Natural Components Research Articles

Overview of Natural Supplements for the Management of Diabetes and Obesity.

Bioactive compounds found in various natural sources, such as fruits, vegetables, and herbs, have been studied for their potential benefits in managing obesity and diabetes. These compounds include polyphenols, flavonoids, other antioxidants, fiber, and certain fatty acids. Studies have found that these compounds may improve insulin sensitivity, regulate blood sugar levels, and promote weight loss. However, the effects of these compounds can vary depending on the type and amount consumed, as well as individual factors, such as genetics and lifestyle. Nutraceutical substances have multifaceted therapeutic advantages, and they have been reported to have disease-prevention and health-promoting properties. Several clinically used nutraceuticals have been shown to target the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus, obesity, and metabolic syndrome and their complications and modulate various clinical outcomes favorably. This review aims to highlight and comment on some of the most prominent natural components used as antidiabetics and in managing obesity.

Machine intelligence-accelerated discovery of all-natural plastic substitutes.

One possible solution against the accumulation of petrochemical plastics in natural environments is to develop biodegradable plastic substitutes using natural components. However, discovering all-natural alternatives that meet specific properties, such as optical transparency, fire retardancy and mechanical resilience, which have made petrochemical plastics successful, remains challenging. Current approaches still rely on iterative optimization experiments. Here we show an integrated workflow that combines robotics and machine learning to accelerate the discovery of all-natural plastic substitutes with programmable optical, thermal and mechanical properties. First, an automated pipetting robot is commanded to prepare 286 nanocomposite films with various properties to train a support-vector machine classifier. Next, through 14 active learning loops with data augmentation, 135 all-natural nanocomposites are fabricated stagewise, establishing an artificial neural network prediction model. We demonstrate that the prediction model can conduct a two-way design task: (1) predicting the physicochemical properties of an all-natural nanocomposite from its composition and (2) automating the inverse design of biodegradable plastic substitutes that fulfils various user-specific requirements. By harnessing the model's prediction capabilities, we prepare several all-natural substitutes, that could replace non-biodegradable counterparts as exhibiting analogous properties. Our methodology integrates robot-assisted experiments, machine intelligence and simulation tools to accelerate the discovery and design of eco-friendly plastic substitutes starting from building blocks taken from the generally-recognized-as-safe database.

Młodzi dorośli w sytuacjach subiektywnie trudnych. Jakościowe badanie sposobów konfrontacji z problemami w środowisku pracy

The subject of the article is the functioning of contemporary young adults in situations subjectively difficult for them. The aim of the research was to reconstruct and analyse the ways of dealing with young adults in situations perceived by them as difficult. The research involved 122 people aged 20–35. The data was collected using a follow-up interview and a questionnaire. The studies were conducted using a research paradigm defining phenomena as a process (a processual approach), revealing its complexity of the phenomenon and internal mechanisms as well as their genesis (analysis aimed at reconstructing the diversity of its internal structure using qualitative analyses and one of the methods of data mining – Quinlan’s C4.5 algorithm). An empirical model was obtained showing the spectrum of ways of coping with difficulties encountered by young people in their everyday life: from (1) withdrawal or submission, or (2) controlling the area of activity by imposing/adopting rules, to (3) going beyond self-protection with minimising failures, or (4) perceiving confrontation with problems as a natural component of life.

Zero budget natural farming components Jeevamrit and Beejamrit augment Spinacia oleracea L. (spinach) growth by ameliorating the negative impacts of the salt and drought stress.

The growth of crop plants, particularly spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), can be significantly impeded by salinity and drought. However, pre-treating spinach plants with traditional biofertilizers like Jeevamrit and Beejamrit (JB) substantially reverses the salinity and drought-induced inhibitory effects. Hence, this study aims to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that govern the efficacy of traditional fertilizers. The present work employed comprehensive biochemical, physiological, and molecular approaches to investigate the processes by which JB alleviates abiotic stress. The JB treatment effectively boosts spinach growth by increasing nutrient uptake and antioxidant enzyme activity, which mitigates the detrimental effects of drought and salinity-induced stress. Under salt and drought stress conditions, the application of JB resulted in an impressive rise in germination percentages of 80 and 60%, respectively. In addition, the application of JB treatment resulted in a 50% decrease in electrolyte leakage and a 75% rise in the relative water content of the spinach plants. Furthermore, the significant reduction in proline and glycine betaine levels in plants treated with JB provides additional evidence of the treatment's ability to prevent cell death caused by environmental stressors. Following JB treatment, the spinach plants exhibited substantially higher total chlorophyll content was also observed. Additionally, using 16S rRNA sequencing, we discovered and characterized five plant-beneficial bacteria from the JB bio-inoculants. These bacterial isolates comprise a number of traits that contribute to growth augmentation in plants. These evidences suggest that the presence of the aforesaid microorganisms (along with additional ones) is accountable for the JB-mediated stimulation of plant growth and development.

