Antioxidant capacity and total phenol content of commonly consumed selected vegetables of Bangladesh.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the study was to determine the antioxidant capacity (AC) and total phenolic content (TPC) of selected commonly consumed Bangladeshi vegetables and herbs. METHODS: Hydrophilic extracts from edible portions of ten vegetables and two herbs were analysed. The total phenolic amount ranged from 27.65 +/- 1.45 mg to 1.08 +/- 0.15 Gallic Acid Equivalent (GAE)/ g on a fresh weight (FW) basis. Contents of total phenol were determined spectrophotometrically according to the Folin-Ciocalteau method and the antioxidant capacity was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH-RSA). RESULTS: Antioxidant capacity varied from 8328.80 +/- 29.15 to 0.61 +/- 0.19 micromol Trolox Equivalent (TE)/g of FW. Ipomoea leaves showed the highest AC (8328.80 +/- 29.15 micromol TE/g), while the lowest AC (0.61 +/- 0.19 micromol TE/g) was seen in radish. A linear relationship was observed between Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) values and total phenol. Antioxidant capacity of the assayed samples correlated significantly and positively with total phenolic content (R2 = 0.814, p < 0.01). Vegetables with high polyphenol like Ipomoea leaves and mint showed high AC with the exception of raw banana which demonstrated moderate AC though it contained high TPC. Moderate TPC vegetables like amaranths and coriander leaves did not show substantial AC. CONCLUSION: The data indicates that indigenous vegetables containing high polyphenols may be a potential source of dietary antioxidants.

Diagnosis of scrub typhus in Malaysian aborigines using nested polymerase chain reaction.

A rapid diagnostic system for scrub typhus using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied to clinical samples from Malaysian Aborigines. Whole blood from twenty-four patients suspected of scrub typhus infection were tested using nested polymerase chain reaction and sera were evaluated by the indirect immunoperoxidase test. Antibody responses towards Rickettsia tsutsugamushi were observed in seventeen patients with the majority having high titers of IgG antibodies. Seven patients were seronegative. The nested PCR amplified R. tsutsugamushi DNA from six patients, of which two were negative serologically and four had high titers of IgG antibodies. Second samples collected seven days after treatment were negative by PCR testing. Nested PCR is highly sensitive and specific and may be used to provide rapid confirmation of scrub typhus cases in endemic region.

Seroprevalence of Toxocara canis antibodies among Orang Asli (aborigines) in Peninsular Malaysia.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using excretory-secretory antigens of the second stage larvae maintained in vitro was used to determine the seroprevalence of Toxocara antibodies in Orang Asli (aborigines) of Peninsular Malaysia. The mean + 3 SD optical density of 30 healthy subjects was used as the cut-off point. Overall prevalence was found to be 31.9%. No significant relationship was found between positive rates with sex and age groups, though children between 0 to 9 years recorded the highest positive rates. Eosinophil counts were found to be closely related to the proportion of positivity to toxocaral infection and mean optical densities. There was some degree of cross-reaction with Trichuris trichuria positive sera.