Talaromyces pinophilus strain AUN-1 as a novel mycoparasite of Botrytis cinerea, the pathogen of onion scape and umbel blights.

This study aimed to investigate the mycoparasitism of Botrytis cinerea, the pathogen of scape and umbel blights of onion seed crops, by endophytic Talaromyces pinophilus. The dual culture test showed that the antagonistic potentiality of T. pinophilus against B. cinerea depend on the mycoparasitism that was morphologically detected by the formation of mycelial overgrowth. Moreover, the light micrograph of the mycelia at the contact zone exhibited that the hyphae of T. pinophilus penetrated and grew intracellularly inside the hyphae of B. cinerea. A more illustrative figure of the establishment of coiled hyphae as well as the conformation of the penetration process was assayed by SEM and TEM analyses. SEM micrograph revealed that the hyphae of T. pinophilus grew along hyphae of B. cinerea, attached, coiled around the host hypha and generated pseudoappressorium. A clear disintegration of cell wall of the host hypha was observed at the penetration site. The micrographs of TEM exhibited the ability of T. pinophilus to produce pseudoappressorium, penetrate and then entere a hypha of B. cinerea causing distinct cytoplasmic disorganization. High activities of cell wall degrading enzymes (chitinase, lipase and protease) involved in the mycoparasitism were evaluated by the endophytic T. pinophilus. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the endophytic T. pinophilus may be a promising biocontrol agent against phytopathogenic fungi instead of chemical fungicides.

Effects of herbal preparations on symptom clusters during the menopausal transition.

AIMS: To determine the effects of herbal therapies on hot flushes and at least one other symptom including, sleep, mood, cognition, and pain that women experience during the menopausal transition and early postmenopause. METHODS: An extensive search of PubMed/Medline, CINAHL Plus, PsycInfo, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, EMBASE, AMED, and Alt-Health Watch for randomized, controlled trials reported in English between January 2004 and July was conducted by an experienced reference librarian. There were 1193 abstracts identified but only 58 trials examined effectiveness of therapies for hot flushes and at least one additional co-occurring symptom. RESULTS: Seventeen studies used herbal preparation including seven studies of black cohosh, two studies of black cohosh mixed with other herbals, and eight studies of other herbals. Of these, one study of black cohosh, two studies of black cohosh mixed with other herbals, and four other herbal studies had significant effects on hot flushes and at least one additional co-occurring symptom. The adverse events of herbal therapies were various, ranging from mild to moderate and women were generally tolerant of the preparations. CONCLUSIONS: Black cohosh mixed with other herbals, Rheum rhaponticum, and French maritime pine bark had significant effects on hot flushes and at least one other symptom. These herbal therapies may be a promising alternative treatment to hormonal treatment. Future studies should classify women based on their menopausal stages, report each symptom separately, have adequate sample size, focus on multiple co-occurring symptoms, and target symptom management of menopausal symptoms.

Effects of traditional Chinese medicine on symptom clusters during the menopausal transition.

AIMS: To review controlled clinical trials of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapies for hot flushes and at least one other co-occurring symptom among sleep, cognitive function, mood, and pain. METHODS: An experienced reference librarian performed an extensive search of PubMed/Medline, CINAHL Plus, PsycInfo, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, EMBASE, AMED, and Alt-Health Watch for randomized, controlled trials reported in English between 2004 and July 2011. Of 1193 abstracts identified, 58 trials examined effectiveness of therapies for hot flushes and at least one additional co-occurring symptom. RESULTS: Eleven trials (13 publications) examined TCM therapeutics of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) or moxibustion. Acupuncture trials (eight) yielded mixed results; five trials significantly reduced hot flushes. Of those five trials, one also showed benefit for sleep and pain and two trials found benefit for mood symptoms. Of three CHM trials, three trials had significant findings: one for hot flushes and mood, one for hot flushes and pain, and one for hot flushes, sleep, mood symptoms and pain. Moxibustion and counseling (one trial) significantly reduced hot flushes, mood symptoms and pain. None of the trials reported any serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: TCM therapeutics of acupuncture, CHM and moxibustion show promising results for the treatment of mood and pain symptoms co-occurring with hot flushes. Although the controlled clinical trials of TCM therapeutics reviewed here measured multiple symptom outcomes, few report treatment effects in ways that allow clinicians to consider symptom clusters when prescribing therapies. Future studies need to measure and report results for individual symptoms or group like symptoms together into subscales. Controlled clinical trials with larger numbers of participants are essential to allow evaluation of these therapies on hot flushes and multiple co-occurring symptoms.

Effects of mind-body therapies on symptom clusters during the menopausal transition.

