scholarly journals Roles of Chemical Complexity and Evolutionary Theory in Some Hepatic and Intestinal Enzymatic Systems in Chemical Reproducibility and Clinical Efficiency of Herbal Derivatives

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Di Pierro
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Herbal Extracts ◽  
Abc Proteins ◽  
Chemical Complexity ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Enzymatic Systems ◽  
Pharmacological Potential ◽  
Poor Efficacy ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Plant Substances

Despite the great marketing success, most physicians attribute poor efficacy to herbals. This perception is due to two situations that are an integral part of the herbal topic. The first is the poor phytochemical reproducibility obtained during the production process of herbal extracts, as herbal extracts are not always standardized in the whole manufacturing process, but only in their titer. The second problem is linked to the evolution of important enzymatic systems: cytochromes and ABC proteins. They are both enzyme classes with detoxifying properties and seem to have evolved from the molecular mould provided by active plant substances. During the evolution, as still happens today, polyphenols, saponins, terpenes, and alkaloids were ingested together with food. They do not possess any nutritional value but seem to be provided with a potential pharmacological activity. Cytochromes and ABC proteins, which evolved over time to detoxify food from vegetable chemical “actives,” now seem to limit the action of herbal derivatives. The comprehension of these 2 events may explain the origin of the widespread scepticism of physicians about herbal medicine and suggests that, after correct herbal standardization, use of antagonists of cytochromes and ABC systems will make it possible to recover their pharmacological potential.

scholarly journals Fermentation as a Tool to Revitalise Brewers’ Spent Grain and Elevate Techno-Functional Properties and Nutritional Value in High Fibre Bread

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1639
Author(s):  
Emma Neylon ◽  
Elke K. Arendt ◽  
Emanuele Zannini ◽  
Aylin W. Sahin
Keyword(s):  
Functional Properties ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Bread Quality ◽  
Wheat Bread ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Additional Processing ◽  
Spent Grain ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Recycling of by-products from the food industry has become a central part of research to help create a more sustainable future. Brewers’ spent grain is one of the main side-streams of the brewing industry, rich in protein and fibre. Its inclusion in bread, however, has been challenging and requires additional processing. Fermentation represents a promising tool to elevate ingredient functionality and improve bread quality. Wheat bread was fortified with spray-dried brewers’ spent grain (BSG) and fermented brewers’ spent grain (FBSG) at two addition levels to achieve “source of fibre” and “high in fibre” claims according to EU regulations. The impact of BSG and FBSG on bread dough, final bread quality and nutritional value was investigated and compared to baker’s flour (BF) and wholemeal flour (WMF) breads. The inclusion of BSG and FBSG resulted in a stronger and faster gluten development; reduced starch pasting capacity; and increased dough resistance/stiffness. However, fermentation improved bread characteristics resulting in increased specific volume, reduced crumb hardness and restricted microbial growth rate over time. Additionally, the inclusion of FBSG slowed the release in reducing sugars over time during in vitro starch digestion. Thus, fermentation of BSG can ameliorate bread techno-functional properties and improve nutritional quality of breads.

NO/ROS/RNS Cascaded-Releasing Nano-Platform for Gas/PDT/PTT/Immunotherapy of Tumor

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengchao Ding ◽  
Kai Shao ◽  
Lijuan Wu ◽  
Yuping Jiang ◽  
Bing Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Tumor Therapy ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Gas Treatment ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Promising Strategy ◽  
Poor Efficacy

Nitric oxide (NO) gas treatment offers a promising strategy for tumor therapy, however, its practical application was still be limited for the poor efficacy and biotoxicity which were caused by...

scholarly journals Wealth of nomads – an exploratory analysis of livestock inequality in the Saami reindeer husbandry

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marius Warg Næss ◽  
Bård-Jørgen Bårdsen
Keyword(s):  
Primary Source ◽  
Wealth Inequality ◽  
External Factors ◽  
Social Differentiation ◽  
Reindeer Herding ◽  
Reindeer Husbandry ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Wealth Inequalities ◽  
Rank Differences ◽  
Over Time

