Protective effects of Celosia argentea Linn. Vitamin E and dexamethasone on radiation-induced damage on the developing rat cerebellum

The potential neuroprotective effect of aqueous extract of Celosia argentea Linn (AECA), Vitamin E (Vit E) and Dexamethasone (Dexa) on radiation-induced damage on the developing rat cerebellum was studied. Forty-two female rats weighing between 147 g and 222 g were randomized into six groups (N=7). Control group – Group I, Irrad group – Group II, AECA group – Group III, AECA + Irrad group – Group IV, Vit E + Irrad group – Group V and Dexa+ Irrad group – Group VI. Rats were mated and pregnant rats were exposed to 2.5 Gy gamma radiation on gestation day 7. The administration of 400 mg/kg of AECA, 500 mg/kg of Vit E and 0.005 ml/rat of Dexa started from gestation day 1 till postnatal day 28. Postpartum, 5 pups from each group were exposed to behavioural and biochemical tests and then sacrificed. Brain tissue fixed in 10% formalin, processed by paraffin wax method was stained with H&E and Cresyl violet stains for histology. Radiation significantly (p<0.05) reduced gross, behavioural, histological and histomorphometric parameters, while eliciting oxidative stress relative to control group on post-natal days 7, 14, 21 and 28. Treatment with AECA, Vit E and Dexa with radiation significantly (p<0.05) reduced most of the alterations induced by radiation in the various parameters. This study confirmed development of oxidative stress in rat pups using single dose 2.5 Gy gamma-irradiation. The antioxidant properties of AECA and Vit E and the anti-inflammatory property of Dexa were able to mitigate the alterations in the developing rat brain parameters.Key words: Gamma-radiation, neuroprotective, plant products, rat brain

Comparative Study of Microwave-assisted and Conventional Synthesis of 3-[1-(s-phenylimino) Ethyl]-2H-chromen-2-ones and Selected Hydrazone Derivatives

In this study, 3-acetylcoumarin 1, used as the essential precursor was synthesized by the reaction of salicyaldehyde with ethyl acetoacetate in the presence of a catalytic amount of piperidine in solvent-free medium. Schiff bases 2-9 were obtained by the condensation reaction of 3-acetylcoumarin, 1 with various aniline derivatives while reaction of 3-hydrazinoquinoxalin-2-one with four different 6-susbtituted 3-acetylcoumarins afforded the corresponding hydrazones 10-13. Both Schiff bases and hydrazone products were synthesized under microwave irradiation method and conventional synthetic strategy for comparative study. The microwave assisted reaction was remarkably successful and gave both Schiff bases and hydrazones in higher yields at shorter reaction time compared to conventional heating method. The characterization of the synthesized compounds were structurally confirmed by analytical data as well as spectroscopic means which involved 1H-and 13C-nmr, ir, UV-visible and mass spectra

Antioxidative and Chemopreventive Properties of Vernonia amygdalina and Garcinia biflavonoid

Recently, considerable attention has been focused on dietary and medicinal phytochemicals that inhibit, reverse or retard diseases caused by oxidative and inflammatory processes. Vernonia amygdalina is a perennial herb belonging to the Asteraceae family. Extracts of the plant have been used in various folk medicines as remedies against helminthic, protozoal and bacterial infections with scientific support for these claims. Phytochemicals such as saponins and alkaloids, terpenes, steroids, coumarins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, lignans, xanthones, anthraquinones, edotides and sesquiterpenes have been extracted and isolated from Vernonia amygdalina. These compounds elicit various biological effects including cancer chemoprevention. Garcinia kola (Guttiferae) seed, known as “bitter kola”, plays an important role in African ethnomedicine and traditional hospitality. It is used locally to treat illnesses like colds, bronchitis, bacterial and viral infections and liver diseases. A number of useful phytochemicals have been isolated from the seed and the most prominent of them is the Garcinia bioflavonoids mixture called kolaviron. It has well-defined structure and an array of biological activities including antioxidant, antidiabetic, antigenotoxic and hepatoprotective properties. The chemopreventive properties of Vernonia amygdalina and Garcinia biflavonoids have been attributed to their abilities to scavenge free radicals, induce detoxification, inhibit stress response proteins and interfere with DNA binding activities of some transcription factors

