1,720,981 research outputs found
Curcumin and Liver Disease: from Chemistry to Medicine
Curcumin, the natural yellow-colored active principle, also called turmeric yellow, extracted from the perennial
herb Curcuma longa L., has potent biological and pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory,
antifungal, antibacterial, anti-ischemic, antitumor, and anticancer actions. The molecular mechanism of the hepatoprotective
action of curcumin is due to its antioxidant properties and inhibitory activity against nuclear factor (NF)-κB that
regulates different proinflammatory and profibrotic cytokines. Overall, scientific reports demonstrate that curcumin has
high therapeutic ability for treating hepatic disorders. Here is a systematic discussion of the hepatoprotective activity of
curcumin and its possible mechanisms of actions
Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Schizophrenia: An Overview
Cannabinoids are found to be very useful in psychiatry because of their antipsychotic properties suggesting a therapeutic use as neuroleptic agents in limiting psychotic diseases. Cannabinoids treatments are both able to reduce the typical symptoms of schizophrenia and to slow down the disease aggravation. In the present review, we reported recent studies supporting the idea that the cannabinoid system may modulate the activity of the striatum and temporal cortex linked to psychosis and schizophrenia. Furthermore, anatomical, electrophysiological, pharmacological and biochemical data suggest that the psychotic disorders related to the impaired cannabinoid system may lead to the development of novel compounds that selectively target specific elements of the cannabinoid system
The evidence of health benefits and food applications of Thymus vulgaris L
Background: T. vulgaris, commonly known as the thyme, is an aromatic plant belonging to the Lauraceae family. Six different chemotypes were described for T. vulgaris. The chemotypes are named after its dominant monoterpene: geraniol (G), a-terpineol (A), thuyanol-4 (U), linalool (L), carvacrol (C), and thymol (T).Scope and approach: For this review, an extensive bibliographic research on Thymus vulgaris was carried out, including its main components both nutrients and bioactives. Botanical description, distribution and cultivation were also addressed as well as uses in folk medicine. Particular attention was given to biological activities, clinical studies, possible limitations and potential applications.Key findings and conclusions: T. vulgaris L. is used as food and for medicinal purposes and it has a great economic importance due to its composition on monoterpene derivatives including p-cymene, thymol and carvacrol. The value of T. vulgaris has been recognized by the pharmaceutical industry, because it proved to have hepatoprotective properties and to have effectiveness as expectorant agent, anti-acne agent, and as fungicidal and antiviral drug. It has been also recognized by the industries of pests' repellents, foods, food packaging and cosmetics. This vast number of industrial applications is mainly due to its antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects
Green tea (Camellia sinensis L.) as functional beverage: a role in post-stroke depression.
Behavioral effects of 2,3-dihydro- and oxoisoaporphine derivatives in post stroke-depressive like behavior in male BALB/c mice.
In this study, antidepressant-like effects of intra-cerebroventricularly administration of oxoisoaporphine derivatives in post stroke-depressive like behavior were examined through despair swimming and tail suspension models. For this aim, acute ischemic stroke was induced by bilateral common carotid arteries occlusion which significantly changed the normal behaviors of male balb/c mice. We performed stroke-induced anhedonia test as a key result of post strokedepressive like behavior by determination of sucrose consumption. Results show that some 2,3-dihydro- and oxoisoaporphine derivatives modified the abnormality in the behaviors through decreasing in the immobility time in tail suspension and despair swimming models and increasing in the swimming and climbing times in despair swimming model. We concluded that these alkaloids showed antidepressant actions and therefore can be used for treatment of post strokedepressive like behavior in acute ischemic stroke patient
PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF METHYL 3-O-METHYL GALLATE AGAINST SODIUM FLUORIDE-INDUCED OXIDATIVE STRESS IN RAT CARDIAC TISSUES
Methyl 3-O-methyl gallate (M3OMG), a naturally-occurring compound of
limited distribution, can be readily synthesized from methyl gallate. In the present
study, the protective effect of M3OMG of synthetic origin on fluoride-induced
cardiotoxicity and oxidative stress in cardiac tissues of rats was evaluated. After
intraperitonial administration of M3OMG (10 and 20 mg/kg bw), or the positive control
(ascorbic acid at 10 mg/kg bw), for seven consecutive days, rats were intoxicated by
fluoride (F) with sodium fluoride (NaF) at 600 ppm in their drinking water for a further
week. The level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and reduced
glutathione (GSH) and the activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide
dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were examined in the cardiac homogenates. The
results showed that F intoxication caused a significant abnormality in the levels of
TBARS and GSH as well as in the activities of antioxidant enzymes in cardiac tissues.
M3OMG at the dose of at 20 mg/kg bw significantly suppressed the NaF-induced
enhanced level of TBARS. M3OMG also restored the NaF-induced abnormality in the
activities of SOD and CAT and the level of GSH in cardiac tissues. Ascorbic acid
(vitamin C) at 10 mg/kg bw also showed a comparable amelioration of the NaFinduced
toxicity in the rat heart. Taking all the results together, M3OMG demonstrated
a notable cardioprotective role against NaF-induced toxicity and oxidative stress in
rat cardiac tissues
Maqui (Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz): in vivo antioxidant activity and antidepressive-like effect of a chemicaly characterized Maqui berry extyract.
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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