The Box-Behnken design was used to evaluate the effects of the methanol concentration (60-100%), liquid to solid ratio (20:1 to 40:1 mL/g) and extraction time (20-40 min) on the yield of 11 constituents from Buddleja officinalis Maxim using ultrasound-assisted extraction. The Derringer's desirability function approach showed that the modified optimum extraction conditions were: 76% methanol con...

Variable selection is an essential part of any statistical analysis and yet has been somewhat neglected in the context of longitudinal data analysis. In this article, we propose a generalized version of Mallows's C(p) (GC(p)) suitable for use with both parametric and nonparametric models. GC(p) provides an estimate of a measure of model's adequacy for prediction. We examine its performance with...

Honey samples (n = 126) from Castilla-La Mancha (Central Spain) were characterized based on their physicochemical properties and a melissopalynological analysis. The latter showed that Echium pollen type was the dominant palynomorph in most samples, representing at least 30% of the pollen in each sample. As anticipated, a relationship was observed between the proportion of this pollen and the p...

Background and objectives: Plant essential oils are sometimes considered for use as antimicrobial agents in foods and medicines and they could be combined with other antimicrobial agents to strengthen the effect and/or reduce the required dose. This study was conducted to determine the chemical composition of the Ocimum basilicum, Salvia officinalis and Trachyspermum ammi essential oils and eva...

Rhizo-bacteria of high biocontrol potential against different Fusarium isolates were bio-assayed under both laboratory and greenhouse conditions. Eighty five rhizo-bacteria isolated from the rhizosphere of plants growing in various desert areas were screened for their antagonistic activity against eight Fusarium isolates (four isolates of Fusarium solani and four isolates of Fusarium oxysporum)...

Two field experiments were conducted in Aly Mubark experimental Farm in sandy soil at El-Bustan Sandy soil irrigated by drip irrigation, during 2003 and 2004 seasons. The experiments aimed to study the effect of three irrigation treatments with three different kinds of fertilizers and its concentration on sage growth, yield, essential oil yield and components, macro-nutrients content in dry her...

Biofilms formed by fungal organisms are associated with drastically enhanced resistance against most antimicrobial agents, contributing to the persistence of the fungi despite antifungal therapy. The purpose of this study is to combine the unique properties of nanoparticles with the antimicrobial activity of the Rosmarinus officinalis essential oil in order to obtain a nanobiosystem that could ...

Extensive research suggests that a number of plant-derived chemicals and traditional Oriental herbal remedies possess cognition-enhancing properties. Widely used current treatments for dementia include extracts of Ginkgo biloba and several alkaloidal, and therefore toxic, plant-derived cholinergic agents. Several non-toxic, European herbal species have pan-cultural traditions as treatments for ...

Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), the most relevant eicosanoid promoting inflammation and tumorigenesis, is formed by cyclooxygenases (COXs) and PGE(2) synthases from free arachidonic acid. Preparations of the leaves of Salvia officinalis are commonly used in folk medicine as an effective antiseptic and anti-inflammatory remedy and possess anticancer activity. Here, we demonstrate that a standard et...