Phenolic constituents in dried flowers of aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis) and their in vitro antioxidative capacity

The dried flowers from Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f. (Aloe barbadensis Mill.) (Asphodelaceae) were analysed by means of HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS/MS, verifying chlorogenic, caffeic, 5-P-coumaroylquinic, caffeoylshikimic, 5-feruloylquinic, 5-P-CIS-coumaroylquinic, P-coumaric and ferulic acid as well as luteolin, apigenin, quercetin, kaempferol, isoorientin, isovitexin and their 7-O-glucosides, saponarin and lutonarin. On searching for anthranoids in the flower extract, aloe-emodin as well as the glycosylchromone aloeresin B could be identified. Aloin A and B, the laxative principle of the drug Cura?ao-Aloes, are not accumulated in the dried flowers. The polyphenol content of three different batches was 0.73 - 1.01% (+/- 0.05%) and the flavonoid content 0.24 - 0.34% (+/- 0.01%). The hydrophilic antioxidative capacity amounted to 85.7 - 94.9 (+/- 0.5) micromol TEAC/g dried Aloe vera flower and was directly correlated with the polyphenol and flavonoid contents.     

Contributions of magnetic source imaging to the understanding of dyslexia

The problem in dyslexia is difficulty learning how the printed word maps onto spoken language. Magnetic Source Imaging protocols were used in three studies. The first study with dyslexic children showed greater activity in the right temporoparietal region. The second study showed the aberrant neural circuit was present in initial stages of reading acquisition. The third study demonstrated that the aberrant profile could be normalized following intensive instruction. These findings suggest that dyslexia represents a functional deficit in the neural circuit that mediates the conversion of print to sound, which is amenable to change given adequate instruction.     

State of emergency medicine in Azerbaijan

Background

There has been no previous study into the state of emergency medicine in Azerbaijan. As a legacy of the Soviet Semashko system, the “specialty” model of emergency medicine and integrated emergency departments do not exist here. Instead, pre-hospital emergency care is delivered by ambulance physicians and in-hospital care by individual departments, often in specialty hospitals. Emergency care is therefore fragmented, highly specialized and inefficient.

Aims

The Emergency Medicine Development Initiative (EMDI) of the International Medical Corps (IMC) was designed to improve the quality of emergency care in four pilot regional centers in Azerbaijan. The objective of this study was to assess the baseline emergency medical capacity of these four centers.

Methods

EMDI staff conducted a four-part baseline survey in April 2006 to assess emergency care in Ganja (the second largest city in Azerbaijan), Kurdamir, Shamkir and Yevlakh. Data collection involved interviews with relevant personnel and a retrospective records review in each city.

Results

Pre-hospital: The number of ambulance teams per 10,000 inhabitants is below the number required by local regulations. On average, 45% of 27 medications and 37% of 17 pieces of critical equipment were available. Of the emergency procedures, 21% could be performed in the pre-hospital setting. In-hospital: Admission rates were near 100% for the admissions department–an area that is supposed to function as an emergency department would. On average 57% of 40 medications and 42% of 22 pieces of critical equipment were available. Of the emergency procedures, 62% could be performed in the in-hospital setting.

Conclusions

The emergency medical system surveyed in Azerbaijan is inefficiently organized, under-financed, poorly equipped and lacks adequately trained staff. Reforms need to be directed towards achieving international standards, while adapting new models for service delivery into the existing framework and improving system capacity as highlighted by this baseline assessment.     

Immunomodulating and anticancer agents in the realm of macromycetes fungi (macrofungi)

Nowadays macrofungi are distinguished as important natural resources of immunomodulating and anticancer agents and with regard to the increase in diseases involving immune dysfunction, cancer, autoimmune conditions in recent years, applying such immunomodulator agents especially with the natural original is vital. These compounds belong mainly to polysaccharides especially beta-d-glucan derivates, glycopeptide/protein complexes (polysaccharide-peptide/protein complexes), proteoglycans, proteins and triterpenoids. Among polysaccharides, beta(1-->3)-d-glucans and their peptide/protein derivates and among proteins, fungal immunomodulatory proteins (Fips) have more important role in immunomodulating and antitumor activities. Immunomodulating and antitumor activity of these metabolites related to their effects to act of immune effecter cells such as hematpoietic stem cells, lymphocytes, macrophages, T cells, dendritic cells (DCs), and natural killer (NK) cells involved in the innate and adaptive immunity, resulting in the production of biologic response modifiers. In this review we have introduced the medicinal mushrooms' metabolites with immunomoduling and antitumor activities according to immunological evidences and then demonstrated their effects on innate and adaptive immunity and also the mechanisms of activation of immune responses and signaling cascade. In addition, their molecular structure and their relation to these activities have been shown. The important instances of these metabolites along with their immunomodulating and/or antitumor activities isolated from putative medicinal mushrooms are also introduced.     

Treatment of symptomatic oral lichen planus (OLP) with 0.1% tacrolimus powder in Oraguard-B – A pilot prospective study

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of 0.1% tacrolimus powder in Oraguard-B for the treatment of patients with symptomatic oral lichen planus (OLP).MethodsThis was a nonrandomized, nonblinded study conducted in the outpatient department. The 20 patients with symptomatic OLP oral lichen planus who were asked to participate in the study were provided with 20-g containers of the study medication. Patients were asked to use the medication over the symptomatic areas three times a day until resolution of the lesion. Patients were recalled to assess the drug response every 15 days.ResultsThe duration of treatment ranged from 30 to 183 days, with a mean of 81.8 ± 44.4 days; all 20 patients reported a favourable response to the topical tacrolimus therapy. Eleven patients had complete resolution of their lesions. In 16 of 20 patients, there was marked resolution in symptoms as recorded by visual analogue scale. Out of 10 patients followed up for a period of 3 months, 5 had recurrence of their lesions but with less intensity, and the patients were symptomless. No serious side effects were associated with the study medication.ConclusionTopical tacrolimus 0.1% in Oraguard-B was effective and safe in treating patients with OLP. However, there is still a need to undertake more detailed and objective clinical studies to determine the exact benefit of tacrolimus compared with conventional therapies and examine the influence of different dose regimes and formulations and assess the incidence of recurrence.     

Picoliter wells from selective growth of HEK293 cells on chemically modified PDMS surfaces

In this study, a method for the rapid generation of a variety of bifunctional surfaces that can serve to quickly determine the selective adhesion of HEK293 cells towards different chemical functionalities has been established. Using the information about selective adhesion of HEK293 cells to bifunctional surfaces, we demonstrate the ability to construct stable, high density, and multi-welled surfaces where the mammalian cells form the walls of picoliter volume wells.