Morphological, molecular and pathogenicity characteristics of Fusarium verticillioides causing Fusarium ear rot of corn in Panama.

Zea mays is the second most popular cereal crop in Panama. Its production is intended for human and livestock consumption but is threatened by several diseases. We report the occurrence of Fusarium ear rot, a disease that has affected corn production in a specific region of Panama.

Understanding the (Brine Shrimp) Test: Pharmacological Significance and Global Impact.

Background: The microplate benchtop brine shrimp test (BST) has been widely used for screening and bio-guided isolation of many active compounds, including natural products. Although the interpretation given to the results appears dissimilar, our findings suggest a correlation between positive results with a specific mechanism of action.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate drugs belonging to fifteen pharmacological categories having diverse mechanisms of action and carry out a bibliometric analysis of over 700 citations related to microwell BST.

Diversity of culturable endophytic fungi vary through time in Manihot esculenta Crantz.

Endophytic fungi are a ubiquituos group that colonize all plant species on earth. Studies comparing the location of endophytic fungi within the leaves and the sampling time in Manihot esculenta Crantz (cassava) are limited. In this study, mature leaves of M.

Pharmacognostic Evaluation of Ten Species of Medicinal Importance of Cecropia: Current Knowledge and Therapeutic Perspectives.

This work covers a systematic review of literature about the genus from 1978 to 2020, emphasizing the analysis of 10 of the most relevant species and their associated biological activities. is a neotropical genus, which comprises about 61 native species in the American continent where it is known to be part of the traditional medicine of numerous countries. Secondary metabolites described for this genus showed an elevated structural and functional diversity, where polyphenols have been the most abundant.

Validation of an UPLC-DAD Method for the Quantification of Phenolic Acids, Verbascoside and 6-epi-aucubin in Crescentia cujete Fruit.

Background: The fruit pulp decoction of Crescentia cujete, commonly known as calabash, is traditionally used for the treatment of several respiratory diseases and is available as syrup formulations. Unfortunately, there is no detailed investigation on the analytical methods for warranting the quality of these products.

Aims And Objectives: To develop and validate an appropriate analytical method for the simultaneous quantification of trans-cinnamic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, verbascoside and 6- epi-aucubin in the decoction and commercial cough syrups of Crescentia cujete fruit.

Ruby chocolate: A study of its phytochemical composition and quantitative comparison with dark, milk and white chocolate.

Ruby chocolate was introduced in 2017 as the fourth type of chocolate, in addition to white, milk and dark chocolate. However, until now not much is reported about its phytochemical composition. Therefore, we analyzed ruby chocolate by UPLC-HRMS, together with the three other types of chocolate.

Simulated Gastrointestinal Biotransformation of Chlorogenic Acid, Flavonoids, Flavonolignans and Triterpenoid Saponins in Cecropia obtusifolia Leaf Extract.

It is well known that biotransformation processes in the human body are crucial to form potentially bioactive metabolites from particular classes of natural products. However, little research has been conducted concerning the bioavailability of polyphenols, especially in the colon. The gastrointestinal stability and colonic biotransformation of the crude extract of the leaves of , rich in flavone -glycosides, was investigated under conditions, and the processing and interpretation of results were facilitated by using an automated machine learning model.

UPLC-MS/MS-based molecular networking and NMR structural determination for the untargeted phytochemical characterization of the fruit of Crescentia cujete (Bignoniaceae).

The fruit pulp of Crescentia cujete is traditionally used in folk medicine for the treatment of a variety of respiratory conditions and gastrointestinal disorders. Due to the lack of a comprehensive phytochemical description of the fruit of this plant, its active compounds and rational quality control parameters have not yet been described. An untargeted metabolomics approach combining UPLC-MS/MS-based molecular networking with conventional isolation and NMR methods was carried out for the phytochemical profiling of the fruit pulp of Crescentia cujete.

Image mean square displacement to study the lateral mobility of Angiotensin II type 1 and Endothelin 1 type A receptors on living cells.

The lateral mobility of membrane receptors provides insights into the molecular interactions of protein binding and the complex dynamic plasma membrane. The image mean square displacement (iMSD) analysis is a method used to extract qualitative and quantitative information of the protein diffusion law and infers how diffusion dynamic processes may change when the cellular environment is modified. The aim of the study was to describe the membrane diffusing properties of two G-protein-coupled receptors namely Angiotensin II type 1 (AT ) and Endothelin 1 type A (ET ) receptors and their corresponding receptor-ligand complexes in living cells using total internal reflection fluorescent microscopy and iMSD analysis.

