clove and Hypersensitivity

The leaves of Eugenia species are widely used in popular medicine to treat several diseases, such as arthritis, rheumatism and diabetes. Eugenia umbelliflora O. Berg is popularly known in Brazil as "baguaçu", name also conferred to Eugenia jambolana probably due to their apparent similarity. Although the popular use scientifically proved of E. jambolana as anti-diabetes and also as anti-inflammatory, there are only two scientific studies demonstrating anti-ulcer and bactericide activities of E. umbelliflora leaves extract, without reference to its possible anti-inflammatory activity.. The aim of this study was to show the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of the methanol extract obtained from E. umbelliflora leaves (EuL) using in vitro and in vivo protocols.. Together, the results herein obtained show that EuL presented anti-inflammatory activity by decreasing the influx of PMN to the inflamed tissue, as well as the cytokine IL-1β level. This anti-inflammatory activity was also accompanied by significant anti-hypersensitive effect. The effects presented by EuL seem not to be correlated with an antioxidant activity. However other extract chemical compounds could be responsible for its important anti-inflammatory effects.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antioxidants; Carrageenan; Cytokines; Edema; Eugenia; Hypersensitivity; Locomotion; Male; Mice; Phytochemicals; Plant Extracts; Plant Leaves

Studies about children with respiratory diseases in Africa are impeded by the dearth of reliable data for the vast majority of countries on the continent. This study was conducted to establish representative reference values, therefore allowing a more accurate evaluation of lung function in Malagasy children.. One thousand two hundred thirty-six students from three public and five private schools aged 8-12 years were recruited. A total of 1,093 children were healthy, had a valid lung function measurement and were thus deemed evaluable for this study. Lung function data were collected on consecutive days in Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital, using spirometry and a modified International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire.. The lung volumes found were substantially lower compared to Caucasian and African equations. The mean Z-score (Stanojevic) for the forced vital capacity (FVC) found was -1.45 and -0.93 for the forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) with significant differences between private and public schools (FVC: P = 0.0023, FEV1: P = 0.0004).. The equations established for school children in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo showed lung function values were lower than reference values for the same age group seen not only in European, but also in African American and African children. The unique ethnicity of the Malagasy people, which combines Southeast-Asian with substantial African influences, the heavy burden of pollution and poverty may explain these differences.

Topics: Anthropometry; Asthma; Child; Female; Forced Expiratory Volume; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Lung; Lung Volume Measurements; Madagascar; Male; Poverty; Reference Values; Respiratory Function Tests; Spirometry; Surveys and Questionnaires; Urban Population; Vital Capacity