Chemical weapons remain a worrisome aspect worldwide. Knowing its history is essential to avoid repeating it and to be able to leave our planet free of this scourge. The threat of its resurgence is something tangible and real against which we must all fight, each one from his own trench.

The aim of our research is to study the effect relaxant action of diterpenoid alkaloids talatisamine, 14-O-benzoylthalatisamine and 14-O-acetylthalatisamine was studied using isolated rat aortic rings. Alkaloids significantly and dose-dependently inhibited contraction of the aortic rings caused by high KCl content. At the same time, under these conditions, alkaloids significantly reduced Ca2+-induced contraction of the aortic rings. The relaxing effects of alkaloids are significantly suppressed by verapamil, a potent potentiometer-dependent Ca2+ channel blocker. The alkaloids also significantly reduced norepinephrine-induced aortic ring contraction in normal as well as Ca2+ free Krebs solutions. The data obtained indicate that talatisamine, 14-benzoylthalatisamine and 14-O-acetylthalatisamine exhibit a pronounced relaxant effect in almost the same way in the case of contraction induced by a high content of KCl and norepinephrine. The mechanism of the relaxant action of alkaloids is probably complex and may include suppression of Ca2+influx through voltage-dependent and receptor-driven Ca2+ channels, as well as inhibition of Ca2+transport in the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Fungi generally and mushrooms secondary metabolites specifically represent future factories and potent biotechnological tools for the production of bioactive natural substances, which could extend the healthy life of humanity. The application of microbial secondary metabolites in general and mushrooms metabolites in particular in various fields of biotechnology has attracted the interests of many researchers. This review focused on Lentinus, Pleurotus, and Tremella as a model of edible mushrooms rich in therapeutic agents that have known medicinal applications.

Introduction: Tacrolimus has a narrow therapeutic index with substantial inter- and intra-patient variability. Factors beyond genetic and developmental factors are poorly understood. Recent adult studies suggest that hemoglobin affects the apparent clearance (CL/F), whereas this and other potential factors in children are understudied. Methods: After ethics approval, we performed a single center retrospective cohort study of pediatric renal transplant recipients, who were followed between January 1st, 2004, and June 30th, 2018. Patients without tacrolimus therapy or concomitant sirolimus were excluded. The aim was to show the impact of hemoglobin, albumin, cholesterol and HDL on the apparent tacrolimus clearance (CL/F = Dose/AUC). Data were collected from electronic health record. We used 12-point pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles. Results: Thirty-three patients were included. Median age at transplantation was 10 years, 52% were female, the median tacrolimus area under the curve (AUC) was 133 ng*h/mL. CL/F mainly correlated with hemoglobin (n=1,257, r=-0.3767, p<0.0001), HDL-cholesterol (n=236, r=-0.3973, p<0.0001) and total cholesterol (n=373, r=-0.1821, p=0.0004). Conclusion: The present study suggests a moderate impact of the biochemical factors studied in the tacrolimus CL/F. Lower hemoglobin seems to increase it, while higher cholesterol decreases it. Physicians should be aware of this association during the TDM follow-up.

Mushrooms are macrofungi that are famous for their nutritional and pharmaceutical values. On the other hand, lichens are the form of symbiosis representing the complex relation between fungi and algae. Understanding the ability of fungi to grow over anything, this review is focusing on endophytic fungi capable of growing in association with mushrooms and lichens, respectively. Although reports describing these association are rare, it is important to highlight such relation, and encourage for conducting more studies in order to understand the consequences of growth of endophytes on mushroom, status of lichen endophytes, and to investigate the diversity of endophytic fungi within lichen thalli.