Exploiting biological activities of brown seaweed Ecklonia cava for potential industrial applications: a review

Seaweeds are rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fibres, proteins, polysaccharides and various functional polyphenols. Many researchers have focused on brown algae as a potential source of bioactive materials in the past few decades. Ecklonia cava is a brown seaweed that is abundant in the subtidal regions of Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea. This seaweed attracted extensive interest due to its multiple biological activities. E. cava has been identified as a potential producer of wide spectrum of natural substances such as carotenoids, fucoidans and phlorotannins showing different biological activities in vital industrial applications including pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical and functional food. This review focuses on biological activities of the brown seaweed E. cava based on latest research results, including antioxidant, anticoagulative, antimicrobial, antihuman immunodeficiency virus, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antimutagenic, antitumour and anticancer effects. The facts summarized here may provide novel insights into the functions of E. cava and its derivatives and potentially enable their use as functional ingredients in potential industrial applications.     

A pharmacokinetic comparison of anrukinzumab,an anti- IL-13 monoclonal antibody,among healthy volunteers,asthma and ulcerative colitis patients

AimsAnrukinzumab is an anti-IL13 monoclonal antibody. The goals of this study are to characterize the pharmacokinetics of anrukinzumab in healthy volunteers and different disease states and to identify covariates.MethodsA population pharmacokinetic (PK) model was developed in NONMEM, using data from five clinical studies including healthy volunteers, asthma and ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. Different dosing regimens including different routes of administration were also included in the data.ResultsThe PK of anrukinzumab were described by a two compartment model with first order absorption and elimination. The population estimates (relative standard error) of the volumes of distribution in the central (V_c) and peripheral (V_p) compartments were 3.8 (4.6%) and 2.2 l (8.7%), respectively. In non-UC patients, the population estimate of the systemic clearance (CL) and inter-compartmental CL was 0.00732 l h^–1 (4.9%) and 0.0224 l h^–1 (15.4%). For subcutaneous administration, the absorption rate constant was 0.012 h^–1 (6.6%) and bioavailability was nearly 100% in healthy and mild to moderate asthma patients. Both V and CL increased with body weight. CL (but not V) decreased with increasing baseline albumin concentrations. UC patients had an increased CL of 72.3% (10.5%), after correction for differences in body weight and albumin. Moderate to severe asthma patients had decreased bioavailability compared with other populations.ConclusionsAnrukinzumab''s PK behave like a typical antibody. UC patients were identified to have a faster CL of anrukinzumab than healthy volunteers and asthma patients. This finding suggests a higher dose level may be required for this population.     

Evaluation of Hemodynamics,Vascular Reactivity and Baroreceptor Compensation in the Insulin Resistant Zucker Obese Rats

Incidence of essential hypertension has been reported to be significantly higher in the population afflicted with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). The present studies were under taken in the insulin resistant, Zucker obese rats to evaluate various factors that could lead to the development of high blood pressure. Direct blood pressure measurements in the conscious obese rats indicated that they were not consistently hypertensive although the blood pressures of the obese rats tended to be higher than that of the control lean rats. However, after Inactin anesthesia blood pressures of the obese rats were significantly elevated which can be related to an increase in sympathetic tone since autonomic ganglionic blockade eliminated the differences between the pressures of the two groups. Under anesthesia, cardiac output per 100 gm body weight was significantly lower indicating inadequate tissue perfusion in the obese rats. In a separate series of studies carried out in conscious rats, reflexly mediated alterations in the heart rate to intravenous phenylephrine and sodium nitroprusside were significantly blunted in the obese rats. These observations which include enhanced central sympathetic discharge, inadequate systemic hemodynamics and attenuation of baroreceptor compensation collectively suggest that the insulin resistant obese rats are in a pre-hypertensive state and could develop sustained hypertension if they are exposed to other risk factors.     

Comparison of first trimester transvaginal anatomy scan to the second trimester structural survey in normal weight and obese populations: a pilot study

Purpose: To compare visualization of first trimester fetal anatomic transvaginal ultrasound (TVUS) to the second trimester transabdominal anatomic ultrasound (TAU) in normal weight and obese patients.

Materials and methods: In a prospective cross-sectional study design, 25 women underwent a TVUS between 12 and 14 weeks, and a TAU at 18–22 weeks. For each anatomic structure, the percentage of patients achieving optimal visualization was recorded. Risk ratios for visualizing a structure in the second trimester versus the first were calculated.

Results: Twenty-five patients underwent a TVUS and 24 completed the TAU. The average BMI in the obese and nonobese groups was 34?kg/m² and 23?kg/m², respectively. All structures were more consistently visualized during the TAU for the both groups. The cardiac views, hands and feet were more difficult to visualize in all the patients at both scan times but were more frequently visualized in the TAU. For the obese patients, hands, feet, cardiac and spine views were less frequently visualized in both the scans. The posterior fossa and profile views were more difficult to obtain in the TVUS.

Conclusions: The first trimester TVUS detects many of the structures assessed during an anatomic survey; however, it is not superior to the second trimester TAU in normal weight and obese patients.     

