Valorisation of Phytochemical from Sitka Spruce (Picea Sitchensis) Needles: Impact of Ultrasound/microwave-assisted Extraction

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) needles contain a variety of bioactive compounds including phenolic compounds and flavonoids, many of which have been used in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food industries. This study aimed to investigate the effects of novel extraction techniques, including ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and simultaneous ultrasound–microwave-assisted extraction (UMAE) on the recovery of phenolic, flavonoids and associated antioxidant and anti-cancer properties from Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) needles. The ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay was used to evaluate the antioxidant capacity, and the Alamar Blue assay using the human brain glioblastoma cancer cell line (U-251 MG) was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity activity. Results showed that US-probe accomplished the highest recovery of phenolic and flavonoids at 38 W cm−2 for 10 min (106.3 ± 2.5 mg GAE g−1 DW and 63.2 ± 3.8 mg QE g−1 DW, respectively). Hence, the highest cytotoxicity activity of IC50 (0.0114% w/v) was achieved by US-probe at 19 W cm−2 for 10 min. However, the antioxidant capacity of (2591.3 ± 92.5 mM TE g−1 DW) was achieved under UMAE at ultrasound intensity of 38 W cm−2, microwave power of 302.4 W for 10 min. This study emphasised the potential application of UAE and MAE in the extraction of bioactive as an environmentally friendly method to be used in the valorisation of by-products in food and agro-industries. This supports the use of renewable natural resources in an efficient way to produce high-value compounds therefore it is in line with the new era of bioeconomy and its new biorefinery concepts

Introducing EDEN ISS - A European project on advancing plant cultivation technologies and operations

Plant cultivation in large-scale closed environments is challenging and several key technologies necessary for space-based plant production are not yet space-qualified or remain in early stages of development. The EDEN ISS project foresees development and demonstration of higher plant cultivation technologies, suitable for future deployment on the International Space Station and from a long-term perspective, within Moon and Mars habitats. The EDEN ISS consortium will design and test essential plant cultivation technologies using an International Standard Payload Rack form factor cultivation system for potential testing on-board the International Space Station. Furthermore, a Future Exploration Greenhouse will be designed with respect to future planetary bio-regenerative life support system deployments. The technologies will be tested in a laboratory environment as well as at the highly-isolated German Antarctic Neumayer Station III. A small and mobile container-sized test facility will be built in order to provide realistic mass flow relationships. In addition to technology development and validation, food safety and plant handling procedures will be developed. This paper describes the goals and objectives of EDEN ISS and the different project phases and milestones. Furthermore, the project consortium will be introduced and the role of each partner within the project is explained

In silico identification of potential PvFKBP35 inhibitors from Entadrophragma angolense Limonoids extracts as antimalarial agents

Plasmodium species, which are spread by female Anopheles mosquitoes, are responsible for malaria. Out of the five major Plasmodium species, Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax are the most deadly and invasive species responsible for 99.7% and 75% of malaria cases in Africa and America respectively. Despite the invasive nature of malaria, the Plasmodium parasite continues to develop resistance to current drugs. It is therefore imperative to come up with new therapeutics to combat malaria. Previous studies have reported that Limonoids from the Meliaceae family possess antimalarial properties. This study therefore aims at employing computational approaches to identify potential antimalarial Limonoids by targeting PvFKBP35. PvFKBP35 has been reported to be a suitable target for antimalarial therapeutics as it is involved in various physiological activities including transcription, protein stability and folding. Molecular docking, Molecular Dynamics simulation and Molecular Mechanics-Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area calculation were employed to identify the potential leads. Sixteen [16] Limonoids extracted from the bark of the stem of Entadrophragma angolense were virtually screened against PvFKPB35. The top hit compounds were subjected to 500 ns Molecular Dynamics simulation and Molecular Mechanics – Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area calculations to examine their stability and free binding energy. Two potential leads, compounds 1 and 11 with binding energies −6.3 and −5.4 kcal/mol respectively were identified. The potential leads in complexed with PvFKBP35 had an average root mean square deviation of 1.18 ± 0.19 Å and 3.12 ± 0.60 Å, indicating their stability. Solvent Accessible Surface Area was utilized to predict the penetrative ability of the compounds into the binding pocket. Average Solvent Accessible Surface Area values of 327.88 ± 47.54 A2, 402.18 ± 39.81 A2 were obtained for compounds 1 and 11 respectively. ADMET estimations of compounds 1 and 11 predicted them to be druglike and do not violate Lipinski's rule of five. Compounds 1 and 11 need be tested in vitro to validate their antimalarial activity although they were predicted to be antiprotozoal with Pa values 0.207 and 0.162. These compounds can then serve as the scaffold for the design of novel antimalarial therapeutics

