Zingiber Officinale Roscoe: The Antiarthritic Potential of a Popular Spice-Preclinical and Clinical Evidence.

The health benefits of ginger rhizomes (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) have been known for centuries. Recently, ginger root has gained more attention due to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. Many of the bioactive components of ginger may have therapeutic benefits in treating inflammatory arthritis. Their properties seem especially helpful in treating diseases linked to persistent inflammation and pain, symptoms present in the course of the most prevalent rheumatic diseases, such as osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This review analyzes the current knowledge regarding ginger's beneficial anti-inflammatory effect in both in vitro and in vivo studies as well as clinical trials. The drug delivery systems to improve ginger's bioavailability and medicinal properties are discussed. Understanding ginger's beneficial aspects may initiate further studies on improving its bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy and achieving more a comprehensive application in medicine.

Fisetin-In Search of Better Bioavailability-From Macro to Nano Modifications: A Review.

As secondary plant metabolites, polyphenols are abundant in fruits and vegetables. They are in high demand because of their many health benefits. However, their low bioavailability makes them complex compounds to use for therapeutic purposes. Due to the limited solubility of phytocompounds, dietary supplements made from them may only be partially effective. Such molecules include fisetin, found in strawberries, and have shown great promise in treating Alzheimer's disease and cancer. Unfortunately, because of their limited water solubility, low absorption, and poor bioavailability, the assistance of nanotechnology is required to allow them to fulfil their potential fully. Here, we provide evidence that nanodelivery methods and structure modifications can improve fisetin bioavailability, which is linked to improvements in therapeutic efficacy. An open question remains as to which nanocarrier should be chosen to meet the abovementioned requirements and be able to enhance fisetin's therapeutic potential to treat a particular disease.

Temporal Expectation Improves Recognition Memory for Spatially Attended Objects.

Recent evidence suggests that temporal expectation is beneficial to memory formation. Rhythmic presentation of stimuli during encoding enhances subsequent recognition and is associated with distinct neural activity compared with when stimuli are presented in an arrhythmic manner. However, no prior study has examined how temporal expectation interacts with another important form of facilitation-spatial attention-to affect memory. This study systematically manipulated temporal expectation and spatial attention during encoding to examine their combined effect on behavioral recognition and associated ERPs. Participants performed eight experimental blocks consisting of an encoding phase and recognition test, with EEG recorded throughout. During encoding, pairs of objects and checkerboards were presented and participants were cued to attend to the left or right stream and detect targets as quickly as possible. In four blocks, stimulus presentation followed a rhythmic (constant, predictable) temporal structure, and in the other four blocks, stimulus onset was arrhythmic (random, unpredictable). An interaction between temporal expectation and spatial attention emerged, with greater recognition in the rhythmic than the arrhythmic condition for spatially attended items. Analysis of memory-specific ERP components uncovered effects of spatial attention. There were late positive component and FN400 old/new effects in the attended condition for both rhythmic and arrhythmic items, whereas in the unattended condition, there was an FN400 old/new effect and no late positive component effect. The study provides new evidence that memory improvement as a function of temporal expectation is dependent upon spatial attention.

Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines on Solid-State Mesoporous Matrices as Catalysts in Oxidation Reactions.

The review presents recent examples of heterogenic catalysts based on porphyrins and phthalocyanines loaded on mesoporous materials, such as MCM-41, SBA-15, MCM-48, SBA-16 or Al-MCM-41. Heterogenic approach to catalysis eases recovery, reuse and prevent macrocycle aggregation. In this application, mesoporous silica is a promising candidate for anchoring macrocycle and obtaining a new catalyst. Introduction of porphyrin or phthalocyanine into the mesoporous material may be performed through adsorption of the macrocycle, or by its in situ formation-by reaction of substrates introduced to the pores of the catalytic material. Catalytic reactions studied are oxidation processes, focused on alkane, alkene or arene as substrates. The products obtained are usually epoxides, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes or acids. The greatest interest lies in oxidation of cyclohexane and cyclohexene, as a source of adypic acid and derivatives. Some of the reactions may be viewed as biomimetic processes, resembling processes that occur in vivo and are catalyzed by cytochrome P450 enzyme family.

