Search

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) has long been grown for its culinary and health-promoting qualities. The seasonal nature of garlic cropping requires that bulbs be stored for many months after harvest to ensure a year-round supply. During this time, quality is known to deteriorate, and efforts have been made to improve the longevity of stored bulbs. Cold temperatures within the stores prolong shelf life, but fine temperature control is needed to avoid freezing damage or cold induced stress. Here, quality traits (alliinase activity, firmness, and water content) are measured in response to a 96 h − 5 °C cold stress, to simulate the effect of non-isothermic temperature control in a − 1.5 °C warehouse. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are measured by thermal desorption gas chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry to identify markers of non-isothermic storage in garlic. 129 compounds were putatively identified and four (L-lactic acid, 2,6-dimethylhetpadecane, 4-methyldodecane, and methylcyclopentane) showed high predictive accuracy for cold stress. VOCs were also sampled directly from a cold storage facility and the whole profile discriminated between sampling time points. Five VOCS were highly predictive for storage time in the warehouse but were different to VOCs previously shown to discriminate between storage times in a laboratory setting. This indicates the need for realistic warehouse experiments to test quality markers.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) has a long history of use as a culinary seasoning and source of health-promoting compounds. In particular organosulphur compounds derived from the action of alliinase on alliin are of interest for their antimicrobial action. Due to the seasonal nature of the garlic harvest, long-term storage is required to ensure year-round supply of high-quality bulbs. However, quality is known to deteriorate throughout storage, and storage regimes are aimed at maintaining culinary, not biochemical quality, posing challenges for biotech firms extracting high value products, such as alliinase, from garlic. Storage typically involves extended periods of up to 9 months at -1.5 °C. Here, quality parameters (disease incidence and moisture content) as well as biotechnological quality parameters (alliinase yield and activity) were measured, and correlated with gene expression and volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles comparing storage at -1.5 °C and 22 °C. The aim is to develop potential molecular markers for garlic quality assessment. Alliinase activity fell in the first 6 months of storage, with garlic stored at -1.5 °C losing more activity, however 22 °C stored garlic suffered higher spoilage after 12 months storage. Alliinase activity loss was not proportional to gene transcript levels, suggesting post-translational control. A total of 150 VOCs were detected across all samples using thermal desorption gas chromatography, time of flight mass spectrometry of intact garlic bulbs, the most abundant of which were organosulphur compounds. Storage temperature significantly affected the whole VOC profile and discrete profiles were detected from garlic cold-stored for different time periods. Using weighted correlation network analysis 17 VOCs were identified that correlated with storage time, six VOCs that were indicative for storage temperature and four VOCs (azulene, octanal, o-Xylene and 4-methylhexadecane) were significantly associated with alliinase activity.

An ever-increasing demand for novel antimicrobials to treat life-threatening infections caused by the global spread of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens stands in stark contrast to the current level of investment in their development, particularly in the fields of natural-product-derived and synthetic small molecules. New agents displaying innovative chemistry and modes of action are desperately needed worldwide to tackle the public health menace posed by antimicrobial resistance. Here, our consortium presents a strategic blueprint to substantially improve our ability to discover and develop new antibiotics. We propose both short-term and long-term solutions to overcome the most urgent limitations in the various sectors of research and funding, aiming to bridge the gap between academic, industrial and political stakeholders, and to unite interdisciplinary expertise in order to efficiently fuel the translational pipeline for the benefit of future generations., Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing threat to public health and encouraging the development of new antimicrobials is one of the most important ways to address the problem. This Roadmap article aims to bring together industrial, academic and political partners, and proposes both short-term and long-term solutions to this challenge.

Polymer-based solid microstructures (MSts) have the potential to significantly increase the quantity and range of drugs that can be administered across the skin. MSt arrays are used to demonstrate their capacity to bypass the skin barrier and enhance permeability by creating microchannels through the stratum corneum, in a minimally invasive manner. This study is designed to demonstrate the ability of MSts to exceed the current boundaries for transdermal delivery of compounds with different molecular weights, partition coefficients, acid dissociation constants, melting points, and water solubilities. In vitro permeation of a range of selected molecules, including acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin), galantamine, selegiline hydrochloride (Sel-HCl), insulin, caffeine, hydrocortisone (HC), hydrocortisone 21-hemisuccinate sodium salt (HC-HS) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been studied across excised porcine skin with and without poke and patch application of MSts. Permeation of the molecules was monitored using Franz diffusion cells over 24 h. MSts significantly increased the permeation of all selected molecules up to 40 times, compared to topical applications of the molecules without MSts. The greatest increase in permeation was observed for caffeine with 70 &plusmn, 8% permeation and the lowest enhancement was observed for HC with a 2.4 &plusmn, 1.3% increase in permeation. The highest obtained flux was BSA (8133 &plusmn, 1365 &mu, g/cm2/h) and the lowest flux observed for HC (11 &plusmn, 4 &mu, g/cm2/h). BSA and HC also showed the highest (16,275 &plusmn, 3078 &mu, g) and the lowest (73 &plusmn, 47 &mu, g) permeation amount after 24 h respectively. MSt-treated skin exhibits greatly increased permeation. The molecule parameters (size, acid dissociation constant, partition coefficient and solubility)&mdash, traditional hurdles associated with passive diffusion through intact skin&mdash, are overcome using MSt skin treatment.

