Bioreduction of silver nanoparticles from aerial parts of Euphorbia hirta L. (EH-ET) and its potent anticancer activities against neuroblastoma cell lines

Euphorbia hirta L. (Family: Euphorbiaceae) is a versatile medicinal plant and enriched with novel bioactive molecules and possess broad-spectrum pharmacological actions. Present work is aiming to synthesis and characterize of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by bioreduction method an using ethanolic extract of aerial parts of Euphorbia hirta L. (EH-ET). The synthesized AgNPs observed by a color change of source solution (as AgNPs) and further confirmed by the UV-Visible spectroscopic technique. The AgNPs synthesized were characterized by Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Zeta potential analysis. The synthesized AgNPs are polydispersed and some places it’s agglomerated. The particle size EH-ET silver nanoparticles were analyzed using Beckman coulter particle size analyzer (DelsaTM Nano common). The average size of the particles size noted in 2.9-206.3 nm. Anticancer activity of EH-ET Silver nanoparticles was tested against neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) and breast cancer cells (SH-SY5Y) and cytotoxicity were tested in vero cells by MTT assay. The preliminary confirmation of the synthesized AgNPs by the present method was made by the appearance of reddish brown color and the visible absorption peak at 429.5 nm. SEM image revealed that AgNPs synthesized were spherical in shape and silver nanoparticles were in the size range of 2.9 to 206.3 nm. FT-IR spectra showed the peaks corresponding to functional groups C=O, -C=C and -OH, which actively participated in bio-reduction and subsequent stabilization reactions in the synthesis of AgNPs. The obtained nanoparticles showed promising anticancer activity against neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Yc) and breast cancer cells (MCF-7) with IC50 values of 29.85 and 335 µg/mL, respectively. Whereas, the nanoparticles did not show any activity against vero cell lines. The synthesized silver nanoparticles using an ethanolic extract of Euphorbia hirta L. would be helpful for the preparation of potent cytotoxicity agents to destroy cancer cells

Antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-proliferative properties and zinc content of five south Portugal herbs

Context: Crataegus monogyna L. (Rosaceae) (CM), Equisetum telmateia L. (Equisataceae) (ET), Geranium purpureum Vil. (Geraniaceae) (GP), Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. (Lamiaceae) (MS), and Lavandula stoechas L. spp. luisieri (Lamiaceae) (LS) are all medicinal. Objective: To evaluate the antioxidant, antiproliferative and antimicrobial activities of plant extracts and quantify individual phenolics and zinc. Material and methods: Aerial part extracts were prepared with water (W), ethanol (E) and an 80% mixture (80EW). Antioxidant activity was measured with TAA, FRAP and RP methods. Phenolics were quantified with a HPLC. Zinc was quantified using voltammetry. Antibacterial activity (after 48 h) was tested using Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Listeria monocytogenes. Antiproliferative activity (after 24 h) was tested using HEP G2 cells and fibroblasts. Results: Solvents influenced results; the best were E and 80EW. GP had the highest antioxidant activity (TAA and FRAP of 536.90mg AAE/g dw and 783.48mg TE/g dw, respectively). CM had the highest zinc concentration (37.21 mg/kg) and phenolic variety, with neochlorogenic acid as the most abundant (92.91 mg/100 g dw). LS was rich in rosmarinic acid (301.71 mg/100 g dw). GP and LS inhibited the most microorganisms: B. cereus, E. coli and S. aureus. GP also inhibited E. faecalis. CM had the lowest MIC: 5830 mu g/mL. The antibacterial activity is explained by the phenolics present. LS and CM showed the most significant anti-proliferative activity, which is explained by their zinc content. Conclusion: The most promising plants for further studies are CM, LS and GP.FCT, Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia of Portugal [SFRH/BSA/139/2014

The social effects of entrepreneurship on society and some potential remedies: four provocations

A rapidly growing research stream examines the social effects of entrepreneurship on society. This research assesses the rise of entrepreneurship as a dominant theme in society and studies how entrepreneurship contributes to the production and acceptance of socio-economic inequality regimes, social problems, class and power struggles, and systemic inequities. In this article, scholars present new perspectives on an organizational sociology-inspired research agenda of entrepreneurial capitalism and detail the potential remedies to bound the unfettered expansion of a narrow conception of entrepreneurship. Taken together, the essays put forward four central provocations: 1) reform the study and pedagogy of entrepreneurship by bringing in the humanities; 2) examine entrepreneurship as a cultural phenomenon shaping society; 3) go beyond the dominant biases in entrepreneurship research and pedagogy; and 4) explore alternative models to entrepreneurial capitalism. More scholarly work scrutinizing the entrepreneurship–society nexus is urgently needed, and these essays provide generative arguments toward further developing this research agenda

