introduction: Quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) is a plant of which both the fruits and the leaves are sources of compounds with antioxidant potential. Such activity could be helpful to prevent the development of so-called oxidative stress