Effect ofZingiber officinaleon Spasm

Zingiberaceae is one of the largest plant families consisting of rhizomes that are commonly used as spice in soups and curries as well as alternative medications in folklore medicine. Zingiber officinale or commonly known as ginger is extensively employed in Asian, Ayurvedic, Chinese, and Arabian folklore medicine for the treatment of pain, inflammation and various spasm-associated gastric ailments. The past few decades saw rapid advancements in the extraction process of ginger bioactive constituents and validation of their corresponding pharmacodynamic and pharmacotherapeutic activities, and biological properties in vivo and in vitro. Results reported from several biological studies on ginger showed that extracts and compounds from this tuberous rhizome exhibit antiemetic, anticancer, antipyretic, antispasmogenic and antimicrobial activities. This article reviews the effect of Zingiber officinale and its bioactive constituents on isolated organ preparations from several species of animals in view of its potential use as an alternative treatment for muscle spasms and common gastric ailments

The effect of wrist braces on current perception threshold (CPT) among female data processing operators in Malaysia

A cross sectional study was conducted to evaluate the effect of wrist braces on current perception threshold value of median nerve among female data processing operators (n = 48). Respondents were interviewed using a validated questionnaire to obtain information such as demographics and background data, work history, symptoms pertaining to carpal tunnel syndrome. Electrodiagnostic examination was performed using Neurometer® CPT/C to obtain CPT level of median nerve on index and middle fingers among respondents before and after work, with and without wrist braces. CPT testing detected 15 respondents (31%) had median nerve abnormalities. Results from the paired t-test analysis showed no significant difference (p> 0.05) on CPT value after work with and without wrist brace used. However, this study suggests that CPT value showed an increased trend after data entry tasks when no wrist braces used and a reduced trend when wrist braces were used. This study concluded that wearing a wrist brace for a short period of time during repetitive activities has no immediate influence on CPT value among computer operators, however, this study suggests that wrist braces may be beneficial in protecting workers against median nerve compression

Acute toxicity and metabolomics analysis of hypocholesterolemic effect of Mentha piperita aqueous extract in Wistar rats

The oral acute toxicity of the aqueous peppermint extract (APE) was assessed and the bio and/or chemo markers for hypocholesterolemic activity of APE were identified through metabolomics approach. No mortality resulted from the present oral acute toxicity study in which the histological changes observed in the selected organs and the biochemical deviation of blood compared to the normal range level were minimal. This study also explored the effect of 290 mg-1 kg body weight of APE against 5% cholesterol-enriched diet within 14 days treatment. Whereby after the treatment, there were reductions exhibited in plasma total cholesterol (44.32%), LDL-cholesterol (69.19%) and total triglycerides (55.77%). 1H NMR-metabolomics approach was, employed for better sensitivity and accuracy in evaluating the potential plasma biomarkers of hyper-and hypo-cholesterolemic properties. β-Hydroxybutarate and α-D-glucose have been identified as the possible hypercholesterolemic markers, whereas taurine, betaine, alanine, glycine and L-leucine were suggested to be the hypocholesterolemic markers of APE

Possible participation of protein kinase C and cyclic guanosine monophosphate pathway in antinociception of ethanol extract of Ficus deltoidea var angustifolia leaves in mice

This study was conducted to evaluate the involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway in the antinociception of ethanol extract of F. deltoidea (EEFD) leaves. To evaluate the involvement of PKC, the mice were treated with EEFD or acetylsalicylic acid (ASA, 100 mg/kg) 30 minutes before receiving phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA, 0.03μg/paw) intraplantarly at the right hind paw. The mice were observed to record the licking and biting the injected paw. To estimate the involvement of cGMP, the mice were divided into four groups (n = 7). Two groups were pre-treated with methylene blue (20 mg/kg) and after 20 minutes, they were given EEFD or vehicle. Another two groups were pre-treated with vehicle 20 minutes before EEFD or vehicle administration. After 30 minutes, induced with 0.6% acetic acid and the number of abdominal writhing was recorded. EEFD produced significant effect of inhibition of abdominal writhing in dose dependent manner. Similarly, administration of EEFD at the similar doses resulted in significantly reduced in nociception induced by intraplantar injection of PMA as it showed reduction in paw licking time. The pre-treatment with methylene blue significantly enhanced the anticoceptive activity of EEFD.The present results suggested that PKC and cGMP pathway possibly inactivated in the antinociceptive action exerted by EEFD

Creation of a ground water quality index for an open municipal landfill area

Environmental indices are an example of index which are used to access the quantitative environmental matters in quantitative. The utilization rate of ground water as a source of clean water supply is still high especially in the areas which are lacking in clean water supply from the dams. Therefore, the ground water quality in these areas need to be monitor continuously to maintain the quality to be in safe level of consumption. Unfortunately, the suitable index to assess the ground water is yet to exist in Malaysia. This study was carried out to create a suitable ground water quality index to assess the ground water quality in a closed open municipal landfill site named Sabak, which is located near the village. The specific landfill site study is namely Sabak open landfill which located near Kampung Sabak, Kelantan, Malaysia and South China Sea. Six sampling stations had been considered in this study which focusing on 32 variables consists of heavy metal, inorganic non-metal, physical characteristic and aggregate indicator. The creation of index is based on two kinds of analyses: that are Principal Component Analysis and another analysis which I put as Benchmarking Analysis. The results showed that seven variables can be used as indicator variables. They were electric conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, nitrate, chemical oxygen demand and iron content. The scale used for the index is from 0 to 100 where the increment of the index referring to the improvement of the quality. Results of the application of this index at study site showed that the index value was 26.67 which means that the quality is low

