Phytochemical and bioactive compounds identification of Ocimum tenuiflorum leaves of methanol extract and its fraction with an anti-diabetic potential

Phytochemical screening assay on crude extracts of Ocimum tenuiflorum L. leaves and methanol fractions was performed in this study. Phytochemical qualitative assay on aqueous crude extract and aqueous fraction did not show any steroid and terpenoid. However, ethanol and butanol fractions also did not show steroid in the screening test. The result of HPLC identification of active crude extracts and active fractions showed the possible bioactive compounds in this plant extracts, which may control diabetes. These findings showed that the active crude extract (methanol) and its active fractions (ethyl acetate, and butanol) showed the presence of polyphenolic active constituents such as 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid, caffeic acid, diosmetin, luteolin, kaempferol, rosmarinic acid, apigenin, and genistein that control the blood glucose in diabetic rats. Furthermore, isolation of the active components may pave the way for the development of new agents for the treatment of diabetes and its complications.     

Enzymatic de-glycosylation of rutin improves its antioxidant and antiproliferative activities

Bioavailability and biological properties of flavonoid glycosides can be improved after the enzymatic hydrolysis of specific glycosyl groups. In this study, we evaluate the antioxidant and antiproliferative potential of rutin after enzymatic hydrolysis performed by α-l-rhamnosidases (hesperidinase from Penicillium sp. and naringinase from Penicillium decumbens) previously heated at 70 °C for 30 min to inactivate the undesirable β-d-glucosidase activity. The highest in vitro antioxidant activity determined by DPPH radical scavenging was achieved with rutin hydrolyzed by hesperidinase. Rutin was predominantly bioconverted into quercetin-3-glucoside. There was no statistical difference between xanthine oxidase inhibition by rutin before and after hydrolysis. However, in vitro inhibitory activity against ten human tumor cell lines showed that hydrolyzed rutin exerted a more potent antiproliferative effect than quercetin and rutin on various cancer cell lines, specially glioma, and ovarian and breast adenocarcinomas. These results indicate that quercetin-3-glucoside could be a promising functional derivative obtained by rutin hydrolysis.     

U.S. Food safety and Inspection Service testing for Salmonella in selected raw meat and poultry products in the United States, 1998 through 2003: an establishment-level analysis

The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) pathogen reduction-hazard analysis critical control point systems final rule, published in 1996, established Salmonella performance standards for broiler chicken, cow and bull, market hog, and steer and heifer carcasses and for ground beef, chicken, and turkey meat. In 1998, the FSIS began testing to verify that establishments are meeting performance standards. Samples are collected in sets in which the number of samples is defined but varies according to product class. A sample set fails when the number of positive Salmonella samples exceeds the maximum number of positive samples allowed under the performance standard. Salmonella sample sets collected at 1,584 establishments from 1998 through 2003 were examined to identify factors associated with failure of one or more sets. Overall, 1,282 (80.9%) of establishments never had failed sets. In establishments that did experience set failure(s), generally the failed sets were collected early in the establishment testing history, with the exception of broiler establishments where failure(s) occurred both early and late in the course of testing. Small establishments were more likely to have experienced a set failure than were large or very small establishments, and broiler establishments were more likely to have failed than were ground beef, market hog, or steer-heifer establishments. Agency response to failed Salmonella sample sets in the form of in-depth verification reviews and related establishment-initiated corrective actions have likely contributed to declines in the number of establishments that failed sets. A focus on food safety measures in small establishments and broiler processing establishments should further reduce the number of sample sets that fail to meet the Salmonella performance standard.     

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons through consumption of edible marine species in Catalonia, Spain

The concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; naphthalene, acenaphtylene, acenaphtene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, chrysene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, and benzo[g,h,i]perylene) were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in samples of 14 edible marine species (sardine, tuna, anchovy, mackerel, swordfish, salmon, hake, red mullet, sole, cuttlefish, squid, clam, mussel, and shrimp) collected in March and April 2005. These species are widely consumed by the population of Catalonia, Spain. PAH intake was also estimated for eight age and sex groups of this population. Mussel, clam, and shrimp had the highest PAH concentrations (22.4, 21.5, and 15.9 ng/g of fresh weight, respectively). In contrast, sole (2.5 ng/g of fresh weight) and cuttlefish and squid (both 3.0 ng/g of fresh weight) had the lowest mean concentrations. The highest PAH intake was found in women and girls (5.3 and 5.2 ng/kg/day, respectively), but female adolescents and female seniors had the lowest PAH intakes (3.3 ng/kg/day in both groups). The intake of benzo[a]pyrene and six other PAHs that are probably human carcinogens through consumption of these marine species would be associated with 0.27/10(6) increase in the risk of development of cancer over a 70-year life span.     

Extraction of phenolic compounds from fresh leaves: A comparison of methods

The conventional sonicator/shaker bath method for phenolic extraction was compared with a less traditional one using a homogenizer. The homogenizer proved to be both more efficient and consistent in extracting phenolics from tender, as well as tough, leaves. We propose that adoption of the homogenizer technique will increase phenolic yield and efficiency.     

