Green Alternatives in Treatment of Liver Diseases: the Challenges of Traditional Medicine and Green Nanomedicine.

Over the last decade, liver diseases have become a global problem, with approximately two million deaths per year. The high increase in the mortality rate of these diseases is mostly related to the limitations in the understanding of the evolutionary clinical cases of liver diseases, the low delivery of drugs in the liver, the non-specific administration of drugs, and the side effects generated at the systemic level by conventional therapeutic agents. Today it is common knowledge that phytochemicals have a high curative potential, even in the prevention and/or reversibility of liver disorders; however, even using these green molecules, researchers continue to deal with the same challenges implemented with conventional therapeutic agents, which limits the pharmacological potential of these friendly molecules. On the other hand, the latest advances in nanotechnology have proven that the use of nanocarriers as a delivery system for green active ingredients, as well as conventional ones, increases the pharmacological potential of these active ingredients due to their physicochemical characteristics (size, Zeta potential, etc.,) moldable depending on the therapeutic objective; in addition to the above, it should be noted that in recent years, nanoparticles have been developed for the specific delivery of drugs towards a specific target (stellar cells, hepatocytes, Kupffer cells), depending on the clinical state of the disease in the patient. The present review addresses the challenges of traditional medicine and green nanomedicine as alternatives in the treatment of liver diseases.

Physicochemical Characteristics of Biofuel Briquettes Made from Pecan (Carya illinoensis) Pericarp Wastes of Different Particle Sizes.

Pecan nut (Carya illinoensis) pericarp is usually considered as a waste, with no or low value applications. Its potential as a densified solid biofuel has been evaluated, searching for alternatives to generating quality renewable energy and reducing polluting emissions in the atmosphere, based on particle size, that is an important feedstock property. Therefore, agro-industrial residues from the pecan nut harvest were collected, milled and sieved to four different granulometry: 1.6 mm (N° 12), 0.84 mm (N° 20), 0.42 mm (N° 40), and 0.25 mm (N° 60), used as raw material for biofuel briquette production. The carbon and oxygen functional groups in the base material were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and proximate analyses were performed following international standards, for determining the moisture content, volatile materials, fixed carbon, ash content, and calorific value. For the biofuel briquettes made from base material of different particle sizes, the physical characteristics (density, hardness, swelling, and impact resistance index) and energy potential (calorific value) were determined to define their quality as a biofuel. The physical transformation of the pecan pericarp wastes into briquettes improved its quality as a solid biofuel, with calorific values from around 17.00 MJ/kg for the base material to around 18.00 MJ/kg for briquettes, regardless of particle size. Briquettes from sieve number 40 had the highest density (1.25 g/cm3). Briquettes from sieve number 60 (finest particles) presented the greater hardness (99.85). The greatest susceptibility to swelling (0.31) was registered for briquettes with the largest particle size (sieve number 20). The IRI was 200 for all treatments.

Disparities in cancer incidence by area-level socioeconomic status in the French West Indies.

PURPOSE: Social inequalities in cancer incidence and mortality have been reported in France, but no data are available for the French overseas territories. Our objective was to explore the association between cancer incidence and the socioeconomic level of the residence area in the French West Indies. METHODS: Cancer incidence data were obtained from the cancer registries of Guadeloupe and Martinique (2009-2010). To assess socioeconomic status, we developed a specific index of social deprivation from census data at a small area level. We used Bayesian methods to evaluate the association between cancer incidence and the deprivation index, for all cancers combined and for the major cancer sites. RESULTS: There was no clear association between area-based deprivation and the incidence of all cancers combined. In men, higher area deprivation was associated with a higher incidence of prostate cancer (relative risk (RR) 1.25, 95% credible interval (CI) 1.04-1.49; RR 1.08, CI 0.91-1.29 in the categories of intermediate and high deprivation, respectively, compared to low deprivation), but was not associated with respiratory cancer. Women living in the most deprived areas had a higher incidence of stomach (RR 1.77, CI 1.12-2.89), breast (RR 1.15, CI 0.90-1.45), and cervical (RR 1.13, CI 0.63-2.01) cancers and a lower incidence of respiratory cancer (RR 0.65, CI 0.38-1.11). CONCLUSION: These first results in the French West Indies suggest specific patterns for some cancer sites that need to be further investigated.

Geographic variations and temporal trends in prostate cancer in Martinique over a 25-year period.

BACKGROUND: In Martinique, prostate cancer incidence rates have been increasing since the 1980s and are actually among the highest worldwide. Exposure to lifestyle (changes in dietary habits), environmental factors (exposure to organochlorine pesticides) and modifications in diagnostic and screening procedures, are favored etiological hypotheses. The aim of the present study is to describe and interpret prostate cancer incidence trends over the past 25 years (1981-2005) in Martinique. METHODS: Data on incident prostate cancer cases from 1981 to 2005 were obtained from the population-based Martinique Cancer Registry. World age-standardised incidence rates were calculated and an age-period-cohort model was used to determine average annual variations for prostate cancer during the study period. Age and period effects were assessed, employing the method proposed by Clayton and Schifflers. Relative changes in prostate cancer incidence, at five-year intervals between 1981 and 2005, were also studied with an organochlorine pesticide exposure index, built as a proxy of the relative intensity of chlordecone use on the island between 1973 and 1993. RESULTS: Prostate cancer incidence was found to increase by 5.07% annually between 1981 and 2005. Compared to 1981-1985, prostate cancer relative risk, in men aged 50-74 years and 75 years and above was respectively 5.98% and 3.07% from 2001 to 2005. An inverse association between population pesticide exposure levels and prostate cancer risk was also highlighted, with highest prostate cancer incidences observed in urban zones showing the lowest soil contamination levels by the chlordecone pesticide (zone 1). CONCLUSION: No conclusive association was found between the intensity of pesticide use and the subsequent rise in prostate cancer incidence. However, it remains necessary to develop and reinforce continuous monitoring of prostate cancer incidence and mortality trends on the island. Further studies are also needed in order to consider other risk factors such as modifications in diagnostic and screening procedures over the last 25 years.