Assay for lipid peroxides in animal tissues by thiobarbituric acid reaction

BACKGROUND\nObesity in childhood is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. It is uncertain whether this risk is attenuated in persons who are overweight or obese as children but not obese as adults.\n\n\nMETHODS\nWe analyzed data from four prospective cohort studies that measured childhood and adult body-mass index (BMI, the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters). The mean length of follow-up was 23 years. To define high adiposity status, international age-specific and sex-specific BMI cutoff points for overweight and obesity were used for children, and a BMI cutoff point of 30 was used for adults.\n\n\nRESULTS\nData were available for 6328 subjects. Subjects with consistently high adiposity status from childhood to adulthood, as compared with persons who had a normal BMI as children and were nonobese as adults, had an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (relative risk, 5.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.4 to 8.5), hypertension (relative risk, 2.7; 95% CI, 2.2 to 3.3), elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (relative risk, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.4 to 2.3), reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (relative risk, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.8 to 2.5), elevated triglyceride levels (relative risk, 3.0; 95% CI, 2.4 to 3.8), and carotid-artery atherosclerosis (increased intima-media thickness of the carotid artery) (relative risk, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.4 to 2.2) (P ≤ 0.002 for all comparisons). Persons who were overweight or obese during childhood but were nonobese as adults had risks of the outcomes that were similar to those of persons who had a normal BMI consistently from childhood to adulthood (P>0.20 for all comparisons).\n\n\nCONCLUSIONS\nOverweight or obese children who were obese as adults had increased risks of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and carotid-artery atherosclerosis. The risks of these outcomes among overweight or obese children who became nonobese by adulthood were similar to those among persons who were never obese. (Funded by the Academy of Finland and others.).

Childhood Adiposity, Adult Adiposity, and Cardiovascular Risk Factors EDITORIAL COMMENT

The structure and function of the skin details the individual components of the epidermis, dermis, and their roles in normal skin health. The individual cell types in the epidermis, the different epidermal layers, and the roles of the keratinocyte are explained. The epidermis and dermis, and their important relation to each other through the dermoepidermal junction are described. The dermal adnexal structures of hair follicles (pilosebaceous units), sweat glands, and nerves are all considered. The functions of skin and barrier function are also listed. Rare but important causes of disordered sweating (hyperhidrosis and hypohidrosis) are described. In addition, presentations of hyperhidrosis are discussed.

Structure and function of the skin

Carotenoids are biosynthesized by bacteria, algae, fungi, and plants, but not by animals, which must obtain them from their food. These compounds are divided into two major classes based on their structural elements; carotenes, constituted by carbon and hydrogen (e.g. b-carotene, a-carotene and lycopene), and xanthophylls, constituted by carbon, hydrogen, and additionally oxygen (for example lutein, b-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, astaxanthin and fucoxanthin). Carotenoids have good effect on human health, such as pro-vitamin A, antioxidant, anticancer, antiobesity effect and anabolic effect on bone components. Currently, carotenoids are used commercially as feed additives, animal feed supplements, natural food colorants, nutrient supplement and, more recently, as nutraceuticals for cosmetic and pharmaceutical purposes. These compounds can be produced commercially by chemical synthesis, fermentation or isolation from the small number of abundant natural sources. Furthermore, commercial production of carotenoids from microorganisms competes mainly with synthetic manufacture by chemical synthesis. However, most of the commercially used carotenoids (for example β-carotene, astaxanthin and cantaxanthin) are produced by chemical synthesis.

	 

	Key words: Carotenoid, food industry, nutraceutical, food colorant, feed supplement, pro-vitamin A, antioxidant, anticancer, antiobesity effect.

Carotenoids: Sources, medicinal properties and their application in food and nutraceutical industry

People suffering from pain due to osteoarthritic or rheumatoidal changes in the joints are still waiting for a better treatment. Although some studies have achieved success in repairing small cartilage defects, there is no widely accepted method for complete repair of osteochondral defects. Also joint replacements have not yet succeeded in replacing of natural cartilage without complications. Therefore, there is room for a new medical approach, which outperforms currently used methods.

The aim of this study is to show potential of using a tissue engineering approach for regeneration of osteochondral defects. The critical review of currently used methods for treatment of osteochondral defects is also provided.

In this study, two kinds of hybrid scaffolds developed in Hutmacher's group have been analysed. The first biphasic scaffold consists of fibrin and PCL. The fibrin serves as a cartilage phase while the porous PCL scaffold acts as the subchondral phase. The second system comprises of PCL and PCL-TCP. The scaffolds were fabricated via fused deposition modeling which is a rapid prototyping system. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal cells were isolated from New Zealand White rabbits, cultured in vitro and seeded into the scaffolds. Bone regenerations of the subchondral phases were quantified via micro CT analysis and the results demonstrated the potential of the porous PCL and PCL-TCP scaffolds in promoting bone healing. Fibrin was found to be lacking in this aspect as it degrades rapidly. On the other hand, the porous PCL scaffold degrades slowly hence it provides an effective mechanical support.

