ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCEAnadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan is an endemic tree to South America and different parts of it are used by the population for the treatment of various diseases, as ...well as in indigenous rituals. This species has high pharmacological potential but may present toxic potential due to the presence of psychotropic compounds. AIM OF THE STUDYTo review published studies with the species A. colubrina regarding ethnobotanical, phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological aspects, as well as discuss perspectives for new research and protection of this species. MATERIALS AND METHODSA literature review was performed by accessing published articles on databases such as: PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo, Scopus, Taylor and Francis online, Springer Link, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), ACS Publications, Chemspider and Google Scholar. The keywords used were: "Anadenanthera colubrina" or "Mimosa colubrina" or "Piptadenia colubrina" or "Piptadenia macrocarpa" or "Piptadenia grata" or "Anadenanthera macrocarpa" and "medicinal plants" or "pharmacological" or "phytochemicals" or "traditional use" or "toxicological" or "ethnobotanical" or "pre-clinical trial" or "clinical". Articles found by database searches and search engines were screened at four stages: (i) title screening, (ii) locality screening, (iii) abstract screening, and (iv) full text. Other articles found through supplementary searches were screened in the full text whenever available. Each article was assessed by three reviewers at the title and abstract screening stages, except for those found in Portuguese databases that were assessed by the native reviewer. RESULTSThis robust tree has been popularly useful for agroeconomic, medicinal and as a hallucinogen in religious rituals. According to the published studies, the main parts of the plant are the bark and seeds that are mostly used for respiratory conditions and as entheogens, respectively. It is a rich traditional herbal medicine with many pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antidiarrheal, wound healing, antimicrobial, antitumoral, antioxidant, antiaddictive, insecticide and allelopathic that were described in in vitro and in vivo assays, and approximately 56 compounds were identified, suggesting a therapeutic potential for this species. Although most relate to medicinal uses, these are preliminaries and do not show the mechanism of action. The phytochemical assays showed the presence of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, triterpenes, steroids and alkaloids. Some of the compounds are anadanthoflavone, which is exclusive to this species, and no pharmacological or toxicological studies have yet demonstrated this compound. Another important compound is bufotenine which was isolated from seeds and is related to hallucinogenic and antiviral activity. The extracts made from leaves, bark, gum, and fruits appear to be safe, according to both in vivo and in vitro toxicology testing, which all shown low toxicity. Due to the presence of bufotenine in the seeds, it can be toxic, however, it was not found in toxicological assays with the seed extracts. CONCLUSIONSTherefore, part of the studies confirms the popular use of A. colubrina, however, more assays with isolated compounds and with the different extracts are necessary to corroborate other uses and the mechanism of action of their pharmacological effects needs to discuss in more detail. Therefore, the present review would be identified the gaps and suggests further studies oriented to validate the popular use. Thus, it must be noted that the use of this species must be controlled in order to minimize the environmental impact, as most of the pharmacological potential was shown with the bark and seeds. Due to its wide use in folk medicine, it is part of the Brazilian medicinal species with priority for conservation.
Recent studies have highlighted the importance of research on consumers’ green behavior in emerging markets. This study aims to determine the variables of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) that ...influence green purchasing intentions in Mexico. Into the model, we incorporated ecological conscience, moral obligation, and willingness to pay as additional variables. A sample of 300 consumers was obtained through an online survey and data were analyzed statistically using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that perceived purchase control, ecological conscience, and moral obligation directly influence purchase intention. The study contributes to the current literature by strengthening the existing knowledge about the factors that influence the purchasing behavior of green products in emerging countries.
Online youth-focused health programs often include parent modules-that equip parents with skills to assist their child in improving their health-alongside youth-specific content. BRAVE Self-Help, an ...evidence-based program designed for children and teenagers with early signs of anxiety, is a popular Australian program that includes six parent modules. Despite its popularity and proven efficacy, BRAVE Self-Help shares the same challenge as many online self-help programs-that of low participant engagement. Using parents registered in BRAVE Self-Help as 'information rich' participants, we explored (a) factors that influenced parent engagement in online health programs, and (b) their recommendations for enhancing parent engagement.
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 parents registered in BRAVE Self-Help. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis.
Social-, family- and program-related factors drove parents' program engagement and recommendations. Social sub-themes related to the benefits of professional and community support in promoting more engagement. Family sub-themes included difficulties with program engagement due to competing priorities, perceptions that condition severity influenced engagement, and feelings that previously-acquired health knowledge reduced motivation to engage. Program sub-themes included perceived usefulness and ease-of-use.
Program designers could target support systems, include flexible delivery options, and use iterative design processes to enhance parent engagement.