Isolation and characterization of Paenibacillus peoriae JC-3jx from Dendrobium nobile.

Dendrobium is a rich source of high-value natural components. Endophytic fungi are well studied, yet bacteria research is limited. In this study, endophytic bacteria from Dendrobium nobile were isolated using an improved method, showing inhibition of pathogens and growth promotion. JC-3jx, identified as Paenibacillus peoriae, exhibited significant inhibitory activity against tested fungi and bacteria, including Escherichia coli. JC-3jx also promoted corn seed rooting and Dendrobium growth, highlighting its excellent biocontrol and growth-promoting potential.

Thermoresponsive Behavior of Binary Waxes

AbstractIn this study, we investigated the thermoresponsive behavior of two different binary wax compositions of commercially available natural candles. The chemical nature of carbon bonds in the fatty acid chains of the natural wax component effectuate a different hygroscopic behavior, as confirmed by NMR analysis. The phase transitions of polymorphic stearin‐rapeseed and stearin‐coconut wax composites were tracked by DSC‐TGA and VT‐XRD. The reduction in the eutectic temperatures of wax composites during the second heating cycles of DSC measurements was correlated with the length of fatty acid chains in rapeseed and coconut waxes, as well as their co‐crystallization kinetics with stearin. Mechanical and hygroscopic behavior of the binary waxes were examined at elevated temperatures between 23 °C and 45 °C using QCM‐D. Voigt viscoelastic model was employed to reveal the soft and rigid textures of wax composites. The hydrophilic behavior of the rapeseed wax composite changed to hydrophobic when the co‐crystallized and individual stearin melted above 35 °C. Activation energies required for melting wax crystals were calculated to be 51±3 kJ mol−1 for pure rapeseed wax, 373 kJ mol−1 for co‐crystallized rapeseed and stearin waxes, and 244 kJ mol−1 for co‐crystallized coconut and stearin waxes, using Arrhenius method with the QCM‐D data.

Pattern recognition for EMG based forearm orientation and contraction in myoelectric prosthetic hand

Communication is an essential component of human nature. It connects humans, allowing them to learn, grow, col-laborate, and resolve conflicts. Several aspects of human society, relationships, and growth would be significantly hampered in the absence of efficient communication. Hand gesture recognition is a way to interact with technology that can be particularly useful for individuals with disabilities. This hand gesture recognition is mainly employed in sign language translation, healthcare, rehabilitation, prosthesis, and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The high degree of dexterity is a main challenge for prosthetic limbs. In order to meet this challenge, hand gesture recognition is employed for the prosthetic limb, which can be used for rehabilitation. The objective of this article is to show the methodology for the recognition of hand gestures using Electromyography (EMG) signals. This article uses the pro-posed time domain feature extraction method called Absolute Fluctuation Analysis (AFA) along with the Root Mean Square (RMS) for the feature extraction method. Along with these feature extraction methods, repeated stratified K-fold cross validation is used for the validation of the classifiers such as the XGB classifier, the K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN) classifier, the Decision Tree classifier, the Random Forest classifier, and the SVM classifier, whose mean recognition accuracy is given by 93.26%, 87.42%, 85.26%, 92.23%, and 91.78%, respectively. The recognition accuracy of machine learning classifiers is being compared with state-of-the-art networks such as artificial neural net-works (ANN), long short-term memory (LSTM), bidirectional LSTM, gated recurrent units (GRU), and convolution-al neural networks (CNN), which provide recognition accuracy of 96.65%, 99.16%, 99.94%, and 99.99%, respectively.

