Set Publisher
Not a member yet
1080 research outputs found
Sort by
Metabolic and Behavioral Effects of Nicotine in Swim Stressed Mice
Get PDFNicotine, in the form of tobacco smoking, is the most commonly abused drug throughout the world. It contributes to the harmful tobacco smoking habit leading to high morbidity and mortality throughout the world. The drug has addictive properties and causes drug dependence. Apart from these effects, nicotine alters a number of metabolic pathways such as lipid profile and glucose homeostasis leading to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Present study investigated the metabolic and behavioral effects of nicotine in stressed mice. For this purpose adult male mice were subjected to chronic nicotine treatment(3.08 mg/100 ml in drinking water) for 3 weeks followed by forced swim test (FST) and serum glucose, lipid profile and tryptophan were investigated. When swim stressed mice were compared with chow control, it was found that serum glucose (P<0.001), total cholesterol (P<0.001), triglycerides (P<0.01), and LDL cholesterol (P<0.01) were increased. Similarly glucose concentration (P<0.05), total cholesterol (P<0.05), triglycerides (P<0.01) and LDL cholesterol (P<0.05) were increased in drug treated swim stressed mice. However HDL remained unaltered in both groups. Serum tryptophan was decreased (P<0.01) in swim stressed and nicotine treated swim stressed mice. During FST, swimming behavior was significantly increased at the cost of climbing with no change in immobility in nicotine treated mice as compared to controls. It is concluded that nicotine worsens lipid profile and glucose homeostasis in stressful situations thereby increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases in chronic smokers and the drug induced behavioral alterations may be related to the serotonergic pathway
Antiviral Effects and Mechanisms of Action of Water Extracts and Polysaccharides of Microalgae and Cyanobacteria
Get PDFMicroalgae (MA) and cyanobacteria (CB) are currently attracting much attention from scientists due to the high biological activity of many secondary metabolites of these aquatic organisms. This review presents up-to-date modern data on the prospects for using polysaccharides (PS) of these marine aquatic organisms as effective and practically safe antiviral agents. These natural biopolymers are polyvalent compounds, which allows them to bind to several complementary biological target receptors. Particular emphasis is placed on the exopolysaccharides (EPS) Spirulina sp. (Arthrospira sp.), Porphyridium sp., Chlorella sp., and Euglena sp., whose antiviral activity makes them promising for the creation of drugs, biologically active food supplements, and products for functional nutrition. The mechanisms of the biological action of PS and the targets of these compounds are presented with a brief description of PS\u27s anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antioxidant actions, which make the most significant contribution to the antiviral effects. The authors hope to draw the attention of researchers to the use of water extracts and polysaccharides of microalgae and cyanobacteria as potential broad-spectrum antiviral agents that can become the basis for new antivirus strategies
Structural and Dielectric Properties of Ba-Doped BNT Ceramics
Get PDFIn this study, lead-free Ba-doped ((Bi(0.5)Na0.5)TiO3 ceramics were synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction method and characterized by X-ray diffraction technique, which indicates the pure crystalline nature of ceramics with ABO3 symmetry. The splitting in the peaks reveals that the ceramics with x = 0.10 and 0.30 are well in Morphotrophic Phase Boundary where rhombohedral and tetragonal phases co-exist. The scanning electron microscope images show that the average grain size of the ceramics increases with an increase in the Ba concentration. Dielectric properties of pure and Ba-doped ((Bi(0.5)Na0.5)TiO3ceramics measured by LCR meter in the frequency range of 1 k Hz – 1 M Hz shows the decrease in the value of dielectric constant with an increase in frequency. εmax = 5563 was obtained at x = 0.30 with TC = 300 °C at the frequency of 1 k Hz, whereas σ (f) curves were found to be merging at a high value of frequency and temperature regions
Gum Arabic and Eugenol in a Silica-Induced Inflammatory Angiogenesis Model in Wistar Rat
