ANTIFUNGAL PRINCIPLE FROM THE STEM BARK OF BERLINA GRANDIFLORA

Lup-20(29)-en-3b-ol [lupeol] was isolated from the hexane fraction of the stem bark of Berlina grandiflora. The compound showed significant antifungal activity against Cladosporium cucumerinium. Key Words: Berlina grandiflora, antifungal activity, lupeol and Cladosporium cucumerinium [Nig. J. Nat. Prod. and Med. Vol.6 2002: 48-49

Behavioural Effect of \u3cem\u3ePavetta crassipes\u3c/em\u3e Extract on Rodents

The effects of the ethanol extract of Pavetta crassipes on the central nervous system (CNS) and on actions of some selected centrally acting drugs were studied in mice and rats. These studies were carried out using the spontaneous motor activity (SMA), amphetamine-induced hyperactivity and stereotyped behaviour,pentobarbital-induced hypnosis and exploratory activity, apomorphine-induced climbing and haloperidol-induced catalepsy in rats. The results demonstrated that the extract of P. crassipes dose-dependently decreased SMA in mice and attenuated amphetamine-induced hyperactivity and the different episodes of stereotypic behavioural patterns induced by amphetamine. In addition, the extract decreased the number of head dips in the exploratory activity test and potentiated pentobarbital-induced sleeping time in rats. Furthermore, the extract inhibited apomorphine-induced climbing in mice and potentiated haloperidol-induced catalepsy in rats. Our results suggest that the extract of P. crassipes contains biologically active substance(s) that might be acting centrally through the inhibition of dopaminergic pathway or a system linked to this pathway to mediate the observed pharmacological effects

Hypotensive Activity of the Ethanol Extract of \u3cem\u3ePavetta crassipes\u3c/em\u3e Leaves

Pavetta crassipes leaf is routinely used locally in Nigeria for the management of respiratory disorders and hypertension. The hypotensive and other cardiovascular effects of Pavetta crassipes were investigated in cats and rats. The effects of the extract on rat and cat blood pressures, isolated rat atria, rat portal vein, isolated rat aorta and rat vas deferens were studied. Specific receptor antagonists (atropine, mepyramine, phentolamine, propranolol) were used to elucidate the underlying mechanism(s) involved in the cardiovascular changes induced by P. crassipes. The results revealed that the ethanolic extract of Pavetta crassipeslowered the blood pressures of cats and rats in a dose dependent manner. The extract also caused a concentration-dependent decrease in the force of contraction of the isolated rat atria and rat portal vein. The decreases in blood pressure values were attenuated in the presence of a β-adrenoceptor antagonist, propranolol. The extract also attenuated isoprenaline-induced contraction of the rat atria. However, the extract did not affect contractions evoked by KCl, norepinephrine and 5-HT on the rat aorta. Pavetta crassipescontains biologically active substances that may be useful in the management of hypertension

Social support, resource utilization, and well-being: a survey of adolescent parents in Washington, DC

Abstract Background Adolescent parents experience worse health and socioeconomic outcomes compared to older parents. Little is known about the factors that can lead to better health and well-being among teen-headed families. A city-wide collaborative conducted a comprehensive well-being assessment of expectant and parenting teens in Washington, DC. Methods An online, anonymous survey was conducted with adolescent parents in Washington, DC, using convenience sampling. The survey consisted of 66 questions adapted from validated scales of quality of life and well-being. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data overall, by subgroups of mother and father, and by subgroups of parent age. Spearman’s correlations were utilized to demonstrate associations of social supports with well-being metrics. Results A total of 107 adolescent and young adult parents from Washington, DC, completed the survey; 80% of respondents identified as mothers and 20% as fathers. Younger adolescent parents rated their physical health better compared to older adolescent and young adult parents. Adolescent parents reported accessing various governmental and community-based resources in the preceding 6 months. The most used resources were supplemental food programs, with 35% receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and 24% receiving support from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. There was no significant difference in health-related well-being metrics among those who did and did not receive resources. Having higher self-reported social support was positively correlated with higher self-rated physical health, mental health, and well-being, as well as experiencing positive emotions, and was negatively correlated with experiencing negative emotions. Conclusion This snapshot of the well-being of expectant and parenting teens in Washington, DC, showed overall positive physical, mental, and emotional health. Greater social support was correlated with better outcomes in these areas. Future work will leverage the multidisciplinary collaborative to translate these findings into policies and programs that meet the needs of this population

Synthesis of 3-[(\u3cem\u3eN\u3c/em\u3e-Carboalkoxy)ethylamino]-Indazole-Dione Derivatives and Their Biological Activities on Human Liver Carbonyl Reductase

A series of indazole-dione derivatives were synthesized by the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of appropriate substituted benzoquinones or naphthoquinones and N-carboalkoxyamino diazopropane derivatives. These compounds were evaluated for their effects on human carbonyl reductase. Several of the analogs were found to serve as substrates for carbonyl reductase with a wide range of catalytic efficiencies, while four analogs display inhibitory activities with IC50 values ranging from 3–5 μM. Two of the inhibitors were studied in greater detail and were found to be noncompetitive inhibitors against both NADPH and menadione with KI values ranging between 2 and 11 μM. Computational studies suggest that conformation of the compounds may determine whether the indazole-diones bind productively to yield product or nonproductively to inhibit the enzyme