New Flavonoid Glycosides from Arnicae Flos DAB 91

Five flavonoid glycosides were identified from flowers of Arnica montana, ten from A. CHAMISSONIS subsp. FOLIOSA var. INCANA. The structures were established on the basis of acid hydrolysis and spectral data (UV, NMR, MS) as the 7-beta-glucosides of pectolinarigenin, apigenin, and chrysoeriol; luteolin 3'- O-beta-glucoside; the 3-beta-glucuronides of kaempferol, isorhamnetin, and 6-methoxykaempferol; the 3,7-di-beta-glucosides of quercetin and patuletin; the 3-beta-glucosides of betuletol and quercetagetin 6,3',4'-trimethyl ether; and the 7-[6'- O-(2-methylbutyryl)]=glucosides of luteolin and eupafolin. The latter four are new natural compounds. Differences between these two ARNICA species are discussed.     

Offering jobs to persons with disabilities: A Dutch employers’ perspective

The study investigates which considerations employers take into account in response to a social policy measure that requires employers to hire persons with disabilities (PwD). It also looks at if and how employers shape their human resource practices dependent of their organisational context. The decision to hire PwD was theoretically positioned in the Contextual Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) Framework. In a qualitative study carried out among 38 Dutch employers who are inclusive, or are having a positive, neutral or negative attitude to employing PwD, three questions were explored: (1) Which strategic issues in response to a social policy measure do employers consider in their decision (not) to hire PwD?; (2) Which conditions have to be met to assess the organisational setting to be suitable to hire PwD?; (3) How do employers hire PwD aligned with their overall HRM system? This article provides evidence that employers respond in a contextual and strategic way to an institutional pressure, and that they assess different levels of fit (environmental, strategic, organization and internal fit) in their considerations to hire PwD. A customised approach is therefore needed in motivating employers to hire PwD which is based on different HRM perspectives.     

Dysregulated IL-18 Is a Key Driver of Immunosuppression and a Possible Therapeutic Target in the Multiple Myeloma Microenvironment

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Revised editorial guidelines for manuscripts on the pharmacology of plant extracts

Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology -     

Flavonoid Glucuronides from the Flowers of Arnica montana1

Five flavonoid glucuronides were identified from flowers of ARNICA MONTANA L. The structures were established on the basis of total acid hydrolysis and spectral data (UV, (1)H-NMR, (13)C-NMR, mass) as 3- O-beta- D-glucuronides of quercetin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, patuletin, and 6-methoxykaempferol. The last one is a new natural compound. This is the first report on glucuronides in the genus ARNICA. Additionally, tricin and 3,5,7-trihydroxy-6,3',4'-trimethoxyflavone were identified. Up to now these two flavonoid aglycones have been rarely found in the family of the Asteraceae.     

Evidenzbasierte Empfehlungen zur Überarbeitung der österreichischen Vorsorgeuntersuchung

Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift - Die österreichische Vorsorgeuntersuchung (VU) wurde 1974 als Kassenleistung eingeführt und im Jahr 2005 zum letzten Mal neu gestaltet. Ziel dieser...     

Improving global health – is tourism's role in poverty elimination perpetuating poverty,powerlessness and ‘ill-being’?

The spectrum of challenges for public health in a global context is ever expanding. It is difficult for health professionals to keep informed about details of key issues affecting global health determinants such as poverty. Tourism is seen as one strategy to eliminate poverty in developing countries and to improve global health, but the industry struggles with keeping its promise. Apart from often negative impacts on the well-being of local communities, it also turns out not to be as altruistic as it appears at first sight. Discourses largely focus on power and control of the non-poor over the poor despite all the rhetoric to the contrary. Economic aspects still dictate the debate rather than local people's understanding of well-being. Only with a major shift in the approach to local populations, acknowledging the communities’ right to self-determination and accepting them as equal partners with access to genuine benefits, will this disturbing imbalance be redressed and allow better health for more people possible. Public health professionals should question claims about the beneficial influence of tourism in poor regions and not lower their vigilance for poverty-related health problems, so that the poor are not overlooked when all other stakeholders are busy with their own agenda.     

Untersuchungen zur Ursache der Digitalisresistenz der Kröte

Zusammenfassung Mit Hilfe einer mikrochemischen Methodik wurde das Stoffwechselschicksal von i.v. injiziertem Digitoxin bei der Kröte (B. bufo L.) untersucht. Dabei wurden keine Schwierigkeiten angetroffen, Digitoxin von den chloroform-löslichen Bufadienoliden zu unterscheiden, die im Parotidensekret, in der Haut und im Urin gefunden werden. Digitoxin wird innerhalb 48 Std nach Injektion weder zerstört noch verstoffwechselt. Das Verteilungsmuster von Digitoxin in den Geweben und Organen ist bei der Kröte im wesentlichen das gleiche wie bei anderen, digitoxinempfindlicheren Species. Die Kröte scheidet Digitoxin weder durch die Parotiden noch durch die Haut aus und auch die Ausscheidung mit dem Kot ist nur von geringer Bedeutung. Die Ausscheidung unveränderten Digitoxins im Harn ist bei der Kröte viel größer als bei anderen Species mit Ausnahme des Frosches, jedoch scheint sie unzureichend, um die akute Digitoxintoxizität zu senken. Die Ergebnisse legen den Schluß nahe, daß die Unempfindlichkeit der Kröte gegenüber Digitoxin nicht verursacht ist durch schnelle Entgiftung des Glykosids, durch Fehlen der Biotransformation zu einer eigentlichen Wirksubstanz, durch ungewöhnlich niedrige Digitoxinaufnahme in den Herzmuskel oder durch umgehende Ausscheidung von Digitoxin. Wie in der Diskussion dargelegt wird, könnten die Speciesunterschiede in der Digitalisempfindlichkeit auf Unterschieden in der Assoziationstendenz von Digitalismolekül und Digitalisreceptor (Na⁺ + K⁺ aktivierte Membran-ATPase des Herzmuskels) beruhen.

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Summary The metabolic fate of intravenously injected digitoxin in the toad (B. bufo L.) was studied by means of a microchemical method. There were not met any difficulties to distinguish digitoxin and chloroform-soluble bufadienolides found in the parotid secretion, the skin and the urine. Digitoxin was neither destroyed nor metabolized within 48 hours after injection. In the toad the distribution pattern of digitoxin in the tissues and organs was essentially the same as in other species more susceptible to digitoxin. The toad did not excrete digitoxin by the parotid glands and by the skin. The excretion by faeces was also of minor importance. The excretion of unchanged digitoxin by urine was much larger than in all other species except the frog, although it seemed to be inadequate to reduce the acute digitoxin toxicity. The results suggested the conclusion that the insensitivity of the toad towards digitoxin is not caused by rapid detoxication of the glycoside, by the absence of biotransformation of the glycoside into a truly active substance, by exceptionally low digitoxin absorption in the cardiac muscle or prompt excretion of digitoxin. As shown in the discussion, the species differences in digitalis susceptibility might be based on differences in the association tendency of the digitalis molecule and the digitalis receptor (Na⁺ + K⁺ activated membrane ATPase of the cardiac muscle).

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Untersuchungen mit Herzsteroiden, 9. Mitteilung.