Essentiality, Fate, Ecotoxicity, and Health Effects of Xanthates and Xanthates Based-Compounds—A Review

Xanthates are organic synthesized substances with a potentially wide range of applications. They may serve as essential components of many compounds or materials that also play a vital role in various industrial and socio-economic processes. Addressing the question of the use of xanthates without considering their toxicity, and their decomposition process and products would be ecologically and healthily less sustainable. To date, related information is still dispersed and less known to the public. Therefore, this work provides a comprehensive overview of the existing information on the essentiality, fate, ecotoxicity, and health effects of xanthates and associated compounds. According to available information from scientific, technical, and professional circles, xanthates are diverse, usually with a carbon chain of two to six carbon atoms. They play a crucial role in the sectors of the mining and mineral processing industry, agriculture, wastewater treatment, metal protection, rubber vulcanization, the pharmaceutical industry, and medicine. Xanthates’ degradation under different factors and mechanisms, which determine their fate in the environment, leads to the formation of toxic substances, mainly carbon disulfide, carbonyl sulfide, hydrogen sulfide, and hydrogen peroxide. Xanthates and xanthates degradation products are seriously hazardous to humans, animals, soil and aquatic organisms, enzymatic system, etc. Simultaneous exposure to xanthates and metals results in the magnification or reduction of their toxicity level, depending on the exposed organisms. Such toxicological dimensions should attract more scientific and public attention for more safe production, use, storage, and disposal of xanthates. Due to the high affinity of xanthates for metal, xanthates-modified compounds are efficient metal chelating agents. Such a property should be explored to develop potentially low-cost and effective alternatives for metal removal and recovery from contaminated media. The same applies to developing appropriate methods for the evaluation and management of the simultaneous presence of xanthates and metals in the environment.

Causal associations between gastroesophageal reflux disease and essential hypertension: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND Clinical studies have reported that patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)have a higher prevalence of hypertension.AIM To performed a bidirectional Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis to investi-gate the causal link between GERD and essential hypertension.METHODS Eligible single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)were selected,and weighted median,inverse variance weighted(IVW)as well as MR egger(MR-Egger)re-gression were used to examine the potential causal association between GERD and hypertension.The MR-Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier analysis was used to detect and attempt to reduce horizontal pleiotropy by removing outliers SNPs.The MR-Egger intercept test,Cochran’s Q test and“leave-one-out”sen-sitivity analysis were performed to evaluate the horizontal pleiotropy,heterogen-eities,and stability of single instrumental variable.RESULTS IVW analysis exhibited an increased risk of hypertension(OR=1.46,95%CI:1.33-1.59,P=2.14E-16)in GERD patients.And the same result was obtained in replication practice(OR=1.002,95%CI:1.0008-1.003,P=0.000498).Meanwhile,the IVW analysis showed an increased risk of systolic blood pressure(β=0.78,95%CI:0.11-1.44,P=0.021)and hypertensive heart disease(OR=1.68,95%CI:1.36-2.08,P=0.0000016)in GERD patients.Moreover,we found an decreased risk of Barrett's esophagus(OR=0.91,95%CI:0.83-0.99,P=0.043)in essential hypertension patients.CONCLUSION We found that GERD would increase the risk of essential hypertension,which provided a novel prevent and therapeutic perspectives of essential hypertension.

Dietary supplementation of benzoic acid and essential oils combination enhances intestinal resilience against LPS stimulation in weaned piglets

