Extraction and Nanoencapsulation of Ocimum Gratissimum Leaf Extract and Its Anti-Mycobacterial Activities

Isolation of saponin from the methanol extract of Ocimum gratissimum leaves, its identification with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), application of the saponin in the synthesis of nanoemulsion and their antimicrobial activities were carried out. 0.7mg was isolated from 40g of powdered leaves mixed with 70% of methanol. The methanol and saponin extracts were subjected to HPLC analysis. The methanol extracts revealed 15 peaks and the saponin revealed 8 peaks with a total elution time of 30 minutes each. The saponin was used to synthesize nanoemulsion (emulsifier). The nanoemulsion and saponin were subjected to antituberculosis activity. The nanoemulsion has better anti-tuberculosis activity than the saponin due to its Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC). This goes to confirm the importance of nanomedicine in the drug delivery system and its application on diverse areas such as food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and material synthesis. The biological synthesis is an eco-friendly alternative to the chemical and physical methods. Keywords: Extraction, Natural Product, Nanoencapsulation, Ocimum gratissimum, Anti-Mycobacterial, Tuberculosis. DOI: 10.7176/CMR/12-2-03 Publication date: February 29th 202

Quality assessment of some brands of Ciprofloxacin tablets on sale in Abuja, Nigeria

The quality of the various brands of ciprofloxacin tablets in circulation within Abuja, the Federal Capital City of Nigeria, was assessed. Spectrophotometric evaluation showed that all the brands contained a chemical equivalent of ciprofloxacin within the limits of the official specification. However their antimicrobial activity as indicated by the zone of inhibition was less than that of the reference standard. Three of the ten samples tested failed the disintegration and dissolution tests as specified by the British Pharmacopoeia for film coated tablets. Key words: Ciprofloxacin; Quality assessment; Spectrophotometric evaluation; Microbial potency Journal of Pharmacy and Bioresources Vol. 2 (1) 2004: 49-5

The distributional implications of a carbon tax in Ireland

We study the effects of carbon tax and revenue recycling across the income distribution in the Republic of Ireland. In absolute terms, a carbon tax of €20/tCO2 would cost the poorest households less than €3/week and the richest households more than €4/week. A carbon tax is regressive, therefore. However, if the tax revenue is used to increase social benefits and tax credits, households across the income distribution can be made better off without exhausting the total carbon tax revenue

A meta-analysis identifies new loci associated with body mass index in individuals of African ancestry

<p>Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 36 loci associated with body mass index (BMI), predominantly in populations of European ancestry. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the association of >3.2 million SNPs with BMI in 39,144 men and women of African ancestry and followed up the most significant associations in an additional 32,268 individuals of African ancestry. We identified one new locus at 5q33 (GALNT10, rs7708584, P = 3.4 x 10(-11)) and another at 7p15 when we included data from the GIANT consortium (MIR148A-NFE2L3, rs10261878, P = 1.2 x 10(-10)). We also found suggestive evidence of an association at a third locus at 6q16 in the African-ancestry sample (KLHL32, rs974417, P = 6.9 x 10(-8)). Thirty-two of the 36 previously established BMI variants showed directionally consistent effect estimates in our GWAS (binomial P = 9.7 x 10(-7)), five of which reached genome-wide significance. These findings provide strong support for shared BMI loci across populations, as well as for the utility of studying ancestrally diverse populations.</p>