Fluorescein Sodium

The ant mounds on the heath, in the forest and in your garden are oases for life. The heat and nutrients from ant mounds make them the perfect home for unique plant and animal species, according to new research. Most of us are annoyed by ants in our gardens. There are so many of them! And if you leave food out on your garden table, even for just a couple of minutes, the table will be swarming with ants when you return. Most garden owners will therefore do everything they can to get rid of ant colonies in their garden. But perhaps we should leave the ants be? Because they are hugely beneficial for biodiversity, a new study shows. With colleagues from the Department of Ecoscience at Aarhus University, Rikke Reisner Hansen has studied ant mounds on Danish heathlands to discover their importance for other insects and for plants. And they really are important! "The ants drag dead animals back to the ant mound, and this adds carbon and other important nutrients to the surrounding soil. The ant mound moreover warms up the surrounding ground, and in springtime, adders, lizards and beetles like to rest near ant mounds for warmth. The heat and the nutrients create unique conditions that allow certain plant species that don't otherwise thrive on heathland to thrive on the ant mound," she says. Went digging on the heath Equipped with a spade, Rikke Reisner Hansen went to the heath to study the role of ant mounds in heathland wildlife. She looked for two types of ant mound: Those belonging to the narrow-headed ant, which look almost identical to the ant mounds you see in Danish forests. However, instead of pine needles, narrow-headed ants use leaves from heather and grass. And mounds belonging to the yellow meadow ant. This is a small ant that builds its nest from mineral soil on heathlands. Whenever she came across an ant mound, she took out her spade and dug a deep hole right next to the ant mound. In this way, she could study how the ant mound affected the soil, roots and wildlife both above and below the mound. She also measured the temperature on top of the ant mound, and she examined the soil around and underneath it to determine the soil nutrients. "It appears that the top part of the ant mound acts like a kind of miniature Costa del Sol for insects and reptiles. The animals exploit the excess heat from the ants for warmth in early spring and on chilly mornings," she explains, and continues: "The same applies to plants. If a plant grows on an ant mound, it will blossom or come into leaf faster than the same species growing in the surrounding heathland soil. This is a huge benefit for insects that feed on pollen and nectar, because the ant mounds introduce an extra flowering season. The butterfly that fooled an entire colony The Alcon blue is a butterfly that lives only on the heathland where ants live. The caterpillar of the Alcon blue has developed a method by which it tricks the ants into thinking it is their queen. "The Alcon blue lays its eggs on the rare marsh gentian plant. The caterpillar feeds on marsh gentian seeds during the first three stages of its life. When it has grown big enough, it falls to the ground and begins to emit a smell and a sound identical to those of a queen ant larva," says Rikke Reisner Hansen, and continues: "When the worker ants discover what they mistakenly believe is a queen larva, they drag it into the ant nest. They feed the caterpillar, and sometimes they even forget their own offspring, and the colony dies." The caterpillar winters in the ant mound and, come spring, it spreads its beautiful blue wings and leaves the ant mound. Denmark is home to 12 species of gossamer-winged butterfly -- the family of butterflies to which the Alcon blue belongs. Eleven of these species thrive best in places where ants also live. And a handful of these depend on ants to complete their life cycle. But the ant mounds are also important for other species. Protecting ant mounds can therefore be an important step in mitigating the biodiversity crisis. Important for biodiversity The world, including Denmark, is in the middle of a biodiversity crisis. We are losing species at an ever-faster rate as we destroy important habitats when we fell forests, cultivate heathlands or drain bogs. A total of 1,844 species of animal, plant and fungi are under threat of extinction in Denmark alone. Among these is the Alcon blue. In just 40 years, the Alcon blue has lost more than 15 per cent of its habitat in Denmark. This could be because of the way we manage our heathlands, Rikke Reisner Hansen explains. "We tend to manage our heathlands as a homogenous landscape. We often apply the same management method throughout a heathland to preserve it as an open landscape. For example, we allow too many animals to graze the land. Or we use large machines to cut the vegetation. Unfortunately, this destroys the ant mounds. To ensure many different plants and animals on the heath, we need to rewild the landscape, or at least return it to the way it was before machinery took over from traditional management systems," she explains. A changing landscape Before humans began to shape and cultivate the land, most of Denmark was covered in forest. When a lightning bolt hit a tree, it might set off a massive forest fire. Such fires could clear large areas of land, and from the blackened tree stumps and ashes an open heathland landscape emerged and developed. Slowly, over the course of decades, trees grew up again and eventually the forest returned. In this way, heathlands emerged and disappeared again over time throughout Denmark. Because the