Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Volatile Oil of Sequoia sempervirens (Lamb.) Grown in Egypt

Antibacterial activity of Volatile oil of Sequoia Sempervines Hydrodistilled leaves of Sequoia sempervirens has showed a dose-dependent antioxidant activity by using diphenyl solution. The antimicrobialactivity of S. sempervirens leaves oil was screened against gram-positive andgram-negative bacteria and fungi. It was also observed that the strongest antibacterial effects of oil were on Bacillus subtilis, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Staphylococcus aureus that show potent cytotoxic activity in the tested carcinoma cell lines and breast equating to doxorubicin.

Cupressaceae family is dioecious or monoecious shrubs or trees containing about 18 genera and 140 species, in which the leaves are in opposite pairs, addressed and scale-like, or needle-like, the cones are usually small, globose too long. The scales of the cones have no spine tips. They distributedin the northern temperate zone, with outlying species in tropical mountains andin temperate America. The family is notable for including the largest, tallest, and stoutest individual trees in the world (Giant Sequoia), and also the second longest lived species in the world (Coast Redwood).

Natural products for Cancer therapy

A significant prognostic benefit for cancer patients, especially for many haematological malignancies was achieved through new therapy. Unfortunately, it can’t be transferable to the field of solid tumours. So experts have suggested for some medicinal plants like Catharanthus,Tinospora Cordifolia, and Ziziphus Nummularia for the cancer treatment. Certain chemical substances which are helpful for treating cancer are extracted from these medicinal plants. These extracts proved effective in treating cancer.

Each year, 13 million people are diagnosed with cancer worldwide. Of those, 8 million deaths are recorded making cancer the second cause of death on the globe. In recent years, a significant prognostic benefitfor cancer patients has been achieved through the development of new forms oftherapy especially for many hematological malignancies. Unfortunately, the hope to transfer this success to the field of solid tumors is yet to be fulfilled. Economically speaking, the market of chemotherapeutics represents one of the largest sectors of health care with an annual sales rate of 180 billion $ per year. It is noteworthy that the market-leading scientific and biotechnological companies were developed in cooperation with universities.

Usage of wild edible medicinal plants

Medicinal species have played major role in the traditional Mediterranean diet. Wild edible plants are usually grown under arduous condition with their natural habitat. These plants have a major role as analternative farming options in pedo-climatic conditions where the cultivationof conventional species is difficult to carry forward. Moreover, considering the high nutritional value and the medicinal properties of these plants a study examined the  importance of their commercial use and narrated the best cultivation practices.

 The flora of the Mediterranean basin includes many nativele edible medicinal species that have always represented an important food source for the rural communities of the Mediterranean area. Several studies havedemonstrated their important role in the traditional Mediterranean diet, whereas the pharmaceutical properties of many of these species have been confirmed and are attributed to their high content of anti-oxidative agents, phenolic compounds, vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and essential minerals. The consumption of native species has substantially decreased and now-a-days is limited to rural areas due to the shift from a rural, agriculturally-based economy to a market-oriented one, as dictated by the modern way of living which is mainly based on the consumption of fast-food or ready to cook and eat food.

Probabilistic Analysis: Sensitivity Analysis or Main Result?

According to virtually all published Pharmacoeconomics guidelines, the base case analyses (understood as the main result) must be deterministic. That is, the main result of an economic model(the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, ICER) is a fixed result and is notsubject to any uncertainty analysis. For example, with deterministic base case analysis we can obtain an ICER of 10,000 € per QALY gained with a new drug versus the former, but we do not know what confidence can we accept this result and what is the likelihood that the drug is cost-effective for a certain willingness to pay. The one-way sensitivity analysis, usually presented as tornado diagram is a deterministic analysis very useful to determine which variables of the study drivers of the result are obtained in the base case. 

According to the NICE guidelines "wherever possible the results of the economic comparisons should be subjected to sensitivity analysis testing. For example, when data are drawn exclusively from clinical trials, 95% confidenceintervals can be calculated for cost-effectiveness ratios. When data are drawn from a variety of sources and used in a modelling framework, probabilistic sensitivity analysis is recommended in order to take account of the uncertainty around data values". According to the ISPOR guidelines "for model-based economic evaluations, parameter uncertainty may be represented for individual parameters in a deterministic sensitivity analysis or across all parameters simultaneously with probabilistic analysis".

Psychostimulants, Brain Membrane Lipids and Dopamine Transmission

Chronic abuse of psychostimulants remains a severe problem across the world, inflicting extensive physical, emotional and economic harm; however,there are still no effective treatments to date. Thus, there is an urgent need to better understand the brain mechanisms that underlie addiction so that new targets can be developed.

Chronic abuse of psychoactive drugs produces profound changes in neurotransmitter transporters and receptors, which have been associated with manifestations of many addiction phenotypes such as tolerance/sensitization, dependence and withdrawal. Although the molecular mechanisms underlyingpsychostimulant-induced changes in transporters and receptors remain elusive, emerging evidence implicates brain lipids as potential mediators. This review aims to provide a current understanding of the association between chronic psychostimulant exposure and brain membrane lipid profile and highlight the potential contribution of dysregulated brain membrane lipids to altered neurotransmission and associated addiction behavior. The impact of psychostimulant exposure on membrane phospholipid-derived intracellular lipid signaling was extensively reviewed elsewhere.