Anticholinesterase and acaricidal activities of steroids isolated from Trianthema portulacastrum L. against Rhipicephalus annulatus tick

The anticholinesterase and acaricidal activities of two plants of family Aizoaceae; Trianthema portulacastrum L.and Aizoon canariensis L. against Rhipicephalus annulatus tick were performed. Acaricidal activity was evaluatedusing adult and larval immersion tests of different concentrations (12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 150 mg/ml). Antiacetylcholinesterase activity of plant extracts and isolated compounds were performed spectrophotometrically usingdifferent concentrations (0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/ml). Trianthema portulacastrum crude hydroalcoholic (CH) extractshowed 100% adult and larval mortality, while A. canariensis L. showed only 20% and 25%, respectively (p ≥ 0.05).The bioassay-guided fractionation of T. portulacastrum hydroalcoholic extract was performed for the acaricidalactivity and both n-hexane fraction and the unsaponifiable matter (USM) retained a significant activity in immersiontests. Its column chromatography (CC) led to the isolation of a β-sitosterol (1)-stigmasterol (2) mixture (1:1). Ethylacetate (EA) fraction showed 70% adult mortality and the compound 20-hydroxyecdysone (3) was isolated as a majorcompound. The hydroalcoholic extract of T. portulacastrum, hexane fraction, and 20-hydroxyecdysone (3) producedthe most potent inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase (AChE). In conclusion, T. portulacastrum L. containssecondary metabolites with acaricidal activities that provide promising natural products for controlling bovine tick.These acaricidal effects may be mediated, at least in part, via AChE inhibitory activities.

Dental Panoramic Radiographic Indices as a Predictor of Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Saudi Women

BACKGROUND: Many oral presentations of osteoporosis-a bone metabolic disease-were recorded. Thus, we aimed to assess panoramic radiomorphometric indices with bone mineral density (BMD) values among Saudi postmenopausal women and its importance in the prediction of osteoporosis. METHODS: A total of 431 Saudi women were enrolled in this study. Panoramic radiographs were obtained at the time of BMD measurement. Subjects were fatherly classified into; normal BMD, osteopenia, and osteoporosis groups. Serum follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25[OH]D) and intact-parathyroid hormone were measured. Moreover, serum creatinine, calcium, and phosphate, together with serum osteocalcin (s-OC), procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (s-PINP) and cross-linked C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (s-CTX) were measured. Receiver-operator curve (ROC) curve analysis for use of mandibular cortical width (MCW), panoramic mandibular index (PMI), and maxillary-mandibular ratio (M/M ratio) to differentiate women with osteoporosis or osteopenia from normal subjects was calculated. Cut off values of 4.6 at T score <−1 and 4.1 at T score ≤−2.5 were used. RESULTS: Body mass index is significantly low in the osteoporotic group. There is no significant difference in serum levels of LH, E2, calcium, phosphate, and 25(OH)D between the studied groups. Moreover, s-OC, C-terminal propeptide of procollagen type I, s-PINP, s-CTX, and urinary-CTX are significantly higher in osteoporosis than normal and osteopenia groups. ROC curve analysis revealed that MCW and PMI showed significant data while M/M ratio is non-significant. CONCLUSIONS: It could be concluded that MCW as an important panoramic radiographic parameter can be used for prediction and diagnosis of osteoporosis in postmenopausal Saudi women with low BMD.

Soluble interleukine-2 recptor and MDR1 gene expression levels as inflammatory biomarkers for prediction of steroid response in children with nephrotic syndrome

Upregulation of interleukin-2 may be involved, not only in the pathophysiology of nephrotic syndrome, but also in steroid resistance treatment, by increasing expression of multidrug resistant gene-1 [MDR1] gene on lymphocytes and its product P-glycoprotein effluxing corticosteroid. Our aim was to assess the relation of serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor [sIL2R] levels and MDR1 gene expression on lymphocytes with nephrotic syndrome and its corticosteroids therapy. We examined 40 children with nephrotic syndrome [15 cases of recent onset and 25 known cases with relapse] and 20 healthy children as a control group. We examined every patient twice at the time of disease activity and within 1 week of remission. A significant increase was found in sIL2R level and MDR1 gene in the patients in comparison with the control group whether in activity or remission, and they were significantly higher in activity than in remission. Levels of sIL2R and MDR1 gene expression in different subgroups were higher in known cases with relapse than in new onsets, both in activity and remission, and relatively higher in steroid-resistant than in steroid-sensitive ones. We propose sIL2R and MDR1 gene expression levels as early predictors of steroid resistance in nephrotic syndrome for early control of disease by immediate introduction of cytotoxic drugs. This is the first report providing new insight into the use of sIL2R as a predictor of steroid resistance. Thus, wide-scale studies are needed to determine a cutoff level of sIL2R above which cytotoxic drugs are introduced