Background The benefits of combining benzoic acid and essential oils(BAO)to mitigate intestinal impairment during the weaning process have been well established,while the detailed underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated.Previous research has primarily focused on the reparative effects of BAO on intestinal injury,while neglecting its potential in enhancing intestinal stress resistance.Methods In this study,we investigated the pre-protective effect of BAO against LPS-induced stress using a modified experimental procedure.Piglets were pre-supplemented with BAO for 14 d,followed by a challenge with LPS or saline to collect blood and intestinal samples.Results Our findings demonstrated that BAO supplementation led to significant improvements in piglets’final weight,average daily gain,and feed intake/body gain ratio.Additionally,BAO supplementation positively influenced the composition of intestinal microbiota,increasing beneficial Actinobacteriota and Alloprevotella while reducing harmful Desulfobacterota,Prevotella and Oscillospira.Furthermore,BAO supplementation effectively mitigated oxidative disturbances and inflammatory responses induced by acute LPS challenge.This was evidenced by elevated levels of T-AOC,SOD,and GSH,as well as decreased levels of MDA,TNF-α,and IL-6 in the plasma.Moreover,piglets subjected to LPS challenge and pre-supplemented with BAO exhibited significant improvements in intestinal morphological structure and enhanced integrity,as indicated by restored expression levels of Occludin and Claudin-1 compared to the non-supplemented counterparts.Further analysis revealed that BAO supplementation enhanced the jejunal antioxidative capacity by increasing GSH-Px levels and decreasing MDA levels under the LPS challenge and stimulated the activation of the Nrf2 signaling pathway.Additionally,the reduction of TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK signaling pathways activation and proinflammatory factor were also observed in the jejunal of those piglets fed with BAO.Conclusions In summary,our study demonstrates that pre-supplementation of BAO enhances the anti-stress capacity of weaned piglets by improving intestinal microbiota composition,reinforcing the intestinal barrier,and enhancing antioxidative and anti-inflammatory capabilities.These effects are closely associated with the activation of Nrf2 and TLR4/NF-κB/MAPK signaling pathways.

Establishment of a system for screening and identification of novel bactericide targets in the plant pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae using Tn-seq and SPR

Xanthomonas spp. cause severe bacterial diseases. However, effective strategies for prevention and management of these diseases are scarce. Thus, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of control of diseases caused by Xanthomonas. In this study, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae(Xoo), which causes rice bacterial leaf blight, has been studied as a representative. A transposon insertion library of Xoo, comprising approximately 200,000 individual insertion mutants, was generated. Transposon sequencing data indicated that the mariner C9 transposase mapped at 35.7–36.4% of all potential insertion sites, revealing 491 essential genes required for the growth of Xoo in rich media. The results show that, compared to the functions of essential genes of other bacteria, the functions of some essential genes of Xoo are unknown, 25 genes might be dangerous for the Xanthomonas group, and 3 are specific to Xanthomonas. High-priority candidates for developing broad-spectrum, Xanthomonas-specific, and environment-friendly bactericides were identified in this study. In addition, this study revealed the possible targets of dioctyldiethylenetriamine using surface plasmon resonance(SPR) in combination with high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry(HPLC–MS). The study also provided references for the research of some certain bactericides with unknown anti-bacterial mode of action. In conclusion, this study urged a better understanding of Xanthomonas,provided meaningful data for the management of bacterial leaf blight, and disclosed selected targets of a novel bactericide.

Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound for essential tremor:a prospective,single center,single-arm study

The safety and effectiveness of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy has been broadly established and validated for the treatment of essential tremor.In 2018,the first magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound system in Chinese mainland was installed at the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital.This prospective,single center,open-label,single-arm study was part of a worldwide prospective multicenter clinical trial(ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT03253991)conducted to confirm the safety and efficacy of magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound for treating essential tremor in the local population.From 2019 to 2020,10 patients with medication refractory essential tremor were recruited into this open-label,single arm study.The treatment efficacy was determined using the Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor.Safety was evaluated according to the incidence and severity of adverse events.All of the subjects underwent a unilateral thalamotomy targeting the ventral intermediate nucleus.At the baseline assessment,the estimated marginal mean of the Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor total score was 58.3±3.6,and this improved after treatment to 23.1±6.4 at a 12-month follow-up assessment.A total of 50 adverse events were recorded,and 2 were defined as serious.The most common intraoperative adverse events were nausea and headache.The most frequent postoperative adverse events were paresthesia and equilibrium disorder.Most of the adverse events were mild and usually disappeared within a few days.Our findings suggest that magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound for the treatment of essential tremor is effective,with a good safety profile,for patients in Chinese mainland.