Gratitude has consistently been associated with various beneficial health-related outcomes, including subjective wellbeing, positive mental health, and positive physical health. In light of such ...effects, positive psychology researchers and practitioners have often implemented gratitude interventions in an attempt to build individuals' orientations toward appreciation and thankfulness. Recent meta-analyses and reviews have revealed, however, that these interventions often have mixed effects on gratitude or other health outcomes. With this issue in mind, we aimed to identify (a) contextual considerations that may impact the effectiveness of these approaches, and (b) recommendations for the optimisation of gratitude interventions.
Seventeen mental health professionals or experienced health psychology researchers engaged in semi-structured interviews to address the research questions.
Thematic analysis of the data resulted in three contextual themes-cultural considerations, personal characteristics, and life experience-that were discussed as factors likely to influence intervention effectiveness. With respect to recommendations, participants highlighted the importance of encouraging deep engagement in gratitude tasks, consistent repetition of those tasks, and the value of interpersonal expressions of gratitude.
Discussion is centred on suggestions for future research on gratitude and on implications for the implementation of gratitude interventions.
Objective Recent educational reform in US medical schools has created integrated curricular structures. This study investigated how stakeholders in a newly integrated curriculum – students, course ...directors and curriculum leaders – define integration and perceive its successes and challenges during its first year.
Methods We conducted interviews with curriculum reform leaders, course directors and first year medical students. Interview transcripts were analysed for themes, which were compared within and across stakeholder groups.
Results Three curriculum leaders, four Year 1 course directors and six Year 1 medical students were interviewed. Fifteen students participated in a group interview. Four major themes emerged: interdisciplinary teaching; interdisciplinary faculty collaboration; building curricular links, and sequencing and framing curricular content. Cross‐group analysis revealed participant agreement that an integrated curriculum required interdisciplinary teaching, clinical application and careful oversight. Differences among groups were also identified. Faculty (course directors and curriculum leaders) discussed faculty collaboration and the challenges of faculty buy‐in and course implementation. Students highlighted the impact of integration on their learning and the challenges of sequencing and scaffolding content. Both students and course directors focused on course monitoring and conceptual links for student learning.
Conclusions Integrating a curriculum is a complex process. It is differentially understood and experienced by students and faculty, and can refer to instructional method, content, faculty work or synthesis of knowledge in the minds of learners. It can occur at different rates and some subjects are integrated more easily than others. We point to some specific considerations as medical schools embark on curriculum reform.
Background
Medical schools use supplemental peer-teaching programs even though there is little research on students’ actual experiences with this form of instruction.
Purpose
To understand the ...student experience of being taught by peers instead of by faculty.
Methods
We conducted focus groups with first- and second-year medical students participating in a supplemental peer-teaching program at one institution. From the learner focus group themes, we developed a questionnaire and surveyed all first-year students.
Results
Focus groups revealed four learner themes: learning from near-peers, exposure to second-year students, need for review and synthesis, teaching modalities and for the peer-teachers, the theme of benefits for the teacher. Factor analysis of the survey responses resulted in three factors: second-year students as teachers, the benefit of peer-teachers instead of faculty, and the peer-teaching process. Scores on these factors correlated with attendance in the peer-teaching program (
P
< .05).
Conclusions
Students valued learning from near-peers because of their recent experience with the materials and their ability to understand the students’ struggles in medical school. Students with the highest participation in the program valued the unique aspects of this kind of teaching most. Areas for improvement for this program were identified.
Terminalia argentea Mart. (Combretaceae) is a deciduous tree commonly found in Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. It occurs in all regions of Brazil and is widespread in the Amazon, Cerrado, Pantanal, ...Atlantic Rain Forest, and Caatinga Biomes. In the traditional medicine of Brazil, people widely use tea or decoction of its leaf materials for treating gastritis, ulcers, wound healing, and inflammation.
The current study aims to evaluate the gastroprotective and ulcer-healing activities of the hydroethanolic extract of T. argentea leaves (HETa) and investigate the underlying mechanisms of action through in vivo and in vitro experiments.
We extracted the leaves of T. argentea with a 70% hydroethanolic solution (HETa) and performed phytochemical analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MSn). We researched the antiulcer activity using in vivo and in vitro experiments, administering three doses (2, 10, and 50 mg/kg) and different concentrations of 1, 5, and 20 μg/mL, respectively. We verified the acute antiulcer activity using chemical models (acidified ethanol (EtOH/HCl) and indomethacin (IND)) and physiological models (water-immersion stress (WRS)). To induce chronic ulcers, used acetic acid and treated the animals for seven days. To investigate the mechanism of action, conducted assays of antioxidant activity, measured the dosage of inflammatory cytokines, quantified mucus, treated with inhibitors (IND, L-NAME, glibenclamide, and yohimbine), performed histopathological analysis, and measured gastric acid secretion. Furthermore, we performed in vitro experiments on murine macrophage cell lines (RAW 264-7 cells) to quantify nitrite/nitrate and cytokine production and on V79-4 cells to verify cell proliferation/migration.
