sábado, 11 de fevereiro de 2017
sexta-feira, 10 de fevereiro de 2017
Pancs em Ariquemes - RO - buva
Texto:
Marcos Roberto Furlan - Eng. Agrônomo - Professor universitário
Mariana Emerick Silva - Acadêmica de Eng. Agronômica - UFRRJ (Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro)
Espécies do gênero Conyza se espalham em quase todo o Brasil. Além da facilidade de dispersão de suas sementes, tem se observado resistência aos herbicidas. Importante ressaltar que uma das defesas da espécie contra os princípios ativos do herbicida é gerar biotipos diferente.
A competição com as espécies cultivadas é justificativa para muitos classificarem as espécies do gênero Conyza como plantas daninhas. No entanto, algumas são consideradas comestíveis, como, por, exemplo, a Conyza bonariensis, cujos nomes populares são buva, capiçoba, erva-lanceta e voadeira, dentre vários outros.
As espécies de Conyza mais comuns, e comestíveis, se diferenciam nas folhas. C. bonariensis possui folhas não denteadas, ao contrário da C. canadensis.
De acordo com Lorenzi e Kinupp (2014), na medicina popular, a C. bonariensis é usada como antiácida, contra tosse e para tratamento de diarreias e hemorroidas. Na culinária, os autores, em sua publicação fornecem as seguintes receitas: calzone de buva, picadinho de aruanã com buva e risoto de buva.
Referência:
KINUPP, Valdely Ferreira; LORENZI, Harri. Plantas alimentícias não convencionais (PANC) no Brasil. São paulo, Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora, 2014.
Foto: buva (Conyza sp).
Fonte: Mariana Emerick Silva
quinta-feira, 9 de fevereiro de 2017
Árvores medicinais de São Paulo: Cybistax antisyphilitica
Texto:
Jessica Tiyoko Yamashita - acadêmica de agronomia - Faculdade Cantareira
Marcos Roberto Furlan - Engenheiro Agrônomo - Professor UNITAU e Faculdade Cantareira
Uma família tipicamente de clima neotropical, a Bignoniaceae Juss é formada por cerca de 750 a 800 espécies. Algumas dessas espécies são conhecidas como ipê (MABBERLEY, 1997).
Apesar do vernáculo ipê, de origem Tupi, ter relação com flores amarelas, há espécies com diferentes tipos de cores, como, por exemplo, o ipê-verde (Cybistax antisyphilitica) e o ipê-roxo (Tabebuia heptaphylla).
O ipê-verde, Cybistax antisyphilitica, ocorre predominantemente no cerrado, mas o exemplar da foto foi localizado plantado em São Paulo, com aproximadamente 2 anos e 1,0 m de altura.
Em uma época do ano suas folhas caem, pois é classificada como decídua. Se desenvolve melhor a pleno sol. Sua florada acontece em mais de uma época do ano. No entanto, nos meses de dezembro a março ela é mais intensa.
Algumas características morfológicas: folhas compostas, com cinco a sete folíolos (foto 1) e a inflorescência e formada em panículas terminais, e suas pétalas são verdes (foto 2).
Com relação aos usos medicinais, ainda há poucas pesquisas que comprovam seus efeitos. O uso popular faz referência da casca e das folhas para infecções urinárias, blenorragia e sífilis (justificativa, inclusive para o seu epíteto específico antisyphilitica). Há algumas referências sobre ações larvicidas em Aedes aegypti (RODRIGUES et al., 2005).
Foto 1. Folhas compostas do ipê-verde
Fonte: Jessica Tiyoko Yamashita
Foto 2. Flor do ipê-verde.
Fonte: Jessica Tiyoko Yamashita
Referências
MABBERLEY, D. J. The plant-book. 2. ed. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1997. 858 p.
RODRIGUES, A. M. S.; PAULA, J. E;, ROBLOT, F.; FOURNET, A.; ESPÍNDOLA, L. S. Larvicidal activity of Cybistax antisyphylitica against Aedes aegypti larvae Fitoterapia, v. 76, p. 755-757, 2005.
terça-feira, 7 de fevereiro de 2017
Planta de alto risco - Berberis vulgaris - www.e-lactancia.org/grupo/207
Very high risk
Not recommended.
Not recommended.
Cessation of breastfeeding or alternative.
Comment
Roots and bark are used. It contains Berberine that may be a cause of gastritis, nephritis, phototoxicity and severe jaundice by displacement of albumin -linked bilirubin: higher risk of kernicterus to newborns, which is greater in cases of 6-Glucose-PD deficiency.
It is popularly widely used, however, its effectiveness has not been shown. Use not approved by the Commission E of German Ministry of Health. It should be avoided.
Link:
http://www.e-lactancia.org/producto/33
Comment
Roots and bark are used. It contains Berberine that may be a cause of gastritis, nephritis, phototoxicity and severe jaundice by displacement of albumin -linked bilirubin: higher risk of kernicterus to newborns, which is greater in cases of 6-Glucose-PD deficiency.
It is popularly widely used, however, its effectiveness has not been shown. Use not approved by the Commission E of German Ministry of Health. It should be avoided.
Link:
http://www.e-lactancia.org/producto/33
Sobre atualização de riscos de uso de Angélica e Goji berrywww.e-lactancia.org/grupo/207
Angelica (belonging to Phytotherapy, Systemic Use):
Increased level of risk
New scientific evidences have driven the Apilam staff to update the level of risk associated to this product.
Increased level of risk
New scientific evidences have driven the Apilam staff to update the level of risk associated to this product.
Former level of risk, which was Low risk, is now set to High risk.
Level of risk reviewed on Jan. 13, 2017
Goji Berries (belonging to Phytotherapy, Systemic Use):
Decreased level of risk
New scientific evidences have driven the Apilam staff to update the level of risk associated to this product.
Former level of risk, which was High risk, is now set to Low risk.
Level of risk reviewed on Jan. 15, 2017
Level of risk reviewed on Jan. 13, 2017
Goji Berries (belonging to Phytotherapy, Systemic Use):
Decreased level of risk
New scientific evidences have driven the Apilam staff to update the level of risk associated to this product.
Former level of risk, which was High risk, is now set to Low risk.
Level of risk reviewed on Jan. 15, 2017
Anvisa proíbe venda de emagrecedores fitoterápicos clandestinos
02/02/2017
Brasília
Da Agência Brasil
A Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Anvisa) proibiu hoje (2) a comercialização dos emagrecedores Phytoemagry, Natu Diet e Natural Dieta. Segundo a agência, os fitoterápicos são clandestinos, ou seja, não têm registro que autorize a venda.
De acordo com a Anvisa, a empresa Natura Leve, fabricante dos três produtos, não tem autorização de funcionamento. “Determinou-se, então, a proibição, em todo o território nacional, da fabricação, distribuição, divulgação, comercialização e uso dos produtos destacados”, informou a agência, em nota.
Edição: Luana Lourenço
Da Agência Brasil
A Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Anvisa) proibiu hoje (2) a comercialização dos emagrecedores Phytoemagry, Natu Diet e Natural Dieta. Segundo a agência, os fitoterápicos são clandestinos, ou seja, não têm registro que autorize a venda.
De acordo com a Anvisa, a empresa Natura Leve, fabricante dos três produtos, não tem autorização de funcionamento. “Determinou-se, então, a proibição, em todo o território nacional, da fabricação, distribuição, divulgação, comercialização e uso dos produtos destacados”, informou a agência, em nota.
Edição: Luana Lourenço
Estudantes desenvolvem soro para eliminar o Aedes aegypti em Itatim
Duas adolescentes, alunas do 2º ano do Ensino Médio, do Colégio Estadual Geovânia Nogueira Nunes, no município de Itatim, podem estar a poucos passos de entrar para a história da saúde pública brasileira. Cristiana Aparecida Couto e Noemy de Souza Queiroz desenvolveram experiências científicas com o eucalipto e a erva-cidreira e descobriram que o extrato dos vegetais é capaz de eliminar as larvas do mosquito Aedes aegypti, vetor de transmissão das epidemias dengue, zika e chikungunya.
"Usamos elas [as plantas] secas. Trituramos e depois são imersas no álcool e deixadas em conserva durante três dias. Após esta etapa, a próximo passo é filtrar e deixar em recipiente aberto para evaporar. Aí a substância está pronta para testes", explica Noemy.
