Phytochemical and pharmacological properties of the genus from 2016 to 2023.

Covering 2016 up to the end of 2023 is the largest genus of flowering plants in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, and comprises about 500 species. Many are commonly cultivated ornamental plants, and some are used as spices or traditional medicine to treat inflammation, hyperlipidemia, and cancers. However, only a few comprehensive reviews have been published on the phytochemistry and pharmacology of this genus, and the latest review was published in 2017.

Tsaokoic Acid: A New Bicyclic Nonene from the Fruits of with Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Activity.

A new bicyclic nonene, tsaokoic acid (), was isolated from the fruits of , together with three known compounds (-). The structure of was elucidated by analyzing spectroscopic data including 1D and 2D NMR spectra and compounds - were identified as tsaokoin, vanillin, and tsaokoarylone, respectively, by comparing their NMR spectra with previously reported data. Compounds - showed possible inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in silico molecular docking simulations.

Utility of the REBA MTB-Rifa® assay for rapid detection of rifampicin resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Background: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), including resistance to both rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH) referred to as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), has become an increasing global threat in recent years. Effective management of patients infected with MDR-TB strains requires identifying such patients by performing conventional drug-susceptibility testing (DST) on bacteria isolated from sputum, a process that can take up to 2 months. This delay in diagnosis can result in worsening and continued transmission of MDR-TB.

Linezolid for treatment of chronic extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Background: Linezolid has antimycobacterial activity in vitro and is increasingly used for patients with highly drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Methods: We enrolled 41 patients who had sputum-culture-positive extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis and who had not had a response to any available chemotherapeutic option during the previous 6 months. Patients were randomly assigned to linezolid therapy that started immediately or after 2 months, at a dose of 600 mg per day, without a change in their background regimen.

Mycolic acids as diagnostic markers for tuberculosis case detection in humans and drug efficacy in mice.

Mycolic acids are attractive diagnostic markers for tuberculosis (TB) infection because they are bacteria-derived, contain information about bacterial species, modulate host-pathogen interactions and are chemically inert. Here, we present a novel approach based on mass spectrometry. Quantification of specific precursor → fragment transitions of approximately 2000 individual mycolic acids (MAs) resulted in high analytical sensitivity and specificity.

Rapid detection of fluoroquinolone-resistant and heteroresistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis by use of sloppy molecular beacons and dual melting-temperature codes in a real-time PCR assay.

Fluoroquinolones (FQ) are important second-line drugs to treat tuberculosis; however, FQ resistance is an emerging problem. Resistance has been mainly attributed to mutations in a 21-bp region of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis gyrA gene, often called the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR). We have developed a simple, rapid, and specific assay to detect FQ resistance-determining QRDR mutations.

Association of antigen-stimulated release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in whole blood with response to chemotherapy in patients with pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Background: We have previously reported that TNF-α levels correlate to total mycobacterial burden in tuberculosis (TB) patients.

Objective: To characterize the dynamics of cytokine responses in TB patients during chemotherapy to identify potential surrogate markers for effective treatment.

Methods: Following induction by culture filtrate proteins in whole blood, production patterns of TNF-α, IL-10, IFN-γ and IL-12 were measured in 23 non-multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB and 16 MDR-TB patients and in 31 healthy controls.

Evaluation of the diagnostic utility of a whole-blood interferon-gamma assay for determining the risk of exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG)-vaccinated individuals.

We evaluated the utility of the "QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube" (QuantiFERON) test that uses tuberculosis (TB)-specific antigens for the diagnosis of latent infection in such individuals. We also examined the correlation between the interferon (IFN)-gamma response to these antigens and the exposure risk to TB by evaluating antigen-specific IFN-gamma release in comparison with IFN-gamma release in response to purified protein derivative (PPD) in 3 groups: medical students, nurses in a TB hospital, and TB patients. All nurses and TB patients responded to PPD, whereas 52% (P < 0.