Essential oils to fight bacterial infections

Date: June 7, 2018 Source: James Cook University Summary: Scientists have discovered a technique to apply natural plant extracts such as Tea Tree Oil as a coating for medical devices, a process which could prevent millions of infections every year.

James Cook University scientists have discovered a technique to apply natural plant extracts such as Tea Tree Oil as a coating for medical devices, a process which could prevent millions of infections every year.

Professor Mohan Jacob, Head of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at JCU, leads a team investigating the problem. He said an increasing number of unplanned surgeries are being performed to fight infections -- mostly caused by bacterial activity on medical devices and a subsequent 'biofilm' forming on them.

"Just in the US, about 17 million new biofilm-related infections are reported annually, leading to approximately 550,000 fatalities each year. It's thought about 80% of worldwide surgery-associated infections may relate to biofilm formation," he said.

Professor Jacob said the team converted plant-based products -- known as Plant Secondary Metabolites (PSMs) -- into polymer coatings for medical devices, including implants.

"They're derived from such things as essential oils and herb extracts and they have relatively powerful broad-spectrum antibacterial activities. PSMs are a low-cost renewable resource available in commercial quantities, with limited toxicity, and potentially, different mechanisms for fighting bacteria than synthetic antibiotics."

Professor Jacob said the group's research tackled the persistent problem of how to convert the plant extracts from a liquid to a solid state as a coating for medical devices, without a significant loss of effectiveness.

Dr Katia Bazaka is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow and team member. "We used plasma-enhanced techniques within a reactor containing the essential oil vapours. When the vapours are exposed to a glow discharge, they are transformed and settle on the surface of an implant as a solid biologically-active coating. These have shown good antibacterial properties," she said.

"The main advantage of this approach is that we are not using other chemicals, such as solvents, during the fabrication process. As such, there is no threat of potentially harmful chemicals being retained in the coating or them damaging the surface of the material onto which the coating is applied. It also makes the fabrication process more environmentally friendly," said Dr Bazaka.

Professor Jacob said the JCU group are currently the global pioneers in the development of plant-derived polymer thin films -- publishing over 70 research articles and six PhD theses in the field.

Professor Ian Atkinson, Director of JCU's eResearch unit and a collaborator on the project, said the work had recently been extended to target marine organisms, to prevent the growth of biofilms on aquatic sensors and their subsequent failure.

"Another attractive feature of these coatings is their optical transparency, which may be quite important if you are using them to coat contact lenses, or optical windows in aquatic sensors," he said.

Professor Jacob and his PhD students are now collaborating with the Dr Peter Mulvey and Associate Professor Jeff Warner at the JCU-based Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine to study the activity of different types of bacteria on the plant- based coatings.

Background

Even though synthetic antibiotics have been the best weapon for eradicating microbial infections since the arrival of penicillin, the overuse of these medications is gradually rendering them ineffective. Scientists think that if new strategies are not developed soon, medical treatments could retreat to the era where slight injuries and common infections develop into serious medical problems.

Most plants produce organic molecules as antimicrobial agents to combat harmful microorganisms. In the past few decades, progress in the synthesis of nanoscale materials, in particular plasma-assisted fabrication, has provided the means to retain the antimicrobial activities of plant secondary metabolites within bioactive coatings.

Though the JCU team investigated many natural precursors, their main focus was on the Australian based essential oil, Tea Tree Oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) and its components. As part of a PhD project, Dr Katia Bazaka developed antibacterial coatings from terpene-4-ol, which is a major component of Tea Tree Oil.

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Materials provided by James Cook University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Ahmed Al-Jumaili, Avishek Kumar, Kateryna Bazaka, Mohan Jacob. Plant Secondary Metabolite-Derived Polymers: A Potential Approach to Develop Antimicrobial Films. Polymers, 2018; 10 (5): 515 DOI: 10.3390/polym10050515

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Coconut oil prolongs life in peroxisomal disorders: fruit fly study

Date: June 20, 2018 Source: University of Bonn Summary: 'Lorenzo's Oil' was to help a seriously ill boy suffering from a peroxisomal disorder (adrenoleukodystrophy/ALD). The true story was turned into a film which made the rare disease well known. Scientists investigated such peroxisomal diseases on fruit flies. They were able to prove that a coconut oil diet significantly increases the vitality and lifespan of the flies.

"Lorenzo's Oil" was to help a seriously ill boy suffering from a peroxisomal disorder (adrenoleukodystrophy/ALD). The true story was turned into a film which made the rare disease well known. Scientists from the University of Bonn, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the German Cancer Research Center investigated such peroxisomal diseases on fruit flies. They were able to prove that a coconut oil diet significantly increases the vitality and lifespan of the flies. The results will now be presented in the journal PLOS Biology.

The 1992 film drama tells the true story of Lorenzo Odone, who suffered from the rare disease adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), which results in damage to the nervous system. The parents' desperate search for treatment eventually leads to "Lorenzo's Oil." The rare hereditary disease arises from the dysfunction of so-called "peroxisomes." These are tiny bubbles surrounded by a membrane that are mainly responsible for detoxifying the cells. In addition to harmful hydrogen peroxide, very-long-chain fatty acids in particular are also metabolized there.

