Hydrolysis Influence on Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant Activity, Plasma Concentration, and Tissue Distribution of Hydroethanolic Ilex paraguariensis Extract Components

The infusion of aerial parts of Ilex paraguariensis is widely consumed. Its antioxidant activity suggests an important role of this plant in the treatment/prevention of oxidative stress related diseases. Plant extract active compounds are frequently found in esterified form that may be poorly absorbed. Hydrolysis of the extract is a possible approach to increase its bioavailability. The aim of this study was to perform a phytochemical analysis and evaluate in rats the plasma concentration and tissue distribution of antioxidant compounds in the hydroethanolic extract of Ilex paraguariensis, before and after enzymatic hydrolysis. Both extracts presented high antioxidant activity and phenolic content. Rats given single or repeated doses of the hydrolyzed extract showed increased plasma antioxidant activity and higher plasma levels of caffeic acid. However, no changes of endogenous antioxidants were observed. In conclusion, hydrolysis of the extract of Ilex paraguariensis is a strategy to improve its bioavailability and in vivo antioxidant activity.

Comparison of the Rupture and Disintegration Tests for Soft-Shell Capsules

The USP General Chapter < 2040 > Disintegration and Dissolution of Dietary Supplements introduced a rupture test as a performance test of soft-shell capsules. Traditionally, the disintegration test was used for determining the disintegration time of all solid oral dosage forms. The aim of this investigation was to investigate differences between the rupture test and the disintegration test using soft-shell capsules. Five different soft-shell capsule products were chosen based on their filling contents and treated to simulate a production deficiency. The study design compared capsules as received with capsules that were treated by coating them with the liquid contents of another capsule. The capsules were incubated at room temperature and at 40 degrees C. The tests were repeated after two weeks, and at each time point, twelve capsules of each product were tested using the rupture and the disintegration tests. Six capsules were tested untreated, while the other six capsules were treated. Rupture and disintegration times were recorded as dependent variables in each experiment. Thedata were analyzed using ANOVA. According to the USP definition for disintegration, the rupture of a soft-shell capsule can be seen as fulfilling the disintegration criterion if the capsule contents is a semisolid or liquid. Statistical analysis showed no advantage of the rupture test over the disintegration test. On a product-by-product basis, both tests were sensitive to certain investigated parameters. A noticeable difference between both tests was that in most cases, the rupture test reached the defined endpoint faster than the disintegration test. Soft-shell capsules that are subject to a Quality by Design approach should be tested with both methods to determine which performance test is the most appropriate test for a specific product.

Renal toxicity caused by oral use of medicinal plants: The yacon example

Aim of the study: Yacon [Smallanthus sonchifolius (Poepp. 82 Endl.) H. Robinson, Asteraceae] is an Andean species that has traditionally been used as an anti-diabetic herb in several countries around the world, including Brazil. Its hypoglycaemic action has recently been demonstrated in normal and diabetic rats. However, studies about the safety of prolonged oral consumption of yacon leaf extracts are lacking. Thus, this work was undertaken to evaluate the repeated-dose toxicity of three extracts from yacon leaves: the aqueous extract (AE) prepared as a tea infusion; the leaf-rinse extract (LRE), which is rich in sesquiterpene lactones (STLs); and a polar extract from leaves without trichomes, or polar extract (PE), which lacks STLs but is rich in chlorogenic acids (CGAs). Materials and methods: The major classes of the compounds were confirmed in each extract by IR spectra and HPLC-UV-DAD profiling as well as comparison to standard compounds. The toxicity of each extract was evaluated in a repeated-dose toxicity study in Wistar rats for 90 days. Results: The PE was rich in CGAs, but we did not detect any STLs. The AE and LEE showed the presence of STLs. The polar extract caused alterations in some biochemical parameters, but the animals did not show signs of behavioural toxicity or serious lesions in organs. Alterations of specific biochemical parameters in the blood (creatinine 7.0 mg/dL, glucose 212.0 mg/dL, albumin 2.8 g/dL) of rats treated with AE (10,50 and 100 mg/kg) and LRE (10 and 100 mg/kg) pointed to renal damage, which was confirmed by histological analysis of the kidneys. Conclusions: The renal damage was associated with increased blood glucose levels after prolonged oral administration of the AE. This observation suggested that the hypoglycaemic effect observed after treatment for 30 days in an earlier study is reversible and was likely the result of renal injury caused by the toxicity of yacon. Because STLs were detected in both AE and LRE, there is strong evidence that these terpenoids are the main toxic compounds in the leaves of the yacon. Based on our results, we do not recommend the oral use of yacon leaves to treat diabetes. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

