In vitro evaluation of free radical scavenging activity of Codariocalyx motorius root extract

OBJECTIVE@#To determine the phenolic content in Codariocalyx motorius root extract and to evaluate its antioxidant properties using various in vitro assay systems.@*METHODS@#The antioxidant activity was evaluated based on scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anions, nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrite, reducing power and by inhibition of lipid peroxidation which was estimated in terms of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances.@*RESULTS@#The root extract of the Codariocalyx motorius (C. motorius) exhibited potent total antioxidant activity that increased with increasing amount of extract concentration, which was compared with standard drug such as quercetin, butylated hydroxytoluene, tocopherol at different concentrations. The different concentrations of the extracts showed inhibition on lipid peroxidation. In addition, the extracts had effective reducing power, free radical scavenging, super oxide anion scavenging, nitric oxide scavenging, lipid peroxidation, and total phenolic content depending on concentration. High correlation between total phenolic contents and scavenging potential of different reactive oxygen species (r(2)=0.831-0.978) indicated the polyphenols as the main antioxidants.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Codariocalyx motorius (C. motorius) root possess the highly active antioxidant substance which can be used for the treatment of oxidative stress-related diseases.

Gender differences in sexual behaviour among people living with HIV in Chennai, India.

Background & objectives: Risky sexual behaviour is usually the focus of HIV prevention programmes and little attention has been given to sexual behaviour patterns among HIV positive individuals. In order to ensure that people with HIV receive high quality sexual and mental health services, providers must have a comprehensive understanding of the issues and challenges faced by men and women with HIV. This study was conducted to gain insight into the gender differences in sexual behaviour patterns among HIV seropositive men and women in south India. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study on a cohort of 203 seropositive patients (102 women and 101 men) attending outpatient clinics in the Tuberculosis Research Centre and the STD clinic of the Government General Hospital, Chennai, India. A semi-structured interview schedule was administered to collect information from the respondents. Results: Fifty three per cent of the women were discontented with the sexual relationship with their spouse as compared to 23 per cent of the men (P<0.001). Thirty two of the 54 women who refused sex said that their spouses reacted violently to their refusal. More men than women reported to having extramarital relationships most often with a commercial sex worker or a friend, without condoms and usually under the infl uence of alcohol. Interpretation & conclusions: There are gender differences in sexual behaviour patterns among men and women. Understanding these differences is important to plan gender based intervention strategies in order to ensure that people living with HIV have a better quality of life, addressing their sexual concerns both within and outside of marriage. The fi ndings will also help in advocacy and prevention programmes aimed at HIV/AIDS control.

Physico-chemical characteristics of paper industry effluents--a case study.

This paper presents the characteristics of wastewater from a small paper mill which is using wastepaper as a raw material. After analysis it was found that the raw wastewater consisted of 202-294 mg/l and 2010-3200 mg/l of suspended and dissolved solids respectively while pH varied from 6.7-7.3. The BOD and COD values ranged from 210-310, 1680-2340 mg/l respectively. Due to the treatment of raw effluent, the SS and TDS of treated effluent were significantly decreased and the values ranged in between 118 mg L(-1) to 154 mg L(-1) and 645 mg L(-1) to 925 mg L(-1), respectively. The pH values of the treated effluent were higher than the raw effluent. The nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium content of treated effluent were found to be higher after the treatment of paper mill raw effluent. The low amount of nutrient content may be because of the use of chemicals in process section which do not contain such elements. The sodium, calcium and magnesium were found higher in treated effluent, which may be due to addition of chemicals during the pulping and production section.