If the peroxisomes are damaged or absent, a toxic accumulation of very-long-chain fatty acids occurs. While science has so far primarily focused on these very-long-chain fatty acids as the cause of the disease, a research team around Dr. Margret Bülow at the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn investigated the importance of medium-chain fatty acids. "These fatty acids are much more frequent than the very long-chain ones," says Bülow. "Their importance has been underestimated so far."

The research team used fruit flies as a classical model organism. The flies lacked a gene that encodes an important building block for the peroxisomes, which prevented the detoxification factories from working properly. The disease resembled peroxisome dysfunction in humans: Brain cells in the flies had died, so they could neither fly nor crawl. "What was striking about these animals was that they showed a medium-chain fatty deficiency," reports lead author Dr. Julia Sellin. "It is precisely these fatty acids that serve as fuel for energy production in the cell power plants -- the mitochondria." It was therefore reasonable to assume that additional feeding with the deficient fatty acids could compensate for the damage.

Flies on a coconut oil diet

The scientists therefore put some of the flies with the missing gene on a diet of coconut oil, which is rich in medium-chain fatty acids. A control group was fed conventionally. It was found that only about 20 percent of the fruit flies larvae raised on standard food developed further into adult specimens. Most of these died within 24 hours, while the normal life expectancy is around 40 to 50 days. In contrast, about 55 percent of the larvae fed with coconut oil produced adult fruit flies that survived for several weeks. "With the diet, the fruit flies suffering from the peroxisome disorder are able to survive, which is not possible on a conventional diet," summarizes Dr. Christian Wingen, the second lead author.

The damaged fly larvae showed symptoms of hunger stress. In the search for the causes, the team of researchers discovered lipase 3. This is an enzyme that mobilizes fatty acids from the storage fat as fuel when there is a lack of food. Lipase 3 was upregulated to provide more energy. However, in peroxisome diseases the mitochondria are affected, which is why the fatty acids could not be completely processed and accumulated to a toxic amount. Bülow: "This is probably the cause of death of the flies." Another important role is played by "ceramide synthase Schlank," which was discovered several years earlier at the LIMES Institute. If the synthase is outside the cell nucleus, lipase 3 is upregulated, which leads to the described damage. The coconut oil diet however dampened the increased activity of lipase 3, thereby reducing cell damage. A team of researchers led by Dr. Reinhard Bauer was recently able to show that Schlank is involved in the regulation of lipase 3.

Can the fruit fly findings be transferred to humans? The researchers also investigated human cell lines derived from patients with peroxisomal biogenesis disease. These too showed that without a coconut oil diet, the mitochondria swell and free fatty acids accumulate in toxic concentrations. "We were able to transfer some aspects that we observed on flies to human cells," summarizes Bülow. This is an important indication for a possible therapy approach in humans. "But there is still a lot of research to be done."

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Materials provided by University of Bonn. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Julia Sellin, Christian Wingen, Dominic Gosejacob, Deniz Senyilmaz, Lea Hänschke, Sven Büttner, Katharina Meyer, Daniele Bano, Pierluigi Nicotera, Aurelio A. Teleman, Margret H. Bülow. Dietary rescue of lipotoxicity-induced mitochondrial damage in Peroxin19 mutants. PLOS Biology, 2018; 16 (6): e2004893 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2004893

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Em artigo na “Science”, brasileiros saem em defesa da biodiversidade

07/06/2018

Eles alertam para o risco do comprometimento de pesquisas científicas com a Nova Lei da Biodiversidade

Por Rose Talamone - Editorias: Universidade, Ciências Ambientais

Pesquisadores criticam lei que, segundo eles, pode comprometer pesquisas científicas – Foto: https://www.xapuri.info/

Em artigo publicado na última edição da revista Science, de 25 de maio, pesquisadores brasileiros fazem duras críticas à chamada Nova Lei da Biodiversidade (Lei 13.123, regulamentada pelo Decreto 8.772). Segundo os pesquisadores, essa lei, “disfarçada de marco de progresso para a pesquisa científica e endossada por alguns setores científicos, constitui um revés monumental”. 

De acordo com a lei, segundo o artigo, praticamente toda atividade de pesquisa sobre biodiversidade brasileira deve ser registrada no Sistema Nacional de Gestão de Recursos Genéticos e Conhecimento Tradicional Associado (SisGen), criado para auxiliar o Conselho de Gestão do Patrimônio Genético (CGen). O prazo para cumprir essas regras, que eles chamam de draconianas, é 5 de novembro.

Os pesquisadores alertam que o descumprimento, incluindo a disseminação não registrada de resultados científicos, mesmo com base apenas em bancos de dados públicos como o GenBank, ou dados, ou resultados previamente publicados, trará pesadas multas.

No texto, os pesquisadores lembram que, “paradoxalmente, as atividades comerciais que envolvem a biota brasileira, como a exportação de peixes ornamentais, plantas, grãos e outros produtos comercializáveis, não são afetadas pela lei”.