In vivo skin effects of a dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) based formulation

Dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) has been used in anti-aging formulations but few scientifically based data address its efficacy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of DMAE-based formulations on hairless mice and human skin. Formulations containing with or without DMAE were applied to the dorsum of hairless mice. Histopathological and histometric evaluations were carried out after seven days. Formulations were also applied to the ventral forearm and the lateral periocular area of human volunteers. Stratum corneum water content and skin mechanical properties were analyzed using Corneometer and Cutometer, before and after a single and repeated application. Histometric evaluations showed that formulations with or without DMAE increased the viable epidermis thickness, but only the DMAE-supplemented formulation led to increased dermal thickness. DMAE also induced increase in collagen fiber thickness, which was observed in the histopathological study. After the single and the 8-week period application on human skin, formulations with and without DMAE enhanced the stratum corneum water content in the forearm skin. Mechanical properties were not significantly modified. So, we can suggest that DMAE action is related to its effects on the dermis as observed in the histopathological and histometric studies and showed hydration effects on skin.

Comparative study of laser and LED systems of low intensity applied to tendon healing

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Low-intensity Laser Therapy (LILT) and Light Emitting Diode Therapy (LEDT) of low intensity on the treatment of lesioned Achilles tendon of rats. The experimental model consisted of a partial mechanical lesion on the right Achilles tendon deep portion of 90 rats. One hour after the lesion, the injured animals received applications of laser/LED (685, 830/630, 880 nm), and the same procedure was repeated at 24-h intervals, for 10 days. The healing process and deposition of collagen were evaluated based on a polarization microscopy analysis of the alignment and organization of collagen bundles, through the birefringence (optical retardation-OR). The results showed a real efficiency of treatments based on LEDT and confirmed that LILT seems to be effective on healing process. Although absence of coherence of LED light, tendon healing treatment with this feature was satisfactory and can certainly replace treatments based on laser light applications. Applications of infrared laser at 830 nm and LED 880 nm were more efficient when the aim is a good organization, aggregation, and alignment of the collagen bundles on tendon healing. However, more research is needed for a safety and more efficient determination of a protocol with LED.

Biomarkers of selenium status in the amazonian context: Blood, urine and sequential hair segments

Selenium (Se) is an essential element and deficit or excess of dietary Se is associated with health disorders. Relatively elevated Se levels have been reported in the Brazilian Amazon, where there are also important annual variations in the availability of different foods. The present study was conducted among six riparian communities of the Tapajos River to evaluate seasonal variations in blood and sequential hair cm Se concentrations, and to examine the relationships between Se in blood and hair, and blood and urine. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted, at the descending water (DWS, n = 259) and the rising water (RWS, n = 137) seasons, with repeated measures for a subgroup (n = 112). Blood Se (B-Se), hair Se (H-Se) and urine Se (U-Se) were determined. Match-paired analyses were used for seasonal comparisons and the method of best fit was used to describe the relationships between biomarkers. B-Se levels presented a very large range (142-2447 mu g/l) with no overall seasonal variation (median 284 and 292 mu g/l, respectively). Sequential analysis of 13 cm hair strands showed significant variations over time: Se concentrations at the DWS were significantly lower compared with the rising water season (medians: 0.7 and 0.9 mu g/g; ranges: 0.2-4.3 mu g/g and 0.2-5.4 mu g/g, respectively). At both seasons, the relationships between B-Se and H-Se were linear and highly significant (r(2) = 67.9 and 63.6, respectively), while the relationship between B-Se and U-Se was best described by a sigmoid curve. Gender, age, education and smoking did not influence Se status or biomarker relationships. Variations in H-Se suggest that there may be seasonal availability of Se sources in local food. For populations presenting a large range and/or elevated Se exposure, sequential analyses of H-Se may provide a good reflection of variations in Se status.