Get PDFThis work aims to evaluate the effects of gum arabic and eugenol on inflammatory angiogenesis in a subcutaneous silica inoculum model. Ninety-six Wistar rats were distributed over 16 groups. The substances administered by gavage included distilled water, gum arabic (500 mg/100g weight), and eugenol (10mg/100g weight). Control groups received 0.2 mL of sterile distilled water subcutaneously. The experimental groups were subjected to an inoculum of 0.2 mL of silica solution (50 mg/mL) subcutaneously. For seven or 14 days, the groups received distilled water or gum arabic or eugenol or gum arabic plus eugenol. There was no difference between the histological analysis of slides stained with hematoxylin-eosin. There was a reduction in vascular density in animals that received only gum arabic for 7 (0.09 µm² ± 0.02) or 14 (0.08 µm² ± 0.03) days and only eugenol for seven days (0.08 µm² ± 0.03), but this was not statistically significant. The microvascular density significantly increased in the group treated with eugenol for 14 days (0.14 µm² ± 0.02). Eugenol reduced inflammatory angiogenesis when administered for seven days and stimulated it when administered for 14 days. Gum arabic had a potential inhibitory effect on this model. The study of inflammatory angiogenesis, induced by a silica inoculum in the subcutaneous tissue of rats, is a new and reproducible model for evaluating angiogenesis and inflammation
A Review on Phytochemicals from Some Medicinal Plants of Bangladesh
Get PDFNatural products, especially those derived from higher plants, have attracted scientists from ancient time because of their potential therapeutic values. Drug development from natural sources showed that natural products or natural product-derived drugs comprised about 28% of all new chemical entities launched to the market. These are originated from terrestrial plants, microbes, marine organisms, etc. However, until recently an insignificant part of the plants has been scientifically evaluated for their medicinal properties. Bangladesh is a rich repository of medicinal plants, many of which are widely used in the Ayurvedic, Unani, herbal and other traditional systems of medicines. In our laboratory, we have extensively investigated over 48 medicinal plants and several microbial strains that have resulted in the isolation and characterization of 133 compounds, including 33 new molecules. Terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids and glycosides were the major classes of constituents. The crude extractives and several purified molecules demonstrated statistically significant inhibition of growth of microorganisms. On the other hand, usnic acid obtained from the lichen, Parmelia kamtschandalis, demonstrated even better of inhibition of microbial growth as compared to the standard antimicrobial agents, whereas dehydroaltenusin extracted from a Streptomyces sp. exhibited significant HIV-inhibitory activity
Mitigation of the Oxidative Damage in Liver Caused by Influenza Virus Infection in Mice by an Effective Combination of Oseltamivir and S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM)
Get PDFThis study aimed to estimate the protective effect of a combination of S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) as a precursor of glutathione and oseltamivir as a specific inhibitor of virus replication on oxidative damages caused by influenza infection in the liver of infected mice. Albino mice were inoculated with 10×LD50 of influenza virus A/Aichi/2/68(H3N2). Oseltamivir was applied for five days after infection, twice per day, in a dose of 2.5 mg/kg. SAM was applied for ten days in a 100 mg/kg dose, starting five days before inoculation. Markers of oxidative stress, mortality rate, mean survival time, index, and protection coefficient were followed. Influenza infection causes severe oxidative damage to the liver. All combinations of SAM and oseltamivir restored the levels of the biochemical markers to those in healthy animals and improved the virological parameters. A combination of SAM 100 mg/kg and oseltamivir 2.5 mg/kg, which is 1/4 of the optimal therapeutic mice dose, exhibits protection index and affects most effectively all the tested parameters. This study provides an easy-to-apply approach with a good therapeutic potential for co-medicating influenza infection with a specific antiviral agent and an antioxidant precursor
Antibacterial Activity of Bioactive Compounds of Green Coffee Beans on Periodontogenic and Nosocomial Bacteria
Get PDFThe emergence of antimicrobial resistance and the side effects of synthetic drugs have raised an interest in searching for new antimicrobial compounds. The present study aims to evaluate in vitro antibacterial activity of green coffee and its active compounds (chlorogenic acid extract and caffeine extract) against some periodontogenic and nosocomial bacteria. The bioactive compounds, viz. chlorogenic acid and caffeine, were extracted through soxhlet extraction using methanol and water, respectively, and HPLC UV quantified these compounds. The study reported 3 CQA, 4 CQA, and 5 CQA as the significant chlorogenic acids in green coffee beans. Aqueous extract of green coffee beans (AGCB), which is dominant in caffeine, has been found to be the least effective against both periodontal and nosocomial bacteria. The result of our study revealed that the methanol extract of green coffee bean (MGCB), rich in chlorogenic acid, exhibits the highest inhibitory activity against periodontogenic bacteria, followed by the ethanol extract of green coffee bean (EGCB) and AGCB extract. EGCB extract was significantly effective against Staphylococcus epidermidis among selected nosocomial pathogens. AGCB extract was least effective against all bacteria. The results highlight that green coffee polyphenols, especially chlorogenic acid, could be used as antimicrobial agents in different biotechnological applications. The antibacterial property of green coffee highlights its potential as a naturally active antibacterial compound