Multi-reservoir Operation Rules: Multi-swarm PSO-based Optimization Approach

Reservoir operation rules are intended to help an operator so that water releases and storage capacities are in the best interests of the system objectives. In multi-reservoir systems, a large number of feasible operation policies may exist. System engineering and optimization techniques can assist in identifying the most desirable of those feasible operation policies. This paper presents and tests a set of operation rules for a multi-reservoir system, employing a multi-swarm version of particle swarm optimization (MSPSO) in connection with the well-known HEC-ResPRM simulation model in a parameterization–simulation–optimization (parameterization SO) approach. To improve the performance of the standard particle swarm optimization algorithm, this paper incorporates a new strategic mechanism called multi-swarm into the algorithm. Parameters of the rule are estimated by employing a parameterization–simulation–optimization approach, in which a full-scale simulation model evaluates the objective function value for each trial set of parameter values proposed with an efficient version of the particle swarm optimization algorithm. The usefulness of the MSPSO in developing reservoir operation policies is examined by using the existing three-reservoir system of Mica, Libby, and Grand Coulee as part of the Columbia River Basin development. Results of the rule-based reservoir operation are compared with those of HEC-ResPRM. It is shown that the real-time operation of the three reservoir system with the proposed approach may significantly outperform the common implicit stochastic optimization approach.     

Premarin Reduces Neurodegeneration and Promotes Improvement of Function in an Animal Model of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes significant mortality and morbidity. Currently, no FDA-approved pharmacotherapy is available for treating SCI. Previously, low doses of estrogen (17β-estradiol, E2) were shown to improve the post-injury outcome in a rat SCI model. However, the range of associated side effects makes advocating its therapeutic use difficult. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the therapeutic efficacy of Premarin (PRM) in SCI. PRM is an FDA-approved E2 (10%) formulation, which is used for hormone replacement therapy with minimal risk of serious side effects. The effects of PRM on SCI were examined by magnetic resonance imaging, immunofluorescent staining, and western blot analysis in a rat model. SCI animals treated with vehicle alone, PRM, E2 receptor antagonist (ICI), or PRM + ICI were graded in a blinded way for locomotor function by using the Basso–Beattie–Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor scale. PRM treatment for 7 days decreased post-SCI lesion volume and attenuated neuronal cell death, inflammation, and axonal damage. PRM also altered the balance of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins in favor of cell survival and improved angiogenesis and microvascular growth. Increased expression of estrogen receptors (ERs) ERα and ERβ following PRM treatment and their inhibition by ER inhibitor indicated that the neuroprotection associated with PRM treatment might be E2-receptor mediated. The attenuation of glial activation with decreased inflammation and cell death, and increased angiogenesis by PRM led to improved functional outcome as determined by the BBB locomotor scale. These results suggest that PRM treatment has significant therapeutic implications for the improvement of post-SCI outcome.     

Targeting Endothelial Connexin37 Reduces Angiogenesis and Decreases Tumor Growth

Connexin37 (Cx37) and Cx40 form intercellular channels between endothelial cells (EC), which contribute to the regulation of the functions of vessels. We previously documented the participation of both Cx in developmental angiogenesis and have further shown that loss of Cx40 decreases the growth of different tumors. Here, we report that loss of Cx37 reduces (1) the in vitro proliferation of primary human EC; (2) the vascularization of subcutaneously implanted matrigel plugs in Cx37−/− mice or in WT using matrigel plugs supplemented with a peptide targeting Cx37 channels; (3) tumor angiogenesis; and (4) the growth of TC-1 and B16 tumors, resulting in a longer mice survival. We further document that Cx37 and Cx40 function in a collaborative manner to promote tumor growth, inasmuch as the injection of a peptide targeting Cx40 into Cx37−/− mice decreased the growth of TC-1 tumors to a larger extent than after loss of Cx37. This loss did not alter vessel perfusion, mural cells coverage and tumor hypoxia compared to tumors grown in WT mice. The data show that Cx37 is relevant for the control of EC proliferation and growth in different tumor models, suggesting that it may be a target, alone or in combination with Cx40, in the development of anti-tumoral treatments.     

The application of internet of things in healthcare: a systematic literature review and classification

Universal Access in the Information Society - The Internet of Things (IoT) is an ecosystem that integrates physical objects, software and hardware to interact with each other. Aging of population,...     

Exploring the biomechanics of walking and crowd “flow”

Crowd movement simulation models are generally based on aggregated speed and flow data collected more than 50 years ago. There appears to be no validated modelling capability to include the impact of recent and future changes in population demographics, resulting from an ageing population and increasing obesity rates. New analytical approaches and data gathering are required to successfully model crowd movement and safety for current and future generations. This study carried out (a) a review of the primary components of crowd movement, demographics and analytical techniques, (b) prototype experiments to investigate age-related aspects of space and potential points of contact and (c) a new predictive model for crowd flow analysis based on pedestrian biomechanics and anthropometric data. The model uses the physical space taken up by the biomechanical walking process and the spatial buffer between points of potential contact with other pedestrians to predict the speed of movement at different levels of congestion. The new analytical model was used to predict single file speeds (for people with different demographics in congested space), which compared well with published experimental data. The next steps for model development for wider “flows” and additional experiments to provide data sets for wider demographics are also proposed.