Posted by admin on Oct 1, 2014 in |
Background: Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BP/CR) are interventions designed to address the delays by encouraging pregnant women, their families, and communities to effectively plan for births and prepare for emergencies. Objective: To assess the knowledge and practice towards birth preparedness and complication readiness among women in Mekelle town, 2013. Methods and Materials: A community based cross sectional study was conducted in 2013 on a sample of 220 women. Data were collected using pre-tested and structured questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS for windows version 16.0 and result of the study is presented using texts, tables and graphs. Result: Out of 220 total participants, 145 (66%) mention at least one key danger sign during pregnancy and 42 (19%) mention at least two pregnancy danger signs. Sixty eight (44%), 46 (30%), 22 (14.3%), 17 (11%) of the respondents have been practiced or currently practicing in preparing identify birth place and assistance, items needed for safe delivery, transportation plan, and saving money as an element of BP/CR, respectively. Seventy...
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Posted by admin on Oct 1, 2014 in |
Objective: To evaluate the anticonvulsant activity of ethanolic extract (200mg/kg & 400mg/kg) of Psidium guajava (guava leaves) in albino mice. Methods: Albino mice (25-30gms) of either sex were randomly selected and divided into 4 groups of 6 mice each, Group I (control) – Distilled water (vehicle) 1ml, Group II (Standard) – Valproic acid (40mg/kg), Group III – T1, ethanolic extract of Psidium guajava (200mg/kg), Group IV- T2, ethanolic extract of Psidium guajava (400mg/kg). All drugs were administered orally 1 h before the induction of seizures. The anticonvulsant activity was screened using maximal electroshock (MES) and pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) models. Results: The data were analyzed by one way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s multiple comparison test. Ethanolic extract of Psidium guajava dose-dependently produces significant antiepileptic activity in comparison to control. In MES test, the percentage inhibition of seizure is T2 – 49% and T1 – 37% in comparison to control. In the PTZ test, the percentage of protection from seizure by T2 is 83.4%, and T1 is 50% when compared to the...
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Posted by admin on Oct 1, 2014 in |
Impatiens balsamina belonging to family Balsaminaceae is commonly known as terda. The plant has an extensive range of phyto-constituents like naphthoquinones, coumarins, glycosides, phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanidins and steroids which have effective antimicrobial, anti-anaphylaxis, anti-allergic, antipruritic, and anti-inflammatory activity. Potent naphthoquinones like lawsone, methylene-3, 3’-bilawsone and lawsone methyl ether are present in the leaves of the plant that exhibits was proved to possess an intensive antitumor activity. Taking into account these ethnobotanical, nutritional, medicinal and commercial values of I. balsamina, a simple, rapid and sensitive High-Performance Liquid Chromatography method for quantification of three naphthoquinones in is developed. Jasco CrestPak C8 (4.6×250mm, 5μm) RP-HPLC column was used as the stationary phase. Sodium acetate (pH3.2): ACN (50:50% v/v) was used as mobile phase with flow rate 1ml/min and detection at a wavelength of 280nm using PDA multi-wavelength Detector. The developed method was validated for linearity, accuracy, precision, and system suitability. LOD for naphthoquinones was found to be 200ng/mL, whereas LOQ for the same was found to be 600ng/mL. The method was...
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Posted by admin on Oct 1, 2014 in |
Introduction: Pongamia pinnata is commonly known as karanja. In Ayurvedic and Unani system of medicine, it has been used as anti-inflammatory, antiplasmodial, anti-nociceptive, anti-hyperglycaemic, anti-lipid oxidative, anti-diarrheal, anti-ulcer, anti-hyperammonemic, antioxidant, etc. Moreover, it has been used traditionally in the treatment of liver disorders. However, there are no scientific bases or reports in the modern literature regarding its usefulness as a hepatoprotective agent. Aim: To evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of the Pongamia pinnata bark extracts. Methods: The extracts were subjected to preliminary phyto-chemical investigation. The in-vivo hepatoprotective activity of both the ethanolic and aqueous extracts was assessed using paracetamol-induced liver damage in albino rats. The efficacy of protection was measured by evaluation of biochemical parameters, such as SGOT (serum glutamate oxalate transaminase), SGPT (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase), ALP (alkaline phosphatase) and total bilirubin levels, as well as in–vivo estimation of GSH (glutathione) from liver tissue. Results: Phytochemical studies revealed the presence of phenolics and flavonoids, which were further estimated quantitatively. A significant hepatoprotective effect of both the extracts was observed...
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Posted by admin on Oct 1, 2014 in |
Hyperlipidemia is one of the major risk factors for coronary heart diseases. In this study, the antihyperlipidemic activity of methanolic extract of fruits of Trichosanthes anguina Linn. (META) against Triton WR 1339 induced hyperlipidemia in rats was evaluated. META was administered at doses of 125, 250, and 500 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) to Triton induced hyperlipidemic rats. Atorvastatin was used as reference drug. The serum obtained was evaluated for total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and fecal fat content (FF). The results obtained showed that the administration of 500 mg/kg b.w. dose of META resulted in a significant decrease in the levels of serum TC (54%), TG (75%) and LDL-C (22%) when compared to the untreated control group. Significant elevation in levels of serum HDL-C (117%) and FF content (131%) was also observed in rats treated with 500 mg/kg b.w. the dose of META. The observed effects may be mediated through reduced absorption and elevated excretion of lipids by synergistic effects of...
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