Pharmacological potential of micheliolide: A focus on anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities

Micheliolide (MCL) is a chief constituent of plants such as Magnolia grandiflora L., Michelia compressa (Maxim.) Sarg. and Michelia champaca L. It is known to exhibit significant anticancer activity by various scientific investigations. This review aims to emphasize the anticancer and antiinflammatory activities of MCL. In this review, we summarized the published data in peer-reviewed manuscripts published in English. Our search was based on the following scientific search engines and databases: Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Springer, PubMed, and SciFinder, MCL possesses a broad spectrum of medicinal properties like other sesquiterpene lactones. The anticancer activity of this compound may be attributed to the modulation of several signaling cascades (PI3K/Akt and NF-κB pathways). It also induces apoptosis by arresting the cell cycle at the G1/G0 phase, S phase, and G2/M phase in many cancer cell lines. Very little data is available on its modulatory action on other signaling cascades like MAPK, STAT3, Wnt, TGFβ, Notch, EGFR, etc. This compound can be potentiated as a novel anticancer drug after thorough investigations in vitro, in vivo, and in silico-based studies.

Nanoscale Luminescence Imaging/Detection of Single Particles: State-of-the-Art and Future Prospects

Single-particle-level measurements, during the reaction, avoid averaging effects that are inherent limitations of conventional ensemble strategies. It allows revealing structure-activity relationships beyond averaged properties by considering crucial particle-selective descriptors including structure/morphology dynamics, intrinsic heterogeneity, and dynamic fluctuations in reactivity (kinetics, mechanisms). In recent years, numerous luminescence (optical) techniques such as chemiluminescence (CL), electrochemiluminescence (ECL), and fluorescence (FL) microscopies have been emerging as dominant tools to achieve such measurements, owing to their diversified spectroscopy principles, noninvasive nature, higher sensitivity, and sufficient spatiotemporal resolution. Correspondingly, state-of-the-art methodologies and tools are being used for probing (real-time, operando, in situ) diverse applications of single particles in sensing, medicine, and catalysis. Herein, we provide a concise and comprehensive perspective on luminescence-based detection and imaging of single particles by putting special emphasis on their basic principles, mechanistic pathways, advances, challenges, and key applications. This Perspective focuses on the development of emission intensities and imaging based individual particle detection. Moreover, several key examples in the areas of sensing, motion, catalysis, energy, materials, and emerging trends in related areas are documented. We finally conclude with the opportunities and remaining challenges to stimulate further developments in this field.

Fabrication of Ternary MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3-Based Nano Composites for Photocatalytic Dye Degradation

The synthesis and design of low-cost visible-light-active catalysts for the photodegradation of organic dyes have been regarded as an efficient way to use solar energy in addressing environmental issues. We report the fabrication of MoS2/CdS nanoparticles functionalized with Bi2S3 nanoflakes. The ternary composites of “MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3” were synthesized in situ by a hydrothermal method at different temperatures. The changes in structural, optical, and morphological properties of the synthesized CdS/MoS2/Bi2S3 were explored. The effects of Bi2S3 on CdS/MoS2 were thoroughly studied by performing an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), an ultra-violet–visible spectrometer (Uv–vis), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (FT-IR) studies of the nanoparticles. XRD confirms the cubical crystal structure of the nanoparticles. SEM studies possess the modulation in the surface morphology with the tenability in volume ratios of “MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3” composites. It was observed that the bandgaps calculated using absorption measurements could be manipulated from 2.40 eV to 0.97 eV with varying Bi2S3 in the MoS2/CdS nanostructures. FT-IR confirmed the synthesis of “MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3” nanoparticles. On allowing the visible light to fall for 120 min, it was observed that “MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3” degrades the methylene blue up to 90%. The calculated results of “MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3” suggest that the synthesized material could be a strong candidate for photodegradation applications. This research work explains the synthesis of MoS2/CdS/Bi2S3-based nanocomposites for the degradation of dye using a photocatalytic process. The final results show that this catalyst effectively degrades the dye.