We conducted HPLC and ESI-MSn analyses to obtain a fingerprint of the chemical composition of the HETa, revealing the presence of phenolics (caffeoyl ellagic acid), flavonoids (rutin, quercetin xyloside, quercetin rhamnoside, quercetin glucoside, quercetin galloyl xyloside, quercetin), and tannins (terminalin), respectively. The three doses of HETa reduced acute and chronic ulcers in different models. The mechanism of action involves increasing mucus production and angiogenesis, and it partially involves prostaglandins, nitric oxide, K+ATP channels, and α2-adrenergic receptors. HETa also exhibited antioxidant potential, reducing myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and increasing glutathione (GSH) levels. Moreover, it demonstrated anti-inflammatory action by reducing nitrite/nitrate levels and pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations in vivo, and it increased in vitro proliferation/migration of fibroblasts.
The study shows that HETa presents a potent preventive and curative antiulcer effect in different ulcer models, supporting the popular use of homemade preparations of T. argentea leaves. The preventive and gastric healing ulcer activity of HETa involves multiple targets, including increasing the gastric mucus barrier, antioxidant defenses, and anti-inflammatory effects on gastric mucosa repair. Phytochemical analysis identified the presence of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and tannins in HETa, and the antiulcer activity may be attributable to the combined effect of these constituents.
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•HETa demonstrated potent gastroprotective and ulcer healing activity in experimental models.•HETa presented multitarget anti-ulcer action mechanism.•These results corroborate with the traditional use of T. argentea leaves for gastric ulcers.•HPLC and ESI-MSn analyses revealed the presence of phenolics, flavonoids and tannins in HETa.•HETa can be considered a new and promising anti-ulcer phytotherapeutic agent.
Animal venoms are rich sources of neuroactive compounds, including anti-inflammatory, antiepileptic, and antinociceptive molecules. Our study identified a protonectin peptide from the wasp ...Parachartergus fraternus' venom using mass spectrometry and cDNA library construction. Using this peptide as a template, we designed a new peptide, protonectin-F, which exhibited higher antinociceptive activity and less motor impairment compared to protonectin. In drug interaction experiments with naloxone and AM251, Protonectin-F's activity was decreased by opioid and cannabinoid antagonism, two critical antinociception pathways. Further experiments revealed that this effect is most likely not induced by direct action on receptors but by activation of the descending pain control pathway. We noted that protonectin-F induced less tolerance in mice after repeated administration than morphine. Protonectin-F was also able to decrease TNF-α production in vitro and modulate the inflammatory response, which can further contribute to its antinociceptive activity. These findings suggest that protonectin-F may be a potential molecule for developing drugs to treat pain disorders with fewer adverse effects. Our results reinforce the biotechnological importance of animal venom for developing new molecules of clinical interest.
Many analgesic peptides have been isolated from arthropod species such as spiders and scorpions and their three-dimensional structures, which are typically stabilized by several disulfide-bonds, ...correlate with their activity and molecular targets. In contrast, only individual species of Chilopoda (centipedes) and Insecta (Hymenoptera) have been described to contain antinociceptive peptides and those display only α-helical structures, with the latter also lacking disulfide bonds. Here we review the structural diversity of antinociceptive arthropod peptides and highlight their largely untapped potential for the discovery of novel analgesic lead molecules.
Issue addressed: Australian women are less likely to participate in recommended levels of weekly physical activity compared with men. Physical activity participation rates decrease with geographical ...remoteness. Research suggests that a lack of social support mechanisms within the home environment may act as a barrier for rural women to engage in physical activity, along with discomfort experienced within exercise environments. The purpose of this study was to explore the social conditions that facilitate or inhibit physical activity participation amongst women from two rural South Australian communities.
Methods: A qualitative descriptive approach underpinned by a phenomenological methodological orientation was applied. Participants were recruited using a purposive sampling strategy before semi-structured interviews (N = 16) were conducted and prepared for thematic analysis.
Results: Four inter-related themes were identified: support from others, time, expectations and available opportunities. Further contextual analysis revealed interwoven notions of physical activity spaces, time and social context within the themes.
Conclusions: Multiple types of regulators interact to shape the motivational pattern of an individual. The themes identified align with self-determination, transactional and structuration theory, suggesting a need to consider human behaviour both pragmatically and conceptually.
So what? Results provide insight into social barriers and facilitators for physical activity participation and concomitantly provide the initial development of a framework for local strategic planning of health-promoting activities, and individual reflection to increase physical activity participation amongst rural women.
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