A packed bed reactor with oxone has been employed for selective oxidations of sulfur compounds. Various sulfides containing different functional groups are efficiently oxidized to the corresponding sulfoxides without formation of sulfones or other side products.

Aims The main aim of this study was to assess the cost of diabetic amputation (both direct and indirect) to the National Health Service from the point of amputation onwards. Methods This systematic review involved searches of published literature between January 2007 and March 2017 mainly using the bibliographic databases, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE via Ovid®, MEDLINE via Ovid®, as well as grey literature, both in print and in electronic formats published through non-commercial publications, which reported the cost of amputation due to diabetic foot ulcers. Results The studies included in this review varied considerably in estimating the cost including cost elements and how those costs were categorised. The cost estimates for inpatient care associated with amputation involving admissions or procedures on amputation stumps in people with diabetes was £43.8 million. The annual expenditure for post-amputation care involving prosthetic care, physiotherapy, transport and wheelchair use was £20.8 million. Conclusions There is a considerable public health and economic burden caused by diabetes-related amputations in England. More focussed research is needed with improved methods of estimating costs that would account for direct and indirect costs associated with diabetic amputation.

Edible mushrooms constitute an appreciated nutritional source for humans due to their low caloric intake and their high content in carbohydrates, proteins, dietary fibre, phenolic compounds, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. It has been also demonstrated that mushrooms have health-promoting benefits. Cultivation of mushrooms, especially of the most common species Agaricus bisporus, represents an increasingly important food industry in Europe, but with a direct consequence in the increasing amount of by-products from their industrial production. This review focuses on collecting and critically investigating the current data on the bioactive properties of Agaricus bisporus as well as the recent research for the extraction of valuable functional molecules from this species and its by-products obtained after industrial processing. The state of the art regarding the antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-allergenic and dietary compounds will be discussed for novel applications such as nutraceuticals, additives for food or cleaning products. Authors would like to express their gratitude to the Bio Based Industries Consortium and European Commission by the financial support to the FUNGUSCHAIN project. This project has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 720720.

The reduction of methane emissions by ruminants is a highly desirable goal to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Various feed additives have already been tested for their ability to decrease methane production; however, practical use is often limited due to negative effects on rumen fermentation or high costs. Organosulphur compounds from garlic (Allium sativum) and flavonoids have been identified as promising plant-derived compounds which are able to reduce methane production. Here, we evaluated the effects of a combination of garlic powder and bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) extracts, Mootral, on ruminal methane production, ruminal fermentation and the community of methanogenic Archaea by using the rumen simulation technique as ex vivo model. The experiment consisted of an equilibration period of 7 days, an experimental period of 8 days and a withdrawal period of 4 days. During the experimental period three fermenters each were either treated as controls (CON), received a low dose of Mootral (LD), a high dose of Mootral (HD), or monensin (MON) as positive control. Application of Mootral strongly reduced the proportion of methane in the fermentation gas and the production rate of methane. Moreover, the experimental mixture induced a dose-dependent increase in the production rate of short chain fatty acids and in the molar proportion of butyrate. Some effects persisted during the withdrawal period. Both, single strand conformation polymorphism and Illumina MiSeq 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing indicated an archaeal community distinct from CON and MON samples in the LD and HD samples. Among archaeal families the percentage of Methanobacteriaceae was reduced during application of both doses of Mootral. Moreover, several significant differences were observed on OTU level among treatment groups and after withdrawal of the additives for LD and HD group. At day 14, 4 OTUs were positively correlated with methane production. In conclusion this mixture of garlic and citrus compounds appears to effectively reduce methane production by alteration of the archaeal community without exhibiting negative side effects on rumen fermentation.

