Valorization of Aloe barbadensis Miller. (Aloe vera) Processing Waste

Aloe vera plant is known worldwide for its medicinal properties and application in gel-based products such as shampoo, soap, and sunscreen. However, the demand for these gel-based products has led to a surplus production of Aloe vera processing waste. An Aloe vera gel processing facility could generate up to 4000 kg of Aloe vera waste per month. Currently the Aloe vera waste is being disposed to the landfill or used as fertilizer. A sustainable management system for the Aloe vera processing waste should be considered, due to the negative societal and environmental impacts of the currents waste disposal methods. Therefore, this review focuses on various approaches that can be used to valorize Aloe vera waste into value-added products, such as animal and aquaculture feeds, biosorbents, biofuel and natural polymers. Researchers have reported Aloe vera waste for environmental applications biosorbents used for wastewater treatment of various pollutants. Several studies have also reported on the valorization of Aloe vera waste for production of biofuels such as bioethanol, mixed alcohol fuels, biogas and syn-gas. Aloe vera waste could also be valorized through isolation and synthesis of natural polymers for application in wound dressing, tissue engineering and drug delivery systems. Aloe vera waste valorization was also reviewed through extraction of value-added bioactive compounds such as aloe-emodin, aloin and aloeresin. These value-added bioactive compounds have various applications in the cosmetics (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, tyrosinase inhibitors) and pharmaceutical (anticancer agent and COVID 19 inhibitors) industry. © 2023, Tech Science Press. All rights reserved.

Early time-restricted eating may favorably impact cognitive acuity in university students: a randomized pilot study.

Cognitive acuity is important for academic success. The preliminary efficacy of early time-restricted eating (eTRE) on cognitive acuity was examined in a sample of university students attending a large southwestern university. It was hypothesized that adherence to eTRE would result in improved cognitive acuity as assessed by the Trail Making Tests (i.e., TMT-A and TMT-B) and the Stroop Color and Word Test. Participants were randomized to an intervention group (eTRE) with a daily 6-hour eating window or a control group (CON) with a daily 16-hour eating window; 24 participants initiated the study (13 eTRE and 11 CON). Blood ketones (i.e., ß-hydroxybutyrate [BHB]) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor were also assessed. The 8-week intervention was forestalled by COVID-19 laboratory closures beginning in March 2020, and only data obtained at week 0 (baseline) and week 4 were viable for statistical analyses. Study attrition was high (50% for eTRE and 23% for CON). At week 4, there was a 27% and 6% decrease in TMT-B response time for the eTRE and CON groups, respectively (P = .02). TMT-B response time was inversely correlated to plasma BHB among participants (r = -0.633; P = .008). Considering the inverse relationship between TMT-B response time and plasma BHB, these preliminary data suggest that eTRE may improve some aspects of cognitive acuity in this population. Future investigations are needed to confirm these findings and should accommodate individual preferences regarding the initiation time of the eating window while also considering the impact on social influences and exercise engagement.

Contribution of the herbarium of the national center of floristics of Cote d'Ivoire in the fight against the symptoms caused by the COVID-19 disease: a bibliographic synthesis

This study was undertaken to identify herbal remedies that may be involved in the symptomatic management of COVID-19 disease. From a list of 247 medicinal plants, a bibliographic study was carried out with the richness, the floristic composition, the methods of preparation and use and the active principles of the plants as a variable. The importance value of these plants was also calculated. A Principal Component Analysis showed the links between the parts of plants used, the methods of preparation, the symptoms of COVID-19 disease that can be treated and the active ingredients. The results show that 226 medicinal plants divided into 190 genera and 79 families can be used to treat the symptoms of COVID- 19 disease namely otolaryngologic signs, pulmonary signs and general signs. Of these, twenty-eight (28) can relieve the majority of symptoms of COVID-19 disease. These symptoms are rhinorrhea, cough, fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle aches. These plants are mainly prepared in the form of a decoction and administered mainly orally. They mainly contain flavonoids, coumarins, alkaloids, tannins, steroids, terpenoids, saponosides, essential oils, mucilages, quinones, coumarins. The importance value of these plants is between 85.71 and 57.14%. The results also showed that eight (8) groups of medicinal plants can be distinguished according to the organs used, the methods of preparation, the symptoms of the COVID-19 disease treated and the active ingredients. The results of this study could serve as a database for the formulation of improved traditional drugs in the management of symptoms of COVID-19 disease in Cote d'Ivoire.

