The Pharmacological Potential of Mushrooms

This review describes pharmacologically active compounds from mushrooms. Compounds and complex substances with antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumor, antiallergic, immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, antiatherogenic, hypoglycemic, hepatoprotective and central activities are covered, focusing on the review of recent literature. The production of mushrooms or mushroom compounds is discussed briefly

Essays on Money and Banking, Macroeconomics, and Political Economy

This thesis consists of three self-contained articles. In the first article The Common Currency Channel of Risk Sharing , I propose a new channel of international risk sharing: the common currency channel. I show theoretically that the central bank of a currency union can use the common currency to insure member countries against consumption risk from idiosyncratic productivity shocks. A trade-off between risk-sharing and moral hazard emerges: a central bank which enables risk sharing induces countries to free ride on each other’s production efforts. I study this trade-off and derive rules for a central bank striking the optimal balance between insurance and incentives. Monetary policy determines current account imbalances that are financed through the central bank. Optimal policy is contingent on the realization of aggregate production. The central bank should lower its policy rate in response to a decrease in aggregate production to provide insurance through the common currency. Revisiting European Central Bank policies during the Eurocrisis between 2008 and 2014, I interpret the buildup of TARGET2 balances as risk sharing through the common currency. I find that this channel accounts for up to 60% of risk sharing among Eurozone countries in the early stages of the Eurocrisis. I conclude that the common currency can be a substitute for risk sharing through fiscal integration. The second article Riding the Cycle (joint work with Christoph Wolf) studies the interplay between the business cycle and financial contracting. If the success probability of an investment project is increasing in both the business cycle state and the borrower’s effort, then the borrower can free-ride on the cycle. In a model of financial contracting with moral hazard, we show that this free-riding generates procyclical agency costs. The overall effect of business cycle conditions on credit availability depends on how changes in agency costs compare to cycle-induced changes in the net present value of investment projects. In a dynamic extension, we endogenize the business cycle as a function of the output realized through past credit contracts. The dynamic economy has a unique stable steady state. If agency frictions in the economy are sufficiently strong, a small shock to the business cycle can cause the economy to fluctuate between business cycle ups and downs. The cycles are induced by the interplay of the negative agency cost effects and the positive output effects of the business cycle. Our theory sheds new light upon the observed patterns of secured and unsecured credit in U. S. data from 1981 to 2012. The third article Diversity Taxes (joint work with Saumya Deojain) studies how social conflict generated through cultural diversity affects public policy. In our model, social conflict arises when diverse groups impose negative consumption externalities on each other. These externalities can be mitigated by a government which transforms cultural consumption into public good consumption. We show that in such a framework, ‘diversity taxes’ arise as a policy tool to regulate the externalities from the cultural consumption of diverse groups. We link the size of such taxes to characteristics of the underlying distribution of cultural groups as well as to the type of government (majority and minority). In contrast to much of the literature, our analysis predicts that more diverse communities have a bigger government size as measured by local taxes per capita. Using U. S. city and county data from 1990, we are able to verify this prediction. We find strong evidence for the existence of sizeable ’diversity taxes’ in U. S. localities after controlling for a variety of socioeconomic and demographic indicators. We further document statistically significant relationships between characteristics of the group size distribution and local taxes per capita which are in line with our hypothesized link between cultural diversity, negative externalities, and taxation

Inhibition of DNA-topoisomerase I by acylated triterpene saponins from pittosporum angustifolium Lodd

Previous phytochemical investigation of the leaves and seeds of Pittosporum angustifolium Lodd. led to the isolation and structural elucidation of polyphenols and triterpene saponins. Evaluation for cytotoxicity of isolated saponins revealed that the predominant structural feature for a cytotoxic activity are acyl substituents at the oleanane aglycon backbone. The present work reports the results of a screening of 10 selected acylated saponins for their potential to inhibit the human DNA-topoisomerase I, giving rise to IC50 values in a range of 2.8-46.5 microM. To clarify the mode of observed cytotoxic action and, moreover, to distinguish from a pure surfactant effect which is commonly accompanied with saponins, these results indicate an involvement of the topoisomerase I and its role as a possible target structure for a cytotoxic activity. In addition, computational predictions of the fitting of saponins to the topoisomerase I-DNA complex, indicate a similar binding mode to that of clinically used topoisomerase I inhibitors. Ten acylated triterpene saponins from Pittosporum angustifolium were investigated for their potential to inhibit the human DNA-topoisomerase I and computational predictions of the fitting of saponins to the topoisomerase I-DNA complex were carried out

