The analgesic and anticonvulsant effects of piperine in mice

Piperine, is the major active principal of black pepper. In traditional medicine, black pepper has been used as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory agent and in the treatment of epilepsy. This study was conducted to evaluate the in vivo analgesic and anticonvulsant effects of piperine in mice. The analgesic and anticonvulsant effects of piperine were studied in mice using acetic acid-induced writhing, tail flick assay, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)- and picrotoxin (PIC)-induced seizures models. The intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of piperine (30, 50 and 70 mg/kg) significantly inhibited (P\u3c0.01) the acetic acid-induced writhing in mice, similar to the effect of indomethacin (20 mg/kg i.p.). In the tail flick assay, piperine (30 and 50 mg/kg, i.p.) and morphine (5 mg/kg, i.p.) caused a significant increase (P\u3c0.01) in the reaction time of mice. Pre-treatment of animals with naloxone (5 mg/kg i.p.), reversed the analgesic effects of both piperine and morphine in the tail flick assay. Piperine (30, 50 and 70 mg/kg, i.p.) and standard drugs, valproic acid (200 mg/kg, i.p.), carbamazepine (30 mg/kg, i.p.) and diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly (P\u3c0.01) delayed the onset of PTZ-and PIC-induced seizures in mice. These findings indicate that piperine exhibits analgesic and anticonvulsant effects possibly mediated via opioid and GABA-ergic pathways respectively. Moreover, piperine being the main constituent of black pepper, may be contributing factor in the medicinal uses of black pepper in pain and epileps

Switched reluctance motor design for electric vehicles based on harmonics and back EMF analysis

Permanent magnet synchronous motors are widely accepted in automotive applications. The high torque density, high rotational speed with maximum efficiency in electric vehicle applications is technically challenging for motor design. However, these machines are expensive and difficult to work at high-temperature harsh environment due to permanent magnets demagnetisation features. Alternatively, switched reluctance motors can provide similar output characteristics and a wider speed. Thus these are considered to be more fault tolerant and more reliable. This study proposes a 20 kW, three-phase switched reluctance motor and analyse its overall performance and harmonic contents. The study is conducted by optimising the slot filling factor, excitation voltage and switching sequence of an asymmetrical half bridge converter. A finite element model is used to predict the core and copper losses and other influencing parameters. Simulation results are presented and analysed the effectiveness of the proposed switched reluctance motor (SRM)

686 La Revue de Santé de la Méditerranée orientale

ABSTRACT A placebo-controlled trial compared 6% hexadecyl-phosphorylcholine (HePC) and 12% benzethonium chloride ointment with placebo ointment for treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Cuta--neous lesions were experimentally induced by inoculation with leishmania promastigotes in 60 golden hamsters. Forty (40) animals were treated with drug and 20 with placebo ointment applied twice daily for 15 days. After treatment, all lesions were significantly reduced in size in the treatment group compared with the placebo ointment. No parasites were detected in smears from 35/40 of the drug-treated lesions and no relapses occurred over 120 days of observation. 5 Efficacy of hexadecyl-phosphorylcholine ointment for treatment of cutaneous La pommade d'héxadécylphosphocholine pour le traitement de la leishmaniose cutanée : essai sur l'animal RÉSUMÉ Un essai contrôlé contre placebo a comparé une pommade contenant 6 % d'héxadécyl--phosphocholine et 12 % de chlorure de benzéthonium avec une pommade placebo pour le traitement de la leishmaniose cutanée. Les lésions cutanées ont été induites expérimentalement par inoculation de promastigotes de leishmania sur 60 hamsters dorés. Quarante (40) animaux ont été traités avec le médicament et 20 avec la pommade placebo appliquée deux fois par jour pendant 15 jours. Après le traitement, toutes les lésions ont significativement diminué en taille dans le groupe du traitement par rapport à la pommade placebo. Aucun parasite n'a été détecté dans les frottis de 35 des 40 lésions traitées par le médicament et aucune rechute ne s'est produite pendant 120 jours d'observation

Incidence of shoulder dystocia and its relation to brachial plexus palsy: a 10 year retrospective review at King Abdulaziz University Hospital

Background: Objective of the study was to determine the incidence of shoulder dystocia (SD) in King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), with a focus on Brachial Plexus Palsy (BPP) and the accompanying risk factors.Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of all vaginal deliveries between 2005 and 2014. Out of 29,199 vaginal deliveries, 236 cases where diagnosed with SD at KAUH in Jeddah, KSA. The following maternal and perinatal variables were reviewed by the patients' medical records: (booking status, maternal age, gestational age, maternal Body Mass Index (BMI), presence of diabetes, previous history of SD, instrumental delivery, Birth weight, Erb's and Klumpke's palsies).Results: A total of 236 cases had SD with an incidence of (0.8%). Only 55 cases among all had BPP. The Erb's palsy was found in 54 cases (30.7%) while Klumpke's palsy was found only in one case (0.6%). There were 121 (68.8%) cases with no BPP and a remaining of 60 unknown BPP outcomes. From the total number of cases with SD, mothers with overweight and obesity were found in 93% of the cases.Conclusions: Most of clinically diagnosed SD cases did not give the consequence of BPP. However, this complication in addition to other complications of SD mandates extra caution in cases with risk factors

