Zapotin, a Polymethoxyflavone, with Potential Therapeutic Attributes

The use of plants as traditional medicines is common and has prevailed in many different cultures over time. Polymethoxyflavones (PMFs) are natural polyphenols from the group of flavonoids. Zapotin, a member of the PMFs, is found mainly in citrus plants and is almost exclusively limited to their peels. The chemical structure of zapotin has been questioned from the very beginning, since the structure of flavonoids with a single oxygen atom in the C2′ position is extremely rare in the plant kingdom. To clarify this, the structural determination and bio-inspired synthesis of zapotin are discussed in detail in this review. Due to the broad biological potential of PMFs, the complication in the isolation process and characterization of PMFs, as well as their purification, have been estimated by adapting various chromatographic methods. According to available data from the literature, zapotin may be a promising curative agent with extensive biological activities, especially as a chemopreventive factor. Apart from that, zapotin acts as an antidepressant-like, anticancer, antifungal, and antioxidant agent. Finally, accessible studies about zapotin metabolism (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) underline its potential in use as a therapeutic substance.

Clinical Improvement of Cervical Disc Herniation 24 hours after a Single Oxygen-Ozone Injection

Oxygen-ozone therapy is a minimally invasive treatment for disc herniation, compared to surgery, which uses the beneficial biochemical properties of a gas mixture of ozone and oxygen. A satisfactory efficacy is usually obtained within one month after the injection. We assessed the therapeutic outcome of a single injection of oxygen-ozone in a symptomatic patient with C5-C6 cervical discal herniation with compression of the nerve roots. He experienced immediate pain relief seconds after the injection, and neuro-imaging improvement 24 hours afterwards. To our knowledge this is the fastest improvement ever reported in literature.

A novel Venturi system to generate high flow with titratable FiO2

Venturi-based flow generators are commonly used for noninvasive continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) of high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO). The system is simple and allows to increase the total flow while decreasing the FiO2 starting from a single oxygen source. In this report we describe the characteristics and performance of a novel Venturi system (EasyVEE, Levate, BG, Italy), which allows to vary the size of the port through which ambient air is entrained, hence allowing a continuous modulation of FiO2. The system allowed to modify FiO2 continuously between 35% and 80% and, consequently, a 1.5- to 4.5-fold increase of the total flow rate. A minimal decrease in entrainment performance was observed for positive end-expiratory pressure levels above 12.5 cmH2O. EasyVEE system appears to be a simple, flexible, and reliable solution to generate continuous flow for noninvasive respiratory support interfaces.

Confined Electrochemical Behaviors of Single Platinum Nanoparticles Revealing Ultrahigh Density of Gas Molecules inside a Nanobubble

Understanding the basic physicochemical properties of gas molecules confined within nanobubbles is of fundamental importance for chemical and biological process. Here we successfully monitored the nanobubble-confined electrochemical behaviors of single platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) at a carbon fiber ultramicroelectrode in HClO4 and H2O2 solution. Owing to the catalytic decomposition of H2O2, a single oxygen nanobubble formed on individual PtNPs to block the active surface of particle for proton reduction and suppress their stochastic motion, resulting in significantly distinguished current traces. Furthermore, the combination of theoretical calculation and high-resolution electrochemical measurement allowed the size of nanobubble and the oxygen gas density inside a single nanobubble to be quantified. And the ultrahigh oxygen density inside (9286 kg/m3) was revealed, indicating gas molecules in a nanosized space existed with a high state of aggregation. Our approach sheds light on gas aggregation behaviors of nanoscale bubbles using single-entity electrochemical measurement.

Luminescence mechanism in hydrogenated silicon quantum dots with a single oxygen ligand

Upon excitation, electrons are strongly localized near the SiO site, which induces a faster radiative transition.