The Scientific Basis for High-Intensity Interval Training: Optimising Training Programmes and Maximising Performance in Highly Trained Endurance Athletes

While the physiological adaptations that occur following endurance training in previously sedentary and recreationally active individuals are relatively well understood, the adaptations to training in already highly trained endurance athletes remain unclear. While significant improvements in endurance performance and corresponding physiological markers are evident following submaximal endurance training in sedentary and recreationally active groups, an additional increase in submaximal training (i.e. volume) in highly trained individuals does not appear to further enhance either endurance performance or associated physiological variables [e.g. peak oxygen uptake (V-dot O2peak), oxidative enzyme activity]. It seems that, for athletes who are already trained, improvements in endurance performance can be achieved only through high-intensity interval training (HIT). The limited research which has examined changes in muscle enzyme activity in highly trained athletes, following HIT, has revealed no change in oxidative or glycolytic enzyme activity, despite significant improvements in endurance performance (p < 0.05). Instead, an increase in skeletal muscle buffering capacity may be one mechanism responsible for an improvement in endurance performance. Changes in plasma volume, stroke volume, as well as muscle cation pumps, myoglobin, capillary density and fibre type characteristics have yet to be investigated in response to HIT with the highly trained athlete. Information relating to HIT programme optimisation in endurance athletes is also very sparse. Preliminary work using the velocity at which V-dot O2max is achieved (Vmax) as the interval intensity, and fractions (50 to 75%) of the time to exhaustion at Vmax (Tmax) as the interval duration has been successful in eliciting improvements in performance in long-distance runners. However, Vmax and Tmax have not been used with cyclists. Instead, HIT programme optimisation research in cyclists has revealed that repeated supramaximal sprinting may be equally effective as more traditional HIT programmes for eliciting improvements in endurance performance. Further examination of the biochemical and physiological adaptations which accompany different HIT programmes, as well as investigation into the optimal HIT programme for eliciting performance enhancements in highly trained athletes is required.

Australia’s Lily Brayton: Performer and theatre artist

Recognition is the aim of this account of an artist who is now remembered largely for her beauty, her wide iconic fame achieved by mass distribution of her image via photography and postcards, and her professional association with a internationally prominent producer who was also her husband. It is however a historically situated study, confining itself to readings of the kind of theatrical, social and cultural work performed by Brayton's presence in a rapidly-modernising Australia during the period between Federation in 1901 and the first World War, which event marks a disjuncture in the patterns of entertainment and cultural discourse in the new nation. Pre-war Australian theatre and vaudeville managements competed vigorously to secure the most acclaimed artists, seeing it as a kind of service and duty to boost their country's prestige along with their own coffers. Meanwhile, local playwrights and producers promoted a burgeoning repertoire of Australian dramas and films which played alongside the imported products in a complex network of cultural codes and affects.

Media influence to suicide: The search for solutions

This review explores the influence to suicide in print and electronic media, and considers both real and fictional deaths. The conclusion appears inescapable that reports about celebrities which are multi-modal, repeated, explicit, front page, glorify the suicide, and describe the method lead to an increase in deaths from suicide, particularly in the region in which reports are published. The paper argues that even if there was multi-national agreement to international guidelines, media will continue to report suicide when it is considered to be a matter of public interest. What appears crucial is a collaborative approach between professionals and the media to promote a negative attitude toward suicide without increasing stigma toward those with mental health problems.