Development of anthracycline-induced dilated cardiomyopathy due to mutation on LMNA gene in a breast cancer patient: a case report.

Background: Anthracyclines are highly effective anticancer medication prescribed for the treatment of breast cancer. Nevertheless, the use of anthracyclines as chemotherapeutic agents involves a risk for development of cardiac toxicity which may cause restrictive and dilated cardiomyopathy. Currently, genetic predisposition is not considered as a risk factor for cardiotoxicity associated to the use of anthracyclines.

Number and brightness analysis to study spatio-temporal distribution of the angiotensin II AT and the endothelin-1 ET receptors: Influence of ligand binding.

The angiotensin II AT and the endothelin 1 ET receptors play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases like hypertension, heart failure, stroke, pulmonary hypertension, and cardiac hypertrophy. Both receptors are members of the rhodopsion-like superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors which can exist as monomers, dimers, and higher order aggregates. Recently, oligomerization of these two receptors have been described by several biophysical methods based mainly on luminescence and fluorescence energy transfer.

Inflammatory Biomarkers, Depressive Symptoms and Falls Among the elderly in Panama.

Background: Falls are common among elderly adults, and are predictors of hospitalization, institutionalization and mortality.

Objective: The objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between blood-based markers of inflammation and fall events in a sample of elderly Hispanic adults.

Method: Data were collected from 190 participants enrolled in the Panama Aging Research Initiative study who completed baseline clinical and cognitive assessments.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction optimization and validation of an HPLC-DAD method for the quantification of polyphenols in leaf extracts of Cecropia species.

Cecropia species are traditionally used in Latin American folk medicine and are available as food supplements with little information warranting their quality. The optimum conditions for the extraction of chlorogenic acid (CA), total flavonoids (TF) and flavonolignans (FL) from leaves of Cecropia species were determined using a fractional factorial design (FFD) and a central composite design (CCD). A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method coupled to a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) was validated for the quantification of CA, TF and FL, following the ICH guidelines.

Phytochemical characterization and comparative studies of four Cecropia species collected in Panama using multivariate data analysis.

Plant species of the genus Cecropia (Urticaceae) are used as traditional medicine in Latin-America, and are commercially available as food supplements. The aim of this study was to characterize and compare the phytochemical constituents of four Cecropia species collected in Panama. The structures of 11 compounds isolated from leaves of C.

Antiviral Activity of Novel Quinoline Derivatives against Dengue Virus Serotype 2.

Dengue virus causes dengue fever, a debilitating disease with an increasing incidence in many tropical and subtropical territories. So far, there are no effective antivirals licensed to treat this virus. Here we describe the synthesis and antiviral activity evaluation of two compounds based on the quinoline scaffold, which has shown potential for the development of molecules with various biological activities.

Selection of chemical markers for the quality control of medicinal plants of the genus Cecropia.

Context: Several Cecropia (Cecropiaceae) species are traditionally used in Latin America for the treatment of a variety of diseases including diabetes, arterial hypertension, asthma, bronchitis, anxiety, and inflammation. At present, a number of commercial products based on these plants have been introduced into the market with very little information on methods for guaranteeing their quality and safety.

Objective: This work proposes potential chemical markers for the quality control of the raw materials of Cecropia obtusifolia Bertol.

Antiphospholipid IgM antibody response in acute and chronic Mycobacterium tuberculosis mouse infection model.

Background And Aims: The clinical management of tuberculosis (TB) could be greatly improved by an affordable biomarker test to monitor treatment response. Here, we examined changes in immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody response to lipids as a potential biomarker for monitoring TB treatment in an experimental mouse model.

Methods: We performed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to investigate changes in IgM antibody response against cardiolipin (CL), phosphatidylcholine (PTC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and sphingolipid (SL) in BALB/c mice that were treated after being infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis for 4 weeks (acute infection) and 20 weeks (chronic infection).

Cortical NR2B NMDA subunit antagonism reduces inflammatory pain in male and female rats.

Background: Studies have shown that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors play a critical role in pain processing at different levels of the central nervous system.

Methods: In this study, we used adult Wistar rats to examine gender differences in the effects of NR2B NMDA antagonism at the level of the anterior cingulate cortex in phasic pain, and in the first and second phases of a formalin test. Rats underwent stereotactic surgery for cannula implantation in the anterior cingulate cortex.

A quarter century of pharmacognostic research on Panamanian flora: a review.

Panama is a unique terrestrial bridge of extreme biological importance. It is one of the "hot spots" and occupies the fourth place among the 25 most plant-rich countries in the world, with 13.4 % endemic species.