The effect of Ocimum sanctum and Ledum palustre on serum uric acid level in patients suffering from gouty arthritis and hyperuricaemia

The effect of Ocimum sanctum Linn on uric acid levels in 200 humans was observed in this study. Three times oral administration of Ocimum sanctum Linn (test medicine) to the 100 patients (60 males and 40 females), and Ledum palustre Linn (reference remedy) to 100 patients was given. For analysis of uric acid in blood samples the enzymatic method was selected due to its accuracy and reproducibility. The value of reduction in serum uric acid by Ocimum sanctum Linn (OSL) in males was 2.6 ± 0.3 and reduction in serum uric acid (SUA) by Ledum palustre Linn (LPL) in males was 4.3 ± 0.3. On the other hand, the value of reduction in SUA by OSL in females was 2.5 ± 0.3 and reduction in serum uric acid by LPL in females was 4.6 ± 0.4. It can be concluded that LPL has better results in the reducing SUA levels than OSL in both males and females. KEY WORDS: Ledum palustre, Ocimum sanctum, Serum uric acid levels Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2013, 27(3), 469-473.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v27i3.1

Características nutricionales, funcionales y microbiológicas de las aceitunas verdes jordanas fermentadas Nabali Baladi

The quality characteristics of green olives produced by the traditional spontaneous fermentation method in Jordan have never been studied. We investigated the nutritional, functional, and microbiological characteristics of Jordanian fermented green Nabali Baladi olives (GNBFO). Proximate composition, fatty acids, and total polyphenols were determined by standard protocols. Cultivable microflora was monitored over 3 months of fermentation. Isolated microorganisms were identified by molecular sequencing and in vitro probiotic traits were tested. GNBFO contained fiber (3g⁄100g), total polyphenols (306mg⁄100g), oil (19.3g ⁄100g), and oleic acid (70%). Yeast strains (Candida diddensiae and Candida naeodendra) were predominant and showed acid (pH=2.5) and bile salt (0.1% and 0.3%) resistant and high adhesion ability (ca∼107CFU/ml) to intestinal cell lines; they were positive to catalase and negative to lipase and none possessed antimicrobial activity against selected pathogens. Lactic acid bacteria were not detected. In conclusion, the GNBFO have promising functional characteristics as they contain valuable nutrients, antioxidants, and yeast strains with potential probiotic traits.Hasta la fecha, no se han estudiado las características de calidad de las aceitunas verdes producidas por el método tradicional de fermentación espontánea en Jordania. En este trabajo, investigamos las características nutricionales, funcionales y microbiológicas de las aceitunas Nabali Baladi verdes fermentadas jordanas (GNBFO). La composición proximal, los ácidos grasos y los polifenoles totales se determinaron mediante protocolos estándar. La microflora cultivable se controló durante 3 meses de fermentación. Se identificaron microorganismos aislados por secuenciación molecular y se probaron los rasgos probióticos in vitro. GNBFO contenía fibra (3g/100g), polifenoles totales (306mg/100g), aceite (19,3g/100g) y ácido oleico (70%). Las cepas de levaduras (Candida diddensiae y Candida naeodendra) fueron predominantes y mostraron acidez (pH=2.5) y sales biliares (0,1% y 0,3%) resistentes y alta capacidad de adhesión (ca ∼ 107CFU/ml) a las líneas celulares intestinales; fueron positivos para catalasa y negativos para lipasa y ninguno poseía actividad antimicrobiana contra patógenos seleccionados. No se detectaron bacterias del ácido láctico. En conclusión, GNBFO tiene características funcionales prometedoras, ya que contienen valiosos nutrientes, antioxidantes y cepas de levaduras con posibles rasgos probióticos

Effect of hydro-alcoholic extract of Ziziphus jujuba on the peripheral blood cells in Balb/c mice

Introduction: In the Iranian traditional medicine, Ziziphus jujuba is recommended for treatment of anemia, but no investigation has addressed this issue. In the present study, the effect of hydro-alcoholic extract of this plant was evaluated on the peripheral blood cells in male Balb/c mice. Methods: Hydro-alcoholic extract was prepared from the fruits of the Ziziphus jujuba. Male mice were injected with normal saline or the extract (100, 200 or 400 mg/kg, i.p.) for a period of two weeks. Afterwards, the mice were anesthetized and blood samples were taken from their hearts and then the peripheral blood was evaluated by a Cell Counter apparatus. White blood cells differential analysis was manually performed under a microscope. Data was statistically analyzed using One-way ANOVA followed by Tukey post-hoc test. Results: Ziziphus jujuba extracts (100 and 400 mg/kg) caused a significant reduction in the percentages of monocytes and neutrophils, respectively (P0.05). Conclusion: Findings of this study show that Ziziphus jujuba extract increases the percentage of lymphocytes and also reduces the percentage of monocytes and neutrophils