Ideology and moral values in rhetorical framing:How wine was saved from the 19th Century Phylloxera Epidemic

Extant organizational research into crises has focused on the efforts of different actors to defend and legitimate their ideologies towards particular actions. Although insightful, such research has offered little knowledge about the moral reasoning underlying such action. In this paper, we explore how moral reasoning from different ideological viewpoints can lead to polarized debates and stalemate within the context of ecological crises. We apply our conceptual framework in an analysis of the 19th century French phylloxera epidemic. Drawing upon this analysis, we argue that, by adapting their moral reasoning, opposing stakeholder groups could maintain their underlying ideology, while at the same time pragmatically changing their actions towards the crisis. We discuss the theoretical implications of our analysis for historical research in organizational studies and research on organizations and the natural environment

New Economy, Old Central Banks?

Proponents of the so-called New Economy claim that it entails a structural change of the economy. Such a change, in turn, would require the central bank to rethink its monetary policy to the extent that traditional relationships between inf1ation and economic growth are no longer valid. But such a rethinking presupposes that prospective advances in information technology and other factors associated with the new economy do not threaten the capacity of central banks to stabilise the general level of prices. It is the aim of this paper to shed some light on the latter, by analysing the monetary transmission mechanism in a 'new economy' environment. We argue that, although the form of central bank instruments and current methods for implementing monetary policy may change, the goals that the policy makers try to achieve by employing these instruments remain valid, and achievable

The Burden of History in the Family Business Organization

In this paper we focus on the study of history through the use of narratives, within the context of the prevalent form of organization worldwide: the family business. Specifically we consider the dilemma of the impossible gift of succession using Nietzsche's discussion of the burden of history and paralleling the story of a family business succession with that of Shakespeare's King Lear. This way, we seek to make a contribution to organizational studies by answering recent calls to engage more with history in studies of business organizations. By implication, the study also initiates an integration of family business studies into organization studies

Homeostatic regulation of the endoneurial microenvironment during development, aging and in response to trauma, disease and toxic insult

The endoneurial microenvironment, delimited by the endothelium of endoneurial vessels and a multi-layered ensheathing perineurium, is a specialized milieu intérieur within which axons, associated Schwann cells and other resident cells of peripheral nerves function. The endothelium and perineurium restricts as well as regulates exchange of material between the endoneurial microenvironment and the surrounding extracellular space and thus is more appropriately described as a blood–nerve interface (BNI) rather than a blood–nerve barrier (BNB). Input to and output from the endoneurial microenvironment occurs via blood–nerve exchange and convective endoneurial fluid flow driven by a proximo-distal hydrostatic pressure gradient. The independent regulation of the endothelial and perineurial components of the BNI during development, aging and in response to trauma is consistent with homeostatic regulation of the endoneurial microenvironment. Pathophysiological alterations of the endoneurium in experimental allergic neuritis (EAN), and diabetic and lead neuropathy are considered to be perturbations of endoneurial homeostasis. The interactions of Schwann cells, axons, macrophages, and mast cells via cell–cell and cell–matrix signaling regulate the permeability of this interface. A greater knowledge of the dynamic nature of tight junctions and the factors that induce and/or modulate these key elements of the BNI will increase our understanding of peripheral nerve disorders as well as stimulate the development of therapeutic strategies to treat these disorders

Conceptualizing historical organization studies

© 2016 Academy of Management Review. The promise of a closer union between organizational and historical research has long been recognized. However, its potential remains unfulfilled: The authenticity of theory development expected by organization studies and the authenticity of historical veracity required by historical research place exceptional conceptual and empirical demands on researchers. We elaborate the idea of historical organization studies-organizational research that draws extensively on historical data, methods, and knowledge to promote historically informed theoretical narratives attentive to both disciplines. Building on prior research, we propose a typology of four differing conceptions of history in organizational research: History as evaluating, explicating, conceptualizing, and narrating. We identify five principles of historical organization studies-dual integrity, pluralistic understanding, representational truth, context sensitivity, and theoretical fluency-and illustrate our typology holistically from the perspective of institutional entrepreneurship. We explore practical avenues for a creative synthesis, drawing examples from social movement research and microhistory. Historically informed theoretical narratives whose validity derives from both historical veracity and conceptual rigor afford dual integrity that enhances scholarly legitimacy, enriching understanding of historical, contemporary, and future-directed social realities