Pharmacognostic study of roots and aerial parts of less explored Heracleum candicans Wall. ex DC.from Betaab Valley, Pahalgam, Kashmir, India

Plant derived products have sparked considerable attention due to their versatile applications. The plants are among the richest bio-resource of drugs for traditional and modern medicines and leads for synthetic drug development and various pharmaceutical intermediates. Heracleum candicans Wall. ex DC. is reported as a medicinal herb of Apiaceae family. It is also known as White-leaf Hogweed and traditionally reported to be effective in various disease conditions like skin diseases, sunburn, and external tumours. The present work deals with the pharmacognostic evaluations of root and aerial parts of H. candicans. Macroscopic and microscopic analysis was carried out along with various physicochemical analysis, phytochemical screening as well as thin layer chromatography studies. Moreover, the presence of heavy toxic metals by ICP-OES method was also evaluated. The pharmacognostic studies of H. candicans showed the presence of prismatic calcium oxalate crystals, anomocytic stomata, reticulate and spiral xylem vessels along with lignified fibres with two types of covering trichomes. Preliminary phytochemical studies revealed the occurrence of carbohydrates, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, phytosterols, diterpenes, coumarins, cardiac glycosides, fats and oils. The estimation of various physicochemical constants could be beneficial in determining various quality control standards for crude drug. The findings from this study would be beneficial for the identification of H. candicans

Corrigendum: Ethnopharmacological Approaches for Therapy of Jaundice: Part II. Highly Used Plant Species from Acanthaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, Combretaceae, and Fabaceae Families

In the original article, there was a mistake in the legend for Figure 4 as published (the spelling of isosilibin was incorrect). The correct legend appears below. In the original article, there was a mistake in Figure 4 as published (CH3 group was missing in the Silybin structure). The corrected Figure 4 appears below. The authors apologize for these errors and state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the article in any way

Analyzing the Impact of Soft, Stimulating and Depressing Songs on Attention Among Undergraduate Students: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study in Bangladesh

Music is strongly linked to attention and giving attention can boost intelligence. The purpose of this study was to scrutinize the impact of soft, stimulating, and depressing songs on the attention of students. The study was performed on 280 undergraduate students. Students were divided into 4 groups (i.e., control, soft, stimulating, and depressing) and subjected to 3 songs, soft (That’s My Name), stimulating (Rain Over Me) and depressing (Broken Angel) songs. The Uddin’s Numeral Finding (NF) and Typo Revealing (TR) tests were used to analyze the attention of the students. In the NF, 75.54% attention was exerted by students subjected to stimulating song followed by soft song’s group (i.e., 74.32%) with respect to control group. Amid all groups, the lowest percentage, 70.77% of attention was reported for students subjected to the depressing song. For TR test, stimulating song’s group exerted highest, 45.97% attention, soft song’s group exerted 45.27%, control group exerted 42.70%, and lowest (i.e., 41.54%) attention was exerted by depressing song’s group. In NF test, concerning sex, amid male and female, male exerted higher (77.04%) attention than female but for TR test female exerted higher (i.e., 48.15%) attention for students subjected to stimulating song. Regarding the age of the study in case of NF test for stimulating song’s group, 18–20 years age students exerted highest, 82.07% attention but for TR test highest, 48.75% attention was reported for 23–25 years age students. For NF test, regarding the age of the study 1st-year student exerted highest, 92.44% attention but for TR test highest, 57.33% attention was reported for 3rd-year students for stimulating song’s group. Concerning residential status in both NF and TR tests, for students lived with family subjected to stimulating song exerted highest, 77.93% and 48.6% attention, respectively with respect to students lived without family and remaining groups. This study suggested that song influences the neuronal circuits linked to alert and cognitive functions and the stimulating song has the acme power of increasing attention while depressing song reduces the attention. Therefore, the exciting song can be an operative intervention for enhancing attention, cognitive functions, and treatment of associated neuropsychological disorders

Anthocyanins in the Management of Metabolic Syndrome: A Pharmacological and Biopharmaceutical Review

The term “metabolic syndrome” (MetS) refers to a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. The origin of MetS includes a combination of multiple factors, such as sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet choice, and genetic factors. MetS is highly prevalent and adversely affects the general population by elevating risk of cardiovascular complications, organ failure, and much other pathology associated with late-stage diabetes. Anthocyanins (ANTs) are health-promoting bioactive compounds belonging to the flavonoids subclass of polyphenols. Numerous studies have reported the potential therapeutic benefits on MetS syndrome and diabetes from fruits rich in ANTs. This review summarizes the role of several dietary ANTs on preventing and managing MetS as well as the pharmacological mechanisms and biopharmaceutical features of their action. We also discuss potential nanoformulation and encapsulation approaches that may enhance the bioefficacy of ANTs in MetS. Experiments have demonstrated that ANTs may attenuate the symptoms of MetS via improving insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, dyslipidaemia, cholesterol levels, hypertension, blood glucose, protecting β cells, and preventing free radical production. In brief, the intake of ANT-rich supplements should be considered due to their plausible ability for prevention and management of MetS. Additionally, randomized double-blind clinical trials are obligatory for evaluating the bioefficacy and pharmacological mechanisms of ANTs and their pharmaceutical formulations in patients with MetS

