Extraction optimization, Total Phenolic-Flavonoids content, HPLC-DAD finger printing, antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic potentials of Chinese folklore Ephedra intermedia Schrenk & C. A. Mey

Abstract Plants from genus Ephedra are commonly used by the Chinese people as folk medicine for treatment of various diseases. The current study was designed to explore the ethno-pharmacological based pharmacological potentials of Ephedra intermedia Schrenk & C.A. Mey. (E. intermedia). Plant aerial parts were extracted using ten solvent systems with increasing order of polarity. Samples were analyzed for total phenolic and flavonoid contents, HPLC-DAD analysis, antibacterial, antifungal, HepG2 cell line cytotoxicity, hemolysis and antioxidant potentials following standard procedures. Highest percent extract recovery was observed in Eth+WT (25.55 % w/w) solvent system. Flavonoid and phenolic contents were higher in chloroform and Met+WT fractions respectively. Considerable antibacterial activity was shown by Eth+Met extract against B. subtilis and K. pneumonia (MIC of 11.1μg/mL for each). Eth extract exhibited high antifungal activity against A. fumigates (15±0.31 mm DIZ). Met+WT extract showed significant cytotoxicity against HepG2 cell lines with IC50 of 13.51+0.69 μg/mL. Substantial free radical scavenging activity (74.9%) was observed for Met+Eth extract. In the current study, several solvent systems were used for more effective extraction of fractions and can be useful in the isolation of phytochemicals. Various fractions exhibited considerable antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxic potentials. Biological potentials of E. intermedia signify its potential uses in microbial, cancer and degenerative disorders and thus warrant further detailed studies.

Acupuncture/Electroacupuncture as an Alternative in Current Opioid Crisis / 中国结合医学杂志

Opioid drugs are the first line of defense in severe pain but the adverse effects associated with opioids are considered as a serious issue worldwide. Acupuncture/electroacupuncture is a type of Chinese medicine therapy which is an effective analgesic therapy, well documented in animals and human studies. Electroacupuncture stimulation could release endogenous opioid peptides causing analgesia in a variety of pain models. It can be used as an alternative therapy to control the opioid crisis.

Delirious mania: a diagnostic and treatment dilemma

Delirious mania is a relatively rare condition in psychiatry. It has been reported in the literature for more than a century; however, it is still not recognized as a separate entity in psychiatry. We present a case of a thirty-six-year-old Filipina who presented with an acute onset of catatonia. The patient had delirium as well as manic features. She was put on typical antipsychotic haloperidol; however, her response took a long time. The consent of the family could not be obtained for ECT. This is the first reported case of delirious mania in Bahrain

[Systematic review of the etiology of the infertility on Iranian domestic published articles between 1999 and 2013]

Background: Infertility is one of the growing health issues in many countries with numerous emotional, social and economic consequences. The results of some studies in recent years revealed that the actual spread of infertility is changing and increasing due to various factors and the fertility rate has also declined. This study aimed to perform systematic review on Iranian domestic articles between 1999 to 2013, in order to identify the causes of infertility

Materials and methods: In this systematic review, 58 research papers were retrieved. After auditing them, 38 articles were selected in the past two decades regarding the [etiology of infertility]

Results: The most frequent causes of male infertility were sperm abnormalities and then varicocele. Tubal disorders and ovarian disorders were the most prevalent causes of female infertility

Conclusion: Based on these results and effective factors of infertility, we can consider effective measures in three areas, including preventive measures, educational measures, and support and encouragement measures to improve reduced fertility rate

Sirtuin 1 gene rs2273773 C >T single nucleotide polymorphism and protein oxidation markers in asthmatic patients

Background: Sirtuin-1 [SIRT-1], a protein has been found to protect the cells against oxidative stress due to its deacetylase activity. In this investigation, we aimed to study SIRT-1 gene rs2273773 C >T single nucleotide polymorphism and markers of serum protein oxidation [protein carbonyl and sulfhydryl groups] in asthmatic patients

Subjects and methods: 120 asthmatic patients and 120 healthy controls were genotyped for SIRT- 1 gene rs2273773 C > T SNP using polymerase chain reaction - confronting two pair primer method [PCR-CTPP]. Serum protein carbonyl and sulfhydryl groups were measured using colorimetric methods