Para finalizar, alertam que “se não for revogado ou substancialmente reformulado, esse labirinto bizantino de exigências e ameaças desnecessárias dizimará pesquisas científicas sobre a biodiversidade brasileira”. E, ainda, que o governo brasileiro deve implementar leis que “facilitem a colaboração internacional e incentivem a pesquisa sobre a biodiversidade, em vez de sufocá-la. Caso contrário, uma parte substancial da biodiversidade do mundo e seus benefícios podem desaparecer silenciosamente atrás de um muro de burocracia”.

Assinam o artigo pesquisadores da Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP), do Instituto de Biociências (IB), do Museu de Zoologia (MZ) da USP, e do Museu Nacional da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). Leia a íntegra do artigo aqui.

Link:

https://jornal.usp.br/universidade/em-artigo-na-science-pesquisadores-brasileiros-saem-em-defesa-da-biodiversidade/

Campo rupestre no Brasil apresenta alta diversidade de espécies de plantas

Outro lado das plantas espontâneas dos quintais

O Brasil abriga uma das maiores biodiversidades do mundo, principalmente relacionada à flora, que se apresenta ainda pouco explorada, rica em plantas para os mais diferentes usos. Não é necessário ir muito longe para constatação, pois podemos encontrar espécies alimentícias, medicinais ou com aplicações na agricultura em diversos terrenos, nascendo espontaneamente ao nosso redor. 

Apesar de a maioria da população estar dentro das casas na maior parte do tempo, nos quintais, exceto os cimentados, nascem plantas sem a intervenção do ser humano. Como competem com as ornamentais e/ou as comestíveis, dentre outras, são denominadas por leigos como plantas daninhas ou invasoras. No entanto, todas elas possuem uma ou mais utilidades, não justificando, portanto, esses nomes pejorativos. 

Dentre os exemplos, existem vegetais como os carurus (está no plural, pois, dependendo da região, há mais de uma espécie com este nome, todas pertencentes ao gênero Amaranthus). Essas espécies são indicadoras de solo rico em matéria orgânica e comestível. É importante destacar que, quando ocorrem somente carurus, é sinal de que o solo está desequilibrado quanto à fertilidade. 

Outrora, era comum comer algumas das espécies de caruru refogadas na sopa de fubá, porém, não são todos os carurus que podem ser consumidos, sendo evitado pela população tradicional aqueles que possuem “espinhos” (Amaranthus spinosus), por acreditar que sejam tóxicos. Quanto ao equilíbrio de insetos pragas na horta caseira, os besouros preferem atacar mais os carurus a muitas das hortaliças. Ou seja, ao arrancá-los, os besouros, por não terem essas fontes de alimentos, aumentam o ataque às outras plantas. 

Outra planta de múltiplas aplicações é a erva-de-são-joão (Ageratum conyzoides). Além do uso na medicina popular, para cólica infantil, há estudos que demonstram sua ação como anti-inflamatório. Na agricultura, indica solo fértil, hospedando inimigos naturais de ácaros. Também existem referências de uso para infecção de útero em vacas. 

Muitas das plantas que ocorrem no quintal são comestíveis, e como não são comumente consumidas como alimentos, são denominadas plantas alimentícias não convencionais (PANCs). Uma delas, a serralha (Sonchus oleraceus) é encontrada em feiras, como verdura. Há outras comestíveis conhecida como serralha, são as denominadas serralhinha ou bela-emília (Emilia sonchifolia). As duas “serralhas”, por terem caules tenros, são preferidas pelos pulgões. 

Outra planta que já foi comercializada como hortaliça é a beldroega (Portulaca oleracea). É comum encontrá-la nas saladas de alguns restaurantes. Outras, de origem europeia, são as tanchagens (gênero Plantago), consumidas em algumas regiões da Europa, como alimento. 

Há outras ainda desconhecidas como alimentos pela maioria da população, como a maria-pretinha (Solanum nigrum), o mentruz (Coronopus didymus) e o picão-preto (Bidens pilosa). 

Apesar de serem consideradas alimentos, essas plantas, por não serem domesticadas pelo ser humano, possuem fatores antinutricionais, isto é, têm substâncias que dificultam a absorção de nutrientes. Porém, os efeitos negativos só irão surgir quando ocorre o consumo contínuo e em grandes quantidades. 

Nascem também, nos quintais, algumas espécies do gênero Sida, denominadas por guanxumas ou vassourinhas. São indicadoras de solos compactados, sendo utilizadas para fazer vassouras caseiras. O picão-branco (Galinsoga parviflora) é outra planta que revela a qualidade do solo. Sua presença em grande quantidade indica que o solo é rico em matéria orgânica, mas deficiente em alguns micronutrientes. 

Em animais, o picão-branco é usado misturado com o picão-preto nas rações ou nas forragens, para diminuir os efeitos tóxicos de medicamentos em cavalos. A erva-de-santa-maria (Chenopodium ambrosioides) é utilizada como repelente de pulgas e piolhos, e como vermífugo para animais. 

As plantas dos quintais se destacam também como medicinais. Um exemplo é a já citada erva-de-são-joão. As quebra-pedras (gênero Phylanthus) são mais conhecidas pela população devido ao uso contra pedras nos rins. 

