Qualitative phytochemical analysis of some selected medicinal plants occurring in local area of Faisalabad, Pakistan

The Qualitative analysis is very essential to identify the phytochemical constituents present in medicinal plants. The medicinal value of plants is due to the presence of particular bioactive constituents. In present study qualitative analysis of seven medicinally important plants, namely Carica papaya (Papaya), Cichorium intybus (Cichory), Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel), Nicotiana tabacum (Tobacco),  Rosa damascena (Red rose), Solanum nigrum (Makao) and Trachyspermum ammi (Ajwain) was done. Saponins, tannins, terpenoids, steroids, starch, total sugar, free reducing sugars, ascorbic acid, alkaloids, phenols, flavoniods and glycosoides were analyzed qualitatively by following the standard protocols. Rosa damascena and Foeniculum vulgare contained all tested constituents. Terpenoids and starch were present in all plant species except Nicotiana tobaccum. Saponins were present in all plants instead of Cichorium intybus

Risk factors associated with relapse of drug dependence after treatment and rehabilitation in areas under the influence of war on terror

Background: People exposed to war on terror are more prone to neuropsychiatric disorders and drug addiction. The present study was aimed to investigate the risk factors associated with relapse of drug dependence after treatment and rehabilitation in areas under the influence of war and terrorism.Methods: Total 57 individuals who had a relapse from the war affected area were included in current study. Retrospective data were collected from Drug Detoxification and Health Welfare Research Center, Bannu, KPK, Pakistan. Along with demographic characteristics, current study also focused on the prevalence of psychological problems due to war, in association with prevalence of relapse.Results: A total of 93% of Individuals with relapse have concurrent stress. Similarly, depression was also common in 78.9% of relapsed individuals. Relapse was more common in Polydrug abusers (66.7%) as compared to single drug abusers. As far as abstinence duration is concerned, subjects having depression and stress due to war, relapsed in less time as compared to individuals with no psychological disorders.Conclusion: Wars are related with mental and psychological problems like stress and depression and these factors significantly contribute to the relapse of drug dependence as suggested by results of current study.Keywords: Drug addiction; Relapse; War on terror; Depressio

Assessment of antibacterial potential of Saccharum spontaneum Linn. (family: Poaceae), against different pathogenic microbes- an in vitro study.

In this study, Saccharum spontaneum (Family: Poaceae), was evaluated for its antibacterial potential against human pathogenic bacterial strains. In-vitro antibacterial tests were performed by disc diffusion method on nutrient agar, in order to analyze the percentage zone of inhibition. Whole plant’s extract showed the significant zone of inhibition (mm), against Staphylococcus aureus (17.00), Streptococcus pneumoniae (16.50), Bacillus cereus (15.90), Bacillus pumilus (15.45), Escherichia coli (18.00), Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.10), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.20) and Citrobacter freundii (14.00), with relative percentages of inhibition of 76.90, 71.60, 57.40, 56.85, 70.40, 69.90, 61.05 and 54.30 respectively. Modified agar well diffusion method was used to measure the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and MIC values lies within the range of 75 to 300?g /ml for the G+ve strains while 75 to 600?g /ml for G-ve.  Due to presence of tannins and flavonoids, it inhibits the growth of bacteria on most regulatory levels such as peptidoglycan, DNA, RNA and protein synthesis

Palindromic Rheumatism: Biology and Treatment Options

Palindromic rheumatism is a syndrome characterized by recurrent, self-resolving, and inflammatory attacks in and around the joints that have long recognized association with rheumatoid arthritis. PR attacks mostly start in small joints i.e. knees, shoulder, and small joints of the hand. Whether PR should be considered as a single disease or prodrome of RA remains a thought-provoking question. Multiple genetic and environmental factors contribute to the development of PR. Many studies have explained the relationship between a high concentration of Anti-CCP antibodies and PR. Potential benefits of Gold therapy have been recognized in literature but still, there are some questions about toxicity and efficacy that need further considerations. In addition to that anti-malarial drugs, Abatacept, Tofacitinib, and Rituximab showed the variable result in different patients and needed further study to validate their medical use. Moreover, yarrow, oat, colchicum, dill, fennel, wild rue, bitter melon, willow, garlic, and burdock seem suitable candidates to treat rheumatoid although their use in PR is still not reported. Additional experimental researches on these drugs lead to an increase in our knowledge to fight against PR in the future using novel therapeutic approaches. We have attempted to cover this topic in a chapter form to provide a comprehensive view and hope that it will serve as a reference for clinicians who treat patients with PR

