Analysis of phytochemicals, minerals and in vitro antioxidant activities of Gongronema latifolium leaves

Gongronema latifolium is primarily used as spice and vegetable as well as a herb in traditional medicine in the treatment of malaria, diabetes and hypertension. This study is aimed at providing in vitro laboratory knowledge on Gongronema latifolium leaves.Methods Minerals were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer while phyto nutrients were screened using standard laboratory procedures. 2,2 diphenyl 1 picrylhydrazyl DPPH radical scavenging and reducing power activities were determined spectrophotometrically. Usunobun Usunomena | Igwe V. Chinwe "Analysis of phytochemicals, minerals and in vitro antioxidant activities of Gongronema latifolium leaves" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-1 | Issue-4 , June 201

Comparative anti-ulcerogenic activities of the leaf, seed and stem bark hydromethanolic extracts of Picralima nitida in rats

Background: Picralima nitida (Stapf) commonly called akuamma belongs to the family apocynaceae found mostly in forest areas of Africa. It is a shrub or a deciduous tree that can grow up to 35 meters in height. It has a cylindrical trunk measuring about 60 cm in diameter with white latex in its parts. The bark of the trunk is fragile and is greyish brown or black in colour.Methods: The acute oral toxicity test was done using up and down method. The anti-ulcerogenic activities of the leaf, seed and stem bark extracts were evaluated using ethanol-induced ulceration model in rats.Results: There were no signs of morbidity and mortality in rats following oral acute toxicity test. The extracts produced a significant (p<0.05) dose dependent reduction in the number of ulcers and ulcer scores reducing them from 14.00±2.82 and to 56.00±4.55 to as low as 2.00±1.21 and 8.45±1.24 respectively. The ulcer preventive index was also increased by P. nitida extracts in a dose dependent manner with the (Picralima nitida leaf extract) PNLE at the dose of 400 mg/kg causing up to 76.13% inhibition of ulcers in the rats.Conclusions: Picralima nitida extracts demonstrated significant anti-ulcerogenic activities in ethanol-induced gastric ulcerations in rats

Perception of the efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and chloroquine prescription pattern and among nurses in South-West Nigeria

Background-Malaria remains a threat to millions of children despite the recent advances recorded in the fight against the disease which remain the 3rd largest killer of children below the age of 5 years in endemic regions. Drug resistant plasmodium species continues to limit the fight against malaria, while the spread of fake and substandard antimalarial drugs has been recognized as a major problem across Africa because of its association with drug resistant parasite. We aim to find out the prescription pattern of chloroquine among nurses in South-West Nigeria and perception of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT).Design and methods-About 180 pre-tested questionnaires were administered to randomly selected nurses out of which 155 were sufficiently completed and suitable for analysis. Results-Majority (56.1%) still have confidence in the efficacy of CQ which was still being prescribed by 45.2% of the respondents. CQ was mostly prescribed by those who had previous ACT treatment failure experience (54.3%) with their patients, P=0.03; as well as those who believe that ACT resistance malaria is now in circulation (44.3%). Fifty (32.3%) of our respondents claimed that they had come across fake and substandard ACT, from which 40.0% now prescribe CQ.Discussion-The high rate of CQ prescription in this study showed that many of the health workers were still resistant to the change in antimalarial treatment policy, which is related to unsatisfactory experience with ACT. Additional measures are urgently required to verify this experience so as to win the confidence of healthcare workers away from chloroquine.Keywords: Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), chloroquine, substandard antimalaria

MURRAYA KOENIGI-A BOON IN DIFFERENT PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS

Since very long period of time medicinal plants or their bioactive compounds have been utilized by majority of world population particularly in developing countries for primary and traditional healthcare system. At present scenario, people are more interested to use herbal drugs because they are considered as safe and inexpensive having no adverse effects. Different parts of the plants like roots, leaves, stem, bark, fruits and seeds have been used in treatment of different diseases and strengthening the immune system.&nbsp;&nbsp;Murraya koenigii, is a herb from mainly Asian origin, it has therapeutic applications such as in bronchial disorders, piles, vomiting, skin diseases, night blindness, dysentery, diarrhoea, bites of poisonous animals, bruises and eruption etc. The present review is an attempt for description of&nbsp;M. koenigii, its phytochemical constituents and various pharmacological activities. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Peer Review History: Article received on- 11 November, &nbsp; Revised on- 18 December, &nbsp;&nbsp; Accepted on- 26 December, Available online 15 January 2017 Academic Editor: Dr. Ali Abdullah Al-yahawi,&nbsp;Al-Razi university, Department of Pharmacy, Yemen, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file:&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 4.0/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.0/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Masoumeh Divar, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran, [email protected] Dr. Mohamed Salama, Modern University for Technology &amp; Information, Egypt, [email protected] Similar Articles: A REVIEW ON CONSTITUENTS, PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES AND MEDICINAL USES OF GLYCYRRHIZA GLABR

Modification of Lipid Peroxidation and Oxidative Stress In Hepatocytes of Diabetic Rats Treated with Root Extract of Sarcocephalus latifolius