Antioxidant, Anti-Obesity, and Hypolipidemic Effects of Polyphenol Rich Star Anise (Illicium verum) Tea in High-Fat-Sugar Diet-Induced Obesity Rat Model

Star anise (Illicium verum Hook. fil.) is commonly utilized as a culinary and medicinal fruit and is most famous in indigenous systems of medicine. The present research work aims to appraise and validate the potential of polyphenol-rich star anise tea (SAT) on oxidative stress, obesity and related biochemical parameters in high-fat-sugar-diet (HFSD)-induced obesity model in rats. SAT was prepared using the traditional method in warm water. The Reverse Phase High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) analysis was performed for the simultaneous determination of phenolic acids and flavonoids in SAT. Two doses (250 and 500 mg/kg body weight) were selected to investigate the anti-obesity potential of SAT using HFSD-induced obese rat model. Major (>5 mg/100 mL) phenolic acids in SAT were p-coumeric acid, gallic aid, cinamic acid, chlorogenic acid and ferulic acid while catechin and rutin were the major flavonoids detected in the SAT. SAT exhibited 51.3% DPPH radical scavenging activity. In vivo study showed that higher doses of SAT (500 mg/kg body weight) significantly reduced the body weight increase (74.82%) and BMI (0.64 g/cm2). Moreover, significant reductions in the levels of serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and VLDL were recorded in all the treatment groups in comparison to the HFSDC group. Furthermore, SAT reduced the alterations in MDA, SOD and GSH levels of experimental groups thus showing the potential against oxidative stress. The SAT-500 group showed a significant decrease in the elevated kidney and liver weights and atherogenic index in comparison to the HFSDC group. The present study proved that SAT exhibited strong protective effects against obesity and oxidative stress, especially at higher doses.

CSI-LSTM: a web server to predict protein secondary structure using bidirectional long short term memory and NMR chemical shifts

Protein secondary structure provides rich structural information, hence the description and understanding of protein structure relies heavily on it. Identification or prediction of secondary structures therefore plays an important role in protein research. In protein NMR studies, it is more convenient to predict secondary structures from chemical shifts as compared to the traditional determination methods based on inter-nuclear distances provided by NOESY experiment. In recent years, there was a significant improvement observed in deep neural networks, which had been applied in many research fields. Here we proposed a deep neural network based on bidirectional long short term memory (biLSTM) to predict protein 3-state secondary structure using NMR chemical shifts of backbone nuclei. While comparing with the existing methods the proposed method showed better prediction accuracy. Based on the proposed method, a web server has been built to provide protein secondary structure prediction service.

Facile Synthesis of Diversely Functionalized Peptoids, Spectroscopic Characterization, and DFT-Based Nonlinear Optical Exploration

Compounds having nonlinear optical (NLO) characteristics have been proved to have a significant role in many academic and industrial areas; particularly, their leading role in surface interfaces, solid physics, materials, medicine, chemical dynamics, nuclear science, and biophysics is worth mentioning. In the present study, novel peptoids (1-4) were prepared in good yields via Ugi four-component reaction (Ugi-4CR). In addition to synthetic studies, computational calculations were executed to estimate the molecular electrostatic potential, natural bond orbital (NBO), frontier molecular orbital analysis, and NLO properties. The NBO analysis confirmed the stability of studied systems owing to containing intramolecular hydrogen bonding and hyperconjugative interactions. NLO analysis showed that investigated molecules hold noteworthy NLO response as compared to standard compounds that show potential for technology-related applications.

NMR for Mixture Analysis: Concentration-Ordered Spectroscopy

A novel approach, concentration-ordered NMR spectroscopy (CORDY), is being proposed based on the principle that the ratio of the NMR peak area to its associated number of spins is proportional to the concentration of the assigned compound. Besides, prior information of chemical shift distribution and line shape characteristics of different chemical groups is utilized to shrink the solution space. CORDY generates a pseudo-two-dimensional NMR spectrum with chemical shifts in one axis and concentrations in the other, resulting in both separation and quantitation of components in complex samples. The method was validated by application to three samples-a model mixture containing six amino acids, sugar-free Red Bull, and human urine. It was demonstrated that CORDY could successfully separate the components with up to 2 orders of magnitude in the concentration dimension for the samples used in the current study. In addition, a combination of CORDY and DOSY (CORDY-DOSY) has been found to be more efficient in resolving the molecules with similar concentrations or self-diffusion coefficients.