Cyclosporin A attenuating morphine tolerance through inhibiting NO/ERK signaling pathway in human glioblastoma cell line

Cyclosporin A (CsA) is known to have an immunosuppressive action. However, it is also attracting attention due to its effects on the nervous system, such as inhibiting the development and expression of morphine-induced tolerance and dependence through unknown mechanisms. It has been shown that CsA modulates the nitric oxide (NO) synthesis and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) activation, which are potentially involved in signaling pathways in morphine-induced tolerance in cellular models. Therefore, the current study was designed to evaluate the modulatory role of CsA on the MOR tolerance, by targeting the downstream signaling pathway of NO and ERK using an in vitro model. For this purpose, T98G cells were pretreated with CsA, calcineurin autoinhibitory peptide (CAIP), and NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) 30 min before 18 h exposure to MOR. Then, we analyzed the intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels and also the expression of phosphorylated ERK and nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) proteins. Our results showed that CsA (1 nM, 10 nM, and 100 nM) and CAIP (50 μM) have significantly reduced cAMP and nitrite levels as compared to MOR-treated (2.5 μM) T98G cells. This clearly revealed the attenuation of MOR tolerance by CsA. The expression of nNOS and p-ERK proteins were down-regulated when the T98G cells were pretreated with CsA (1 nM, 10 nM, and 100 nM), CAIP (50 μM), and L-NAME (0.1 mM) as compared to MOR. In conclusion, the CsA pretreatment had a modulatory role in MOR-induced tolerance, which was possibly mediated through NO/ERK signaling pathway

Monitoring of Cadmium and Lead Accumulation in Soil-Forage-Animal Continuum in Pasture Land Irrigated with Ground Water in Bhalwal, Punjab, Pakistan

Recent study was directed to check the accumulation of Cd and Pb in pasture land treated with ground water. In particular the transfer of cadmium and lead from soil to forages and in turn to animal (buffaloes) was conducted in Bhalwal, Punjab, Pakistan which comes under sub-tropical environmental conditions. The Cd and Pb concentration in selected samples was explored by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA-6300 Shimadzu Japan). The results depicted the concentration of cadmium in water, soil, forages, milk and hair of buffaloes was in the range of 0. 00320 – 0.00866 mgL-1, 1.9500 to 5.3000 mg/kg, 0.300 to 0.7100 mgkg-1, 0.1033 to 0.4133 mgL-1 and 0.037 to 0.0656 mg/kg, respectively. The lead concentration was ranged from 0.004 mg/L to 1.963 mgL-1 for water, 5.960 -13.600 mg/kg for soil, 0.293 to 2.570 mg/kg for forages, 0.2166 to 6.100 mg/L for milk and 0.0206 to 0.074 mg/kg for hair samples. Various indices (BCF, PLI, EF, DIM and HRI) were examined and results presented that PLI and EF of Cd, EF and HRI for Pb was above 1 indicating that metal was causing pollution while value of BCF and DIM was below one. If exposed for an extended period of time through feed, forages with a higher Cd and Pb content may harm animal\u27s cells, create respiratory issues and have an adverse effect on the animal\u27s kidney, liver and lungs

Sustainable urban water conservation strategy for a planned city of a developing country : a perspective from DHA City Karachi

