Phytochemical and biological studies on the different organs of Tanacetum parthenium L.cultivated in Egypt

Phytochemical investigation of Tanacetum parthenium L. family Asteraceae cultivated in Egypt resulted in isolation and identification of four flavonoids. One surface flavonoid was isolated from the fresh leaves and three other flavonoids were isolated from the flower heads. Four sesquiterpene lactones were isolated from the leaves. Two sterols were isolated from the roots. A comparative study of the essential oil content of the leaves and the flower heads was performed using GC/MS. The results revealed the presence of 42 and 30 components in the leaves and the flower heads oil samples, respectively. The major components of both oil samples were camphor [constituted 37.7% and 48.4%] and chrysanthenyl acetate [constituted 33.8% and 26.3%] in the leaves and the flower heads, respectively. Different extracts of T. parthenium L. showed significant biological activities. Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antispasmodic and uterine-stimulant activities were studied in addition to the in vitro cytotoxic effect

Transnasal butorphanol a new method for operative pain relief in low abdominal gynecological operations

30 female patients of ASA [American Society of Anesthesiologists] physical status I and II scheduled for lower abdominal gynecological surgery, were studied in a comparative prospective trial to compare the efficacy of transnasal and intravenous butorphanol for postoperative pain relief. The patients were divided randomly into two groups. Group I [15 patients] received 2 mg transnasal butorphanol, while group II [15 patients] received 2 mg intravenous butorphanol. The drug in both groups was given when the pain score reached 7. Pain was evaluated at 10, 30 and 60 minutes and then hourly till the pain returned to pre-drug level using the visual analogue scale [2]. For the patients in group I arterial blood gases were measured both preoperatively and after 30 minutes of drug administration to monitor any effect on respiration. For the same group, ECG was monitored continuously and arterial blood pressure and heart rate were measured at the same intervals as pain score. Also, level of consciousness was noted. The study showed significant pain relief for transnasal butorphanol which was comparable for the intravenous route in both efficacy and onset of action, while the duration of analgesia was significantly longer for the transnasal route than the intravenous route. The most frequent side effect was somnolence 80% of patients