ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF NATURAL CHLOROPHYLLIN FROM ENDANGERED MEDICINAL PLANT MIMOSA PUDICA L.

Objective: Chlorophyllin (CHL) belongs to a group of compounds, porphyrins that contain a chelated metal ion in the center of the molecule. The objective of this present study was to extract the Chlorophyllin from Mimosa pudica and to study its antimicrobial activity.Methods: The antimicrobial activity of chlorophyllin from the leaf extract of Mimosa pudica L., was determined in vitro, using well diffusion method against human pathogenic bacteria and fungi, viz., two Gram-negative bacteria: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, and two Gram-positive bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneomoniae, and one fungal pathogen, Candida albicans.Results: Chlorophyllin from the leaf extract of Mimosa pudica recorded potential antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganism with the range of 9 mm-18 mm at 25-100 μg ml-1.Conclusion: Natural Chlorophyllin from Mimosa pudica has significant activity against the five pathogenic test microorganisms.Keywords: Medicinal plants, Chlorophyllin, Mimosa pudica, Pathogenic bacteria, Pathogenic fung

The adsorption mechanism, structural and electronic properties of pyrrole adsorbed ZnO nano clusters in the field photovoltaic cells by density functional theory

An exhaustive quantum chemical analysis of structural and electronic properties have been investigated for pure and pyrrole adsorption on semiconductor nano-clusters Zn3O3 (P-Zn3O3) and Zn6O6 (P-Zn6O6) by density functional theory (DFT) calculations with various basis sets (B3LYP/6-31G, B3LYP/6-311G, MP2/6-31G, and B3LYP/LANL2DZ). The values of HOMO/LUMO energies, energy gap (Eg), adsorption energy (Ead), global reactivity descriptors, thermodynamic parameters and the total dipole moment have been calculated. The total density of states (DOS) of P-ZnO complexes have been probed to establish the consequences of adsorption of pyrrole on ZnO nano-clusters. The charge distribution has been examined by Mulliken atomic charge distribution and molecular electrostatic potential (MEPs) analyses. Spectroscopic analysis has been performed for the better understanding of the interaction of pyrrole on ZnO clusters. It is interesting to note that there is a reduction in energy gap, which causes an increase in electrical conductivity in pyrrole adsorbed geometries and hence confirms that the title compounds can be used in photovoltaic or bio-solar cell applications. As a result, Zn3O3 cluster was renewed to awfully conductive and more solid system upon pyrrole adsorption due to higher reduction in energy gap than Zn6O6 cluster. It can be presumed that the present study may have room for the fields such as solar cell, biomedicine, sensing and catalytic applications

A CLINICAL STUDY TO EVALUATE THE RASAYANA EFFECT OF ASTHISHRINKHALAGHRITA IN JARA

Modern medicine has made a great deal of progress in understanding the aging process and in controlling age-associated health issues. The problems of Aged were neglected by Ayurvedic science and recently there started new advancements in this branch of Ayurveda which is insufficient for the current needs. This had led to lack of active longevity with more disability and dependency. Thus, this study was taken up to evaluate the Rasayana (Anti- ageing) effect of Asthishrinkhalaghrita in Jara janya vyadhi (Diseases due to senility). Methods: In present study, 30 subjects were diagnosed with the Jara janya vyadhi, selected randomly and were given with 15 ml of Asthishrinkhalaghrita in the morning for 30 days. The data obtained were recorded, tabulated and statistically analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: Study showed mild improvement in overall treatment. Though no statistically significant results were obtained, there was a good improvement for the patient in Climbing stairs, Sleep disturbance, Shwasa vridhi (Dyspnoea), Malabadhata (Constipation), Agni mandya (loss of appetite)and weight gain with p value<0.05 and Slatha sandhi (laxity of joints)and walking with p value > 0.05. Conclusion: Thus Rasayana chikitsa can improve the longevity, positive health; provide the resistance to fight against the diseases, keeping the excellence in the tissues including mental faculties

A questionnaire based survey on knowledge, attitude and practices of medical practitioners regarding the prescribing of medications during pregnancy