A verifiable essential secret image sharing scheme based on HLRs(VESIS-(t,s,k,n))

In traditional secret image sharing schemes,a secret image is shared among shareholders who have the same position.But if the shareholders have two different positions,essential and non‐essential,it is necessary to use essential secret image sharing schemes.In this article,a verifiable essential secret image sharing scheme based on HLRs is proposed.Shareholder's share consists of two parts.The first part is produced by the shareholders,which prevents the fraud of dealers.The second part is a shadow image that is produced by using HLRs and the first part of share.The verification of the first part of the shares is done for the first time by using multilinear and bilinear maps.Also,for verifying shadow images,Bloom Filters are used for the first time.The proposed scheme is more efficient than similar schemes,and for the first part of the shares,has formal security.

Essential proteins identification method based on four-order distances and subcellular localization information

Essential proteins are inseparable in cell growth and survival. The study of essential proteins is important for understanding cellular functions and biological mechanisms. Therefore, various computable methods have been proposed to identify essential proteins. Unfortunately, most methods based on network topology only consider the interactions between a protein and its neighboring proteins, and not the interactions with its higher-order distance proteins. In this paper, we propose the DSEP algorithm in which we integrated network topology properties and subcellular localization information in protein–protein interaction(PPI) networks based on four-order distances, and then used random walks to identify the essential proteins. We also propose a method to calculate the finite-order distance of the network, which can greatly reduce the time complexity of our algorithm. We conducted a comprehensive comparison of the DSEP algorithm with 11 existing classical algorithms to identify essential proteins with multiple evaluation methods. The results show that DSEP is superior to these 11 methods.

Profiles of the Headspace Volatile Organic and Essential Oil Compounds from the Tunisian Cardaria draba (L.) Desv. and Its Leaf and Stem Epidermal Micromorphology

In this work, we investigated aroma volatiles emanated by dry roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits of Cardariadraba (L.) Desv. growing wild in Tunisia and its aerial part essential oils (EOs) composition. A total of 37 volatileorganic compounds (96.7%–98.9%) were identified;4 esters, 4 alcohols, 7 hydrocarbons, 12 aldehydes, 5 ketones,1 lactone, 1 organosulfur compound, 2 organonitrogen compounds, and 1 acid. The hydrocarbons form the maingroup, representing 49.5%–84.6% of the total detected volatiles. The main constituent was 2,2,4,6,6-pentamethylheptane(44.5%–76.2%) reaching the highest relative percentages. Forty-two compounds were determined in thetwo fractions of EOs, representing 98.8% and 97.2% of the total oil composition, respectively. The principal componentswere hexadecanoic acid (34.6%), 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one (18.3%), decanal (15.0%), 6,10,14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanone (13.2%), and n-pentacosane (13%). Micromorphological details of the leaf and stem epidermisusing light microscopy revealed polygonal cells with sinuous walls in the adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces andnearly rectangular and long ones with linear and thick walls for the stem epidermis. The stomata complexes wereanisocytic in the leaf epidermis and mainly anisocytic and rarely paracytic in the stem epidermis. Non-glandulartrichomes were unbranched and long with an acute apex or short with a convex apex. The glandular ones wereidentified for the first time in this species. They were short-stalked with a large secretory head. The highest stomatalindex (17.02%) was recorded in the abaxial leaf surface. The identification of headspace volatiles and essentialoil compounds can be used to characterize this species, and the various epidermis micromorphologicalfeatures are very useful for biosystematics taxonomic studies within Brassicaceae.

Antibacterial,antioxidant and antiproliferation activities of essential oils and ethanolic extracts from Chinese mugwort(Artemisia vulgaris L.)leaf in Shanxi

Background:Artemisia vulgaris,a medicinal aromatic plant,is widely used as a food item,tonic pharmaceutical,and cosmetic industry additive owing to its antibacterial,antihypertensive,hepatoprotective,antioxidant,and antispasmodic properties.But the effect of different geographic locations on the chemical composition and bioactivities of its extracts is unclear.Methods:Biological activities of essential oils and ethanol extracts of three varieties of Artemisia vulgaris leaves,which are grown in Shanxi province China,were studied.Results:Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the main components of essential oils were terpenes and ketones.Essential oils and ethanol extract of Artemisia vulgaris leaves possessed good antioxidant activities,and their half maximal inhibitory concentrations determined using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2’-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate)assays were 57.0 and 22.9μg/mL,respectively.The essential oils also exhibited remarkable antibacterial activity against three foodborne pathogenic bacterial strains.The ethanol extract presented a high anticancer activity against the MGC-803 human gastric cancer cell line.Conclusion:These biological activities were well correlated with the composition of the extract and EOs,which in turn is affected by the genetic composition of Artemisia vulgaris and geographic location and diverse climatic condition under which it is grown.These findings demonstrate the remarkable potential of Artemisia vulgaris as a valuable source of antioxidant,antibacterial,and anticancer agents.

