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Medicines, Volume 6, Issue 2

2019 June - 29 articles

Cover Story: Spearmint (Mentha spicata L.), an aromatic Mediterranean plant, has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The report in this issue by Direito et al. suggests that spearmint extract might be useful as an add-on to existing therapies for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). IBD is a chronic and incapacitating disease classified into two phenotypes (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease) that affects millions of people in western countries, with an increasing number of cases diagnosed every year. This associated between spearmint and IBD opens new research opportunities for exploring how a reduction in chronic inflammation could be associated with delayed progression of colon cancer in these patients. View this paper.
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Articles (29)

  • Article
  • Open Access
20 Citations
6,543 Views
9 Pages

Background: More than 700 plants are reported to be used for medicinal purposes in Nepal; however, many of them are not studied for their scientific evidences. The aims of the present study were the estimation of the total phenolic and flavonoid cont...

  • Article
  • Open Access
51 Citations
13,773 Views
30 Pages

Ethnomedicinal Uses of Plant Resources in the Machhapuchchhre Rural Municipality of Kaski District, Nepal

  • Mahendra Adhikari,
  • Rashmi Thapa,
  • Ripu Mardhan Kunwar,
  • Hari Prasad Devkota and
  • Prakash Poudel

Background: Medicinal plants are being used by the majority of the population throughout the world for their primary health care needs. The reliance is also prevalent in Nepal, aided by its ethnic and biological diversity. This study aimed to catalog...

  • Article
  • Open Access
25 Citations
7,089 Views
13 Pages

Liquiritin and Liquiritigenin Induce Melanogenesis via Enhancement of p38 and PKA Signaling Pathways

  • Takuhiro Uto,
  • Tomoe Ohta,
  • Akihisa Yamashita,
  • Shunsuke Fujii and
  • Yukihiro Shoyama

Background: Liquiritin (LQ) and its aglycone, liquiritigenin (LQG), are major flavonoids in licorice root (Glycyrrhiza spp.). Our preliminary screening identified LQ and LQG, which promote melanin synthesis in the melanoma cells. In this study, we in...

  • Review
  • Open Access
6 Citations
5,330 Views
15 Pages

The high incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in developing countries, the resurgence of TB in industrialized countries, and the worldwide increase in the prevalence of Mycobacterium avium complex infections are important global health concerns. However, t...

  • Editorial
  • Open Access
71 Citations
8,404 Views
6 Pages

This Medicines special issue focuses on the great potential of secondary metabolites for therapeutic applications. The special issue contains 16 articles reporting relevant experimental results and overviews of bioactive secondary metabolites. Their...

  • Article
  • Open Access
22 Citations
5,955 Views
22 Pages

Reduction of Inflammation and Colon Injury by a Spearmint Phenolic Extract in Experimental Bowel Disease in Mice

  • Rosa Direito,
  • João Rocha,
  • Ana Lima,
  • Maria Margarida Gonçalves,
  • Maria Paula Duarte,
  • Vanessa Mateus,
  • Catarina Sousa,
  • Adelaide Fernandes,
  • Rui Pinto and
  • Maria-Eduardo Figueira
  • + 2 authors

Background: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) encompasses both Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, known to be connected to an enlarged risk for developing colorectal cancer (CRC). Spearmint (Mentha spicata L.) is a Mediterranean plant used...

  • Article
  • Open Access
15 Citations
11,998 Views
15 Pages

Comprehensive Fractionation of Antioxidants and GC-MS and ESI-MS Fingerprints of Celastrus hindsii Leaves

  • Tran Duc Viet,
  • Tran Dang Xuan,
  • Truong Mai Van,
  • Yusuf Andriana,
  • Ramin Rayee and
  • Hoang-Dung Tran

Background: In this study, column chromatography was applied to separate active fractions from the ethyl acetate extract of Celastrus hindsii, a medicinal plant widely used in Southern China, Northern Vietnam, Myanmar, and Malaysia. Methods: Fourteen...

  • Article
  • Open Access
7 Citations
4,847 Views
12 Pages

Background: Autophagy is a catabolic process through which dysfunctional proteins and organelles are degraded, and that is associated with the proliferation of cancer cells. The aim of this study was to screen approximately 130 kinds of crude drugs u...

  • Communication
  • Open Access
4 Citations
4,442 Views
11 Pages

Abundance of Plant-Associated Gammaproteobacteria Correlates with Immunostimulatory Activity of Angelica sinensis

  • Kriti Kalpana,
  • Diego Montenegro,
  • Giovanna Romero,
  • Ximena Peralta,
  • Betul Akgol Oksuz,
  • Adriana Heguy,
  • Moriya Tsuji and
  • Akira Kawamura

Background: Angelica sinensis is a medicinal plant known for a variety of biological effects, including its ability to stimulate innate immune cells in humans. Recent studies indicate that the immunostimulatory activity of A. sinensis arises from mic...

