A survey into the utilization of probiotics and medicinal plants among individuals afflicted with gastrointestinal disorders in healthcare institutions in Saïda, Algeria.

Aim: Functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are recognized as a major public health concern worldwide. These disorders involve persistent digestive symptoms indicative of digestive tract dysfunction.Materials and Methods: A survey examining the utilisation of probiotics and medicinal plants as supplementary treatments was conducted on 160 patients with GI disorders at healthcare institutions in Saïda from March to April 2023 using questionnaires that had been previously adapted and tested for reliability with Cronbach's alpha test. Raw data collected through the questionnaires were transferred to a database and analysed using SPSS software.Results: Overall, 49.38% of participants possessed knowledge of or actively utilised probiotics; such awareness was strongly associated with the participants' educational attainment (p = 0.029). The noteworthy probiotic supplements were Biocharbon (36.09%), Lactocil (15.38%), Smebiocta (13.61%), Ultrabiotic Adult (12.43%), Effidigest (12.43%), and Ultralevure (7.69%). During crisis, individuals tended to consume natural goods rich in probiotics, including yoghurt (13.26%) and fermented milk (8.60%), as well as foods rich in prebiotic fibre, including vegetables (18.99%), fruits (13.26%), wheat (9.67%), bran (7.52%), rye (6.81%), and oat flakes (6.45%). Additionally, 77.56% of patients used medicinal plants during crises, with Mentha spicata (12.2%), Thymus vulgaris (11.3%), Pimpinella anisum (8.5%), Cuminum cyminum (8.0%), Punica granatum (7.8%), Trachyspermum ammi (7.5%), and Senna acutifolia (7.0%) being the more commonly favoured options in phytotherapy. The main focus of these herbs was to alleviate bloating (57%), constipation (30.12%), and diarrhoea (12.87%) (p < 0.001). The most frequently utilised plant parts were leaves (47.30%), seeds (25.21%), and bark (13.21%). Most patients (82.91%) favoured infusion as their preferred consumption method, and approximately 85.43% believed in phytotherapy's ability to extend symptomatic relief.Conclusion: The understanding of probiotics is still in its infancy, whereas phytotherapy is more widely accepted by patients. Nonetheless, patients are open to the exploration of natural alternatives to conventional medicines.

An in vitro investigation of the apoptosis-inducing activity of corosolic acid in breast cancer cells.

Objectives: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among females with different molecular subtypes. Corosolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid with anti-cancer properties. Materials and Methods: The MTT assay was used to assess the cytotoxic activity of corosolic acid on MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 cell lines. To determine the apoptotic cells, the flow cytometry technique was utilized. The expression levels of apoptosis-related genes and proteins were quantified using quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting methods. The activity of caspase enzymes was measured by spectrophotometry. Results: Corosolic acid significantly inhibited the proliferation of both cell lines compared with controls. This agent markedly induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells but did not affect MCF7 cells compared with controls. Treating the MADA-MB-231 and MCF7 cell lines with corosolic acid showed an inducing effect on apoptosis-associated caspases, including Caspase-8, 9, and -3, in MADA-MB-231 cells with no effect on apoptotic markers in MCF7 cells. Further experiments uncovered corosolic acid-induced apoptosis in MADA-MB-231 cells by decreasing the expression of the phosphorylated form of JAK2 and STAT3 proteins. Conclusion: The present data suggested that corosolic acid is an apoptosis-inducing phytochemical in triple-negative breast cancer MADA-MB-231 cells. Also, corosolic acid triggered apoptosis in these cells by stimulating both pathways of apoptosis and inhibiting the JAK/STAT signaling. Furthermore, corosolic acid was found to inhibit MCF7 cell proliferation by a non-apoptotic mechanism.

The role of Pycnogenol in the control of inflammation and oxidative stress in chronic diseases: Molecular aspects.

The prevalence of chronic diseases has increased significantly with the rising trend of sedentary lifestyles, reduced physical activity, and dietary modifications in recent decades. Inflammation and oxidative stress play a key role in the pathophysiology of several chronic diseases, such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and hepatic conditions. Therefore, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress may be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of various chronic disorders. Since chronic diseases are not completely curable, various methods have been proposed for their control. Complementary therapies and the use of natural antioxidant and antiinflammatory compounds are among these novel approaches. Pycnogenol (PYC) is a natural compound that could control inflammation and oxidative stress. Furthermore, some previous studies have shown that PYC could effectively reduce inflammation through signaling the downstream of insulin receptors, inhibiting the phosphorylation of the serine residues of insulin receptor substrate-1, reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress indices through the stimulation of antioxidant pathways, increasing free radical scavenging activities, preventing lipid peroxidation, and protecting the erythrocytes in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient individuals, although these effects have not been fully proved. The present study aimed to comprehensively review the evidence concerning the positive physiological and pharmacological properties of PYC, with an emphasis on the therapeutic potential of this natural component for enhancing human health.

