Search results for "Biological Products"
showing 10 items of 121 documents
Exploring natural products-based cancer therapeutics derived from egyptian flora
2020
Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Egyptian plants are a rich source of natural molecules, representing considerable biodiversity due to climate variations between the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western regions of the country. Sinai is considered a precious nature reserves preserving flora, fauna, marine organisms, and historical habitats with ancient origins. Here, traditional medicinal approaches have been used for hundreds of years. Healthy lifestyles, low levels of stress and microbial infections, and a dependence on flora and herbal medicine might in combination explain why the burden of cancer is lower in some regions than in others. Aim of the study The primary aim of this …
Positronium as a probe in natural polymers: decomposition in starch
2009
Ortho-positronium (o-Ps) is used as a probe in positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) experiments, to characterise the behaviour of free volumes in natural starch samples, as a function of temperature (T). Up to about 540 K, the o-Ps intensity, I(3), remains constant at 26.2% while its lifetime, tau(3), is found to increase linearly. Both parameters undergo a decrease above this T, due to the onset of decomposition, which results in a shrinking of the sample pellets. The results indicate that the glass transition temperature should be above 501 K. Data from thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA) measurements are well described by supposing a first order process for the survival proba…
The role of red yeast rice (RYR) supplementation in plasma cholesterol control: A review and expert opinion.
2019
1. Preamble : Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) [1]. Increased levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and many clinical trials have shown that reducing LDL-C levels significantly reduced the CHD and CVD risk [[2], [3], [4], [5]]. Thus LDL-C-lowering is the main approach for the management of cardiovascular disease. Current guidelines suggest LDL-C levels targets based on the individual CV risk; such targets can be achieved by several means, which include both lifestyle changes and pharmacological approaches [6], with statins being the cornerstone …
Horizontal Gene Transfer to a Defensive Symbiont with a Reduced Genome in a Multipartite Beetle Microbiome
2020
Associations between microorganisms and an animal, plant, or fungal host can result in increased dependence over time. This process is due partly to the bacterium not needing to produce nutrients that the host provides, leading to loss of genes that it would need to live independently and to a consequent reduction in genome size. It is often thought that genome reduction is aided by genetic isolation—bacteria that live in monocultures in special host organs, or inside host cells, have less access to other bacterial species from which they can obtain genes. Here, we describe exposure of a genome-reduced beetle symbiont to a community of related bacteria with nonreduced genomes. We show that …
Xylochemistry--Making Natural Products Entirely from Wood.
2015
The first total synthesis of the dimeric berberine alkaloid ilicifoline (ilicifoline B) is reported. Its carbon skeleton is constructed from ferulic acid, veratrole, and methanol. The synthesis reported herein employs starting materials solely derived from wood. The natural product is thus constructed entirely from renewable resources. The same strategy is applied to a formal total synthesis of morphinan alkaloids. The use of wood-derived building blocks (xylochemicals) instead of the conventional petrochemicals represents a sustainable alternative to classical synthetic approaches.
Hepatitis Virus Reactivation in Patients with Psoriasis Treated with Secukinumab in a Real-World Setting of Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C Infection
2022
Background and Objective Biologics for psoriasis, especially anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha therapies, may reactivate hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, as well in inactive carriers or patients with occult infection. However, some biologics, including anti-interleukin-17 therapies such as secukinumab, seem to be less likely to cause hepatitis reactivation. This study assessed the safety of secukinumab treatment in patients with psoriasis with HBV or HBC infection. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis treated with secukinumab at seven Italian centers. Patients serologically positive for one or more of the fo…
Indole Diterpenoids from an Endophytic Penicillium sp.
2019
A chemical investigation of the endophyte Penicillium sp. (strain ZO-R1-1), isolated from roots of the medicinal plant Zingiber officinale, yielded nine new indole diterpenoids (1-9), together with 13 known congeners (10-22). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR analysis in combination with HRESIMS data. The absolute configuration of the new natural products 1, 3, and 7 was determined using the TDDFT-ECD approach and confirmed for 1 by single-crystal X-ray determination through anomalous dispersion. The isolated compounds were tested for cytotoxicity against L5178Y, A2780, J82, and HEK-293 cell lines. Compound 1 was the most active metabolite toward L5178Y ce…
Inhaled Surfactant in the treatment of accidental Talc Powder inhalation: a new case report
2011
Abstract The use of talcum powder is incorrectly part of the traditional care of infants. Its acute aspiration is a very dangerous condition in childhood. Although the use of baby powder has been discouraged from many authors and the reports of its accidental inhalation have been ever more rare, sometimes new cases with several fatalities have been reported. We report on a patient in which accidental inhalation of baby powder induced severe respiratory difficulties. We also point out the benefits of surfactant administration. Surfactant contributed to the rapid improvement of the medical and radiological condition, preventing severe early and late complications and avoiding invasive approac…
Design, synthesis and stimuli responsive gelation of novel stigmasterol-amino acid conjugates.
2020
Abstract An efficient synthesis of three novel stigmasterol-amino acid (glycine, l -leucine and l -phenylalanine) conjugates as stimuli responsive gelators is reported. The gelation properties of the prepared compounds were investigated in a variety of organic as well as aqueous solvents. The most striking finding of our investigation was that the hydrochloride salts of the prepared conjugates acted as gelators, whereas the neutral conjugates were either non-gelators or formed only a weak gel in anisole. The hydrochloride salts of stigmasteryl glycinate and l -leucinate form gels in n-alcohols (n = 4–10) and in ethane-1,2-diol, and that of stigmasteryl l -phenylalaninate forms gels in aroma…
On-treatment serum albumin level can guide long-term treatment in patients with cirrhosis and uncomplicated ascites
2021
Background & Aims: The ANSWER study reported that long-term albumin administration in patients with cirrhosis and uncomplicated ascites improves survival. During treatment, serum albumin increased within a month and remained stable thereafter. In this post hoc analysis, we aimed to determine whether on-treatment serum albumin levels could guide therapy. Methods: Logistic regression was used to assess the association between baseline serum albumin and mortality, as well as to determine on-treatment factors associated with mortality and to predict the achievement of a given on-treatment serum albumin level. Survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier estimates and second-order polynomial regres…