Comparison of Caralluma tuberculata with Metformin for Anti-Diabetic Activity: An Animal Study

Background: Caralluma tuberculata, is a wild herb, which grows in the hills of Balochistan and has been known to have medicinal and nutritional properties since antiquity. This experimental research was designed to study the hypoglycemic properties of Caralluma tuberculata and to compare them with Metformin.Material and Methods: This was a laboratory-based animal experimental study. It was conducted in the Pharmacology laboratory of Khyber Medical University, Peshawar from February 2016 to August 2016. Two types of extracts of Caralluma tuberculata [crude extract and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) extract] were prepared and administered to normal and alloxan treated diabetic rabbits. To study anti-diabetic activity, eighty-four rabbits were divided into two main groups. Group I (Normal/Non-Diabetic Rabbits; n= 21) and Group II (Diabetic/Alloxanized Rabbits; n=63). Each group was further divided into sub-groups (7 rabbits in each). Effect of Caralluma tuberculata, Metformin and 2% gum tragacanth on blood glucose levels were checked at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 24 hours of drug administration. The extracts were given in capsule form and in cooking oil. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 16. For calculation and comparison of the hypoglycemic effects at various doses and different time intervals, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s post hoc test were applied.Results: The crude extract, 200mg/kg body weight of Caralluma tuberculata showed significant decrease (p<0.001) in mean blood glucose levels from 2-hour till12 hours. Whereas, highly significant reduction of blood glucose was seen from 2 hours after treatment till 24 hours, when carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) fraction of Caralluma (100mg/kg body weight) in capsule form was administered. Metformin 500mg/kg body weight was given to compare its effects with plant crude extract and it was found that metformin appeared to be less effective in comparison with Caralluma tuberculata.Conclusion: Caralluma tuberculata lowered the blood glucose level and turned out to be more significant in developing hypoglycemia when taken with cooking oil. More work is essential to provide stronger evidence for the use of this natural agent in the management of Diabetes Mellites

To Innovate Wireless Security Protocols’ Improvement: Inventive Principles, Guidelines and Potential Recommendations

The research documents importance of widespread wireless networks. With increase in wireless networks usage, security concerns in wireless networks are becoming more serious. This article sheds light on existing deficiencies in techniques and protocols of wireless networks security. Considering the deficient factors and to seek possible future improvements, the research presented potential usage of Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) in field of wireless network security. It derives set of guidelines from TRIZ knowledgebase to provide conceptual thinking support for solution hunters in field of wireless network security. The proposed conception of deriving innovative guidelines from TRIZ knowledgebase provides a novel way to implement TRIZ in network security field

Development of a Set of Futuristic Guidelines for Technical Assets Management

The paper presents a concept of sector specific guidance generation for engineers and technical solution seekers in field of power assets management. The developed guidance seeks to make solution hunting process more guided, systematic and innovative. It takes scenario of smart grid technologies implementation and discusses the possible utilization of smart grid technologies’ potential for power asset management. For generating the innovative and systematic guidance framework, the research utilizes the inventive knowledgebase of Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ). Using TRIZ researchers’ works, it develops a methodology to generate sector specific guidance from TRIZ inventive knowledgebase. Using the developed guidance methodology, this paper generates a guidance framework for solution seekers in field of asset management. &nbsp

Mabit malam bina terpadu: for beginner

Mabit merupakan kegiatan membumikan nilai nilai sufistik ke dalam pribadi mahasiswa yang terdapat kegiatan penambahan wawasan ketasawufan secara lebih dalam dan terlembaga juga ada amaliah-amaliah umum yang diamalkan. mabit ini juga berupaya memberikan kesadaran pada peserta bahwa kepintaran dan keilmuan itu harus seimbang pula dengan kreativitas amaliahnya

Dengue Outbreaks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan in 2017: An Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response System (IDSRS)-Based Report

