Antibiogram and Phytochemical Analysis of Cinnamon, Clove, and Sichuan Pepper Extracts

A wide range of medicinal plant extracts has phytochemicals that possess antimicrobial properties and these plants are used to treat several infections. The study aimed to assess the antimicrobial activities of some spices extracts and to evaluate the phytochemicals present in them. The extracts of spices were prepared using Soxhlet apparatus refluxing with methanol and ethanol. The well diffusion technique was implemented for the evaluation of antimicrobial activities of the extracts and the zone of inhibitions was recorded in millimeters. The antimicrobial test was done against five bacterial isolates: Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi, and Staphylococcus aureus and a fungal isolate: Candida albicans. The extracts were concentrated by Rotary Vacuum Evaporator and a stock solution of 200 mg/mL was prepared by dissolving in 10 % DMSO. Concentrations of 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg/mL extracts were used for antimicrobial activity. The result of this study showed that clove extracts had the highest antimicrobial property against all the test microorganisms. Methanolic extract of clove had the highest inhibitory effect against Proteus mirabilis (24.21±0.15 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (19.78±0.23 mm), and Candida albicans (20.07±0.08 mm) whereas ethanolic extract was effective against Escherichia coli (20.44±0.16 mm), Salmonella Typhi (21.66±0.31 mm) and Candida albicans (21.11±0.09 mm). Cinnamon and pepper extracts, leaving some exceptions, also had antimicrobial properties. The presence of phytochemicals: polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins are the major components responsible for antimicrobial activity. Thereby, this study successfully demonstrated the possibilities of using spices extracts in the treatment of microbial infections

COMBINED EFFECT OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF CURCUMA LONGA LINN.WITH METFORMIN IN DIABETES INDUCED NEUROPTAHIC PAIN IN RATS

Objectives: A number of studies previously conducted have shown that the progression of severity of diabetic Neuropathy relates the increased oxidative stress due to hyperglycemia describing the probable underlying mechanism as changes in the anti-oxidant enzyme level leading to several vascular and neuronal changes. The present investigation was carried out to observe the combined effect of Aqueous Extract of Curcuma longa Linn.(Curcumin) with Metformin  in delaying of Diabetes induced Neuropathic Pain in Rats.Methods: The high-fat diet treated male SD rats were induced diabetic by a single intra-peritoneal injection of Streptozocin (35mg/kg). Eddy's Hot Plate and Hot Water Tail Immersion test were the Models used to assess the Neuropathic pain. The high Fat diet treated and Diabetic Rats were treated with Metformin (500mg/kg), Curcumin (300mg/kg) and a combination of low dose of Metformin with Curcumin, followed by the oral glucose tolerance test before and after the treatment on both Normal and Diabetic Rats. After 7 weeks of treatment TBARS, SOD, Catalase and GSH levels were also estimated in the sciatic nerve homogenate of Diabetic Rats and compared with the control followed by a supporting histopathological examination of Sciatic Nerve.Results: Diabetic Rats treated with Curcuma longa Linn. and Metformin  alone and in combination showed a significant improvement in control of blood glucose level and restoration of anti-oxidant enzyme levels. There was a significant improvement in the hyperalgesia (P<0.001) due to Diabetic Neuropathy and also the reaction time to the nociceptive stimuli in Neuropathic pain models was increased after the treatment.Key Words:   Antioxidant, Curcumin, Diabetes, Metformin, Neuropathy, Streptozoci

Renormalized Path Integral for the Two-Dimensional Delta-Function Interaction

A path-integral approach for delta-function potentials is presented. Particular attention is paid to the two-dimensional case, which illustrates the realization of a quantum anomaly for a scale invariant problem in quantum mechanics. Our treatment is based on an infinite summation of perturbation theory that captures the nonperturbative nature of the delta-function bound state. The well-known singular character of the two-dimensional delta-function potential is dealt with by considering the renormalized path integral resulting from a variety of schemes: dimensional, momentum-cutoff, and real-space regularization. Moreover, compatibility of the bound-state and scattering sectors is shown.Comment: 26 pages. The paper was significantly expanded and numerous equations were added for the sake of clarity; the main results and conclusions are unchange

Quantum state preparation and macroscopic entanglement in gravitational-wave detectors

Long-baseline laser-interferometer gravitational-wave detectors are operating at a factor of 10 (in amplitude) above the standard quantum limit (SQL) within a broad frequency band. Such a low classical noise budget has already allowed the creation of a controlled 2.7 kg macroscopic oscillator with an effective eigenfrequency of 150 Hz and an occupation number of 200. This result, along with the prospect for further improvements, heralds the new possibility of experimentally probing macroscopic quantum mechanics (MQM) - quantum mechanical behavior of objects in the realm of everyday experience - using gravitational-wave detectors. In this paper, we provide the mathematical foundation for the first step of a MQM experiment: the preparation of a macroscopic test mass into a nearly minimum-Heisenberg-limited Gaussian quantum state, which is possible if the interferometer's classical noise beats the SQL in a broad frequency band. Our formalism, based on Wiener filtering, allows a straightforward conversion from the classical noise budget of a laser interferometer, in terms of noise spectra, into the strategy for quantum state preparation, and the quality of the prepared state. Using this formalism, we consider how Gaussian entanglement can be built among two macroscopic test masses, and the performance of the planned Advanced LIGO interferometers in quantum-state preparation