Male swarming aggregation pheromones increase female attraction and mating success among multiple African malaria vector mosquito species.

Accumulating behavioural data indicate that aggregation pheromones may mediate the formation and maintenance of mosquito swarms. However, chemical cues possibly luring mosquitoes to swarms have not been adequately investigated, and the likely molecular incitants of these complex reproductive behaviours remain unknown. Here we show that males of the important malaria vector species Anopheles arabiensis and An. gambiae produce and release aggregation pheromones that attract individuals to the swarm and enhance mating success. We found that males of both species released significantly higher amounts of 3-hydroxy-2-butanone (acetoin), 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (sulcatone), octanal, nonanal and decanal during swarming in the laboratory. Feeding males with stable-isotope-labelled glucose revealed that the males produced these five compounds. A blend composed of synthetic analogues to these swarming odours proved highly attractive to virgin males and females of both species under laboratory conditions and substantially increased mating in five African malaria vectors (An. gambiae, An. coluzzii, An. arabiensis, An. merus and An. funestus) in semi-field experiments. Our results not only narrow a conspicuous gap in understanding a vital aspect of the chemical ecology of male mosquitoes but also demonstrate fundamental roles of rhythmic and metabolic genes in the physiology and behavioural regulation of these vectors. These identified aggregation pheromones have great potential for exploitation against these highly dangerous insects. Manipulating such pheromones could increase the efficacy of malaria-vector control programmes.

Evaluation of inhibitory effect of redox-active antimalarial drug against Babesia microti in mice

Babesiosis is an emerging, tick-transmitted disease caused by the intraerythrocytic parasite Babesia microti. In immunocompetent individuals, B. microti infection quickly resolves after antibabesial treatment. Immunocompromised patients and those of advanced age experience chronic and relapsing babesiosis, accompanied by severe complications and often, a fatal outcome. In these individuals, B. microti infection may persist despite multiple courses of treatment with antiprotozoal drugs. The increasing incidence of human babesiosis caused by B. microti, coupled with a growing number of immunosuppressed people who do not respond to standard antibabesial therapy, emphasises the need for new therapeutics for this protozoan infection with more effective mechanisms of action. Plasmodione, namely 3-[4-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl]-menadione, acts as a redox cycler and disrupts the redox homeostasis of Plasmodium-infected erythrocytes. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential inhibitory effect of this novel antimalarial compound against intraerythrocytic stages of B. microti in mice. Our results demonstrate that plasmodione did not reduce the level of parasitemia in B. microti-infected mice, indicating that interfering with the parasite redox balance is not an effective strategy to restrict the division of this protozoan. The mechanism of parasite resistance to plasmodione may be based on the differences in the oxidative metabolisms of Babesia and Plasmodium parasites inside infected erythrocytes. The significance of our results is discussed in relation to the development of novel antibabesial drugs based on redox-active benzylmenadiones.

[Close family relationships and the emotional distress in lung cancer patients awaiting surgery and healthy controls]. / Bliskie relacje w rodzinie a dystres psychologiczny u chorych na raka pluca oczekujacych na leczenie chirurgiczne oraz u zdrowych.

The purpose of this study was to look for effects of attachment styles for emotional distress presented in depression in 117 lung cancer patients under surgical treatment and in 112 healthy subjects. The three attachment styles were assessed by means of the instrument based on Hazan and Shaver's (1987). Depression was measured by self-reporting Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90). Manova variance analysis revealed significant main effect of the factor "group" which indicated higher level of depression in cancer patients than controls, significant main effect of factor "attachment style" which exhibited higher level of depression in the anxious-ambivalent subjects than in the secure ones, significant main effect of interaction between these two factors which revealed higher level of depression in the anxious-ambivalent style in lung cancer patients than in controls. Analysis of correlations indicated that the patients' secure style was adversely associated with depression, the anxious-ambivalent style positively correlated with patients' depression, the avoidant style did not correlate significantly with depression neither in healthy nor affected by the disease subjects. The secure subjects and the avoidant subjects did not differ significantly in the level of depression. The results indicate that the secure style and the avoidant style may protect lung cancer subjects before operation from excessive reacting with distress demonstrated in depressive symptoms. The ambivalent style was favorable for higher depression and it could be a risk factor for mood disorders in clinical group.