Case Report: Role of Ketone Monitoring in Diabetic Ketoacidosis With Acute Kidney Injury: Better Safe Than Sorry.

Background: Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is a well-known endocrinological disease in children and adolescents that is characterized by immune-mediated destruction of pancreatic ß-cells, leading to partial or total insulin deficiency, with an onset that can be subtle (polydipsia, polyuria, weight loss) or abrupt (Diabetic Keto-Acidosis, hereafter DKA, or, although rarely, Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic State, hereafter HHS). Severe DKA risk at the onset of T1D has recently significantly increased during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with life-threatening complications often due to its management. DKA is marked by low pH (<7.3) and bicarbonates (<15 mmol/L) in the presence of ketone bodies in plasma or urine, while HHS has normal pH (>7.3) and bicarbonates (>15 mmol/L) with no or very low ketone bodies. Despite this, ketone monitoring is not universally available, and DKA diagnosis is mainly based on pH and bicarbonates. A proper diagnosis of the right form with main elements (pH, bicarbonates, ketones) is essential to begin the right treatment and to identify organ damage (such as acute kidney injury). Case Presentations: In this series, we describe 3 case reports in which the onset of T1D was abrupt with severe acidosis (pH < 7.1) in the absence of both DKA and HHS. In a further evaluation, all 3 patients showed acute kidney injury, which caused low bicarbonates and severe acidosis without increasing ketone bodies. Conclusion: Even if it is not routinely recommended, a proper treatment that included bicarbonates was then started, with a good response in terms of clinical and laboratory values. With this case series, we would like to encourage emergency physicians to monitor ketones, which are diriment for a proper diagnosis and treatment of DKA.

Phytochemical screening, GCMS profile, and in-silico properties of bioactive compounds in methanolic leaf extracts of Moringa oleifera

Plant Based Natural Products (PBNPs) have been subject of interest since ancient time due to their use in food, industrial and biomedical applications. Research attention has further augmented to explore their phytochemical composition, properties, and potential application in the post-COVID era. In the present study phytochemical screening has been carried out with Methanolic Leaf Extracts of Moringa oleifera (MLEMO) followed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) analysis. Phytochemical analysis of MLEMO revealed the presence of Alkaloids, Carbohydrates, Coumarins, Flavonoids, Glycosides, Phenol, Proteins, Quinones, Saponins, Steroids, Tannins and Terpenoids. Further, GCMS analysis revealed the presence of 41 compounds of which Dihydroxyacetone;Monomethyl malonate;4H-Pyran-4-one,2,3-dihydro- 3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl;1,3-Propanediol, 2-ethyl-2-(hydroxymethyl);Propanoic acid, 2- methyl-, octyl ester;3-Deoxy-d-mannoic lactone;Sorbitol;Inositol;Cyclohexanemethanol, alpha-methyl-4-(1-methylethyl), Hexadecanoic acid, Methyl palmitate;n-Hexadecanoic acid (Palmitic acid);9-Octadecenoic acid, methyl ester;Phytol;9,12,15-Octadecatrienoic acid;Octadecanoic acid;9-Octadecenamide were prominent. Most of the compounds in the list are bioactive and possess medicinal properties that are expected to serve as a baseline lead for the development of therapeutic agents.

Obesogenic and Ketogenic Diets Distinctly Regulate the SARS-CoV-2 Entry Proteins ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and the Renin-Angiotensin System in Rat Lung and Heart Tissues.

