Emerging pharmacotherapy for cancer patients with cognitive dysfunction

Advances in the diagnosis and multi-modality treatment of cancer have increased survival rates for many cancer types leading to an increasing load of long-term sequelae of therapy, including that of cognitive dysfunction. The cytotoxic nature of chemotherapeutic agents may also reduce neurogenesis, a key component of the physiology of memory and cognition, with ramifications for the patient's mood and other cognition disorders. Similarly radiotherapy employed as a therapeutic or prophylactic tool in the treatment of primary or metastatic disease may significantly affect cognition. A number of emerging pharmacotherapies are under investigation for the treatment of cognitive dysfunction experienced by cancer patients. Recent data from clinical trials is reviewed involving the stimulants modafinil and methylphenidate, mood stabiliser lithium, anti-Alzheimer's drugs memantine and donepezil, as well as other agents which are currently being explored within dementia, animal, and cell culture models to evaluate their use in treating cognitive dysfunction

Micronutrient composition and microbial community analysis across diverse landraces of the Ethiopian orphan crop enset

Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is a major starch staple and food security crop for 20 million people. Despite substantial diversity in morphology, genetics, agronomy and utilization across its range, nutritional characteristics have only been reported in relatively few landraces. Here, we survey nutritional composition in 22 landraces from three enset growing regions. We present mineral characterization of enset corm tissue, free amino acid characterization of raw and processed (fermented) tissues and genomic analysis of the microbial community associated with fermentation. We show that compared to regionally important tubers and cereals, enset is high in calcium, iron, potassium and zinc and low in sodium. We report changes in free amino acid composition due to processing, and establish that the bacteria genera Acetobacter, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, predominate during fermentation. Nutritional and microbial variation presents opportunities to select for improved composition, quality and safety with potentially significant impacts in food security and public health

Carthamus, Salvia and Stachys species protect neuronal cells against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.

Abstract Context: Finding effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases is of utmost importance for the aging population. Plants growing in Iran are rich sources of antioxidants and active phytochemicals.The protective capacity of plants, with a special focus on those with reported antioxidant or neuroprotective potential or nervous system-related applications in folk medicine, was tested against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis.Aerial parts of 20 plants including Carthamus, Salvia, and Stachys species were extracted with 80\% methanol and dichloromethane and preincubated with neuronal PC12 cells for 3 h. Oxidative stress and apoptosis were induced by hydrogen peroxide (75 µM, 1 h exposure). Cell viability and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured by MTT and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein-diacetate (DCFH-DA) assays, respectively, while apoptosis was determined by annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide staining by a flow cytometer.Eighty percent methanol extracts of Carthamus oxyacantha Bieb. (Asteraceae), Salvia santolinifolia Boiss. (Lamiaceae), and Salvia sclarea L. (Lamiaceae) at the concentration of 100 μg/ml showed significant neuroprotection in the MTT assay by 38.7, 34.7, and 39.5\%, respectively, and inhibited intracellular ROS by 48.6, 61.9, and 61.4\%, respectively. The first two extracts also significantly inhibited apoptosis. Dichloromethane extracts of C. oxyacantha and Stachys pilifera Benth. (Lamiaceae) at the concentration of 25 μg/ml showed neuroprotection by 27.5 and 26.5\%, respectively, and inhibited ROS by 44.5 and 39.4\%, respectively.The above-mentioned plants seem to have important biological activities and their further study may lead to the discovery of new natural therapeutics useful against disorders such as Alzheimer and Parkinson diseases