A review: Biological activity of myrtenal and some myrtenal-containing medicinal plant essential oils

Introduction: Myrtenal, a component of many plants` essential oils, is a bicyclic monoterpenoid. Numerous effects of myrtenal in experimental animals have been found - bronchodilatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-aggregative and antihemolytic (in vitro), and antibacterial.  Its other activities have been studied - antioxidant, antitumor, antihyperglycemic, vasodilating, heart rate reducing and hypotensive. Myrtenal is relatively little studied in the field of neuroscience.Aim: The aim of this article is to summarize the available information on the established biological activity of the monoterpenoid myrtenal.Materials and Methods: Scientific databases such as PubMed, ResearchGate, HMDB and others have been used to provide information on the published results of properties and activities of the test substance (myrtenal) over a period of 15 years (2003 - 2018).Results: Our research confirmed the available data for its central nervous system (CNS) activity - anxiolytic and potentiating the effects of the hypnotic drugs, as well as the antioxidant properties. We have evaluated the neuromodulatory activity of M in brain tissue manifested in elevated levels of major neurotransmitters in healthy rodents and those with neurodegenerative changes accompanied by improvement in the animals` memory.Conclusion: Significant protective effects of myrtenal on neurodegenerative processes were established. Probably they are related to its complex mechanisms, including neuromodulatory and antioxidant properties

Procalcitonin - a specific marker for the diagnosis of infection and guide to antibiotic decisions

Съществуват редица ограничения при използването на конвенционални диагностични маркери за пациенти с клинично подозрение за инфекция. Вследствие на това ненужната и продължителна употреба на антимикробни средства оказва неблагоприятно въздействие върху резултатите на пациентите, докато неправилната антибиотична терапия увеличава устойчивостта към антибиотици. Все повече лабора-торни проучвания подкрепят използването на този вид диагностичен тест в ежедневната диагностика. Контролирани проучвания показват полза от използването на прокалцитонин (РСТ) алгоритми за насочване на решенията за започване и/или преустановяване на антибиотичната терапия. Статията разглежда многобройни изследвания от различни литературни източници и има за цел да обобщи настоящите данни за PCT при различни инфекции, както и да обсъди надеждността на този маркер.There are a number of limitations to using conventional diagnostic markers for patients with clinical suspicion of infection. As a consequence, unnecessary and prolonged exposure to antimicrobial agents adversely affects patient outcomes, while inappropriate antibiotic therapy increases antibiotic resistance. Laboratory studies support the use of this type of diagnostic test. Controlled trials have shown a benefit of using procalcitonin (PCT) algorithms to guide decisions about initiation and/or discontinuation of antibiotic therapy. For some other types of infections, observational studies have shown promising first results, but further intervention studies are needed before the routine use of PCT in clinical practice can be recommended. The aim of this review is to summarize the current evidence for PCT in different infections and clinical settings, and discuss the reliability of this marker when used with validated diagnostic algorithms