  • Review
  • Open Access
32 Citations
9,660 Views
20 Pages

Most neurodegenerative diseases are currently incurable, with large social and economic impacts. Recently, there has been renewed interest in investigating natural products in the modern drug discovery paradigm as novel, bioactive small molecules. Mo...

  • Case Report
  • Open Access
1 Citations
6,858 Views
8 Pages

Leri-Weill Dyschondrosteosis Syndrome: Analysis via 3DCT Scan

  • Ali Al Kaissi,
  • Mohammad Shboul,
  • Vladimir Kenis,
  • Franz Grill,
  • Rudolf Ganger and
  • Susanne Gerit Kircher

Background: Leri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (LWD) is a pseudoautosomal form of skeletal dysplasia, characterized by abnormal craniofacial phenotype, short stature, and mesomelia of the upper and lower limbs. Methods: We describe two female patients with...

  • Article
  • Open Access
29 Citations
6,088 Views
11 Pages

Background: Melothria heterophylla (family: Cucurbitaceae), commonly known as kudari, is used in the Indian traditional medicine to treat various inflammation-associated diseases, such as asthma, arthritis and pain. However, the anti-inflammatory act...

  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
4,315 Views
11 Pages

In Vitro Effect of the Traditional Medicine Hainosan (Painongsan) on Porphyromonas gingivalis

  • Masaaki Minami,
  • Hiroshi Takase,
  • Masayo Taira and
  • Toshiaki Makino

Background: Hainosan (Painongsan) is a traditional Japanese and Chinese medicine that is used to treat several purulent diseases, including gingivitis and periodontitis. This formulation contains three crude drug components: The dried immature fruit...

  • Article
  • Open Access
6 Citations
4,345 Views
11 Pages

Greater Height Is Associated with a Larger Carotid Lumen Diameter

  • Phoenix Hwaung,
  • Moonseong Heo,
  • Brianna Bourgeois,
  • Samantha Kennedy,
  • John Shepherd and
  • Steven B. Heymsfield

Background: Previous studies link tall stature with a reduced ischemic stroke risk. One theory posits that tall people have larger cerebral artery lumens and therefore have a lower plaque occlusion risk than those who are short. Previous studies have...

  • Case Report
  • Open Access
3,688 Views
13 Pages

Immunomodulatory Changes Following Isolated RF Ablation in Colorectal Liver Metastases: A Case Report

  • Nona Janikashvili,
  • Kumar Jayant,
  • Nino Kikodze,
  • Ketevan Mazmishvili,
  • Ia Pantsulaia,
  • Bynvant Sandhu,
  • Mauro Podda,
  • Manana Iobadze,
  • Tamta Azrumelashvili and
  • Tinatin Chikovani
  • + 2 authors

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in developed countries. The liver is the most prevalent site of metastasis from CRC. Currently, the gold-standard trea...

  • Article
  • Open Access
37 Citations
6,163 Views
15 Pages

Background: We investigated the effect of root extracts from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plants Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Paeonia lactiflora Pall., and the leaf extract of Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl., and their six major secondary met...

  • Case Report
  • Open Access
1 Citations
3,733 Views
8 Pages

Massive Axial and Appendicular Skeletal Deformities in Connection with Gorham-Stout Syndrome

  • Ali Al Kaissi,
  • Sami Bouchoucha,
  • Mohammad Shboul,
  • Vladimir Kenis,
  • Franz Grill,
  • Rudolf Ganger and
  • Susanne Gerit Kircher

Background: Etiological understanding is the corner stone in the management of skeletal deformities. Methods: Multi-centre study of patients with deformities in connection with diverse etiological backgrounds. We aimed to study four patients (one boy...

  • Article
  • Open Access
21 Citations
4,904 Views
11 Pages

Phytochemical Composition and Biological Activities of Wild Scolymus maculatus L.

  • Saleh Abu-Lafi,
  • Mahmoud Rayan,
  • Mahmud Masalha,
  • Basheer Abu-Farich,
  • Hashem Al-Jaas,
  • Malek Abu-Lafi and
  • Anwar Rayan

Background: The wild population of spotted golden thistle, Scolymus maculatus, which belongs to the Compositae family, is believed to be one of the multi-curative wild plants mentioned in Flora Palaestina. This study aims to disclose the phytochemica...

