Search Results (11)

Background: Urinary continence relies on a complex interplay between urine storage and voiding involving both spinal reflex circuits and supraspinal brain areas to coordinate volun-tary control over emptying. Despite a vast number of studies on the pathophysiology of neurogenic bladder and urge incontinence, less is known about the central correlates of bladder filling. Methods: An ALE (activation likelihood estimation) meta-analysis including a total count of 14 studies investigating 243 participants under different conditions of bladder filling during functional neuroimaging was performed to demonstrate the neuroanatomical correlates of bladder filling. The literature search and reporting were conducted according to the PRISMA-P 2020 guideline. Data analysis was performed using the GingerAle software version 3.0.2 and was displayed with the Mango software 4.1 on an anatomical MNI template. Results: Synthesizing studies on the functional neuroanatomy of urine storage, bihemispheric clusters of activation in the thalamus, the insula and the cingulate were observed. Conclusion: The present ALE meta-analysis indicates that the supraspinal representation of urine storage involves areas of autonomous–homeostatic processing which allow for the perception of the usually unconscious inner state of bladder filling and enable postponing and voluntary voiding. Full article

Background: Acute visceral pain is among the most common symptoms of patients seeking in-hospital treatment and is related to various thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic diseases. It is characterized by distinguishable sensory qualities and can be described on a sensory-discriminative and affective-motivational level. These sensory qualities correlate with the activation of cerebral areas involved in the neuronal processing of visceral pain and can be visualized using functional neuroimaging. Methods: An ALE (activation likelihood estimation) meta-analysis of a total of 21 studies investigating different balloon distention paradigms during either PET or fMRI was performed to demonstrate the neuroanatomical correlates of visceral pain. The ALE meta-analysis was performed using the GingerAle software version 3.0.2 and was displayed with the Mango software 4.1 on an anatomical MNI template. Results: Summarizing studies investigating the functional neuroanatomy of visceral pain, bihemispheric activation of the insula, the thalamus, and clusters involving the right inferior parietal lobe/postcentral gyrus as well as the left postcentral gyrus/parietal inferior lobe were observed. Conclusions: This ALE meta-analysis substantiates the concept of two distinguishable neuroanatomical pathways of visceral pain which are related to either the sensory-discriminative or the affective-motivational dimension of pain processing. Full article

The sensation of dyspnea is related to various cardiopulmonary and neuromuscular diseases and is characterized by its sensory and affective qualities. Although there is a vast number of studies investigating its pathophysiology, less is known about the neuroanatomy of dyspnea perception. An activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of 13 studies investigating different breathing challenges using either PET or fMRI was performed to demonstrate the neuroanatomical correlates of dyspnea perception. The ALE meta-analysis was performed using the GingerAle software 3.0.2 and was displayed with the Mango software 4.1. Synthesizing the results of all included studies, clusters involving the insula and cingulated cortex in both hemispheres were observed. Subgroup analysis for the restrained breathing condition revealed activation involving the right and left cingulate cortex and left anterior cingulate cortex. For the loaded breathing condition, statistically significant activation was found for the postcentral gyrus, the superior temporal gyrus, and the right thalamus. The combined ALE map for both conditions showed activity patterns in the right cingulate cortex, the right insula, and the right thalamus. This ALE meta-analysis demonstrates that two separate neuronal pathways related to either the affective or intensity domain are involved in the central processing of dyspnea perception. Full article

The recent global trend aims to limit the use of chemicals in all aspects of our lives, necessitating research into the use of plant extracts and ultraviolet light as eco-friendly treatments to improve mango fruit storage. The literature did not introduce studies on plant extracts as coating materials for mango fruit storage. Although ginger, lemon, and green tea were utilized individually as edible coatings for some fruits, their combination in a single solution is not evaluated on mango fruits. To preserve the quality of Keitt mango fruit against decay during storage, fruits were treated with plant extracts (a mixture of ginger, lemon, and green tea), 50 g L⁻¹ for each of them, and ultraviolet (UV) light, 250 nm for 5 min, either alone or in combination then stored at 22 °C or 13 °C. Data showed that the mixture of plant extracts treatment followed by the combination of plant extracts and UV treatment then UV treatments resulted in a decrease in weight loss and soluble solid contents (SSCs) compared to the control while reducing the decrease in firmness, acidity, vitamin C (Vit C), and phenols compared to the control. Mangoes stored at 22 °C reached 4 weeks with good quality while achieving 8 weeks at 13 °C. Full article

