The Precious Potential of the Sacred Tree Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl. as a Source of Secondary Metabolites with Broad Biological Applications.

Chamaecyparis obtusa (Siebold & Zucc.) Endl., which belongs to the Cupressaceae family, occurs naturally in North America and Asia, especially in Korea, Taiwan and Japan, where it is an evergreen, coniferous, sacred, ethnic tree. It has many useful varieties that are widespread throughout the world and grown for decorative purposes. It is most commonly used as an ornamental plant in homes, gardens or parks. It is also widely used in many areas of the economy; for example, its wood is used in architecture as well as furniture production. In addition, oil extracted from Chamaecyparis obtusa is increasingly used in cosmetology for skin care. Due to its wide economic demand, mainly in Japan, it represents the largest area of plantation forest. Despite this, it is on the red list of endangered species. Its use in ethnopharmacology has led to more and more research in recent years in an attempt to elucidate the potential mechanisms of its various biological activities, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, antiasthmatic, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, analgesic and central nervous system effects. It has also been shown that Chamaecyparis obtusa can be used as an insect repellent and an ingredient in plant disease treatment. This thesis provides a comprehensive review of the biological studies to date, looking at different areas of the economic fields of potential use of Chamaecyparis obtusa.

New insights into the regulation of TGF-ß/Smad and MPK signaling pathway gene expressions by nasal allergen and methacholine challenge test in asthma.

Background: Asthma is a heterogeneous chronic inflammatory disease of the bronchi, the course of which is significantly influenced by extrinsic factors (specific and non-specific). Methods: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of these factors represented by nasal allergen challenge (specific factors) and methacholine challenge test (non-specific) on changes in mRNA expression of genes encoding the TGF-ß (TGF-ß1 and TGF-ß3)‒Smad (mitogen-activated protein kinase 1/3 [MPK1/3], Smad1/3/6/7) signaling pathway in asthmatic patients. Results: Seventy-five subjects were included in the study, of whom 27 were applied an intranasal allergen provocation and 48 a methacholine provocation. There were 9 men and 18 women in the intranasal provocation group, and 17 men and 31 women in the methacholine test group. We found that both examined the types of challenges contributed to changes in the relative expression of genes of the TGF-ß (TGF-ß1 and TGF-ß3)‒Smad (MPK1/3, Smad1/3/6/7) signaling pathway in asthmatic patients. A decrease was noted for MAPK1, MAPK3, Smad3, Smad6, and Smad7 genes and an increase of up to 2.5 times for TGF-ß1 gene. Conclusions: Our experiment allows us to conclude that the change in the mRNA expression of the TGF-ß1-MPK1/3 and Smad3/6/7 genes occurs after an intranasal allergen and bronchial methacholine challenge.

Effect of haloperidol and amisulpride on the production of malondialdehyde in reaction to free radical attack on deoxyrybosis.

Knowledge of free radicals has a huge impact on the development of medicine not only because of diseases caused by reactive oxygen species, but also because of their harmful role in the pharmacotherapy of various diseases. Hence, many researchers are looking for both the mechanisms responsible for induction of oxidative stress in the body, and an effective method to scavenge free radicals. AIM: The aim of our study was to test the in vitro antioxidant properties of two known neuroleptics - haloperidonol and amisulpride, which are commonly used in the treatment of schizophrenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study took advantage of the properties of hydroxyl radical degrading deoxyrybosis to malondialdehyde (MDA). Fenton reaction was used to produce the free radical. For this purpose, deoxyrybosis was incubated under appropriate conditions with FeSO4 (0.5mM), EDTA (1mM), H2O2 (14mM) and haloperidol or amisulpride at 1, 5, 20 or 50 umol/l concentrations. A clean system (containing no medicines) was a positive control. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) was subsequently added to the reaction mixtures in the presence of trichloroacetic acid. RESULTS: The study took advantage of the properties of hydroxyl radical degrading deoxyrybosis to malondialdehyde (MDA). Fenton reaction was used to produce the free radical. For this purpose, deoxyrybosis was incubated under appropriate conditions with FeSO4 (0.5mM), EDTA (1mM), H2O2 (14mM) and haloperidol or amisulpride at 1, 5, 20 or 50 umol/l concentrations. A clean system (containing no medicines) was a positive control. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) was subsequently added to the reaction mixtures in the presence of trichloroacetic acid. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that both haloperidol and amisulpride inhibit the degradation of deoxyrybosis to MDA, so they show antioxidant properties under the test conditions.

Adaptation and validation of the Polish version of the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire among cardiovascular patients and medical students.

BACKGROUND: The Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) is the leading tool intended to assess the cognitive representation of medication, however, the validated Polish version of the questionnaire is lacking. AIMS: To adapt the original BMQ tool to the Polish language (BMQ-PL) and to validate it. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The BMQ was adapted to Polish according to widely accepted guidelines. A total of 311 cardiovascular in- and outpatients as well as medical students taking chronic medication were surveyed to assess data-to-model fit and internal consistency of the measure. The criterion-related validity was determined with the use of Polish version of the Adherence to Refills and Medications Scale. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were used, as well as general linear modeling. RESULTS: The BMQ-PL exhibited the same factorial structure as the original questionnaire and all the items loaded on their expected factors. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was satisfactory in the group of cardiovascular patients (Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.64 to 0.82 and McDonald's omega from 0.90 to 0.91). There were significant correlations in the predicted directions between all BMQ-PL subscales and the measure of drug adherence in cardiovascular outpatients, but not in inpatients. Medical students may conceptualize the beliefs about medicines in a different way; as a result, a modified version of the BMQ-PL-General, suitable for medically-educated people, was proposed. CONCLUSION: The BMQ-PL exhibits satisfactory proof of validity to be used among cardiovascular patients.