The meeting place problem: Salience and search.

The notion of salience was developed by Schelling in the context of the meeting-place problem of locating a partner in the absence of a pre-agreed meeting place. In this paper, we argue that a realistic specification of the meeting place problem involves allowing a strategy of active search over a range of possible meeting places. We solve this extended problem, allowing for extensions such as repeated play, search costs and asymmetric payoffs. The result is a considerably richer, but more complex, notion of salience. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.

The critical power function is dependent on the duration of the predictive exercise tests chosen

The linear relationship between work accomplished (W-lim) and time to exhaustion (t(lim)) can be described by the equation: W-lim = a + CP.t(lim). Critical power (CP) is the slope of this line and is thought to represent a maximum rate of ATP synthesis without exhaustion, presumably an inherent characteristic of the aerobic energy system. The present investigation determined whether the choice of predictive tests would elicit significant differences in the estimated CP. Ten female physical education students completed, in random order and on consecutive days, five art-out predictive tests at preselected constant-power outputs. Predictive tests were performed on an electrically-braked cycle ergometer and power loadings were individually chosen so as to induce fatigue within approximately 1-10 mins. CP was derived by fitting the linear W-lim-t(lim) regression and calculated three ways: 1) using the first, third and fifth W-lim-t(lim) coordinates (I-135), 2) using coordinates from the three highest power outputs (I-123; mean t(lim) = 68-193 s) and 3) using coordinates from the lowest power outputs (I-345; mean t(lim) = 193-485 s). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that CPI123 (201.0 +/- 37.9W) > CPI135 (176.1 +/- 27.6W) > CPI345 (164.0 +/- 22.8W) (P < 0.05). When the three sets of data were used to fit the hyperbolic Power-t(lim) regression, statistically significant differences between each CP were also found (P < 0.05). The shorter the predictive trials, the greater the slope of the W-lim-t(lim) regression; possibly because of the greater influence of 'aerobic inertia' on these trials. This may explain why CP has failed to represent a maximal, sustainable work rate. The present findings suggest that if CP is to represent the highest power output that an individual can maintain for a very long time without fatigue then CP should be calculated over a range of predictive tests in which the influence of aerobic inertia is minimised.

Pilot-scale extraction of PHB from recombinant E-coli by homogenization and centrifugation

A new method of poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) extraction from recombinant E. coli is proposed, using homogenization and centrifugation coupled with sodium hypochlorite treatment. The size of PHB granules and cell debris in homogenates was characterised as a function of the number of homogenization passes. Simulation was used to develop the PHB and cell debris fractionation system, enabling numerical examination of the effects of repeated homogenization and centrifuge-feedrate variation. The simulation provided a good prediction of experimental performance. Sodium hypochlorite treatment was necessary to optimise PHB fractionation. A PHB recovery of 80% at a purity of 96.5% was obtained with the final optimised process. Protein and DNA contained in the resultant product were negligible. The developed process holds promise for significantly reducing the recovery cost associated with PHB manufacture.

Instantaneous outbursts in underground coal mines: An overview and association with coal type