Há referências científicas de algumas delas como hepatoprotetoras, como o picão-preto e a erva-botão (Eclipta alba). Uma que é reconhecida como diurética e usada desde a antiguidade é o dente-de-leão (Taraxacum officinale). Esta espécie é também comestível, indicadora de solo bom, usada como alimento de animais para estimular a lactação e fornecedora de inulina para a indústria de pães e de outros produtos da panificação. 

Muitas vezes essas espécies ocorrem apenas em quintais. Quando esses locais são cimentados ou ocorre a erradicação constante dessas plantas, uma das consequências pode ser a extinção. Logo, a preservação delas e de seus usos é importante, principalmente para a melhoria da nossa alimentação e da nossa saúde. 

Dente-de-leão

Beldroega

Texto:

Giovanna Brito Lins - Graduanda em Ciência e Tecnologia e Ciências Biológicas na Universidade Federal do ABC. 

Marcos Roberto Furlan – Prof. e Membro do Mestrado em Ciências Ambientais da UNITAU

Orange peels may hold secret to airborne medicine, safer bridges

Date: June 11, 2018 Source: University of Central Florida Summary: Engineers have figured out the mechanics of how oranges release that thin stream of fragrant oil when squeezed. They characterized the orange peels' structure and figured out the role the layers have to create the microjet dynamic. By mimicking nature's mechanism of an orange layer, pharmaceutical companies may be able to develop a less expensive and less complex way to deliver airborne medication.

Bartenders and cooks have long recognized the value of an orange twist, but thanks to researchers at the University of Central Florida, squeezing oranges may give us a new way to deliver medicine or to detect bridge failures before they happen.

Engineering Assistant Professor Andrew K. Dickerson and graduate student Nicholas M. Smith have figured out the mechanics of how oranges release that thin stream of fragrant oil when squeezed. They characterized the orange peels' structure and figured out the role the layers have to create the microjet dynamic. By mimicking nature's mechanism of an orange layer, pharmaceutical companies may be able to develop a less expensive and less complex way to deliver airborne medication.

"We study natural systems to mathematically characterize how creation works, and despite the ubiquity of citrus-fruit consumption, these jets had not been previously studied," Dickerson said. "Nature is our greatest inspiration for tackling real-world problems."

The team's findings are published in today's Proceedings from the National Academy of Sciences.

Florida's fruit is complex. Its hard outer layer protects the fruit, and a white spongy layer just below the skin has microscopic reservoirs of oil in hidden pockets. The spongy material absorbs impact, but when squeezed to a critical pressure it pushes up and tears open a minute section of the hard outer-layer to spray its fragrant stream. These microjets are small but fast, exiting their cavities at 22 mph on average by accelerating 5,000 Gs, which is equivalent to about 1,000 times the force astronauts feels at launch.

"There are several potential applications," Smith said. "For example, for asthmatics, you could have a small slice of material which would aerosolize emergency medication that you currently find in expensive, multi-use inhalers. This approach may be less expensive and biodegradable."

An orange peel releases an oily substance, and the dynamics should hold for other types of liquids, the researchers said.

But there's still some research needed before putting the orange peel approach to work delivering medication.

"First, we need to work out sizes and proportions," Dickerson said. "It's important to understand exactly how the microjets work and how to tune their stability for medical applications. The size of droplets and the amount of medication they carry is critical. We've got a ways to go before applications can be explored."

But when that happens, the possibilities are only limited by the imagination.

"Imagine a self-diagnosing bridge," Dickerson said. "It would have an orange-like skin layer and when you were approaching material failure, you would get a preventative warning, a color change perhaps."

Dickerson, a fluid-dynamic expert, is making a career of studying nature. He's already published several papers looking at what can be learned from the proverbial wet-dog shake and how mosquitos survive raindrop collisions. Studying the shake helps us understand how to self-dry large surfaces such as solar panels. And studying how mosquitos survive rain could help create strategies for combating the disease-carrying insects.

"Few labs nationally do this type of research," Smith said. "That's one of the reasons I came to UCF to do my graduate work. This is exciting stuff. Nature has had billions of years to get the engineering principles right and I get to look at them, figure them out and then play with them to solve problems. That's pretty exciting!"

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Materials provided by University of Central Florida. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Nicholas M. Smith, Hossein Ebrahimi, Ranajay Ghosh, Andrew K. Dickerson. High-speed microjets issue from bursting oil gland reservoirs of citrus fruit. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018; 201720809 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1720809115

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Cannabis does not increase suicidal behavior in psychiatric patients

Date: June 13, 2018 Source: McMaster University Summary:Researchers have found there is no significant association between cannabis use and suicidal behavior in people with psychiatric disorders. The study findings contrast with pre-existing data that shows the drug is linked to an increased chance of suicidal behavior in the general population.

McMaster University researchers have found there is no significant association between cannabis use and suicidal behavior in people with psychiatric disorders.

The study findings contrast with pre-existing data that shows the drug is linked to an increased chance of suicidal behavior in the general population.

However, based on a small subset of participants, researchers did note the heaviness of cannabis use increased risk of suicidal behavior in men, suggesting a closer follow-up by medical professionals of those patients.

The study was published online this week in the journal Biology of Sex Differences.

