Essential oils and their volatile constituents are used widely to prevent and treat human disease. The possible role and mode of action of these natural products is discussed with regard to the prevention and treatment of cancer, cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis and thrombosis, as well as their bioactivity as antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidants and antidiabetic agents. Their application as natural skin penetration enhancers for transdermal drug delivery and the therapeutic properties of essential oils in aroma and massage therapy will also be outlined.

Pharmaceutical and therapeutic potentials of essential oils and their individual volatile constituents: a review.

A status review on the medicinal properties of essential oils

The human interleukin IL-6 was originally cloned in 1986. In 1993, William Ershler, in his article "IL-6: A Cytokine for Gerontologists," indicated IL-6 as one of the main signaling pathways modulating the complex relationship between aging and chronic morbidity. Over the last 12 years, our understanding of the role of IL-6 in human physiology and pathology has substantially grown, although some of the questions originally posed by Ershler are still debated. In this review, we will focus on IL-6 structure, IL-6 signaling, and trans signaling pathways, and the role of IL-6 in geriatric syndromes and chronic disease. In the final section of this review, we dissect the critical elements of the IL-6 signaling pathway and point out targets for intervention that are targeted by emerging drugs, some still on the horizon and others already being tested in clinical trials.

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Interleukin-6 in aging and chronic disease: a magnificent pathway.

Chlorinated volatile organic compounds (Cl-VOCs) in environment - sources, potential human health impacts, and current remediation technologies.

Malnutrition is a major contributor to mortality and is increasingly recognized as a cause of potentially lifelong functional disability. Yet, a rate-limiting step in achieving normal nutrition may be impaired absorptive function due to multiple repeated enteric infections. This is especially problematic in children whose diets are marginal. In malnourished individuals, the infections are even more devastating. This review documents the evidence that intestinal infections lead to malnutrition and that malnutrition worsens intestinal infections. The clinical data presented here derive largely from long-term cohort studies that are supported by controlled animal studies. Also reviewed are the mechanisms by which enteric infections lead to undernutrition and by which malnutrition worsens enteric infections, with implications for potential novel interventions. Further intervention studies are needed to document the relevance of these mechanisms and, most importantly, to interrupt the vicious diarrhea-malnutrition cycle so children may develop their full potential.

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Malnutrition as an enteric infectious disease with long-term effects on child development

Objective: Preeclampsia (PE) is a frequently occurred complication of pregnancy. PE often has renal involvement characterised by proteinuria, and decreased glomerular filtration. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of urinary and fractional excretion (FE) of beta-2 microglobulin (β2M) as indicator of tubular function in both preeclamptic and normal, healthy pregnant women as compared to healthy, non-pregnant women. Material and Methods: Twenty third-trimester pregnant women with PE (group 1), 20 third-trimester healthy pregnant women (group 2), and 20 healthy, non-pregnant women (group 3) were included in the present study. The serum and urinary levels of beta-2 microglobulin were measured and fractional excretion (FE) of β2M was determined in each group. The urinary value obtained for β2M was then expressed per gram of creatinine (β2M/Cr). Results: The urinary β2M/Cr ratio was statistically higher in both group 1 and group 2 when compared to group 3 (p 0.05). The serum β2M levels were significantly higher in group 1 when compared with those in group 2 and group 3 (p 0.05). FE of β2M increased significantly in group 1 and group 2 compared with that in group 3 (p 0.05). Conclusion: The results of our study indicate that urinary and fractional excretion of β2M significantly increased in preeclampsia and in normotensive pregnancy as compared to healthy, nonpregnant women and these increases might indicate tubular dysfunction.

Haluk Dülger

Papers

Tubular Function in Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia ¶ PREEKLAMPSLGEBE KADINLARDA TUBULER FONKSYON