Results: SIRT-1 gene rs2273773 C> T SNP genotyping revealed that the TT genotype was significantly higher in the patients compared to the controls [P < 0.05], while there were no significant differences regarding the genotypes TC and CC between the patients and the controls [P> 0.05]. T allele was significantly higher in the patients compared to the controls [P =0.017]. The distribution of the genotypes didn't differ among the atopic and the non-atopic asthmatic patients, also no difference was found in the genotype distribution according to the severity of asthma [P >0.05]. Serum protein carbonyl group concentration was significantly higher in the patients compared to the controls [P < 0. 001], while serum protein sulfhydryl group content decreased significantly in the patients compared to the controls [P < 0.0001]. No differences in markers of protein oxidation according to SIRT-1 gene rs2273773 C > T genotype were found

Conclusion:SIRT-1 gene rs2273773 C> T SNP was associated with asthma but not with protein oxidation markers in Egyptian population

Prevalence of anxiety and its relation to academic achievement among preparatory school students in Port-Said City, Egypt

Childhood anxiety disorders remain vastly under-diagnosed, under-treated and understudied despite their widespread prevalence. If anxiety left untreated children with anxiety disorders are at higher risk to perform poorly in school. The aim of the study is to recognize the prevalence of anxiety, identification of factors influencing development of anxiety and anxiety impact on academic achievement in our community children. One hundred and eighty one preparatory school students, aged 12 to 15 years, of both sex, in governmental urban and rural schools in Port-Said, Egypt, were interviewed for evaluation of the presence of anxiety and its severity using a standard Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale [HARS]. The Socioeconomic index was evaluated according to scoring system, established by Alexandria Health Institute. The average of mid-year and final-year exams' degrees was used as an assessment tool for students' school achievement. Ninety five out of 181 students had anxiety manifestations, representing an incidence of 52.5%. The more the occurrence of anxiety among preparatory school students the less their achievement in all academic subjects. We concluded that anxiety manifestations are prevalent among teens. Anxiety had its clear impact on school achievement. There was a clear linear relationship between severer anxiety and poorer school achievement

Helicoacter pylori prevalence and resistance patterns in dyspeptic patients from Ismailia, Egypt

This study was aimed To determine the incidence of H. pylon with gastrointestinal disorders, to correlate its presence with endoscopic findings, and to determine the antibiotic resistance rates and patterns on isolates from dyspeptic patients in Ismailia, Egypt. Biopsy specimens were collected from 150 dyspeptic patients. One hundred and seven H. pylon isolates were isolated on selective Colombia blood agar and non-selective Brain heart infusion agar. Susceptibilities were determined for these isolates by disc diffusion methods.: The prevalence of positive H. pylon isolates among the dyspeptic patients was 71.33%. A strong association was found between H. pylon and duodenal ulcer more than gastric ulcer and gastritis. The resistance rate to metronidazole, tetracycline, clarithromycin, and amoxicillin was 86%, 7.4%, 5.6%, and 0.9%, respectively. Dual resistance rate for metronidazole-tetracycline was 4.6% and for metronidazole-clarithromycin was 3.7%. The rate of triple resistance was 1.8% for metronidazoletetracycline-clarithromycin and 0.9% for metronidazole- tetracycline- amoxicillin It may concluded that: Metronidazole resistance was a character of H. pylon isolates within most patients in Ismailia, while amoxicillin resistance is rare. Also combined resistance problem is growing due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. Antibiotics resistance monitoring is recommended continuously, since the successful treatment of H, pylon infection is becoming compromised by the emergence of resistance to antimicrobial. the disease

