'Asking the right question'. A comparison of two approaches to gathering data on 'herbals' use in survey based studies

BACKGROUND:Over the last decade academic interest in the prevalence and nature of herbal medicines use by pregnant women has increased significantly. Such data are usually collected by means of an administered questionnaire survey, however a key methodological limitation using this approach is the need to clearly define the scope of 'herbals' to be investigated. The majority of published studies in this area neither define 'herbals' nor provide a detailed checklist naming specific 'herbals' and CAM modalities, which limits inter-study comparison, generalisability and the potential for meta-analyses. The aim of this study was to compare the self-reported use of herbs, herbal medicines and herbal products using two different approaches implemented in succession. METHODS:Cross-sectional questionnaire surveys of women attending for their mid-trimester scan or attending the postnatal unit following live birth at the Royal Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, North-East Scotland. The questionnaire utilised two approaches to collect data on 'herbals' use, a single closed yes/no answer to the question "have you used herbs, herbal medicines and herbal products in the last three months"; and a request to tick which of a list of 40 'herbals' they had used in the same time period. RESULTS:A total of 889 responses were obtained of which 4.3% (38) answered 'yes' to herbal use via the closed question. However, using the checklist 39% (350) of respondents reported the use of one or more specific 'herbals' (p<0.0001). The 312 respondents who reported 'no' to 'herbals' use via the closed question but "yes" via the checklist consumed a total of 20 different 'herbals' (median 1, interquartile range 1-2, range 1-6). CONCLUSIONS:This study demonstrates that the use of a single closed question asking about the use of 'herbals', as frequently reported in published studies, may not yield valid data resulting in a gross underestimation of actual use

Eucalyptus essential oils in pest control: a review of chemical composition and applications against insects and mites

The genus Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae) is native from Australia and includes about 900 species. Eucalyptus plantations are nowadays extended worldwide, particularly in the tropical and temperate regions. Plants, giving large biomasses rich in essential oils (EOs), are a great source of bioactive natural compounds that can be used in sectors other than medical. EOs can act as insecticides and acaricides, and represent valuable alternatives to the synthetic pest controllers, being biodegradable and human-environmental safe products. Botanical insecticides/ acaricides can be applied as a strategy in pests management programs, and laboratory investigations represent an important preliminary step that provide an understanding of insect/mite-plant interactions. In this review, 117 articles were analysed regarding 71 Eucalyptus species and 5 hybrids, among which E. globulus and E. camaldulensis result the most investigated species. The major constituents of most Eucalyptus EOs are monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes including 1.8-cineole, α-pinene, p-cymene, α-terpineol, limonene, ɣ-terpinene, α-phellandrene, β-pinene, globulol, aromadendrene, β-phellandrene. The EOs reviewed were tested on 50 insects and 13 mites species. Aedes aegypti, Musca domestica, Tribolium castaneum, Callosobruchus maculatus, Sitophilus oryzae, Pediculus humanus are the most studied target species. Several developmental stages of the tested animal have been investigated: eggs, larvae, pupae/nymphae and adults. Several parameters have been monitored using different methods to study the repellent, insecticidal and acaricidal activities. Contact and topical toxicity, fumigant toxicity, fecundity, ovicidal, repellent, antifeedant activities, acetylcholinesterase inhibition and antennal response have been evaluated. Results were expressed as lethal concentrations/doses, lethal times, percentages, etc. Furthermore, the phytochemical profiles of the Eucalyptus species EOs analysed, and the spectrum of insects and mites on which the Eucalyptus EOs have been tested as repellent, insecticidal and acaricidal were summarized, to promote their applications in the areas of food storage, plant protection and human/animal health

Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. and Alnus cordata (Loisel) Duby as new sources of safe cosmetic and pharmacological anti-melanogenic agents

The genus Alnus (Betulaceae) comprises many species with a long history in traditional medicines. The crude extracts and isolated compounds from Alnus species exhibit a wide spectrum of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities (1). Phytochemical investigations revealed the presence of diarylheptanoids, a class of natural products typically found in Alnus genus with two aryl groups joined by a heptane chain in the main skeleton that have drawn attention due to their multiple biological properties and their therapeutic potential (2). A previous study reported that oregonin and other structurally analogous diarylheptanoids isolated from the bark of A. hirsuta showed inhibitory effects on melanogenesis in B16 melanoma cells.(3). Nowadays the discovery of new whitening agents from natural sources is increasing, due to the weak effectiveness and unwanted side effects of currently available compounds. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the skin whitening capabilities of crude extracts (80% aqueous MeOH) obtained from the fresh bark of Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn. and Alnus cordata (Loisel) Duby, an endemic species in the Mediterranean areas (4). As tyrosinase is the rate-limiting enzyme in melanin biosynthesis, the inhibitory effects of A. glutinosa and A. cordata extracts (AGE and ACE, respectively) on mushroom tyrosinase activity were preliminary evaluated. In addition, the anti-melanogenic ability of AGE and ACE was further investigated on the pigmentation of early stage zebrafish at 72 hours post fertilization (hpf) to find new skin whitening agents without cytotoxic concerns. Results of the enzymatic assay showed that ACE was capable to inhibit dose dependently L-DOPA oxidation catalyzed by tyrosinase (IC50 = 77.44 \ub1 0.54 \u3bcg/mL) as compared to the reference inhibitor kojic acid (2.24 \ub1 0.18 \u3bcg/mL). Unlike, AGE exhibited a lower anti-tyrosinase activity (100 \u3bcg/mL reached 28% of inhibition while higher doses showed pro-oxidative effects). Moreover, the zebrafish in vivo assay revealed that ACE (50 \u3bcg/mL) has equivalent inhibitory effects on the pigmentation (76.57%) to that of phenylthiourea (PTU, 30 \u3bcg/mL), used as the reference inhibitor (77.80%), as compared to control, while they did not affect the embryos development and survival. Conversely, the depigmenting effects of AGE were about 10 fold less than ACE (45.28% at 500 \u3bcg/mL). A mild anti-melanogenic activity was also evidenced for the diarylheptanoid oregonin (10% of inhibition at 20 \u3bcg/mL). A preliminary phytochemical screening evidenced that ACE and AGE have a high phenolic content (399.27 \ub1 14.30 and 534.17 \ub1 20.60 mg GAE/g of extract, respectively). However, despite AGE showed the highest phenolic content, the quali-quantitative RP-HPLC-DAD analysis highlighted as it is predominantly composed by oregonin (418.45 \u3bcg/mg of AGE vs 1.23 \u3bcg/mg of ACE) that exhibited a mild anti-melanogenic activity both in vitro and in vivo assays. Further phytochemical investigations are still in progress to identify the bioactive compounds of ACE as to be considered a potential candidate for the treatment of skin disorders due to its bleaching properties and favorable safety profiles

