Green tea, Camellia sinensis (Theaceae), a major source of flavonoids such as catechins, has recently shown multiple cardiovascular health benefits through various experimental and clinical studies. These studies suggest that green tea catechins prevent the incidence of detrimental cardiovascular events, and also lower the cardiovascular mortality rate. Catechins present in green tea have the ability to prevent atherosclerosis, hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, ischemic heart diseases, cardiomyopathy, cardiac hypertrophy and congestive heart failure by decreasing oxidative stress, preventing inflammatory events, reducing platelet aggregation and halting the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. Catechins afford an anti-oxidant effect by inducing anti-oxidant enzymes, inhibiting pro-oxidant enzymes and scavenging free radicals. Catechins present anti-inflammatory activity through the inhibition of transcriptional factor NF-κB-mediated production of cytokines and adhesion molecules. Green tea catechins interfere with vascular growth factors and thus inhibit vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, and also inhibit thrombogenesis by suppressing platelet adhesion. Additionally, catechins could protect vascular endothelial cells and enhance vascular integrity and regulate blood pressure. In this review various experimental and clinical studies suggesting the role of green tea catechins against the markers of cardiovascular disorders and the underlying mechanisms for these actions are discussed.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; administration & dosage ; Camellia sinensis ; chemistry ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; genetics ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Catechin ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Oxidative Stress ; drug effects ; Plant Extracts ; administration & dosage

Owing to differentiation and self-renewal capacity, hematopoietic stem cells clasp potentiality to engender all blood cell types, leading to their immense competence to play a diverse role in therapeutic applications. Although these stem cells are the most investigated and exploited until now, further research is still essential to comprehend their nature, fate, and potential. Enhanced usage of hematopoietic stem cells in research and therapeutics intensified the requirement of expansion and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells under in vitro conditions. Since these cells remain in senescence for a prolonged period before isolation, selection of appropriate growth medium along with supplements and culture conditions are crucial to initiate their cell division and to designate their destiny. The precise equilibrium between self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells sustained by exclusive medium along with special growth or differentiation factors is accountable for generating diverse cell lineages. Maintenance of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell lines along with the advancement of research work generate an inexorable demand for production and commercialization of specialized stem cell culture media, with or without serum along with specific growth factors and supplements. Media commercialization for precise stem cell types, culturing and differentiation is a cost-effective developing field. Here in this review, we are assembling various types of hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal, expansion and differentiation media along with supplements and culture conditions, either developed and used by various scientists or are available commercially.

OBJECTIVES: This article describes our experience with neck dissection in 10 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2007 and October 2009, 10 patients underwent primary surgery for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. For patients with N0 disease on clinical exam, selective neck dissection (SND [I-III]) was performed. In patients with palpable cervical metastases (N+), modified radical neck dissections were performed, except in one patient in whom SND (I-III) was performed. The histopathologic reports were reviewed to assess the surgical margins, the presence of extra-capsular spread, perineural invasion, and lymphatic invasion. RESULTS: On histopathologic examination, positive soft tissue margins were found in three patients, and regional lymph node metastases were present in five of the ten patients. Perineural invasion was noted in five patients, and extra nodal spread was found in four patients. Regional recurrence was seen in two patients and loco-regional recurrence plus distant metastasis to the tibia was observed in one patient. During the study period, three patients died. Seven patients remain free of disease to date. CONCLUSION: Histopathological evaluation provides important and reliable information for disease staging, treatment planning, and prognosis. The philosophy of neck dissection is evolving rapidly with regard to the selectivity with which at-risk lymph node groups are removed. The sample size in the present study is small, thus, caution should be employed when interpreting these results.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Mouth ; Neck Dissection* ; Neck* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Philosophy ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Sample Size ; Tibia