A experiência com as ervas medicinais
em abundância na cidade localizada a 235 quilômetros de Salvador – aconteceu em ambiente escolar. A iniciativa surgiu a partir do surto de zika que afetou Itatim em 2015 e fez parte do projeto ‘Toxicidade de plantas medicinais em larvas do mosquito Aedes aegypti’, desenvolvido no âmbito do Programa Ciência na Escola, da Secretaria da Educação do Estado. "A gente passou a enxergar o estudo de uma maneira diferente. Além de estar estudando ciência, você está fazendo ciência”, ressalta Cristiana.
Em 2017, as estudantes darão prosseguimento aos estudos durante o ano letivo. Esta importante inovação pode ser conferida em mais um vídeo da série Educar para Transformar, produzida pela Secretaria de Comunicação do Estado da Bahia (Secom).
Link:
http://estudantes.educacao.ba.gov.br/noticias/estudantes-desenvolvem-soro-para-eliminar-o-aedes-aegypti-em-itatim
"Usamos elas [as plantas] secas. Trituramos e depois são imersas no álcool e deixadas em conserva durante três dias. Após esta etapa, a próximo passo é filtrar e deixar em recipiente aberto para evaporar. Aí a substância está pronta para testes", explica Noemy.
A experiência com as ervas medicinais
em abundância na cidade localizada a 235 quilômetros de Salvador – aconteceu em ambiente escolar. A iniciativa surgiu a partir do surto de zika que afetou Itatim em 2015 e fez parte do projeto ‘Toxicidade de plantas medicinais em larvas do mosquito Aedes aegypti’, desenvolvido no âmbito do Programa Ciência na Escola, da Secretaria da Educação do Estado. "A gente passou a enxergar o estudo de uma maneira diferente. Além de estar estudando ciência, você está fazendo ciência”, ressalta Cristiana.
Em 2017, as estudantes darão prosseguimento aos estudos durante o ano letivo. Esta importante inovação pode ser conferida em mais um vídeo da série Educar para Transformar, produzida pela Secretaria de Comunicação do Estado da Bahia (Secom).
Link:
http://estudantes.educacao.ba.gov.br/noticias/estudantes-desenvolvem-soro-para-eliminar-o-aedes-aegypti-em-itatim
Vídeo:
Vitamin D discovery could prove key to new treatments for metabolic disorders and certain cancers
Date: February 1, 2017
Source: Kyoto University
Summary: Researchers have identified a new way vitamin D helps control the balance of lipids in the body. This key finding could advance development of new treatments for metabolic disorders and certain cancers.
A team led by Motonari Uesugi, professor and deputy director of Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), found that a vitamin D metabolite known as '25-OHD' inhibits proteins that regulate lipid production. Those proteins, called sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs), cannot then stimulate expression of lipid-producing genes.
"To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that 25-OHD inhibits SREBPs," the researchers concluded in their study recently published in Cell Chemical Biology.
Drug companies could develop synthetic analogs of 25-OHD to potentially help regulate lipid production in individuals who lack vitamin D to do this for them.
Vitamin D deficiency is caused by insufficient dietary intake or sunlight exposure, and it is increasing worldwide. It is associated with several bone diseases such as rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults. It is also linked with metabolic disorders and certain types of cancers. But it has been unclear how the lack of vitamin D contributes to metabolic disorders and cancers.
The research team came across 25-OHD while screening an extensive chemical library of endogenous molecules. They were looking for inhibitors of SREBPs, which regulate lipid production, and honed in on 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD), which is a hydroxylated vitamin D metabolite.
The relationship between 25-OHD and lipid levels has been known for more than 20 years. However, 25-OHD has generally been considered biologically inactive.
The researchers found 25-OHD induces the breakdown of SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP), an escort protein required for SREBP activation. They were able to document how 25-OHD degrades SCAP into smaller amino acids.
SREBP and SCAP proteins are increasingly recognized as potential drug targets for cancers and metabolic disorders. Understanding the role 25-OHD plays in the SREBP-SCAP interaction and in lipid regulation could open up new treatment opportunities.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Kyoto University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Lisa Asano, Mizuki Watanabe, Yuta Ryoden, Kousuke Usuda, Takuya Yamaguchi, Bilon Khambu, Megumi Takashima, Shin-ichi Sato, Juro Sakai, Kazuo Nagasawa, Motonari Uesugi. Vitamin D Metabolite, 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, Regulates Lipid Metabolism by Inducing Degradation of SREBP/SCAP. Cell Chemical Biology, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2016.12.017
Cite This Page:
Kyoto University. "Vitamin D discovery could prove key to new treatments for metabolic disorders and certain cancers." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170201092621.htm>.
A team led by Motonari Uesugi, professor and deputy director of Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), found that a vitamin D metabolite known as '25-OHD' inhibits proteins that regulate lipid production. Those proteins, called sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs), cannot then stimulate expression of lipid-producing genes.
"To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that 25-OHD inhibits SREBPs," the researchers concluded in their study recently published in Cell Chemical Biology.
Drug companies could develop synthetic analogs of 25-OHD to potentially help regulate lipid production in individuals who lack vitamin D to do this for them.
Vitamin D deficiency is caused by insufficient dietary intake or sunlight exposure, and it is increasing worldwide. It is associated with several bone diseases such as rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults. It is also linked with metabolic disorders and certain types of cancers. But it has been unclear how the lack of vitamin D contributes to metabolic disorders and cancers.
The research team came across 25-OHD while screening an extensive chemical library of endogenous molecules. They were looking for inhibitors of SREBPs, which regulate lipid production, and honed in on 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD), which is a hydroxylated vitamin D metabolite.
The relationship between 25-OHD and lipid levels has been known for more than 20 years. However, 25-OHD has generally been considered biologically inactive.
The researchers found 25-OHD induces the breakdown of SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP), an escort protein required for SREBP activation. They were able to document how 25-OHD degrades SCAP into smaller amino acids.
SREBP and SCAP proteins are increasingly recognized as potential drug targets for cancers and metabolic disorders. Understanding the role 25-OHD plays in the SREBP-SCAP interaction and in lipid regulation could open up new treatment opportunities.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Kyoto University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Lisa Asano, Mizuki Watanabe, Yuta Ryoden, Kousuke Usuda, Takuya Yamaguchi, Bilon Khambu, Megumi Takashima, Shin-ichi Sato, Juro Sakai, Kazuo Nagasawa, Motonari Uesugi. Vitamin D Metabolite, 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, Regulates Lipid Metabolism by Inducing Degradation of SREBP/SCAP. Cell Chemical Biology, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2016.12.017
Cite This Page:
Kyoto University. "Vitamin D discovery could prove key to new treatments for metabolic disorders and certain cancers." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170201092621.htm>.
Understanding when eating soy might help or harm in breast cancer treatment
Date: February 1, 2017
Source: Georgetown University Medical Center
Summary: Researchers have used animal models to reveal new information about the impact -- positive and negative -- that soy consumption could have on a common breast cancer treatment.
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have used animal models to reveal new information about the impact -- positive and negative -- that soy consumption could have on a common breast cancer treatment.
The scientists have uncovered the biological pathways in rats by which longtime soy consumption improves effectiveness of tamoxifen and reduces breast cancer recurrence. But they also show why eating or drinking soy-based foods for the first time while being treated with tamoxifen can, conversely, reduce effectiveness of the drug, and promote recurrence.
The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, uncovers the molecular biology behind how soy consumption, especially its most active isoflavone, genistein, affects tamoxifen -- both positively and negatively.
It also mirrors what has been observed in breast cancer patients, says the study's senior investigator Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, PhD, professor of oncology at Georgetown Lombardi.
"There has long been a paradox concerning genistein, which has the similar structure as estrogen and activates both human estrogen receptors to a degree. Estrogen drives most breast cancer growth, yet high soy intake among women in Asian countries has been linked to a breast cancer rate that is five times lower than Western women, who eat much less soy," she says. "So why is soy, which mimics estrogen, protective in Asian women?"
More than 70 percent of the 1.67 million women diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide in 2012 was estrogen-receptor positive, and tamoxifen and other endocrine therapies meant to reduce the ability of estrogen to promote cancer growth, are the most common drugs used for these cancers. Although endocrine therapies can be highly effective in preventing or treating breast cancer, about half of patients who use them exhibit resistance and/or have cancer recurrence.