Influence of Sleeve Gastrectomy on NASH and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is present in up to 85% of adipose patients and may proceed to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). With insulin resistance and obesity being the main risk factors for NASH, the effect of isolated sleeve gastrectomy (ISG) on these parameters was examined. Methods. 236 patients underwent ISG with intraoperative liver biopsy from December 2002 to September 2009. Besides demographic data, pre-operative weight/BMI, HbA1c, AST, ALT, triglycerides, HDL and LDL levels were determined. Results. A significant correlation of NASH with higher HbA1c, AST and ALT and lower levels for HDL was observed (P < .05, <.0001, <.0001, <.01, resp.). Overall BMI decreased from 45.0 ± 6.8 to 29.7 ± 6.5 and 31.6 ± 4.4 kg/m2 at 1 and 3 years. An impaired weight loss was demonstrated for patients with NASH and patients with elevated HbA1c (plateau 28.08 kg/m2 versus 29.79 kg/m2 and 32.30 kg/m2 versus 28.79 kg/m2, resp.). Regarding NASH, a significant improvement of AST, ALT, triglyceride and HDL levels was shown (P < .0001 for all). A resolution of elevated HbA1c was observed in 21 of 23 patients. Summary. NASH patients showed a significant loss of body weight and amelioration of NASH status. ISG can be successfully performed in these patients and should be recommended for this subgroup

Interface modification of clay and graphene platelets reinforced epoxy nanocomposites: a comparative study

The interface between the matrix phase and dispersed phase of a composite plays a critical role in influencing its properties. However, the intricate mecha-nisms of interface are not fully understood, and polymer nanocomposites are no exception. This study compares the fabrication, morphology, and mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy nanocomposites tuned by clay layers (denoted as m-clay) and graphene platelets (denoted as m-GP). It was found that a chemical modification, layer expansion and dispersion of filler within the epoxy matrix resulted in an improved interface between the filler mate-rial and epoxy matrix. This was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope. The enhanced interface led to improved mechanical properties (i.e. stiffness modulus, fracture toughness) and higher glass transition temperatures (Tg) compared with neat epoxy. At 4 wt% m-GP, the critical strain energy release rate G1c of neat epoxy improved by 240 % from 179.1 to 608.6 J/m2 and Tg increased from 93.7 to 106.4 �C. In contrast to m-clay, which at 4 wt%, only improved the G1c by 45 % and Tg by 7.1 %. The higher level of improvement offered by m-GP is attributed to the strong interaction of graphene sheets with epoxy because the covalent bonds between the carbon atoms of graphene sheets are much stronger than silicon-based clay

Effect of the COVID-19 Vaccine on the Menstrual Cycle among Females in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: The number of reports of menstrual changes after COVID-19 vaccination in the Saudi population is still unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effect of the COVID-19 vaccine(Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna) on the menstrual cycle among females in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia at Umm Al-Qura University (UQU) from August 2021 to February 2022. Data was collected through a previously validated online questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 2338 participants who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine participated in this study; 1606 (68.7%) of them received the second dose in addition to the first. The mean age of the study participants was 35.4±9.5 years. No significant associations were found between the type of COVID-19 vaccine and the impact on the menstrual cycle, either for the first or second dose (P-values &gt; 0.05). A significant association was found only between the first dose vaccination day and the impact on the menstrual cycle in the second question of “After receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, your next period was” (P-value ≤ 0.05). Significant associations were found between the second dose vaccination day and the impact on the menstrual cycle in the first and second questions of “After receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, your next period was”, and “After receiving the first dose, your next period was," respectively (P-values ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study found a potential association between the COVID-19 vaccine and menstrual cycle irregularities, which could impact females' quality of life

Systematic analysis of disease-specific immunological signatures in patients with febrile illness from Saudi Arabia

10.1002/cti2.1163Clinical and Translational Immunology98e116

Impact of identity politics on education in Pakistan: a comparison between Balochistan and Punjab

This research paper examines the impact of ethnic identity based politics on education in Pakistan through in-depth interviews with young professionals from Balochistan and Punjab. Findings suggest that there is the Punjabi-dominated power structure results in an unequal allocation of financial resources, whereby Balochistan lacks the financial resources to invest in education development. In addition, political instability caused by unprecedented ethnic strife contributes towards poor quality education, which, as a result, adversely impacts a Balochi's future course of life. On the other hand, Punjabis are at an advantage in the public arena because of their robust educational foundation