Chemical composition and biological activities of essential oils from peels of three Citrus species

none7noBackground: Fruit peels are generally underutilized byproducts of the food industry, although they are valuable sources of bioactive compounds. The aim of this study is to evaluate a new application for three Citrus peel EOs as bio-herbicides. Methods: After a micro-morphological evaluation of Citrus peels by SEM analysis, the phytochemical composition of the EOs of Citrus × bergamia Risso &amp; Poit., Citrus × myrtifolia Raf., and Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck was characterized by GC/FID and GC/MS analyses. The in vitro phytotoxicity against germination and initial radical elongation of several crop and weed species was evaluated. Furthermore, the eco-compatibility of these EOs has been assessed by the brine shrimp (Artemia salina) lethality assay. Results: SEM analysis highlighted the morphometric differences of the schizolysigenous pockets among the peels of the three Citrus species. Oxygenated monoterpenes are the main constituents in C. × bergamia (51.09%), whereas monoterpene hydrocarbons represent the most abundant compounds in C. × myrtifolia (82.15%) and C. limon (80.33%) EOs. They showed marked and selective phytotoxic activity in vitro, often at very low concentration (0.1 µg/mL) against all plant species investigated, without showing any toxicity on Artemia salina, opening the perspective of their use as safe bio-herbicides.openCaputo L.; Cornara L.; Bazzicalupo M.; De Francesco C.; De Feo V.; Trombetta D.; Smeriglio A.Caputo, L.; Cornara, L.; Bazzicalupo, M.; De Francesco, C.; De Feo, V.; Trombetta, D.; Smeriglio, A

Mentha pulegium l.: A plant underestimated for its toxicity to be recovered from the perspective of the circular economy

The aim of the study was to investigate the micromorphology of Mentha pulegium leaves and flowers harvested in three different Sicilian (Italy) areas with peculiar pedo-climatic conditions, and to characterize the phytochemical profile, the phytotoxic activity, and the eco-compatibility of their essential oils (EOs) for potential use as safe bioherbicides. Light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) highlighted that M. pulegium indumentum consists of non-glandular and glandular trichomes of different types. Peltate trichomes of plants from the different sites showed few significant differences in dimension and abundance, but they were characterized by a surprisingly high number of secretory cells both in leaves and flowers. Phytochemical analyses showed that oxygenated monoterpenes were the most abundant class in all the EOs investigated (92.2–97.7%), but two different chemotypes, pulegone/isomenthone and piperitone/isomenthone, were found. The complex of morphological and phytochemical data indicates that soil salinity strongly affects the expression of the toxic metabolite pulegone, rather than the EO yield. Phytotoxicity tests showed a moderate activity of EOs against the selected species as confirmed by α-amylase assay. Moreover, the low toxicity on brine shrimp provided a rationale for the possible use of investigated EOs as eco-friendly herbicides

Central and autonomic system signs with in utero drug exposure

Aims: To determine risk for central nervous system/autonomic nervous system (CNS/ANS) signs following in utero cocaine and opiate exposure. Methods: A multisite study was designed to determine outcomes of in utero cocaine and opiate exposure. A total of 11 811 maternal/infant dyads were enrolled. Drug exposed (EXP) infants were identified by maternal self report of cocaine or opiate use or by meconium testing. Of 1185 EXP, meconium analysis confirmed exposure in 717 to cocaine (CO) only, 100 to opiates (OP), and 92 to opiates plus cocaine (OP+CO); 276 had insufficient or no meconium to confirm maternal self report. Negative exposure history was confirmed in 7442 by meconium analysis and unconfirmed in 3184. Examiners masked to exposure status, assessed each enrolled infant. Using generalised estimating equations, adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated for manifesting a constellation of CNS/ANS outcomes and for each sign associated with cocaine and opiate exposure. Results: Prevalence of CNS/ANS signs was low in CO, and highest in OP+CO. Signs were significantly related to one another. After controlling for confounders, CO was associated with increased risk of manifesting a constellation of CNS/ANS outcomes, OR (95% CI): 1.7 (1.2 to 2.2), independent of OP effect, OR (95% CI): 2.8 (2.1 to 3.7). OP+CO had additive effects, OR (95% CI): 4.8 (2.9 to 7.9). Smoking also increased the risk for the constellation of CNS/ANS signs, OR (95% CI) of 1.3 (1.04 to 1.55) and 1.4 (1.2 to 1.6), respectively, for use of less than half a pack per day and half a pack per day or more. Conclusion: Cocaine or opiate exposure increases the risk for manifesting a constellation of CNS/ANS outcomes