Employing a more advanced rat model of breast cancer and tamoxifen use than has been used in past studies, the researchers found that the timing of genistein intake is the central issue.
Longtime sustained use of genistein before development of breast cancer improves overall immunity against cancer, thus protecting against cancer development and recurrence, says the study's lead researcher, Xiyuan Zhang, PhD.
"It also inhibits a mechanism called autophagy that would allow cancer cells to survive, which explains why it helps tamoxifen work," says Zhang, a member of Hilakivi-Clarke's laboratory when this study was conducted. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the National Institutes of Health.
Previous studies in women show no evidence of adverse effects of soy intake on breast cancer outcome, the researchers say, adding that research has also shown that Asian and Caucasian women who consumed as little as 1/3rd cup of soymilk daily (10 mg. of isoflavones) had the lowest risk of breast cancer recurrence.
The animal studies suggest it is a different story when soy consumption begins after breast cancer develops.
Starting consuming genistein in a diet after breast cancer develops in the animals did not trigger anti-tumor immune response to eliminate cancer cells, Zhang says. "We do not know yet why this made the animals resistant to the beneficial effects of tamoxifen and increased risk of cancer recurrence," she continued.
Animals consuming genistein as adults on had a 7 percent chance of breast cancer recurrence after tamoxifen treatment, compared with a 33 percent recurrence with rats exposed to genistein only after breast cancer developed.
"We have solved the puzzle of genistein and breast cancer in our rat model, which perfectly explains the paradox seen in earlier animal studies and patients," says Hilakivi-Clarke. "While many oncologists advise their patients not to take isoflavone supplements or consume soy foods, our findings suggest a more nuanced message -- if these results hold true for women. Our results suggest that breast cancer patients should continue consuming soy foods after diagnosis, but not to start them if they have not consumed genistein previously."
Story Source:
Materials provided by Georgetown University Medical Center. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Xiyuan Zhang, Katherine L. Cook, Anni Warri, Idalia M. Cruz, Mariana Rosim, Jeffrey Riskin, William Helferich, Daniel Doerge, Robert Clarke, Leena Hilakivi-Clarke. Lifetime Genistein Intake Increases the Response of Mammary Tumors to Tamoxifen in Rats. Clinical Cancer Research, 2017; 23 (3): 814 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-16-1735
Cite This Page:
Georgetown University Medical Center. "Understanding when eating soy might help or harm in breast cancer treatment." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170201092711.htm>.
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have used animal models to reveal new information about the impact -- positive and negative -- that soy consumption could have on a common breast cancer treatment.
The scientists have uncovered the biological pathways in rats by which longtime soy consumption improves effectiveness of tamoxifen and reduces breast cancer recurrence. But they also show why eating or drinking soy-based foods for the first time while being treated with tamoxifen can, conversely, reduce effectiveness of the drug, and promote recurrence.
The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, uncovers the molecular biology behind how soy consumption, especially its most active isoflavone, genistein, affects tamoxifen -- both positively and negatively.
It also mirrors what has been observed in breast cancer patients, says the study's senior investigator Leena Hilakivi-Clarke, PhD, professor of oncology at Georgetown Lombardi.
"There has long been a paradox concerning genistein, which has the similar structure as estrogen and activates both human estrogen receptors to a degree. Estrogen drives most breast cancer growth, yet high soy intake among women in Asian countries has been linked to a breast cancer rate that is five times lower than Western women, who eat much less soy," she says. "So why is soy, which mimics estrogen, protective in Asian women?"
More than 70 percent of the 1.67 million women diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide in 2012 was estrogen-receptor positive, and tamoxifen and other endocrine therapies meant to reduce the ability of estrogen to promote cancer growth, are the most common drugs used for these cancers. Although endocrine therapies can be highly effective in preventing or treating breast cancer, about half of patients who use them exhibit resistance and/or have cancer recurrence.
Employing a more advanced rat model of breast cancer and tamoxifen use than has been used in past studies, the researchers found that the timing of genistein intake is the central issue.
Longtime sustained use of genistein before development of breast cancer improves overall immunity against cancer, thus protecting against cancer development and recurrence, says the study's lead researcher, Xiyuan Zhang, PhD.
"It also inhibits a mechanism called autophagy that would allow cancer cells to survive, which explains why it helps tamoxifen work," says Zhang, a member of Hilakivi-Clarke's laboratory when this study was conducted. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the National Institutes of Health.
Previous studies in women show no evidence of adverse effects of soy intake on breast cancer outcome, the researchers say, adding that research has also shown that Asian and Caucasian women who consumed as little as 1/3rd cup of soymilk daily (10 mg. of isoflavones) had the lowest risk of breast cancer recurrence.
The animal studies suggest it is a different story when soy consumption begins after breast cancer develops.
Starting consuming genistein in a diet after breast cancer develops in the animals did not trigger anti-tumor immune response to eliminate cancer cells, Zhang says. "We do not know yet why this made the animals resistant to the beneficial effects of tamoxifen and increased risk of cancer recurrence," she continued.
Animals consuming genistein as adults on had a 7 percent chance of breast cancer recurrence after tamoxifen treatment, compared with a 33 percent recurrence with rats exposed to genistein only after breast cancer developed.
"We have solved the puzzle of genistein and breast cancer in our rat model, which perfectly explains the paradox seen in earlier animal studies and patients," says Hilakivi-Clarke. "While many oncologists advise their patients not to take isoflavone supplements or consume soy foods, our findings suggest a more nuanced message -- if these results hold true for women. Our results suggest that breast cancer patients should continue consuming soy foods after diagnosis, but not to start them if they have not consumed genistein previously."
Story Source:
Materials provided by Georgetown University Medical Center. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Xiyuan Zhang, Katherine L. Cook, Anni Warri, Idalia M. Cruz, Mariana Rosim, Jeffrey Riskin, William Helferich, Daniel Doerge, Robert Clarke, Leena Hilakivi-Clarke. Lifetime Genistein Intake Increases the Response of Mammary Tumors to Tamoxifen in Rats. Clinical Cancer Research, 2017; 23 (3): 814 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-16-1735
Cite This Page:
Georgetown University Medical Center. "Understanding when eating soy might help or harm in breast cancer treatment." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170201092711.htm>.
Mediterranean diet linked to a lower risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Date: February 1, 2017
Source: Universidad de Barcelona
Summary: Dietary patterns of the Mediterranean diet can be related to a lower diagnose of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study.
Dietary patterns of the Mediterranean diet can be related to a lower diagnose of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics, led by María Izquierdo Pulido, Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the University of Barcelona, and José Ángel Alda, Head of the area of Psychiatry at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital (Barcelona).
The study, which is the first scientific work dealing with the relation between the Mediterranean diet and ADHD in children and adolescents, evokes that some unhealthy eating habits could play a role in the development of this psychiatric disorder. However, new researchers are necessary to establish the causality between nutrient-poor eating habits and ADHD, according to the authors. Researchers Alejandra Ríos Hernández and Andreu Farran Codina, from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the UB, and Estrella Ferreira García, from the Faculty of Psychology of the same University, have signed the study too.
One of the most common mental disorders among children and adolescents
The attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder belongs to the field of neurobiology, and affects around 3,4% of children and adolescents worldwide. This is one of the most common mental disorders among children and teenagers, and its consequences can last until adulthood. The main symptoms are hyperactivity, impulsiveness and attention-deficit, which show more intensely in children of the same age who don't suffer from this illness. So far, the most efficient intervention for ADHD is a combination of the psychological and pharmacological treatments with the intervention of an educational psychologist.
The mechanisms that link a low-quality diet and ADHD are still unknown. Previous scientific studies have associated some dietary patterns (diets with processed food and low in fruit and vegetables) with ADHD. However, it is known that an unbalanced dietary pattern can lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients (iron, zinc, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, etc.) for the cognitive and physical growth and they seem to play an essential role in the etiology of ADHD.
A total of 120 children and adolescents (60 diagnosed with ADHD and 60 controls) were studied in this study, which has been financially supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Institute of Health Carlos III). According to María Izquierdo Pulido, member of the Biomedical Research Center Red-Fisiopatología de la Obsidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn) of the Instituto Salud Carlos III "this new research doesn't establish a cause-effect relation between dietary patterns and ADHD, but it can help determining specific dietary strategies to improve the quality of life for both the affected patients and their families."