"In what we believe to be a first, this study seeks to understand how cannabis use impacts suicide attempts in men and women with psychiatric disorders who are already at a heightened risk of attempting suicide," said Zainab Samaan, lead author and an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster.

"We know there is a high rate of cannabis use among this population and wanted to better understand any potential correlation to suicidal behavior."

Cannabis is the most commonly-used illicit substance worldwide, and its consumption is expected to increase as more jurisdictions, including Canada, legalize its recreational use.

The team of researchers, predominantly based in Hamilton, merged data collected for two studies based in Ontario. These included a prospective cohort study of opioid use disorder using structured scales to assign psychiatric diagnoses, and a case-control study on suicidal behavior using the same diagnostic methods to reach a psychiatric diagnosis including substance use.

Data was analyzed from a total of 909 psychiatric patients, including 465 men and 444 women. Among this group, 112 men and 158 women had attempted suicide. The average age was 40 years.

"While there was no clear link between cannabis and suicide attempts, our findings did show that among participants with psychiatric disorders, having a mood disorder or being a woman correlates with an increased risk of suicide attempt," said Leen Naji, the study's first author and a family medicine resident at McMaster. "Meanwhile, having a job is protective against suicide attempts."

Naji said that further research is needed, considering Canada's changing laws on cannabis use, and the Mental Health Action Plan of the World Health Organization which has the aim to reduce the rate of suicide by 10 per cent by 2020.

"Our study is both timely and relevant, especially in light of the impeding legalization of recreational cannabis with an expected increase in access in Canada, and there remains uncertainty about the full effect of cannabis on those living with psychiatric disorders," she said.

Samaan added that the study findings may serve to educate health professionals when assessing patients' risk of suicide. She said the results also reinforce suggested benefits of supporting patients with psychiatric disorders in job placements and skills development.

Story Source:

Materials provided by McMaster University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Leen Naji, Tea Rosic, Brittany Dennis, Meha Bhatt, Nitika Sanger, Jackie Hudson, Natalia Mouravska, Lehana Thabane, Zainab Samaan. The association between cannabis use and suicidal behavior in patients with psychiatric disorders: an analysis of sex differences. Biology of Sex Differences, 2018; 9 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s13293-018-0182-x

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Lentils significantly reduce blood glucose levels

Date: June 13, 2018 Source: University of Guelph Summary: Replacing potatoes or rice with pulses can lower your blood glucose levels by more than 20 per cent, according to a new study. Researchers found that swapping out half of a portion of these starchy side dishes for lentils can significantly improve your body's response to the carbohydrates. Replacing half a serving of rice with lentils caused blood glucose to drop by up to 20 per cent. Replacing potatoes with lentils led to a 35-per-cent drop.

This is Dan Ramdath of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, U of G Ph.D. student Dita Moravek and U of G Prof. Alison Duncan.

Credit: University of Guelph

Replacing potatoes or rice with pulses can lower your blood glucose levels by more than 20 per cent, according to a first-ever University of Guelph study.

Prof. Alison Duncan, Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, and Dan Ramdath of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, found that swapping out half of a portion of these starchy side dishes for lentils can significantly improve your body's response to the carbohydrates.

Replacing half a serving of rice with lentils caused blood glucose to drop by up to 20 per cent. Replacing potatoes with lentils led to a 35-per-cent drop.

"Pulses are extremely nutrient-dense food that have the potential to reduce chronic diseases associated with mismanaged glucose levels," said Duncan, who worked on the study with PhD student Dita Moravek and M.Sc. students Erica Rogers, Sarah Turkstra and Jessica Wilson.

Yet very few Canadians eat lentils, she added.

"Canada has a huge production of lentils, but we export most of it and only 13 per cent of Canadians eat them on any given day," said Duncan. "We are hoping this research will make people more aware of the health benefits of eating pulses."

Published and specially featured in the Journal of Nutrition, the study involved 24 healthy adults fed four dishes -- white rice only, half white rice and half large green lentils, half white rice and half small green lentils, and half white rice and half split red lentils.

Researchers measured glucose levels in the participants' blood before they ate and during two hours afterward. They repeated the process for white potatoes alone and the same combinations of potatoes and lentils.

"We mixed the lentils in with the potatoes and rice because people don't typically eat pulses on their own, but rather consume them in combination with other starches as part of a larger meal, so we wanted the results to reflect that."

Blood glucose fell by similar amounts when half of the starch was replaced with each of the three types of lentils.

Blood glucose comprises sugar found in the blood during digestion in the upper digestive tract and depends on the starch content of foods consumed.

Pulses, such as lentils, can slow digestion and the release of sugars found in starch into the bloodstream, ultimately reducing blood glucose levels, said Duncan.

"This slower absorption means you don't experience a spike in glucose. Having high levels over a period of time can lead to mismanagement of blood glucose, which is the hallmark of Type 2 diabetes. Essentially, eating lentils can lower that risk."

Pulses contain components that inhibit enzymes involved in absorption of glucose, and fibre contained in these foods can encourage the production of short-chain fatty acids, which can also help to reduce blood glucose levels, added Duncan.

Health Canada requires a 20-per-cent reduction in blood glucose levels before a health claim about blood glucose lowering can be approved, said Duncan.

