Phytochemical, Analgesic And Acute Toxicity Study Of Jatropha Curcus Root

Jatropha curcus Linn. is a multipurpose plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. The ethnomedical practice in West Africa showed the application of Jatropha curcus leaves in different forms to cure various ailments like fever, mouth infections, jaundice, guinea worm sores and joint rheumatism. The roots of J. curcus have been used as a decoction for bleeding gums, toothache, eczema, ringworm, and scabies and to cure dysentery. This study therefore assessed the phytochemical and analgesic properties of Jatropha curcus root. The acetic acid induced writhing test in mice was used to study the analgesic effect. The analgesic activity on methanol extract of the root (25mg/kg, 50mg/kg and 100 mg/kg) in the writhing test showed significant reduction of pain induced by acetic acid with the 50mg/kg being more potent. Phytochemical results of the three solvent extracts showed presence of tannins, triterpenes, alkaloids, carbohydrate and flavonoids. The quantitative phytochemical analysis showed that alkaloids (94.0 mg/g) was the highest phytochemical detected in the root while the lowest was saponins and phenols (23.0 mg/g). The results of this investigation may be useful for deriving doses that are safe for human consumption medicinally of Jatropha curcus root. Collectively, this study provides scientific data for the use of Jatropha curcus in the treatment of pains and contribute to the analgesic knowledge of this species. Further study should be carried oot o find out the mechanism of its action and also to isolate, identify and characterize the active agent responsible for these effects in this plant

Pharmacognostic, elemental and acute toxicity study of Fadogia agrestis root

An aphrodisiac is a type of food or drink that has the effect of making those who eat or drink it more aroused in a sexual way. Aphrodisiacs can be categorized according to their mode of action into three groups: substances that increase libido (i.e. sexual arousal), substances that increase sexual potency (i.e. effectiveness of erection) and substances that increase sexual pleasure. Fadogia agrestis (Schweing. Ex. Hiern), Rubiacea (Hausa: Bakin gagai; English name: Black aphrodisiac) is an erect shrub 1-3 feets high. Fadogia agrestis is a medicinal plant widely used for its reported antibacterial and aphrodisiac activities. The aim of this work is to carry out pharmacognostic standardization and safety profile on Fadogia agrestis root. Chemomicroscopic, physicochemical, elemental, phytochemical and acute toxicity studies were carried out using standard methods. The results obtained also provided scientific basis for the use of in folklore medicine. Chemomicroscopic characters present include; cellulosecell wall, lignified cell wall, tannins, starch, calcium oxalate and cutin. The physicochemical parameters evaluated include: moisture content (7.0%), total ash (10.5%), water soluble ash (4.1%), acid insoluble ash (8.33%), ethanol extract (15.0%), and water extractive value (12.0%). The quantitative phytochemical analysis showed that alkaloids (84.0 mg/g) was the highest phytochemical detected in the stem bark while the lowest was saponins (4.0 mg/g).LD50 of both extracts was above 5000 mg/kg and did not cause mortality in all the tested rats. The results of this investigation may be useful for deriving doses that are safe for human consumption of F. agrestis root.&nbsp

Body mass index and complications following major gastrointestinal surgery: A prospective, international cohort study and meta-analysis

Aim Previous studies reported conflicting evidence on the effects of obesity on outcomes after gastrointestinal surgery. The aims of this study were to explore the relationship of obesity with major postoperative complications in an international cohort and to present a metaanalysis of all available prospective data. Methods This prospective, multicentre study included adults undergoing both elective and emergency gastrointestinal resection, reversal of stoma or formation of stoma. The primary end-point was 30-day major complications (Clavien–Dindo Grades III–V). A systematic search was undertaken for studies assessing the relationship between obesity and major complications after gastrointestinal surgery. Individual patient meta-analysis was used to analyse pooled results. Results This study included 2519 patients across 127 centres, of whom 560 (22.2%) were obese. Unadjusted major complication rates were lower in obese vs normal weight patients (13.0% vs 16.2%, respectively), but this did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.863) on multivariate analysis for patients having surgery for either malignant or benign conditions. Individual patient meta-analysis demonstrated that obese patients undergoing surgery formalignancy were at increased risk of major complications (OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.49–2.96, P < 0.001), whereas obese patients undergoing surgery for benign indications were at decreased risk (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.46–0.75, P < 0.001) compared to normal weight patients. Conclusions In our international data, obesity was not found to be associated with major complications following gastrointestinal surgery. Meta-analysis of available prospective data made a novel finding of obesity being associated with different outcomes depending on whether patients were undergoing surgery for benign or malignant disease