Açäo vermífuga da farinha de semente de abóbora / Vermifuge effect of the pumpkinseed

Acredita-se que alguns vegetais, entre eles a semente de abóbora tenham efeito anti-helmíntico, mas säo raras as indicaçöes dos vermes sensíveis. O objetivo foi verificar os efeitos da semente de abóbora sobre a verminose, em crianças previamente identificadas como portadores de algum tipo de parasito (14 constituíram as unidades de observaçäo). A semente de abóbora foi oferecida sob a forma de farinha (5g) para as crianças de 2 a 3 anos; de biscoito (85g) para as de 4 anos e de paçoca (70g) para as de 5 anos. O produto teve efeito exclusivamente vermífugo em 14,29 por cento do grupo em foco, èxclusivamente estimulante em 35,71 por cento, ambos os efeitos em 21,43 por cento e nenhum efeito em 28,57 por cento. ANOVA para um fator discriminante aferiu se existia diferença significativa entre as médias das doses consecutivas e intermitente atuando como "vermífugo: ou "estimulante do aparecimento de parasitos no exame coprológico". A estatística F de Snedecor permitiu inferir que as médias näo diferem significativamente para um p-level de 0,89 e 0,83 para o efeito vermífugo e estimulante, respectivamente. O mesmo ocorreu para as doses intermitentes, com p-level de 0,88 e 0,76. Estes níveis de significância levam a concluir que a semente de abóbora apresentou discreto efeito como vermífugo e estimulante, em dosagem consecutiva e intermitente respectivamente.

The cellular and molecular basis of health benefits of grape seed proanthocyanidin extract.

Red grape seed extract containing proanthocyanidins and other antioxidants are being used as nutritional supplements by many health conscious individuals. The beneficial effects of grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPE) have been reported, however, little is known about their mechanism(s) of action. One of the beneficial effects of GSPE is chemoprevention of cellular damage. The precise mechanism by which GSPE mediates, chemoprevention is not yet understood. This report addresses this issue. We investigated the mechanisms of actions of GSPE, which ameliorates chemotherapy-induced toxic effects of Idarubicin (Ida) and 4,-hydroxyperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC) in normal human Chang liver cells. Exposure to GSPE resulted in a significant reduction in apoptosis in response to the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. RT-PCR analysis showed a significant increase in the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2 and a decrease in the cell cycle associated and proapoptotic genes, c-myc and p53 in cells treated with GSPE. These results suggest that some of the chemopreventive effects of GSPE are mediated by upregulating Bcl-2 and down regulating c-myc and p53 genes.

The role of antioxidant vitamins (C and E), selenium and Nigella sativa in the prevention of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in rabbits: new hopes.

This experiment was carried out to investigate the role of antioxidants such as vitamin C and E, selenium and Nigella sativa (NS) on the prevention of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver fibrosis in rabbits. It was found that superoxide dismutase (SOD) values in all of the treated groups were significantly lower than those of the control at 12th week of experiment (p < 0.05), while at 6th week and 12th week of experiment glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) values in the vitamin C treated group were significantly different from the control (p < 0.05). Histopathologically, hepatocellular necrosis, degeneration and advanced fibrosis were found in the control group. Lesions were minor and only confined to midzonal regions without centrilobular necrosis and fibrosis in the NS treated animals (group B). The lesions observed in the vitamin C treated animals (group C) were similar to that of the control group. Parenchymal changes with fibrosis were less in selenium and vitamin E treated animals (group D) than in those of the control group, but more obvious than in NS group. Histopathological findings demonstrate that NS might, at least partly, be successful in the prevention of liver fibrosis in rabbits. Vitamin E plus selenium had little therapeutic effect and vitamin C seemed to be ineffective, as far as the results of this study are concerned.

Development of food products based on millets, legumes and fenugreek seeds and their suitability in the diabetic diet.

