Comprehensive Identification of Costus pictus Rhizome Extract as a Potent Plant Food: Unveiling Anti-Diabetic, Antimicrobial, Anticancer, and Anti-Inflammatory Properties.

Plant-derived foods are esteemed as natural preventives due to the constraints of contemporary pharmaceuticals, intensifying scrutiny of traditional medicinal flora. This study marked the first extensive evaluation of the anti-diabetic, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects of Costus pictus rhizomes, expanding beyond its well-known anti-diabetic properties in leaves. Hot air-dried C. pictus rhizomes underwent ultrasound-assisted extraction to produce the rhizome extract. Anti-diabetic effects were determined through enzymatic inhibition studies targeting "α-amylase and α-glucosidase," crucial enzymes in glucose regulation, revealing potent inhibitory effects with IC50 values of 266.591 and 324.938 µg/ml, respectively. The ubiquity of breast cancer and constrained therapeutic alternatives for triple negative breast cancer led to the utilization of the "MDA-MB 231 cell line" for the study. The rhizome extracts demonstrated cytotoxicity at an IC50 concentration of 770 µg/ml, with a pronounced decline in the "reactive oxygen species (ROS)" and "mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP)." They also regulated the cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and positively induced apoptosis, thus making it a potent anticancer candidate. Anti-inflammatory effects were assessed using "RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line" and exhibited dose-dependent reduction with IC50 of 495.074 µg/ml, declining nitric oxide (NO) levels. Antimicrobial studies provided insights into its effectiveness against pathogens. This pivotal understanding laid groundwork for advancing C. pictus rhizome extract as a potential ingredient in pharmaceuticals or functional foods, leading to favorable health outcomes.

Open Payments Data Analysis of General and Fellowship-trained Surgeons Receiving Industry General Payments From 2016 to 2020: Payment Disparities and COVID-19 Pandemic Impact.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize industry nonresearch payments made to general and fellowship-trained surgeons between 2016 and 2020. BACKGROUND: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Open Payments Data (OPD) reports industry payments made to physicians related to drugs and medical devices. General payments are those not associated with research. METHODS: OPD data were queried for general and fellowship-trained surgeons who received general payments from 2016 to 2020. Payments' nature, amount, company, covered product, and location were collected. Surgeons' demographics, subspecialty, and leadership roles in hospitals, societies, and editorial boards were evaluated. RESULTS: From 2016 to 2020, 44,700 general and fellowship-trained surgeons were paid $535,425,543 in 1,440,850 general payments. The median payment was $29.18. The most frequent payments were for food and beverage (76.6%) and travel and lodging (15.6%); however, the highest dollar payments were for consulting fees ($93,128,401; 17.4%), education ($88,404,531; 16.5%), royalty or license ($87,471,238; 16.3%), and travel and lodging ($66,333,149; 12.4%). Five companies made half of all payments ($265,654,522; 49.6%): Intuitive Surgical ($128,517,411; 24%), Boston Scientific ($48,094,570; 9%), Edwards Lifesciences ($41,835,544, 7.8%), Medtronic Vascular ($33,607,136; 6.3%), and W. L. Gore & Associates ($16,626,371; 3.1%). Medical devices comprised 74.7% of payments ($399,897,217), followed by drugs and biologicals ($33,945,300; 6.3%). Texas, California, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania received the most payments; however, the top dollar payments were in California ($65,702,579; 12.3%), Michigan ($52,990,904, 9.9%), Texas ($39,362,131; 7.4%), Maryland ($37,611,959; 7%), and Florida ($33,417,093, 6.2%). General surgery received the highest total payments ($245,031,174; 45.8%), followed by thoracic surgery ($167,806,514; 31.3%) and vascular surgery ($60,781,266; 11.4%). A total of 10,361 surgeons were paid >$5000, of which 1614 were women (15.6%); in this group, men received higher payments than women (means, $53,446 vs $22,571; P <0.001) and thoracic surgeons received highest payments (mean, $76,381; NS, P =0.14). A total of 120 surgeons were paid >$500,000 ($203,011,672; 38%)-5 non-Hispanic White (NHW) women (4.2%) and 82 NHW (68.3%), 24 Asian (20%), 7 Hispanic (5.8%), and 2 Black (1.7%) men; in this group, men received higher payments than women (means, $1,735,570 vs $684,224), and NHW men received payments double those of other men (means, $2,049,554 vs $955,368; NS, P =0.087). Among these 120 highly paid surgeons (>$500,000), 55 held hospital and departmental leadership roles, 30 were leaders in surgical societies, 27 authored clinical guidelines, and 16 served on journal editorial boards. During COVID-19, 2020 experienced half the number of payments than the preceding 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: General and fellowship-trained surgeons received substantial industry nonresearch payments. The highest-paid recipients were men. Further work is warranted in assessing how race, gender, and leadership roles influence the nature of industry payments and surgical practice. A significant decline in payments was observed early during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rapid detection of Escherichia coli in dairy milk using static headspace-comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography.

A new approach is introduced for rapid and reliable bacteria detection in food. Namely, static headspace-comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (HS-GC × GC) with backflushing. The introduced approach provides fast detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in enriched ultra-high-temperature processed (UHT) dairy milk. The presence of E. coli may be indicated by detecting microbial volatile organic compounds emanating from test solutions inoculated with E. coli. In the present investigation, HS-GC × GC analysis is preceded by conventional enrichment in nutrient broth and inoculated samples are clearly discernable from controls following as little as 15 h sample enrichment. Headspace equilibration for 28 min followed by an 8 min GC × GC analysis of enriched test solutions reduces time-to-response by approximately one full day compared to conventional culture-based methods. The presence of ethanol, 1-propanol, and acetaldehyde may be used as a putative marker of E. coli contamination in milk and the introduced approach is able to detect single-cell initial bacterial load. Faster, reliable detection of pathogens and/or spoilage microbes in food products is desirable for the food industry. The described approach has great potential to complement the conventional workflow and be utilised for rapid microbial screening of foodstuff.

Binary Colloidal Crystal Layers as Platforms for Surface Patterning of Puroindoline-Based Antimicrobial Peptides.

The ability of bacteria to form biofilms and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains have prompted the need to develop the next generation of antibacterial coatings. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are showing promise as molecules that can address these issues, especially if used when immobilized as a surface coating. We present a method that explores how surface patterns together with the selective immobilization of an AMP called PuroA (FPVTWRWWKWWKG-NH2) can be used to both kill bacteria and also as a tool to study bacterial attachment mechanisms. Surface patterning is achieved using stabilized self-assembled binary colloidal crystal (BCC) layers, allowing selective PuroA immobilization to carboxylated particles using N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethyl carbodiimide (EDC) hydrochloride/N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) coupling chemistry. Covalent immobilization of PuroA was compared with physical adsorption (i.e., without the addition of EDC/NHS). The AMP-functionalized colloids and BCC layers were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ζ potentials, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Surface antimicrobial activity was assessed by viability assays using Escherichia coli. MALDI-TOF MS analysis revealed that although not all of PuroA was successfully covalently immobilized, a relatively low density of PuroA (1.93 × 1013 molecules/cm2 and 7.14 × 1012 molecules/cm2 for covalent and physical immobilization, respectively) was found to be sufficient at significantly decreasing the viability of E. coli by 70% when compared to that of control samples. The findings provide a proof of concept that BCC layers are a suitable platform for the patterned immobilization of AMPs and the importance of ascertaining the success of small-molecule grafting reactions using surface-MALDI, something that is often assumed to be successful in the field.