The oil-dispersion bath in anthroposophic medicine – an integrative review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anthroposophic medicine offers a variety of treatments, among others the oil-dispersion bath, developed in the 1930s by Werner Junge. Based on the phenomenon that oil and water do not mix and on recommendations of Rudolf Steiner, Junge developed a vortex mechanism which churns water and essential oils into a fine mist. The oil-covered droplets empty into a tub, where the patient immerses for 15–30 minutes. We review the current literature on oil-dispersion baths.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The following databases were searched: Medline, Pubmed, Embase, AMED and CAMbase. The search terms were 'oil-dispersion bath' and 'oil bath', and their translations in German and French. An Internet search was also performed using Google Scholar, adding the search terms 'study' and 'case report' to the search terms above. Finally, we asked several experts for gray literature not listed in the above-mentioned databases. We included only articles which met the criterion of a clinical study or case report, and excluded theoretical contributions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among several articles found in books, journals and other publications, we identified 1 prospective clinical study, 3 experimental studies (enrolling healthy individuals), 5 case reports, and 3 field-reports. In almost all cases, the studies described beneficial effects – although the methodological quality of most studies was weak. Main indications were internal/metabolic diseases and psychiatric/neurological disorders.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Beyond the obvious beneficial effects of warm bathes on the subjective well-being, it remains to be clarified what the unique contribution of the distinct essential oils dispersed in the water can be. There is a lack of clinical studies exploring the efficacy of oil-dispersion baths. Such studies are recommended for the future.</p

Microbial Diversity of a Brazilian Coastal Region Influenced by an Upwelling System and Anthropogenic Activity

BACKGROUND: Upwelling systems are characterised by an intense primary biomass production in the surface (warmest) water after the outcrop of the bottom (coldest) water, which is rich in nutrients. Although it is known that the microbial assemblage plays an important role in the food chain of marine systems and that the upwelling systems that occur in southwest Brazil drive the complex dynamics of the food chain, little is known about the microbial composition present in this region. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We carried out a molecular survey based on SSU rRNA gene from the three domains of the phylogenetic tree of life present in a tropical upwelling region (Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). The aim was to analyse the horizontal and vertical variations of the microbial composition in two geographically close areas influenced by anthropogenic activity (sewage disposal/port activity) and upwelling phenomena, respectively. A lower estimated diversity of microorganisms of the three domains of the phylogenetic tree of life was found in the water of the area influenced by anthropogenic activity compared to the area influenced by upwelling phenomena. We observed a heterogenic distribution of the relative abundance of taxonomic groups, especially in the Archaea and Eukarya domains. The bacterial community was dominated by Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Bacteroidetes phyla, whereas the microeukaryotic community was dominated by Metazoa, Fungi, Alveolata and Stramenopile. The estimated archaeal diversity was the lowest of the three domains and was dominated by uncharacterised marine Crenarchaeota that were most closely related to Marine Group I. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The variety of conditions and the presence of different microbial assemblages indicated that the area of Arraial do Cabo can be used as a model for detailed studies that contemplate the correlation between pollution-indicating parameters and the depletion of microbial diversity in areas close to anthropogenic activity; functional roles and geochemical processes; phylogeny of the uncharacterised diversity; and seasonal variations of the microbial assemblages

Antioxidant properties of three aromatic herbs (rosemary, thyme and lavender) in oil-in-water emulsions

Lipid oxidation is the major form of deterioration in foods because it decreases food quality and nutritional value, and may have negative health implications. Selected aromatic plant extracts from leaves, flowers and stems of rosemary, thyme and lavender were investigated for their antioxidant activity. The total polyphenol content was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu assay and the antioxidant capacity was determined by the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, oxygen radical absorbance capacity and ferric-reducing antioxidant power assays. For all four antioxidant assays, the extracts from thyme flowers, lavender leaves and thyme leaves had the highest antioxidant activity, followed by rosemary stems, rosemary leaves, and lavender stems, and the lavender flowers and thyme stems had the lowest antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity was correlated with the polyphenol content, although minor deviations were observed. In oil-in-water emulsion, extracts from rosemary leaves and thyme leaves were most effective at retarding oxidation followed by the rosemary stems and thyme flowers. Extracts from thyme flowers and lavender leaves were less effective in the emulsion than predicted by the homogeneous antioxidant assays. This study demonstrated the potential use of plants extract as substitutes for synthetic antioxidants