Sepsis and septic shock: current treatment strategies and new approaches

Сепсисът е сложно състояние, характеризиращо се с едновременното активиране на възпалението и коагулацията в отговор на микробиална инфекция. Тези състояния се проявяват като системен синдром на възпалителна реакция и освобождаване на проинфламаторни цитокини, прокоагуланти и адхезионни молекули от имунни клетки и/или увреден ендотелиум. Днес сепсисът е тежка мултисистемна болест с трудни лечения и висока смъртност. През последните две десетилетия са проведени много проучвания за сепсис, които причиняват шок, мултиорганна дисфункция и органна недостатъчност, особено водещи до хемодинамични промени. При сепсиса повишаването на антибиотичната резистентност и лекарствените резистентни хемодинамични промени са довели до по-нататъшно проучване на нови начини на лечение в допълнение към класическите лечения. През последното десетилетие септичната физиопатология е изяснена. Различни терапевтични средства са използвани в допълнение към антибиотичната терапия, но не са получени задоволителни резултати. Статията обобщава патофизиологията на сепсиса, настоящите методи за лечение и новите подходи.1. Bone RC. Gram-negative sepsis. Background, clinical features, and intervention. Chest. 1991;100:802-8. 2. Bone RC. The pathogenesis of sepsis. Ann Intern Med. 1991;115:457-69. 3. Bone RC, Balk RA, Cerra FB, et al. Definitions for sepsis and organ failure and guidelines for the use of innovative therapies in sepsis. The ACCP/SCCM Consensus Conference Committee. American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine. Chest. 1992;136:1644-55. 4. Bone RC, Grodzin CJ, Balk RA. Sepsis: a new hypothesis for pathogenesis of the disease process. Chest. 1997;112:235-43. 5. Besirbellioglu BA. EKMUD Bilimsel Platformu. Bilkent Otel ve Konferans Merkezi: Ankara; 2006. Hayatı tehdit eden enfeksiyonların tedavisi: Sepsis. 6. Cronin L, Cook DJ, Carlet J, et al. Corticosteroid treatment for sepsis: a 7. critical appraisal and meta-analysis of the literature. Crit Care Med. 1995;23:1430-9. 8. Cohen J. The immunopathogenesis of sepsis. Nature. 2002;420:885-91. 9. Cheng B, Hoeft AH, Book M, Shu Q, Pastores SM. Sepsis: pathogenesis, biomarkers, and treatment. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:846935. 10. Dellinger RP, Carlet JM, Masur H, et al. Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock. Crit Care Med. 2004;32:858-73. 11. Hadley JS, Hinds CJ. Anabolic strategies in critical illness. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2002;2:700-7. 12. Hotchkiss RS, Karl IE. The pathophysiology and treatment of sepsis. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:138-50. 13. Medzhitov R, Janeway C., Jr Innate immunity. N Engl J Med. 2000;343:338-44. 14. Marx G, Schuerholz T, Reinhart K. New approaches to intensive care for sepsis. Chirurg. 2005;76:845-55. 15. Mertens K. Applied Biology. University of Aberdeen.; 2014. Zinc in inflammation and sepsis. 16. Mermutluoglu C, Deveci O, Dayan S, Aslan E, Bozkurt F, Tekin R. Antifungal susceptibility and risk factors in patients with candidemia. Eurasian J Med. 2016;48:199-203. 17. Nguyen HB, Rivers FM, Abrahamian, et al. Severe sepsis and septic shock: review of the literature and emergency department management guidelines. Ann Emerg Med. 2006;48:28-54. 18. Pittet D, Li N, Woolson RF, Wenzel RP. Microbiological factors influencing the outcome of nosocomial bloodstream infections: a 6-year validated, population-based model. Clin Infect Dis. 1997;24:1068-78. 19. Russell JA. Management of sepsis. N Engl J Med. 2006;355:1699-713. 20. Rittirsch D, Flierl MA, Ward PA. Harmful molecular mechanisms in sepsis. Nat Rev Immunol. 2008;8:776-87 21. Sriskandan S, Cohen J. The pathogenesis of septic shock. J Infect. 1995;30:201-6.22. Schouten M, Wiersinga WJ, Levi M, van der Poll T. Inflammation, endothelium, and coagulation in sepsis. J Leukoc Biol. 2008;83:536-45. 23. Sahin S. Klinik Bakteriyoloji ve Enfeksiyon Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı. Erciyes Ãœniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi; 2009. Sepsiste Suprafizyolojik Doz Steroid Tedavisinin Yeri. 24. Tas G. Askeri Tıp Fakültesi İç Hastalıkları Bilim Dalı BaÅŸkanlığı. T.C. Genelkurmay BaÅŸkanlığı Gülhane Askeri Tıp Akademisi; 2010. Deneysel Rat Sepsis Modelinde Fenofibrat Tedavisinin Rolü 25. Van den Berghe G, Wouters PJ, Bouillon R, et al. Outcome benefit of intensive insulin therapy in the critically ill: Insulin dose versus glycemic control. Crit Care Med. 2003;31:359-66. 26. Wang H, Bloom O, Zhang M, et al. HMG- 1 as a late mediator of endotoxin lethality in mice. Science. 1999;285:248-5