heathlands were changing landscapes, they offered all kinds of habitat and were teeming with life. And an abundance of species! According to Rikke Reisner Hansen, this is the type of heathland landscape that must be restored in Denmark today if we want to do biodiversity good. "We have to preserve the ant mounds and not use the same management method throughout the heath. Grazing and burning are important management techniques. But we have to apply methods varyingly and adjust them. If we allow goats, sheep or horses to graze on the same, restricted area throughout the summer, they will eat everything and leave a very homogeneous landscape, she says and explains further: "It's all about creating a varied landscape. If you apply a varied management system, the result will be a varied landscape." Leave the ant mounds be In many places in Denmark, the local government is responsible for maintaining and managing the heathland landscapes. Therefore, since local governments often decide the vegetation management plans, maybe they should consider what Rikke Reisner Hansen has found out? "Local governments have many skilled biologists in their workforce. They know it's important to apply varied heathland management techniques. Unfortunately, it is often a matter of finances, and biodiversity is on the losing end," she says. But local governments are not the only ones who should listen to what Rikke Reisner Hansen has to say. Garden owners also need to change their game. At home, in her own garden, Rikke Reisner Hansen has been experimenting. She has left the ant mounds be. And this has led to much more life, she explains. "After I left the ant mounds be and sowed wild, indigenous pea flowers, I now have many more common blue butterflies in my garden. It's teeming with beautiful, blue butterflies," she says. She explains that it is not enough to plant a few meadow flowers here and there to create more biodiversity. It is important to think about the living conditions needed for the butterfly to complete its entire life cycle. Many insects need a variety of landscape types. "For example, bees need areas with bare, solid soil. Small, warm spots where they can make nests. Other insects need small mounds of earth, water or deadwood. It's also important to have plants that provide different types of nectar. Some bees can only use the nectar from a single or a few species of flower, and some butterflies only live on certain plants. It's important that we ensure these small habitat variations in our gardens, both in terms of space and across the year, if we want to give diversity back to nature," she concludes.

Bentrio® remained detectable by fluorescence for up to 210 minutes in subjects' nasal passages vs. 60 minutes with saline nasal spray control Long nasal residence time supports extended protective effects against airborne allergens and other potentially harmful particles HAMILTON, BERMUDA / ACCESSWIRE / March 3, 2023 / Altamira Therapeutics Ltd. (NASDAQ:CYTO), a company dedicated to developing therapeutics that address important unmet medical needs, today reported that data from a recent peer-reviewed clinical study involving Bentrio nasal spray's residence time and other rheological properties demonstrated superiority vs. a saline control. The study results are published in Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy (Taylor & Francis) and its full text is publicly available at: Study excerpts: "The data presented in this study indicate that AM-301 (Bentrio) has a prolonged nasal residence time of up to 3.5 h compared to a saline control. AM-301 is a safe and well-tolerable medical device with features suitable for intranasal administration. Its nasal residence time and distribution encourage its use to protect nasopharyngeal areas. Two nasal spray applications per nostril provide no substantial benefit over a single spray with regards to coverage of the mucosal surface or nasal retention time." "Importantly, the formulation also reached the oropharynx, remaining in place for up to 240 min compared with 60 min in the control group. This feature is particularly important, since airborne viruses and allergens come into contact with both the nasal mucosa and oropharyngeal cavity." Study Highlights The study was performed on eight healthy volunteers that were administered Bentrio or a classic saline nasal spray marked with a fluorescent agent (fluoresceine 0.1%) to track the distribution within the nasal cavity and the nasal residence time for up to 240 minutes. Participants were administered a single dose or, in case of Bentrio, also a repeated dose at a different spray angle. Bentrio was found to be widely distributed in the lower to middle parts of the nasal cavity (in particular inferior turbinate and septum, to a lesser extent also on the middle turbinate), which is where airborne allergen particles typically collect. The thin protective film was present for 210 minutes. There were no meaningful differences between single and repeated dose application of Bentrio, confirming that one puff is sufficient. In contrast, saline nasal spray showed a shorter nasal residence time of 60 minutes only. Bentrio's extended presence within the nasal cavity is achieved thanks to its special thixotropic properties: the formulation is a gel designed to adhere to the nasal mucosa for an extended time, whereas a saline solution is prone to rapid run-off. Bentrio's gel formulation becomes sprayable upon shaking it briefly prior to application. Bentrio's long nasal residence time is supporting the extended protective effect of the nasal spray as it could be observed