Sage (Salvia pilifera): determination of its polyphenol contents, anticholinergic, antidiabetic and antioxidant activities

In this work, we determined for the first time the Salvia pilifera Montbret &amp; Aucher ex Bentham as an important source for natural products with antioxidant and antidiabetic potentials. In this context, methanol (MESP) and water (WESP) extracts were prepared from aerial parts of S. pilifera. Also, it was evaluated for antioxidant profile by eight distinguishes bioanalytical methods and inhibition effects against enzymes linked to different diseases, namely butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), ?-glycosidase and ?-amylase. Also, the polyphenolic compositions of MESP and WESP were evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Fourteen phenolics were identified in the evaporated MESP and thirteen phenolic compounds were identified in the lyophilized WESP. Also, we performed the antioxidant properties of both extracts. In order to estimate the capacity of MESP and WESP to act as antioxidants, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl radicals (DPPH·), 2,2´-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radicals (ABTS·+) and N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine radicals (DMPD·+), scavenging activities, ferric ions (Fe3+), Fe3+-TPTZ and cupric ions (Cu2+) reducing assays were studied. MESP and WESP were found as potent effective DPPH· (IC50: 7.05 and 8.56 µg/mL), ABTS·+ (IC50: 3.52 and 4.76 µg/mL) and DMPD·+ (IC50: 28.92 and 30.95 µg/mL) scavenging effects. On the other hand, MESP and WESP showed the potent inhibition effects against AChE (IC50: 94.93 and 138.61 µg/mL), BChE (IC50: 60.05 and 99.13 µg/mL), ?-glycosidase (IC50: 23.28 and 36.47 µg/mL) and ?-amylase (IC50: 46.21 and 97.67 µg/mL) enzymes. This study will be an innovative and guider for further studies for antioxidant properties for industrial or medicinal plants. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.King Saud University, KSUS.A. would like to extend his sincere appreciation to the Distinguished Scientist Fellowship Program at King Saud University for funding this research

Global assessment of small RNAs reveals a non-coding transcript involved in biofilm formation and attachment in <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> ATCC 17978

<div><p>Many strains of <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> have been described as being able to form biofilm. Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) control gene expression in many regulatory circuits in bacteria. The aim of the present work was to provide a global description of the sRNAs produced both by planktonic and biofilm-associated (sessile) cells of <i>A</i>. <i>baumannii</i> ATCC 17978, and to compare the corresponding gene expression profiles to identify sRNAs molecules associated to biofilm formation and virulence. sRNA was extracted from both planktonic and sessile cells and reverse transcribed. cDNA was subjected to 454-pyrosequencing using the GS-FLX Titanium chemistry. The global analysis of the small RNA transcriptome revealed different sRNA expression patterns in planktonic and biofilm associated cells, with some of the transcripts only expressed or repressed in sessile bacteria. A total of 255 sRNAs were detected, with 185 of them differentially expressed in the different types of cells. A total of 9 sRNAs were expressed only in biofilm cells, while the expression of other 21 coding regions were repressed only in biofilm cells. Strikingly, the expression level of the sRNA 13573 was 120 times higher in biofilms than in planktonic cells, an observation that prompted us to further investigate the biological role of this non-coding transcript. Analyses of an isogenic mutant and over-expressing strains revealed that the sRNA 13573 gene is involved in biofilm formation and attachment to A549 human alveolar epithelial cells. The present work serves as a basis for future studies examining the complex regulatory network that regulate biofilm biogenesis and attachment to eukaryotic cells in <i>A</i>. <i>baumannii</i> ATCC 17978.</p></div