Possible roles of phytochemicals with bioactive properties in the prevention of and recovery from COVID-19.

Introduction: There have been large geographical differences in the infection and death rates of COVID-19. Foods and beverages containing high amounts of phytochemicals with bioactive properties were suggested to prevent contracting and to facilitate recovery from COVID-19. The goal of our study was to determine the correlation of the type of foods/beverages people consumed and the risk reduction of contracting COVID-19 and the recovery from COVID-19.

Exploring the Antimicrobial Properties of 99 Natural Flavour and Fragrance Raw Materials against Pathogenic Bacteria: A Comparative Study with Antibiotics.

Currently, one of the most serious global problems is the increasing incidence of infectious diseases. This is closely related to the increase in antibiotic use, which has resulted in the development of multidrug resistance in microorganisms. Another problem is the numerous microbiological contaminations of cosmetic products, which can lead to dangerous bacterial infections in humans.

Evaluation of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 properties of essential oils and aromatic extracts.

Essential oils and aromatic extracts (oleoresins, absolutes, concretes, resinoids) are often used as food flavorings and constituents of fragrance compositions. The flavor and fragrance industry observed significant growth in the sales of some natural materials during the COVID-19 outbreak. Some companies worldwide are making false claims regarding the effectiveness of their essential oils or blends (or indirectly point toward this conclusion) against coronaviruses, even though the available data on the activity of plant materials against highly pathogenic human coronaviruses are very scarce.

Biological Activity of Selected Natural and Synthetic Terpenoid Lactones.

Terpenoids with lactone moieties have been indicated to possess high bioactivity. Certain terpenoid lactones exist in nature, in plants and animals, but they can also be obtained by chemical synthesis. Terpenoids possessing lactone moieties are known for their cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, and antimalarial activities.

Minor constituents of essential oils and aromatic extracts. Oximes derived from natural flavor and fragrance raw materials - Sensory evaluation, spectral and gas chromatographic characteristics.

A small library of 57 low molecular weight oximes was prepared from fragrant aldehydes and ketones, and their olfactory profiles were determined. The most substantive and interesting in terms of the sensory impressions were (+)-isomenthone oxime (fresh, musty, green) and cyclocitral oxime (earthy with patchouli, moss and leather notes). The linear retention indices (LRI) were determined for DB-1, DB-5 and DB-WAX columns, and E/Z isomers of 22 out of 57 compounds were resolved on the DB-5 column.

Novel Benzene-Based Carbamates for AChE/BChE Inhibition: Synthesis and Ligand/Structure-Oriented SAR Study.

A series of new benzene-based derivatives was designed, synthesized and comprehensively characterized. All of the tested compounds were evaluated for their in vitro ability to potentially inhibit the acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterase enzymes. The selectivity index of individual molecules to cholinesterases was also determined.

Reductive capabilities of different cyanobacterial strains towards acetophenone as a model substrate - Prospect of applications for chiral building blocks synthesis.

Bioreductive capabilities of four morphologically different strains of cyanobacteria have been assessed in this work. Arthrospira maxima, Leptolyngbya foveolarum, Nodularia sphaerocarpa and Synechococcus bigranulatus were applied as catalysts for the reduction of acetophenone to the corresponding chiral phenylethyl alcohol. The process was modified regarding substrate concentration, duration of pre-cultivation period, duration of biotransformation, light regime and glucose addition to the culture media.

Burkholderia cepacia lipase immobilization for hydrolytic reactions and the kinetic resolution of the non-equimolar mixtures of isomeric alcohols.

The major drawbacks of native lipase applications in processes occurring in water or in organic solvents include: difficulties in catalyst recycling, low activity and operational instability. The immobilization of Burkholderia cepacia lipase by adsorption or covalent binding onto 5 differently functionalized carriers (silica, acrylic, cellulose-based) was performed to overcome this problem. The optimization of the reaction preparation in water-rich media was based on the hydrolytic reactivity of the preparations, as well as the thermal, operational and storage stabilities.

The anxiolytic-like activity of a novel N-cycloalkyl-N-benzoylpiperazine derivative.

Background: Anxiety-related disorders are among the most common mental illnesses in the world for which benzodiazepines, buspirone and antidepressant drugs remain the first-line treatment. These drugs have good efficacy but they have numerous disadvantages, such as drug abuse potential, delayed onset of action or tolerance. A literature review reveals that a variety of piperazine derivatives may exhibit interesting pharmacological properties, including anxiolytic-like, antidepressant, nootropic and antinociceptive activities demonstrated in animal models, as well as an antioxidant capacity shown in some in vitro tests.

Synthesis of the aggregation pheromone of the Colorado potato beetle from its degradation product.

Incubation of the Colorado potato beetle aggregation pheromone, (S)-1,3-dihydroxy-3,7-dimethyl-6-octen-2-one, with antennal or leg extracts from this beetle gave 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one as the major product. This ketone was used as a substrate in a stereoselective synthesis of the pheromone. It was attached to the butanediacetal of glycolic acid with good stereoselectivity and the desired isomer was further enriched by purification of the product of this reaction on silica gel.

Application of microorganisms towards synthesis of chiral terpenoid derivatives.

Biotransformations are a standard tool of green chemistry and thus are following the rules of sustainable development. In this article, we describe the most common types of reactions conducted by microorganisms applied towards synthesis of chiral terpenoid derivatives. Potential applications of obtained products in various areas of industry and agriculture are shown.

Evaluation of the irritating influence of carane derivatives and their antioxidant properties in a deoxyribose degradation test.

Previous studies of the propranolol monoterpene derivative (-)-4-[2-hydroxy-3-(N-isopropylamino)-propoxyimino]-cis-carane hydrochloride (KP-23) and its diastereoisomers, KP-23R and KP-23S, demonstrated different effects on the cyclic AMP generating system as well as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antihistaminic and antioxidant activity. The present study examined the influence of KP-23 and its diastereoisomers KP-23R and KP-23S on the skin-irritating activity and the mucous membrane-irritating activity as well as their influence on a late-type contact allergy in the in vivo tests. The hydroxyl radical scavenging potential of the three analogues was evaluated using their ability to inhibit Fe(II)/H2O2-induced oxidative degradation of 2-deoxyribose (2-DR) in the in vitro tests.

Incidence, management, and outcome of incidental gallbladder carcinoma: analysis of the database of the Swiss association of laparoscopic and thoracoscopic surgery.

Background: Little is known about the long-term survival of patients with incidental gallbladder carcinoma (IGBC). The role of radical resection for this disease is discussed controversially in the literature. We present the long-term survival and the results of re-resection versus simple cholecystectomy of the database of the Swiss Association for Laparoscopic and Thoracoscopic Surgery (SALTS) from 1994 to 2004.