Effect of genotype and extraction method on polyphenols content, phenolic acids, and flavonoids of olive leaves (Olea europaea L. subsp. europaea)

Polyphenol’s extraction varied according to various factors. In this study, the effect of genotype and method of polyphenols extraction were investigated using leaves of two cultivated and two wild olive varieties and four hydromethanolic extraction methods. Quantitatively, significant differences were observed according to the extraction method, the genotype, and the interaction genotype-method of extraction. The heat reflux extraction showed the highest polyphenols content in wild olive leaves having an amount of 841.17 mg GAE/100 g DM. The qualitative phytochemical examination using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of olive leaves showed some significant differences of phenolic compounds between genotypes. For the same oleaster genotype, the extraction method seemed to influence qualitatively the polyphenols profiles. The quinic acid was the dominant phenolic acid and the luteolin-7-O-glucoside was the major flavonoid observed in wild olive leaves having, respectively, 618.24 and 3211.44 mg/kg DM. The quinic acid has an amount of 400.15 and 275.39 mg/kg and the luteolin-7-O-glucoside has an amount of 2059.62 and 1214.49 mg/kg in cultivars leaves. The extraction by Soxhlet of wild olive leaves showed the highest quinic acid (1085.80 mg/kg DM) and luteolin-7-O-glucoside (3720.15 mg/kg DM) amounts. The hydromethanolic extraction assisted by Soxhlet of wild olive leaves constituted the optimal method to obtain high polyphenols contents enriched with phenolic acids and flavonoids

Prospective, multicentre study of screening, investigation and management of hyponatraemia after subarachnoid haemorrhage in the UK and Ireland

Background: Hyponatraemia often occurs after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). However, its clinical significance and optimal management are uncertain. We audited the screening, investigation and management of hyponatraemia after SAH. Methods: We prospectively identified consecutive patients with spontaneous SAH admitted to neurosurgical units in the United Kingdom or Ireland. We reviewed medical records daily from admission to discharge, 21 days or death and extracted all measurements of serum sodium to identify hyponatraemia (<135 mmol/L). Main outcomes were death/dependency at discharge or 21 days and admission duration >10 days. Associations of hyponatraemia with outcome were assessed using logistic regression with adjustment for predictors of outcome after SAH and admission duration. We assessed hyponatraemia-free survival using multivariable Cox regression. Results: 175/407 (43%) patients admitted to 24 neurosurgical units developed hyponatraemia. 5976 serum sodium measurements were made. Serum osmolality, urine osmolality and urine sodium were measured in 30/166 (18%) hyponatraemic patients with complete data. The most frequently target daily fluid intake was >3 L and this did not differ during hyponatraemic or non-hyponatraemic episodes. 26% (n/N=42/164) patients with hyponatraemia received sodium supplementation. 133 (35%) patients were dead or dependent within the study period and 240 (68%) patients had hospital admission for over 10 days. In the multivariable analyses, hyponatraemia was associated with less dependency (adjusted OR (aOR)=0.35 (95% CI 0.17 to 0.69)) but longer admissions (aOR=3.2 (1.8 to 5.7)). World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies grade I–III, modified Fisher 2–4 and posterior circulation aneurysms were associated with greater hazards of hyponatraemia. Conclusions: In this comprehensive multicentre prospective-adjusted analysis of patients with SAH, hyponatraemia was investigated inconsistently and, for most patients, was not associated with changes in management or clinical outcome. This work establishes a basis for the development of evidence-based SAH-specific guidance for targeted screening, investigation and management of high-risk patients to minimise the impact of hyponatraemia on admission duration and to improve consistency of patient care

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

GENERAL ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES PALEOSOLS-LOESS GRANULOMETRIC PROPERTIES AND MASS MOVEMENT ZEBEGÉNY, HUNGARY

INST: L_200This thesis aim in investigating the loess-paleosol sequence of zebegeny -Hungary. The study investigation was done using granulometric properties as parameters to identify the paleosol layer and check for a mass movement of the particles

Oxidative stability of olive oil enriched with oleaster leaves under accelerated storage conditions: Improvement of olive oil stability