Screening Of Traditionally Used Endemic Soqotraen Plants For Cytotoxic Activity

Thirty extracts obtained from 10 endemic plant species belonging to 8 plant families used in the traditional medicine in Socotra have been tested for cytotoxic activity against FL-cells. Extracts of Eureiandra balfourii and Commiphora ornifolia showed the strongest activity against FL-cells with IC50 < 10 &#956;g/ml and 39.3 &#956;g/ml respectively. Keywords: Cytotoxicity, Soqotra, Fl-cellsAfrican Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine Vol. 4 (4) 2007: pp. 529-53

Thuja occidentalis (Arbor vitae): A Review of its Pharmaceutical, Pharmacological and Clinical Properties

Arbor vitae (Thuja occidentalis L.) is a native European tree widely used in homeopathy and evidence-based phytotherapy. Many reviews and monographs have been published on the herbal substance's description, mode of action and clinical use. However, no comprehensive evidence-based review is available. Therefore, our aim was to search MEDLINE databases and survey manufacturers for further details or unpublished data. This review presents the botany, ethnobotany and phytochemistry, especially the different contents of essential oil (Thujone) in relation to different extraction procedures of this medicinal plant. Thuja's antiviral action and immunopharmacological potential, such as stimulatory and co-stimulatory effects on cytokine and antibody production and activation of macrophages and other immunocompetent cells, have been evaluated in numerous in vitro and in vivo investigations. Although no controlled trials have been conducted on Thuja occ alone, many clinical studies have been performed with a herbal medicinal product containing a special extract of Thuja occ and other immunostimulants, demonstrating its therapeutic efficacy and safety in respiratory tract infections

Differential influence of components resulting from atmospheric-pressure plasma on integrin expression of human HaCaT keratinocytes

Adequate chronic wound healing is a major problem in medicine. A new solution might be non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma effectively inactivating microorganisms and influencing cells in wound healing. Plasma components as, for example, radicals can affect cells differently. HaCaT keratinocytes were treated with Dielectric Barrier Discharge plasma (DBD/air, DBD/argon), ozone or hydrogen peroxide to find the components responsible for changes in integrin expression, intracellular ROS formation or apoptosis induction. Dependent on plasma treatment time reduction of recovered cells was observed with no increase of apoptotic cells, but breakdown of mitochondrial membrane potential. DBD/air plasma increased integrins and intracellular ROS. DBD/argon caused minor changes. About 100 ppm ozone did not influence integrins. Hydrogen peroxide caused similar effects compared to DBD/air plasma. In conclusion, effects depended on working gas and exposure time to plasma. Short treatment cycles did neither change integrins nor induce apoptosis or ROS. Longer treatments changed integrins as important for influencing wound healing. Plasma effects on integrins are rather attributed to induction of other ROS than to generation of ozone. Changes of integrins by plasma may provide new solutions of improving wound healing, however, conditions are needed which allow initiating the relevant influence on integrins without being cytotoxic to cells

Differential Influence of Components Resulting from Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma on Integrin Expression of Human HaCaT Keratinocytes

Adequate chronic wound healing is a major problem in medicine. A new solution might be non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma effectively inactivating microorganisms and influencing cells in wound healing. Plasma components as, for example, radicals can affect cells differently. HaCaT keratinocytes were treated with Dielectric Barrier Discharge plasma (DBD/air, DBD/argon), ozone or hydrogen peroxide to find the components responsible for changes in integrin expression, intracellular ROS formation or apoptosis induction. Dependent on plasma treatment time reduction of recovered cells was observed with no increase of apoptotic cells, but breakdown of mitochondrial membrane potential. DBD/air plasma increased integrins and intracellular ROS. DBD/argon caused minor changes. About 100 ppm ozone did not influence integrins. Hydrogen peroxide caused similar effects compared to DBD/air plasma. In conclusion, effects depended on working gas and exposure time to plasma. Short treatment cycles did neither change integrins nor induce apoptosis or ROS. Longer treatments changed integrins as important for influencing wound healing. Plasma effects on integrins are rather attributed to induction of other ROS than to generation of ozone. Changes of integrins by plasma may provide new solutions of improving wound healing, however, conditions are needed which allow initiating the relevant influence on integrins without being cytotoxic to cells