Pakistan, previously a water-surplus country, is now a water-stressed country. Water is essential to achieve sustainable urban development, and the use of alternate water resources could provide essential support to urban development in the water crisis scenario. In water-scarce areas, where new water resource implementation is very difficult, water conservation practices serve efficiently and valuably. The study area, DHA City Karachi (DCK), has been visualized as Pakistan’s first city which will likely serve as a role model for the future independent planned cities in the developing world. In this study, after water demand estimation for the study area, water conservation techniques have been implemented using scenario-based model approach. These techniques are water efficient fixtures (WEF) usages, dry cooling in power plant (DCP), grey water recycling (GWR), and black water recycling (BWR). The designed strategy implementation provides an overall 54% water reduction. The result shows that the best water demand reduction strategy is the deployment of WEF which is 59% of the total water reduction. Thus, the results of the study suggest that similar scenario-based urban water conservation strategies can be implemented for other regions of the world having water scarcity

Development of Thermal Camouflage Polyester-Cotton Blended Fabric for Defense Security Personnel via Coating with Graphene Oxide and Reduced Graphene Oxide

In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was prepared with modified Hummer’s method while reduce graphene oxide (rGO) was prepared in the presence of hydrazine hydrate and then coated on polyester cotton (PC) blend camouflage pattern print fabric using the pad-dry-cure method. The as-synthesized GO and rGO were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis, X-ray diffraction (xRD), and UV-visible spectrophotometry. The surface morphology and the thermal camouflage property of the coated fabric were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and infrared thermal imaging test, respectively. The average particle size of GO and rGO were 99.8 nm and 0.4 nm, respectively. The fabrics treated with GO and rGO apparently reduced the emitting temperature of the human body and made it similar to the surrounding environment. The increase in the concentration of coating materials (GO and rGO) resulted in the enhancement of camouflage property. Interestingly, the camouflage property of the coated fabric was very good even after several washing cycles. Based on these scientific outcomes, the coating of PC fabric with GO and rGO is a novel and successful approach in the development of thermal camouflage technical textiles which can be potentially applied on pilot-scale experiments to establish its industrial-scale feasibility

Traffic Related Air Pollution Exposure Effect on Circulating White Blood Cell Counts in Healthy Individuals

During this short term study a total of 110 samples were collected from the selected individuals of study area. This study was aimed to count the White blood cells in the blood samples of individuals, who were mostly exposed to exhaust fumes (air pollution), like traffic constables, cooks and shopkeepers. For this purpose blood samples were taken into an evacuee container having anticoagulant Ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) so to prevent coagulation of blood, for the count of WBCs, heamocyto-meter was used. During the study the body mass index and blood pressure was also measured by digital blood pressure measuring apparatus. Samples were observed under the microscope. It was found that 15% (13,133±2544.081) sampled individuals had increased WBCs and 85% (7821±1482.76) normal WBCs. In female samples 50% (11900±2151.27) were observed with above range of WBCs and other 50% (8540±844.39) with normal range of WBCs count, non-had WBCs count lower than the normal WBCs. Mostly had normal and few had above the range. One way ANOVA has been used to analyze connection of exposure to air pollution with counts of circulating white blood cells

Development of Mosquito-Repellent Camouflage Fabric Using Eucalyptus Oil with <i>Moringa oleifera</i> Gum

Military personnel are exposed to several harsh conditions and mosquitos in mountains and wild forests. Mosquito-repellent textiles can help them to cope with such conditions. The present research work established a sustainable approach for fabricating microcapsules from Eucalyptus oil, Moringa oleifera, and Arabic gum via a complex coacervation method. Moringa oleifera and Arabic gums were utilized as the outer shell of the microcapsules, whereas the core part was made of Eucalyptus oil in different concentrations. The military camouflage-printed polyester/cotton (PC) blended fabric was coated with the as-prepared microcapsules using the pad–dry–cure technique. The surface morphology of the microcapsules was examined using an optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the coated fabric’s mosquito-repellent property was investigated using a specified cage test according to a standard testing protocol. The water absorbency and air permeability of the treated samples were also evaluated in order to learn about the comfort properties. The cage test results revealed that the coated fabric had a good tendency to repel the mosquitoes used in the cage test. In addition, the coated fabric showed significant durability even after several rigorous washing cycles. However, the application of microcapsules to the fabric slightly affected the water absorbency and air permeability of the fabric. This study presents a novel sustainable approach for fabricating microcapsules from the mentioned precursors and their application in the field of textiles, particularly for military purposes