This study shows that in the field of cartilage repair or replacement, tissue engineering may have big impact in the future. In vivo bone and cartilage engineering via combining a novel composite, biphasic scaffold technology with a MSC has been shown a high potential in the knee defect regeneration in the animal models. However, the clinical application of tissue engineering requires the future research work due to several problems, such as scaffold design, cellular delivery and implantation strategies.

Repair and regeneration of osteochondral defects in the articular joints

In recent years there is a growing interest in nutraceuticals which provide health benefits and are alternative to modern medicine. Nutrients, herbals and dietary supplements are major constituents of nutraceuticals which make them instrumental in maintaining health, act against various disease conditions and thus promote the quality of life. The explosive growth, research developments, lack of standards, marketing zeal, quality assurance and regulation will play a vital role in its success or failure. In India the most common forms of functional foods and nutraceuticals are available as traditional Indian Ayurvedic Medicines (IAM); these are marketed under different brand names. India is the home of a large number of medicinal herbs, spices and tree species that have a substantially large domestic market with no major foreign competition at present. However, it is important to note that there are no strict pharmaceutical regulations on Ayurvedic and nutraceutical health products in India. In india and china have large populations, in particular in rural, remote and inaccessible areas which are totally dependent upon herbal remedies and other naturally available bioresources which they use to treat common ailments, and as general preventive and protective medications. In the global marketplace nutraceuticals and functional foods have become a multi-billion dollar industry and estimates within Canada suggest that the Canadian nutraceutical and functional food industry has potential to grow to $50 billion US. Japan is the second largest market in the world for nutraceutical products after the United States. Its nutraceutical market has exhibited a steady average growth rate of 9.6% per annum.

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Nutraceutical and functional food as future food: a review.

Aim: Oral route has always been the favorite route of drug administration in many diseases and till today it is the first way investigated in the development of new dosage forms. The major problem in oral drug formulations is low and erratic bioavailability, which mainly results from poor aqueous solubility, thereby pose problems in their formulation. For the therapeutic delivery of lipophilic active moieties (BCS class II drugs), lipid based formulations are inviting increasing attention. Methods: To that aim, from the web sites of PubMed, HCAplus, Thomson, and Registry were used as the main sources to perform the search for the most significant research articles published on the subject. The information was then carefully analyzed, highlighting the most important results in the formulation and development of self-micro emulsifying drug delivery systems as well as its therapeutic activity. Results: Self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) has gained more attention due to enhanced oral bio-availability enabling reduction in dose, more consistent temporal profiles of drug absorption, selective targeting of drug(s) toward specific absorption window in GIT, and protection of drug(s) from the unreceptive environment in gut. Conclusions: This article gives a complete overview of SMEDDS as a promising approach to effectively deal with the problem of poorly soluble molecules.

Self-Micro Emulsifying Drug Delivery Systems: A Strategy to Improve Oral Bioavailability

Novel Approaches for Drug Delivery

Methoxsalen has been used for the treatment of psoriasis In order to develop alternative formulations for the topical administration of methoxsalen, chitosan coated microemulsion were evaluated as delivery vehicle Microemulsions were prepared using water, soyabean oil Egg phosphatidylcholine, ethanol and coated with chitosan They were characterized for shape and surface morphology, droplet size and size distribution, zeta potential, pH and viscosity The ability of the system to deliver into the skin was evaluated using dialysis membrane and human cadaver skin The in vitro permeation data showed that the novel system cumulative amount released was 1875 % lesser than the microemulsion These studies clearly show that methoxsalen loaded chitosan-coated microemulsion provides control release of methoxsalen with retention on the skin Therefore may be appropriate vehicle for topical delivery of methoxsalen Keywords: Microemulsions; Soyabean; Methoxsalen; Chitosan

http://www.arjournals.org/index.php/ijdd/article/viewFile/39/33

Methoxsalen loaded chitosan coated microemulsion for effective treatment of psoriasis

The recent era is witnessing evaluation of medicinal and nutritional value of fruits and fruit juices for the management and prevention of brain diseases like headache stress, anxiety, hypertension, and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases by the scientists and researchers worldwide. Fruits possess various chemicals such as antioxidants and polyphenols, which reduce and balance the effect of hormone in brain responsible for brain disease. Natural remedy is cheap, easily available, nontoxic, and easy to prepare and provides good mental health as compared to other remedies. The main objective of this review is to acknowledge medicinal benefits of fruits for the cognition and management of brain disease.

/pdf/medicinal-effect-of-nutraceutical-fruits-for-the-cognition-1a8npnez71.pdf

Raj K. Keservani

Papers

Nutraceutical and functional food as future food: a review.

Self-Micro Emulsifying Drug Delivery Systems: A Strategy to Improve Oral Bioavailability

Novel Approaches for Drug Delivery

Methoxsalen loaded chitosan coated microemulsion for effective treatment of psoriasis

Medicinal Effect of Nutraceutical Fruits for the Cognition and Brain Health