Olive oil is rich in natural antioxidants that conserve its quality under storage conditions. However, there is a growing need to improve the quality of olive oil under storage conditions using phenol-enriched olive oil. In the present study, olive oil from the Chemlali cultivar was enriched with wild olive tree leaves or oleaster. The oil composition was analyzed before and after accelerated storage conditions using a Schaal test. Standard oil parameters, including free acidity; peroxide value; iodine value; specific extinction K232 and K270; fatty acid profile, and polyphenolic, chlorophyll, and carotenoid content, were evaluated for the control olive oil (COO) and the enriched olive oil (EOO). Polyphenolic compounds were identified for COO, EOO, and oleaster leaf extracts (OLE) using high-performance liquid chromatography. Antioxidant activity was analyzed using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’ azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) tests. The results showed that enriching the olive oil quantitatively and qualitatively improved the polyphenolic composition, pigment contents, and the antioxidant activity. The EOO was more resistant to oxidation under accelerated storage conditions. The addition of wild olive leaves also significantly improved the resistance of the olive oil to oxidation and can, therefore, be used as a source of natural antioxidants to improve the oxidative stability of edible oils

Influence of Extraction Techniques and Solvents on the Antioxidant and Biological Potential of Different Parts of <i>Scorzonera undulata</i>

The genus Scorzonera has various medicinal values. Species belonging to this genus were traditionally used as drugs or in food. The current study aimed to determine the phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, and biological properties of the tuber, leaf, and flower of Scorzonera undulata extracts, collected from the southwest of Tunisia. Phenolic compounds from the three parts were extracted using two solvents (water and ethanol) and two extraction techniques (maceration and ultrasound). The total phenolic content was measured by the Folin–Ciocalteu assay. Furthermore, the chemical composition of Scorzonera undulata extract was also investigated by the LC-ESI–MS method using phenolic acid and flavonoid standards. The variation of the extraction methods induced a variation in the real potentialities of the three parts in terms of bioactive molecules. However, the aerial part of S. undulata (leaves and flowers) showed, in general, the highest phenolic contents. Twenty-five volatile compounds have been detected by GC-MS in S. undulata extracts; among them, fourteen were identified before derivatization. The DPPH test showed that the aerial part of the plant has a higher antioxidant activity compared to the tuber (25.06% at 50 µg/mL for the leaf ethanolic extract obtained by ultrasound extraction). For most biological activities (anti-Xanthine, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic (alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase)), the aerial parts (flowers and leaves) of the plant showed the highest inhibition than tubers

Lung Cancer Treatment Influenced by Gender and Smoking

Objectives. 1. Is there an effect on treatment of lung cancer based on a patient’s gender? 2. Is there an effect on lung cancer patients who are undergoing treatments but fail to quit smoking? Background. Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in all racial groups in the United States. It is responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths annually. The prevalence of smoking in the United States is 28 percent for males and 25 percent for females, 18 years old or older age. Overall, the relative risk of developing lung cancer is increased about 13-fold by active smoking and 1.5-fold by long term passive exposure to cigarette smoke. Methods. Our analysis is based on the Florida cancer registry, similar to a cross-sectional study design, but selecting only incident cases, 88,994, between January 1st 1994 and December 31st 2002. We used the relative risk as a measure of association between treatment (surgery vs. radiotherapy) and outcome, vital status (dead vs alive). We analyzed two factors gender and smoking, and we defined exposure as treatment (surgery as “exposed” vs. radiotherapy as “unexposed”). The stratified Mantel-Haenszel methodology was used to assess confounders and/or effect modifiers. Results. Adjusting for localized stage and non-small cell histological type, females had a much higher risk of dying from radiotherapy alone than males, both smokers and nonsmokers. This is a cross-over effect of both found effect modifiers: tobacco and gender. Conclusion. Females are at higher risk at dying from lung cancer when undergoing radiotherapy alone, which perhaps is not the best treatment for lung cancer patients. Funding and Acknowledgement. This study was funded in part through the HPD Research Grant for Florida Cancer Registry Analysis, 2004-2007. The views expressed herein are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of FCDS, the contractor of FL-DOH

Metastatic giant basal cell carcinoma: a case report

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer, characterised by a slow growing behavior, metastasis are extremely rare, and it occurs in less than 0, 1% of all cases.Giant basal cell carcinoma is a rare form of basal cell carcinoma, more aggressive and defined as a tumor measuring more than 5 cm at its largest diameter. Only 1% of all basal cell carcinoma develops to a giant basal cell carcinoma,resulting ofpatient's negligence. Giant basal cell carcinoma is associated with higher potential of metastasis and even death, compared to ordinary basal cell carcinoma.We report a case of giant basal cell carcinoma metastaticin lung occurringin a 79 years old male patient, with a fatal evolution after one course of systemic chemotherapy.Giant basal cell carcinoma is a very rare entity, early detection of these tumors could prevent metastasis occurrence and improve the prognosis of this malignancy.The Pan African Medical Journal 2016;2