Mode of Actions of Bile Acids in Avoidance of Colorectal Cancer Development; and their Therapeutic Applications in Cancers - A Narrative Review
Get PDFBile Acids (BAs) possess a considerably significant part in the form of emulsifiers in digestion besides absorption of dietary lipids. BAs represent amphiphilic molecules, that are primary metabolites formed from cholesterol by the aid of enzymes acting on cholesterol. Earlier BAs were believed to be tumor repressors. The tumor repressive actions of BAs are correlated with programmed cell death (PCD). Furthermore, dependent on this observation different Synthetic BAs products have been generated along with their utilization regarding induction of PCD (in the form of apoptosis, autophagy or necroptosis in variable kinds of human cancers. Thus we conducted a narrative review till August 2022. The present article might form the basis of generationof such innovative therapies even for cancers/tumors that are cisplatin resistant. With time these therapies might be used for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases (NDD), amyotrophic sclerosis, and numerous metabolic and haematological diseases as described for use of TUDCA
Persistence, Clinical and Economic Impact of Infliximab CT-P13 in Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthropathy and Ankylosing Spondylitis Naïve and Switched Patients: After 5 Years of Follow-Up
Get PDFObjective: Study the economic impact and persistence of Inflectra® in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthropathy (PSA), psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis (AS) naïve, and Remicade® switched patients.
Methods: Retrospective observational cohort study of patients treated with Inflectra® for more than six months in a five years analysis. We collected age, sex, indication, dose, and persistence (in years) for Inflectra® naïve and Remicade® switched patients. Efficacy endpoints included a disease activity score calculator for rheumatoid arthritis (DAS28) and bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI). Safety was also assessed. We determined each patient\u27s actual cost of Inflectra® treatment from individualized IV administration and correlated dates during the study period. We simulated the actual cost of these patients if the patients received Remicade®.
Results: During five years, 62 patients (38 women; 31 AS, 18 RA, 13 PSA were treated with Inflectra®. 33 (53%) patients were naïve patients, and 29 (47%) were Remicade® switched patients. In Sept 2019, 33 patients continued on Inflectra® treatment (11 naïve; 22 Remicade® switched) in clinical remission. Twenty-nine patients discontinued therapy, 24 due to relapse, and five due to adverse reactions. All patients with Inflectra® presented a persistence of 24.4±7.4 months. The persistence in naïve patients was 19.1±4.4 months and in Remicade® switched patients was 29.7±5.8 months. The total associated costs of the Inflectra® treatment throughout the observation period were 901.840€. If these patients had been treated with Remicade®, the total cost of therapy would have been 1.099.803€. The use of Inflectra® saved 197,964€ during five years.
Conclusions: Inflectra® produces similar persistence and substantial cost savings when used in Infliximab naïve patients and Remicade® switched patients
Description of an Experimental Method to Measure the CO2 Loading in Monoethanomine Solutions using BaCO3 Titration Technique
No full textOne of the main criteria for the selection of a suitable solvent is the CO2 solubility capacity or CO2 loading. The objective of this work is to provide students and early-career scientists a detailed description of a titration-based experiment to measure the CO2 loading using simple and inexpensive volumetric and gravimetric lab apparatus. The performance of the method is corroborated by comparing the experimental uncertainty obtained during the determination of the CO2 concentration in test samples (in an absorption unit at lab scale) with reference values obtained by mass balance based on a certified gas analyser. The results indicate that CO2 loading values between the experimental method and the reference range from ±3 to 13%, which is in good agreement with other similar methods