Social inequality is pervasive in contemporary human societies. Nevertheless, there is a view that livestock, as the primary source of wealth, limits the development of inequalities, making pastoralism unable to support complex or hierarchical organisations. Thus, complex nomadic pastoral organisation is predominantly caused by external factors, i.e., historically nomadic political organisation mirrored the neighbouring sedentary population's sophistication. Using governmental statistics on reindeer herding in Norway (2001 - 2018), this study demonstrates nothing apparent in the pastoral adaptation with livestock as the main base of wealth that level wealth inequalities and limits social differentiation. This study found that inequality was generally decreasing in terms of the Gini coefficient and cumulative wealth. For example, the proportion owned by the wealthy decreased from 2001 to 2018, while the proportion owned by the poor increased. Nevertheless, rank differences persist over time with minor changes. Especially, being poor is stable: around 50% of households ranked as poor in 2001 continued to be so in 2018. In sum, results from this study indicate that pastoral wealth inequality follows the same patterns as all forms of wealth. Wealth accumulates over time, and because the highest earners can save much of their income (i.e., newborn livestock), low earners cannot. High earners can thus accumulate more and more wealth over time, leading to considerable wealth inequalities.

scholarly journals Income Redistribution Predicts Greater Life Satisfaction Across Individual, National, and Cultural Characteristics.

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Income Redistribution ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Cultural Characteristics ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Strong Hypothesis ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Over Time

The widening income gap between the rich and the poor has important social implications. Governmental-level income redistribution through tax and welfare policies presents an opportunity to reduce income inequality and its negative consequences. The current longitudinal studies examined whether within-region changes in income redistribution over time relate to life satisfaction. Moreover, I examined potential moderators of this relationship to test the strong versus weak hypotheses of income redistribution. The strong hypothesis posits that income redistribution is beneficial to most. The weak hypothesis posits that income redistribution is beneficial to some and damaging to others. Using a nationally representative sample of 57,932 German respondents from 16 German states across 30 years (Study 1) and a sample of 112,876 respondents from 33 countries across 24 years (Study 2), I found that within-state and within-nation changes in income redistribution over time were associated with life satisfaction. The models predicted that a 10% reduction in Gini through income redistribution in Germany increased life satisfaction to the same extent as an 37% increase in annual income (Study 1), and a 5% reduction in Gini through income redistribution increased life satisfaction to the same extent as a 11% increase in GDP (Study 2). These associations were positive across individual, national, and cultural characteristics. Increases in income redistribution predicted greater satisfaction for tax-payers and welfare-receivers, for liberals and conservatives, and for the poor and the rich. These findings support the strong hypothesis of income redistribution and suggest that redistribution policies may play an important role in societal well-being.

scholarly journals The Interplay between Glioblastoma and Its Microenvironment

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2257
Author(s):  
Mark Dapash ◽  
David Hou ◽  
Brandyn Castro ◽  
Catalina Lee-Chang ◽  
Maciej S. Lesniak
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Poor Prognosis ◽  
Primary Brain Tumor ◽  
Major Contributor ◽  
Complex Interplay ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Adaptive Nature ◽  
Poor Efficacy

GBM is the most common primary brain tumor in adults, and the aggressive nature of this tumor contributes to its extremely poor prognosis. Over the years, the heterogeneous and adaptive nature of GBM has been highlighted as a major contributor to the poor efficacy of many treatments including various immunotherapies. The major challenge lies in understanding and manipulating the complex interplay among the different components within the tumor microenvironment (TME). This interplay varies not only by the type of cells interacting but also by their spatial distribution with the TME. This review highlights the various immune and non-immune components of the tumor microenvironment and their consequences f the efficacy of immunotherapies. Understanding the independent and interdependent aspects of the various sub-populations encapsulated by the immune and non-immune components will allow for more targeted therapies. Meanwhile, understanding how the TME creates and responds to different environmental pressures such as hypoxia may allow for other multimodal approaches in the treatment of GBM. Ultimately, a better understanding of the GBM TME will aid in the development and advancement of more effective treatments and in improving patient outcomes.

“Until the Day of His Death”

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (139) ◽  
pp. 52-74
Author(s):  
Henrique Espada Lima
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Human Aging ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Contractual Arrangements ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Slave Society ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

Abstract This article examines postmortem inventories and notarial records from Brazilian slaveholders in southern Brazil in the nineteenth century. By discussing selected cases in detail, it investigates the relationship between “precarious masters” (especially the poor and/or disabled, widows without family, and single elderly slaveholding women and men) and their slaves and former slaves to whom they bequeathed, in their testaments and final wills, manumission and property. The article reads these documents as intergenerational contractual arrangements that connected the masters’ expectations for care in illness and old age with the slaves’ and former slaves’ expectations for compensation for their work and dedication. Following these uneven relationships of interdependence and exploitation as they developed over time, the article suggests a reassessment of the role of paternalism in Brazil during the country’s final century of slavery. More than a tool to enforce relations of domination, paternalism articulated with the dynamics of vulnerability and interdependency as they changed over the life courses of both enslaved people and slave owners. This article shows how human aging became a terrain of negotiation and struggle as Brazilian slave society transformed throughout the nineteenth century.