Instantaneous outbursts in underground coal mines have occurred in at least 16 countries, involving both methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2). The precise mechanisms of an instantaneous outburst are still unresolved but must consider the effects of stress, gas content and physico-mechanical properties of the coal. Other factors such as mining methods (e.g., development heading into the coal seam) and geological features (e.g., coal seam disruptions from faulting) can combine to exacerbate the problem. Prediction techniques continue to be unreliable and unexpected outburst incidents resulting in fatalities are a major concern for underground coal operations. Gas content thresholds of 9 m(3)/t for CH4 and 6 m(3)/t for CO2 are used in the Sydney Basin, to indicate outburst-prone conditions, but are reviewed on an individual mine basis and in mixed as situations. Data on the sorption behaviour of Bowen Basin coals from Australia have provided an explanation for the conflicting results obtained by coal face desorption indices used for outburst-proneness assessment. A key factor appears to be different desorption rates displayed by banded coals, which is supported by both laboratory and mine-site investigations. Dull coal bands with high fusinite and semifusinite contents tend to display rapid desorption from solid coal, for a given pressure drop. The opposite is true for bright coal bands with high vitrinite contents and dull coal bands with high inertodetrinite contents. Consequently, when face samples of dull, fusinite-or semifusinite-rich coal of small particle size are taken for desorption testing, much gas has already escaped and low readings result. The converse applies for samples taken from coal bands with high vitrinite and/or inertodetrinite contents. In terms of outburst potential, it is the bright, vitrinite-rich and the dull, inertodetrinite-rich sections of a coal seam that appear to be more outburst-prone. This is due to the ability of the solid coal to retain gas, even after pressure reduction, creating a gas content gradient across the coal face sufficient to initiate an outburst. Once the particle size of the coal is reduced, rapid gas desorption can then take place. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science.

Incorporating cognitive-behavioral therapy with occupational therapy: A comparative study with patients with low back pain

This paper reports on the implementation of a psychoeducational program utilizing cognitive-behavioral principles. The efficacy of this psychoeducational treatment program in modifying dysfunctional attitudes in patients with chronic low back pain was examined using a two-group pretest posttest design with a follow-lip at 3 months Thirty patients (average age = 44.37 SD = 13.71) participated in the study, with 15 in the psychoeducational treatment group and 15 in the placebo control group. These two conditions were added on to an existing eclectic inpatient pain management program. After assessment on the IPAM (The Integrated Psychosocial Assessment Model), scores were reduced to multivariate composite scores on the factors of illness behavior depressed and negative cognitions, and acute pain strategies. Results of a group x time repeated measures analysis of variance for the three pain factors revealed a significant main effect for group (F(23,1) = 5.00 p < .04), tempered by a significant interaction between group and rime on the 'depressed and negative' pain factor (F(23,1) = 4.77 p < .04). Patients in the treatment group improved significantly over time and significantly more than the placebo control group patients at posttreatment. Results provide support for the program in increasing patients' feelings of control over their pain and the use of positive coping strategies, while reducing perceived helplessness, depression, disability, and pain intensity.

Microsatellite instability and loss of heterozygosity at DNA mismatch repair gene loci occurs during hepatic carcinogenesis

DNA mismatch repair is an important mechanism involved in maintaining the fidelity of genomic DNA. Defective DNA mismatch repair is implicated in a variety of gastrointestinal and other turners; however, its role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been assessed. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival pathology tissues from 46 primary liver tumors were studied by microdissection and microsatellite analysis of extracted DNA to assess the degree of microsatellite instability, a marker of defective mismatch repair, and to determine the extent and timing of allelic loss of two DNA mismatch repair genes, human Mut S homologue-2 (hMSH2) and human Mut L homologue-1 (hMLH1), and the tumor suppressor genes adenomatous polyposis coli gene (APC), p53, and DPC4. Microsatellite instability was detected in 16 of the tumors (34.8%). Loss of heterozygosity at microsatellites linked to the DNA mismatch repair genes, hMSH2 and/or hMLH1, was found in 9 cases (19.6%), usually in association with microsatellite instability. Importantly, the pattern of allelic loss was uniform in 8 of these 9 tumors, suggesting that clonal loss had occurred. Moreover, loss at these loci also occurred in nonmalignant tissue adjacent to 4 of these tumors, where it was associated with marked allelic heterogeneity. There was relatively infrequent loss of APC, p53, or DPC4 loci that appeared unrelated to loss of hMSH2 or hMLH1 gene loci. Loss of heterozygosity at hMSH2 and/or hMLH1 gene loci, and the associated microsatellite instability in premalignant hepatic tissues suggests a possible causal role in hepatic carcinogenesis in a subset of hepatomas.