Identification of Secondary Metabolites in Tunisian Tilia platyphyllos Scop.Using MALDI-TOF and GC-MS

This study is the first to evaluate the phytochemical content and biological properties of Tunisian T.platyphyllos Scop.A total of 23 compounds of essential oils were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS)analysis of bracts and fruit extracts.The results show that oxygenated monoterpenes were the dominant class of essential oils.The phenolic composition was investigated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionizationtime of flight(MALDI-TOF).The analysis showed that the chemical profiles of the ethanolic extracts of bracts and fruits are substantially similar.The highest polyphenol content was found in the ethanolic extracts of the fruits(7.65 mg gallic acid equivalents(GAE).g−1 on dry weight(DW).As for the antioxidant capacity,it was recorded in the essential oils of the fruits(IC_(50)=0.91 mg.mL^(−1)).The results obtained showed that the antioxidant activity of the fruit essential oil was higher than that of the ethanol extract.The fruit essential oil was also found to have the highest reducing power(IC_(50)=0.67 mg.mL^(−1)).In terms of iron-chelating power,fruit essential oil has the highest chelating power(IC_(50)=2.03 mg.mL^(−1)).Compared to the ethanolic extract,the essential oil had the maximum antioxidant capacity.The enzymatic activity of acetylcholinesterase(AChE)inhibition of the essential oil from T.platyphyllos bracts had the most potent inhibitory effect(IC_(50)=0.77 mg.mL^(−1)),followed by the essential oil from the fruits(IC_(50)=0.95 mg.mL^(−1)).The results suggest that T.platyphyllos can be used as a potential source of naturally occurring bioactive compounds and antioxidants.

Cardioprotective Potential of Cymbopogon citratus Essential Oil against Isoproterenol-induced Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy:Possible Involvement of NLRP3 Inflammasome and Oxidative Phosphorylation Complex Subunits

Objective:Cymbopogon citratus(DC.)Stapf is a medicinal and edible herb that is widely used for the treatment of gastric,nervous and hypertensive disorders.In this study,we investigated the cardioprotective effects and mechanisms of the essential oil,the main active ingredient of Cymbopogon citratus,on isoproterenol(ISO)-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.Methods:The compositions of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil(CCEO)were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.Cardiomyocytes were pretreated with 16.9µg/L CCEO for 1 h followed by 10µmol/L ISO for 24 h.Cardiac hypertrophy-related indicators and NLRP3 inflammasome expression were evaluated.Subsequently,transcriptome sequencing(RNA-seq)and target verification were used to further explore the underlying mechanism.Results:Our results showed that the CCEO mainly included citronellal(45.66%),geraniol(23.32%),and citronellol(10.37%).CCEO inhibited ISO-induced increases in cell surface area and protein content,as well as the upregulation of fetal gene expression.Moreover,CCEO inhibited ISO-induced NLRP3 inflammasome expression,as evidenced by decreased lactate dehydrogenase content and downregulated mRNA levels of NLRP3,ASC,CASP1,GSDMD,and IL-1β,as well as reduced protein levels of NLRP3,ASC,pro-caspase-1,caspase-1(p20),GSDMD-FL,GSDMD-N,and pro-IL-1β.The RNA-seq results showed that CCEO inhibited the increase in the mRNA levels of 26 oxidative phosphorylation complex subunits in ISO-treated cardiomyocytes.Our further experiments confirmed that CCEO suppressed ISO-induced upregulation of mt-Nd1,Sdhd,mt-Cytb,Uqcrq,and mt-Atp6 but had no obvious effects on mt-Col expression.Conclusion:CCEO inhibits ISO-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy through the suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome expression and the regulation of several oxidative phosphorylation complex subunits.