Identification of metabolic kinetic patterns in different brain regions using metabolomics methods coupled with various discriminant approaches

Metabolomics is widely used as a powerful technique for identifying metabolic patterns and functions of organs and biological systems. Normally, there are multiple groups/targets involved in data processed by discriminant analysis. This is more common in cerebral studies, as there are always several brain regions involved in neuronal studies or brain metabolic dysfunctions. Furthermore, neuronal activity is highly correlated with cerebral energy metabolism, such as oxidation of glucose, especially for glutamatergic (excitatory) and GABAergic (inhibitory) neuronal activities. Thus, regional cerebral energy metabolism recognition is essential for understanding brain functions. In the current study, ten different brain regions were considered for discrimination analysis. The metabolic kinetics were investigated with ¹³C enrichments in metabolic products of glucose and measured using the nuclear magnetic spectroscopic method. Multiple discriminative methods were used to construct classification models in order to screen out the best method. After comparing all the applied discriminatory analysis methods, the boost-decision tree method was found to be the best method for classification and every cerebral region exhibited its own metabolic pattern. Finally, the differences in metabolic kinetics among these brain regions were analyzed. We, therefore, concluded that the current technology could also be utilized in other multi-class metabolomics studies and special metabolic kinetic patterns could provide useful information for brain function studies.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Regional Cerebral Free Fatty Acids in Rats Using the Stable Isotope Labeling Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Method

Free fatty acids serve as important bioactive molecules in the brain. They are involved in message transfer in the brain. There are many reports available in the literature regarding the role of cerebral fatty acids in message transfer; however, most of the studies are mainly focused on limited fatty acid species or only a few specific brain regions. To understand the relationship between cerebral functions and free fatty acids, it is necessary to investigate the distribution of the free fatty acids among different regions in the whole brain. In this study, free fatty acids were extracted from different brain regions and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using the stable isotopic labeling liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry approach. In total, 1008 potential free fatty acids were detected in the whole brain out of which 38 were found to be commonly present in all brain regions. Among different brain regions, the highest and the smallest amounts of potential free fatty acids were detected in the olfactory bulb and cerebellum, respectively. From a statistical point of view, 4-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid, cis-11, 14-eicosadienoic acid, tridecanoic acid, myristic acid, nonadecanoic acid, and arachidic acid were found to significantly vary among the four different brain regions (olfactory bulb, occipital lobe, hippocampus, and cerebellum). The variation in the composition of free fatty acids among different brain regions may be very important for investigating the relationship between free fatty acids and functions of cerebral regions.

Chemical Composition and Bioactivities of Essential Oil from Leaves of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels Native to Punjab, Pakistan

Herbal medicines are widely used for the treatment of different types of diseases like skin and throat infections and other diseases in developing countries. Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels fruit, leaves and bark were used for the remedies of different diseases anciently. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the chemical profile of Syzygium cumini leaves essential oil (EO) from Punjab, Pakistan. The essential oil was isolated using hydrodistillation technique and analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Free radical scavenging capacity and antioxidant activity were assessed by using DPPH radical scavenging ability, inhibition of linoleic acid peroxidation, bleaching of β-carotene in linoleic acid system and reducing power assays. Antimicrobial potential was assessed by disc diffusion assay and measurement of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) using resazurin microtiter-plate assay. The anti-heme biocrystallization activity of EO was also assessed. The major components (>3%) found in Syzygium cumini leaves EO were β-farnesene (3.42 %), caryophyllenol (3.46 %), terpinen-4-ol (3.61 %), β-myrcene (3.90 %), γ-cadinene (4.09 %), fenchol (4.22 %), cis-β-ocimene (4.40 %) and 5-methyl-1,3,6-heptatriene (4.90 %). Excellent antioxidant, antimicrobial and weak antimalarial potential was observed. It can be concluded that Syzygium cumini leaves EO has potential application for food and pharmaceutical industries.

Accurate estimation of diffusion coefficient for molecular identification in a complex background

To eliminate the effects of complex background signals and to enhance the accuracy of the diffusion coefficient measurement, derivative NMR spectroscopy with negligible loss of the spectral quality is introduced based on the customized Savitzky-Golay method and used to construct diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY). The criterion of the method was established by simulations. The application of this method on mouse urine and serum showed that the accuracy and precision of diffusion coefficient measurements in a complex background were improved to enhance the identification of molecules. Graphical abstract Diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy is a powerful tool for analyzing complex mixtures. To improve the accuracy of diffusion coefficient measurement, the magnitude of complex derivative spectra is introduced as a post-processing method to eliminate the effects of background signals, broad signals, or distorted baseline. And thus, accurate estimate of the diffusion coefficient is ensured to enhance the molecule identification.