A vicious circle: impulsiveness, unhealthy diets and ADHD
The relation between an unhealthy diet and ADHD could also be an example of reverse causation. "We don't know if these kids suffer from ADHD due an unhealthy diet -says José Ángel Alda, psychiatrist at Sant Joan de Déu University Hospital- or if the disorder makes them to eat an excess of fat and sugar to balance their impulsiveness or emotional distress. We believe this is a vicious circle: the impulsiveness of children with ADHD makes them to eat unhealthily; therefore they don't eat the nutrients they need and it all worsens their symptoms.
Mediterranean diet: nutrition and health
Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits, vegetables and healthy fats, provides most of the nutrients in the right proportion. The new study doesn't state that the Mediterranean diet could be a protection factor against ADHDF but it indicates that children and adolescents need healthy diets, since this is a moment when their bodies need the best nutrients to grow properly and reach a healthy life during adulthood. The authors of the study believe more studies are needed to determine if a change in dietary habits towards a healthy diet -such as the Mediterranean one- could serve to reverse or improve ADHD symptoms.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Universidad de Barcelona. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Alejandra Ríos-Hernández, José A. Alda, Andreu Farran-Codina, Estrella Ferreira-García, Maria Izquierdo-Pulido. The Mediterranean Diet and ADHD in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 2017; 139 (2): e20162027 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2016-2027
Cite This Page:
Universidad de Barcelona. "Mediterranean diet linked to a lower risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170201093246.htm>.
Dietary patterns of the Mediterranean diet can be related to a lower diagnose of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics, led by María Izquierdo Pulido, Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the University of Barcelona, and José Ángel Alda, Head of the area of Psychiatry at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital (Barcelona).
The study, which is the first scientific work dealing with the relation between the Mediterranean diet and ADHD in children and adolescents, evokes that some unhealthy eating habits could play a role in the development of this psychiatric disorder. However, new researchers are necessary to establish the causality between nutrient-poor eating habits and ADHD, according to the authors. Researchers Alejandra Ríos Hernández and Andreu Farran Codina, from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences of the UB, and Estrella Ferreira García, from the Faculty of Psychology of the same University, have signed the study too.
One of the most common mental disorders among children and adolescents
The attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder belongs to the field of neurobiology, and affects around 3,4% of children and adolescents worldwide. This is one of the most common mental disorders among children and teenagers, and its consequences can last until adulthood. The main symptoms are hyperactivity, impulsiveness and attention-deficit, which show more intensely in children of the same age who don't suffer from this illness. So far, the most efficient intervention for ADHD is a combination of the psychological and pharmacological treatments with the intervention of an educational psychologist.
The mechanisms that link a low-quality diet and ADHD are still unknown. Previous scientific studies have associated some dietary patterns (diets with processed food and low in fruit and vegetables) with ADHD. However, it is known that an unbalanced dietary pattern can lead to deficiencies in essential nutrients (iron, zinc, magnesium, omega-3 fatty acids, etc.) for the cognitive and physical growth and they seem to play an essential role in the etiology of ADHD.
A total of 120 children and adolescents (60 diagnosed with ADHD and 60 controls) were studied in this study, which has been financially supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Institute of Health Carlos III). According to María Izquierdo Pulido, member of the Biomedical Research Center Red-Fisiopatología de la Obsidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn) of the Instituto Salud Carlos III "this new research doesn't establish a cause-effect relation between dietary patterns and ADHD, but it can help determining specific dietary strategies to improve the quality of life for both the affected patients and their families."
A vicious circle: impulsiveness, unhealthy diets and ADHD
The relation between an unhealthy diet and ADHD could also be an example of reverse causation. "We don't know if these kids suffer from ADHD due an unhealthy diet -says José Ángel Alda, psychiatrist at Sant Joan de Déu University Hospital- or if the disorder makes them to eat an excess of fat and sugar to balance their impulsiveness or emotional distress. We believe this is a vicious circle: the impulsiveness of children with ADHD makes them to eat unhealthily; therefore they don't eat the nutrients they need and it all worsens their symptoms.
Mediterranean diet: nutrition and health
Mediterranean diet, rich in fruits, vegetables and healthy fats, provides most of the nutrients in the right proportion. The new study doesn't state that the Mediterranean diet could be a protection factor against ADHDF but it indicates that children and adolescents need healthy diets, since this is a moment when their bodies need the best nutrients to grow properly and reach a healthy life during adulthood. The authors of the study believe more studies are needed to determine if a change in dietary habits towards a healthy diet -such as the Mediterranean one- could serve to reverse or improve ADHD symptoms.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Universidad de Barcelona. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Alejandra Ríos-Hernández, José A. Alda, Andreu Farran-Codina, Estrella Ferreira-García, Maria Izquierdo-Pulido. The Mediterranean Diet and ADHD in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics, 2017; 139 (2): e20162027 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2016-2027
Cite This Page:
Universidad de Barcelona. "Mediterranean diet linked to a lower risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170201093246.htm>.
'Love hormone' from insects as potential drug lead for inhibiting preterm labor
Date: February 1, 2017
Source: Medical University of Vienna
Summary: An oxytocin-like neuropeptide ("inotocin") exhibited a specific pharmacological profile for the human receptors of oxytocin (known as the "love hormone") and vasopressin, report scientists at conclusion of their study. At the same time, the researchers were able to show that a synthetic analogue of inotocin serves as a molecular tool for the fundamental understanding of biochemical signalling processes of oxytocin and vasopressin receptors and could possibly be used as drug lead molecule to develop pharmaceuticals for inhibiting preterm labor, for example.
See more at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170201093449.htm
´Vitamin C may decrease risk of atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery
Date: February 1, 2017
Source: University of Helsinki
Summary: Vitamin C decreased the incidence of post-operative atrial fibrillation (AF) by 44% in cardiac surgery patients in nine randomized trials that were conducted outside of the USA according to a meta-analysis.
AF is a common cardiac rhythm disturbance that can lead to severe consequences such as stroke and heart failure. AF can be triggered by various stressful conditions and about 30% of patients undergoing cardiac operations suffer from post-operative AF.
Harri Hemilä from the University of Helsinki, Finland, and Timo Suonsyrjä from the Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland, carried out a systematic review of vitamin C for preventing AF in high risk patients. They identified 14 randomized trials totaling 2006 patients who had undergone cardiac surgery, and one trial with 44 patients that had investigated the recurrence of AF after a successful cardioversion.
There was substantial heterogeneity between the 14 cardiac surgery trials, but the heterogeneity was explained by the division of them between five trials carried out in the USA and nine trials conducted outside of the USA. The five cardiac surgery trials carried out in the USA uniformly found no effect of vitamin C against post-operative AF. In contrast, the nine cardiac surgery trials conducted outside of the USA found a mean reduction of 44% in the incidence of post-operative AF and there was no heterogeneity between these nine trials. Five of the latter trials were carried out in Iran, two in Greece, one in Slovenia and one in Russia.
The single study on the recurrence of AF after a successful cardioversion, which was carried out in Greece, found that vitamin C decreased the risk of AF recurrence by 87%.
In the non-US cardiac surgery trials, vitamin C decreased the length of hospital stay by 12.6% and intensive care unit stay by 8.0%.
Some of the surgery patients in the non-US studies were administered vitamin C orally, whereas in others vitamin C was administered intravenously. The latter route leads to substantially higher levels of vitamin C in the blood, thus the effects of the two administration methods might differ.
Oral administration of vitamin C decreased the occurrence of post-operative AF by 73%, whereas intravenous administration decreased it by 36%. On the other hand, oral administration shortened the length of hospital stay by only 7% (0.4 days), whereas intravenous administration decreased it by 16% (1.5 days). Thus, the effect of intravenous vitamin C administration was greater for the length of hospital stay, but less for the occurrence of post-operative AF.
According to Drs. Hemilä and Suonsyrjä, "Vitamin C is a safe low-cost essential nutrient. Given the consistent evidence from the less wealthy countries, vitamin C might be administered to cardiac surgery patients, although further studies are needed to find out optimal protocols for its administration. However, there seems to be no rationale for further study of unselected patients in wealthy countries, but the effects of vitamin C for patients who have a particularly low documented level of vitamin C might still be worthwhile."
