Truffle, the hypogeous, ascomycetous macrofungus, has been an appreciated food for ages, and it is gaining elevated status in the culinary domain. With the identification of its components such as ...ergosterol, tuberoside anandamide, polysaccharides, and phenolics, as well as the validation of nutritional benefits as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antitumor, antimicrobial, and aphrodisiac, it is attracting international consumer attention. However, due to the huge chasm between demand and supply, some varieties, such as the white Tuber magnatum and the Périgord or black truffle Tuber melanosporum are very expensive, which restricts their accessibility to only a limited population.
This review summarizes the relevant literature and available data pertaining to the nutritional, health, and medicinal benefits and uses of truffles. So, this review can be a good reference for truffle research.
Truffle plantations are being established, but they are riddled with a variety of challenges. The biological roles are also scantily-evaluated, unlike mushrooms, which render some potential consumers skeptic regarding their food safety. Awareness of their present standing might kindle interest among researchers to investigate their food and health scopes and to design strategies to enhance productivity.
•Truffles, the hypogeous, ascomycetous macrofungi are epitome of taste.•Truffles' antioxidant, immunomodulator, antimicrobial, and anticarcinogenic potential are emerging.•Genomic and process development research can improve their production and lower their cost.•This review presents an updated review on truffles.
Abstract Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the deadliest form of heterogeneous brain cancer. It affects an enormous number of patients every year and the survival is approximately 8 to 15 months. GBM ...has driven by complex signaling pathways and considered as a most challenging to treat. Standard treatment of GBM includes surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and also the combined treatment. This review article described inter and intra- tumor heterogeneity of GMB. In addition, recent chemotherapeutic agents, with their mechanism of action have been defined. FDA-approved drugs also been focused over here and most importantly highlighting some natural and synthetic and novel anti- glioma agents, that are the main focus of researchers nowadays.
A medical chaperone serves as a witness for a patient and health care practitioner during a medical examination. We sought to better understand the preferences of parents and children toward the use ...of chaperones during pediatric physical examinations.
This cross-sectional study surveyed patients aged 8 to 18 years and their parents presenting primarily to the emergency department as well as primary care ambulatory clinic and inpatient units. Participants were asked which individuals (patient alone, parent, or medical chaperone) should be present for each aspect of the child's physical examination.
The survey was completed by 121 patients (mean age 14 years, 58.5% girls) and 122 parents (mean age 42 years, 82.8% women) in a variety of clinical settings (17 in inpatient, 17 in outpatient clinic, and 87 emergency department admissions). Significant differences existed between male and female patients regarding preferred presence for every body part being examined ( P ≤ 0.002). Female patients preferred to have a same-sex parent in the room, particularly for examination of the breasts, genitalia, or rectum and when the examination was performed by a male provider. Male patients preferred to be alone or with either parent for any body part being examined, regardless of provider sex.
Adolescents have significant differences in who they prefer to be in the room for the physical examination based on patient and provider sex in settings where they are unfamiliar with the health care examiner. Few patients and parents preferred a medical chaperone; most preferred a parent to be in the room. Patient and parent considerations should be prioritized when creating policies for the use of medical chaperones.
Recent research in the area of importance of microbes has revealed the immense industrial potential of exopolysaccharides and their derivative oligosaccharides from lactic acid bacteria. However, due ...to lack of adequate technological knowledge, the exopolysaccharides have remained largely under exploited. In the present review, the enormous potentials of different types of exopolysaccharides from lactic acid bacteria are described. This also summarizes the recent advances in the applications of exopolysaccharides, certain problems associated with their commercial production and the remedies.
Shrubs belonging to Carissa genus (Apocyanaceae family) are potential sources of food, medicine and fuel, yet they are wallowing under obscurity and rarely been exploited. Edibility of the pulpy ...Carissa fruits is known to only a meagre few. Since antiquity, the stem, root bark, leaves, fruit and seed extracts have been used in folklore medication. Now, the emerging scientific investigations are validating the ethno-medicinal uses of these species. Bioactive compounds which include viz. polyphenolics, flavonoids, flavanones, lignans and sesquiterpenes imparting therapeutic potential to these species have been isolated. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown these species to have antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, wound healing, antimicroabial, antidiabetic, antiepileptic, anticancer, diuretic, nephrotoxicity amelioration and hepatoprotective activity. This miraculous plant extract has also been effective in the management of veterinary ailments. Apart from the medicinal attributes, this genus also holds promise as a suitable alternative crop for harvesting renewable energy. Micropropagtion is being tried for rapid multiplication of the valuable species. This review summarizes the recent findings for promoting the versatility of this genus.