Effects of Melicope ptelifolia aqueous extract on sperm parameters and testosterone level in Sprague-Dawley rats

The increasing number of prevalence infertility cases is becoming a major public health problem in developing countries due to changes in diet and lifestyle. Melicope ptelefolia is known for its health benefit as a sex enhancing effect among the Malays folk however there is no clinical data to prove it until these days. The main aim of the present study is to identify the effects of Melicope ptelifolia Aqueous extract (MPAE) on Sperm Parameters and Testosterone Level . A total of 30 male Sprague Dawley rats were divided equally into five different groups. MPAE was given by orally gavage for 28 days at a dose of 100mg/kg, 200 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg body weight to the animals of group II (n=6), III (n=6) and IV (n=6), respectively. The animals of group I (control, n=6) had distilled water and group V had sildenafil citrate. Results were analyzed using one way ANOVA test and the data were significant at p<0.05. Oral administration of MPAE extract showed an increased sperm count and sperm viability. Oral administration of the MPAE resulted a significant increased (p<0.05) for Group II, III and IV in sperm count and sperm morphology. A significant increased increased was recorded for Group I, II, III and IV in sperm viability. However, sperm vitality remained normal in all the groups. From our present experimental findings we are tempted to suggest that the MPAE could be a potential male fertility agent

Is The Covid-19 Vaccine Halal? Revisiting The Role of National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) and JAKIM

The urge to be vaccinated has increased rapidly during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Resorting vaccine products is seen as the only way to break the chain of COVID-19 spread and eventually stop the pandemic. To this dire need, many consumers face the dilemma to be vaccinated or to opt-out of the vaccination program when the safety issues of vaccine products are widely circulated. The Muslim consumers, particularly, experiences double worry on the issue of safety and halal status of the vaccine product. Due to the emergency call to have the vaccine in the market as soon as possible, the innovation and production were carried out in an expedited manner, and the necessity to have the vaccine be certified as halal was bypass. When the news on the vaccine product uses non-halal ingredients reaches the Muslim community in Malaysia, they were taken aback and demanded immediate answers from the authorities. Thus, in addressing this issue, this study intends to critically analyse the role of NPRA and JAKIM in ensuring the safety and halal status of a product with the aim of suggesting a review of the existing role. This article adopts a qualitative research methodology where interviews will be the supporting method to a library-based and doctrinal study

Participation of Large Ca2+ Activated Potassium Channel in Antinociceptive Activity of Chalcone Derivative (3-(2, 5-dimethoxyphenyl)-1-(5-methylfuran-2-yl) prop-2-en-1-one) DMPF-1 Action in Mice Model

The role of potassium channels in nociceptive activity was proposed in the past decade. Various type of potassium channel has been found to exert different action in propogation of action potential in nervous system. As DMPF-1, a chalcone derivative possesses antinociceptive properties. The mechanism of its action has been carried out to verify the pathway involved. The present study addressed the role of potassium channel in the contribution of the antinociceptive action of DMPF-1. The involvement of potassium channel was evaluated using acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing test.The animals were pretreated with charybdotoxin (large Ca2+ activated potassium channel blocker)(0.04mg/kg, i.p) or apamin (small Ca2+ activated potassium channel blocker)(0.02mg/kg, i.p.) 15 minutes before administration of DMPF-1. It was demonstrated that the challenge of DMPF-1 treated group with charybdotoxin has reversed the antinociceptive activity of this novel chalcone, which indicates the possible participation of large Ca2+ activated potassium channel in antinociceptive effect cause by DMPF-1 but not through small Ca2+ activated potassium channel

Antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects of Solanum nigrum aqueous extract in animal models

The present study was carried out to evaluate the antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects of the aqueous extract of Solanum nigrum leaves using various animal models. The extract, at concentrations of 10, 50 and 100%, was prepared by soaking (1:20; w/v) air-dried powdered leaves (20 g) in distilled water (dH2O) for 72 h. The extract solutions were administered subcutaneously in mice/rats 30 min prior to the tests. The extract exhibited significant (P < 0.05) antinociceptive activity when assessed using the abdominal constriction, hot plate and formalin tests. The extract also produced significant (P < 0.05) anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities when assessed using the carrageenan-induced paw edema and brewer's yeast-induced pyrexia tests, respectively. Overall, these activities occurred in a concentration-dependent manner, except for the 50% concentration of the extract, which was not effective in the abdominal constriction test. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that S. nigrum leaves possessed antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects and thus supported traditional claims of its medicinal uses