1,721,041 research outputs found
Synchronous primary gastric triple-hit high-grade B-cell lymphoma and gastric adenocarcinoma: endoscopic and pathological findings
No full textThe synchronous occurrence of gastric adenocarcinoma and gastric lymphoma is extremely rare, and primary gastric high-grade B-cell lymphoma with MYC, BCL2 and BCL6 rearrangements has never been described in association with gastric adenocarcinoma.
The importance of becoming proficient in the diagnosis of this exceptional association is related to the different therapeutic approaches in the treatment of lymphoma and cancer, nonsurgical for the former and surgical for the latter. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the possibility of the simultaneous occurrence of gastric adenocarcinoma and lymphoma, in order to evaluate the most effective therapy for these patients
Emerging Exotic Fruits: New Functional Foods in the European Market
No full textThe consumption of exotic fruits is rapidly increasing in European countries. Some of these products have attracted much
interest due to their alleged properties of preventing malnutrition, over-nutrition, and disease, maintaining a healthy body.
Scientific studies on these fruits are multiplying, including chemical characterizations and biological investigations on in vitro
and in vivo experimental models. This review concerns four edible fruits: Hylocereus undatus (dragon fruit), Annona cherimola
(cherimoya), Citrus australasica (finger lime), and Averrhoa carambola (carambola or star fruit). By screening biomedical
databases, viz. Scopus, WOS, and PubMed, a total of 131 papers have been selected. Data reveals a wide series of biological
effects that confirm traditional medicinal uses or suggest new therapeutic applications. Most studies concern problems related
to nutrition, such as body redox balance, metabolic syndrome, and hepatoprotective effects, but other properties have been
highlighted, including anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects, as well as cardiovascular and
skin protection. Pharmacological investigations have also been focused on specific compounds, assuming a potential role in drug
discovery. In summary, food products, byproducts, and single compounds derived from these plants could be exploited in the
prevention of disease or for specific treatments of health problems
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Pharmacognostic approach to evaluate the micromorphological, phytochemical and biological features of Citrus lumia seeds
No full textThis study evaluated the micro-morphology as well as the chemical and biological features of Citrus lumia seeds. The cream-colored pyriform seed showed a woody coat covered by a thick layer of mucilage and an embryo with two large cotyledons rich in oil bodies. Hydroxycinnamic acid glycosides and flavonoids are the most abundant compounds in methanol and ethyl acetate extracts (ME and EAE), respectively. Conversely, fatty acids and alpha-tocopherol represent the main bioactive compounds in the hexane extract (HE). ME showed the most promising antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities already in cell-free assays. These results were confirmed by experiments carried out on human primary cells. Indeed, ME showed the best inhibitory activity against heatinduced haemolysis and ROS formation in erythrocytes. Moreover, the same order of potency (ME > EAE > HE) was observed also on peripheral blood mononuclear cells, in which the seed extracts were able to decrease TNF-alpha and IL-6 release after LPS-induced infl
Antioxidant and cytoprotective activities of an ancient Mediterranean citrus (Citrus lumia Risso) albedo extract: Microscopic observations and polyphenol characterization
No full textUnveiling the Pharmacognostic Potential of Peucedanum ostruthium (L.) W.D.J. Koch: A Comparative Study of Rhizome and Leaf Essential Oils
No full textPeucedanum ostruthium (L.) W.D.J. Koch (Apiaceae) is a perennial herb native to alpine regions that is renowned in traditional medicine. This study provided a pharmacognostic evaluation, comparing the EOs obtained from its rhizomes and leaves (REO and LEO, respectively). A micromorphological analysis, which was carried out using fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy, revealed terpenoid-rich secretory ducts in both organs. The EOs were extracted by hydrodistillation and characterized by gas chromatography, coupled with flame ionization detection and mass spectrometry (GC-FID and GC-MS), revealing distinct chemical profiles. REO was dominated by monoterpenes (80.08%), especially D-limonene (29.13%), sabinene (19.77%), and α-phellandrene (12.02%), while LEO was sesquiterpene-rich (81.15%), with β-caryophyllene (21.78%), β-selinene (14.09%), and germacrene D (10.43%) as the major compounds. The in vitro assays demonstrated that both EOs exhibit significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, with LEO consistently outperforming REO across all tests. However, neither EO showed antimicrobial effects against common bacterial or fungal strains. This may have been due to the absence of polar antimicrobial constituents, such as coumarins, which are poorly recovered by hydrodistillation. To fully exploit the therapeutic potential of P. ostruthium, especially its antimicrobial properties, future studies should aim to develop integrated formulations combining volatile and non-volatile fractions, preserving the complete plant complex and broadening bioactivity
Antioxidant and cytoprotective activities of an ancient Mediterranean citrus (Citrus lumia Risso) albedo extract: Microscopic observations and polyphenol characterization
No full textCitrus fruits are a rich source of bio-functional compounds with various and well-proven health properties. We focused our attention on an ancient Mediterranean species, Citrus lumia Risso. The aim of this work was to investigate the polyphenol content and biological activities of C. lumia albedo extract by cell-free and cell-based assays. Fifteen polyphenols were quantified by LC-DAD-FLD analysis (flavonoids 89.34% and phenolic acids 10.66%) with eriocitrin and hesperidin as major components (52.81% and 31.31%, respectively). These results were corroborated also by micromorphological observations, which showed clusters of needle-shaped crystals of hesperidin highlighted by TBO staining. C. lumia albedo extract revealed marked antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties, and a significant cytoprotective activity on t-BOOH-treated lymphocytes. Results indicate that C. lumia albedo extract could be exploited as an antioxidant source, suggesting the use of albedo, currently considered a by-product, as a valuable raw material for nutraceutical employments
THE PROBLEM OF MISIDENTIFICATION BETWEEN A WILD EDIBLE PLANT AND A POISONOUS ONE: THE CASE OF BORAGE
No full textAt present, in many European countries people is looking for wild edible plants to experience new tastes and
flavors, by following the new trend of being green and environmentally friendly (1). Borago officinalis L.
