Comparative antioxidant activity study of some commonly used spices in Bangladesh

Many spices have been shown to impart an antioxidative effect in foods. This study summarized the literature on the antioxidative effects of spices. The term spice is defined as dry plant material that is normally added to food to impart flavor. The methanolic crude extracts of Allium sativum, Coriandrum sativum, Cuminum cyminum, Zingiber officinale, Cinnamomum verum, Elettaria cardamomum and Cinnamomum tamala were screened for their free radical scavenging properties using ascorbic acid as standard antioxidant. Free radical scavenging activity was evaluated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical. The overall antioxidant activity of Cuminum cyminum was found to be the strongest, followed in descending order by Z. officinale, C. sativum, A. sativum, C. tamala, C. verum, E. cardamomum. The IC50 values of the extracts ranged between 15.48 and 217.431 (microg mL(-1)). The ascorbic acid levels was 22.78 (microg mL(-1)) the present study revealed that the selected plants would exert several beneficial effects by virtue of their antioxidant activity and could be harnessed as drug formulation.

In vitro stability of liposomes in the presence of polymers, trehalose and sodium taurocholate

We report the influence of synthetic polymers, trehalose and sodium taurocholate on the stability of both MLVs* and SPLVs prepared from a range of lipids including synthetic polyhydroxyl lipids. In the absence of cryoprotective agents liposomes were found to release greater than 90 per cent of encapsulated marker when exposed to freeze-thawing or freeze-drying procedures. In the presence of polyvinylpalmitate a marginal enhancement of stability towards freeze-drying was observed, the effect being most marked with cholesterol-containing liposomes. Trehalose was also found to stabilize all preparations investigated towards freeze-drying. In particular SPLVS prepared from (C18:0, C14:0-GMG):EPC:C retained in greater than 90 per cent of the entrapped marker. Addition of polymers to trehalose-containing SPLVS did not further increase the stability. SPLVS prepared from lipids possessing a high transition temperature demonstrated enhanced stability in the presence of bile salts. This effect was most marked with SPLVs prepared from (C18:0, C22:0-GMG):C.

Electronic study of receptor binding of analgesic aryl moiety II: Prodine analogs

Analogs of the prodine analgesics were prepared and tested for analgesic activity. A good correlation seems to exist between the energy level of the highest occupied molecular orbital and biological activity. The energy level of the highest occupied molecular orbital of the aryl moiety of these analogs may permit a charge transfer interaction between the aryl groups of the analgesic molecules and their receptors with the aryl groups acting as charge donors.

Studies of various biochemical parameters of rat plasma following chronic administration of "Rohitakarista"-an Ayurvedic formulation

The study was carried out to investigate the safety profile as well as the effect of "Rohitakarista" (RHT) on various biochemical parameters of rats' plasma after chronic administration. RHT, a classical Ayurvedic preparation used in hepatosplenic disorders, was administered per oral route at a dose of 100 mg kg(-1) body weight, once daily, up to 46 days for all the experiments. Forty albino rats (Rattus novergicus: Sprague-Dawley strains), equally of both sexes, were randomly grouped into four where each group had ten animal/sex. One male and one female group were used as control and other groups were used as test. In the male, rats there was a statistically insignificant increase (p = 0.763) in the total protein but there was a statistically significant increase (p = 0.022) in the total protein content of the plasma of female rats. Statistically very high significant increase (male: p = 0.001 and female: p = 0.001) in the albumin content of the plasma was noted in both sexes. In case of bilirubin, interestingly it was decreased very high significantly (p = 0.001) in plasma of male rats but increased very high significantly (p = 0.001) in the plasma of female rats. In the male rats, statistically there was a very high significant decrease (sGPT: p = 0.001, sGOT: p = 0.001 and ALP: p = 0.001) in the sGPT, sGOT and ALP activities in the plasma. On the other hand, statistically there was a very highly significant increase (sGPT: p = 0.001, sGOT: p = 0.001 and ALP: p = 0.001) in the sGPT, sGOT and ALP activities in the plasma of female rats. Very high significant decrease (male: p = 0.001 and female: p = 0.001) in creatinine in plasma of both sexes were observed after chronic administration of RHT. Urea in the plasma was decreased very high significantly (p = 0.001) in plasma of male rats but increased very high significantly (p = 0.001) in the plasma of female rats. There was high significant increase (p = 0.002) in uric acid in male rats. On the contrary, no significant increase (p = 0.324) of uric acid was observed in female rats.

