Antioxidant activity of plants methanolic extracts containing phenolic compounds

The presence of natural antioxidant in plants is well known. This paper reports the antioxidative activities of some methanolic plant extracts namely ‘ulam raja’ (Cosmos caudatus), ‘kesum’ (Polygonum minus), ‘selom’ (Oenanthe javanica), ‘pegaga’ (Centella asiatica) and ‘curry leaf’ (Murraya koenigii). The analysis carried out was total phenolic content, ferric reducing power, ferric thiocyanate (FTC) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) tests. From the analyses, M. koenigii had the highest yieldextraction (1.65%), highest total phenolic content (38.60 mg TAE/ 100 g fresh weight) and antioxidant activity (70.60%) using FTC method. Increasing the concentration of the extracts resulted in increased ferric reducing antioxidant power for all methanolic extracts tested. TBA analysis showed that C. caudatus extract had the highest antioxidant effect. Total phenolic content had positive correlation with antioxidant capacity (r = 0.451). This shows that the plants, especially M. koeniigi, may be potent source of natural antioxidants

Factors determining anti-poliovirus type 3 antibodies among orally immunised Indian infants

Background Among the three poliovirus serotypes, the lowest responses after vaccination with trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) are to serotype 3. Although improvements in routine immunisation and supplementary immunisation activities have greatly increased vaccine coverage, there are limited data on antibody prevalence in Indian infants. Methods Children aged 5–11 months with a history of not having received inactivated polio vaccine were screened for serum antibodies to poliovirus serotype 3 (PV3) by a micro-neutralisation assay according to a modified World Health Organization (WHO) protocol. Limited demographic information was collected to assess risk-factors for a lack of protective antibodies. Student’s t-test, logistic regression and multilevel logistic regression (MLR) model were used to estimate model parameters. Results Of 8454 children screened at a mean age of 8.3 (standard deviation [SD]-1.8) months, 88.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 87.4–88.8) had protective antibodies to PV3. The number of tOPV doses received was the main determinant of seroprevalence; the maximum likelihood estimate yields a 37.7% (95% CI: 36.2–38.3) increase in seroprevalence per dose of tOPV. In multivariable logistic regression analysis increasing age, male sex, and urban residence were also independently associated with seropositivity (Odds Ratios (OR): 1.17 (95% CI: 1.12–1.23) per month of age, 1.27 (1.11–1.46) and 1.24 (1.05–1.45) respectively). Conclusion Seroprevalence of antibodies to PV3 is associated with age, gender and place of residence, in addition to the number of tOPV doses received. Ensuring high coverage and monitoring of response are essential as long as oral vaccines are used in polio eradication