The Influences of Agglomeration and Storage on the Thermal Properties and Stability of Fats in Infant Formulas

The Influences of Agglomeration and Storage on the Thermal Properties and Stability of Fats in Infant Formulas

Bioefficacy of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. (Chenopodiaceae) on adult Callosobruchus maculatus F. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

The use of synthetic insecticides has become widespread and useful for decades. However, due to not being eco- friendly and development of resistance in these organisms plants natural products essential oil components have shown significant potentials for insect control. Hence, laboratory bioassays were conducted to investigate bio-efficacy of Chenopodium ambrosioides L: (Chenopodiaceae) essential oil on adult Callosobruchus maculatus F. (Coleoptera: Bruchidae). On the basis of 24 hr and 48 hr median lethal toxicity (L50). Essential oil of C. ambrosioides was toxic on C. maculatus adults at 0.50 Mg/m2 and 0.20 Mg /m2 in 24 hr Lc50. Also 48 hr Lc99 values obtained show that essential oil of tested plant was 0.90 Mg/m2 and 0.18 Mg/ m2 toxic on adult C. maculatus. The study shows that essential oil of C. ambrosioides have potentials as fumigants for protecting cowpea from damage of C. maculatus

Future advances of artificial biosensor technology in biomedical applications

Recent advancements in synthetic biology have facilitated the concept of a cell-based and cell-free biosensing platform, which enables the identification of molecular signals encompassing metal/chemical to disease biomarkers. The artificial sensing incorporates the concept of both whole-cell and cell-free biosensing strategies, which include highly regulated natural and synthetic components to exhibit genetically encoded molecular sensing properties. These sensors utilize protein expression to release signalling molecules as the result of received input to facilitate the detection of analytes. Intending to use modified living cells or artificial cells in biosensing, the proposed study highlights the importance of cell-based and cell-free sensors in biomedical and diagnostics. The article's first section will explain the biosensing types including cell-free, cell-based, vesicle-based, and paper-based sensing where sensing relies on cell, cellular components, and cell-free systems which mostly involve transcriptional or translational machinery. It highlights the advantages, disadvantages, and challenges of advancing approaches. The second section of the article elaborates on the principle of sensing and the strategies involved. Though very few studies have been reported on this topic, therefore, the current article focuses on the artificial sensors that have been designed for medical and diagnostic purposes. The review also marks the current and future advancements in the field including artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, stem cells, and omics. Sensing recently has a big impact on disease diagnosis as well as drug development and targeted therapies. While newly developed biology-based diagnostics technologies still have high costs, require highly trained personnel, suffer stability issues and reduce sensor performance. Therefore, this review brings readers’ attention to advances and challenges in the following field and promotes the resolution of medical and diagnostics issues in the future.

Insects as a natural component of pheasant diets: effects of full-fat <i>Hermetia illucens</i> meal on egg production and quality, hatchability, and selected physicochemical egg indices

Insects as a natural component of pheasant diets: effects of full-fat <i>Hermetia illucens</i> meal on egg production and quality, hatchability, and selected physicochemical egg indices

Metabolic Nanoregulator Remodels Gut Microenvironment for Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is strongly related to the occurrence of accumulation of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), inflammation of the mucosa, and an imbalance of intestinal microbes. However, current treatments largely focus on a single factor, yielding unsatisfactory clinical outcomes. Herein, we report a biocompatible and IBD-targeted metabolic nanoregulator (TMNR) that synergistically regulates cellular and bacterial metabolism. The TMNR comprises a melanin-gallium complex (MNR) encapsulated within a thermosensitive and colitis-targeting hydrogel, all composed of natural and FDA-approved components. The TMNR confers superior broad-spectrum antioxidant properties, effectively scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and blocking inflammatory signaling pathways. The presence of Ga3+ in TMNR selectively disrupts iron metabolism in pathogenic microorganisms due to its structural resemblance to the iron atom. Additionally, incorporating a thermosensitive injectable hydrogel enables targeted delivery of TMNR to inflammatory regions, prolonging their retention time and providing a physical barrier function for optimizing IBD treatment efficacy. Collectively, TMNR effectively modulates the redox balance of inflamed colonic epithelial tissue and disrupts iron metabolism in pathogenic microorganisms, thereby eliminating inflammation and restoring intestinal homeostasis against IBD. Hence, this work presents a comprehensive approach for precise spatiotemporal regulation of the intestinal microenvironmental metabolism for IBD treatment.

Проблема отнесения искусственного интеллекта к числу современных феноменов культуры

The article examines the question of whether artificial intelligence (AI) is a phenomenon of modern culture. The criteria for the phenomenon of culture are highlighted: the criterion of value-normative certainty, the criterion of developmental impact on members of society, the criterion of compliance with the creative component of hu-man nature, the criterion of helping a person understand and express his own individuality, the criterion of pop-ularity and recognition. The compliance of AI with each of these criteria is analyzed. It is revealed that AI is in-cluded in the process of preserving and transmitting the values and norms of society, contributes to the devel-opment of society members, including creativity, as well as human expression of individuality, is very popular in modern society. Conclusion dwells upon the fact that AI corresponds to the specified criteria, so that at this stage of societal development it can be considered a cultural phenomenon.

