The Mechanisms of Centalla asiatica’s Wound Healing Molecule, Asiaticoside

Asiaticoside is a triterpene obtained from Centella asiatica and demonstrated to have healing potential against various wound models. Wounds are inflicted for constructive reasons even though more often they are results of accidents. This work aims at identifying molecular targets which account for the therapeutic results attributed to the use of asiaticoside. Even though exact mechanisms of action have not been reported, experimental evidences point at the inhibition of pro-inflammation and enhanced tissue regeneration.Keywords: asiaticoside, Centella asiatica, wounds, wound healin

Experimental validation of the hepatoprotective and anticancer properties of Vernonia amygdalina: A review

Cancer and hepatic disorders are two important health problems of community health enhanced by metabolic and genetic disposition of individuals. Vernonia amygdalina (VA) is a medicinal shrub useful for the treatment of various diseases including cancer and liver diseases. It is often utilised as edible vegetable. This review aims at logicallyexamining experimental evidences supporting the use of V. amygdalina in folklore medicine. Several databases including MEDLINE and ‘Google search engine’ were used to retrieve recent information on V. amygdalina uses in ethnomedicine. Selection of literature and abstracts was done randomly by authors on the basis of their relevance to the immediate review. Search yielded 512 results; critical appraisal of results reduced thetally to 6 for anticancer properties and 5 for hepatoprotective studies respectively. Their therapeutic potencies had relevance with phytochemical content of V. amygdalina. The experimental results support the widely accepted hepatoprotective and anticancer properties of V. amygdalina in traditional medicine

Eugenol, α-pinene and β-caryophyllene from Plectranthus barbatus essential oil as eco-friendly larvicides against malaria, dengue and Japanese encephalitis mosquito vectors

Mosquito-borne diseases represent a deadly threat for millions of people worldwide. Eco-friendly mosquitocides are a priority. In Ayurvedic medicine, Plectranthus species have been used to treat heart disease, convulsions, spasmodic pain and painful urination. In this research, we evaluated the acute toxicity of essential oil from Plectranthus barbatus and its major constituents, against larvae of the malaria vector Anopheles subpictus, the dengue vector Aedes albopictus and the Japanese encephalitis vector Culex tritaeniorhynchus. The chemical composition of P. barbatus essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy. Nineteen components were identified. Major constituents were eugenol (31.12 %), α-pinene (19.38 %) and β-caryophyllene (18.42 %). Acute toxicity against early third-instar larvae of An. subpictus, Ae. albopictus and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus was investigated. The essential oil had a significant toxic effect against larvae of An. subpictus, Ae. albopictus and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, with 50 % lethal concentration (LC50) values of 84.20, 87.25 and 94.34 μg/ml and 90 % lethal concentration (LC90) values of 165.25, 170.56 and 179.58 μg/ml, respectively. Concerning major constituents, eugenol, α-pinene and β-caryophyllene appeared to be most effective against An. subpictus (LC50 = 25.45, 32.09 and 41.66 μg/ml, respectively), followed by Ae. albopictus (LC50 = 28.14, 34.09 and 44.77 μg/ml, respectively) and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus (LC50 = 30.80, 36.75 and 48.17 μg/ml, respectively). Overall, the chance to use metabolites from P. barbatus essential oil against mosquito vectors seems promising, since they are effective at low doses and could be an advantageous alternative to build newer and safer mosquito control tools

Energy calibration and resolution of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter in pp collisions at s\sqrt{s} = 7 TeV

The energy calibration and resolution of the electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) of the CMS detector have been determined using proton-proton collision data from LHC operation in 2010 and 2011 at a centre-of-mass energy of sqrt(s)=7 TeV with integrated luminosities of about 5 inverse femtobarns. Crucial aspects of detector operation, such as the environmental stability, alignment, and synchronization, are presented. The in-situ calibration procedures are discussed in detail and include the maintenance of the calibration in the challenging radiation environment inside the CMS detector. The energy resolution for electrons from Z-boson decays is better than 2% in the central region of the ECAL barrel (for pseudorapidity abs(eta)<0.8) and is 2-5% elsewhere. The derived energy resolution for photons from 125 GeV Higgs boson decays varies across the barrel from 1.1% to 2.6% and from 2.2% to 5% in the entraps. The calibration of the absolute energy is determined from Z to e+e- decays to a precision of 0.4% in the barrel and 0.8% in the endcaps