Ziziphus lotus (L.) Lam. plant treatment by ultrasounds and microwaves to improve antioxidants yield and quality: An overview

The purpose of this review is to compile the literature published about different aspects of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) use and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) applied on jujube worldwide and to compare the results on the antioxidant activity obtained for each extraction method. As a result of the increased consumers demand for natural products, as well as for those of agro-food, nutraceutical, cosmetic industries, and green extraction techniques are nowadays trending to be potential alternatives that can improve antioxidant yield and its quality from an economical and environmental point of view by reducing time, energy, and solvent consumption. Ultrasounds and microwaves are widely used methods in the extraction of active principles due to their cavitation and dipolar rotation effect, respectively. These two techniques provide efficiency of extraction while minimizing the time and preserving the quality of the food matrix, overcoming the disadvantages of conventional techniques characterized by their consumption of large quantities of solvents and providing a sparse quantity of extraction. Jujube, a shrub with a high antioxidant potential, which can be affected by various extraction conditions can be the target of UAE and MAE to increase the antioxidant extraction yield. Exploiting the beneficial properties such as the antioxidant activity can lead to an industrialization process, replacing therefor synthetic antioxidants with natural compounds. These can also help in the development of new nutraceuticals and can be used, for instance, in agro-food industries as preservatives

Wildlife Survey of National Parks to Assess Reptilian Biodiversity, AJK

The class Reptilia belongs to phylum Chordata. This group forms a large community of the land vertebrates. However, they remain relatively under-examined. Roll et al. (2017) studied the global distribution of more than 10,000 reptiles. Nearly194 reptilian species have been reported from Pakistan (WWF, n.d.). Five protected parks were studied from February 2008 to May 2010. Dhirkot Nature Reserve (DNR), Banjosa Nature Reserve (BNR), Tolipir National Park (TNP), Pir Chanasi National Park (PCNP) and Pir Lasura National Park (PLNP) were considered. Fifteen species of reptiles were observed in TNP. Ten species of reptiles were recorded from PCNP. Ten species of reptiles were confirmed from DNR, including 6 species of snakes. The present study could collect the evidence on the presence of 14 reptile species distributed under different habitat conditions of BGR. The total number of species of reptiles recorded in PLNP during the study was 24

Checklist of Bats in Some Areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Bats form an essential part of the ecosystem by aiding pollination, keeping insect pests in check and overall maybe helpful as indicators of health status of the ecosystem. This study was conducted to formulate a checklist of bats from different regions in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Five National parks from Azad Jammu and Kashmir were surveyed for the species of bats present (Dhirkot National Park, Pir Lasura National Park, Pir Chanasi National Park, Banjosa National Park and Tolipir National Park). From the study conducted, 10 species of bats belonging to 5 families were found cumulatively in the five national parks

Small Mammals of Family Muridae in Protected Areas of Pakistan

Murids to have more than 1300 species globally, forming the largest mammal group. Murids are found nearly everywhere in the world, though many subfamilies have narrower ranges. Murids are not found in Antarctica and many oceanic islands. Five National Parks from Northern areas of Pakistan were physically surveyed. The parks were studied at different times. Dhirkot National Park (DNP) in February 2008, Banjosa National Park (BJNP) from May to June 2009, Pir Lasura National Park (PLNP) from June to July 2009 and Pir Chanasi National Park (PCNP) from April to May 2010. A total of 6 species belonging to the Muridae family were found cumulatively in the study areas

CERVICAL CANCER: LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE (A KAP STUDY AMONG THE UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS OF PESHAWAR- PAKISTAN)

<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p><p><strong>Introduction; </strong>This study assessed and compared knowledge of the disease, and prevention with treatment, attitude, and practices in relation to cervical cancer among undergraduate medical students of Peshawar. <strong>Methods; </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018, after approval from the Institutional Review Board Committee. All the students of 4th and 5th year MBBS were included in the study. The medical colleges of Peshawar city were selected randomly from the Public and Private sectors. The sample size of 682 was calculated through the online calculator, data was collected through a well-structured validated questionnaire and analyzed through SPSS Version- 19. Descriptive statistics as frequency, percentage, mean & standard deviation were calculated whereas inferential statistics were done through a chi-square test keeping 0.05 as a significant p-value for association among the variables. <strong>Results; </strong>among the total population, a 100% response rate was seen. The mean age was 22.36 years + 3.850. They showed knowledge 91.90% regarding cervical cancer disease, HPV as the cause of disease with 77.12%, mode of transmission 57.33%, awareness of prevention (92.11%), screening tests (70.03%), age of screening (80.94%), pap test (79.51%), HPV vaccine 81.74%, and age for vaccination as 55.44%. Favorable attitudes of the students were noted as they affirmed that every woman should undergo screening (85.81%), 88.41% preferred a national screening program and 81.72% wished for more training on this subject. Unfavorable practices were as only 1.90% had done pap tests and only 11.1% actually visited the gynecologist. <strong>Conclusion; </strong>Knowledge and attitudes were found to be significant among the undergraduates however behaviors were deficient. </p&gt