Construction of chitosan-gelatin polysaccharide-protein composite hydrogel via mechanical stretching and its biocompatibility in vivo

Natural polysaccharides and protein macromolecules are the important components of extracellular matrix (ECM), but individual component generally exhibits weak mechanical property, limited biological function or strong immunogenicity in tissue engineering. Herein, gelatin (Gel) was deposited to the stretched (65 %) chitosan (CS) hydrogel substrates to fabricate the polysaccharide-protein CS-Gel-65 % composite hydrogels to mimic the natural component of ECM and improve the above deficiencies. CS hydrogel substrates under different stretching deformations exhibited tunable morphology, chemical property and wettability, having a vital influence on the secondary structures of deposited fibrous Gel protein, namely appearing with the decreased β-sheet content in stretched CS hydrogel. Gel also produced a more homogenous distribution on the stretched CS hydrogel substrate due to the unfolding of Gel and increased interactions between Gel and CS than on the unstretched substrate. Moreover, the polysaccharide-protein composite hydrogel possessed enhanced mechanical property and oriented structure via stretching-drying method. Besides, in vivo subcutaneous implantation indicated that the CS-Gel-65 % composite hydrogel showed lower immunogenicity, thinner fibrous capsule, better angiogenesis effect and increased M2/M1 of macrophage phenotype. Polysaccharide-protein CS-Gel-65 % composite hydrogel offers a novel material as a tissue engineering scaffold, which could promote angiogenesis and build a good immune microenvironment for the damaged tissue repair.

If speed is of the essence: rapid analysis of ambergris by APCI compact mass spectrometry

The use of atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation (APCI) compact mass spectrometry (CMS) was investigated for the analysis of jetsam and museum-archived ambergris and of ambergris components in perfumes. The data were compared with those from existing methods. Authentic samples of some individual ambergris constituents (ambrein, coprostanol, epicoprostanol and coprostanone), were also examined. Rapid APCI CMS was achieved using either a solids probe or a probe with solutions held in capillary melting point tubes. Interpretation is made of the spectra of the principal natural product components, the relative ion responses were measured and the elemental composition of key ions in the spectra confirmed using high resolution accurate mass APCI MS. Rapid analysis of ambergris by APCI CMS may prove to be a further convenient method of identifying ambrein, of measuring the relative ratios of ambrein and steroids in ambergris and even of quantifying the latter, with minimal sample preparation.

The role of CoQ10 in embryonic development.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a natural component widely present in the inner membrane of mitochondria. CoQ10 functions as a key cofactor for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and exhibits antioxidant properties in vivo. Mitochondria, as the energy supply center of cells, play a crucial role in germ cell maturation and embryonic development, a complicated process of cell division and cellular differentiation that transforms from a single cell (zygote) to a multicellular organism (fetus). Here, we discuss the effects of CoQ10 on oocyte maturation and the important role of CoQ10 in the growth of various organs during different stages of fetal development. These allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the pathophysiology of embryonic development and the potential role of CoQ10 in improving fertility quality. They also provide a reference for further developing its application in clinical treatments.

An insight into recent updates on analytical techniques for bioactive alkaloids.

Alkaloids represent a wide class of naturally existing nitrogen-containing organic compounds having diverse biological activities. They are primary bioactive substances extracted from diverse plant parts. Due to their diverse biological activities, they are frequently used as medicines. The alkaloids have diverse pharmacological impacts on the human body; alkaloids are used for prevention, treatment, and reduction of discomfort associated with chronic illnesses. As most alkaloids exist in plants in complex form, combined with numerous other natural plant components, it is essential to recognize and characterize these molecules using different analytical techniques. We aimed to review the literature on the methods and protocols for the analysis of naturally occurring alkaloids. We carried out a literature survey using the PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases and other relevant published materials. The keywords used in the searches were "alkaloids," "analytical methods," "HPLC method," "GC method," "electrochemical methods," and "bioanalytical methods," in various combinations. In this article, several classes of alkaloids are presented, along with their biological activities. Moreover, it includes a thorough explanation of chromatographic techniques, hyphenated techniques, electrochemical techniques, and current trending analytical methods utilized for the isolation, identification, and comprehensive characterization of alkaloids. The various analytical techniques play an important role in the identification as well as the characterization of various alkaloids from plants, plasma samples, and urine samples. The hyphenation of various chromatographic techniques with mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy plays a crucial role in the characterization of unknown compounds.