Recent advances in biosensor devices for HER-2 cancer biomarker detection.

The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) protein is a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR or ErbB) family and is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor. HER-2 is highly regulated in ovarian, lung, gastric, oral, and breast cancers. The low specificity, complexity, expensiveness and the lack of sensitivity are essential restrictions in traditional diagnosis methods such as FISH, immunohistochemistry and PCR and these disadvantages led to the need for more studies on alternative methods. Biosensor technology has greatly affected the quality of human life owing to its features including, sensitivity, specificity, and rapid diagnosis and monitoring of different patient diseases. In this review article, we examine various biosensors, considering that they have been categorized based on the transducers used including piezoelectric biosensors, optical sensors such as fluorescence and surface plasmon resonance, and electrochemical types for the diagnosis of HER-2 and the effectiveness of some drugs against that. Attention to developing some types of biosensor devices such as colorimetric biosensors for HER-2 detection can be an important point in future studies.

Efficient removal of Pb(II) using modified chitosan Schiff base@Fe/NiFe.

A novel modified chitosan Schiff base@Fe2O3-NiFe2O4 (CsSB@Fe/NiFe) was prepared and characterized using FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDX, TGA, DSC and VSM. FT-IR and XRD results confirm that the nanoparticles of Fe/NiFe distributed throughout the surface of CS-OH and successfully prepared CsSB@Fe/NiFe. SEM image shows that the Fe/NiFe nanoparticles were assembled in the surface and inside of CS-OH. Coercivity (Hc) of CsSB@Fe/NiFe is ≈ 110 Oe, indicated that it was kind of soft-magnetic materials with saturation magnetization (Ms) of 6.45 emu/g. In addition, CsSB@Fe/NiFe was further explored as an new sorbent for the removal of Pb(II) ion from aqueous solution and the influence of various important parameters such as solution pH, contact time, dosage of adsorbent and initial Pb(II) concentration were studied and optimized. Optimum conditions for Pb(II) removal were found to be pH 5, adsorbent dosage 0.05 g, initial Pb(II) concentration of 75 ppm and contact time of 120 min. The maximum Pb(II) removal percentage was found to be 97%. Also, CsSB@Fe/NiFe shows about 88% Pb(II) removal after five adsorption-desorption cycles. The results suggested that the sorption of Pb(II) onto CsSB@Fe/NiFe was feasible and spontaneous.

Ethnobotanical Survey, Preliminary Physico-Chemical and Phytochemical Screening of Salvia argentea (L.) Used by Herbalists of the Saïda Province in Algeria.

An ethnobotanical study was carried out in the Saïda region among herbalists to evaluate the use of Salvia argentea (L.), a plant species native from North Africa belonging to the Lamiaceae family. Forty-two herbalists were interviewed individually, aged between 30 and 70 years, all males, 52.38% of them having received a secondary education level and having performing their duties for more than a decade. This study showed that Salvia argentea is used specifically in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory system. The leaves are the most commonly used part, usually in the form of powder and exclusively administered orally. The preliminary results of the physicochemical characterization and the phytochemical screening of the powdered leaves of Salvia argentea attest to their safety and confer them a guarantee of phytotherapeutic quality.

Structural Investigation of Cell Wall Xylan Polysaccharides from the Leaves of Algerian Argania spinosa.

Xylan-type polysaccharides were isolated from the leaves of Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels collected in the Tindouf area (southwestern Algeria). Xylan fractions were obtained by sequential alkaline extractions and purified on Sepharose CL-4B. The xylan structure was investigated by enzymatic hydrolysis with an endo-ß(1→4)-xylanase followed by chromatography of the resulting fragments on Biogel P2, characterization by sugar analysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS ). The results show that the A. spinosa xylan is composed of a ß-(1→4)-d-xylopyranose backbone substituted with 4-O-methyl-d-glucuronic acid and L-arabinose residues.

Partial structural characterization of pectin cell wall from Argania spinosa leaves.

The pectin polysaccharides from leaves of Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels, collected from Stidia area in the west coast of northern Algeria, were investigated by using sequential extractions and the resulting fractions were analysed for monosaccharide composition and chemical structure. Water-soluble pectic (ALS-WSP) and chelating-soluble pectic (ALS-CSP) fractions were obtained, de-esterified and fractionated by anion-exchange chromatography and characterized by sugar analysis combined with methylation analysis and (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy. The data reveal the presence of altering homogalacturonan (HG) and rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) in both pectin fraction. The rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) are consisted of a disaccharide repeating unit [→ α-D-GalpA-1,2-α-L-Rhap-1,4 →] backbone, with side chains contained highly branched α-(1 → 5)-linked arabinan and short linear ß-(1 → 4)-linked galactan, attached to O-4 of the rhamnosyl residues.