Bioactive chemical compounds in Eremurus persicus (Joub. & Spach) Boiss. essential oil and their health implications.

The genus Eremurus is native to Eastern Europe and temperate Asia. Particularly, Eremurus persicus (Joub. & Spach) Boiss. is highly valued in traditional foods and medicine. Scientific knowledge about E. persicus chemical composition and bioactivity is required. Therefore, the present study is aimed to determine the volatile composition of E. persicus essential oil (EO) by means of gas chromatography coupled to flame ionization/mass spectrometry detection. Moreover, the antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities of the EO were tested. Interestingly, the anti-dermatophyte potency was close to that of the drug griseofulvin, with minimum fungicidal concentration ranging between 0.7 and 4.5% depending on the fungi strain. The EO was also effective against hepatocellular carcinoma (Hep-G2) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) human cancer cell lines in a concentration (200-1500 ng/mL)-dependent manner, with a decrease of the cell viability up to 65% and 52%, respectively. The E. persicus EO was rich in terpenes and oxygenated terpene derivatives. Individually, limonene (16.25%), geranylgeraniol (15.23%), n-nonanal (9.48%), geranyl acetone (9.12%), benzene acetaldehyde (8.51%), linalool (7.93%), α-pinene (6.89%), and 1,8-cineol (5.22%) were the most abundant volatile compounds and could be chosen as analytical markers of this essential oil. In conclusion, our results suggested that this EO possesses a wide range of bioactive properties that could be useful in nutraceutical, functional foods and cosmeceutical formulations.

Performance of titanium salts compared to conventional FeCl3 for the removal of algal organic matter (AOM) in synthetic seawater: Coagulation performance, organic fraction removal and floc characteristics.

During algal bloom periods, operation of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) pretreatment processes (e.g. ultrafiltration (UF)) has been hindered due to the high concentration of algal cells and algal organic matter (AOM). The present study evaluated for the first time the performance of titanium salts (i.e. titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) and polytitanium tetrachloride (PTC)) for the removal of AOM in seawater and results were compared with the conventional FeCl3 coagulant. Previous studies already demonstrated that titanium salts not only provide a cost-effective alternative to conventional coagulants by producing a valuable by-product but also minimise the environmental impact of sludge production. Results from this study showed that both TiCl4 and PTC achieved better performance than FeCl3 in terms of turbidity, UV254 and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) removal at similar coagulant dose. Liquid chromatography - organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) was used to determine the removal of AOM compounds based on their molecular weight (MW). This investigation revealed that both humic substances and low MW organics were preferentially removed (i.e. up to 93% removal) while all three coagulants showed poorer performance for the removal of high MW biopolymers (i.e. less than 50% removal). The detailed characterization of flocs indicated that both titanium coagulants can grow faster, reach larger size and present a more compact structure, which is highly advantageous for the design of smaller and more compact mixing and sedimentation tanks. Both titanium coagulants also presented a higher ability to withstand shear force, which was related to the higher amount of DOC adsorbed with the aggregated flocs. Finally, TiCl4 had a better recovery after breakage suggesting that charge neutralization may be the dominant mechanism for this coagulant, while the lower recovery of both PTC and FeCl3 indicated that sweep flocculation is also a contributing mechanism for the coagulation of AOM.

Involvement of dopamine receptor subtypes in mouse thermoregulation.

The effects of dopamine agonists on core body temperature (BT) were tested in mice. Apomorphine (APO) reduced BT of the mice dose dependently. The response was inhibited by the D-2 antagonist sulpiride, but not by the D-1 antagonist SCH 23390. The D-2 agonist quinpirole also decreased BT and this was prevented by sulpiride pretreatment. Administration of the D-1 agonist SKF 38393 increased BT. This hyperthermia was decreased by SCH 23390 pretreatment. In reserpinized animals, APO caused a dose-related increase in BT. The hyperthermic response of the drug was abolished in animals pretreated with a combination of sulpiride with SCH 23390, but not by single administration of sulpiride or SCH 23390. Quinpirole and SKF 38393 caused hyperthermia in reserpinized mice. The response was decreased in animals pretreated with sulpiride or SCH 23390, respectively. BT of the intact mice was decreased, while that of reserpinized animals was increased by SCH 23390 but not by sulpiride pretreatment. It is concluded that the presynaptic dopamine neurons are involved in hypothermia, while both postsynaptic D-1 and D-2 dopamine receptors may mediated the hyperthermia induced by dopaminergic agents.

Anesthetic and surgical experience in a case of total vertical craniopagus.

BACKGROUND: A case of craniopagus twins is presented. The twins were attached to each other at the parietal vertex with an interaxis angle of 180 degrees and an interface angle of 90 degrees. To assess the bony, vascular, and nervous system interconnections, the twins underwent computerized tomographic scanning and cerebral angiography under inhalational general anesthesia. CASE DESCRIPTION: To provide adequate skin, tissue expanders were implanted under the scalp at 3 and 7 months of age. Separation became necessary at 1 year of age on an emergency basis, because of respiratory complications in the small twin. Profuse bleeding and hypovolemia led to the death of the healthy big twin. While one would expect that at least one of the twins could have been saved, the small twin also succumbed to air emboli and hypotension hours later. Postmortem examination revealed that the brains were joined at both medial and lateral hemispheric surfaces and shared a common circumferential sinus. CONCLUSION: This case was quite different as regards cerebral anatomy compared to those already reported in the literature.

Synthesis, conformational analysis and antinociceptive activity of 1-[N-methyl-(2-phenylethyl)amino]methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives.

New derivatives of 1-[N-methyl-(2-phenylethyl)amino]methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline were synthesized. The antinociceptive activity of the compounds, determined by the mouse tail-flick test, showed that the introduction of a hydroxy substituent in position 5 of the isoquinoline nucleus generated compounds 4c and 5c, which were as potent as codeine. Conformational analysis and superimposition of energy minima conformers of the compounds on phenazocine revealed that the main proposed opioid pharmacophores were well matched.