Snažni bočni vjetrovi koji pušu na mostovima i vijaduktima mogu dovesti do gubitka dinamičke stabilnosti vozila koja prelaze most. Da bi se omogućio nesmetan i siguran promet čak i u slučajevima nepovoljnih vremenskih uvjeta uzrokovanih snažnim bočnim vjetrom, na mostove se postavljaju zaštitni vjetrobrani. Karakteristike strujanja zraka preko mosta su značajno promijenjene u slučaju postavljanja vjetrobrana različitih visina i poroznosti. U okviru ovog rada ispitan je utjecaj visine vjetrobrana te utjecaj poroznosti vjetrobrana na karakteristike strujanja zraka oko vozila koje se nalazi na mostu. Vjetrobran je postavljen samo na uzvodni rub mosta, a za vozilo je korišten model Ahmedovog tijela koji je u svim simulacijama postavljen na udaljenost 2 m nizvodno od vjetrobrana. Pri računalnim simulacijama korišten je model stacionarnog trodimenzijskog turbulentnog strujanja nestlačivog fluida te k-ω SST model turbulencije sa standardnim zidnim funkcijama. Dobiveni rezultati ukazuju na značajan utjecaj vjetrobrana na koeficijente tlaka na površini vozila. Manja poroznost vjetrobrana i veća visina vjetrobrana uzrokuju smanjenje koeficijenta tlaka na nastrujavanoj površini vozila. Iako su vrijednosti koeficijenta tlaka na površini vozila za male poroznosti vjetrobrana relativno male, raspodjela vrtložnosti struje zraka sugerira da može doći do povećanih vrijednosti standardnih devijacija aerodinamičkih sila koje djeluju na vozilo. Karakteristike vjetrobrana imaju bitan utjecaj na raspodjelu brzine strujanja zraka uzvodno od vozila, odnosno u prostoru između vjetrobrana i vozila. Smanjenjem poroznosti vjetrobrana se brzine strujanja zraka u tom području značajno smanjuju. Utjecaj poroznosti vjetrobrana na raspodjelu brzine strujanja zraka u ovom području je značajniji u odnosu na utjecaj visine vjetrobrana. Aerodinamičke sile i momenti zabilježeni na vozilu su značajno smanjeni kada je vjetrobran postavljen na most. Rezultati dobiveni u okviru ovog rada sugeriraju da je, s obzirom na aerodinamičke sile koje djeluju na vozilo, optimalna visina vjetrobrana 5 m uz njihovu poroznost u iznosu od 30%.Strong cross winds that commonly blow on bridges and viaducts may cause dynamic instabilities of vehicles crossing the bridge. To allow for safe traffic even in the periods of bad weather conditions such as strong cross winds, bridges are equipped with wind barriers. Flow characteristics around the bridge are significantly modified with respect to the wind barrier height and porosity. In the present work, the influence of wind barrier height and porosity on flow characteristics around the vehicle passing the bridge was studied. The wind barrier was placed on the windward bridge-deck edge only, while the Ahmed body was used as a vehicle. It was placed 2 m downwind of the wind barrier. In the computational simulations, the stationary 3D turbulent incompressible flow was modeled together with the k-ω SST turbulence model and standard wall functions. The obtained results generally show a significant influence of the wind barrier on the pressure coefficients observed on the vehicle surface. Smaller porosity and larger height of the wind barrier causes smaller pressure coefficients on the windward side of the vehicle. Even though the pressure coefficients on the vehicle for the low-porous wind barrier are relatively small, the distribution of the flow vorticity suggests larger values of the standard deviation of the aerodynamic forces acting on the vehicle. Wind-barrier characteristics proved to have a large influence on the distribution of flow velocity in the area upstream of the vehicle and downstream of the wind barrier. For smaller porosities of the wind barrier, flow velocities in this area are significantly smaller. The influence of the porosity on the distribution of flow velocities in this area is relatively larger compared to the height of the wind barrier. The aerodynamic forces and moment are generally smaller when the wind barrier is in place. The obtained results suggest that the 5 m high and 30% porous wind barrier is optimal with respect to the aerodynamic forces and moment acting on the vehicle on the bridge

Exogenous Melatonin Improves Cold Tolerance of Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) through Modulation of DREB/CBF-COR Pathway and Antioxidant Defense System

The strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) is an important fruit crop cultivated worldwide for its unique taste and nutritional properties. One of the major risks associated with strawberry production is cold damage. Recently, melatonin has emerged as a multifunctional signaling molecule that influences plant growth and development and reduces adverse consequences of cold stress. The present study was conducted to investigate the defensive role of melatonin and its potential interrelation with abscisic acid (ABA) in strawberry plants under cold stress. The results demonstrate that melatonin application conferred improved cold tolerance on strawberry seedlings by reducing malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide contents under cold stress. Conversely, pretreatment of strawberry plants with 100 μM melatonin increased soluble sugar contents and different antioxidant enzyme activities (ascorbate peroxidase, catalase, and peroxidase) and non-enzymatic antioxidant (ascorbate and glutathione) activities under cold stress. Furthermore, exogenous melatonin treatment stimulated the expression of the DREB/CBF—COR pathways’ downstream genes. Interestingly, ABA treatment did not change the expression of the DREB/CBF—COR pathway. These findings imply that the DREB/CBF-COR pathway confers cold tolerance on strawberry seedlings through exogenous melatonin application. Taken together, our results reveal that melatonin (100 μM) pretreatment protects strawberry plants from the damages induced by cold stress through enhanced antioxidant defense potential and modulating the DREB/CBF—COR pathway. View Full-Tex