"We are hoping that building evidence for approval of a health claim for pulses will further encourage people to add pulses to their side dishes."

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Guelph. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Dita Moravek, Alison M Duncan, Laura B VanderSluis, Sarah J Turkstra, Erica J Rogers, Jessica M Wilson, Aileen Hawke, D Dan Ramdath. Carbohydrate Replacement of Rice or Potato with Lentils Reduces the Postprandial Glycemic Response in Healthy Adults in an Acute, Randomized, Crossover Trial. The Journal of Nutrition, 2018; 148 (4): 535 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxy018

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Plants open their pores and scientists strike gold

Date: June 14, 2018 Source: Springer Summary: Plants containing the element gold are already widely known. The flowering perennial plant alfafa, for example, has been cultivated by scientists to contain pure gold in its plant tissue. Now researchers have identified and investigated the characteristics of gold nanoparticles in two plant species growing in their natural environments.

Plants containing the element gold are already widely known. The flowering perennial plant alfafa, for example, has been cultivated by scientists to contain pure gold in its plant tissue. Now researchers from the Sun Yat-sen University in China have identified and investigated the characteristics of gold nanoparticles in two plant species growing in their natural environments. The study, led by Xiaoen Luo, is published in Springer's journal Environmental Chemistry Letters and has implications for the way gold nanoparticles are produced and absorbed from the environment.

Xiaoen Luo and her colleagues investigated the perennial shrub B. nivea and the annual or biennial weed Erigeron Canadensis. The researchers collected and prepared samples of both plants so that they could be examined using the specialist analytical tool called field-emission transmission electron microscope (TEM).

Gold-bearing nanoparticles -- tiny gold particles fused with another element such as oxygen or copper -- were found in both types of plant. In E. Canadensis these particles were around 20-50 nm in diameter and had an irregular form. The gold-bearing particles in B. nivea were circular, elliptical or bone-rod shaped with smooth edges and were 5-15 nm.

"The abundance of gold in the crust is very low and there was no metal deposit in the sampling area so we speculate that the source of these gold nanoparticles is a nearby electroplating plant that uses gold in its operations, " explains Jianjin Cao who is a co-author of the study.

Most of the characteristics of the nanoparticles matched those of artificial particles rather than naturally occurring nanoparticles, which would support this theory. The researchers believe that the gold-bearing particles were absorbed through the pores of the plants directly, indicating that gold could be accumulated from the soil, water or air.

"Discovering gold-bearing nanoparticles in natural plant tissues is of great significance and allows new possibilities to clean up areas contaminated with nanoparticles, and also to enrich gold nanoparticles using plants," says Xiaoen Luo.

The researchers plan to further study the migration mechanism, storage locations and growth patterns of gold nanoparticles in plants and also verify the absorbing capacity of different plants for gold nanoparticles in polluted areas.

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Materials provided by Springer. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Xiaoen Luo, Jianjin Cao. Discovery of nano-sized gold particles in natural plant tissues. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 2018; DOI: 10.1007/s10311-018-0749-0

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Springer. "Plants open their pores and scientists strike gold." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 June 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180614095226.htm>.

Seminário Plantas Medicinais - 15/06/18 - Tarde

Seminário Plantas Medicinais - 14/06/18 - Tarde - Parte 2

Seminário Plantas Medicinais - 14/06/18 - Tarde - Parte 1

Seminário Plantas Medicinais - 15/06/18 - Manhã - Parte 3

Seminário Plantas Medicinais - 15/06/18 - Manhã - Parte 2

Seminário Plantas Medicinais - 15/06/18 - Manhã - Parte 1

Black Salve as an Alternative Cancer Cure

Blood vitamin D levels linked to colorectal cancer risk

Date: June 14, 2018 Source: American Cancer Society Summary: A new study authored by scientists from more than 20 medical centers and organizations finds that higher circulating vitamin D concentrations are significantly associated with lower colorectal cancer risk.

A new study authored by scientists from the American Cancer Society, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the U.S. National Cancer Institute, and more than 20 other medical centers and organizations finds that higher circulating vitamin D concentrations are significantly associated with lower colorectal cancer risk. This study strengthens the evidence, previously considered inconclusive, for a protective relationship. Optimal vitamin D concentrations for colorectal cancer prevention may be higher than the current National Academy of Medicine recommendations, which are based only on bone health. The study appears online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Vitamin D, known for its role in maintaining bone health, is hypothesized to lower colorectal cancer risk via several pathways related to cell growth and regulation. Previous prospective studies have reported inconsistent results for whether higher concentrations of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the accepted measure of vitamin D status, are linked to lower risk of colorectal cancer. The few randomized clinical trials of vitamin D supplementation and colorectal cancer completed thus far have not shown an effect; but study size, supplementation duration, and compliance may have contributed to their null findings.