Ethnopharmacological Approaches for Therapy of Jaundice: Part I

Jaundice is a very common symptom especially in the developing countries. It is associated with several hepatic diseases which are still major causes of death. There are many different approaches to jaundice treatment and the growing number of ethnomedicinal studies shows the plant pharmacology as very promising direction. Many medicinal plants are used for the treatment of jaundice, however a comprehensive review on this subject has not been published. The use of medicinal plants in drug discovery is highly emphasized (based on their traditional and safe uses in different folk medicine systems from ancient times). Many sophisticated analytical techniques are emerging in the pharmaceutical field to validate and discover new biologically active chemical entities derived from plants. Here, we aim to classify and categorize medicinal plants relevant for the treatment of jaundice according to their origin, geographical location, and usage. Our search included various databases like Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar. Keywords and phrases used for these searches included: “jaundice,” “hyperbilirubinemia,” “serum glutamate,” “bilirubin,” “Ayurveda.” The first part of the review focuses on the variety of medicinal plant used for the treatment of jaundice (a total of 207 medicinal plants). In the second part, possible mechanisms of action of biologically active secondary metabolites of plants from five families for jaundice treatment are discussed

Lycopene: total-scale literature landscape analysis of a valuable nutraceutical with numerous potential applications in the promotion of human and animal health

Lycopene intake from tomatoes and other food sources has multiple potential health benefits. This report aimed to evaluate the current research literature on lycopene concerning human and animal health. The electronic Web of Science Core Collection database was searched with (lycopene*) AND (health* OR illness* OR disease* OR medic* OR pharma* OR drug* OR therap*). The resulted 3972 papers were analyzed with the aid of bibliometric software. Besides the United States, the lycopene papers received global contributions, particularly from China, Italy, India, and Spain. Examples of frequently mentioned chemicals/chemical classes were carotenoid, beta carotene, alpha carotene, beta cryptoxanthin, and alpha tocopherol. Examples of frequently mentioned medical conditions were prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Published scientific articles reveal the diverse potential of lycopene in prompting human and animal health, and the knowledge on the bioactivities of this phytoche(undefined)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cross-Sectional Survey

ABSTRACT Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of myths related to dentistry in the rural population of Bareilly District. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in six blocks of Bareilly district in a sample of 540 individuals. A self-designed questionnaire consisting of 90 questions under six domains which was investigator-administered was used for data collection. Results: The results were compartmentalized under two sections: 'Yes' or 'No' and the percentage calculation was done for each question out of 540 respondents. Conclusion: The results showed that the rural population is deprived and a targeted program to spread scientific dental practices to them is necessary. Healthcare providers and policy makers are to be upraised in this connection by generating sufficient evidence

PHYTOCHEMICAL EVALUATION AND ANTIHYPERGLYCEMIC EFFECTS OF ELAEOCARPUS GANITRUS ROXB (RUDRAKSHA) IN STREPTOZOTOCIN INDUCED DIABETES

Objective: Present study was aimed at examining the constituents of essential oil of leaves and evaluation of phytochemical and antihyperglycemic effect of methanolic seed extracts of Elaeocarpus ganitrus Roxb. in Streptozotocin induced diabetes.Methods: Essential oil was extracted from E. ganitrus leaves by hydrodistillation and purified oil was subjected to GC-FID analysis Preliminary phytochemical screening of various extracts of E. ganitrus seeds was carried out and antidiabetic activity of methanolic extract was evaluated in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Results: The results revealed which showed the presence of altogether sixteen constituents. The methanolic seed extract of E. ganitrus exhibit potent antidiabetic activity comparable to the standard drug glybenclamide.Conclusion: It can be concluded from the study that methanolic extract of E. ganitrus seeds possess potent hypoglycemic activity

Targeting transforming growth factor‐ß signalling for cancer prevention and intervention: Recent advances in developing small molecules of natural origin

Background Cancer is the world's second leading cause of death, but a significant advancement in cancer treatment has been achieved within the last few decades. However, major adverse effects and drug resistance associated with standard chemotherapy have led towards targeted treatment options. Objectives Transforming growth factor‐ß (TGF‐ß) signalling plays a key role in cell proliferation, differentiation, morphogenesis, regeneration, and tissue homeostasis. The prime objective of this review is to decipher the role of TGF‐ß in oncogenesis and to evaluate the potential of various natural and synthetic agents to target this dysregulated pathway to confer cancer preventive and anticancer therapeutic effects. Methods Various authentic and scholarly databases were explored to search and obtain primary literature for this study. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis (PRISMA) criteria was followed for the review. Results Here we provide a comprehensive and critical review of recent advances on our understanding of the effect of various bioactive natural molecules on the TGF‐ß signalling pathway to evaluate their full potential for cancer prevention and therapy. Conclusion Based on emerging evidence as presented in this work, TGF‐ß‐targeting bioactive compounds from natural sources can serve as potential therapeutic agents for prevention and treatment of various human malignancies