Chemical composition and product quality control of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.)

Chemical constituents of various tissues of turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) have been extensively investigated. To date, at least 235 compounds, primarily phenolic compounds and terpenoids have been identified from the species, including 22 diarylheptanoids and diarylpentanoids, eight phenylpropene and other phenolic compounds, 68 monoterpenes, 109 sesquiterpenes, five diterpenes, three triterpenoids, four sterols, two alkaloids, and 14 other compounds. Curcuminoids (diarylheptanoids) and essential oils are major bioactive ingredients showing various bioactivities in in vitro and in vivo bioassays. Curcuminoids in turmeric are primarily accumulated in rhizomes. The essential oils from leaves and flowers are usually dominated by monoterpenes while those from roots and rhizomes primarily contained sesquiterpenes. The contents of curcuminoids in turmeric rhizomes vary often with varieties, locations, sources, and cultivation conditions, while there are significant variations in composition of essential oils of turmeric rhizomes with varieties and geographical locations. Further, both curcuminoids and essential oils vary in contents with different extraction methods and are unstable with extraction and storage processes. As a result, the quality of commercial turmeric products can be markedly varied. While curcumin (1), demethoxycurcumin (2), and bisdemethoxycurcumin (5) have been used as marker compounds for the quality control of rhizomes, powders, and extract (“curcumin”) products, Ar-turmerone (99), -turmerone (100), and -turmerone (101) may be used to control the product quality of turmeric oil and oleoresin products. Authentication of turmeric products can be achieved by chromatographic and NMR techniques, DNA markers, with morphological and anatomic data as well as GAP and other information available

Electroacupuncture and human iPSC-derived small extracellular vesicles regulate the gut microbiota in ischemic stroke via the brain-gut axis

Electroacupuncture (EA) and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived small extracellular vesicles (iPSC-EVs) have substantial beneficial effects on ischemic stroke. However, the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we explored the mechanisms underlying the regulation of EA and iPSC-EVs in the microbiome-gut-brain axis (MGBA) after ischemic stroke. Ischemic stroke mice (C57BL/6) were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) or Sham surgery. EA and iPSC-EVs treatments significantly improved neurological function and neuronal and intestinal tract injury, downregulated the levels of IL-17 expression and upregulated IL-10 levels in brain and colon tissue after cerebral ischemia−reperfusion. EA and iPSC-EVs treatments also modulated the microbiota composition and diversity as well as the differential distribution of species in the intestines of the mice after cerebral ischemia−reperfusion. Our results demonstrated that EA and iPSC-EVs treatments regulated intestinal immunity through MGBA regulation of intestinal microbes, reducing brain and colon damage following cerebral ischemia and positively impacting the outcomes of ischemic stroke. Our findings provide new insights into the application of EA combined with iPSC-EVs as a treatment for ischemic stroke

The origin of human pathogenicity and biological interactions in Chaetothyriales

Fungi in the order Chaetothyriales are renowned for their ability to cause human infections. Nevertheless, they are not regarded as primary pathogens, but rather as opportunists with a natural habitat in the environment. Extremotolerance is a major trend in the order, but quite diferent from black yeasts in Capnodiales which focus on endurance, an important additional parameter is advancing toxin management. In the ancestral ecology of rock colonization, the association with metabolite-producing lichens is signifcant. Ant-association, dealing with pheromones and repellents, is another mainstay in the order. The phylogenetically derived family, Herpotrichiellaceae, shows dual ecology in monoaromatic hydrocarbon assimilation and the ability to cause disease in humans and cold-blooded vertebrates. In this study, data on ecology, phylogeny, and genomics were collected and analyzed in order to support this hypothesis on the evolutionary route of the species of Chaetothyriales. Comparing the ribosomal tree with that of enzymes involved in toluene degradation, a signifcant expansion of cytochromes is observed and the toluene catabolism is found to be complete in some of the Herpotrichiellaceae. This might enhance human systemic infection. However, since most species have to be traumatically inoculated in order to cause disease, their invasive potential is categorized as opportunism. Only in chromoblastomycosis, true pathogenicity might be surmised. The criterion would be the possible escape of agents of vertebrate disease from the host, enabling dispersal of adapted genotypes to subsequent generations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Urbanization and Sustainability: Comparison of the Processes in “BIC” Countries

