Chemistry by Mobile Phone (or how to justify more time at the bar)

By combining automatic environment monitoring with Java smartphones a system has been produced for the real-time monitoring of experiments whilst away from the lab. Changes in the laboratory environment are encapsulated as simple XML messages, which are published using an MQTT compliant broker. Clients subscribe to the MQTT stream, and produce a user display. An MQTT client written for the Java MIDP platform, can be run on a smartphone with a GPRS Internet connection, freeing us from the constraints of the lab. We present an overview of the technologies used, and how these are helping chemists make the best use of their time

Community-Based Health Insurance Schemes

Due to the limited ability of publicly financed health systems in developing countries to provide adequate access to health care, community-based health financing has been proposed as a viable option. This has led to the implementation of a number of Community- Based Health Insurance (CBHI) schemes, in several developing countries. To assess the ability of such schemes in meeting their stated objectives, this study systematically reviews the existing empirical evidence on three outcomes – access to schemes, effect on health care utilization and effect on financial protection. In addition to collating and summarizing the evidence we analyse the link between key scheme design characteristics and their effect on outcomes and comment on the role that may be played by study characteristics in influencing outcomes. The review shows that the ultra-poor are often excluded and at the same time there is evidence of adverse selection. The bulk of the studies find that access to CBHI is associated with increased health care utilization, especially with regard

Anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities: Chemical constituents of essential oils of Ocimum gratissimum, Eucalyptus citriodora and Cymbopogon giganteus inhibited lipoxygenase L-1 and cyclooxygenase of PGHS

The following studies report the inhibitory effect produced by chemical constituents of essential oils of three plants used in traditional medicine as anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, in vitro, on soybean lipoxygenase L-1 and cyclooxygenase function of prostaglandin H synthase (PGHS), the two enzymes involved in the production of mediators of inflammation. The essential oils were extracted from plants of three families: O. gratissimum (Labiatae), C. giganteus (Poaceae), and E. citriodora (Myrtaceae). Their chemical composition was established by GC/MS analyses. Among the three essential oils, one showed evident inhibition of L-1 with IC50 value of 72 µg/mL for Eucalyptus citriodora. Only one essential oil that of O. gratissimum inhibited the two enzymes, cyclooxygenase function of PGHS and lipoxygenase L-1, with an IC50 values, respectively, of 125 µg/mL and 144 µg/mL, whereas that of C. giganteus and E. citriodora, two of them had no effect on cyclooxygenase. KEY WORDS: Essential oils, Soybean lipoxygenase (L-1), Cyclooxygenase function ofprostaglandine H synthase-1, PGHS, O. gratissimum (Labiatae), C. giganteus (Poaceae), E. citriodora (Myrtaceae), Enantia chlorantha, Inhibition  Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2003, 17(2), 191-197

Dysregulation of Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Lipoxin A4 in Bronchiectasis

Introduction: Bronchiectasis is characterised by excessive neutrophilic inflammation. Lipid mediators such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes have crucial roles in the inflammatory response. Further characterisation of these lipids and understanding the interplay of anti-inflammatory and proinflammatory lipid mediators could lead to the development of novel anti-inflammatory therapies for bronchiectasis. Aim: The aim of our study was to characterise the lipids obtained from serum and airways in patients with bronchiectasis in the stable state. Methods: Six healthy volunteers, 10 patients with mild bronchiectasis, 15 with moderate bronchiectasis and 9 with severe bronchiectasis were recruited. All participants had 60 mL of blood taken and underwent a bronchoscopy while in the stable state. Lipidomics was done on serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Results: In the stable state, in serum there were significantly higher levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), 15-hydroxyeicosatetranoic acid (15-HETE) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) in patients with moderate–severe disease compared with healthy volunteers. There was a significantly lower level of lipoxin A4 (LXA4) in severe bronchiectasis. In BALF, there were significantly higher levels of PGE2, 5-HETE, 15-HETE, 9-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid and LTB4 in moderate–severe patients compared with healthy volunteers. In the stable state, there was a negative correlation of PGE2 and LTB4 with % predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s and a positive correlation with antibiotic courses. LXA4 improved blood and airway neutrophil phagocytosis and bacterial killing in patients with bronchiectasis. Additionally LXA4 reduced neutrophil activation and degranulation. Conclusion: There is a dysregulation of lipid mediators in bronchiectasis with excess proinflammatory lipids. LXA4 improves the function of reprogrammed neutrophils. The therapeutic efficacy of LXA4 in bronchiectasis warrants further studies