Searching for a Stochastic Background of Gravitational Waves with LIGO

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) has performed the fourth science run, S4, with significantly improved interferometer sensitivities with respect to previous runs. Using data acquired during this science run, we place a limit on the amplitude of a stochastic background of gravitational waves. For a frequency independent spectrum, the new limit is $\Omega_{\rm GW} < 6.5 \times 10^{-5}$. This is currently the most sensitive result in the frequency range 51-150 Hz, with a factor of 13 improvement over the previous LIGO result. We discuss complementarity of the new result with other constraints on a stochastic background of gravitational waves, and we investigate implications of the new result for different models of this background.Comment: 37 pages, 16 figure

A Cryogenic Silicon Interferometer for Gravitational-wave Detection

The detection of gravitational waves from compact binary mergers by LIGO has opened the era of gravitational wave astronomy, revealing a previously hidden side of the cosmos. To maximize the reach of the existing LIGO observatory facilities, we have designed a new instrument able to detect gravitational waves at distances 5 times further away than possible with Advanced LIGO, or at greater than 100 times the event rate. Observations with this new instrument will make possible dramatic steps toward understanding the physics of the nearby Universe, as well as observing the Universe out to cosmological distances by the detection of binary black hole coalescences. This article presents the instrument design and a quantitative analysis of the anticipated noise floor

A Cryogenic Silicon Interferometer for Gravitational-wave Detection

The detection of gravitational waves from compact binary mergers by LIGO has opened the era of gravitational wave astronomy, revealing a previously hidden side of the cosmos. To maximize the reach of the existing LIGO observatory facilities, we have designed a new instrument that will have 5 times the range of Advanced LIGO, or greater than 100 times the event rate. Observations with this new instrument will make possible dramatic steps toward understanding the physics of the nearby universe, as well as observing the universe out to cosmological distances by the detection of binary black hole coalescences. This article presents the instrument design and a quantitative analysis of the anticipated noise floor

Cholinergic receptor pathways involved in apoptosis, cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation

Acetylcholine (ACh) has been shown to modulate neuronal differentiation during early development. Both muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) regulate a wide variety of physiological responses, including apoptosis, cellular proliferation and neuronal differentiation. However, the intracellular mechanisms underlying these effects of AChR signaling are not fully understood. It is known that activation of AChRs increase cellular proliferation and neurogenesis and that regulation of intracellular calcium through AChRs may underlie the many functions of ACh. Intriguingly, activation of diverse signaling molecules such as Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt, protein kinase C and c-Src is modulated by AChRs. Here we discuss the roles of ACh in neuronal differentiation, cell proliferation and apoptosis. We also discuss the pathways involved in these processes, as well as the effects of novel endogenous AChRs agonists and strategies to enhance neuronal-differentiation of stem and neural progenitor cells. Further understanding of the intracellular mechanisms underlying AChR signaling may provide insights for novel therapeutic strategies, as abnormal AChR activity is present in many diseases

Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Background Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for death and disability, but its overall association with health remains complex given the possible protective effects of moderate alcohol consumption on some conditions. With our comprehensive approach to health accounting within the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016, we generated improved estimates of alcohol use and alcohol-attributable deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 195 locations from 1990 to 2016, for both sexes and for 5-year age groups between the ages of 15 years and 95 years and older. Methods Using 694 data sources of individual and population-level alcohol consumption, along with 592 prospective and retrospective studies on the risk of alcohol use, we produced estimates of the prevalence of current drinking, abstention, the distribution of alcohol consumption among current drinkers in standard drinks daily (defined as 10 g of pure ethyl alcohol), and alcohol-attributable deaths and DALYs. We made several methodological improvements compared with previous estimates: first, we adjusted alcohol sales estimates to take into account tourist and unrecorded consumption; second, we did a new meta-analysis of relative risks for 23 health outcomes associated with alcohol use; and third, we developed a new method to quantify the level of alcohol consumption that minimises the overall risk to individual health. Findings Globally, alcohol use was the seventh leading risk factor for both deaths and DALYs in 2016, accounting for 2.2% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1.5-3.0) of age-standardised female deaths and 6.8% (5.8-8.0) of age-standardised male deaths. Among the population aged 15-49 years, alcohol use was the leading risk factor globally in 2016, with 3.8% (95% UI 3.2-4-3) of female deaths and 12.2% (10.8-13-6) of male deaths attributable to alcohol use. For the population aged 15-49 years, female attributable DALYs were 2.3% (95% UI 2.0-2.6) and male attributable DALYs were 8.9% (7.8-9.9). The three leading causes of attributable deaths in this age group were tuberculosis (1.4% [95% UI 1. 0-1. 7] of total deaths), road injuries (1.2% [0.7-1.9]), and self-harm (1.1% [0.6-1.5]). For populations aged 50 years and older, cancers accounted for a large proportion of total alcohol-attributable deaths in 2016, constituting 27.1% (95% UI 21.2-33.3) of total alcohol-attributable female deaths and 18.9% (15.3-22.6) of male deaths. The level of alcohol consumption that minimised harm across health outcomes was zero (95% UI 0.0-0.8) standard drinks per week. Interpretation Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for global disease burden and causes substantial health loss. We found that the risk of all-cause mortality, and of cancers specifically, rises with increasing levels of consumption, and the level of consumption that minimises health loss is zero. These results suggest that alcohol control policies might need to be revised worldwide, refocusing on efforts to lower overall population-level consumption.Peer reviewe