Phytochemical Analysis and Evaluation of Antifungal and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oil of Fruits from Juniperus oxycedrus L. Obtained from Morocco

Abstract The present study was aimed at conducting phytochemical analysis and evaluating the in vitro antifungal and antioxidant activities of the essential oil obtained from the fruits of J. oxycedrus L. Hydro-distillation was used to extract the essential oil from the fruits of Juniper oxycedrus. The essential oil was analyzed using gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The antioxidant activity of the essential oil against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals was determined in vitro using varying concentrations of the essential oil and vitamin C as a standard antioxidant compound. A disc diffusion test was employed to evaluate the antifungal activity of the essential oil against two test fungal strains, Penicillium citrinum, and Aspergillus niger. The results revealed that 49 constituents were identified in fruit oil, representing 91.56% of the total oil and the yield was 1.58%. Juniper fruit oil was characterized by having high contents of ß-pinene (42.04%), followed by limonene (15.45%), sabinene (9.52%), α-pinene (5.21%), (E)-caryophyllene (3.77%), ρ-cymene (1.56%), caryophyllene oxide (2.02%), and myrcene (1.02%). The radical scavenging activity (% inhibition) of the essential oil was highest (81.87± 2.83%) at a concentration of 200 µg/mL. The essential oil of J. oxycedrus exhibited antifungal activity against A. niger and P. citrinum with minimum inhibitory concentration values (MIC) ranging from 2.89 to 85.01 µl/mL. The findings of the study reveal that the antioxidant and antifungal properties of J. oxycedrus essential oil and their chemical composition are significantly correlated

The Impact of Aeroallergens on Military Readiness: A Case Report.

Seasonal aeroallergens commonly cause allergic conjunctivitis, rhinorrhea, sinusitis, and cough in sensitized individuals. These clinical symptoms are the result of IgE-mediated type I hypersensitivity reactions, which trigger the degranulaton of mast cells and basophils. In contrast, aeroallergens are not common precipitants of urticarial dermatitis, which is driven by a cell-mediated type IV hypersensitivity reaction. In this case report, we describe an Active Duty Air Force member stationed in San Antonio, TX, who presented to the dermatology clinic with a three year history of recalcitrant urticarial dermatitis found to be directly related to exposure to the pollen from the Juniperus ashei tree, also referred to as Mountain Cedar. While laboratory findings confirmed a high level of circulating IgE antibody to Mountain Cedar, the patient had no upper respiratory symptoms consistent with a typical allergic reaction. Further, his skin disease rapidly cleared within 24 hours of leaving southern Texas. Because of the recalcitrant nature of his condition upon returning home, he was considered unfit for further military service. This case not only highlights the growing link between IgE and chronic skin disease, but also the impact aeroallergens can have on the medical readiness and world-wide deployability of Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines.

Contact dermatitis as an adverse reaction to some topically used European herbal medicinal products - part 2: Echinacea purpurea-Lavandula angustifolia.

This review focuses on contact dermatitis as an adverse effect of a selection of topically used herbal medicinal products for which the European Medicines Agency has completed an evaluation up to the end of November 2013 and for which a Community herbal monograph has been produced. Part 2: Echinacea purpurea Moench-Lavandula angustifolia Mill.

Hemorrhagic cystitis induced by an herbal mixture.

A healthy 33-year-old woman consumed a slimming product containing a mixture of herbal remedies without seeking medical advice. Two months later, the patient had hemorrhagic cystitis and discontinued the herbal product. Symptoms spontaneously remitted in a few days. Four months later, she took the same herbal remedy and the hemorrhagic cystitis reappeared. She then consulted her general practitioner. A urine culture test was negative, and the patient was advised to discontinue the herb intake. Again, the cystitis resolved within a week. The product involved contains a mixture of herbs, some of which have been associated with adverse effects that might account for the symptoms reported in this case.

Making the diagnosis of occupational asthma: when to suspect it and what to do.

Although most adult patients seen by a clinician are employed, medical school curricula and residency training rarely cover occupational exposures and resultant diseases, even common ones that are encountered in a typical medical practice. This primer on occupational asthma is intended for the primary care clinician to provide the essential tools to diagnose and treat airways disease in the workplace. Using a case vignette format, we review the basic approach to suspecting and establishing a diagnosis of occupational asthma and address the thornier question of what to do about it. After reviewing this primer, the reader will be able to routinely include occupational asthma as part of the differential diagnoses in the adult patient with new or worsened asthma.

Quality of life and employment status of workers with Western red cedar asthma.

OBJECTIVE: The impact of current employment status and other factors on quality of life was evaluated for workers diagnosed with western red cedar asthma in British Columbia, Canada. METHODS: Telephone interviews by questionnaire included the Short Form 36 (SF-36) and Marks Asthma quality-of-life instruments. RESULTS: Of the 302 subjects contacted, 70.5% (n = 213) participated. Employment status was the most consistent predictor of quality-of-life domains, with highest scores for employed subjects, particularly those who were no longer exposed to red cedar. Subjects who had quit work because of their asthma had worse scores, particularly for vitality and general health perceptions. Other factors independently associated with specific aspects of poor quality of life were having asthma-like symptoms, taking medication, and not being married. CONCLUSIONS: Continued employment was associated with better quality of life for workers with western red cedar asthma.

Safety and efficacy of Juniperus ashei sublingual-swallow ultra-rush pollen immunotherapy in cypress rhinoconjunctivitis. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of high-dose sublingual-swallow immunotherapy (SLIT) has been established in pollen rhinoconjunctivitis. This treatment has now been evaluated using an ultra-rush incremental dose regimen with a Juniperus ashei allergen extract in patients allergic to Cupressus sempervirens and Cupressus arizonica. METHODS: Patients received either placebo or SLIT. Evaluation of safety was based on the frequency of adverse events during the incremental dose period (half a day) and during maintenance therapy (4 months). Evaluation of efficacy was based on symptom and medication scores at the pollen peak. RESULTS: Seventy of the 76 patients included completed the study. There were no drop-outs during the rush procedure. One patient in the active group dropped out during the maintenance therapy due to adverse events: gastric pain and vomiting. There was also 1 drop-out in the placebo group due to pregnancy. Adverse events were infrequent, local and mild. Symptom scores for rhinitis and conjunctivitis were not statistically different between groups, but there was a marked and significant (p < 0.03) decrease of the medication score (about 50%) and nasal steroid consumption (about 75%) in the active treatment group. An increase from baseline of serum IgE and IgG4 J. ashei-specific antibodies was only observed in actively treated patients (p < 0.04 and p < 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The tolerability and safety of high-dose ultra-rush SLIT were comparable to those reported in previous SLIT studies. SLIT with J. ashei extract, due to its high Jun a 1 content, significantly reduced nasal steroid consumption in patients allergic to European cypress.

Critical incident: idiosyncratic allergic reactions to essential oils.

Essential oils have the potential to initiate allergic reactions due to their volatile and skin absorbent nature. Practitioners and aromatherapy teachers need to be aware of the potential for allergies and be equipped to deal with them if they should arise. Two cases are presented of potentially serious reactions that occurred within a learning situation along with a brief literature critique about allergic reactions to essential oils.