In this work, the high-quality factor (Q-factor) and high sensitivity of a circular substrate-integrated waveguide (CSIW) are proposed for the characterization of semisolid materials. The modeled sensor was designed based on the CSIW structure with a mill-shaped defective ground structure (MDGS) to improve measurement sensitivity. The designed sensor oscillates at a single frequency of 2.45 GHz, which was simulated using an Ansys HFSS simulator. Electromagnetic simulation explains the basis of the mode resonance of all two-port resonators. Six variations of the materials under test (SUTs) were simulated and measured, including air (without an SUT), Javanese turmeric, mango ginger, black turmeric, turmeric, and distilled water (DI). A detailed sensitivity calculation was performed for the resonance band at 2.45 GHz. The SUT test mechanism was performed using a polypropylene tube (PP). The samples of dielectric material were filled into the channels of the PP tube and loaded into the center hole of the MDGS. The E-fields around the sensor affect the relationship with the SUTs, resulting in a high Q-factor value. The final sensor had a Q-factor of 700 and a sensitivity of 2.864 at 2.45 GHz. Due to the high sensitivity of the presented sensor for characterization of various semisolid penetrations, the sensor is also of interest for accurate estimation of solute concentration in liquid media. Finally, the relationship between the loss tangent, permittivity, and Q-factor at the resonant frequency were derived and investigated. These results make the presented resonator ideal for the characterization of semisolid materials. Full article

This article proposes the design, fabrication and measurement of a triple-rings complementary split-ring resonator (CSRR) microwave sensor for semi-solid material detection. The triple-rings CSRR sensor was developed based on the CSRR configuration with curve-feed designed together, utilizing a high-frequency structure simulator (HFSS) microwave studio. The designed triple rings CSRR sensor resonates at 2.5 GHz, performs in transmission mode, and senses shift in frequency. Six cases of the sample under tests (SUTs) were simulated and measured. These SUTs are Air (without SUT), Java turmeric, Mango ginger, Black Turmeric, Turmeric, and Di-water, and detailed sensitivity analysis is conducted for the frequency resonant at 2.5 GHz. The semi-solid tested mechanism is undertaken using a polypropylene (PP) tube. The samples of dielectric material are filled into PP tube channels and loaded in the CSRR centre hole. The e-fields near the resonator will affect the interaction with the SUTs. The finalized CSRR triple-rings sensor was incorporated with defective ground structure (DGS) to deliver high-performance characteristics in microstrip circuits, leading to a high Q-factor magnitude. The suggested sensor has a Q-factor of 520 at 2.5 GHz with high sensitivity of about 4.806 and 4.773 for Di-water and Turmeric samples, respectively. The relationship between loss tangent, permittivity, and Q-factor at the resonant frequency has been compared and discussed. These given outcomes make the presented sensor ideal for detecting semi-solid materials. Full article

Curcuma amada Roxb. (Zingiberaceae), commonly known as mango ginger because its rhizome and foliar parts have a similar aroma to mango. The rhizome has been widely used in food industries and alternative medicines to treat a variety of internal diseases such as cough, bronchitis, indigestion, colic, loss of appetite, hiccups, and constipation. The composition of the volatile constituents in a fresh rhizome of C. amada is not reported in detail. The present study aimed to screen and characterize the composition of volatile organic compound (VOC) in a fresh rhizome of three C. amada (ZO45, ZO89, and ZO114) and one C. longa (ZO138) accessions originated from Myanmar. The analysis was carried out by means of headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS). As a result, 122 VOCs were tentatively identified from the extracted 373 mass spectra. The following compounds were the ten most highly abundant and broadly present ones: ar-turmerone, α-zingiberene, α-santalene, (E)-γ-atlantone, cuparene, β-bisabolene, teresantalol, β-sesquiphellandrene, trans-α-bergamotene, γ-curcumene. The intensity of ar-turmerone, the sesquiterpene which is mainly characterized in C. longa essential oil (up to 15.5–27.5%), was significantly higher in C. amada accession ZO89 (15.707 ± 5.78^a) compared to C. longa accession ZO138 (0.300 ± 0.08^b). Cis-α-bergamotene was not detected in two C. amada accessions ZO45 and ZO89. The study revealed between-species variation regarding identified VOCs in the fresh rhizome of C. amada and C. longa. Full article