In silico screening of phytochemicals from Dissotis rotundifolia against Plasmodium falciparum Dihydrofolate Reductase

Background: Malaria remains a major health concern in developing countries with high morbidity and mortality, especially in pregnant women and infants. A major obstacle to the treatment of malaria is a low effectiveness and an increase resistance of the parasite to antimalarial drugs. As a result, there is an ongoing demand for new and potent antimalarial drugs. Medicinal plants remain a potential source for the development of new antimalarial drugs. Amongst them is Dissotis rotundifolia is an ethnomedical important plant used in West Africa to treat malaria. Purpose: This study aimed at identifying new potential antifolates by virtually screening phytochemicals characterized from the whole plant methanolic extract of D. rotundifolia against Plasmodium falciparum Dihydrofolate Reductase (PfDHFR). Methods: LC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS analysis was employed to identify the phytochemicals present in the whole plant methanolic extract of D. rotundifolia. These phytochemicals were docked against the catalytic site of PfDHFR. The docking protocol was evaluated using the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. The binding mechanisms and the drug-likeness of the phytochemicals were characterized. A 100 ns Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation and Molecular Mechanics-Poisson Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA) calculations were utilized to analyze the stability, the energy decomposition per residue and the binding free energy of the potential leads. Results: Twenty nine phytochemicals were characterized and docked against PfDHFR. Dimethylmatairesinol, flavodic acid, sakuranetin, and sesartemin were identified as potential leads with binding affinities of -8.4, -8.9, -8.6, and -8.9 kcal/mol respectively, greater than a stringent threshold of -8.0 kcal/mol. The potential leads also interacted hydrophobically with critical residue Phe58. A novel critical residue, Leu46 was identified to be crucial in the catalytic activity of PfDHFR. The potential leads were also predicted to be anti-protozoal with a probability of active (Pa) value ranging from 0.319 to 0.537. Conclusion: This study elucidates the potential inhibition of PfDHFR by dimethylmatairesinol, flavodic acid, sakuranetin and sesartemin present in D. rotundifolia. These compounds are druglike, do not violate Lipinski's rule of five, have a high binding affinity to PfDHFR, and interact with crucial residues involved in the catalytic activity PfDHFR. Dimethylmatairesinol, flavodic acid, sakuranetin and sesartemin could therefore be further investigated and developed as new antifolate drugs for malaria

Reproducibility Project: Psychology

Reproducibility is a defining feature of science, but the extent to which it characterizes current research is unknown. We conducted replications of 100 experimental and correlational studies published in three psychology journals using high-powered designs and original materials when available

Data from: Estimating the reproducibility of psychological science

This record contains the underlying research data for the publication "Estimating the reproducibility of psychological science" and the full-text is available from: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/lkcsb_research/5257Reproducibility is a defining feature of science, but the extent to which it characterizes current research is unknown. We conducted replications of 100 experimental and correlational studies published in three psychology journals using high-powered designs and original materials when available. Replication effects were half the magnitude of original effects, representing a substantial decline. Ninety-seven percent of original studies had statistically significant results. Thirty-six percent of replications had statistically significant results; 47% of original effect sizes were in the 95% confidence interval of the replication effect size; 39% of effects were subjectively rated to have replicated the original result; and if no bias in original results is assumed, combining original and replication results left 68% with statistically significant effects. Correlational tests suggest that replication success was better predicted by the strength of original evidence than by characteristics of the original and replication teams

Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable

Brazil, home to one of the planet's last great forests, is currently in trade negotiations with its second largest trading partner, the European Union (EU). We urge the EU to seize this critical opportunity to ensure that Brazil protects human rights and the environment

Analysis of Outcomes in Ischemic vs Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation A Report From the GARFIELD-AF Registry

IMPORTANCE Congestive heart failure (CHF) is commonly associated with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF), and their combination may affect treatment strategies and outcomes