Anti-Aging Potential of Phytoextract Loaded-Pharmaceutical Creams for Human Skin Cell Longetivity

The exposure to ultraviolet radiations (UVR) is the key source of skin sunburn; it may produce harmful entities, reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to aging. The skin can be treated and protected from the injurious effects of ROS by using various pharmaceutical formulations, such as cream. Cream can be loaded with antioxidants to quench ROS leading to photo-protective effects. Moreover, modern medicines depend on ethnobotanicals for protection or treatment of human diseases. This review article summarizes various in vivo antioxidant studies on herbal creams loaded with phyto-extracts. These formulations may serve as cosmeceuticals to protect skin against injurious effects of UVR. The botanicals studied for dermatologic use in cream form include Acacia nilotica, Benincasa hispida, Calendula officinalis, Camellia sinensis, Camellia sinensis, Nelumbo nucifera, Capparis decidua, Castanea sativa, Coffea arabica, Crocus sativus, Emblica officinalis Gaertn, Foeniculum vulgare, Hippophae rhamnoides, Lithospermum erythrorhizon, Malus domestica, Matricaria chamomilla L., Moringa oleifera, Morus alba, Ocimum basilicum, Oryza sativa, Polygonum minus, Punica granatum, Silybum marianum, Tagetes erecta Linn., Terminalia chebula, Trigonella foenum-graecum, and Vitis vinifera. The observed anti-aging effects of cream formulations could be an outcome of a coordinating action of multiple constituents. Of numerous botanicals, the phenolic acids and flavonoids appear effective against UVR-induced damage; however the evidence-based studies for their anti-aging effects are still needed

Sarcoid-Like Granulomatous Disease: Pathologic Case Series in World Trade Center Dust Exposed Rescue and Recovery Workers

Sarcoid-like granulomatous diseases (SGD) have been previously identified in cohorts of World Trade Center (WTC) dust-exposed individuals. In the present studies, we analyzed lung and/or lymph node biopsies from patients referred to our clinic with suspected WTC dust-induced lung disease to evaluate potential pathophysiologic mechanisms. Histologic sections of lung and/or lymph node samples were analyzed for markers of injury, oxidative stress, inflammation, fibrosis, and epigenetic modifications. Out of seven patients examined, we diagnosed four with SGD and two with pulmonary fibrosis; one was diagnosed later with SGD at another medical facility. Patients with SGD were predominantly white, obese men, who were less than 50 years old and never smoked. Cytochrome b5, cytokeratin 17, heme oxygenase-1, lipocalin-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase 2, tumor necrosis factor α, ADP-ribosylation factor-like GTPase 11, mannose receptor-1, galectin-3, transforming growth factor β, histone-3 and methylated histone-3 were identified in lung and lymph nodes at varying levels in all samples examined. Three of the biopsy samples with granulomas displayed peri-granulomatous fibrosis. These findings are important and suggest the potential of WTC dust-induced fibrotic sarcoid. It is likely that patient demographics and/or genetic factors influence the response to WTC dust injury and that these contribute to different pathological outcomes

Beneficial Effect of a Selective Adenosine A2A Receptor Antagonist in the APPswe/PS1dE9 Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

International audienceConsumption of caffeine, a non-selective adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) antagonist, reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mitigates both amyloid and Tau lesions in transgenic mouse models of the disease. While short-term treatment with A2AR antagonists have been shown to alleviate cognitive deficits in mouse models of amyloidogenesis, impact of a chronic and long-term treatment on the development of amyloid burden, associated neuroinflammation and memory deficits has never been assessed. In the present study, we have evaluated the effect of a 6-month treatment of APPsw/PS1dE9 mice with the potent and selective A2AR antagonist MSX-3 from 3 to 9-10 months of age. At completion of the treatment, we found that the MSX-3 treatment prevented the development of memory deficits in APP/PS1dE9 mice, without significantly altering hippocampal and cortical gene expressions. Interestingly, MSX-3 treatment led to a significant decrease of Aβ1-42 levels in the cortex of APP/PS1dE9 animals, while Aβ1-40 increased, thereby strongly affecting the Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 ratio. Together, these data support the idea that A2AR blockade is of therapeutic value for AD