Nociceptin and Pilot Experiments to Detect Pharmacological Effects of its Short-Chain Analogues

Nociceptin, or orphanin FQ, is an endogenous ligand for the nociceptin receptor (NOP, ORL-1). It is a potent antianalgesic agent. The receptor is widely distributed in brain structures. Peptidomimetics are short-chain molecules designed to mimic peptides and with typical pharmacokinetic properties. The aim of the study is to investigate the basic pharmacological and toxicological effects of two newly-synthesized neuropeptides (P1 and P2) in mice. Their activity on the CNS and their inf luence on the hexobarbital- induced narcosis as well were studied. The analgesic activity of these two compounds was examined by using acetic acid test. Dose-dependent effect of the analgesic activity of compound P2 was independently studied by means of the same method. It was established that P2 possessed antinociceptive properties which makes it suitable for further research in this direction

Adverse effects of maternal age, weight and smoking during pregnancy in Pleven, Bulgaria

Aim: This paper aims to study the relationship between mothers’ age, body mass index (BMI), gestational weight gain (GWG) and smoking and the risk for premature birth in Pleven, Bulgaria. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Pleven in 2007. The study was comprehensive for all premature children (N=58) and representative for full-term infants (N=192, or 10.4% of all of the 1827 full-term children) born in 2007 at the University Hospital of Pleven and resident in the city of Pleven. Retrospective data on determinants under study were collected from all the mothers included in this study (N=250). Results: Mothers of premature children were more likely to be above 35 years old (27.6%), with a BMI ≥25 kg/m2 (23.1%), GWG below the recommended value (38.5%) and to smoke during pregnancy (37.9%). The odds of being a smoker during pregnancy were five times higher among mothers with low birth weight (LBW) newborns compared with their counterparts with normal birth weight newborns (OR=5.1, 95%CI=2.4-10.6). There was a positive association between BMI and LBW in infants whose mothers were overweight (OR=2.1, 95%CI=1.0-4.0). The risk of LBW increased when GWG was less than recommended (OR=1.8, 95%CI=1.0-3.1). Conclusion: Our results indicate that pre-pregnancy BMI ≥25 kg/m2, less than recommended GWG and smoking during pregnancy are risk factors for premature birth in Pleven region. Findings from this study suggest the need for active health and educational actions by health professionals in order to avoid premature births in Bulgaria

Analysis of awareness and attitudes about the vaccine against papilloma virus

Близо 80% от хората се заразяват с човешкия папиломен вирус в различни етапи на живота си, но само част от тях могат да се разболеят отнего. Вирусът има около 100 разновидности, но само два негови щама причиняват рак на шийката на матката, a 20 други - различни доброкачествени и злокачествени образувания. За превенция на рака на шийката на матката се прилагат три ваксини по схема. Целта на доклада е да се изследва информираността сред младото население за опасностите, които крие папилома вирус, и възможната превенция срещу него.Nearly 80% of the people get infected with the human papilloma virus at different stages in their lives but only a few of them get ill. The virus has over 100 varieties but only two of them can cause cervical cancer, and another 20 variations can cause different kinds of tumors. For cervical cancer prevention there are three different vaccines that are used in a specific schedule. The point of the survey is to determine whether the young women population is aware of the risks of cervical cancer and its prevention

