Antibacterial activity of Ricinus communis plant extract against antibiotic resistant Helicobacter pylori and Gluconobacter oxydans isolated from fresh apple juices samples

Abstract Bacteria were isolated from samples of Fresh Apple juices from shops of three different localities of Lahore. Analysis of samples from Liberty, Anarkali and Yateem khana Markets show different levels of contamination. There were pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria in all samples and were identified by the morphological and biochemical tests. Most of the plasmids of pathogenic bacteria were 4kb in their molecular size. Ribotyping of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing was done to confirm Helicobacter pylori strain and Gluconobacter oxydans. The highest sensitivity of 210mm was shown by Enterobacter sp. against Aztheromysine disk (15µg) while Micrococcus sp. was highly resistant against all of the Antibiotics applied. The antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria was also checked against Ricinus communis plant's extracts, all isolated bacterial pathogens were resistant but only, E.coli was inhibited at 300µl of the extracts. Presence of pathogenic bacteria in Apple juice samples was due to contamination of sewage water in drinking water while some of these pathogenic bacteria came from Apple's tree and other from store houses of fruits.

Resumo As bactérias foram isoladas de amostras de suco de maçã fresco de lojas de três diferentes localidades de Lahore. A análise de amostras dos mercados Liberty, Anarkali e Yateem khana mostram diferentes níveis de contaminação. Havia bactérias patogênicas e não patogênicas em todas as amostras e foram identificadas pelos testes morfológicos e bioquímicos. A maioria dos plasmídeos de bactérias patogênicas tinha 4 kb em seu tamanho molecular. A ribotipagem do sequenciamento do gene do RNA ribossômico 16S foi realizada para confirmar a cepa de Helicobacter pylori e Gluconobacter oxydans. A maior sensibilidade de 210 mm foi mostrada por Enterobacter sp. contra disco de azteromisina (15µg) enquanto Micrococcus sp. foi altamente resistente a todos os antibióticos aplicados. A resistência a antibióticos de bactérias patogênicas também foi verificada contra extratos de plantas de Ricinus communis, todos os patógenos bacterianos isolados foram resistentes, mas apenas E. coli foi inibida em 300µl dos extratos. A presença de bactérias patogênicas nas amostras de suco de maçã deveu-se à contaminação da água de esgoto na água potável, enquanto algumas dessas bactérias patogênicas vieram da árvore da maçã e outras de armazéns de frutas.

Antioxidant and Hepatoprotective Activity of Ethanol Extract of Valeriana wallichii in CCl4 Treated Rats.

Aims: To screen the hepatoprotective and antioxidant activity of ethanol extract of roots of Valeriana wallichii DC (Valerianaceae)(VWE). Study Design: Animal study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Anatomy (Histology section), J N Medical College, AMU, Aligarh, India, between July 2010-July 2012. Methodology: The VWE extract was subjected to in vitro antioxidant and phytochemical screening. For in vivo hepatoprotective studies albino rats of either sex were used. For the study, three control groups were taken comprising of the normal control (normal saline), negative control (CCl4) and positive control group (Silymarin 50mg/kg). The test group was given a dose of 300mg/kg and 500mg/kg of VWE extract. Biochemical parameters (Transaminase (AST, ALT), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Total Bilirubin), histopathological examination and in vivo antioxidant tests [Catalase (CAT), Glutathione Reductase (GSH) and Malonlydialdehyde (MDA)] were performed. Results: The phytochemical study of VWE showed the presence flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins, alkaloids and cardiac glycosides. A dose dependent increase in the oxidative potential was observed in the extracts with total phenolic content 66.4GAE/g extract. VWE 500mg/kg and 300mg/kg showed a significant (p<0.001) increased in levels of AST, ALT and ALP as compared to negative control (percentage hepatoprotection=73% and 68% respectively). The GSH (p<0.001) and CAT in VWE 500mg/kg were significantly increased while MDA levels were decreased (P<0.001) as compared negative control. The findings were confirmed histopathological examination. Conclusion: The ethanol extract of Valeriana wallichii showed dose dependent partial hepatoprotection against CCl4induced toxicity.