A Pilot Study of the Striatal Dopamine Transporter Levels in Kratom-Dependent and Normal Subjects Using 99mTc-TRODAT-1 Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography-Computed Tomography (SPECT-CT)

OBJECTIVE

The study aims to elucidate the effects of kratom addiction on dopamine transporter (DAT) using [2-[[2-[[[3-(4-chlorophenyl)-8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-2-yl]methyl](2-mercaptoethyl)amino]ethyl]amino]ethanethiolato(3-)-N2,N20,S2,S20]oxo-[1R-(exo-exo)]-[99mTc] technetium (99mTc-TRODAT-1) brain single photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography (SPECT-CT) in kratom-dependent and healthy subjects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We recruited 12 kratom-dependent subjects and 13 healthy men to participate in this study. Addiction, craving, depression, and cognitive scores were assessed. All subjects received a single bolus injection of 99mTc-TRODAT-1 with 914.1 MBq ± 65.5 of activity (mean ± SD). The brain SPECT-CT images were reconstructed using 3D ordered subset expectation maximization (3D-OSEM) along with attenuation correction (AC), scatter correction (SC), and resolution recovery (RR) with an iteration number of four and a subset of 10. The Cohen's Kappa interrater-reliability between two raters, the standardized uptake value of body weight (SUVBW), and the asymmetrical index percentage (AI%) were evaluated.

RESULTS

Kappa statistics showed a fine agreement of abnormal 99mTc-TRODAT-1 uptake in the striatum region for the kratom-dependent group with the κ value of 0.69 (p = 0.0001), and the percentage of agreement for rater 1 and rater 2 was 56% and 64%, respectively. There was a reduction in average SUV in kratom-dependent subjects compared to healthy control subjects in the left caudate and left striatum (0.938 vs. 1.251, p = 0.014, and 1.055 vs. 1.29, p = 0.036, respectively). There was a significant difference in the AI% of the caudate region between the kratom-dependent group and the normal group (33% vs. 14%, p = 0.019).

CONCLUSION

Our findings signify that kratom addiction, may cause a change in DAT level and the results can be confirmed using 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT-CT.

One in the eye for an orthopaedic surgeon

Despite many reports of injuries to surgeons during operative procedures, there is no record of an eye injury caused by a foreign body. Orthopaedic surgeons are particularly vulnerable to such injury. An instance in which a penetrating eye injury occurred while hammering a rasp into the femur during a hip replacement is described. There is a potential oblique trajectory for a foreign body to reach the eye from the operative field despite the use of a visor for eye protection.

Experimental evaluation of absolute quantification in 99m Tc-TRODAT-1 SPECT/CT brain dopamine transporter (DAT) studies

Objective

To evaluate the quantitative accuracy of clinical brain dopamine transporters (DAT) investigations utilizing ^99mTc‐TRODAT‐1 single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) in experimental and clinical settings.

Materials and methods

The study used an experimental phantom evaluation and a clinical dataset. Three‐dimensional‐ordered subsets expectation–maximization reconstructed the original and resampled datasets using attenuation correction, scatter correction, and resolution recovery. The reconstructed data were analyzed and reported as percentage difference, standardized uptake value reference (SUVr), and a coefficient of variation (CoV). The Taguchi method tested the impact of the three different parameters on signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and SUVr, including number iteration, Poisson resampling, and phantom setup, with and without the plaster of Paris (POP). Six ^99mTc‐TRODAT‐1 SPECT/CT scans were acquired in healthy subjects for verification purposes.

Results

The percentage activity difference between the phantom with and without POP is 20% and 5%, respectively. The SUVr reveals a 10% underestimate for both with and without POP. When it comes to the influence of Poisson resampling, the SUVr value for 75% Poisson resampling indicates 10% underestimation on both sides of the caudate and putamen area, with and without POP. When 25% of Poisson resampling is applied, the SUVr value is overestimated (±35%). In the Taguchi analysis, iteration numbers were the most dominant factor with the F‐value of 9.41 and the contribution rate of 52.66% (p < 0.05) for SNR. In comparison, F‐value of 9.1 for Poisson resampled with contribution rate of 58.91% (p < 0.05) for SUVr. Reducing counts by 25% from the original dataset resulted in a minimal bias in SUVr, compared to 50% and 75%.

Conclusion

The optimal absolute SPECT/CT quantification of brain DAT studies using ^99mTc‐TRODAT‐1 appears achievable with at least 4i10s and SUVr as the surrogate parameter. In clinical investigations, it is possible to reduce the recommended administered dose by up to 25% while maintaining accurate measurement.

The pentacyclic triterpenoids in herbal medicines and their pharmacological activities in diabetes and diabetic complications

Pentacyclic triterpenoids including the oleanane, ursane and lupane groups are widely distributed in many medicinal plants, such as Glycyrrhiza species, Gymnema species, Centella asiatica, Camellia sinensis, Crataegus species and Olea europaea, which are commonly used in traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes and diabetic complications. A large number of bioactive pentacyclic triterpenoids, such as oleanolic acid, glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhetinic acid, ursolic acid, betulin, betulinic acid and lupeol have shown multiple biological activities with apparent effects on glucose absorption, glucose uptake, insulin secretion, diabetic vascular dysfunction, retinopathy and nephropathy. The versatility of the pentacyclic triterpenes provides a promising approach for diabetes management.