The urbanized world has brought social, economic, and environmental sustainability into challenged surroundings in rapidly rising countries, thereby requiring the exploration of their intertwined relationships. This study regarded Brazil, India, and China as “BIC” countries to be the representative study areas for our investigation of sustainability in the context of rapid urbanization. In general, our work was synthesized into a comparison framework in four aspects: rural–urban relation, industrial development, city development, and urban landscape pattern. We determined that rural–urban dichotomy exists in all study areas, with India and China having a high degree. China was identified as a manufacturing-based country in the past half-century, whereas Brazil and India have the service sector as their primary industry. The distribution of large cities follows a regional pattern, with Brazil being northeast-focused, China being southeast-focused, and India being comparatively balanced. The Amazon forest in the north brings great challenges to Brazil with respect to the conservation of its biodiversity and eco-environment. India and China have encountered tremendous urban expansion or sprawl in the past several decades. The sustainability issues in social, economic, and environmental aspects for Brazil, India, and China were summarized in the context of rapid urbanization to provide references for other countries

The impact of hyperoxia on brain activity: A resting-state and task-evoked electroencephalography (EEG) study

<div><p>A better understanding of the effect of oxygen on brain electrophysiological activity may provide a more mechanistic insight into clinical studies that use oxygen treatment in pathological conditions, as well as in studies that use oxygen to calibrate functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signals. This study applied electroencephalography (EEG) in healthy subjects and investigated how high a concentration of oxygen in inhaled air (i.e., normobaric hyperoxia) alters brain activity under resting-state and task-evoked conditions. Study 1 investigated its impact on resting EEG and revealed that hyperoxia suppressed α (8-13Hz) and β (14-35Hz) band power (by 15.6±2.3% and 14.1±3.1%, respectively), but did not change the δ (1-3Hz), θ (4-7Hz), and γ (36-75Hz) bands. Sham control experiments did not result in such changes. Study 2 reproduced these findings, and, furthermore, examined the effect of hyperoxia on visual stimulation event-related potentials (ERP). It was found that the main peaks of visual ERP, specifically N1 and P2, were both delayed during hyperoxia compared to normoxia (P = 0.04 and 0.02, respectively). In contrast, the amplitude of the peaks did not show a change. Our results suggest that hyperoxia has a pronounced effect on brain neural activity, for both resting-state and task-evoked potentials.</p></div

Summary of results of the task-evoked EEG study (mean ± SEM).

<p>Summary of results of the task-evoked EEG study (mean ± SEM).</p

Study procedure and paradigm.

<p>(a) EEG experimental setup. Components of the setup are labeled in the diagram and indicate the following: 1. EEG cap; 2. Mock coil to support the breathing valve; 3. Gas delivery tube; 4. Two-way non-rebreathing valve; 5. U-shaped tube; 6. Gas sampling tubes (one for CO₂ and the other for O₂); 7. EEG amplifier; 8. Stimulus tracker for accurate recording of stimulus onset time; 9. Stimulus markers; and 10. EEG recording laptop. (b) Timing paradigm of the resting EEG study. (c) Timing paradigm of the task-evoked EEG study.</p

Bar plots of EEG spectral power in (a) O₂-breathing (N = 13) and (b) sham control (N = 13) experiments.

<p>NO = normoxia, HO = hyperoxia, MA = medical air. One asterisk = P<0.05. Two asterisks = P<0.01. Error bar = standard error across participants.</p

Averaged ERP waveforms (N = 13) in response to a visual stimulus under room-air and hyperoxic conditions.

<p>The ERP of the Oz channel is shown. N1 and P2 peaks of the ERP are clearly visible.</p