Effect of solvents on the dipole moments and fluorescence quantum yield of rhodamine dyes

This study aims to investigate the effects of solvents of various polarities on the electronic absorption and fluorescence spectra of RhB and Rh6G. The singlet-state excited dipole moments [micro e] and ground state dipole moments [micro g] were estimated from the equations of Bakshiev-Kawski and Chamma-Viallet using the variation of Stokes shift along with the solvent's dielectric constant [e] and refractive indexes [n]. The observed singlet-state excited dipole moments were found to be larger than the ground-state ones. Moreover, the obtained fluorescence quantum yield values were influenced by the environment of the fluorescing molecule. Consequently, the concentration of the dye solution, excited singlet state absorption and aggregate of dye molecules has been found to affect the values of the fluorescence quantum yield.

Mental health morbidity pattern in Pakistan

Pakistan is a developing country with meager mental health facilities, low number of psychiatrists and dearth of systematic data on mentally ill patients. A study was conducted with a view to obtain data on mental health morbidity patterns and the socio-demographic profile of mentally ill patients. Sixty psychiatrists who met the agreed criteria were included in the study and were asked to fill-in a questionnaire eliciting relevant information. The results indicated that 45 percent of the patients attending these psychiatrists were suffering from depression, 17 percent from schizophrenia, 11 percent from substance abuse disorder and 2 percent from dementia besides other mental disorders. Antidepressant regime outnumbered all other treatment methods. It was reflected that depression was commonest followed by schizophrenia and substance abuse disorder. It was concluded that there was a high number of psychiatric disorders among patients attending clinics and hence there is a need to conduct and compare studies, which are community-based in order to get elaborate insight into the magnitude and prevalence of mental disorders

Children of the corn A study conducted at juvenile prison in Karachi - overview I

A study was conducted in Juvenile Prison of Karachi where children and adolescents are kept in custody on account of various charges. 200 children were interviewed in the initial stage with the help of a questionnaire aiming at getting demographic information, reviewing social milieu, examining crime circumstances, custody details, biological profile, psychiatric assessment and the prognostic prediction. The preliminary results indicate that 78.6% were subjected to severe torture during investigation, 17.4% were subjected to torture while in custody, besides being deprived from other basic rights, emotional and psychological support. Majority of these children were the victims of social disorganization, poverty, lack of opportunities, faulty role model, and evil influence of political scenario. The psychological consequences of the circumstances leading to incarceration and the agony of the non-conducive custody environment are manifested in depression, anxiety, neurosis, psychosis, seizure disorder along with physical ailments. 52% of these children needed psychotherapeutic intervention while 17% were in need of psychotropic medication in addition to psychotherapy. 9% of these children had psychopathic traits in their personality and there remain chances that they would form potential group of criminals unless corrective rehabilitative measures are taken. It is concluded that preventive measures should be taken at primary, secondary and tertian levels to avoid psychiatric morbidity and to prevent these children from becoming potential criminals

Knowledge of depression among general practitioners

General practitioners [GPs] are the backbone of any health care delivery system. This is also true for Pakistan where a large number of patients approach them as a first line of care for their health related problems. Among psychiatric illnesses, depression is the most common and a cause of great psychiatric morbidity. Most of the patients presenting to general practitioners with the problem of depression are treated for physical illness and hence the core problem remains unaddressed. A study was conducted with the aim of assessing the level of knowledge among the general practitioners about depression. A proforma comprising objective test items was designed and administered to 115 GPs from all the districts of Karachi who were conveniently selected. The expected standard of answers was compared with the answers given by the GPs. This proforma besides eliciting demographic information also yielded a score which when converted into a percentage scale gave a mean score of 33.9%. On the basis of the international standard, a score of 60 was acceptable in order to judge that the knowledge was adequate. The scoring did not have significant association with the years of practice, age group and postgraduate qualification of the general practitioners. It was thus concluded that the level of knowledge of GPs about depression was inadequate and there was a need to improve undergraduate training in psychiatry and promotion of continuing medical education for general practitioners