Naturally Occurring Chalcones with Aggregation-Induced Emission Enhancement Characteristics.

In this paper, the natural chalcones: 2'-hydroxy-4,4',6'-trimethoxychalcone (HCH), cardamonin (CA), xanthohumol (XN), isobavachalcone (IBC) and licochalcone A (LIC) are studied using spectroscopic techniques such as UV-vis, fluorescence spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD). For the first time, the spectroscopic and structural features of naturally occurring chalcones with varying numbers and positions of hydroxyl groups in rings A and B were investigated to prove the presence of the aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) effect. The fluorescence studies were carried out in the aggregate form in a solution and in a solid state. As to the results of spectroscopic analyses conducted in the solvent media, the selected mixtures (CH3OH:H2O and CH3OH:ethylene glycol), as well as the fluorescence quantum yield (ϕF) and SEM, confirmed that two of the tested chalcones (CA and HCH) exhibited effective AIEE behaviour. On the other hand, LIC showed a large fluorescence quantum yield and Stokes shift in the polar solvents and in the solid state. Moreover, all studied compounds were tested for their promising antioxidant activities via the utilisation of 1,1- diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl as a free-radical scavenging reagent as well as potential anti-neurodegenerative agents via their ability to act as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) inhibitors. Finally, the results demonstrated that licochalcone A, with the most desirable emission properties, showed the most effective antioxidant (DPPH IC50 29%) and neuroprotective properties (AChE IC50 23.41 ± 0.02 µM, BuChE IC50 42.28 ± 0.06 µM). The substitution pattern and the biological assay findings establish some relation between photophysical properties and biological activity that might apply in designing AIEE molecules with the specified characteristics for biological application.

Interplay between acute coronary syndromes and cancer: insights into pathophysiology, diagnostic challenges, and treatment options.

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and cancer are among the leading causes of death worldwide. In recent years, increasing evidence has suggested an interplay between these 2 conditions. This article reviews the pathophysiology, diagnostic challenges, and treatment options for ACS and cancer. The interplay between these conditions may be due to environmental, genetic, and metabolic factors. For example, smoking, hypertension, and obesity are risk factors for both ACS and cancer. Diagnosis of ACS and cancer can be challenging because the symptoms of these conditions often overlap. For example, chest pain can be a symptom of both ACS and a neoplasms. Treatment options for ACS and cancer are varied and depend on the type of disease, stage of disease, and individual patient factors. Treatment for ACS may include angioplasty, stenting, or medication therapy. Treatment for cancer may include surgical removal of the tumour, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.

An Assessment of Women's Knowledge of the Menstrual Cycle and the Influence of Diet and Adherence to Dietary Patterns on the Alleviation or Exacerbation of Menstrual Distress.

A growing number of women of reproductive age experience menstrual disorders. The menstrual cycle is considerably influenced by dietary habits, physical activity, and the use of stimulants. The main aim of this study was to assess women's knowledge about the menstrual cycle and the influence of diet and lifestyle factors on menstrual symptoms, and to identify dietary models that may alleviate or exacerbate menstrual distress. A total of 505 young women participated in the study. Nearly 90% of the respondents reported at least one menstrual disorder, mostly dysmenorrhea (70.7%), whereas secondary amenorrhea was least frequently reported (13.8%) (p = 0.002). In the study population, dysmenorrhea/menstrual distress was linked with higher consumption frequency of certain food groups. Women with severe dysmenorrhea consumed refined cereal products, processed meat, sugar, and water significantly more frequently than women with moderate menstrual pain. In turn, sweetened dairy products, animal fats, and fruit were consumed more frequently by women with low intensity of menstrual pain (mild pain). Significant differences in knowledge about the menstrual cycle and physiological changes in the body were observed between the compared dietary models.

An analysis of dietary patterns and body composition parameters in the Polish population.

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle factors are the key determinants of health. Diet exerts the great influence on the weight to height ratio and the body fat percentage. In addition to total energy intake, the type and quality of the diet can also play a role in the etiology of obesity in susceptible individuals. OBJECTIVE: Aim of this study was to identify the dietary patterns of the Polish population and to determine the associations between these characteristics and body composition parameters. This study presents the clustering of dietary models and body composition to determine the association of these dietary patterns with BMI, physique rating (body type) or visceral fat. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample consisted of 402 respondents aged 18 to 65. Nutrition models were identified with cluster analysis. Logistic regression modelling with adjustment for confounders was applied. Three dietary-lifestyle patterns were identified. RESULTS: Individuals belonging to the processed food model were at significantly higher risk of overweight and obesity expressed by BMI scores (OR=1.55; 95%CI: 1.26-1.89). The average BMI score was 28.19 ± 3.45 kg/m2 in the processed food model, 23.78 ±2.21 kg/m2 in the control group, and 22.17 ± 2.69 kg/m2 in the healthy nutrition model. Respondents belonging to the processed food model were also characterized by considerably higher body fat percentage (OR=1.89, 95%CI: 1.37-2.34) and higher visceral fat levels (OR=2.12; 95%CI: 1.42-2.34). Frequent intake (at least several times a week) of sweetened carbonated or non-carbonated beverages (p=0.002) and instant foods (p=0.006) were the main factors associated with the risk of higher body fat percentage and higher visceral fat levels. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary patterns have been proposed as a solution to investigating the association between food choice and body composition, and such studies focus on analyses of the entire diet, rather than on the intake of individual nutrients or food groups.