Antioxidant activities of the selected plants from the family Euphorbiaceae, Lauraceae, Malvaceae and Balsaminaceae

Extraction of nine plants selected from the family Euphorbiaceae, Lauraceae, Malvaceae and Balsaminaceae was done in petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol/n-butanol in order of increasing polarity using soxhlet apparatus. Total phenolic contents were determined with Folin- Ciocalteu reagent which ranged from 30.5 to 547.0 mg GAE/g of extract. Maximum phenolic contents were found in n-butanol extract of Ricinus communis. Antioxidant activities of these extracts were evaluated through DPPH• radical scavenging, phosphomolybdate and ferric thiocyanate (FTC) methods. Methanolic extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Cinnamomum tamala showed highest antiradical (96.8%) and phosphomolybdate (1.131) activity, respectively, while ethyl acetate extract of R. communis exhibited maximum lipid per-oxidation (FTC) activity (79.3%). IC50 value of chloroform extract of C. tamala (2.2 g/ml) was less than gallic acid (4.4 g/ml), while ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of Abutilon bidentatum, Impatiens bicolor and Impatiens edgeworthii exhibited the IC50 values in the range of 10.0 - 20.0 g/ml

Effect of plant growth regulators and activated charcoal on in vitro growth and development of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq. var. Dura) zygotic embryo

The effect of plant growth regulators and activated charcoal (AC) on in vitro regeneration and plantlet development of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq. var. Dura) zygotic embryos were assessed. Zygotic embryos were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with a blend of 0.05 or 0.1 mg/L of each plant growth regulators (PGR) (gibberellic acid, 6-benzlaminopurine and α-naphthaleneacetic acid) without or with 2 g/L AC. The growth and development of the embryos were affected by the types of media formulations. Zygotic embryos cultured on MS medium supplemented with both PGR and AC enhanced shoot initiation and subsequent plantlet development, while PGR supplemented MS media without AC led to abnormal growth, suggesting that AC is indispensable for oil palm plantlet regeneration in vitro. The best medium for growth and development of plantlets was MS medium supplemented with 0.1 mg/L PGR and 2 g/L AC which significantly increased plantlet height (9.4 cm) as well as root length (4.4 cm) than the remaining media formulations.Key words: Activated charcoal, oil palm, plant growth regulators, zygotic embryo

Evaluating the Perception and Awareness of Patients Regarding Ovarian Cysts in Peshawar, Pakistan

Purpose: To evaluate patients’ perception regarding ovarian cyst as well as their awareness of the symptoms and health management of the disease.Methods: A quantitative research approach was used to conduct this study. Patients were selected from the Gynecology wards, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar and a questionnaire was designed to evaluate the patients’ knowledge and awareness.Results: When women were asked if they had prior knowledge about the ovarian cyst, 37 (58.7 %) responded that they were first told by the  physician during their visit to the clinic or hospital while the patients  responded, “Still don’t know” are 22 (34.9 %). With respect to educational level of the patients, they seemed to be less aware of the disease. Their perception regarding the disease is that they had a “water filled” balloon or tumor.Conclusion: Prior to discharge of an ovarian cyst patient from the hospital, she should be counseled on the disease and successful treatment outcomes. Counseling of the patients may result in compliance with therapy, good quality of life and lower economic burden.Keywords: Ovarian cyst, Menstrual cycle, Awareness, Perception, Treatment outcome

Screening of various botanical extracts for antioxidant activity using DPPH free radical method

Aiming at the exploration of herbal use by society, crude extracts of the seeds of some commonly used medicinal plants (Vitis vinifera, Tamarindus indica and Glycin max) were screened for their free radical scavenging  properties using ascorbic acid as standard antioxidant. Free radical scavenging activity was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical. The overall antioxidant activity of grape seeds (Vitis vinifera) was the strongest, followed in descending order by soybean (Glycin max) and tamarind (Tamarindus indica). The seeds extract of Vitis vinifera, Glycin max and Tamarindus indica showed 85.61%, 83.45% and 79.26%, DPPH  scavenging activity respectively.Key words: Antioxidant activity, DPPH, free-radical, Vitis vinifera, Glycin max, Tamarindus indica

Intra-operative measurement of tumour size in breast cancer and its comparison with other methods: a prospective study

Accurate measurement of breast tumour size determines staging and prognosis. Discrepancies amongst clinical examination (CE), ultrasonography (USG), mammography, pathological examination (PE) and magnetic resonance imaging have been reported. However, few studies have evaluated changes in breast tumour size from the operating table to the laboratory

STUDIES ON SOME BIOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF OVARIAN FOLLICULAR FLUID AND PERIPHERAL BLOOD IN BUFFALOES

This project was designed to study some biochemical constituents of ovarian follicular fluid (FF) and peripheral blood in buffaloes. For this purpose, ovaries were collected from adult buffaloes immediately after slaughter, FF was aspirated and stored at -4°C. Blood samples were also collected from these buffaloes before slaughter, plasma was separated and stored for further analysis. Samples were classified into two groups according to the follicle diameter i.e. small (3-10 mm) and large (11-20 mm). The FF and plasma samples were analyzed for various biochemical constituents, including glucose, cholesterol, total proteins, albumin, globulin, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, triiodothyronine and thyroxine contents, using commercial kits.The results showed that small follicles had significantly lower (P<0.05) glucose contents than large follicles, while blood plasma had significantly higher (P<0.05) glucose contents than fluid from both classes of follicles. The differences in concentrations of cholesterol, total proteins, albumin and globulin between small and large follicles were non-significant. The concentrations of these compounds were higher in the blood than in FF, except albumin, which was higher in FF than in the blood. Contents of electrolytes and trace elements did not vary between the two follicle classes. However, the plasma levels of these electrolytes and trace elements, except potassium and zinc, were significantly higher (p<0.05) than their levels in FF. The level of potassium was significantly higher (P<0.05) in FF than in the plasma, while serum zinc level did not differ from FF. The differences in concentrations of triiodothyronine and thyroxine in fluid from small and large sized follicles were non-significant. Likewise, the levels of these hormones were non-significantly higher in blood plasma than in FF. It was concluded that FF levels of glucose differed between small and large follicle groups, while blood levels of most of constituents were higher than their levels in FF