scholarly journals Linking silvicultural aspects of pro-poor leasehold forestry for socio-economic benefits to the poor and vulnerable communities

2018 ◽  
pp. 113-119
Author(s):  
K. K. Yadav ◽  
G. P. Kafley ◽  
K. P. Yadav
Keyword(s):  
Community Forestry ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Silvicultural Practices ◽  
User Groups ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Forest User Groups ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Forest User

Government of Nepal has adopted different models like community forestry, leasehold forestry, collaborative forestry, buffer zone community forestry and public land agroforestry for management of forest resources. Poor focused leasehold forestry is only the approach adopted since early 1990 that has two major objectives: livelihood improvement and environmental conservation. Forest user groups of 5–15 households (HHs) are provided with part of national forests for a period of initial lease of 40 years. Leased forests are managed mainly with forestry crops, forage and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) to meet the dual objectives. Past studies and researches have indicated that leasehold forests are better than the hand over time however they are inadequate in dealing with silvicultural aspects in leasehold forestry (LF). This research paper has highlighted the significance of silvicultural aspects of leasehold forestry for overall socio-economic benefits to the poor and vulnerable forest users. Review of the existing policy and legal documents, studies and progress reports of the leasehold forestry projects implemented during the last two decades, consultation with leasehold forest user groups from five districts (Tehrathum, Makawanpur, Tanahun, Pyuthan and Doti) formed the main source of data for this article. Further, author’s own experiences in the sector were taken as supporting reliable information for the study. The study found that silvicultural practices, except plantations and weeding, were not adopted in leasehold forest but there was great potential for such practices to maximize the socio-economic benefits. Proper use of silvicultural practices might have increased contribution to currently realized benefits like (i) increased income of members i.e. poorest families (having less than 3 months secured foods) were reduced over years, (ii) group members had increased access to different networks and cooperatives, (iii) participation of women, poor and indigenous people increased in the decision-making process, and (iv) forest coverage was increased with respect to the hand over time. Some issues on silviculture aspects included proper guidelines for silvicultural methods, capacity of staff and leasehold forest user group members, smaller sizes of leasehold forests, and promotion of appropriate species. Banko JanakariA Journal of Forestry Information for Nepal Special Issue No. 4, 2018, Page: 113-119 

Conditional survival (CS) for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted therapy (TT): Results from the International mRCC Database Consortium.

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (5_suppl) ◽  
pp. 358-358
Author(s):  
Toni K. Choueiri ◽  
Wanling Xie ◽  
Lauren Christine Harshman ◽  
Georg A. Bjarnason ◽  
Jennifer J. Knox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Group ◽  
Risk Groups ◽  
Vascular Endothelial ◽  
Conditional Survival ◽  
Prognostic Information ◽  
Poor Risk ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Endothelial Growth Factor ◽  
Over Time

358 Background: Survival estimates for patients with mRCC are traditionally reported from the time of TT initiation. These survival projections, however, may not be applicable to patients who have already survived a period of time after initiating therapy. CS accounts for elapsed time since starting therapy, providing more relevant prognostic information. Methods: Data on 1673 patients treated with first-line VEGF TT between 4/7/2003 and 10/12/2010 was analyzed. Median follow up for patients still alive is 20.1 months. Conditioned survival was calculated on the set of patients alive or on TT at 3 months and using 3 months increments for up to 18 months. Results: The 2-year CS probability tends to slightly improve from 44 to 51% when conditioned on having already survived 0 to18 months since initiation of TT, respectively. The Heng et al (JCO 2009) risk criteria (defined at therapy initiation) retains prognostic ability over time independent of previous survival time or previous time on TT up to 18 months (p<0.0001 for all comparisons). In the subgroup analysis stratified by Heng risk groups, 2-year CS minimally changes over time in the favorable (FAV) and in the intermediate (INT) groups, but in the poor risk group, the 2-year CS improves from 11% initially to 33% after 18 months. When conditioned on time on TT, 2-year CS improves from 44% to 68% overall, from 74% to 90% in the FAV risk group, 49% to 57% in the INT risk group and 11% to 73% in the poor-risk group. Conclusions: Conditional survival may be a more relevant measure of prognosis for those who have already survived or have been on TT for a period of time. The largest improvement was seen in patients in the poor risk group. [Table: see text]

scholarly journals OH and HO<sub>2</sub> chemistry in clean marine air during SOAPEX-2