[Depression evaluation in lung cancer patients and in healthy subjects in dependence on their attachment styles]. / Ocena depresji u chorych na raka pluca i u zdrowych w zaleznosci od ich stylu przywiazania.

THE PURPOSE: of this study was to look for effects of attachment styles for emotional reacting with depression in 117 lung cancer patients awaiting surgery and in 112 healthy subjects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All subjects were classified according to their attachment style (secure, avoidant, ambivalent) assessed by means of the instrument based on Hazan and Shaver's (1987) descriptions of how people typically feel in close relationships. The Beck Depression Inventory was used to measure depression. Clinical group differed neither in age t(227)=0,32 p>0,7 (mean for controls 58,59; mean for clinicals 58,97) nor in sex chi2 (1)= 0,248 p>0,6 (29 females in clinicals and 31 in controls; 88 males in clinicals and 81 in controls). The groups did not differ in education years t(225)=0,947 p>0,3. The groups did not differ in the attachment styles chi2 (2)= 4,20 p>0,7. Manova variance analysis revealed significant main effect of group factor F(1,217)= 60,5 p< 0,005, higher depression in cancer patients (mean= 15,37) than in controls (mean 6,50); significant main effect of attachment style factor F(1,217) = 7,14 p< 0,002, higher depression in the anxious-ambivalent subjects (mean= 13,65) than in the secure ones (mean= 8,15); significant interaction between two factors F(1,217)= 5,23 p< 0,007, higher depression in the attachment styles in lung cancer patients (secure 10,76; avoidant 14,27; ambivalent 21,04) than in controls (secure 5,5; avoidant 7,75; ambivalent 6,27). Correlational analysis indicated that the secure style is favourable for weaker depression of patients (Pearson's r= -0,27 p< 0,01), but the anxious-ambiwalent style for stronger depression (Pearson's r= 0,43 p< 0,01). The avoidant style did not correlate significantly with depression neither in healthy (Pearson's r= 0,07 p> 0,1) nor affected by the disease subjects (Pearson's r= 0,01 p> 0,1). CONCLUSIONS: the secure or the avoidant style may protect lung cancer subjects before operation from excessive reacting with depression but the anxious-ambivalent style may be a risk factor for maladaptive emotional reacting with depression.

[Adult attachment styles and depression in lung cancer patients undergoing surgery during and after hospitalization]. / Style wiezi doroslych a depresja u chorych leczonych chirurgicznie z powodu raka pluca w trakcie i po hospitalizacji.

The purpose of this study was to look for effects of attachment styles for emotional reacting with depression in 117 lung cancer patients who were undergoing surgery during hospitalization and six weeks later. All subjects were classified according to their attachment style (secure, avoidant, ambivalent) assessed by means of the instrument based on Hazan and Shaver's (1987) descriptions of how people typically feel in close relationships. The Beck Depression Inventory was used to measure depression. Anova variance analysis revealed higher level of depression in anxious-ambiwalent style than in the secure style or the avoidant style during hospitalization. Six weeks later higher level of depression was in the anxious-ambivalent subjects than in the secure. The avoidant style took the middle position and it did not differ with the level of depression from others. The results indicate that the secure or the avoidant style may protect lung cancer subjects from overreacting with depression during hospitalization, but the anxious-ambivalent style may increase the depression level. After the return home the insecure styles may react with stronger depression and the secure style with weaker depression.