An untargeted 13C isotopic evaluation approach for the discrimination of fermented food matrices at natural abundance: Application to vinegar

A non-destructive and comprehensive ¹³C isotopic evaluation approach based on ¹H NMR spectroscopy was developed. The carbon isotope distribution (CID) of most of the components (S/N ≥ 1000) in food matrices were evaluated using frequency distribution of peak area ratios (PAR) of decoupling to non-¹³C-decoupling spectra at natural abundance. The approach was applied successfully to vinegar and it was found that the PAR of fermented vinegars is obviously narrower than that of the blended one and the one produced via chemically defined culture medium. Besides, the extra additives can also be evaluated by their characteristic PAR values. It was found that the sugars are the most commonly added components into the blended vinegars. The results obtained from the developed approach show good validity (baseline effect, RSD < 0.1%) and internal reproducibility (RSD < 0.1%). Practicability of the method is confirmed by gas chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-IRMS) detection method. The results imply that the proposed approach could be used not only for the discrimination but also for the primary authentication of the blended components in the fermented food matrices.

A facile and concise route to (hydroxybenzoyl)pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine heterocycle derivatives: synthesis, and structural, spectral and computational exploration

In this work, we report the efficient synthesis of novel (hydroxybenzoyl)pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine heterocycle derivatives: 6-(2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzoyl)-1-methylpyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione (6a), 6-(5-fluoro-2-hydroxybenzoyl)-1-methylpyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione (6b), 6-(5-ethyl-2-hydroxybenzoyl)-1-methylpyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione (6c) and 6-(2-hydroxy-5-isopropylbenzoyl)-1-methylpyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione (6d). The chemical structures of the title compounds were ascertained by spectral techniques including ¹H, ¹³C NMR, UV-visible and FT-IR spectroscopy as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Additionally, density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent (TD-DFT) computation were adopted to analyze the electronic structures of 6a-d. Compounds 6a-d were computed in the ground state for FT-IR spectroscopic and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis by DFT/B3LYP with the 6-311+G(d,p) basis set. UV-vis spectroscopic and HOMO and LUMO energy values for 6a-d were determined via TD-DFT/B3LYP with the 6-311+G(d,p) basis set. The optimized geometric parameters, UV-vis findings, and vibrational frequencies indicate good consistency with the experimental data. NBO analysis was conducted to explore the interactions and charge transfer among different orbitals in the title compounds. The HOMO and LUMO band gap (ΔE) values for 6a-d were found to be 3.93, 3.91, 4.10 and 3.91 eV, respectively. Molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) analysis explored the reactivity of the title compounds by predicting their nucleophilic as well as electrophilic sites.

Proteomics and metabolomics analysis of hepatic mitochondrial metabolism in alcohol-preferring and non-preferring rats

Alcohol preference induced tolerance in humans and animals when their bodily functions adapt to compensate for the disruption caused by alcohol consumption. This was thought to be an important component of the genetic predisposition to alcoholism. To investigate the underlying mechanisms of hepatic metabolic tolerance during alcohol preference, the alcohol preferring and alcohol non-preferring rats were used in this study. The liver mitochondria were purified for comparative quantitative proteomics analysis, and the liver metabolite extracts were collected for metabolomics analysis. Our study identified 96 differentially expressed hepatic mitochondrial proteins that associated with alcohol preference, the further gene ontology and protein interaction network analysis suggest a down-regulation of amino acid metabolism and up-regulation of lipid metabolism. We found alcohol preference induced a series of enzymes decreased (e.g. SSADH and GABA-T) and several amino acids increased (e.g. glutamate and aspartate) in rat liver, indicating down-regulations of glutamate degradation occurred during alcohol preference. Most of these changes were due to the genetic differences between alcohol preferring and non-preferring animals. Furthermore, this study would provided new insights to further clarify the mechanisms of hepatic metabolic tolerance during alcohol preference.