Identification of biomarkers for essential hypertension based on metabolomics

AimEssential hypertension (EH) is one of the most important public health problems worldwide. However, the pathogenesis of EH is unclear and early diagnostic methods are lacking. Metabolomics demonstrates great potential for biomarker discovery and the mechanistic exploration of metabolic diseases.Data synthesisThis review included human and animal metabolomics studies related to EH in the PubMed and Web of Science databases between February 1996 and May 2020. The study designs, EH standards, and reported metabolic biomarkers were systematically examined and compared. The pathway analysis was conducted through the online software MetaboAnalyst 4.0.Twenty-two human studies and fifteen animal studies were included in this systematic review. There were many frequently reported biomarkers with consistent trends (e.g., pyruvate, lactic acid, valine, and tryptophan) in human and animal studies, and thus had potential as biomarkers of EH. In addition, several shared metabolic pathways, including alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and arginine biosynthesis, were identified in human and animal metabolomics studies. These biomarkers and pathways, closely related to insulin resistance, the inflammatory state, and impaired nitric oxide production, were demonstrated to contribute to EH development.ConclusionsThis study summarized valuable metabolic biomarkers and pathways that could offer opportunities for the early diagnosis or prediction of EH and the discovery of the metabolic mechanisms of EH.     

Early visual ERPs are influenced by individual emotional skills

Processing information from faces is crucial to understanding others and to adapting to social life. Many studies have investigated responses to facial emotions to provide a better understanding of the processes and the neural networks involved. Moreover, several studies have revealed abnormalities of emotional face processing and their neural correlates in affective disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate whether early visual event-related potentials (ERPs) are affected by the emotional skills of healthy adults. Unfamiliar faces expressing the six basic emotions were presented to 28 young adults while recording visual ERPs. No specific task was required during the recording. Participants also completed the Social Skills Inventory (SSI) which measures social and emotional skills. The results confirmed that early visual ERPs (P1, N170) are affected by the emotions expressed by a face and also demonstrated that N170 and P2 are correlated to the emotional skills of healthy subjects. While N170 is sensitive to the subject’s emotional sensitivity and expressivity, P2 is modulated by the ability of the subjects to control their emotions. We therefore suggest that N170 and P2 could be used as individual markers to assess strengths and weaknesses in emotional areas and could provide information for further investigations of affective disorders.     

Therapy for a Healthy Sibling of a Child Diagnosed with Cancer: A Case Study

This article presents a case study for skills-directed intervention aiming to help healthy siblings of children with cancer control their emotions and gain self-control skills. Case study application of the intervention was with a boy aged 9 years and 8 months who had the verbal, cognitive, and motivational ability to learn and apply the skills. Intervention included the “Feeling Wheel” to enhance emotional identification, expression, understanding, acceptance, and control. Intervention also focused on teaching him to observe his automatic thoughts, change them to mediated ones, engage in internal dialogue, and seek/adopt alternative behaviors to gain self-control. In postintervention feedback, he reported less anxiety than previously, less inclination toward negative thinking, and more empowerment to deal with day-to-day difficulties he encountered.     

《少林寺伤科秘方》及其方药特点分析

《少林寺伤科秘方》之"少林寺经验损伤方"中载有方剂共41首,其中9首为专治相应部位之跌打损伤,5首为外用方剂。其所载方药基本符合跌打损伤"气血不流行"的病机特点。"祛瘀不伤正"是贯穿于伤科整个治疗过程,对于体弱之人时刻要顾护正气。纵观书中方剂,所有药物的用量均不大,应该考虑到了祛邪不伤正的原则。所以此书中的方药剂型虽多,但不循常规。《少林寺伤科秘方》用药以活血行气化瘀为主,兼以补养正气。通过对药物使用频率的分析,当归、桃仁、红花、乳香、没药、炙甲片、香附、枳壳、苏木使用的频率相对较高,尤其是当归,当之无愧的成为治疗伤科疾病的要药。     

Quantification of Nucleated Cells,CD34-Positive Cells and CFU-GM Colonies in Single Bone Marrow Samples and Bone Marrow Harvests Derived from Healthy Children

Little is known regarding bone marrow (BM) cellularity, CD34+ fraction, and CFU-GM colony formation in relation to age and whether healthy children require a reference range distinct from healthy adults. We therefore analyzed a series of single BM aspirates from 45 healthy children who were evaluated as potential BM donors. Thirty-three of these children subsequently donated BM. We quantified the nucleated cell count, fraction of CD34+ cells, and number of CFU-GM colonies in single aspirates and BM harvests. Single aspirates displayed a mean nucleated cell count of 31.3 × 10⁶ cells/mL, a mean fraction of 1.17% CD34+ cells, and a mean colony forming potential of 66.6 CFU-GM/10⁵ cells. Harvests yielded the same number of nucleated cells but increased numbers of CD34+ cells and CFU-GM compared with single aspirates. The mean nucleated cell count in BM harvests was 31.1 × 10⁶ /mL with a mean fraction of 1.95% CD34+ cells and a mean of 112.4 CFU-GM colonies/10⁵ cells. The concentration of nucleated cells was elevated compared with reported adult counts, while CD34+ percentage and CFU-GM counts were similar. In this series of healthy children, the fraction of CD34+ cells, CFU-GM colonies, and nucleated cells decreased with age. We did not identify gender specific differences. To our knowledge, this represents the first comprehensive study of CD34+ cell fraction, CFU-GM counts, and nucleated cell numbers in the BM of healthy children. The findings provide valuable information for practical use for BM transplantation and contribute to the understanding of hematopoiesis from birth to adulthood.