  • Editorial
  • Open Access
1 Citations
3,023 Views
6 Pages

This editorial is a brief introduction to the Special Issue of “Biological Efficacy of Natural and Chemically Modified Products against Oral Inflammatory Lesions”. From the natural resources and chemical modifications of the backbone stru...

  • Article
  • Open Access
21 Citations
6,445 Views
12 Pages

Camptothecin Induces PD-L1 and Immunomodulatory Cytokines in Colon Cancer Cells

  • Deepa Bedi,
  • Henry J. Henderson,
  • Upender Manne and
  • Temesgen Samuel

Background: Immunotherapy has changed the options for the treatment of various cancer types, but not colon cancer. Current checkpoint blockade approaches are ineffective in a large proportion of colon cancer cases, necessitating studies to elucidate...

  • Article
  • Open Access
36 Citations
7,470 Views
13 Pages

Increased Functional Foods’ Consumption and Mediterranean Diet Adherence May Have a Protective Effect in the Appearance of Gastrointestinal Diseases: A Case–Control Study

  • Ioannis-Nektarios Elmaliklis,
  • Athanasia Liveri,
  • Basileios Ntelis,
  • Konstantina Paraskeva,
  • Ioannis Goulis and
  • Antonios E. Koutelidakis

Background: Epidemiological studies have suggested a possible correlation between nutritional factors and gastrointestinal diseases. Methods: A case–control study was designed in order to investigate if functional foods consumption and Mediterr...

  • Article
  • Open Access
8 Citations
5,508 Views
13 Pages

In Vitro Evaluation of the Phytopharmacological Potential of Sargassum incisifolium for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

  • Mutenta N. Nyambe,
  • Trevor C. Koekemoer,
  • Maryna van de Venter,
  • Eleonora D. Goosen and
  • Denzil R. Beukes

Background: Comprised of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastro-intestinal tract, which often results in severe damage to the intestinal mucosa. This stu...

  • Review
  • Open Access
18 Citations
4,772 Views
18 Pages

Phytochemical Modulation of MiRNAs in Colorectal Cancer

  • Aravinda Ganapathy and
  • Uthayashanker Ezekiel

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are some of the most commonly used treatments, but are often associated with severe side effects, and are not entirely curative. It is t...

  • Article
  • Open Access
10 Citations
4,828 Views
13 Pages

Background: Anticancer drugs often have strong toxicity against tumours and normal cells. Some natural products demonstrate high tumour specificity. We have previously reported the cytotoxic activity and tumour specificity of various chemical compoun...

  • Protocol
  • Open Access
5 Citations
10,131 Views
15 Pages

Music Therapy as Treatment of Negative Symptoms for Adult Patients Diagnosed with Schizophrenia—Study Protocol for a Randomized, Controlled and Blinded Study

  • Inge Nygaard Pedersen,
  • Lars Ole Bonde,
  • Niels Jørgensen Hannibal,
  • Jimmy Nielsen,
  • Jørgen Aagaard,
  • Lars Rye Bertelsen,
  • Silvia Beatriz Jensen and
  • René Ernst Nielsen

Background: Three Cochrane reviews show that music therapy has a positive effect on schizophrenia concerning general functioning and positive/negative symptoms. This study aims to replicate these results in the Danish health system, a requirement for...

  • Article
  • Open Access
4 Citations
4,082 Views
9 Pages

Semi-Synthesis and Evaluation of Sargahydroquinoic Acid Derivatives as Potential Antimalarial Agents

  • Tatenda C. Munedzimwe,
  • Robyn L. van Zyl,
  • Donovan C. Heslop,
  • Adrienne L. Edkins and
  • Denzil R. Beukes

Background: Malaria continues to present a major health problem, especially in developing countries. The development of new antimalarial drugs to counter drug resistance and ensure a steady supply of new treatment options is therefore an important ar...

  • Editorial
  • Open Access
14 Citations
8,479 Views
5 Pages

This editorial is a brief report on the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) ear acupuncture and is intended to briefly summarize the main scientific work. The complementary addiction-detoxification auricular acupuncture method has...

  • Article
  • Open Access
41 Citations
8,033 Views
16 Pages

Background: The phytochemical composition, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial activities of a methanol extract from Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (Ge), a 50% ethanol (in water) extract from Paeonia lactiflora Pall. (Pe), and a 96% ethanol extract from...

  • Review
  • Open Access
69 Citations
8,115 Views
11 Pages

The control of infectious/parasitic diseases is a continuing challenge for global health, which in turn requires new methods of action and the development of innovative agents to be used in its prevention and/or treatment. In this context, the contro...

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Medicines - ISSN 2305-6320