Sparse-Grid Implementation of Fixed-Point Fast Sweeping WENO Schemes for Eikonal Equations

Fixed-point fast sweeping methods are a class of explicit iterative methods developed in the literature to efficiently solve steady-state solutions of hyperbolic partial differential equations(PDEs).As other types of fast sweeping schemes,fixed-point fast sweeping methods use the Gauss-Seidel iterations and alternating sweeping strategy to cover characteristics of hyperbolic PDEs in a certain direction simultaneously in each sweeping order.The resulting iterative schemes have a fast convergence rate to steady-state solutions.Moreover,an advantage of fixed-point fast sweeping methods over other types of fast sweeping methods is that they are explicit and do not involve the inverse operation of any nonlinear local system.Hence,they are robust and flexible,and have been combined with high-order accurate weighted essentially non-oscillatory(WENO)schemes to solve various hyperbolic PDEs in the literature.For multidimensional nonlinear problems,high-order fixed-point fast sweeping WENO methods still require quite a large amount of computational costs.In this technical note,we apply sparse-grid techniques,an effective approximation tool for multidimensional problems,to fixed-point fast sweeping WENO methods for reducing their computational costs.Here,we focus on fixed-point fast sweeping WENO schemes with third-order accuracy(Zhang et al.2006[41]),for solving Eikonal equations,an important class of static Hamilton-Jacobi(H-J)equations.Numerical experiments on solving multidimensional Eikonal equations and a more general static H-J equation are performed to show that the sparse-grid computations of the fixed-point fast sweeping WENO schemes achieve large savings of CPU times on refined meshes,and at the same time maintain comparable accuracy and resolution with those on corresponding regular single grids.

Effectiveness of aromatherapy with lavender compared to progressive muscle relaxation on anxiety and vital signs in patients under spinal anesthesia:A randomized clinical trial

Objective:This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of aromatherapy with lavender essential oil compared to progressive muscle relaxation(PMR)on anxiety and vital signs of patients under spinal anesthesia.Materials and Methods:This clinical trial was conducted on 120 spinal anesthesia candidates who were randomly assigned into three groups of 40 including control,PMR(Jacobsen group),and aromatherapy.The state-trait anxiety inventory was completed on surgery day and 15 min after the end of the intervention by the samples of all three groups,and at the same time as completing the questionnaire,vital signs were also measured and recorded.Results:The mean score of anxiety after intervention was lower than that before the intervention in the aromatherapy group(P<0.001).The mean score of anxiety in the aromatherapy group was significantly lower than that in the Jacobsen group(P<0.001).Moreover,data analysis showed a significant decrease in the mean arterial blood pressure scores of the PMR(P=008)and aromatherapy(P<0.001)groups and a statistically significant increase in the mean heart rate scores in the control group(P=0.002).Conclusion:The use of aromatherapy with lavender is more effective than PMR therapy in reducing the anxiety level of patients undergoing spinal anesthesia.Due to the high level of anxiety and its serious effects on the patient’s hemodynamics,aromatherapy with lavender can be used as an easy and cheap method to reduce anxiety in operation rooms.

Excipient effect on antimicrobial activity of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zelylanicum album) oil, Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) oil and Ajowan (Trachyspermum ammi) oil

Background:Many herbal essential oils are potential antimicrobials but their pharmaceutical utility is restricted due to a lack of suitable excipients to mollify their dermatotoxicity and irritant property,and outcome of their therapeutic use may vary with different diluents used.Methods:Effect of 16 diluents(dimethyl sulfoxide,liquid paraffin,glycerine,oils of mustard,sunflower,rice bran,palm,groundnut,olive,coconut,sesame,avocado,jojoba,castor,linseed and soybean)was assessed on antimicrobial activity of 2%cinnamon(Cinnamomum zelylanicum album),thyme(Thymus vulgaris)and ajowan(Trachyspermum ammi)oils using agar well diffusion assay.The effect of excipients was evaluated on six Candida albicans,five Escherichia coli,four Acinetobacter lwoffii,two strains each of Staphylococcus aureus,Enterobacter agglomerans,and Enterococcus faecium and one strain each of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus,Escherichia fergusonii,Klebsiella oxytoca,K.pneumoniae ssp.pneumoniae,Leclercia adecarboxylata,Paenibacillus amylolyticus,Proteus mirabilis,P.vulgaris,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Raoultella terrigena,Staphylococcus capitis ssp.capitis,S.chromogenes,S.epidermidis,S.warneri and Streptococcus pyogenes.Results:Thyme oil(2%)maintained it antimicrobial activity on dilution in dimethyl sulfoxide and glycerine,and ajowan oil(2%)completely lost its antibacterial activity in all diluents except dimethyl sulfoxide.However,cinnamon oil partially lost its antimicrobial activity upon dilution in glycerine,vegetable,and mineral oils in comparison to dimethyl sulfoxide.Olive oil was the best vegetable oil,almost comparable to dimethyl sulfoxide and castor oil was the worst diluent for maintaining antimicrobial activity of cinnamon oil.Conclusion:The study indicated the non-suitability of vegetable oils for pharmaceutical formulations of essential oils except olive oil for dilution of cinnamon oil and glycerol for thyme oil to replace dimethyl sulfoxide as diluent.