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Helsinki. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Harri Hemilä, Timo Suonsyrjä. Vitamin C for preventing atrial fibrillation in high risk patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, 2017; 17 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s12872-017-0478-5
Cite This Page:
University of Helsinki. "Vitamin C may decrease risk of atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170201141939.htm>.
AF is a common cardiac rhythm disturbance that can lead to severe consequences such as stroke and heart failure. AF can be triggered by various stressful conditions and about 30% of patients undergoing cardiac operations suffer from post-operative AF.
Harri Hemilä from the University of Helsinki, Finland, and Timo Suonsyrjä from the Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland, carried out a systematic review of vitamin C for preventing AF in high risk patients. They identified 14 randomized trials totaling 2006 patients who had undergone cardiac surgery, and one trial with 44 patients that had investigated the recurrence of AF after a successful cardioversion.
There was substantial heterogeneity between the 14 cardiac surgery trials, but the heterogeneity was explained by the division of them between five trials carried out in the USA and nine trials conducted outside of the USA. The five cardiac surgery trials carried out in the USA uniformly found no effect of vitamin C against post-operative AF. In contrast, the nine cardiac surgery trials conducted outside of the USA found a mean reduction of 44% in the incidence of post-operative AF and there was no heterogeneity between these nine trials. Five of the latter trials were carried out in Iran, two in Greece, one in Slovenia and one in Russia.
The single study on the recurrence of AF after a successful cardioversion, which was carried out in Greece, found that vitamin C decreased the risk of AF recurrence by 87%.
In the non-US cardiac surgery trials, vitamin C decreased the length of hospital stay by 12.6% and intensive care unit stay by 8.0%.
Some of the surgery patients in the non-US studies were administered vitamin C orally, whereas in others vitamin C was administered intravenously. The latter route leads to substantially higher levels of vitamin C in the blood, thus the effects of the two administration methods might differ.
Oral administration of vitamin C decreased the occurrence of post-operative AF by 73%, whereas intravenous administration decreased it by 36%. On the other hand, oral administration shortened the length of hospital stay by only 7% (0.4 days), whereas intravenous administration decreased it by 16% (1.5 days). Thus, the effect of intravenous vitamin C administration was greater for the length of hospital stay, but less for the occurrence of post-operative AF.
According to Drs. Hemilä and Suonsyrjä, "Vitamin C is a safe low-cost essential nutrient. Given the consistent evidence from the less wealthy countries, vitamin C might be administered to cardiac surgery patients, although further studies are needed to find out optimal protocols for its administration. However, there seems to be no rationale for further study of unselected patients in wealthy countries, but the effects of vitamin C for patients who have a particularly low documented level of vitamin C might still be worthwhile."
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Helsinki. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Harri Hemilä, Timo Suonsyrjä. Vitamin C for preventing atrial fibrillation in high risk patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, 2017; 17 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s12872-017-0478-5
Cite This Page:
University of Helsinki. "Vitamin C may decrease risk of atrial fibrillation after cardiac surgery." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 1 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170201141939.htm>.
Peroxide ingestion, promoted by alternative medicine, can be deadly
Date: February 2, 2017
Source: American College of Emergency Physicians
Summary: High-concentration peroxide, sometimes promoted in alternative medicine circles for cleanses or as a so-called 'natural cure,' can lead to numerous life-threatening ailments and death itself, according to a new report.
High-concentration peroxide, sometimes promoted in alternative medicine circles for cleanses or as a so-called "natural cure," can lead to numerous life-threatening ailments and death itself, according to a paper published online in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("Outcomes Following High Concentration Peroxide Ingestions").
"Ingesting high-concentration peroxide can cause embolisms affecting the cardiac, respiratory and neurological systems, leading to permanent disability or death," said lead study author Benjamin Hatten, MD, MPH, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colo. "Though touted by the alternative and complementary medicine communities as 'super water,' peroxide should not be ingested for any reason. Because there are also industrial uses, some ingestions have been accidental because of its resemblance to water."
Dr. Hatten examined 10 years of poison control records for high-concentration peroxide ingestion (concentration strength of 10 percent or greater). Almost 14 percent (13.9 percent) of reported cases had embolic events and 6.8 percent of cases either died or exhibited continued disability. Life-threatening ailments associated with high-concentration peroxide ingestion include seizure, altered mental status, respiratory distress, stroke, pulmonary embolism and heart attack. Patients treated early with hyperbaric oxygen had improved outcomes. Caustic injuries were rare and routine endoscopy was not beneficial.
"This product is meant to be used by the dropper and then diluted, yet we encountered many cases where it was stored at full strength in a clear vessel in the refrigerator," said Dr. Hatten. "This is a caustic liquid, and as with many poison prevention efforts, we recommend keeping this product in its original container and adding both child-resistant capping and a colorizing agent to reduce the possibility of accidental ingestion."
Story Source:
Materials provided by American College of Emergency Physicians. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Benjamin W. Hatten, L. Keith French, B. Zane Horowitz, Robert G. Hendrickson. Outcomes After High-Concentration Peroxide Ingestions. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2016.11.022
Cite This Page:
American College of Emergency Physicians. "Peroxide ingestion, promoted by alternative medicine, can be deadly." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170202161349.htm>.
High-concentration peroxide, sometimes promoted in alternative medicine circles for cleanses or as a so-called "natural cure," can lead to numerous life-threatening ailments and death itself, according to a paper published online in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("Outcomes Following High Concentration Peroxide Ingestions").
"Ingesting high-concentration peroxide can cause embolisms affecting the cardiac, respiratory and neurological systems, leading to permanent disability or death," said lead study author Benjamin Hatten, MD, MPH, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colo. "Though touted by the alternative and complementary medicine communities as 'super water,' peroxide should not be ingested for any reason. Because there are also industrial uses, some ingestions have been accidental because of its resemblance to water."
Dr. Hatten examined 10 years of poison control records for high-concentration peroxide ingestion (concentration strength of 10 percent or greater). Almost 14 percent (13.9 percent) of reported cases had embolic events and 6.8 percent of cases either died or exhibited continued disability. Life-threatening ailments associated with high-concentration peroxide ingestion include seizure, altered mental status, respiratory distress, stroke, pulmonary embolism and heart attack. Patients treated early with hyperbaric oxygen had improved outcomes. Caustic injuries were rare and routine endoscopy was not beneficial.
"This product is meant to be used by the dropper and then diluted, yet we encountered many cases where it was stored at full strength in a clear vessel in the refrigerator," said Dr. Hatten. "This is a caustic liquid, and as with many poison prevention efforts, we recommend keeping this product in its original container and adding both child-resistant capping and a colorizing agent to reduce the possibility of accidental ingestion."
Story Source:
Materials provided by American College of Emergency Physicians. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Benjamin W. Hatten, L. Keith French, B. Zane Horowitz, Robert G. Hendrickson. Outcomes After High-Concentration Peroxide Ingestions. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2016.11.022
Cite This Page:
American College of Emergency Physicians. "Peroxide ingestion, promoted by alternative medicine, can be deadly." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170202161349.htm>.
Engineering team finds compound may halt molecular cause of often-fatal condition
Date: February 6, 2017
Source: Washington University in St. Louis
Summary: A team of engineers say a compound found in green tea could have lifesaving potential for patients with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis, who face often-fatal medical complications associated with bone-marrow disorders.
FULL STORY
An engineering team at Washington University in St. Louis says a compound found in green tea may be of particular benefit to patients struggling with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis.
Credit: Washington University in St. Louis
A compound found in green tea could have lifesaving potential for patients with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis, who face often-fatal medical complications associated with bone-marrow disorders, according to a team of engineers at Washington University in St. Louis and their German collaborators.
Jan Bieschke, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the School of Engineering & Applied Science, studies how proteins fold and shape themselves, and how these processes can contribute to a variety of diseases. He says the compound epigallocatechine-3-gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol found in green tea leaves, may be of particular benefit to patients struggling with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis. These patients are susceptible to a frequently fatal condition called light chain amyloidosis, in which parts of the body's own antibodies become misshapen and can accumulate in various organs, including the heart and kidneys.
"The idea here is twofold: We wanted to better understand how light chain amyloidosis works, and how the green tea compound affects this specific protein," Bieschke said.