Intelligent agent simulator in massive crowd

Crowd simulations have many benefits over real-life research such as in computer games, architecture and entertainment. One of the key elements in this study is to include elements of decision-making into the crowd. The aim of this simulator is to simulate the features of an intelligent agent to escape from crowded environments especially in one-way corridor, two-way corridor and four-way intersection. The addition of the graphical user interface enables intuitive and fast handling in all settings and features of the Intelligent Agent Simulator and allows convenient research in the field of intelligent behaviour in massive crowd. This paper describes the development of a simulator by using the Open Graphics Library (OpenGL), starting from the production of training data, the simulation process, until the simulation results. The Social Force Model (SFM) is used to generate the motion of agents and the Support Vector Machine (SVM) is used to predict the next step for intelligent agent

Environmental parameters and incidence of white spot disease in Penaeus monodon (Fab.) farming

An investigation was carried out to monitor management practices and to find out whether there is any relationship with occurrence of deadly white spot disease and environmental parameters. Three semi-intensive and a improved traditional shrimp farms were selected in which mass mortality of shrimp (Penaeus monodon) by white spot disease occurred previously. The farms were situated at two different geographical locations. Two ponds from each farm at random were selected for the study. Out of eight investigated ponds, 6 ponds in three farms were affected by the disease during investigation period. The non-affected ponds had relatively lower stocking density, lightly different management practice and were located at different geographical area. There was no significant variation in water quality parameters among the affected and non-affected ponds. No significant variations were recorded in pond preparation, source of Post Larvae (PL), water and feed management among the affected and non-affected ponds. The observation indicated that pond micro-organisms in a farm may not the only cause of the disease but some external factors also might be responsible for the outbreak of this disease

Virtual Chemical Sensor For Classification Of Herb � Orthosiphon Stamineus According To Its Geographical Origin.

Herbal medicine is an important part of health care to a majority of the world's population

Effect of bypass fat on growth and body condition score of male Beetal goats during summer

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of feeding rumen bypass fat on the growth of male Beetal goats. Twenty-seven male kids with an average bodyweight of 34 ± 1.8 kg (mean ± SD) and aged 12 to 15 months were randomly divided into three treatment groups under a completely randomized design. The treatments consisted of : i) CON, basal diet without added fat (basal diet of chopped sorghum with 0.75 kg concentrate per animal); ii) MF, basal diet with added fat at 2.5% of dry matter in concentrate (Energizer-RP10, Scothorn Nutrition, Malaysia); and iii) HF, basal diet with added fat at 5% of dry matter in concentrate. Dry matter intake (DMI) and faecal score were recorded daily. Live bodyweight was recorded fortnightly. Linear body measurements, which included wither height (WH), heart girth (HG), body length (BL), and body condition scores (BCS), were recorded monthly. The results indicated that the addition of bypass fat in concentrate did not affect DMI linearly. However, a quadratic trend of DMI was observed in response to fat addition (P <0.1). The average daily gain was similar for CON, MF, and HF treatment groups (P >0.05). Moreover, the addition of bypass fat did not affect the BCS, WH, HG, and BL. The HF group had a higher faecal score than the CON and MF groups (P <0.05). The current findings conclude that the addition of bypass fat in diets did not improve the growth performance of yearling Beetal male goats.Keywords: average daily gain, body measurements, supplemental fat

High Gain, Low Noise Cascode LNA Using T-Matching Network for Wireless Applications

This paper presents a high gain, low noise Cascoded LNA using T-matching network applicable for wireless applications. The amplifier use FHX76LP Low Noise SuperHEMT FET. The LNA designed used T-matching network consisting of lump reactive element at the input and the output terminal. The cascode low noise amplifier (LNA) produced gain of 18.5 dB and noise figure (NF) of 1.30 dB. The input reflection (S11) and output return loss (S22) are -11.5 dB and -12.3 dB respectively. The bandwidth of the amplifier recorded is 1.4 GHz.The input sensitivity is compliant with the IEEE 802.16 standards

Current Issues and Problems in the Joining of Ceramic to Metal

Ceramics and metals are two of the oldest established classes of technologically useful materials. While metals dominate engineering applications, ceramics have some attractive properties compared to metals, which make them useful for specific applications. The properties of individual ceramics and metals can vary widely; however, the characteristics of most materials in the two classes differ significantly. Joints between a metal and ceramic are becoming increasingly important in the manufacturing of a wide variety of technological product. But joining ceramics to metallic materials often remains an unresolved or unsatisfactorily resolved problem. This chapter deals with problems of various studies in recent years on the joining between two materials