(borage) is an annual herb originating in the Mediterranean region but naturalized and widely cultivated
throughout most of Europe, traditionally used for culinary and medicinal purposes. Its leaves are mixed in
salads and used as a vegetable in different European countries, such as Germany, Spain, Greece, and Italy
(2), especially in Liguria as a stuff of traditional ravioli and pansoti (3). However, young borage leaves can
be easily confused by inexpert pickers with those of other plants, including poisonous ones, such as
Mandragora autumnalis (mandrake), common in Southern Italy and Sicily, or Digitalis purpurea (foxglove),
in Northern Italy. Patients who turn to Italian Poison Control Centers or Hospital Emergency Rooms after
accidental ingestion of these plants, show anticholinergic symptoms due to unintentional ingestion of the
leaves of mandrake (most commonly) or foxglove (less frequently). In the period 1995-2007, 50 cases of
intoxication by accidental ingestion of mandrake and 6 cases after ingestion of foxglove have been reported
in Italy (1). In the present work we show the pharmacognostic characterization of young leaves from B.
officinalis (Boraginaceae), M. autumnalis (Solanaceae), and D. purpurea (Scrophulariaceae). Micromorphological,
phytochemical and molecular identification techniques were used. Fresh leaf samples were
analyzed by optical and scanning electron microscopy, highlighting main anatomical and histological
features, such as stomata and trichome types and distribution (Fig 1, A-C). DNA barcoding sequences (using
a region of the plastidial RbcL as DNA marker), analyzed using a bioinformatics tool (MEGA v. 7.0),
allowed to determine the intra- and inter-genetic variability (K2P distance) among the three taxa. No genetic
variation was detected within species, while consistent genetic distances were observed among species:
borage vs foxglove K2P = 7.46%, foxglove vs. mandrake K2P = 7.46% and borage vs mandrake K2P =
7.46%. GC-MS analysis of fresh leaves pentane/hexane extract (5:1, v/v) revealed a typical chemical
fingerprint of each plant analyzed and a particularly interesting difference between poisonous and nonpoisonous
plants. In fact, M. autumnalis and D. purpurea leaf extract contain vitamin E, while in B.
officinalis this metabolite is absent. Therefore, the authors conclude that, in this case, the presence of this
metabolite is discriminant among poisonous and edible plants and could be used as a phytochemical marker,
while among the poisonous ones becomes useful analyze the discriminant wax alkanes to differentiate them.
This study provides a multi-disciplinary approach to the problem of misidentification between wild edible
plants and poisonous species. The reported protocols provide fast and reliable determination of species
causing poisoning, allowing a quick management of poisoned patients
In vitro intestinal transport and anti-inflammatory properties of ideain across Caco-2 transwell model
No full textThe aim of the study was to investigate the absorption and transport mechanisms as well as the anti-inflammatory
properties of ideain on Caco-2 transwell model.
A concentration and time-dependent bidirectional transport was highlighted; despite this, a clear saturation
of the transepithelial absorption in the A-B direction was observed at ideain concentration > 10 μM, suggesting
an involvement of membrane transporters.
Comparing Papp and PDR values of ideain (10 μM) to reference drugs with a low to a high apparent permeability,
it is possible to predict a low in vivo absorption, with a transport efficiency of 1.03%. Co-treatments
with several EDTA-Na2 concentrations (1–5 mM) and P-gp inhibition studies with verapamil 100 μM ruled out a
passive diffusion of this molecule as well the possibility that P-gp could affect ideain absorption. Inhibition
studies using 2 mM phloridzin (SGLT1 inhibitor) and 2 mM phloretin (GLUT2 inhibitor), showed a clear SGLT1
and GLUT2 involvement in the ideain absorption, with SGLT1, which plays the pivotal role.
Finally, preliminary anti-inflammatory studies showed that ideain is able to modulate, at a pharmanutritional
dose, and with a comparable activity in respect to the reference drug dexamethasone (10 μM), the LPS-induced
inflammation in Caco-2 transwell model, which makes it a potentially useful molecule for nutraceutical purpos
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