"To address inconsistencies in prior studies on vitamin D and to investigate associations in population subgroups, we analyzed participant-level data, collected before colorectal cancer diagnosis, from 17 prospective cohorts and used standardized criteria across the studies," said Stephanie Smith-Warner, PhD, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and co-senior author on the article. The analysis included over 5,700 colorectal cancer cases and 7,100 controls from the United States, Europe, and Asia. A single, widely accepted assay and laboratory was used for new vitamin D measurements and calibration of existing vitamin D measurements. "In the past, substantial differences between assays made it difficult to integrate vitamin D data from different studies," explained Regina G. Ziegler, PhD, a National Cancer Institute epidemiologist and co-senior author on the article. "This calibration approach enabled us to systematically explore risk over the broad range of vitamin D levels seen internationally."

Compared to participants with circulating vitamin D concentrations considered sufficient for bone health, those with deficient concentrations of vitamin D had a 31% higher risk of colorectal cancer during follow-up, which averaged 5.5 years (range: 1 -- 25 years). Similarly, concentrations above bone health sufficiency were associated with a 22% lower risk. However, risk did not continue to decline at the highest concentrations. These associations persisted even after adjusting for known colorectal cancer risk factors. Protective associations were seen in all subgroups examined. However, the association was noticeably stronger in women than men at concentrations above bone health sufficiency. The lifetime risk of colorectal cancer is 4.2% (1 in 24) in women and 4.5% (1 in 22) in men. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women in the United States, with about 140,250 new cases and 50,630 deaths expected during 2018.

"Currently, health agencies do not recommend vitamin D for the prevention of colorectal cancer," said Marji L. McCullough, ScD, American Cancer Society epidemiologist and co-first author of the study. "This study adds new information that agencies can use when reviewing evidence for vitamin D guidance and suggests that the concentrations recommended for bone health may be lower than would be optimal for colorectal cancer prevention."

Vitamin D can be obtained in the diet, particularly from fortified foods, from supplements, and from sun exposure. Experts recommend vitamin D be obtained through diet whenever possible because excessive ultraviolet radiation is a major risk factor for skin cancer.

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Materials provided by American Cancer Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

Marjorie L McCullough, Emilie S Zoltick, Stephanie J Weinstein, Veronika Fedirko, Molin Wang, Nancy R Cook, A Heather Eliassen, Anne Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, Claudia Agnoli, Demetrius Albanes, Matthew J Barnett, Julie E Buring, Peter T Campbell, Tess V Clendenen, Neal D Freedman, Susan M Gapstur, Edward L Giovannucci, Gary G Goodman, Christopher A Haiman, Gloria Y F Ho, Ronald L Horst, Tao Hou, Wen-Yi Huang, Mazda Jenab, Michael E Jones, Corinne E Joshu, Vittorio Krogh, I-Min Lee, Jung Eun Lee, Satu Männistö, Loic Le Marchand, Alison M Mondul, Marian L Neuhouser, Elizabeth A Platz, Mark P Purdue, Elio Riboli, Trude Eid Robsahm, Thomas E Rohan, Shizuka Sasazuki, Minouk J Schoemaker, Sabina Sieri, Meir J Stampfer, Anthony J Swerdlow, Cynthia A Thomson, Steinar Tretli, Schoichiro Tsugane, Giske Ursin, Kala Visvanathan, Kami K White, Kana Wu, Shiaw-Shyuan Yaun, Xuehong Zhang, Walter C Willett, Mitchel H Gail, Regina G Ziegler, Stephanie A Smith-Warner. Circulating Vitamin D and Colorectal Cancer Risk: An International Pooling Project of 17 Cohorts. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2018; DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djy087

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American Cancer Society. "Blood vitamin D levels linked to colorectal cancer risk." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 14 June 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180614101241.htm>.

Girls with high level of vitamin D have stronger muscles

Date: June 14, 2018

Source: University of Southern Denmark Faculty of Health Sciences

Summary:

Girls are stronger with higher levels of vitamin D, but the association was not found in boys. These are the results from a new large study from the Odense Child Cohort. According to the study's first author, girls with low vitamin D have a 70 percent increased risk of being among the lowest 10 percent in a test for muscle strength.

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https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180614213652.htm

Orange, tea tree and eucalyptus oils sweeten diesel fumes

Waste essential oil can be blended with diesel for comparable performance to all-diesel fuel

Date: June 15, 2018 Source: Queensland University of Technology Summary: Waste oil from orange, tea tree and eucalyptus essential oil production mixed with diesel provides a sweet-smelling biofuel blend with comparable performance to diesel-only fuel.

QUT PhD researcher Ashrafur Rahman tested each of the waste oils for performance and emissions as a 10 per cent oil/90per cent diesel blend in a 6-cylinder, 5.9l diesel engine.

"As only therapeutic grade oil can be used, there is a substantial volume of low-value waste oil that currently is stored, awaiting a use," Mr Rahman said.

"Our tests found essential oil blends produced almost the same power as neat diesel with a slight increase in fuel consumption.

"Diesel particulate emissions, which are dangerous to human health, were lower than pure diesel, but nitrogen oxide emissions, a precursor to photochemical smog, were slightly higher."

Mr Rahman said the abundance of the three oils could mean that fragrant fumes on farms were not far off.

"Orange, eucalyptus and tea tree are either native or grown extensively in Australia for essential oil production.

"We see the main use for an essential oil/diesel blend would be in the agricultural sector, especially in the vehicles used by the producers of these oils.

