Hydatid disease of the breast

Cystic hydatid disease is caused by the parasite Echinococcus granulosus. Humans are the accidental intermediate hosts of this organism. Hydatid disease is endemic in countries in which raising sheep and cattle constitutes an important means of livelihood. The most commonly affected organs are the liver and lungs. Involvement of the kidney, bone, brain and other organs is rare. Breast involvement in this disease is also very rare. A case of isolated hydatid cyst of the breast is presented, along with a review of the literature and a discussion on the pertinent clinical and radiological aspects of the disease

Effects of Aluminium Exposures on Growth, Photosynthetic Efficiency, Lipid Peroxidation, Antioxidant Enzymes and Artemisinin Content of Artemisia annua L.

Acid soils are widely distributed at a global scale; under acidic conditions, the solubility of aluminium (Al) increases and the elevated concentration of toxic Al3+ in soil solution seriously limits crop production. There is no information on the effects of aluminium (Al) on Artemisia annua L., which is a most important antimalarial plant in the recent time being artemisinin; responsible for its antimalarial activity. In this report, we describe the effects of Al contamination on growth, photosynthetic efficiency, membrane damage, antioxidant enzyme activities and changes in artemisinin content in A. annua. Al addition to the soil medium significantly reduced the yield and growth of the plants. Lower values of net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, internal CO2 and total chlorophyll content were observed as a result of different Al concentrations applied. The activities of nitrate reductase (NR) and carbonic anhydrase (CA) were also found to be hampered by Al exposure to the plants. Al enhanced lipid peroxidation rate (TBRAS content) and activated the activities of catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes in the treated plants. The elicitation in the endogenous ROS levels, due to the Al treatments, was also noticed in the present study. Furthermore, enhanced artemisinin content and yield was obtained at 0.10mM concentration of soil applied Al. Our study provides evidence that excess Al in soil hamper the growth and yield, slow down the activities of NR and CA, induce lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes but a low level of Al-toxicity can induce artemisinin content in A. annua plants.Key words: Aluminium (Al); Artemisia annua L.; Artemisinin; Lipid peroxidation; Reactive oxygen species (ROS)Tariq Aftab et al. Effects of Aluminium Exposures on Growth, Photosynthetic Efficiency, Lipid Peroxidation, Antioxidant Enzymes and Artemisinin Content of Artemisia annua L. J Phytol 2/8(2010) 23-37

Comparative physicochemical and histo-anatomical study of vague traditional and magical herb Lavandula stoechas L. with Lavandula officinalis Chaix.

723-730Lavandula stoechas L. (Lamiaceae) is a medicinal plant of traditional Unani, Iranian and Tunisian systems of medicine. It has a unique attribute to expel out and remove all impurities and obstructions and reinvigorate the brain power, honored as broom of brain in classical Unani literatures. To establish clear identification between L. stoechas (LS) and L. officinalis (LO) standard operating parameters, TLC fingerprinting and physicochemical and histo-anatomical studies were done. LS exhibited significantly higher physical values for their standardization and quality parameters with respect to LO. Histoanatomical disquisition and chemo-microscopic studies of the drug revealed that presence of substantial and marked diagnostic feature to LS having large bract, brown colored flexible peduncle, presence of exorbitant number of uniseriate and multi seriate covering and uniseriate glandular trichomes leading to soft stem and peduncle. It has distinguished and well-developed phloem, centrally filled with parenchymatous cells, with camphoric stench along with bitter in taste while LO has lesser hairs, hard stem and peduncle, greenish color, presence of centrally hollow pith, indiscriminate bract, and flowers are without stalks with pleasant aroma. Seeds of LS are yellowish brown, frivolous weight and very small in size while LO have blackish seeds and are comparatively larger in size and weight

THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES OF CAPSAICIN: A MEDICINALLY IMPORTANT BIO-ACTIVE CONSTITUENT OF CHILLI PEPPER

Plants are the source of numerous pharmaceutically important compounds that have been employed to cure various human ailments since ancient times. With the assistance of modern chemistry and materials science, such pharmaceutically important compounds have been identified and isolated to produce new drugs. Alkaloids are one of the most significant classes of naturally occurring secondary-metabolites, which are synthesized and widely distributed in various parts of plants. They regulate various metabolic activities and induce physiological responses in the human body. Capsaicin is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in many species of peppers and is attributed to their spicy nature and pungent flavor. This alkaloid is a member of the Capsaicinoids group, which includes capsaicin, homocapsaicin, homodihydrocapsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, and nordihydrocapsaicin. Capsaicin has a wide range of therapeutic potential against various human ailments. In this article, we provide a comprehensive overview of the capsaicin molecule as well as an examination of its medicinal properties in a variety of human disorders, including pain, various types of cancer, ulcers, diabetes, obesity, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases

Mechanistic insights into strigolactone biosynthesis, signaling and regulation during plant growth and development

Strigolactones (SLs) constitute a group of carotenoid-derived phytohormones with butenolide moieties. These hormones are involved in various functions, including regulation of secondary growth, shoot branching and hypocotyl elongation, and stimulation of seed germination. SLs also control hyphal branching of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, and mediate responses to both abiotic and biotic cues. Most of these functions stem from the interplay of SLs with other hormones, enabling plants to appropriately respond to changing environmental conditions. This dynamic interplay provides opportunities for phytohormones to modulate and augment one another. In this article, we review our current mechanistic understanding of SL biosynthesis, receptors and signaling. We also highlight recent advances regarding the interaction of SLs with other hormones during developmental processes and stress conditions

The Karachi intracranial stenosis study (KISS) Protocol: an urban multicenter case-control investigation reporting the clinical, radiologic and biochemical associations of intracranial stenosis in Pakistan.

Background: Intracranial stenosis is the most common cause of stroke among Asians. It has a poor prognosis with a high rate of recurrence. No effective medical or surgical treatment modality has been developed for the treatment of stroke due to intracranial stenosis. We aim to identify risk factors and biomarkers for intracranial stenosis and to develop techniques such as use of transcranial doppler to help diagnose intracranial stenosis in a cost-effective manner. Methods/Design: The Karachi Intracranial Stenosis Study (KISS) is a prospective, observational, case-control study to describe the clinical features and determine the risk factors of patients with stroke due to intracranial stenosis and compare them to those with stroke due to other etiologies as well as to unaffected individuals. We plan to recruit 200 patients with stroke due to intracranial stenosis and two control groups each of 150 matched individuals. The first set of controls will include patients with ischemic stroke that is due to other atherosclerotic mechanisms specifically lacunar and cardioembolic strokes. The second group will consist of stroke free individuals. Standardized interviews will be conducted to determine demographic, medical, social, and behavioral variables along with baseline medications. Mandatory procedures for inclusion in the study are clinical confirmation of stroke by a healthcare professional within 72 hours of onset, 12 lead electrocardiogram, and neuroimaging. In addition, lipid profile, serum glucose, creatinine and HbA1C will be measured in all participants. Ancillary tests will include carotid ultrasound, transcranial doppler and magnetic resonance or computed tomography angiogram to rule out concurrent carotid disease. Echocardiogram and other additional investigations will be performed at these centers at the discretion of the regional physicians. Discussion: The results of this study will help inform locally relevant clinical guidelines and effective public health and individual interventions

Effect of nitrogen on growth, nutrient assimilation, essential oil content, yield and quality attributes in Zingiber officinale Rosc.

A simple randomized pot experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different concentrations of nitrogen (N) on growth, biochemical, quality and yield attributes of Zingiber officinale Rosc. a medicinally important spice plant. Plants were supplied with five levels of basal nitrogen viz. 0 (Control), 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg N per ha. The performance of the crop was adjudged in terms of various parameters viz. plant height, number of leaves, fresh and dry weights of shoot and rhizome, total chlorophyll content, leaf and rhizome NPK content, rhizome carbohydrate and protein content, and analysed at 120 and 180 days after planting (DAP). The data revealed that nitrogen application significantly stimulated most of the studied attributes. Of the five N concentrations, 120 kg N per ha soil proved optimum for most of the parameters studied as compared to the control at both crop stages

CComparative physicochemical and histo-anatomical study of vague traditional and magical herb Lavandula stoechas L. with Lavandula officinalis Chaix.

Lavandula stoechas L. (Lamiaceae) is a medicinal plant of traditional Unani, Iranian and Tunisian systems of medicine. It has a unique attribute to expel out and remove all impurities and obstructions and reinvigorate the brain power, honored as broom of brain in classical Unani literatures. To establish clear identification between L. stoechas (LS) and L. officinalis (LO) standard operating parameters, TLC fingerprinting and physicochemical and histo-anatomical studies were done. LS exhibited significantly higher physical values for their standardization and quality parameters with respect to LO. Histo-anatomical disquisition and chemo-microscopic studies of the drug revealed that presence of substantial and marked diagnostic feature to LS having large bract, brown colored flexible peduncle, presence of exorbitant number of uniseriate and multi seriate covering and uniseriate glandular trichomes leading to soft stem and peduncle. It has distinguished and well-developed phloem, centrally filled with parenchymatous cells, with camphoric stench along with bitter in taste while LO has lesser hairs, hard stem and peduncle, greenish color, presence of centrally hollow pith, indiscriminate bract, and flowers are without stalks with pleasant aroma. Seeds of LS are yellowish brown, frivolous weight and very small in size while LO have blackish seeds and are comparatively larger in size and weight