Epidemiology of Untreated Psychoses in 3 Diverse Settings in the Global South: The International Research Program on Psychotic Disorders in Diverse Settings (INTREPID II)

IMPORTANCE: Less than 10% of research on psychotic disorders has been conducted in settings in the Global South, which refers broadly to the regions of Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. There is a lack of basic epidemiological data on the distribution of and risks for psychoses that can inform the development of services in many parts of the world. OBJECTIVE: To compare demographic and clinical profiles of cohorts of cases and rates of untreated psychoses (proxy for incidence) across and within 3 economically and socially diverse settings in the Global South. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) demographic and clinical profiles of cases with an untreated psychotic disorder vary across setting and (2) rates of untreated psychotic disorders vary across and within setting by clinical and demographic group. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The International Research Program on Psychotic Disorders in Diverse Settings (INTREPID II) comprises incidence, case-control, and cohort studies of untreated psychoses in catchment areas in 3 countries in the Global South: Kancheepuram District, India; Ibadan, Nigeria; and northern Trinidad. Participants were individuals with an untreated psychotic disorder. This incidence study was conducted from May 1, 2018, to July 31, 2020. In each setting, comprehensive systems were implemented to identify and assess all individuals with an untreated psychosis during a 2-year period. Data were analyzed from January 1 to May 1, 2022. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The presence of an untreated psychotic disorder, assessed using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry, which incorporate the Present State Examination. RESULTS: Identified were a total of 1038 cases, including 64 through leakage studies (Kancheepuram: 268; median [IQR] age, 42 [33-50] years; 154 women [57.5%]; 114 men [42.5%]; Ibadan: 196; median [IQR] age, 34 [26-41] years; 93 women [47.4%]; 103 men [52.6%]; Trinidad: 574; median [IQR] age, 30 [23-40] years; 235 women [40.9%]; 339 men [59.1%]). Marked variations were found across and within settings in the sex, age, and clinical profiles of cases (eg, lower percentage of men, older age at onset, longer duration of psychosis, and lower percentage of affective psychosis in Kancheepuram compared with Ibadan and Trinidad) and in rates of untreated psychosis. Age- and sex-standardized rates of untreated psychoses were approximately 3 times higher in Trinidad (59.1/100 000 person-years; 95% CI, 54.2-64.0) compared with Kancheepuram (20.7/100 000 person-years; 95% CI, 18.2-23.2) and Ibadan (14.4/100 000 person-years; 95% CI, 12.3-16.5). In Trinidad, rates were approximately 2 times higher in the African Trinidadian population (85.4/100 000 person-years; 95% CI, 76.0-94.9) compared with the Indian Trinidadian (43.9/100 000 person-years; 95% CI, 35.7-52.2) and mixed populations (50.7/100 000 person-years; 95% CI, 42.0-59.5). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This analysis adds to research that suggests that core aspects of psychosis vary by historic, economic, and social context, with far-reaching implications for understanding and treatment of psychoses globally

The use of apical translucent dentine of the lower central incisors to predict age in individual or known gender

Apical translucent dentine has been shown to provide accurate results for age  estimation but its value in discriminating gender has received little attention. The objective of the current study was to determine the association between apical  translucent dentine of the lower central incisors with age and gender. Sixty  permanent lower central incisors were collected and were sectioned to a thickness of 5 mm. Apical translucent dentine was measured using callipers. This was followed by the creation of a series of scatter plots and regression line calculation for the association between apical translucent dentine and age. Regression analysis was done to determine the differences between male and female subjects’, both as a single and as an interaction term between gender and percentage length of apical  translucent dentine. There was no significant difference in the mean age with  respect to gender (mean difference -0.17, Pvalue= 0.94). Significant correlations  were observed between age and apical dentine translucence (I) (0.95, P-value  <0.01). This significant correlation was maintained even after dividing by the root length (L) (0.99, P-value <0.01). In the final model all the variables were retained to give a prediction line described by the equation Age= 9.96 + 0.52  (I/L*100)-0.68 (gender). Apical translucent dentine was strongly correlated to age. The ratio between apical dentine translucence (I) and root length increased significantly by 0.52% for every additional year in the age of the participant sampled, which was significantly lower in females than males. Keywords: Age estimation, apical translucent dentine, forensic odontology