The reduction of methane emissions by ruminants is a highly desirable goal to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Various feed additives have already been tested for their ability to decrease methane production; however, practical use is often limited due to negative effects on rumen fermentation or high costs. Organosulphur compounds from garlic (

Rapid alkylations of thiols are performed in a packed-bed flow reactor where potassium carbonate acts as a heterogeneous base in anhydrous solvents at ambient temperature. The reaction also has a high efficiency as the removal of the solvent is the only work up required to isolate the product. The products can be used in a subsequent oxidation which was performed sequentially in semibatch mode. The alkylations of phenol and benzyl amine have been demonstrated on an array of bases, but higher temperatures and longer reaction times are required than with thiols.

There is increasing evidence of Candida spp. becoming resistant to some antifungal agents, particularly the azole group. Few studies have investigated antifungal prescribing. The primary aim of the study was to determine the general prescribing patterns of antifungal products in South Africa. A retrospective, cross-sectional drug utilisation study was conducted on the prescription data of a national community pharmacy group in South Africa for 2010. A total of 1 576 593 antimicrobial products were prescribed, of which antifungal products constituted 7.42%. A total of 84 912 patients received 116 955 antifungal products during 2010 [average 1.38, standard deviation (SD) 1.05]. Diagnoses were not specific. The majority (70.86%) were prescription-only products. Fluconazole was the most frequently prescribed active ingredient (42.14%), followed by nystatin (28.83%) and itraconazole (15.33%). The average age of patients was 37.64 (SD 18.29) years, with patients aged 20-49 years receiving 49.44% of the products. Female patients were prescribed more antifungal products (69.67%) than antimicrobial agents (58.32%). Nystatin (53.07%) and griseofulvin (26.74%) were most frequently dispensed to the age group 16 years and younger. Fluconazole (44.26%) and nystatin (27.27%) were most often dispensed to the age group 65 years and older. The average cost per antifungal product was R123.19. Fluconazole was the most prescribed antifungal product in this study. The need for diagnoses of databases is of the utmost importance when determining the cost of treating different types of fungal infections.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a vaginal infection that occurs when the balance of bacteria in the vagina is altered. It is a common condition affecting millions of women. Although the syndrome is curable with standard drugs such as metronidazole and clindamycin, relapse rates are high. Many patients are asymptomatic and recurrence is difficult to differentiate from treatment failure. The infection can have gynaecological and obstetric complications. In addition, there is an association with the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS. This review focuses on the epidemiology, aetiology, diagnosis, complications and treatment of BV, with emphasis on the role of non-antimicrobial treatment options. Firstly, the lowering of the vaginal pH is discussed as one possible treatment option. An overview is given of the use of acetic and lactic acid gels, boric acid suppositories, as well as studies that reported on the use of douches and tampons. Thereafter, the role of Lactobacillus (probiotic) supplementation as treatment is discussed. Literature sources recommend that more research on BV be conducted. Although standard pharmacological therapy is effective, there are limited treatment options available. Recent research indicating the presence of a structured polymicrobial Gardnerella vaginalis biofilm attached to the endometrium may have major implications for future research into the pathogenesis and treatment of BV. Key words: Bacterial vaginosis (BV), vaginal pH, acidic vaginal gel, Lactobacilli, Gardnerella vaginalis, anaerobes, non-antibiotic treatment.

Using mild conditions and short reaction times, symmetrical disulfides have been synthesized in flow chemistry using phase transfer catalysts to facilitate the substitution of organohalides with disodium disulfide. Also, the synthesis of symmetrical trisulfides was possible using this procedure with an additional equivalent of sulfur.

The ability to measure concentrations of a molecule underpins the building of a comprehensive knowledge of the pharmacokinetics of a pharmaceutical or nutraceutical, which is essential for the determination of its safety and efficacy. In this study a sensitive and selective method was developed for the analysis of a natural organic molecule, Compound X, in rat plasma. In this study, a natural organic molecule, Compound X, was investigated for its recovery from rat plasma. This molecule was purified to 99%+ levels for development of a sample preparation and bioanalysis protocol. Compound X is known to bind to haemoglobin and has high potential for protein binding. A bioanalysis method involving reverse-phase UHPLC-DAD-MS was developed to facilitate the quantitative analysis of Compound X. Compound X was spiked into the plasma alone and in combination with the internal standard, Allyl phenyl sulfone. Extraction of Compound X from plasma was achieved through protein precipitation with acetonitrile, collection and reduction of the supernatant, and reconstitution before analysis. Recovery of both Compound X and the internal standard was monitored, along with matrix effects, using the UHPLC-DAD-MS. Recovery of Compound X was achieved with minimal matrix effects allowing quantitative measurements of the molecule extracted from rat plasma. Issues including solubility, stock stability and suitable internal standard were overcome. The developed bioanalysis method was an in–house first and will underpin further development to support preclinical pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics in efficacy and safety studies, and subsequent clinical studies.

