Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2017 in |
Cognitive impairment in elderly is a growing public health concern, and is mainly caused by dementia of various etiologies. Hence, it is important to explore possible measures to mitigate the risk of dementia. Curcumin, active ingredient of turmeric (Curcuma longa) is used in curry and has shown protective effect on cognition. This study aims to explore the association between curcumin consumption in curry form and cognitive function in elderly population. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 14 randomly selected residential homes for elderly in Ipoh, Malaysia. A total of 162 subjects aged ≥ 60 years without major physical and mental health problems were selected. The variables included demographic variables, fitness and social activities and frequency of curry consumption. Association of cognitive function with curry consumption and other variables was tested using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The data was analysed by chi-square and logistic regression using SPSS17.0. Curry consumption, at least once a week was a significant protective factor for cognition based on logistic regression analysis (OR = 0.152; 95%...
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Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2017 in |
In their fight for supremacy and survival, microorganisms have been developing and devising various methods to inactivate the action of antibiotics. The numbers of drug resistant microorganisms with reduced susceptibility to various antibiotics are increasing. Therefore, new infection-fighting strategies are required to control microbial infections. The interaction between potent chemicals and living system contribute to the understanding of life processes and provide effective methods for treatment, prevention and diagnosis of many diseases. Phenol Schiff bases like chalcone imines and flavone imines were screened for their antimicrobial activity against a wide range of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. The in vitro activity of the compounds was evaluated by the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and the MIC was determined for a few selected compounds. Most of the compounds showed significant antimicrobial activity. The compounds were found toxic to bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella typhi, S. typhimurium, Shigella flexneri and Proteus species. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found to be resistant to most of the compounds. It was noted that all...
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Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2017 in |
Docetaxel (Doc) is an antitumor drug used to treat various types of cancers. However, it has certain limitations in clinical use due to its side effects. The major objective of this study was to assess the antitumor activity and cardiotoxicity of the Doc loaded in a nanoemulsion formulated with the garlic oil (Doc-NEGO) in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC)-bearing mice. One hundred mice were split into five groups (n = 20). Groups I and II served as untreated mice and untreated EAC-bearing mice, respectively. Groups III-V represented the EAC-bearing mice administered orally by Doc-NEGO, NEGO and Doc dissolved in distilled water, respectively. The antitumor activity included the measurement of the mean survival time (MST) and the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the tumor ascetic fluid. The cardiotoxicity was identified by determining the serum enzymes and analyzing the oxidative stress in the heart tissue. It has been found that the z-average diameters of the nanoparticles of NEGO and Doc-NEGO, determined by the zetasizer, were 63.19 ± 1.85 nm and 110.43 ±...
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Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2017 in |
The objective of present study was to investigate optimized nefopam hydrochloride loaded microspheres (NPH-MS) by investigating the relationship between independent and dependent variables using response surface methodology. Central composite design with thirty three batches was constructed using drug: polymer (X1), PHB: PCL (X2), stirring speed (X3), stirring time (X4) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (X5) level as independent factors. NPH-MS were manufactured using polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) and poly ε-caprolactone (PCL) by double emulsion solvent evaporation technique. The response variables were % entrapment efficiency (Y1), mean diameter (Y2), % drug loading (Y3), and % yield (Y4). Second-order polynomial equations for (Y1-Y4) were developed by Design-expert® 9.0.5.1 software. Positive and negative signs of regression coefficient indicated synergistic and antagonistic effect on response variables, respectively. Optimized NPH-MS estimated by design-expert software have highest desirability function, D = 0.911 and X1, X2, X3, X4 and X5 were 1: 2.86, 1:1.19, 1501 rpm, 2.98 h and 0.54 % w/v, respectively. The model predicted values of Y1, Y2, Y3 and Y4 for optimized NPH-MS were 83.80%, 100.78μm,...
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Posted by admin on Nov 30, 2017 in |
Elaeocarpus ganitrus Roxb is widely used in traditional medicine to cure various diseases. In this present study, the phytochemical constituents, antioxidant activity and inhibitory effect on alpha amylase by the ethanolic extracts of the Elaeocarpus ganitrus (bark) were investigated. The dried bark of Elaeocarpus ganitrus was extracted by using ethanol as a solvent for extraction with the help of Soxhlet apparatus. The solvent free crude was screened for presence of phytochemicals, antioxidant activity and alpha amylase inhibitory effect. The screening for phytochemicals showed the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids, phenol, tannin, Saponin, glycosides and terpenoids. The ethanolic extract showed a concentration dependent increase in antioxidant activity (Upto 79% by DPPH method and upto 72.8% by H2O2 method), which can be used as a potential anti-aging agent and in the treatmentof free radical associated diseases. The ethanolic extract also showed a dose dependent increase in inhibitory effect on alpha amylase (Upto 82%) which can be used as a potential source as antidiabetic drug. From the current study it can...
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