Investigation of the alkaloids of two ephedra spp. wildly Grown in Iraq

Studies covering different species of Ephedra had reported the presence of alkaloids in some species of the plant, but non on the Iraqi Ephedra, therefore a research on this plant might be of value in drug industry. In a screening program for the Iraqi plants containing alkaloids it was found that Ephedra.alate and Ephedra.transitotia contain suitable amounts of alkaloids. According to these results, together with literature survey, it was deemed to carry out this phytochemical work, with emphasis on isolation and identification of the major alkaloids that might be present. This study covers some phytochemical investigation of two spp. Of wild plants of Ephedra which has wide medicinal reputation due to different pharmacological effects. The two plant spp. Are Ephedra alata Decnc and Ephedra transitoria Riedl. of the family Ephedraceae. Detailed preliminary investigation on the dried, aerial plant showed the presence of alkaloidal amines that were tested by both dragendprff's and ninhydrine spraying reagents. The alkaloidal content of the plant extract was authenticated with standard compounds by TLC using several developing systems which proved the occurrence of one alkaloid amine, Ephedrine. However, only one of these developing systems indicated the presence of two major compounds, Ephedrine and Pseudoephedrine in the two plant spp. The extraction method of the plant material, fractionation, and isolation procedures of the alkaloids are fully described. Ephedrine crystals were subjected to tests purity using HPLC, UV, IR, M.P. and M.M.P. which matches with standard Ephedrine. Pseudoephedrine crystals were identified by M.P. and HPLC only

In-vitro evaluation of microleakage of conventional and resin-modified glass ionomer restorative materials

The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate microleakage of two resin modified glass ionomer cements [Photac-Fil and vitremer] and one conventional glass ionomer cement [Ketac-Fil]. Forty-five freshly extracted human primary molars were selected and a standardized Class V cavities were prepared. Teeth were divided into 3 groups of 15 each and restored with each material. The teeth were prepared for microleakage test and then immersed in 5% methylene blue for 4 hours. The marginal microleakage was assessed according to the degree of dye penetration of the occlusal and cervical margins. Results showed significant difference between Ketac-Fil and Photac-Fil occlusally and cervically [P < 0.05] while no significant differences were found between Ketac-Fil and Vitremer nor between Photac-Fil and Vitremer occlusally and cervically. The microleakage scores for the three restorative materials showed that Ketac-Fil was higher than Vitremer while Photac-Fil was the lowest. CONCLUSIONS: Conventional and resin modified glass ionomer restorations placed in primary molars in vitro without thermocycling did not consistently prevent microleakage. Vitremer microleakage scores were comparable statistically to Photac-Fil and Ketac-Fil whereas it was lower in sealing ability than Photac-Fil but higher than Ketac-Fil. Generally, no significant difference in the microleakage between the occlusal and cervical margins of all glass ionomer materials tested was found

Hepatic abscess among Iraqi patients

Hepatic abscess was studied in 21 established cases in Basrah hospitals [Southern Iraq] during 1985 to 1988. Age of patients varied from 19 to 60 years. There were 7 females and 14 males and most of them from urban areas. All patients had a single abscess and the common site affected was the right lobe. Microorganisms isolated from 19 patients included a variety of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and a protozoan Entamoeba histolytica. Escherichia coli was the most common etiologic agent for the pyogenic abscesses. Therapy was a combination of an open surgical drainage and antimicrobial agents. Usually the drug regimen included metronidazole in combination with either tetracycline, ampicillin or gentamicin. No mortality was recorded on a long-term sequelae