Abstract: Increased oxidative stress and lipid disorders may exacerbate complications of diabetes mellitus. This study, therefore was designed to evaluate the effect of aqueous root extract of Sarcocephalus latifolius and Daniella oliveri (SDAE) on oxidative strees and lipid peroxidation in nondiabetic and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. The alloxan (65mg/kg) induced diabetic rats were treated in 12-h cycles for 3 weeks with 250mg/kg of the extract and glibenclamide (5mg/kg); while the nondiabetic control rats received distilled water. The results indicated that hepatic catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were significantly increased in the diabetic animals (p&lt;0.05) for both activities. The extract significantly reduced catalase activity (p&lt;0.05) but non-significantly reversed the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity observed in diabetic liver tissues. However, glibenclamide treatement showed slight modification in the changes observed in diabetic liver tissues. A significant increase in MDA content and decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH) was observed in the hepatocytes of the diabetic untreated rats. The diabetic induced changes in both MDA and GSH were distinctly reversed by the extract. The study concluded that the combined root extract reversed diabetes -induced oxidative changes in the hepatocytes, thus suggesting its use for the management of diabetic complications

A survey of Autism knowledge and attitudes among the healthcare professionals in Lahore, Pakistan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The diagnosis and treatment of Autism in Pakistan occurs in multiple settings and is provided by variety of health professionals. Unfortunately, knowledge and awareness about Autism is low among Pakistani healthcare professionals & the presence of inaccurate and outdated beliefs regarding this disorder may compromise early detection and timely referral for interventions. The study assessed the baseline knowledge and misconceptions regarding autism among healthcare professionals in Pakistan which can impact future awareness campaigns.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Physicians (psychiatrists, pediatricians, neurologists and family physicians) and non-physicians (psychologists and speech therapists) participated in this study. Knowledge of DSM-IV TR criteria for Autistic Disorder, beliefs about social, emotional, cognitive, treatment and prognosis of the disorder were assessed. Demographic information regarding the participants of the survey was also gathered.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two hundred and forty seven respondents (154 Physicians & 93 Non-physicians) participated in the study. Mean age of respondents was 33.2 years (S.D 11.63) with 53% being females. Reasonably accurate familiarity with the DSM IV-TR diagnostic criteria of Autistic Disorder was observed. However, within the professional groups, differences were found regarding the utilization of the DSM-IV-TR criteria when diagnosing Autistic Disorder. Non-Physicians were comparatively more likely to correctly identify diagnostic features of autism compared with Physicians (P-value <0.001). Significant misunderstandings of some of the salient features of autism were present in both professional groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results suggests that current professionals in the field have an unbalanced understanding of autism due to presence of several misconceptions regarding many of the salient features of autism including developmental, cognitive and emotional features. The study has clinical implications and calls for continued education for healthcare professionals across disciplines with regards to Autism in Pakistan.</p

Determinants of Health-Care Seeking Behaviors and Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy in Nigeria

Epilepsy is the commonest neurological condition affecting every sphere of a child’s life ranging from physical and cognitive performances, and mixed feelings for the affected family. These feelings are worsened by the cultural beliefs, myths, and stigmatization that surround epilepsy with a consequent reduction in the healthcare-seeking behaviors and quality of life of these children. The goal of management is to control seizures with minimal use of antiepileptic medications and to improve the child’s quality of life. This work is aimed to understand the health-seeking behavior of families and children diagnosed with epilepsy in Nigeria, the factors that influence their decisions, and the need to plan a “need-based” comprehensive healthcare program for all stakeholders, particularly the disprivileged groups. Despite some improvement in access to healthcare in Nigeria, there are existing inequalities relative to culture, socioeconomic class, accessibility to universal health insurance, and gender. Knowledge of barriers to optimal healthcare-seeking behavior could help reduce the impact of epilepsy on children’s development and consequently improved quality of life. Efforts should be made to educate children with epilepsy, their caregivers, and other affected stakeholders and periodic trainings organized for the health workers. Subsidizing the cost of care by support groups and government is vital

Population Genetics of Streptococcus dysgalactiae Subspecies equisimilis Reveals Widely Dispersed Clones and Extensive Recombination

Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) is an emerging global pathogen that can colonize and infect humans. Although most SDSE isolates possess the Lancefield group G carbohydrate, a significant minority have the group C carbohydrate. Isolates are further sub-typed on the basis of differences within the emm gene. To gain a better understanding of their molecular epidemiology and evolutionary relationships, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis was performed on SDSE isolates collected from Australia, Europe and North America.The 178 SDSE isolates, representing 37 emm types, segregate into 80 distinct sequence types (STs) that form 17 clonal complexes (CCs). Eight STs recovered from all three continents account for >50% of the isolates. Thus, a small number of STs are highly prevalent and have a wide geographic distribution. Both ST and CC strongly correlate with group carbohydrate. In contrast, eleven STs were associated with >1 emm type, suggestive of recombinational replacements involving the emm gene; furthermore, 35% of the emm types are associated with genetically distant STs. Data also reveal a history of extensive inter- and intra-species recombination involving the housekeeping genes used for MLST. Sequence analysis of single locus variants identified through goeBURST indicates that genetic change mediated by recombination occurred approximately 4.4 times more frequently than by point mutation.A few genetic lineages with an intercontinental distribution dominate among SDSE causing infections in humans. The distinction between group C and G isolates reflects recent evolution, and no long-term genetic isolation between them was found. Lateral gene transfer and recombination involving housekeeping genes and the emm gene are important mechanisms driving genetic variability in the SDSE population