Effects of Supplemental Glutamine and Lysine on Growth Performance of Broiler Chickens

The optimum levels of Lysine and Glutamine needed for growth performance and maintenance of the chicken broilers were evaluated in a randomized 3 × 4 factorial arrangement of dietary treatments. The battery cages measured 99 × 66 × 25 cm that can be sufficient for 5 birds. Day old Chicken broilers totaling 180 were assigned to dietary treatments comprising of 3 concentrations of Lysine (0.85, 1.14, and 1.42) each in combination with 4 concentrations of Glutamine (0, 1, 2, and 3). Each dietary treatment was replicated 3 times and each replication had 5 birds. The birds were given feed and water ad libitum with a 23-hour light regimen for a period of 4 weeks. Then, the experimental birds were evaluated for body weight gain, feed consumption, and feed conversion in order to determine their optimum requirement for dietary Lysine and Glutamine. Based on the findings of this study, the highest performance was observed in birds fed the diet supplemented with 1.42 lysine and 1% glutamine, but the highest improvement in feed conversion was observed in diet contain 1.14 and 1.42 with 1% and 3% glutamine, respectively. Birds fed 1.42 lysine and 1% glutamine had the highest total body weight gain and feed consumption. The lysine requirements in the diet for Chicken are between 1.14 and 1.42 with glutamine level of 1%.

The Essential Oil of Ocimum americanum from Senegal and Gambia as a Source of Methyleugenol for the Control of Bactrocera dorsalis, Fruit Fly

The fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) is one of the most important pests in all mango-producing areas, particularly in West Africa. In Senegal, O. americanum leaves have been used for several years to control this fly. However, to our knowledge, no chemical studies have been carried out. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the chemical composition of the essential oil of O. americanum leaves collected in Senegal and Gambia. The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation of these leaves is analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS. Yields of essential oils from O. americanum leaves are 3.84% and 2.13%, respectively. Analysis of these essential oils by GC/FID and GC/MS allowed the identification of 23 compounds representing almost 100% of the total compositions. These essential oils are mainly dominated by methyleugenol (72.0% and 75.8%, respectively). Other components in significant percent are trans-β-caryophyllene (13.9% and 13.0%, respectively), germacrene D (4.1% and 3.7%, respectively), β-elemene (3.3% and 0.9%, respectively). Due to the high methyleugenol content, this study explains the attractive potential of O. americanum towards B. dorsalis. In perspective, we plan to evaluate the attractive effect of the essential oil and leaf powder of O. americanum against B. dorsalis, a real pest of mango orchards in Senegal.

Improving the Selection Model of Essential Medicines in China by Evidence-based Thinking

Objective To sort out the problems in the selection model of essential medicines in China,and to put forward some suggestions to optimize the selection model to ensure the rationality of the medicines in the essential medicines list.Methods The domestic and foreign literature on the selection of essential medicines was reviewed.Then,the opinions on the selection methods and results of essential medicines from foreign literature were investigated to make a comparison with the selection of essential medicines in China.Finally,the general and special laws of the selection process of the essential medicines were explored.Results and Conclusion It is recommended that the selection model of essential medicines in China should be further optimized,and the evidence-based thinking and methods should be utilized to enhance the scientific nature of the selection process.