Specific patterns of spinal metabolites underlying α-Me-5-HT-evoked pruritus compared with histamine and capsaicin assessed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The mechanism behind itching is not well understood. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) spectroscopic analysis of spinal cord extracts provides a quick modality for evaluating the specific metabolic activity of α-Me-5-HT-evoked pruritus mice. In the current study, four groups of young adult male C57Bl/6 mice were investigated; one group treated with saline, while the other groups intradermally injected with α-Me-5-HT (histamine independent pruritogen), histamine (histamine dependent pruritogen) and capsaicin (algogenic substance), respectively. The intradermal microinjection of α-Me-5-HT and histamine resulted in a dramatic increase in the itch behavior. Furthermore, the results of NMR studies of the spinal cord extracts revealed that the metabolites show very different patterns for these different drugs, especially when comparing α-Me-5-HT and capsaicin. All the animals in the groups of α-Me-5-HT and capsaicin were completely separated using the metabolite parameters and principal component analysis. For α-Me-5-HT, the concentrations of glutamate, GABA, glycine and aspartate increased significantly, especially for GABA (increased 17.2%, p=0.008). Furthermore, the concentration of NAA increased, but there was no significant difference (increased 11.3%, p=0.191) compared to capsaicin (decreased 29.1%, p=0.002). Thus the application of magnetic resonance spectroscopy technique, coupled with statistical analysis, could further explain the mechanism behind itching evoked by α-Me-5-HT or other drugs. It can thus improve our understanding of itch pathophysiology and pharmacological therapies which may contribute to itch relief.

(13)C-NMR-Based Metabolomic Profiling of Typical Asian Soy Sauces

It has been a strong consumer interest to choose high quality food products with clear information about their origin and composition. In the present study, a total of 22 Asian soy sauce samples have been analyzed in terms of (13)C-NMR spectroscopy. Spectral data were analyzed by multivariate statistical methods in order to find out the important metabolites causing the discrimination among typical soy sauces from different Asian regions. It was found that significantly higher concentrations of glutamate in Chinese red cooking (CR) soy sauce may be the result of the manual addition of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in the final soy sauce product. Whereas lower concentrations of amino acids, like leucine, isoleucine and valine, observed in CR indicate the different fermentation period used in production of CR soy sauce, on the other hand, the concentration of some fermentation cycle metabolites, such as acetate and sucrose, can be divided into two groups. The concentrations of these fermentation cycle metabolites were lower in CR and Singapore Kikkoman (SK), whereas much higher in Japanese shoyu (JS) and Taiwan (China) light (TL), which depict the influence of climatic conditions. Therefore, the results of our study directly indicate the influences of traditional ways of fermentation, climatic conditions and the selection of raw materials and can be helpful for consumers to choose their desired soy sauce products, as well as for researchers in further authentication studies about soy sauce.

Optimization protocol for the extraction of antioxidant components from Origanum vulgare leaves using response surface methodology

In the present work, the response surface methodology (RSM) based on a central composite rotatable design (CCRD), was used to determine optimum conditions for the extraction of antioxidant compounds from Origanum vulgare leaves. Four process variables were evaluated at three levels (31 experimental designs): methanol (70%, 80%, and 90%), the solute:solvent ratio (1:5, 1:12.5, 1:20), the extraction time (4, 10, 16 h), and the solute particle size (20, 65, 110 micron). Using RSM, a quadratic polynomial equation was obtained by multiple regression analysis for predicting optimization of the extraction protocol. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied and the significant effect of the factors and their interactions were tested at 95% confidence interval. The antioxidant extract (AE) yield was significantly influenced by solvent composition, solute to solvent ratio, and time. The maximum AE was obtained at methanol (70%), liquid solid ratio (20), time (16 h), and particle size (20 micron). Predicted values thus obtained were closer to the experimental value indicating suitability of the model. Run 25 (methanol:water 70:30; solute:solvent 1:20; extraction time 16 h and solute particle size 20) showed highest TP contents (18.75 mg/g of dry material, measured as gallic acid equivalents) and DPPH radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ 5.04 μg/mL). Results of the present study indicated good correlation between TP contents and DPPH radical scavenging activity. Results of the study indicated that phenolic compounds are powerful scavengers of free radical as demonstrated by a good correlation between TP contents and DPPH radical scavenging activity.