AIMS: Although most women experience symptom clusters during the menopausal transition and early postmenopause, investigators reporting clinical trial effects for hot flushes often omit co-occurring symptoms. Our aim was to review controlled clinical trials of mind-body therapies for hot flushes and at least one other co-occurring symptom from these groups: sleep, cognitive function, mood, and pain. METHODS: An experienced reference librarian performed an extensive search of PubMed/Medline, CINAHL Plus, PsycInfo, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, EMBASE, AMED, and Alt-Health Watch for randomized controlled trials reported in English between 2004 and July 2011. Of 1193 abstracts identified, 58 trials examining effectiveness of therapies for hot flushes and at least one additional co-occurring symptom of interest were identified. RESULTS: Eight trials (ten publications) examined relaxation, yoga, or exercise. Physical activity/exercise trials (six) yielded mixed results; only one significantly reduced hot flushes and mood symptoms. Of two relaxation therapy trials, only mindfulness-based stress reduction training reduced sleep and mood symptoms and had within-group treatment effects on hot flushes. Yoga (one trial) significantly reduced hot flushes and improved cognitive symptoms more than exercise, and also had within-group effects on sleep and pain symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Studies of mind-body therapies for hot flushes increasingly measure multiple symptom outcomes, but few report treatment effects in ways that allow clinicians to consider symptom clusters when prescribing therapies. Future studies need to measure and report results for individual symptoms or group like symptoms together into subscales rather than use subscales with mixed dimensions. Trials with larger numbers of participants are essential to allow evaluation of these therapies on multiple co-occurring symptoms.

Effect of Cymbopogon citratus and Citral on Vascular Smooth Muscle of the Isolated Thoracic Rat Aorta.

Cymbopogon citratus has been shown to have antioxidant, antimicrobial, antispasmodic and chemo-protective properties. Citral, is the major constituent of C. citratus. This study investigated the effects of methanolic extracts of leaves (LE), stems (SE), and roots (RE) of C. citratus and citral on vascular smooth muscle and explored their possible mechanisms of action. The experiment was conducted using isolated tissue preparations, where citral, LE, SE, and RE were added separately into a tissue bath that contained aortic rings, which were pre-contracted with phenylephrine (PE). Citral, LE, and RE exhibited a dose-dependent relaxant effect on the PE-induced contractions. Citral appeared to partially act via NO as its vasorelaxant effect was attenuated by L-NAME. However, the effect of LE may involve prostacyclin as indomethacin reversed the relaxant effect of LE on the PE-induced contraction. Furthermore, citral, LE, and RE abolished the restoration of PE-induced contraction caused by the addition of increasing doses of calcium in both endothelium intact and denuded rings. These findings suggest that the relaxation effect of citral, LE, and RE is endothelium-independent and may be mainly by affecting the intracellular concentration of calcium. Citral may partially act through the NO pathway while a vasodilator prostaglandin may mediate the effect of LE.

An overview on inventions related to ginger processing and products for food and pharmaceutical applications.

The rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae), commonly known as ginger, is one of the most widely used spice and condiment. The nonvolatile pungent compounds (namely gingerols, shogaols, paradols, and zingerone) are some of the extensively studied phytochemicals and account for the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiemetic, and gastro protective activities. This review a persuasive presentation of the current information regarding the patents that have been granted during the last decade related to the processing of ginger with an emphasis on the methods of extraction and mechanisms exploited for health claims for ginger-containing foods and pharmaceutical compositions. Further studies are required for the validation of the beneficial uses of ginger. Formulation for novel products and new usages may emerge in the years to come, basing on the revealed results of various studies.

Modification of propranolol's bioavailability by Eurycoma longifolia water-based extract.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND BACKGROUND: Eurycoma longifolia (E. longifolia), a herb commonly consumed for its aphrodisiac properties, is widely used by Asian males. This may include hypertensive patients receiving propranolol which may cause sexual dysfunction as one of its side-effects. There is no published study of the potential pharmacokinetic interaction between propranolol and the herb. OBJECTIVE: To study propranolol's pharmacokinetics when E. longifolia is consumed, comparing volunteers given either propranolol or a placebo. METHODS: This is a placebo-controlled randomized single-blinded crossover study of the effect of a water-based extract of E. longifolia on the pharmacokinetics of a single dose of proporanolol (Inderal(®)) in 14 healthy non-smoker young males. Eighty milligram of propranonol was orally administered with (i) placebo (Lactose) or (ii) 200 mg of water-based extract of E. longifolia (0·0272 ± 0·0026%eurycomanone) following an overnight fasting. Blood samples were collected at 0, 0·5, 1, 1·5, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 h for propranolol's plasma concentration determinations using a validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: When propranolol was administered with E. longifolia, its bioavailability (AUC0-∞) decreased by 29% while C(max) was reduced by 42% and T(max) was significantly prolonged by almost 86%. The terminal elimination half-life, however, was not significantly affected. CONCLUSION: The bioavailability of propranolol is significantly decreased when consumed together with E. longifolia. The interaction is due to a reduction in absorption, rather than an increase in propranolol's metabolism. Although the pharmacodynamics of propranolol was not affected in healthy volunteers, caution is still advisable with co-administration of the drug and the herb.

