Resveratrol

Its other name is 3,5,4′-trihydrostilbene. (1) Resveratrol is one the naturally occuring phytoalexin compound. This is found in grapes.

Actions:
Resveratrol has been found to increase the life span of yeast and worms. It is thought that it stimulates a deacetylase enzyme namely SIRT1. This enzyme have the ability of regulatin several transcriptional factors and enzymes which are responsible for the nutritional availability. (Mitchell D Knutson et al.)

Therapeutic uses:
It has found practical uses as an anti-cancer agent for breast cancer in both hormone dependent and hormone independent. (Hiroyuki Nakagawa et al.)
It has also been found that it has the ability of protecting against inflammatory arthritis. (N. Elmali et al.)

References:
(1) Encyclopedia of Genetics, Genomics, Proteomics and Informatics, 2008, page 1684

Hiroyuki Nakagawa, Yasuhiko Kiyozuka, Yoshiko Uemura, Hideto Senzaki, Nobuaki Shikata, Koshiro Hioki and Airo Tsubura, 2001, Resveratrol inhibits human breast cancer cell growth and may mitigate the effect of linoleic acid, a potent breast cancer cell stimulator, Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology, Volume 127, 258-264

Mitchell D Knutson, Christiaan Leeuwenburgh, 2008, Resveratrol and novel potent activators of SIRT1: effects on aging and age-related diseases, Nutrition reviews, volume 66, 591-596

N. Elmali , O. Baysal , A. Harma , I. Esenkaya and B. Mizrak, 2006, Effects of Resveratrol in Inflammatory Arthritis , Inflammation, volume 30, 1-6

Further reading:
A Cardiologist's Guide to Anti-Aging, Antioxidants & Resveratrol by M.D. Dr. William S. Gruss

Resveratrol in Health and Disease (Oxidative Stress and Disease) by Bharat B. Aggarwal and Shishir Shishodia

Resveratrol and Human Health by Debasis Bagchi

Effects of Naturally Occurring Compounds on HumanCancer Cells: Anticancer Activity of Resveratrol, Piceatannol,Gallic Acid & their Analogs by Philipp Saiko

Natural products:
Source Naturals Resveratrol, Tablets, 60 tablets (Read Nutrition facts)

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Tigliane

Structure of Tigliane:General Characteristics:
It has almost same system as that of daphnanes i.e. tricyclo tetradecane ring system. It has additional gem-dimethyl cyclopropane appended to the 6-membered ring. (Its most) famous (part) is Phorbol, which was named in about 25 BC by King Juba II of Mauritania. Wender, on one hand, and Cha, on the other hand, has completed its synthesis.

Action:
It primarily acts on protein kinase C (PKC, which is important for regulating cellular growth and differentiation).

Isolation of tiglianes:
It has been isolated from Euphorbia and Thymelaceae as esters.

Therapeutic uses:
It was primarily used for tumors, parasites, migraines, venereal diseases and as purgatives.
It has been found that C12 deoxy derivative blocks formation of the tumor.

Adverse effects:
Its most important tumor promoting example is Tetradodecanoyl phorbol acetate.

Further reading:
Naturally Occurring Phorbol Esters by Evans

Terbutaline

It is a member of the family of medications which is in use for
1. stopping the contractions of preterm labor (tocolytics)
2. asthma

It is a beta 2 adrenergic receptor agonist.

Pharmacokinetics:
The inhaled form of terbutaline starts working in 10-15 minutes and lasts for about 5-6 hours.

Side effects:
It may cause tachycardia, pulmonary edema, hypokalemia and in fetus it may also cause hypoglycemia.

Further reading:
Beta 2-agonists in Asthma Treatment (Lung Biology in Health and Disease) by Romain Pauwels and Paul O. Byrne

Fragmentation

In cell biology, fragmentation is the breaking apart of cells or cell organelles into smaller parts. Fragmentation may serve as a normal function for the cell, but may also be the result of a disorder.

Functions of cell fragmentation include:
Reproduction
Apoptosis

Disorders:
Microangiopathic diseases results in red blood cell fragmentation into schistocytes.

Further reading:
Biology: A Self-Teaching Guide, 2nd edition by Steven Daniel Garber

Lorentz force law

It is equal to a force on a point charge due to electromagnetic fields.

It is given by the following equation in terms of electromagnetic fields:

F = q [E + (v x B)]

where,
F = force (in newtons)
E = electric field (in volts per meter)
B= magnetic field (in teslas)
q = electric charge of the particle (in coulombs)
v = instantaneous velocity of the particle (in meters per second)

Dissociation

It is a process in which there is separation of ionic compounds into smaller parts (molecules or ions).

It is usually a reversible process.

It is the opposite of association and recombination.

pKa

pKa is an acid dissociation constant.

Definition:
It is the negative logarithm of the acid dissociation constant i.e., Ka

Equation:
Its equation is:
pKa = -log10 Ka

Importance:
1. It shows the extent of dissociation. As the value of pKa increases, the extent of dissociation will decrease.
2. It has the ability of telling the acidic or basic properties of a substance.