Bieschke's team first isolated individual light chains from nine patients with bone marrow disorders that caused multiple myeloma or amyloidosis, then ran lab experiments to determine how the green tea compound affected the light chain protein.
Bieschke previously examined EGCG's effect in both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, and found it prevented dangerous buildups of protein present in both diseases. His team had a similar conclusion in this study: In bone marrow patients, the EGCG transformed light chain amyloid, preventing the misshapen form from replicating and accumulating dangerously.
"In the presence of green tea, the chains have a different internal structure," Bieschke said. "The ECGC pulled the light chain into a different type of aggregate that wasn't toxic and didn't form fibril structures," as happens to organs affected by amyloidosis.
While Bieschke is gaining a greater understanding at the intracellular processes involved, his partners at the University of Heidelberg are working in tandem with him, running clinical trials.
"My group is looking at the mechanism of the protein in a test tube; we are studying how it works on a foundational level. At the same time, clinical trials at the Amyloidosis Center in Heidelberg, with Alzheimer's in Berlin and with Parkinson's in China examine the process in people. We all want this compound to work in a patient."
The research was recently published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Washington University in St. Louis. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Kathrin Andrich, Ute Hegenbart, Christoph Kimmich, Niraja Kedia, H. Robert Bergen, Stefan Schönland, Erich E Wanker, Jan Bieschke. Aggregation of Full Length Immunoglobulin Light Chains from AL Amyloidosis Patients Is Remodeled by Epigallocatechin-3-gallate. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2016; jbc.M116.750323 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M116.750323
Cite This Page:
Washington University in St. Louis. "Engineering team finds compound may halt molecular cause of often-fatal condition." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170206130350.htm>.
FULL STORY
An engineering team at Washington University in St. Louis says a compound found in green tea may be of particular benefit to patients struggling with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis.
Credit: Washington University in St. Louis
A compound found in green tea could have lifesaving potential for patients with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis, who face often-fatal medical complications associated with bone-marrow disorders, according to a team of engineers at Washington University in St. Louis and their German collaborators.
Jan Bieschke, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the School of Engineering & Applied Science, studies how proteins fold and shape themselves, and how these processes can contribute to a variety of diseases. He says the compound epigallocatechine-3-gallate (EGCG), a polyphenol found in green tea leaves, may be of particular benefit to patients struggling with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis. These patients are susceptible to a frequently fatal condition called light chain amyloidosis, in which parts of the body's own antibodies become misshapen and can accumulate in various organs, including the heart and kidneys.
"The idea here is twofold: We wanted to better understand how light chain amyloidosis works, and how the green tea compound affects this specific protein," Bieschke said.
Bieschke's team first isolated individual light chains from nine patients with bone marrow disorders that caused multiple myeloma or amyloidosis, then ran lab experiments to determine how the green tea compound affected the light chain protein.
Bieschke previously examined EGCG's effect in both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, and found it prevented dangerous buildups of protein present in both diseases. His team had a similar conclusion in this study: In bone marrow patients, the EGCG transformed light chain amyloid, preventing the misshapen form from replicating and accumulating dangerously.
"In the presence of green tea, the chains have a different internal structure," Bieschke said. "The ECGC pulled the light chain into a different type of aggregate that wasn't toxic and didn't form fibril structures," as happens to organs affected by amyloidosis.
While Bieschke is gaining a greater understanding at the intracellular processes involved, his partners at the University of Heidelberg are working in tandem with him, running clinical trials.
"My group is looking at the mechanism of the protein in a test tube; we are studying how it works on a foundational level. At the same time, clinical trials at the Amyloidosis Center in Heidelberg, with Alzheimer's in Berlin and with Parkinson's in China examine the process in people. We all want this compound to work in a patient."
The research was recently published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Washington University in St. Louis. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Kathrin Andrich, Ute Hegenbart, Christoph Kimmich, Niraja Kedia, H. Robert Bergen, Stefan Schönland, Erich E Wanker, Jan Bieschke. Aggregation of Full Length Immunoglobulin Light Chains from AL Amyloidosis Patients Is Remodeled by Epigallocatechin-3-gallate. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2016; jbc.M116.750323 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M116.750323
Cite This Page:
Washington University in St. Louis. "Engineering team finds compound may halt molecular cause of often-fatal condition." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170206130350.htm>.
Flora de Santo Antônio do Pinhal: Foeniculum vulgare
Marcos Roberto Furlan - Eng. Agrônomo - Universidade de Taubaté, Faculdade Cantareira
Funcho ou erva-doce? Quando se trata de nome popular, não há restrições. No entanto, no comércio de plantas aromáticas, condimentares e medicinais, alguns vernáculos populares podem gerar confusões. Até mesmo o bolo de fubá com erva-doce pode não sair tão saboroso.
Vamos aos exemplos. São pelo menos duas espécies que recebem comumente o nome erva-doce: o Foeniculum vulgare (foto) e a Pimpinella anisum, ambas com aromas semelhantes, devido à presença do anetol em seus óleos essenciais. Portanto, ficaria complicado especificar qual é, se for utilizado o nome erva-doce.
No comércio, existe quase que uma norma. A erva-doce é a Pimpinella anisum. Já o Foeniculum vulgare recebe o nome de funcho. A variedade de F. vulgare, que fornece o bulbo, é denominada de erva-doce para salada.
O bolo de fubá mais saboroso é com Pimpinella anisum.
Em Santo Antônio do Pinhal é raro encontrar a P. anisum, principalmente por ser anual e de difícil cultivo. O F. vulgare é comum. Encontrado nos terrenos baldios e nos quintais, nasce espontaneamente e se destaca com sua flores amarelas e altura por volta de 1,5 m.
Foeniculum vulgare em Santo Antônio do Pinhal
Vamos aos exemplos. São pelo menos duas espécies que recebem comumente o nome erva-doce: o Foeniculum vulgare (foto) e a Pimpinella anisum, ambas com aromas semelhantes, devido à presença do anetol em seus óleos essenciais. Portanto, ficaria complicado especificar qual é, se for utilizado o nome erva-doce.
No comércio, existe quase que uma norma. A erva-doce é a Pimpinella anisum. Já o Foeniculum vulgare recebe o nome de funcho. A variedade de F. vulgare, que fornece o bulbo, é denominada de erva-doce para salada.
O bolo de fubá mais saboroso é com Pimpinella anisum.
Em Santo Antônio do Pinhal é raro encontrar a P. anisum, principalmente por ser anual e de difícil cultivo. O F. vulgare é comum. Encontrado nos terrenos baldios e nos quintais, nasce espontaneamente e se destaca com sua flores amarelas e altura por volta de 1,5 m.
Foeniculum vulgare em Santo Antônio do Pinhal
Foto: Gleiciane Gabrielli
segunda-feira, 6 de fevereiro de 2017
Experts reveal hidden dangers behind supplements
Date: February 6, 2017
Source: Queen's University, Belfast
Summary: Many herbal supplements contain hidden pharmaceutical ingredients that could be causing serious health risks, according to a team of experts.
Many herbal supplements contain hidden pharmaceutical ingredients that could be causing serious health risks, according to a team of experts from Queen's University Belfast, Kingston University London and LGC.
Emeritus Professor Duncan Burns, a forensically experienced analytical chemist from the Queen's University Belfast's Institute for Global Food Security, has been working with a team of specialists on a peer-reviewed paper to examine the detection of illegal ingredients in the supplements.
The experts included Dr Michael Walker from the Government Chemist Programme at LGC and Professor Declan Naughton from Kingston University.
The research found that over-the-counter supplements -- commonly advertised to treat obesity and erectile dysfunction problems -- are labelled as fully herbal but often include potentially dangerous pharmaceutical ingredients, which are not listed on the label.
Professor Burns from Queen's University, who is working to advance knowledge in this area, explained: "Our review looked at research from right across the globe and questioned the purity of herbal food supplements. We have found that these supplements are often not what customers think they are -- they are being deceived into thinking they are getting health benefits from a natural product when actually they are taking a hidden drug.
"These products are unlicensed medicines and many people are consuming large quantities without knowing the interactions with other supplements or medicines they may be taking. This is very dangerous and there can be severe side effects."