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 419-470
Author(s):  
R. Sommariva ◽  
A.-L. Haggerstone ◽  
L. J. Carpenter ◽  
N. Carslaw ◽  
D. J. Creasey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Free Radical ◽  
Simple Model ◽  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Marine Boundary Layer ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
Chemical Mechanism ◽  
Detailed Model ◽  
Model Calculations ◽  
Chemical Complexity ◽  
The Poor

Abstract. Model-measurement comparisons of HOx in extremely clean air ([NO]<3  ppt) are reported. Measurements were made during the second Southern Ocean Photochemistry Experiment (SOAPEX-2), held in austral summer 1999 at the Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station in north-western Tasmania, Australia. The free-radical chemistry was studied using a zero-dimensional box-model based upon the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM). Two versions of the model were used, with different levels of chemical complexity, to explore the role of hydrocarbons upon free-radical budgets under very clean conditions. The "detailed" model was constrained to measurements of CO, CH4 and 15 NMHCs, while the "simple" model contained only the CO and  CH4 oxidation mechanisms, together with inorganic chemistry. The OH and HO2 (HOx) concentrations predicted by the two models agreed to within 5–10%. The model results were compared with the HOx concentrations measured by the FAGE (Fluorescence Assay by Gas Expansion) technique during four days of clean Southern Ocean marine boundary layer (MBL) air. The models overestimated OH concentrations by about 10% on two days and about 20% on the other two days. HO2 concentrations were measured during two of these days and the models overestimated the measured concentrations by about 40%. Better agreement with measured HO2 was observed by using data from several MBL aerosol measurements to estimate the aerosol surface area and by increasing the HO2 uptake coefficient to unity. This reduced the modelled HO2 overestimate by ~40%, with little effect on OH, because of the poor HO2 to OH conversion at the low ambient NOx concentrations. Local sensitivity analysis and Morris One-At-A-Time analysis were performed on the "simple" model, and showed the importance of reliable measurements of j(O1D) and [HCHO] and of the kinetic parameters that determine the efficiency of  O(1D) to OH and HCHO to HO2 conversion. A 2σ standard deviation of 30–40% for OH and 25–30% for HO2 was estimated for the model calculations using a Monte Carlo technique coupled with Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS). A rate of production analysis, which demonstrates the relevance of  HCHO as a radical source, coupled with the poor performance of the models with respect to the concentrations of formaldehyde and peroxides, suggest that there are significant uncertainties in the chemical mechanism.

scholarly journals Human B cell lineages associated with germinal centers following influenza vaccination are measurably evolving

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth B Hoehn ◽  
Jackson S Turner ◽  
Frederick I Miller ◽  
Ruoyi Jiang ◽  
Oliver G Pybus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Virus ◽  
B Cells ◽  
Influenza Vaccination ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Seasonal Influenza ◽  
Germinal Centers ◽  
Cell Lineages ◽  
Cell Evolution ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Poor Efficacy

The poor efficacy of seasonal influenza virus vaccines is often attributed to pre-existing immunity interfering with the persistence and maturation of vaccine-induced B cell responses. We previously showed that a subset of vaccine-induced B cell lineages are recruited into germinal centers (GCs) following vaccination, suggesting that affinity maturation of these lineages against vaccine antigens can occur. However, it remains to be determined whether seasonal influenza vaccination stimulates additional evolution of vaccine-specific lineages, and previous work has found no significant increase in somatic hypermutation (SHM) among influenza-binding lineages sampled from the blood following seasonal vaccination in humans. Here, we investigate this issue using a phylogenetic test of measurable immunoglobulin sequence evolution. We first validate this test through simulations and survey measurable evolution across multiple conditions. We find significant heterogeneity in measurable B cell evolution across conditions, with enrichment in primary response conditions such as HIV infection and early childhood development. We then show that measurable evolution following influenza vaccination is highly compartmentalized: while lineages in the blood are rarely measurably evolving following influenza vaccination, lineages containing GC B cells are frequently measurably evolving. Many of these lineages appear to derive from memory B cells. We conclude from these findings that seasonal influenza virus vaccination can stimulate additional evolution of responding B cell lineages, and imply that the poor efficacy of seasonal influenza vaccination is not due to a complete inhibition of vaccine-specific B cell evolution.

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