in other studies, including grass pollen and house dust mite challenge studies. Images In the single dose saline spray control group, fluorescence disappeared within 60 minutes from the nose, whereas the groups using a single dose of Bentrio retained a detectable amount of fluorescence for up to 210 minutes on the middle and inferior turbinates. As shown in Figure 1- Anterior Rhinoscopy below, images were taken at different time points to track the amount of fluorescence still visible after a single application of Bentrio or saline nasal spray. Figure 1 While nasal residence time was the main focus of the study, the presence of the fluorescence in the oropharynx was monitored for 240 minutes as well. The image below, Figure 2- Oropharyngeal Endoscopy, shows that fluorescence for all three groups started to appear in the throat five to ten minutes after administration. The finding that Bentrio does not slow down discharge from the nasal cavity to the throat, suggests that the protective film established by Bentrio within the nasal cavity does not interfere with mucociliary clearance, a normal, physiological process that helps the body to clear particles out of the nose for discharge via the digestive tract. The saline control group's fluorescence disappeared after 90-120 minutes versus the Bentrio groups which showed fluorescence for up to 240 minutes. Figure 2 The results of the study show that the rheological properties of the AM-301 formulation allow it to be sprayed once and effectively provide extended coverage and protection of the nasal mucosa without interfering with natural nasal clearance. The study was conducted and examinations performed at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery of the University Medical Center of the Eberhard-Karls University Tübingen, Germany. About Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy The aim of Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy is to publish novel, original, peer-reviewed research and review manuscripts related to pharmaceutical science research, specifically in the fields of nanomedicines, formulation, development and delivery technologies, biopharmaceuticals, new material development and processing technology advancement. Research papers must be hypothesis driven and emphasize innovative breakthrough topics. Timely critical review papers within the journal scope are also welcomed. About Altamira Therapeutics Altamira Therapeutics (Nasdaq:CYTO) is dedicated to developing RNA-based therapeutics for extrahepatic targets (OligoPhore™ / SemaPhore™ delivery platforms). The Company currently has two flagship siRNA programs in preclinical development beyond in vivo proof of concept: AM-401 for KRAS driven cancer and AM-411 for rheumatoid arthritis. The versatile delivery platform is also suited for mRNA and other types of RNA therapeutics and shall be leveraged via out-licensing to pharma or biotech companies. In addition, Altamira is in the process of divesting and/or licensing-out its legacy assets in allergology and viral infection (Bentrio® OTC nasal spray; commercial) and inner ear therapeutics (AM-125 nasal spray for vertigo; post Phase 2; Keyzilen® and Sonsuvi® for tinnitus and hearing loss; Phase 3). Founded in 2003, Altamira is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, with its main operations in Basel, Switzerland. For more information, visit: Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical facts and may include statements that address future operating, financial or business performance or Altamira Therapeutics' strategies or expectations. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may", "might", "will", "should", "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "predicts", "projects", "potential", "outlook" or "continue", or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the success of the continued commercialization of Bentrio and success of strategic transactions, including licensing or partnering, with respect to Bentrio or any other legacy assets, Altamira Therapeutics' need for and ability to raise substantial additional funding to continue the development of its product candidates, the timing and conduct of clinical trials of Altamira Therapeutics' product candidates, the clinical utility of Altamira Therapeutics' product candidates, the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, Altamira Therapeutics' intellectual property position and Altamira Therapeutics' financial position, including the impact of any future acquisitions, dispositions, partnerships, license transactions or changes to Altamira Therapeutics' capital structure, including future securities offerings. These risks and uncertainties also include, but are not limited to, those described under the caption "Risk Factors" in Altamira Therapeutics' Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021, and in Altamira Therapeutics' other filings with the SEC, which are available free of charge on the Securities Exchange Commission's website at: . Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated. All forward-looking statements and all subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Altamira Therapeutics or to persons acting on behalf of Altamira Therapeutics are expressly qualified in their entirety by reference to these risks and uncertainties. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Altamira Therapeutics does not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable law. CONTACT Hear@altamiratherapeutics.com 800-460-0183 SOURCE: Altamira Therapeutics Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: