Fingerprinting Food Supplements and Their Botanical Ingredients by Coupled UV/Vis/FTIR Spectrometry

Medicinal plants are used as ingredients for a large variety of herbal supplements. Their quality and safety versus efficacy, according to present legal requirements, need to meet the minimum quality criteria to support their use. Specific biomarkers to evaluate and screen their authenticity are phenolic derivatives, phtosterols, lipids or alkaloids. We report here the data obtained  for  two herbal food supplements (A and B) obtained from  different mixtures of plants: Taraxacum officinalis, Cynara scolimus Silybum marianum as ingredients for product A)  and Hypericum perforatum, Chelidonium majus and Lycopodium clavatum as ingredients for product B). The combination of UV-Vis and FTIR spectrometry allowed a specific fingerprint of biomarkers in individual plants and derived supplements ( A and B), by discriminating the specific areas and peaks of individual plants and  mixtures, the significant differences between the methanolic and water extracts. The data were compared using chemometry ( PCA and Cluster analysis). Using Vis spectrometry combined with FTIR  peak intensities at 1732 cm-1 and calibration with gallic acid,  the total phenolics concentrations ranged from 5.31 to 9.58 mg gallic acid eq/ml methanol, with a positive and significant correlation between the two methods (R2= 0.979). The phenolics’ concentration were 2.5 to 4 times lower in water extracts comparing with methanol extracts of  products A and B.  Finally, we assume that herbal supplements can be adequately characterized for their quality and safety by combined UV-Vis spectrometry/FTIR spectrometry, with good, fast and cheap informations about the main biomarkers of authenticity

The social and the psychological impact of endometriosis on the Romanian urban population

Objectives. Our study assesses the social and psychological impact of the symptoms of endometriosis. Materials and methods. This crosssectional study was conducted from January 2014 to January 2016. The research involved two groups. The study instrument, the EHP-5 questionnaire, was completed by the respondents on the admission date or on the routine gynecological visit day. Results. Endometriosis has a negative social and psychological impact on women’s life, the most affected areas being work, fertility and sexual activity. Moreover, pain and the negative perception of self-image are major sources of distress. Conclusion. The symptoms and effects of endometriosis, especially chronic pelvic pain, mood changes and infertility, are significant negative factors in women’s life. The authors further conclude that the EHP-5 questionnaire can be more widely used to help select women who may need special attention in terms of their quality of life, thus helping gynecologists refer affected women to a health care professional

LARS-like symptoms in the general population may suggest the significance of postoperative functional problems and emotional implications of rectal surgery

Background & Aim. Sphincter-saving rectal surgery is prone to cause changes in bowel function associated with Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS). Our aim was to assess LARS-like symptoms within a population of 50-80-year old in order to understand the functional disturbances and emotional impact of LARS. Materials and methods: We used a questionnaire to evaluate LARS with the following categories of symptoms: flatulence control, anal incontinence, frequency, clustering and urgency of the stools, and the psycho-emotional impact created by the presence of these symptoms. We calculated the severity of LARS on 343 responders. Results. The average age of the responders (57.4% females) was 60 years. Overall, 48.1% of those questioned had no LARS-associated symptoms, while the rest presented either minor (39.9%) or major (12%) LARS-like symptomatology according to the assessment scale. Women have a higher relative risk (1.32) of having minor or major LARS. The frequency of stools did not correlate with the overall LARS score. The psycho-emotional impact was mostly influenced by the presence of incontinence (p=0.001) and urgency (p=0.05). Discussions. The study highlights the need to integrate the initial status of patients into the overall quantification of the effects of surgery on the quality of life. Age does not influence the prevalence of LARS, but symptoms seem more prevalent in women. The psycho-emotional impact is relevant to the general population, so explanations given during the informed consent and accurate description of potential consequences of surgical intervention increase compliance to ensure better post-operative control of the symptomatology. Conclusions. Deriving a normative LARS-like score may alter the interpretation and discussion of LARS scores for future rectal cancer patients, and it also provides a better understanding of the emotional impact of such symptoms on certain population subsets or cultural groups

Researches regarding the minitubers production from potato lines

In this study was done researches about minitubers production from 14 potato lines studied: TS 12-1488-1574, TS 12- 1489-1574, TS 12-1497-1573, TS 11-1475-1633, TS 12-1502-1675, TS 11-1472-1633, TS 11-1468-1633, TS 09-1441- 1525, TS 11-1486-1642, TS 12-1501-1582, TS 11-1480-1633, TS 96 -1207-169, TS 11-1467-1633, TS 09-1442-1525. The experience was monofactorial, in which the analyzed factor was the genotype, consisted of 14 variants, divided into 3 repetitions. As a control, the average of the determined values was determined for each parameter taken in the study. The parameters analyzed were: minitubers number / plant and minitubers weight minitubers / pl. TS 12-1489-1574 potato line was the most representative, being a productive line, which was distinguished by a number of 11.83 minitubers / plant and a significantly positive difference of + 4.21 comparative with control taken in the study. Weight of minitubers / plant was influenced by genotype, proving superiority TS11-1468-1633 potato line which had a good capacity to produce minitubers with high weight (295.17 g) (and a distinct significant difference, positive, to control +114,83). Thus, this potato line has a high potential for producing high yields

LARS-like symptoms in the general population may suggest the significance of postoperative functional problems and emotional implications of rectal surgery

Background & Aim. Sphincter-saving rectal surgery is prone to cause changes in bowel function associated with Low Anterior Resection Syndrome (LARS). Our aim was to assess LARS-like symptoms within a population of 50-80-year old in order to understand the functional disturbances and emotional impact of LARS. Materials and methods: We used a questionnaire to evaluate LARS with the following categories of symptoms: flatulence control, anal incontinence, frequency, clustering and urgency of the stools, and the psycho-emotional impact created by the presence of these symptoms. We calculated the severity of LARS on 343 responders. Results. The average age of the responders (57.4% females) was 60 years. Overall, 48.1% of those questioned had no LARS-associated symptoms, while the rest presented either minor (39.9%) or major (12%) LARS-like symptomatology according to the assessment scale. Women have a higher relative risk (1.32) of having minor or major LARS. The frequency of stools did not correlate with the overall LARS score. The psycho-emotional impact was mostly influenced by the presence of incontinence (p=0.001) and urgency (p=0.05). Discussions. The study highlights the need to integrate the initial status of patients into the overall quantification of the effects of surgery on the quality of life. Age does not influence the prevalence of LARS, but symptoms seem more prevalent in women. The psycho-emotional impact is relevant to the general population, so explanations given during the informed consent and accurate description of potential consequences of surgical intervention increase compliance to ensure better post-operative control of the symptomatology. Conclusions. Deriving a normative LARS-like score may alter the interpretation and discussion of LARS scores for future rectal cancer patients, and it also provides a better understanding of the emotional impact of such symptoms on certain population subsets or cultural groups