"With further improvement of some key properties, essential oils could be used in all diesel vehicles."

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Materials provided by Queensland University of Technology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:

S. M. Ashrafur Rahman, Md. Nabi, Thuy Van, Kabir Suara, Mohammad Jafari, Ashley Dowell, Md. Islam, Anthony Marchese, Jessica Tryner, Md. Hossain, Thomas Rainey, Zoran Ristovski, Richard Brown. Performance and Combustion Characteristics Analysis of Multi-Cylinder CI Engine Using Essential Oil Blends. Energies, 2018; 11 (4): 738 DOI: 10.3390/en11040738

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Queensland University of Technology. "Orange, tea tree and eucalyptus oils sweeten diesel fumes: Waste essential oil can be blended with diesel for comparable performance to all-diesel fuel." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 June 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180615185531.htm>.

Low vitamin D levels associated with scarring lung disease

Date: June 19, 2018 Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine Summary: Reviewing medical information gathered on more than 6,000 adults over a 10-year period, researchers have found that lower than normal blood levels of vitamin D were linked to increased risk of early signs of interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Reviewing medical information gathered on more than 6,000 adults over a 10-year period, Johns Hopkins researchers have found that lower than normal blood levels of vitamin D were linked to increased risk of early signs of interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Interstitial lung disease is a relatively rare group of disorders characterized by lung scarring and inflammation that may lead to progressive, disabling and irreversible lung damage. An estimated 200,000 cases a year are diagnosed in the United States, most of them caused by environmental toxins such as asbestos or coal dust, but it can be caused by autoimmune disorders, infections, medication side effects or, sometimes, from unknown causes. Once diagnosed with the disease, most people don't live longer than five years. In a series of studies, the researchers sought to learn about new, and potentially treatable, factors related to early signs of the disease seen by CT scans -- imaging abnormalities that may be present long before symptoms develop -- which may help guide future preventive strategies.

Results of the most recent data analysis, published in the Journal of Nutrition on June 19, suggest that low vitamin D might be one factor involved in developing interstitial lung disease. Although the researchers caution their results can't prove a cause and effect, their data support the need for future studies to investigate whether treatment of vitamin D deficiency, such as with supplements or sunlight exposure, could potentially prevent or slow the progression of the disorder in those at risk. Currently, there is no proven treatment or cure once interstitial lung disease is established.

"We knew that the activated vitamin D hormone has anti-inflammatory properties and helps regulate the immune system, which goes awry in ILD," says Erin Michos, M.D., M.H.S., associate professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and associate director of preventive cardiology at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. "There was also evidence in the literature that vitamin D plays a role in obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and COPD, and we now found that the association exists with this scarring form of lung disease too."

To search for that association, Michos and her research team used data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), which from 2000 to 2002 recruited 6,814 people from Forsyth County, North Carolina; New York City; Baltimore, Maryland; St. Paul, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California. The average age of participants was 62, and 53 percent were women. Thirty-eight percent of participants were white, 28 percent were African-American, 22 percent were Hispanic and 12 percent were Chinese.

At an initial clinical visit, staff took blood samples for each participant and measured, among other things, vitamin D levels. Those with vitamin D levels less than 20 nanograms per milliliter -- about 30 percent of participants -- were considered vitamin D deficient (2,051 people). Those with vitamin D levels of 20-30 nanograms per milliliter were considered to have "intermediate," although not optimal, levels of the nutrient, while those with 30 nanograms per milliliter or more were considered to have met recommended levels.

All participants underwent heart CT scans at the first visit and some also at later visits, offering incidental and partial views of the lungs.

At 10 years in, 2,668 participants had full lung CT scans evaluated by a radiologist for presence of scar tissue or other abnormalities.

The vitamin D-deficient participants had a larger volume, on average (about 2.7 centimeters cubed), of bright spots in the lung suggestive of damaged lung tissue, compared with those with adequate vitamin D levels. These differences were seen after adjusting for age and lifestyle risk factors of lung disease including current smoking status, pack years of smoking, physical inactivity or obesity.

When looking at the data from the full lung scans, the researchers said those with deficient or intermediate vitamin D levels were also 50 to 60 percent more likely to have abnormalities on their full lung scans suggestive of early signs of interstitial lung disease, compared with those with optimal vitamin D levels.

These associations were still seen after additionally adjusting for other cardiovascular and inflammatory risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (another inflammatory marker).

"Our study suggests that adequate levels of vitamin D may be important for lung health. We might now consider adding vitamin D deficiency to the list of factors involved in disease processes, along with the known ILD risk factors such as environmental toxins and smoking," says Michos. "However, more research is needed to determine whether optimizing blood vitamin D levels can prevent or slow progression of this lung disease."

People can boost their vitamin D levels by spending 15 minutes a day in summer sunlight or through a diet that includes fatty fish and fortified dairy products. Supplements may be considered for some people with significant deficiency.

According to the 2013 Global Burden of Disease study, about 595,000 people worldwide develop interstitial lung disease each year, and about 491,000 die each year from it.

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Johns Hopkins Medicine. "Low vitamin D levels associated with scarring lung disease." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 June 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180619123008.htm>.