The intestinal immune system must elicit robust immunity against harmful pathogens but must also restrain immune responses directed against commensal microbes and dietary antigens. The mechanisms ...that maintain this dichotomy are poorly understood. Here we describe a population of CD11b+F4/80+CD11c- macrophages in the lamina propria that expressed several anti-inflammatory molecules, including interleukin 10 (IL-10), but little or no proinflammatory cytokines, even after stimulation with Toll-like receptor ligands. These macrophages induced, by a mechanism dependent on IL-10, retinoic acid and exogenous transforming growth factor-beta, the differentiation of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. In contrast, lamina propria CD11b+ dendritic cells elicited IL-17 production. This IL-17 production was suppressed by lamina propria macrophages, indicating that a dynamic interaction between these subsets may influence the balance between immune activation and tolerance.
Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that stimulate the growth of bifidogenic and lactic acid bacteria in the gastro-intestinal tract. Typically, the prebiotics consist of dietary fibers ...and oligosaccharides. Prebiotics exert a plethora of health-promoting effects, owing to which multi million food and pharma industries have been established. Prebiotics are being implicated in starter culture formulation, gut health maintenance, colitis prevention, cancer inhibition, immunopotentiaton, cholesterol removal, reduction of cardiovascular disease, prevention of obesity and constipation, bacteriocin production, use in fishery, poultry, pig, cattle feed and pet food. Looking at the ever-increasing demand of prebiotics, in this review, recent trends in prebiotic production from new novel sources, from food industrial wastes, prebiotic supplementation in food, commercially available prebiotic agents, prebiotic production by various techniques and future perspectives has been discussed. The critical insight into this hot research area aims to stimulate further ponderance.
The search for nutrient-dense food source is a top-priority in today's food-challenged world of multi-billion population. Food insecurity has become especially critical in developing countries, ...though potential sources of functional foods are being wasted right before our eyes. Rose hips, the fruits of rose plants (Rosa sp.) have been discovered to be rich in polyphenols (triterpene acids, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, catechin), essential fatty acids, galactolipid, folate, vitamin A, C and E, minerals (Ca, Mg, K, S, Si, Se, Mn and Fe), among other bioactive components. The extracts have been proven to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulation, anticancer, cardioprotective, antidiabetic, neuroprotective, and antimicrobial properties. The extracts have been validated beneficial against non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, obesity, cancer, kidney stone, depression, dermal issues, among other pathologies. The mechanisms of therapeutic actions involve intervention in COX-2, iNOS, NF-kappaB, PPAR-γ, p38 MAPK, Bak, Caspase-3, Ca++ channel blockade pathways. Barring the Rosaceae family-characteristic allergenicity due to LTPs, the rose hips are free of other side effects. This holistic review, based on recent findings is excited to report rose hips as an emerging ‘functional food’ that deserves to be integrated to food platter without delay.
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•In the face of food insecurity, rose hip appear to be a functional food candidate.•Rich in polyphenols, essential fatty acids, vitamin, and minerals, rose hips are nutritive.•Antioxidant, immunomodulation, anticancer, and other bioactive properties of rose hips have been validated.•This review can stimulate public and researcher interest, which can contribute towards food security.
Background
Alloimmunization can be a significant barrier to red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. While alloantigen matching protocols hold promise in reducing alloantibody formation, ...transfusion‐dependent patients can still experience RBC alloimmunization and associated complications even when matching protocols are employed. As a result, complementary strategies capable of actively preventing alloantibody formation following alloantigen exposure are warranted.
Study Design and Methods
We examined whether pharmacological removal of macrophages using clodronate may provide an additional strategy to actively inhibit RBC alloimmunization using two preclinical models of RBC alloimmunization. To accomplish this, mice were treated with clodronate, followed by transfusion of RBCs expressing the HOD (HEL, OVA, and Duffy) or KEL antigens. On days 5 and 14 post transfusion, anti‐HOD or anti‐KEL IgM and IgG antibodies were evaluated.
Results
Low dose clodronate effectively eliminated key marginal zone macrophage populations from the marginal sinus. Prior treatment with clodronate, but not empty liposomes, also significantly inhibited IgM and IgG anti‐HOD alloantibody formation following transfusion of HOD RBCs. Similar exposure to clodronate inhibited IgM and IgG antibody formation following KEL RBC transfusion.
Conclusions
Clodronate can inhibit anti‐HOD and anti‐KEL antibody formation following RBC transfusion in preclinical models. These results suggest that clodronate may provide an alternative approach to actively inhibit or prevent the development of alloantibodies following RBC transfusion, although future studies will certainly be needed to fully explore this possibility.
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