[Anthropologic research and understanding pediatric visceral leishmaniasis in Tunisia]. / Contribution de la recherche anthropologique à la connaissance de la leishmaniose viscérale infantile en Tunisie.

In order to determine the social and cultural factors which delay hospitalization of children suffering from visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a study was carried out in the rural area of Kairouan (Tunisia). Qualitative techniques were used to investigate beliefs and behaviours associated with the symptoms of VL. The study has demonstrated that the folk interpretation of the disease interferes largely with the choice of the therapy. Regarding VL, the subdivision of the disease into two groups of symptoms, fever and splenomegaly, incites parents to consult doctors in the presence of fever and use traditional healers when splenomegaly appears. This is responsible for long delays before the patients can have access to official health care. This investigation clearly demonstrated that a health education programme is needed in VL endemic areas in Tunisia in order to shorten delays between the appearance of symptoms and their diagnosis. For this objective to be achieved, it would also seem necessary to implement simple serodiagnostic techniques at the periphery level.

Cloning and expression of the chicken 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 24-hydroxylase cDNA.

Using a cDNA probe from the rat 24-hydrovitamin D3 24-hydroxylase, the chicken 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 24-hydroxylase cDNA has been isolated from a chicken kidney lambda gt11 library. The high degree of similarity with the mammalian 24-hydroxylase cDNAs strongly supports the belief that it is the chicken 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 24-hydroxylase cDNA. The deduced amino acid sequences are also very well conserved and 325 of them are identical among the four known 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 24-hydroxylases. This cDNA expressed in E. coli produces 24-hydroxylase activity.

cDNA cloning and characterization of a vitamin D3 hydroxylase-associated protein.

We previously reported the generation of monoclonal antibodies which immunoprecipitate a fraction of the total chick kidney 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-24R-hydroxylase activity. These antibodies were used to screen a chick kidney lambda gt11 cDNA library resulting in the isolation of a full-length cDNA encoding a protein that is not the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-24R-hydroxylase but another protein we term the vitamin D3 hydroxylase-associated protein (VDHAP). The deduced amino acid sequence agreed with an NH2-terminal amino acid sequence from the isolated VDHAP. Gene and protein bank search did not identify homology to known sequences or functional domains in the VDHAP cDNA. VDHAP mRNA levels are not altered by conditions which either induce 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-24R-hydroxylase activity (78-fold) or 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1 alpha-hydroxylase activity (30-fold). Northern analysis of poly(A)+ RNA from chick tissues revealed VDHAP only in kidney. Cellular fractionation experiments demonstrated that VDHAP and the 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1 alpha-hydroxylase are colocalized in the inner membrane of mitochondria. The VDHAP antibody immunoprecipitates 14% of the total 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-24R-hydroxylase activity (7-fold over background) and immunoprecipitates 21% of the total 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1 alpha-hydroxylase activity (2-fold over background). VDHAP is a novel chick kidney-specific inner membrane protein of mitochondria, which associates with a fraction of the 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3-24R-hydroxylase and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1 alpha-hydroxylase.

Community practices in managing diarrhoeal diseases in a rural area of South Sumatra, Indonesia.

PIP: 1 of 4 mothers in 11 villages in a plain, lowland swampy area of south Sumatra was interviewed in September 1984 concerning practices in managing diarrhea in the past and any diarrheal attack which had occurred during the last 2 weeks in their children under age 5. There were 140 children suffering with diarrhea during that period. There were 954 mothers interviewed. Nurses were the main providers of diarrheal disease care in the area. Of 140 cases, 35 (25%) were self-treated, 72 were aided by healthworkers, and 60.7% received treatment from nurses in private practice. Decocts was the main medicine used by the family and traditional healer. Most of the health workers gave the injections, all of them prescribed drugs, and 49.2% practiced oral rehydration therapy (ORT). 35.6% of the mothers had known about ORT and 26.5% used this method. Of the 35 self-treated cases, 17.1% were given ORS. Gradual semi-starvation was not the common practice in the area. Breastfeeding was stopped during the diarrheal attack in 14.1% of the cases, while 37.6% stopped formula feeding and 9.1% stopped the weaning diet. The appreciation of the healthworker toward ORT was satisfactory but it may be that these workers were still occupied with the "fixed idea" of stopping diarrhea as soon as possible. Thus they were more likely to overuse drugs and the diet regimen. Clearly then there is a great neat to train healthworkers, especially nurses, to understand the more comprehensive management of diarrheal diseases.^ieng