Enzymatic inhibitions of crude extracts and their constituents from Zingiberaceae against both rat intestinal α-glucosidase and porcine pancreatic lipase were investigated. Structure–activity relationships using their derivatives were also investigated. The rhizomes extract of mango ginger, Curcuma amada showed remarkable inhibitory activity in the screening test. Two natural labdane diterpenes 1 and 2 and a drimane sesquiterpene 3 were major constituents isolated from this hexane extract. Among them, (E)-labda-8(17),12-diene-15,16-dial (1) was the most prominent compound and showed inhibitory activity against both α-glucosidase and lipase. Derivatives 4–10 from compound 1 were prepared and evaluated using inhibitory assays with these enzymes. The reduced derivative 4 maintained α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, but had decreased pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity compared with parent compound 1. Other tested derivatives of compound 1, including acetates 5–7 and oxidative derivatives 8–10, had very weak α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Most of these compounds showed moderate pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity. However, only sesquiterpene albicanal (3) showed drastically decreased pancreatic lipase activity compared with 1. These findings suggested that molecular size was essential for enzymatic inhibitory activities of these compounds. These results demonstrated that mango ginger may be useful for the prevention of obesity and being overweight. Full article

Polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds found largely in fruits and vegetables. The antioxidant properties of these polyphenols including total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), tannin content, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH), 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzo-thiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) scavenging abilities and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were measured among sixteen (16) plant foods (mango, blueberry, strawberry, black carrot, raspberry, dark grapes, garlic, ginger, onion, cherry, plum, apple, papaya, peach, pear and apricot) by modifying, standardising and translating existing antioxidant methods using a 96-well plate reader. Eighteen targeted phenolic acids and flavonoids were characterised and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography-photometric diode array (HPLC-PDA) and verified by modifying an existing method of liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray-ionisation triple quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF/MS). While most of these compounds were accurately detected by the HPLC-PDA at a low concentration, a few polyphenols in low concentrations could be only be characterised using the LC-ESI-QTOF/MS method. Our results showed that mango possessed the highest overall antioxidant activity, phenolic acid and flavonoid content among the selected fruits. Factor analysis (FA) and Pearson’s correlation tests showed high correlations among ABTS, DPPH, FRAP and phenolic acids, implying the comparable capabilities of scavenging the DPPH/ABTS free radicals and reducing ferric ions from the antioxidant compounds in the samples. Phenolic acids contributed significantly to the antioxidant activities, and flavonoids contributed more to tannin content based on the correlations. Overall, methods modified and standardized in this study can provide better understanding of high throughput technologies and increase the reliability of antioxidant data of different plant foods. Full article

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among females worldwide. Several epidemiological studies suggested the inverse correlation between the intake of vegetables and fruits and the incidence of breast cancer. Substantial experimental studies indicated that many dietary natural products could affect the development and progression of breast cancer, such as soy, pomegranate, mangosteen, citrus fruits, apple, grape, mango, cruciferous vegetables, ginger, garlic, black cumin, edible macro-fungi, and cereals. Their anti-breast cancer effects involve various mechanisms of action, such as downregulating ER-α expression and activity, inhibiting proliferation, migration, metastasis and angiogenesis of breast tumor cells, inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, and sensitizing breast tumor cells to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This review summarizes the potential role of dietary natural products and their major bioactive components in prevention and treatment of breast cancer, and special attention was paid to the mechanisms of action. Full article

The present review deals with analysis of the proteome of animal and plant-derived food stuff, as well as of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages. The survey is limited to those systems investigated with the help of combinatorial peptide ligand libraries, a most powerful technique allowing access to low- to very-low-abundance proteins, i.e., to those proteins that might characterize univocally a given biological system and, in the case of commercial food preparations, attest their genuineness or adulteration. Among animal foods the analysis of cow’s and donkey’s milk is reported, together with the proteomic composition of egg white and yolk, as well as of honey, considered as a hybrid between floral and animal origin. In terms of plant and fruits, a survey is offered of spinach, artichoke, banana, avocado, mango and lemon proteomics, considered as recalcitrant tissues in that small amounts of proteins are dispersed into a large body of plant polymers and metabolites. As examples of non-alcoholic beverages, ginger ale, coconut milk, a cola drink, almond milk and orgeat syrup are analyzed. Finally, the trace proteome of white and red wines, beer and aperitifs is reported, with the aim of tracing the industrial manipulations and herbal usage prior to their commercialization. Full article