Dendrobium officinale Polysaccharides as a Natural Functional Component for Acetic-Acid-Induced Gastric Ulcers in Rats.

Dendrobium officinale is an important edible and medicinal plant, with the Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP) being its primary active constituent, known for its diverse biological activities. In this study, DOP was extracted and characterized for its structural properties. The potential of DOP to ameliorate gastric ulcers (GUs) was investigated using an acetic-acid-induced GU model in rats. The results demonstrated that DOP exerted a multifaceted protective effect against GU, mitigating the deleterious impact on food intake and body weight in rats. DOP exhibited its protective action by attenuating cellular damage attributed to oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions mediated by enhanced activities of SOD, GSH, and GSH-PX, coupled with a downregulation in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Furthermore, DOP effectively inhibited apoptosis in gastric mucosa cells of acetic-acid-induced GU rat models and facilitated the self-repair of damaged tissues. Remarkably, the DOP-200 and DOP-400 groups outperformed omeprazole in reducing the expression of IL-6 and malondialdehyde (MDA) in tissues, as well as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α in serum. These groups also exhibited an improved expression of SOD in tissues and SOD, GSH, and GSH-PX in serum. A Western blot analysis of gastric mucosa demonstrated that the DOP-200 and DOP-400 groups significantly reduced the expression of NF-κBp65, phosphorylated NF-κBp65, FoxO3a, and Bim. The observed antagonism to GU appeared to be associated with the NF-κB cell pathway. Additionally, qRT-PCR results indicate that DOP reduced the mRNA transcription levels of IL-6, and TNF-α, which shows that the healing of GU is related to the reduction in the inflammatory reaction by DOP. However, the expression of EGF and VEGF decreased, suggesting that the mechanism of DOP inhibiting GU may not be directly related to EGF and VEGF, or there is an uncertain competitive relationship between them, so further research is needed.

A REVIEW STUDY ON EVALUATION OF ALCOHOL BASED HERBAL HAND SANITIZER

The necessity of good hand hygiene, particularly in light of public health emergencies, has caused a spike in the demand for hand sanitizers worldwide in recent years. Interest in alcohol- based herbal hand sanitizers is rising as natural and herbal goods become more and more popular. In contrast to traditional alcohol-based sanitizers, the goal of this review is to thoroughly evaluate the efficacy, safety, safety & possible advantages of herbal alcohol-based hand sanitizers. The review emphasises how crucial it is to formulate and concentrate alcohol in herbal hand sanitizers correctly in order to get the highest level or germ-killing effectiveness. It also investigates how adding plant extracts, essential oil, other some natural components may work in concert to alcohol’s antibacterial qualities. The safety of these formulations is examined from all angles, with thorough analysis of factors such as skin irritation, allergic reaction, long term usage impacts. They provide information about the efficacy, safety, environmental effects of alcohol based herbal hand sanitizers. They also seek to compile the body of knowledge currently available on the subject. An alcohol-based herbal hand sanitizer was made using tulsi (oscimum tenuiflorum), aloe vera (aloe barbadensis Miller), neem bark (Azadirachta indica), ashwagandha root (Withania somnifera), and orange peel (citrus sinensis).

Novel Synthesis Approach for Natural Tea Polyphenol-Integrated Hydroxyapatite.

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) has garnered considerable interest in biomedical engineering for its diverse applications. Yet, the synthesis of HAP integrated with functional natural organic components remains an area ripe for exploration. This study innovatively utilizes the versatile properties of tea polyphenol (TP) to synthesize HAP nanomaterials with superior crystallinity and distinct morphologies, notably rod-like structures, via a chemical deposition process in a nitrogen atmosphere. This method ensures an enhanced integration of TP, as confirmed by thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis and a variety of microscopy techniques, which also reveal the dependence of TP content and crystallinity on the synthesis method employed. The research significantly impacts the field by demonstrating how synthesis conditions can alter material properties. It leads the way in employing TP-modified nano-HAP particles for biomedical applications. The findings of this study are crucial as they open avenues for the future development of tailored HAP nanomaterials, aiming at specific medical applications and advancements in nanotechnology.