By 2030, 550 million people will have diabetes, of which 25% will go on to develop diabetic leg and foot ulcers. Characterised by persistent, polymicrobial infections and antibiotic resistance, the development of new antimicrobials for the treatment of diabetic ulcers is a research area of critical importance. In this study, we examined the antibacterial activity of extracts from two natural products, garlic and sandalwood, tested against a panel of five Gram-positive and Gram-negative diabetic ulcer-associated bacteria. Synergistic combinations of antimicrobials are often used as a method of combating multi-drug resistant infections due to the ability of the individual antimicrobials to exhibit different mechanisms of actions against bacteria. Here we tested the synergistic relationship of garlic and sandalwood extracts using a checkerboard titration method and subsequently completed an assessment for synergy using the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI). In vitro , we were able to demonstrate that the selected natural extracts successfully inhibited S. aureus , MRSA, P. aeruginosa , E. faecalis and A. baumannii – a prolific multi-drug resistant bacteria. Furthermore, a synergistic relationship between the two antimicrobials was demonstrated when tested in combination against four of the five bacteria. This includes S. aureus , which has been reported to infect up to 93.5% of diabetic ulcers. These results provide us with novel information on the synergistic antimicrobial relationship of extracts from two well-known natural products – garlic and sandalwood. Additionally, the broad-spectrum antibacterial activity exhibited by the combination of natural extracts presents a great opportunity in the future treatment of diabetic ulcers.

Garlic ( Allium sativum ), apart from its use as food, has been used as a medicinal plant for over 4000 years. Several investigations suggest that the biological and medical functions of garlic are due to the high content of organosulphur compounds. The bioaccessibility of the organosulphur compounds is an important factor for the evaluation of the functional activity of the garlic. In the present study, a Dynamic Gastrointestinal Digester (DGD) was used to determine the bioaccessibility after digestion of two extracts containing the organosulphur compounds; ajoene and allicin. The DGD is a multi-compartmental, dynamic and computer-controlled system, which reproduces the gastrointestinal digestion process including the chewing, the gastric digestion and the digestion of the small intestine phases. The study showed that after an in vitro gastrointestinal digestion process, ajoene is seven times more bioaccessible when encapsulated than in unencapsulated doses, recovering approximately 51% of the compound administered. Allicin recovered after digestion, administered as a combination of alliin and alliinase, showed no significant difference in bioaccessibility when comparing unencapsulated and encapsulated doses. The allicin recovered after the gastrointestinal digestion in both cases exceeded 40%. The results show significant bioaccessibility of the two organosulphur compounds after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion, which enables the prediction of their behaviour in the gastrointestinal tract. The stability of the unencapsulated allicin-potential formulation is also promising for whole gut availability. Future work is recommended to understand the absorption of the compounds for a better understanding of their possible beneficial effects in human health.

The most fundamental of questions in biology, namely that of the origin of living systems, is being lost to teaching and a new technique to rekindle interest in it must be found. This paper presents a novel idea of teaching a scientific concept using a poem, which describes the major perspectives on the origins of living systems, as the medium of instruction. All of the major schools of thought — chemical evolution, DNA vs. RNA, protocell formation, coacervates, panspermia and special creation — are discussed. The aim of the paper is not to be a definitive review on the origin of living systems, but rather to be a focal point on which to hinge further discussion.

The relationship between the energy source used by HT-29 cells and their state of differentiation was determined. Short chain fatty acids and acetoacetate were applied to the cells for 9 d, after which the medium was replaced with conventional culture medium for a further 9 d so that the permanence of the changes could be assessed (18 d). Glucose utilization and lactic acid, acetoacetate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate production by the cells were determined. Differentiation was assessed by the presence of the enzymes sucrase-isomaltase and carbonic anhydrase 1, as well as morphological changes of the cells. By tracing carbon from acetate, propionate, and butyrate through the cells, it was found that the carbon from the short-chain fatty acids was fluxed into acetoacetate. Significant amounts of acetoacetate were released by the propionate-treated culture after 9 d and the acetate-, propionate-, valerate-, and caproate-treated cultures after 18 d. A significant positive correlation was found between acetoacetate synthesis and differentiation. Acetoacetate applied to HT-29 cells also induced their differentiation. The acetate-, butyrate-, valerate-, isovalerate-, and caproate-treated cells underwent terminal differentiation, while the propionate- and isocaproate-treated cultures underwent programming events. We, therefore, conclude that HT-29 cells utilize short chain fatty acids in preference to glucose, metabolize these to ketones, thereby raising the energy state and effecting the observed morphological and functional changes in the cells.