BACKGROUND: Obesity increases the severity of SARS-CoV-2 outcomes. Thus, this study tested whether obesogenic and ketogenic diets distinctly affect SARS-CoV-2 entry proteins and the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in rat pulmonary and cardiac tissues. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed either standard chow (SC), a high-fat sucrose-enriched diet (HFS), or a ketogenic diet (KD) for 16 weeks. Afterwards, levels of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), RAS components, and inflammatory genes were measured in the lungs and hearts of these animals. RESULTS: In the lungs, HFS elevated ACE2 and TMPRSS2 levels relative to SC diet, whereas the KD lowered the levels of these proteins and the gene expressions of toll-like receptor 4 and interleukin-6 receptor relative to HFS. The diets did not alter ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in the heart, although ACE2 was more abundant in heart than lung tissues. CONCLUSION: Diet-induced obesity increased the levels of viral entry proteins in the lungs, providing a mechanism whereby SARS-CoV-2 infectivity can be enhanced in obese individuals. Conversely, by maintaining low levels of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and by exerting an anti-inflammatory effect, the KD can potentially attenuate the severity of infection and migration of SARS-CoV-2 to other ACE2-expressing tissues.

Diagnosis of COVID-19 by analysis of breath with gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry - a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: There is an urgent need to rapidly distinguish COVID-19 from other respiratory conditions, including influenza, at first-presentation. Point-of-care tests not requiring laboratory- support will speed diagnosis and protect health-care staff. We studied the feasibility of using breath-analysis to distinguish these conditions with near-patient gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS). METHODS: Independent observational prevalence studies at Edinburgh, UK, and Dortmund, Germany, recruited adult patients with possible COVID-19 at hospital presentation. Participants gave a single breath-sample for VOC analysis by GC-IMS. COVID-19 infection was identified by transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT- qPCR) of oral/nasal swabs together with clinical-review. Following correction for environmental contaminants, potential COVID-19 breath-biomarkers were identified by multi-variate analysis and comparison to GC-IMS databases. A COVID-19 breath-score based on the relative abundance of a panel of volatile organic compounds was proposed and tested against the cohort data. FINDINGS: Ninety-eight patients were recruited, of whom 21/33 (63.6%) and 10/65 (15.4%) had COVID-19 in Edinburgh and Dortmund, respectively. Other diagnoses included asthma, COPD, bacterial pneumonia, and cardiac conditions. Multivariate analysis identified aldehydes (ethanal, octanal), ketones (acetone, butanone), and methanol that discriminated COVID-19 from other conditions. An unidentified-feature with significant predictive power for severity/death was isolated in Edinburgh, while heptanal was identified in Dortmund. Differentiation of patients with definite diagnosis (25 and 65) of COVID-19 from non-COVID-19 was possible with 80% and 81.5% accuracy in Edinburgh and Dortmund respectively (sensitivity/specificity 82.4%/75%; area-under-the-receiver- operator-characteristic [AUROC] 0.87 95% CI 0.67 to 1) and Dortmund (sensitivity / specificity 90%/80%; AUROC 0.91 95% CI 0.87 to 1). INTERPRETATION: These two studies independently indicate that patients with COVID-19 can be rapidly distinguished from patients with other conditions at first healthcare contact. The identity of the marker compounds is consistent with COVID-19 derangement of breath-biochemistry by ketosis, gastrointestinal effects, and inflammatory processes. Development and validation of this approach may allow rapid diagnosis of COVID-19 in the coming endemic flu seasons. FUNDING: MR was supported by an NHS Research Scotland Career Researcher Clinician award. DMR was supported by the University of Edinburgh ref COV_29.

Investigating Ketone Bodies as Immunometabolic Countermeasures against Respiratory Viral Infections.

Respiratory viral infections remain a scourge, with seasonal influenza infecting millions and killing many thousands annually and viral pandemics, such as COVID-19, recurring every decade. Age, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes mellitus are risk factors for severe disease and death from viral infection. Immunometabolic therapies for these populations hold promise to reduce the risks of death and disability. Such interventions have pleiotropic effects that might not only target the virus itself but also enhance supportive care to reduce cardiopulmonary complications, improve cognitive resilience, and facilitate functional recovery. Ketone bodies are endogenous metabolites that maintain cellular energy but also feature drug-like signaling activities that affect immune activity, metabolism, and epigenetics. Here, we provide an overview of ketone body biology relevant to respiratory viral infection, focusing on influenza A and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2, and discuss the opportunities, risks, and research gaps in the study of exogenous ketone bodies as novel immunometabolic interventions in these diseases.