A multitude of investigations have demonstrated the beneficial hypoglycemic effect of millets, fenugreek seeds and legumes in diabetic subjects. However, the bitter taste of fenugreek seeds and coarse nature of millets have been limitations in using them in daily dietaries. Moreover, as of today, the availability of special foods for diabetics in the Indian market is negligible. The millets, fenugreek seeds and legumes in judicious combination, after suitable processing, were used to formulate three nutritious food products--dhokla (leavened steamed cake), uppuma (kedgeree) and laddu (sweet balls), which are popular traditional snack foods in India. Evaluation of these food products for glycemic response in five normal and five diabetic subjects showed hypoglycemic effects in terms of glycemic-index (GI). The highest GI was observed for dhokla (34.96) followed by laddu (23.52) and uppuma (17.60) in normal subjects. All three food products differed significantly from each other in GI. Comparison of GI of all three food products in normal subjects with diabetes did not show significant differences (P approximately 0.05). The food products were well tolerated and acceptable to the subjects. These food products may have an important role in dietary management for diabetic people and may cater for their needs on a large scale if commercialized.

Effect of a novel mucoadhesive polysaccharide obtained from tamarind seeds on the intraocular penetration of gentamicin and ofloxacin in rabbits.

This report describes the efficacy of a novel mucoadhesive polymer, the tamarind seed polysaccharide, as a delivery system for the ocular administration of hydrophilic and hydrophobic antibiotics. Healthy rabbits were subjected to repeated ocular instillations with either conventional gentamicin or ofloxacin or these agents viscosified with the tamarind seed polysaccharide. Administration of viscosified preparations produced antibiotic concentrations both in the aqueous humour and cornea that were significantly higher than those achieved with the drugs alone. The increased drug absorption and the prolonged drug elimination phase obtained with the viscosified formulations indicate the usefulness of the tamarind seed polysaccharide as an ophthalmic delivery system for topical administration of antibiotics.

Amelioration of alloxan induced diabetes mellitus and oxidative stress in rats by oil of Eruca sativa seeds.

Clinical research has confirmed the efficacy of several plant extracts in the modulation of oxidative stress associated with diabetes mellitus (DM). Oil of Eruca sativa seeds (ESS) is tried for prevention and treatment of DM induced experimentally by alloxan injection. A single dose of alloxan (100 mg/kg) produced a decrease in insulin level, hyperglycemia, elevated total lipids, triglycerides and cholesterol, decreased high-density lipoprotein and hepatic glycogen contents and elevated hepatic glucose-6-phosphatase activity. Concurrent with these changes, there was an increase in the concentration of malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxynonenal in the liver. This oxidative stress was related to a decreased glutathione (GSH) content and superoxide dismutase activity in the liver of alloxan-diabetic rats. ESS oil (0.06 ml/kg) on its own increased significantly hepatic GSH. Daily oral administration of ESS oil 2 weeks before or after diabetes induction ameliorated hyperglycemia, improved lipid profile, blunted the increase in malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxynonenal and stimulated the GSH production in the liver of alloxan-treated rats. We suggested that ESS oil could be used as antidiabetic complement in case of DM. This may be related to its antioxidative properties and to the increase in hepatic GSH.

La Auriculopuntura con semillas en el tratamiento del asma bronquial en edad pediátrica / Auriculopuncture with seeds in the treatment of bronchial asthma at pediatric age

Se realizó un estudio descriptivo investigativo en el Policlínico Docente "19 de Abril" durante el año 1996 en el que se incluyó a 97 niños portadores de asma bronquial, cuyas edades oscilaban entre 1 y 14 años. Fueron tratados con auriculopuntura usando el método de pega y presión, con semillas Wang Bu Liu Xin, desarrollado por la escuela de la profesora Huan Li Chung. Se obtuvo una disminución del uso de medicamentos durante la crisis y la intercrisis, así como del número de pacientes clasificados como asmáticos severos y moderados; incrementándose por ende el total de pacientes con asma ligera (AU)