Comparative evaluation of some commercially available brands of pharmaceutical preparations for Na, K and Mg concentrations

A study was carried out to investigate the concentrations of macro-elements (Na(+), K(+) and Mg(+2)) in twelve commercially available pharmaceutical preparations used as sex stimulant, by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. A wet digestion method was adopted to prepare the samples. The results indicated that sodium concentration was maximum (3702 ± 29 μg g(-1)) in LB and minimum (495 ± 06 μg g(-1)) in H-E-H. Potassium concentration was maximum (6337 ± 13 μg g(-1)) in NBA while minimum (150 ± 06 μg g(-1)) in ZGRA. Magnesium concentration was maximum in V-100 (9226 ± 11 μg g(-1)) and minimum in FGRA (1194 ± 25 μg g(-1)). The concentration of macro-elements in the imported herbal preparations was in the order of Mg<Na<K and in the local herbal preparations as follows: Mg<K<Na. Some of these herbal preparations contain high level of macro-elements than the recommended daily dietary allowances. The excessive use of such preparations may cause severe allergic reactions, kidney damage and pulmonary atherosclerosis.

Management of community distribution programs in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, five high- and five low-performing nongovernmental organization-supported community distribution projects were studied to determine which management, supervisory, and field activities differed between the better and poorer performers. A total of 37 variables were studied, and differences between the higher- and lower-performing projects were noted for nearly all of the variables. In general, project effectiveness was associated with higher service quality, more proactive field supervision, and greater organizational clarity. No project performed all of the 37 activities well. No one or two variables predicted project success, and none of them was found to be a necessary condition for project success. Higher performance was associated with doing well on many of these variables.

Menstrual regulation training and service programs in Bangladesh: results from a national survey

Using nationally representative sample survey data collected in 1986, this study evaluates the training and service programs for menstrual regulation (MR), and estimates the number of MR procedures performed during 1986, in Bangladesh. The results show that most of the MR providers, who received either formal or informal training, were physicians and family welfare visitors (paramedics) employed by the government. They were trained in various aspects of MR performance, including contraindications and complications associated with MR, the techniques of MR performance and follow-up procedures, and maintenance and sterilization of MR equipment. Averages of 20.5 and 13.0 MR procedures were performed by formally and informally trained physicians, respectively, in the three-month period preceding the date of interview. The corresponding average numbers for formally and informally trained family welfare visitors were 11.6 and 9.1, respectively. A total of 241,442 MR cases were estimated to have been performed between August 1985 and July 1986.

Community health services and health care utilization in rural Bangladesh

The study, which is based on data from two household level health surveys conducted in 1976 and 1987 in the Companiganj area of rural Bangladesh, examines the premise that the utilization of public health care services can be increased by increasing the availability and accessibility of effective medicines to the public and by improving the disease recognition and management by the health practitioners. The results of the study suggest that the availability and accessability of modern effective medicines through the provision of decentralized community-based rural health services, by a well-trained and well-managed field personnel structure, had an incremental impact on the utilization of modern health care from a rural health center and its subcenters. The study further reveals that, in 1976 as well as in 1987, the overwhelming majority of the rural Bangladesh population were using modern Western medical practitioners, although most of these practitioners were informally trained or self-trained without any formal medical degrees or training. It is concluded that the persons responsible for health program planning and health program implementation need to ensure that the access to basic public health care services be made broad enough to cover the majority of the rural population through a system of decentralized curative and preventive services, as well as through a system of adequate training and deployment of health professionals, including training programs to improve the quality of medical services offered by the informal and self-trained practitioners of modern medicines.

Menstrual regulation in Bangladesh: an evaluation of training and service programs

This article evaluates the performance of three urban menstrual regulation (MR) training and service programs in Bangladesh. Virtually all of the MR providers including physicians and paramedics in the three centers received training in various MR procedures by means of demonstration or class lectures. However, a significant proportion of the trained MR providers were unable to render proper MR services due to the lack of clinical facilities and lack of equipment. Analysis of follow-up data for MR clients revealed that those women who utilized MR procedures offered through the centers had an average of about three live births. Physician providers were more likely to serve clients from a higher socioeconomic strata, while paramedical providers were more likely to serve MR clients from lower socioeconomic strata or agricultural background. Most of the clients receiving MR services were ever and current users of contraceptives and developed fewer complications from MR procedures than those served by untrained traditional herbalists, healers or birth attendants.