The survey raises serious questions about the safety of slimming supplements containing Sibutramine. Sibutramine was licensed as the medicine Reductil until 2010, when it was withdrawn across Europe and the US due to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes associated with the use of the drug.
Tadalfil and sulfoaildenafil were among the most frequently undeclared ingredients in products for erectile dysfunction. When taken with other medicines containing nitrates, they can lower blood pressure drastically and cause serious health problems.
Professor Burns noted: "This is a real issue as people suffering from conditions like diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypertension are frequently prescribed nitrate containing medicines. If they are also taking a herbal supplement to treat erectile dysfunction, they could become very ill.
"People who take these products will not be aware they have taken these substances and so when they visit their doctor they may not declare this and it can be difficult to determine what is causing the side effects. It is a very dangerous situation."
Professor Declan Naughton explained: "This work highlights the vital role research and, in particular, techniques like datamining, can play in informing regulators about current trends in supplement contamination. This is very important to ensure effective testing strategies and, ultimately, to help keep the public safe."
Dr Michael Walker commented: "The laboratory tests we describe in our paper will assist regulators to tackle this problem proactively to protect consumers and responsible businesses."
Find the report online at: http://www.apajournal.org.uk./html/japa_vol_44_pg__51-66.html
Story Source:
Materials provided by Queen's University, Belfast. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Cite This Page:
Queen's University, Belfast. "Experts reveal hidden dangers behind supplements." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170206084246.htm>.
Many herbal supplements contain hidden pharmaceutical ingredients that could be causing serious health risks, according to a team of experts from Queen's University Belfast, Kingston University London and LGC.
Emeritus Professor Duncan Burns, a forensically experienced analytical chemist from the Queen's University Belfast's Institute for Global Food Security, has been working with a team of specialists on a peer-reviewed paper to examine the detection of illegal ingredients in the supplements.
The experts included Dr Michael Walker from the Government Chemist Programme at LGC and Professor Declan Naughton from Kingston University.
The research found that over-the-counter supplements -- commonly advertised to treat obesity and erectile dysfunction problems -- are labelled as fully herbal but often include potentially dangerous pharmaceutical ingredients, which are not listed on the label.
Professor Burns from Queen's University, who is working to advance knowledge in this area, explained: "Our review looked at research from right across the globe and questioned the purity of herbal food supplements. We have found that these supplements are often not what customers think they are -- they are being deceived into thinking they are getting health benefits from a natural product when actually they are taking a hidden drug.
"These products are unlicensed medicines and many people are consuming large quantities without knowing the interactions with other supplements or medicines they may be taking. This is very dangerous and there can be severe side effects."
The survey raises serious questions about the safety of slimming supplements containing Sibutramine. Sibutramine was licensed as the medicine Reductil until 2010, when it was withdrawn across Europe and the US due to an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes associated with the use of the drug.
Tadalfil and sulfoaildenafil were among the most frequently undeclared ingredients in products for erectile dysfunction. When taken with other medicines containing nitrates, they can lower blood pressure drastically and cause serious health problems.
Professor Burns noted: "This is a real issue as people suffering from conditions like diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypertension are frequently prescribed nitrate containing medicines. If they are also taking a herbal supplement to treat erectile dysfunction, they could become very ill.
"People who take these products will not be aware they have taken these substances and so when they visit their doctor they may not declare this and it can be difficult to determine what is causing the side effects. It is a very dangerous situation."
Professor Declan Naughton explained: "This work highlights the vital role research and, in particular, techniques like datamining, can play in informing regulators about current trends in supplement contamination. This is very important to ensure effective testing strategies and, ultimately, to help keep the public safe."
Dr Michael Walker commented: "The laboratory tests we describe in our paper will assist regulators to tackle this problem proactively to protect consumers and responsible businesses."
Find the report online at: http://www.apajournal.org.uk./html/japa_vol_44_pg__51-66.html
Story Source:
Materials provided by Queen's University, Belfast. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Cite This Page:
Queen's University, Belfast. "Experts reveal hidden dangers behind supplements." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170206084246.htm>.
Hard shell, healthy kernel: Nuts can inhibit the growth of cancer cells
Date: February 6, 2017
Source: Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Summary: Roasted and salted, ground as a baking ingredient or fresh from the shell – for all those who enjoy eating nuts, there is good news from nutritionists. Their latest research shows that nuts can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Roasted and salted, ground as a baking ingredient or fresh from the shell -- for all those who enjoy eating nuts, there is good news from nutritionists at Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany). Their latest research shows that nuts can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
"For a long time now we have known that nuts are full of substances that are good for the heart and the cardiovascular system, or that protect against becoming overweight or developing diabetes," says Dr Wiebke Schlörmann. Some studies have also indicated a protective effect against colon cancer, she adds. "What we have not known in detail up to now is what this protective effect of nuts is based on." Dr Schlörmann and her colleagues from the Department of Nutritional Toxicology at the University of Jena are now in a position to give specific answers to that question. In a publication in the specialist journal 'Molecular Carcinogenesis', they present results from a recent study, which throw light on the molecular mechanisms of this protective effect (DOI: 10.1002/mc.22606).
According to this study, nuts have a positive effect on health because, among other things, they are involved in activating the body's own defences for detoxifying reactive oxygen species. Such substances, which are created by ultraviolet radiation, various chemicals or distinct food metabolites, for example, can cause DNA damage that leads to cancer development. "The body has a whole series of protective mechanisms that render reactive oxygen species harmless," explains Dr Schlörmann. The nutritionists in Jena have now shown that these mechanisms are stimulated by nuts and the substances they contain.
The researchers investigated the effect of five different types of nuts: macadamia nuts, hazelnuts and walnuts, as well as almonds and pistachios. The nuts were artificially 'digested' in test tubes and the effects of the resulting digestion products on cell lines were then analysed. The researchers established that the activity of the protective enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase increases in the cells that are treated. In addition, the digestion products induce what is called programmed cell death in the cancer cells thus treated.
"We were able to show this effect is mediated by all the types of nuts studied," noted Prof. Michael Glei, who led the study. In the next stage, he and his team want to find out whether this protective effect is reduced by roasting the nuts. As most of the nuts investigated are predominantly consumed in roasted form, this further research might enable scientists to give appropriate nutritional advice based on the results.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Roasted and salted, ground as a baking ingredient or fresh from the shell -- for all those who enjoy eating nuts, there is good news from nutritionists at Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany). Their latest research shows that nuts can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
"For a long time now we have known that nuts are full of substances that are good for the heart and the cardiovascular system, or that protect against becoming overweight or developing diabetes," says Dr Wiebke Schlörmann. Some studies have also indicated a protective effect against colon cancer, she adds. "What we have not known in detail up to now is what this protective effect of nuts is based on." Dr Schlörmann and her colleagues from the Department of Nutritional Toxicology at the University of Jena are now in a position to give specific answers to that question. In a publication in the specialist journal 'Molecular Carcinogenesis', they present results from a recent study, which throw light on the molecular mechanisms of this protective effect (DOI: 10.1002/mc.22606).
According to this study, nuts have a positive effect on health because, among other things, they are involved in activating the body's own defences for detoxifying reactive oxygen species. Such substances, which are created by ultraviolet radiation, various chemicals or distinct food metabolites, for example, can cause DNA damage that leads to cancer development. "The body has a whole series of protective mechanisms that render reactive oxygen species harmless," explains Dr Schlörmann. The nutritionists in Jena have now shown that these mechanisms are stimulated by nuts and the substances they contain.
The researchers investigated the effect of five different types of nuts: macadamia nuts, hazelnuts and walnuts, as well as almonds and pistachios. The nuts were artificially 'digested' in test tubes and the effects of the resulting digestion products on cell lines were then analysed. The researchers established that the activity of the protective enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase increases in the cells that are treated. In addition, the digestion products induce what is called programmed cell death in the cancer cells thus treated.
"We were able to show this effect is mediated by all the types of nuts studied," noted Prof. Michael Glei, who led the study. In the next stage, he and his team want to find out whether this protective effect is reduced by roasting the nuts. As most of the nuts investigated are predominantly consumed in roasted form, this further research might enable scientists to give appropriate nutritional advice based on the results.