Synthesis of DMEA-Grafted Anion Exchange Membrane for Adsorptive Discharge of Methyl Orange from Wastewaters

This manuscript describes the synthesis of dimethylethanolamine (DMEA)-grafted anion exchange membrane (AEM) by incorporating dimethylethanolamine as ion-exchange content into the polymer matrix via the solution casting method. The synthesis of the DMEA-grafted AEM was demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The prepared DMEA-grafted AEM exhibited higher thermal stability, homogeneous morphology, water uptake (WR) of 115%, and an ion exchange capacity (IEC) of 2.70 meq/g. It was used for the adsorptive removal of methyl orange (MO) from an aqueous solution via batch processing. The effect of several operating factors, including contact time, membrane dosage, initial concentration of aqueous dye solution, and temperature on the percentage discharge of MO and adsorption capacity, was evaluated. Experimental data for adsorption of MO onto the DMEA-grafted AEM was analyzed with two parameter and three parameter nonlinear adsorption isotherm models but fitted best using a nonlinear Freundlich isotherm. Adsorption kinetics were studied by using several models, and attained results showed that experimental data fitted well to pseudo-second-order kinetics. A thermodynamic study showed that adsorption of MO onto the prepared DMEA-grafted AEM was an endothermic process. Moreover, it was a feasible and spontaneous process

Synthesis of some new propanamide derivatives bearing 4- piperidinyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole, and their evaluation as promising anticancer agents

Purpose: To sequentially synthesize piperidine-4-carboxylic acid ethyl ester-appended 1,3,4-oxadiazole hybrids and to evaluate them as anticancer agents.Methods: Ethyl 1-[(4-methylphenyl)sulfonyl]-4-piperidinecarboxylate (1) was synthesized from 4- methylbenzenesulfonylchloride (a) and ethyl 4-piperidinecarboxylate (b). Compound (1) was converted into ethyl 1-[(4-methylphenyl)sulfonyl]-4-piperidine carbohydrazides (2) and 5-{1-[(4- methylphenyl)sulfonyl]-4-piperidinyl}-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol (3) respectively. A variety of aryl amine (4a-l) were treated with 2-bromopropionylbromide to synthesize an array of propanamide (5a-l). Finally, 5-{1-[(4-methylphenyl)sulfonyl]-4-piperidinyl}-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol (3) and propanamides (5a-l) were reacted to synthesize target compounds (6a-l). Purity compounds 6a-l was confirmed by spectroscopic techniques like (1H-NMR), (13C-NMR) and EI-MS. To determine their anticancer potential, the change in absorbance of mixture and cell line before and after incubation was determined.Results: All the compounds 6a-l were successfully synthesized in 73-85 % yield. Compounds 6h, 6j and 6e have low IC50 (±SD) values of 20.12 ± 6.20, 10.84 ± 4.2 and 24.57 ± 1.62 μM to act as strong anticancer agents relative to doxorubicin (0.92 ± 0.1 μM) used as a reference.Conclusion: The synthesized propanamide derivatives bearing 4-piperidinyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole are potential anticancer agents, but further studies, especially in vivo, are required to ascertain their therapeutic usefulness.Keywords: Ethyl isonipecotate, Propanamides, 1,3,4-Oxadiazole, Anti-cancer activit

3α-Dimethyl­amino-20-(N-methyl­acetamido)­pregn-5-ene

The title compond, C26H44N2O, is an steroidal alkaloid isolated from the medicinally important plant Sarcococca saligna. The mol­ecule consists of four fused rings (A–D), having chair, half-chair, chair and envelope conformations, respectively. The dimethyl­amino group is axially oriented on ring A, whereas the (N-methyl­acetamido)­ethyl group is attached equatorially on ring D. The crystal structure is stabilized only by van der Waals forces

An overview of enhancing drought tolerance in cotton through manipulating stress resistance genes

Drought stress affects the normal growth of plant by influencing Physiological, morphological molecular and biochemical traits at cellular level. It is a polygenic trait, controlled by multiple genes, which makes its manipulation difficult by genetic engineering. It seems drought could be major threat in future to high yield of cotton in Pakistan as well around the globe because it is spontaneous and cannot be controlled with manuring and skilled agricultural practices. Gene manipulation could be a solution of this threat by producing transgenic cotton plants. As it is polygenic trait, so, understanding about cellular mechanism of drought tolerance is crucial to impart tolerance by controlling gene expression under stressed conditions. Universal Stress Proteins (USP) genes have already been identified in drought stressed leaves of Gossypium arboreum which make this variety of cotton a rich source of stress tolerance genes. USP genes could be manipulated for drought tolerant transgenic cotton with high yielding as well and it is most important family of proteins in this regard. This family encompasses a conserved group of proteins that has been reported in different organisms which are activating under various abiotic stress conditions. USP is also a regulatory protein; its activity can be increased by manipulating its interactions