Fusarium wilt of banana:Current update and sustainable disease control using classical and essential oils approaches

Fusarium species were reported to produce biofilms.Biofilms are superficial societies of microbes bounded and endangered by being situated or taking place outside a cell or cells.The most destructive fungal diseases caused by phytopathogens are as a result of biofilms formation.Fusarium wilt of banana(Panama disease)is caused by a soil-borne pathogen called Fusarium oxysporum f.sp.cubense.Fusarium oxysporum occurs in a form of a species complex(FOSC)which encompasses a crowd of strains.Horizontal genetic factor transfer may donate to the observed assortment in pathogenic strains,while sexual reproduction is unknown in the FOSC.Fusarium wilt is a notorious disease on several crops worldwide.Yield loss caused by this pathogen is huge,and significant to destroy crop yields annually,thereby affecting the producer countries in various continents of the world.The disease is also resistant to various synthetic chemical fungicides.However,excessive use of synthetic fungicides during disease control could be lethal to humans,animals,and plants.This calls for alternative eco-friendly management of this disease by targeting the biofilms formation and finally suppressing this devastating phytopathogen.In this review,we,therefore,described the damage caused by Fusarium wilt disease,the concept of filamentous fungal biofilms,classical control strategies,sustainable disease control strategies using essential oils,and prevention and control of vegetables Fusarium wilt diseases.

Drug utilization evaluation of medications used in the management of neurological disorders

Background and object:The burden of neurological disorders in India is expected to increase due to the rapid demographic and epidemiological transition,with irrational drug use,which is also a global concern.Thus,drug utilization evaluation is designed to ensure appropriate medicine use within the healthcare settings.The aim of the study was to assess the rate and pattern of drug utilization in the management of neurological disorders.Materials and methods:A hospital-based cross-sectional drug utilization evaluation study on neurological drugs was carried out at the Department of Neurology over a span of six months.All legible prescriptions consisting neurological medications irrespective of patient's gender,aged≥18 years were included for the study.The World Health Organization(WHO)core drug use indicators were used to assess the drug prescribing and utilization patterns.Results:A total of 310 prescriptions were reviewed,where male predominance was found to be 56.45%.Out of 310 prescriptions,drugs belonging to 26 neurological classes were prescribed for the management of various neurological disorders.The majority of patients were diagnosed with epilepsy and the most prescribed drugs per patient were phenytoin(14.8%)and valproic acid(6.45%).By following the WHO core drug prescribing indicators,65.47%of drugs prescribed from the India National List of Essential Medicines,2022,followed by 29.83%of drugs prescribed in generic name and 10.86%of prescriptions including injections.Conclusion:The study findings showed that the prescribing pattern in the Department of Neurology was in accordance with the WHO core prescribing indicators.But,the extent of polypharmacy prescriptions was very high.Therefore,interventions are very necessary to promote rational drug prescribing patterns and thus clinical pharmacists can contribute to assess and review the drug utilization pattern to optimize the drug therapy and improvement in patient safety.

Anticancer potential of Ferula assa-foetida and its constituents,a powerful plant for cancer therapy

Cancer is one of the main challenges of the health system around the world.This disease is increasing in developing countries and imposes heavy costs on patients and governments.On the other hand,despite various drugs,the death rate among cancer patients is still high and the current treatments have many harmful effects.In the traditional medicine of different countries,there are many medicinal plants that can be effective in the treatment of cancer.Ferula plants are traditionally used as spices and food or for medicinal purposes.Ferula assa-foetida is one of the famous plants of this genus,which has been used for the treatment of various diseases since ancient times.Among the main compounds of this plant,we can mention monoterpenes,sulfide compounds and polyphenols,which can show different therapeutic effects.This article has been compiled with the aim of collecting evidence and articles related to the anti-cancer effects of extracts,derived compounds,essential oils and nanoparticles containing Ferula assa-foetida.This review article was prepared by searching the terms Ferula assa-foetida and cancer,and relevant information was collected through searching electronic databases such as ISI Web of Knowledge,PubMed,and Google Scholar.Fortunately,the results of this review showed that relatively comprehensive studies have been conducted in this field and shown that Ferula assa-foetida can be very promising in the treatment of cancer.