Story Source:
Materials provided by Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Wiebke Schlörmann, Julia Lamberty, Stefan Lorkowski, Diana Ludwig, Henning Mothes, Christian Saupe, Michael Glei. Chemopreventive potential of in vitro fermented nuts in LT97 colon adenoma and primary epithelial colon cells. Molecular Carcinogenesis, 2017; DOI: 10.1002/mc.22606
Cite This Page:
Friedrich Schiller University Jena. "Hard shell, healthy kernel: Nuts can inhibit the growth of cancer cells." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170206084702.htm>.
Wiebke Schlörmann, Julia Lamberty, Stefan Lorkowski, Diana Ludwig, Henning Mothes, Christian Saupe, Michael Glei. Chemopreventive potential of in vitro fermented nuts in LT97 colon adenoma and primary epithelial colon cells. Molecular Carcinogenesis, 2017; DOI: 10.1002/mc.22606
Cite This Page:
Friedrich Schiller University Jena. "Hard shell, healthy kernel: Nuts can inhibit the growth of cancer cells." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 February 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170206084702.htm>.
Croton urucurana
Texto:
Jessica Tiyoko Yamashita - acadêmica de agronomia - Faculdade Cantareira
Marcos Roberto Furlan - Engenheiro Agrônomo - Professor UNITAU e Faculdade Cantareira
O nome popular sangra-d´água ou sangue-de-dragão faz jus à sua principal característica. A seiva que sai de seu tronco é de cor vermelha, muito semelhante a um sangramento. Referência à água também é porque ocorre em cursos de água e lagos.
No Brasil há outras espécies com esses nomes, em regiões diferentes, o que gera uma confusão. A mais famosa é a Croton lechleri. Em outro texto iremos comentar a sangra-d´água, que ocorre no Mato Grosso.
A espécie da foto foi encontrada na beira do Rio Cubatão de Cima, em São Bernardo do Campo, Estado de São Paulo.
Seu nome científico é Croton urucurana, pertencente à família Euphorbiaceae. Essa árvore medicinal é mais comum no sudeste brasileiro. Popularmente é utilizada como cicatrizante e anti-inflamatória.
O látex, apesar de ter estudos que comprovem sua atividade cicatrizante e antiúlcera, é altamente tóxico, se tomado por via oral.
Seiva da Croton urucurana
Foto: Jessica Tiyoko Yamashita
Algumas pesquisas sobre a espécie:
Inibição de Staphylococcus aureus e Salmonella typhimurium
Jessica Tiyoko Yamashita - acadêmica de agronomia - Faculdade Cantareira
Marcos Roberto Furlan - Engenheiro Agrônomo - Professor UNITAU e Faculdade Cantareira
O nome popular sangra-d´água ou sangue-de-dragão faz jus à sua principal característica. A seiva que sai de seu tronco é de cor vermelha, muito semelhante a um sangramento. Referência à água também é porque ocorre em cursos de água e lagos.
No Brasil há outras espécies com esses nomes, em regiões diferentes, o que gera uma confusão. A mais famosa é a Croton lechleri. Em outro texto iremos comentar a sangra-d´água, que ocorre no Mato Grosso.
A espécie da foto foi encontrada na beira do Rio Cubatão de Cima, em São Bernardo do Campo, Estado de São Paulo.
Seu nome científico é Croton urucurana, pertencente à família Euphorbiaceae. Essa árvore medicinal é mais comum no sudeste brasileiro. Popularmente é utilizada como cicatrizante e anti-inflamatória.
O látex, apesar de ter estudos que comprovem sua atividade cicatrizante e antiúlcera, é altamente tóxico, se tomado por via oral.
Seiva da Croton urucurana
Foto: Jessica Tiyoko Yamashita
Algumas pesquisas sobre a espécie:
Inibição de Staphylococcus aureus e Salmonella typhimurium
Peres, M.T.L.P., Delle Monache, F., Cruz, A.B., Pizzolatti, M.G., Yunes, R.A., 1997. Chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Croton urucurana Baillon (Euphorbiaceae). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 56, 223–226
Atividade antibacteriana
Atividade antibacteriana
Gurgel, L.A., Sidrimb, J.J.C., Martinsc, D.T., Filhod, V.C., Rao, V.S., 2005. In vitro antifungal activity of Dragon’s blood from Croton urucurana against dermatophytes. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 97, 409–412.
Antihemorragia nos envenenamento por jararaca (sandoval)
Sandoval, M., Okuhama, N.N., Clark, M., Angeles, F.M., Lao, J., Bustamante, S., Miller, M.J.S., 2002. Sangre de grado Croton palanostigma induces apoptosis in human gastrointestinal cancer cells. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 80, 121–129.
Antidiarreia
Gurgel, L.A., Silva, R.M., Santos, F.A., Martins, D.T., Mattos, P.O., Rao, V.S., 2001. Studies on the antidiarrhoeal effect of Dragon’s blood from Croton urucurana. Phytotherapy Research 15, 319–322.
Antihemorragia nos envenenamento por jararaca (sandoval)
Sandoval, M., Okuhama, N.N., Clark, M., Angeles, F.M., Lao, J., Bustamante, S., Miller, M.J.S., 2002. Sangre de grado Croton palanostigma induces apoptosis in human gastrointestinal cancer cells. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 80, 121–129.
Antidiarreia
Gurgel, L.A., Silva, R.M., Santos, F.A., Martins, D.T., Mattos, P.O., Rao, V.S., 2001. Studies on the antidiarrhoeal effect of Dragon’s blood from Croton urucurana. Phytotherapy Research 15, 319–322.
Flora em Santo Antônio do Pinhal, SP - Polygala sp
Texto:
Gleiciane Gabrielli - Massoterapeuta- acadêmica de Agronomia - Universidade de Taubaté
Marcos Roberto Furlan - Eng. Agrônomo - Universidade de Taubaté, Faculdade Cantareira
Miúdo, não mais que meio metro, solitário às vezes, mas espalhado em várias regiões do país. De suas raízes exala um aroma não muito comum entre as plantas, que lembra o medicamento Gelol. Essas são características do "gelolzinho", de nome científico Polygala sp, da família Polygalaceae.
Em Santo Antônio do Pinhal, o "gelolzinho" é encontrado em pequenas quantidades. Muitos da região conhecem a planta por causa do aroma, usando-o como anti-inflamatório e anestésico em contusões. A principal substância responsável pelo seu cheiro característico é o salicilato de metila.
A Tese de Fabiana Cristina Missau, do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/handle/123456789/91853/251329.pdf?sequence=1) demonstra em ensaios in vitro, que a espécie Polygala paniculata, rica em salicilato de metila, dentre outras ações, apresenta atividade antinociceptiva, atividade anti-inflamatória no modelo de edema de pata, induzido pela injeção intraplantar de carragenina nas cobaias, atividade gastroprotetora, ação antifúngica, no modelo da concentração inibitória mínima (CIM), frente à quase todos os fungos testados (Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis, Candida glabrata, Sporothrix schenckii e Criptococcus neoformans).
Foto: Polygala sp
Autoria: Gleiciane Gabrielli
Marcos Roberto Furlan - Eng. Agrônomo - Universidade de Taubaté, Faculdade Cantareira
Miúdo, não mais que meio metro, solitário às vezes, mas espalhado em várias regiões do país. De suas raízes exala um aroma não muito comum entre as plantas, que lembra o medicamento Gelol. Essas são características do "gelolzinho", de nome científico Polygala sp, da família Polygalaceae.
Em Santo Antônio do Pinhal, o "gelolzinho" é encontrado em pequenas quantidades. Muitos da região conhecem a planta por causa do aroma, usando-o como anti-inflamatório e anestésico em contusões. A principal substância responsável pelo seu cheiro característico é o salicilato de metila.
A Tese de Fabiana Cristina Missau, do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (https://repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/handle/123456789/91853/251329.pdf?sequence=1) demonstra em ensaios in vitro, que a espécie Polygala paniculata, rica em salicilato de metila, dentre outras ações, apresenta atividade antinociceptiva, atividade anti-inflamatória no modelo de edema de pata, induzido pela injeção intraplantar de carragenina nas cobaias, atividade gastroprotetora, ação antifúngica, no modelo da concentração inibitória mínima (CIM), frente à quase todos os fungos testados (Candida albicans, Candida krusei, Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis, Candida glabrata, Sporothrix schenckii e Criptococcus neoformans).
Foto: Polygala sp
Autoria: Gleiciane Gabrielli
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