ANALGESIC AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF MONOTERPENOID MYRTENAL IN RODENTS

Inflammation and pain are common phenomena associated with a number of diseases. The search for new pharmacological agents is an important factor in delivering better therapy. Many plants and their active ingredients monoterpenes exhibit analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity but have not been fully studied. Purpose The bicyclic monoterpenoid Myrtenal (M) is a component of many plants essential oils. Researches on total plant extracts as well as on essential oils reveal a wide range of biological effects with various mechanisms. However, there is no data in the literature about Myrtenal effects in pain and inflammation. Aim of this study is to investigate the M effects in models of pain and inflammation in laboratory rodents. Materials and methods Anti-nociceptive activity of M (30 mg/kg, b. wt., i. p.) was tested in male ICR mice after single and repeated administration on two established experimental pain models - Acetic acid writhing test (antipyretic type analgesia) and Hot plate test (narcotic type analgesia). Anti-inflammatory activity of M (40 mg/kg, b. wt., i. p.) was evaluated on the 24th h from the last treatment after 5-d administration via carrageenan-induced inflammation model on rat paw and was compared with this of the non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) Ketoprofen (2.5 mg/kg, b. wt., i. p.) as a referent. Results In our experiments on Wistar rats and ICR mice M demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive properties (toward both peripheral and thermal pain). In acute administration, significantly decreased the abdominal writhing number at 15th (p < 0.01) and 20th min (p < 0.05) by 47.25 % and by 50.55 % respectively. Myrtenal decreased (p < 0.001) the number of jumps versus control group after repeated treatment – by 40.4 % on 7th and by 43.1 % on the 14th d in comparison to the controls. Conclusions Possible mechanisms are complex, and they probably include sedative and antioxidant properties of Myrtenal

Akumulacija metala u šarana i crvenperki iz umjetnog jezera Topolnitsa u Bugarskoj

Concentrations of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) were determined in water samples and five fish organs (gills, liver, kidney, spleen, and muscle) of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) and common rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus L.) from the Topolnitsa reservoir (Bulgaria) in three seasons (spring, summer, and autumn). This water ecosystem is located in a copper mining and metallurgical region. Water metal concentrations were significantly higher in the summer than in the spring (p<0.05). Moreover, As, Cd, Cu, and Zn concentrations were higher than the national limits. Qualitative factors “element” and “fish organ” had a stronger influence on metal bioaccumulation than the factors “season” and “fish species”. In fish, the highest metal levels were detected in the liver, spleen, kidney and gills, and the lowest in the dorsal muscle. Tissue levels were higher in the summer, but in general they were similar between the two Cyprinid fish. Fish muscles had the lowest metal levels at all times, but As and Pb exceeded the national and international standards. Therefore, we would not recommend fish consumption from Topolnitsa, as continuous metal contamination of the reservoir may seem to present human health risk.Izmjerena je koncentracija arsena (As), kadmija (Cd), bakra (Cu), nikla (Ni), olova (Pb) i cinka (Zn) u uzorcima vode te škrgama, jetrima, bubregu, slezeni i leđnom mišiću šarana (Cyprinus carpio L.) i crvenperke (Scardinius erythrophthalmus L.) iz umjetnog jezera Topolnitsa (Bugarska) tijekom tri godišnja doba (proljeće, ljeto i jesen) 2012. Taj se ekosustav nalazi u regiji poznatoj po rudnicima bakra i metalurgiji. Koncentracija metala u vodi bila je značajno viša u ljeto nego u proljeće (p<0.05), a koncentracija As, Cd, Cu i Zn prelazila je razinu dopuštenu državnim odredbama. Kvalitativni čimbenici “element” i “riblji organ” jače su utjecali na akumulaciju metala od čimbenika “godišnje doba” i “riblja vrsta”. Najviša razina metala u riba izmjerena je u jetrima, slezeni, bubregu i škrgama, a najniža u leđnom mišiću. Razina u tkivima bila je malo viša u ljeto, ali se uglavnom nije razlikovala između ribljih vrsta. Mišićna je razina cijelo vrijeme bila niska, ali su zato As i Pb bili iznad domaćih i međunarodnih normi. Stoga ne preporučujemo konzumaciju ribe iz Topolnitse s obzirom na to da stalno zagađenje umjetnog jezera za sobom povlači zdravstvene rizike

Histochemical alterations in liver of Common Carp Cyprinus carpio (Linnaeus, 1785) after glyphosate exposure: Preliminary study

The present study was designed to provide some preliminary data on the toxic effects of 96 h exposure to glyphosate on the liver of Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) under ex situ conditions. For this purpose we used Sudan III staining which could be suggested as fast and low-cost histochemical biomarker for pesticide contamination effects