Subcellular localization and therapeutic efficacy of polymeric micellar nanoparticles encapsulating bedaquiline for tuberculosis treatment in zebrafish

The combination drug regimens that have long been used to treat tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, are fraught with problems such as frequent administration, long duration of treatment, and harsh adverse effects, leading to the emergence of multidrug resistance. Moreover, there is no effective preventive vaccine against TB infection. In this context, nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as a potential alternative method for drug delivery. Encapsulating antibiotics in biodegradable NPs has been shown to provide effective therapy and reduced toxicity against M. tuberculosis in different mammalian models, when compared to conventional free drug administration. Here, we evaluate the localization, therapeutic efficacy and toxic effects of polymeric micellar NPs encapsulating a promising but highly hydrophobic and toxic antitubercular drug bedaquiline (BQ) in zebrafish embryos infected with Mycobacterium marinum. Our study shows that the NP formulation of BQ improves survival and reduces bacterial burden in the infected embryos after treatment when compared to its free form. The intravenously injected BQ NPs have short circulation times due to their rapid and efficient uptake into the endothelial cells, as observed by correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM)

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Antioxidant properties in vitro and total phenolic contents in methanol extracts from medicinal plants

In order to find out new sources of safe and inexpensive antioxidants, the antioxidant capacities of 45 selected medicinal plants were evaluated using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assays, respectively, and the total phenolic contents of these plants were measured by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Most of these plants were analyzed for the first time for their antioxidant activities. It was found that the plants Sargentodoxa cuneata Rehd. Et Wils, Fraxinus rhynchophylla Hance, Paeonia lactiflora Pall, Paeonia suffruticosa Andr and Scutellaria baicalensis Ceorgi possessed the highest antioxidant capacities and thus could be potential rich sources of natural antioxidants. A strong correlation between TEAC values and those obtained from FRAP assay implied that antioxidants in these plants were capable of scavenging free radicals and reducing oxidants. A high correlation between antioxidant capacities and their total phenolic contents indicated that phenolic compounds were a major contributor of antioxidant activity of these plants. © 2007 Swiss Society of Food Science and Technology.link_to_subscribed_fulltex