Background: Prescribing during pregnancy requires careful estimation of risk/benefit ratio for the mother and her baby. Both, underestimation and overestimation can produce undesirable maternal and fetal outcomes hence the present study was undertaken to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of medical practitioners related to the prescribing of medications during pregnancy.Methods: A preformed structured questionnaire was administered to 41 medical practitioners. Multiple choice questions (MCQs) and yes/no type questions were used to assess their knowledge. Likert type questions studied their attitude and practices. Their perception of teratogenic risk of medications was evaluated using a visual analogue scale. The data so obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results: Completed questionnaires were returned by 76% of the survey participants. Among whom only 24% felt highly confident while others were less confident or unsure regarding their prescribing ability during pregnancy. 90% of the respondents reported that a disease should not be untreated or undertreated due to fear of teratogenicity. 81% exhibited good knowledge of the FDA pregnancy categorization of drugs and more than 80% were aware of the teratogenic risk associated with valproic acid, lithium, isotretinoin, warfarin & thalidomide. The perceived risk of teratogenicity (mean) suggested for them was 33, 52, 52, 43 & 62 percentage respectively.Conclusions: Most respondents exhibited a healthy attitude and a fairly sound knowledge, except for their perception of risk associated with individual drugs which was much higher than what is mentioned in the literature. Educational interventions may help to increase the awareness leading to better and confident prescribing

Revealing the Underlying Insights on the Use of Social Media by Foreign Students—A Qualitative Approach

Student retention’s strategy has been key interest of Universities worldwide in line with its potential benefits in improving the University’s image besides contributing to the improvement in the institution’s financial performance. Recent communication technologies which are known for their ability to reaching the target market have gradually nullified the utilization of the traditional advertising tools. Of these communication technologies, education institutions are gradually embracing the social media in order to leverage its potential benefits. Review on the past studies reveals that there is an abundant of quantitative researches which investigated the use of social media by university’s students where limited focus was on the qualitative approach. This study intended to explore the underlying insights on the use of social media by carrying out semi-structured interviews among foreign students of the private higher education institutions located in Klang Valley, Malaysia. This study found that utilization of social media, quality information, usage influences and students’ engagement are the four important themes pertaining to the use of social media discovered from the interview sessions conducted. This study also provides several implications for both practitioners and academics

Testing compliance of drug taking-A simple bed side method

Assessment of compliance in drug taking is a problem in a crowded Outpatient Department. Using riboflavin as a urinary marker is a simple and rational method. Identifying riboflavin in the urine by fluorescence on exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays or torch light is being used in medical practice but not extensively. In this study, the validity and reliability of these methods were assessed. The sensitivity and specificity of this test by UV method was 86% and 82% for Reader I (medical person) and 82% and 94% for Reader II (paramedical person). For Reader 1, the accuracy of reading by UV lamp was the same as torch light (85%) whereas for Reader II the accuracy was better with UV lamp (87%) than with torch (79%). In reading the fluorescence by UV lamp the crude agreement between the 2 readers was 82% and chance corrected agreement was 64%. UV lamp method appears to be a reliable way of assessing compliance both by medical and paramedical persons whereas torch method appears to be more reliable when used by a medical person than by a paramedical person

Relating Cultural Values with Opportunity Evaluation: Evidence from India

The link between social interaction and entrepreneurial activity has attracted considerable attention in the entrepreneurship literature. In this study, we focus on individual cultural values, shaped by interactions in the social space, as they relate to opportunity evaluation, a cornerstone of the entrepreneurial process. We test our predictions in India, a non-Western society that has sustained one of the highest rates of entrepreneurial activity in the world. Our findings suggest that value orientation of high power distance is negatively associated with opportunity evaluation whereas uncertainty avoidance, collectivism, and femininity are positively associated with opportunity evaluation

Evaluation of the modified-ceylon copra kiln for accelerated production of ball copra

This study attempted to investigate the effect of kiln drying on the rate of formation of ball copra. Three samples containing fifty partially dried-coconuts were placed as a single layer in three compartmentalized blocks namely, Front: Blok-1, Middle: Block-2, and Rear: Block-3 in the copra bed of the modified-Ceylon copra kiln. From each of the three blocks, thirty coconuts were selected randomly for labeling and their fresh weights were recorded. The samples were subjected to intermittent drying in the kiln by thirty five firing cycles using charcoal dust as the fuel source. The temperature distribution pattern of the three blocks during the first six firing was monitored at three hourly intervals. The weight losses of individual coconuts in each block were measured after the completion of each firing. The results showed that, there was a significant (p<0.05) effect of copra bed temperature on the weight losses of the samples. The first ever ball copra formation was detected in the Block-3 after the completion of the 12th firing. The percentages of ball copra formed at the end of 35th firing were 44%, 78%, and 94%, in Block-1, Block-2, and Block-3, respectively. Analytical studies indicated that the quality indices of ball copra were comparable to those of the edible white copra