Balkans' Asteraceae Species as a Source of Biologically Active Compounds for the Pharmaceutical and Food Industry

Herbal drugs are a useful source of different bioactive compounds. Asteraceae species, as the most widespread vascular plants, can be used both as food and as medicine due to the great diversity of recorded chemical components - different phenolic compounds, terpenes, carotenoids, vitamins, alkaloids, etc. The Balkan Peninsula is characterized by great diversity of plants from Asteraceae family, including presence of rare and endemic species. In this review, results of the survey of chemical composition and biological activity, mainly focusing on antioxidant, antimicrobial and anticancer effects of selected Balkans' Asteraceae species were provided. In addition, information on edible plants from Asteraceae family is presented, due to growing interest for the so-called 'healthy diet' and possible application of Balkans' Asteraceae species as food of high nutritional value or as a source of functional food ingredients.This is peer-reviewed version of the following article: Kostić, A.; Janacković, P.; Kolasinac, S. M.; Dajić-Stevanović, Z. Balkans’ Asteraceae Species as a Source of Biologically Active Compounds for the Pharmaceutical and Food Industry. Chemistry & Biodiversity 2020, 17 (6). [https://doi.org/10.1002/cbdv.202000097

Effects of tranexamic acid on death, disability, vascular occlusive events and other morbidities in patients with acute traumatic brain injury (CRASH-3): a randomised, placebo-controlled trial

Background Tranexamic acid reduces surgical bleeding and decreases mortality in patients with traumatic extracranial bleeding. Intracranial bleeding is common after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and can cause brain herniation and death. We aimed to assess the effects of tranexamic acid in patients with TBI. Methods This randomised, placebo-controlled trial was done in 175 hospitals in 29 countries. Adults with TBI who were within 3 h of injury, had a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 12 or lower or any intracranial bleeding on CT scan, and no major extracranial bleeding were eligible. The time window for eligibility was originally 8 h but in 2016 the protocol was changed to limit recruitment to patients within 3 h of injury. This change was made blind to the trial data, in response to external evidence suggesting that delayed treatment is unlikely to be effective. We randomly assigned (1:1) patients to receive tranexamic acid (loading dose 1 g over 10 min then infusion of 1 g over 8 h) or matching placebo. Patients were assigned by selecting a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Patients, caregivers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. The primary outcome was head injury-related death in hospital within 28 days of injury in patients treated within 3 h of injury. We prespecified a sensitivity analysis that excluded patients with a GCS score of 3 and those with bilateral unreactive pupils at baseline. All analyses were done by intention to treat. This trial was registered with ISRCTN (ISRCTN15088122), ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01402882), EudraCT (2011-003669-14), and the Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (PACTR20121000441277). Results Between July 20, 2012, and Jan 31, 2019, we randomly allocated 12 737 patients with TBI to receive tranexamic acid (6406 [50·3%] or placebo [6331 [49·7%], of whom 9202 (72·2%) patients were treated within 3 h of injury. Among patients treated within 3 h of injury, the risk of head injury-related death was 18·5% in the tranexamic acid group versus 19·8% in the placebo group (855 vs 892 events; risk ratio [RR] 0·94 [95% CI 0·86-1·02]). In the prespecified sensitivity analysis that excluded patients with a GCS score of 3 or bilateral unreactive pupils at baseline, the risk of head injury-related death was 12·5% in the tranexamic acid group versus 14·0% in the placebo group (485 vs 525 events; RR 0·89 [95% CI 0·80-1·00]). The risk of head injury-related death reduced with tranexamic acid in patients with mild-to-moderate head injury (RR 0·78 [95% CI 0·64-0·95]) but not in patients with severe head injury (0·99 [95% CI 0·91-1·07]; p value for heterogeneity 0·030). Early treatment was more effective than was later treatment in patients with mild and moderate head injury (p=0·005) but time to treatment had no obvious effect in patients with severe head injury (p=0·73). The risk of vascular occlusive events was similar in the tranexamic acid and placebo groups (RR 0·98 (0·74-1·28). The risk of seizures was also similar between groups (1·09 [95% CI 0·90-1·33]). Interpretation Our results show that tranexamic acid is safe in patients with TBI and that treatment within 3 h of injury reduces head injury-related death. Patients should be treated as soon as possible after injury. Funding National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment, JP Moulton Charitable Trust, Department of Health and Social Care, Department for International Development, Global Challenges Research Fund, Medical Research Council, and Wellcome Trust (Joint Global Health Trials scheme)

Above room temperature heat capacity and phase transition of lithium tetrahydroborate

International audienceNew calorimetric determinations of molar heat capacity C(p,m) of lithium tetrahydroborate (LiBH(4)) were performed in order to analyze the origin of the previously observed "anomaly" before the polymorphous transition at 386 K. The above room temperature dependence of LiBH(4) C(p,m) was measured until approaching the melting point of the compound at 553 K and the abnormal behaviour was attributed to lattice defects independent of the main crystalline phase transition. As a result, lower entropy of the transition Delta(trs)S = 13.11 +/- 0.23J K(-1) mol(-1) than that proposed in literature was obtained, which is in agreement with the observed anisotropy and crystal density decrease before the transition from recent X-ray diffraction indexing. An estimate of the liquid C(p,m) of LiBH(4) "molten salt" is proposed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The interaction between copper and TixNy at low temperature

International audienceSub- and over-stoichiometric TixNy films have been processed by varying the flow rate of nitrogen in the chamber. In order to study the copper diffusion through Ti and TixNy layers, these layers were systematically coated with a Cu layer 50 nm thick. For some of the stacks a Si3N4 layer 50 nm thick is deposited over the Cu layer. Specimens were isothermally heat treated from 240 to 430 A degrees C under primary vacuum and under argon atmosphere. Cu/BL/SiO2/Si and Si3N4/Cu/BL/SiO2/Si stacks (where BL = Ti or TixNy) where characterized by transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. These characterizations indicate clear differences on the copper diffusion through the system depending on the film compositions and microstructures as well as on the annealing temperature. The diffusion of copper through the TixNy and the reactivity between Cu and TixNy films strongly depend on their composition but also on the processing conditions of these films. Moreover, the performances of some of these films, with respect to copper diffusion and/or reaction, are degraded as the temperature increases from 260 to 430 A degrees C. Diffusion of copper through the TixNy films as well as reaction conditions are studied and discussed