Comparative study between lines of treatment on menopausal osteoporotic women

Menopausal women are at high risk for osteoporosis than adult women. This study was carried on 60 postmenopausal women with age ranged 45-65 years old, and the last menses was at least one year before. Bone densimetry was performed for every case to confirm the diagnosis. These cases were classified into four groups: group I [control]: 20 postmenopausal women without osteoporosis and not on treatment. Group II: 20 osteoporotic postmenopausal women and not on treatment. Group III 10 osteoporotic postmenopausal women and on hormone replacement therapy [HRT]. Group IV: 10 osteoporotic postmenopausal women and on vitamin D, calcium and exercise therapy. Lines of treatment include hormonal replacement therapy, calcium supplements, vitamin D, fluoride therapy, calcitonin and diphosphonates. In this study, the most two common lines of treatment [HRT and calcium, vitamin D and exercise] were used and results compared. The urinary deoxypyridinoline links as a marker for bone degradation showed improvement by both lines of therapy. It was significantly decreased when compared to osteoporotic women on no treatment. It is advisable to use calcium supplements, vitamin D and exercise to avoid the hazards of HRT which may include venous thrombosis, fibromyomas and other complications. The success of calcium, vitamin D and exercise to improve osteoporosis make this line of treatment advisable to be used in women as well as in men who suffer from osteoporosis to avoid any hazards of anabolic steroids

Lipid peroxidation productts and anaemia in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis

Three groups of patients with chronic renal failure [CRF] undergoing hemodialysis [HD] were selected for this study. Twenty healthy individuals were selected as a control group. Plasma malondialdehyde [MDA] and 4-hydroxynonenal [HNE] were measured in these groups of patients and compared with the healthy control group. In conclusion, the present study showed that there are increased amounts of lipid peroxidation [LPO] in HD patients, particularly who showed a poor response to treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin [rhEPO] and a significant decrease in the oxidative stress occurs in patients with a good response to rhEPO therapy

Gastro-oesophageal after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a prospective evaluation

The lower oesophageal sphincter [LOS] function was studied in 20 patients with symptomatic gall stone disease before and after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Nine patients [45%] were still symptomatic 3 - 4 months after surgery. Seven patients [35%] had abnormal pH profile before surgery, increased to fourteen patients [70%] following cholecystectomy [P <0.002]. DeMeester acid reflux score increased from 15.2 to 34.2 post surgery [P<0.001]. The LOS function as assessed by the sphincter function index was significantly reduced in patients with abnormal pH profile [P<0.01]. The mean supine gastric alkaline shift increased from 9.2% to 17.7% [P<0.02]. The incidence of gastritis increased from 4 [20%] to 12 patients [60%]. These data suggest that laparoscopic cholecystectomy results in gastro-oesophageal reflux that appears to be related to compromised lower oesophageal sphincter competence

role of magnesium and calcium ions in atrial natriuretic peptide secretion

For the purpose of examining the role of calcium and magnesium ions in the secretory process of atrial natriuretic peptide [ANP], we studied the effects of hypercalcemia, digitalis "Lanoxine", calcium ion channel blocker "verapamil", hypermagnesemia, potassium ion channel blocker "Glibenclamid", and potassium ion channel opener "cromakalim" on plasma concentration of immunoreactive ANP [ir ANP]. Pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs [n-36] were divided into-6-equal groups [6 each] and treated separately with calcium chloride infusion [0.136 mmol/Kg/min-10 min]. Lanoxine injection [30 micro g/Kg], verapamil injection [300 micro g/Kg], magnesium sulfate infusion [0.168 mmol/Kg/min-10 min] after an initial bolus dose of 1.5 mmol/Kg, glibenclamid injection [0.3 mg/Kg], and cromakalim injection [10 micro g/Kg]. Plasma ir ANP concentrations, mean arterial pressure [MAP], heart rate [HR] and serum calcium and magnesium concentrations were measured. With calcium chloride and magnesium sulfate infusions, serum calcium and magnesium levels and plasma ir ANP concentrations were significantly increased. Also, lanoxine and K[+] -channel blocker "glibenclamid" caused a significant increase in plasma ir ANP concentration while verapamil and the K[+]-channel opener "cromakalim" resulted in a significant decrease. Neither calcium chloride nor lanoxine produced a significant effect on heart rate, but both significantly increased MAP. In contrast, magnesium sulfate and verapamil produced a significant decrease in MAP and HR while glibenclamid and cromakalim were associated with insignificant changes in both HR and MAP. These results suggest that calcium ions may play a key role in the secretory process of ANP and indicate that magnesium ions may also influence ANP secretion by acting via modulation of K[+] -channels