Butea superba Roxb. enhances penile erection in rats

This study aimed to investigate the effects of ethanol extracts of Butea superba in increasing intracavernous pressure (ICP) in vivo. The extracts were prepared from fresh and dried root cores and fresh and dried root barks. Penile erection was induced in aged rats by electrical stimulation of the cavernous nerve. Cavernous smooth muscle relaxation was also observed in vitro in the presence of the extract, cGMP or isobutyl-methylxanthine (IBMX) alone or the extract together with cGMP or IBMX. The dried root core extract from Phrae was the most effective in increasing the ICP. The dose-response relationship study revealed a bell-shape curve with the maximum effective dose at 1 mg/kg. The ICP of the control and 1 mg/kg extract-treated animals were 45.3 +/- 2.5 and 100.9 +/- 14.0 mmHg, respectively. The extract, cGMP and IBMX alone induced dose dependent muscle relaxation. B. superba significantly enhanced the effects of cGMP and IBMX. The results suggest that ethanol extracts of B. superba are effective in enhancing penile erection. The dried root core extract from Phrae is the most effective part with a maximal dose of 1 mg/kg. The results also suggest that B. superba may act through cAMP/cGMP pathways.     

Postcoital antifertility effect of Mentha arvensis

A uterotonic fraction of $\text{Mentha arvensis}$ (UM-fraction) was tested for antifertility effect in rats. Subcutaneous administration of the UM-fraction to rats pregnant from day 1 to day 10 caused a significant interruption of pregnancy. The effect was pronounced during the post-implantation period. At the effective dose, the UM-fraction did not exhibit significant estrogenic or antigonadotropic activities. However, it enhanced the estrogenic effect of estradiol when administered concurrently.     

Implementing Preventive Iron-Folic Acid Supplementation Among Women of Reproductive Age in Some Western Pacific Countries: Possibilities and Challenges

Lack of effective implementation mechanisms is identified as a major obstacle in the prevention and control of iron-deficiency anemia. This paper discusses experiences gained from implementing iron-folic acid supplementation in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The understanding of contextual elements is proposed as a foundation for planning interventions. Moreover, it is suggested that a social marketing framework should provide a way of thinking about how to influence related behaviors. The application of a social marketing framework applied using a "5 P's" approach: public relations and collaboration, product, price, place, and promotion, is described, as well as enabling factors (possibilities) and inhibiting factors (challenges) of this approach. Although a program to improve iron nutrition among women of reproductive age may not be simple to implement, it is essential to enhancing health, human development, and economic advancement in developing countries.     

Community Mobilization and Social Marketing to Promote Weekly Iron-Folic Acid Supplementation: A New Approach Toward Controlling Anemia Among Women of Reproductive Age in Vietnam

Community-based social marketing and mobilization increased knowledge and participation in preventive weekly iron-folic acid supplementation among women of reproductive age in Vietnam. Rates of buying and taking the weekly supplement containing 60 mg elemental iron and 3.5 mg folic acid among non-pregnant women of reproductive age was between 55% and 92%. Free distribution to pregnant women of the weekly supplement containing 120 mg iron and 3.5 mg folic acid covered almost all pregnant women during the project. In developing countries where community women's groups and health networks are strong, preventive supplementation can be successfully promoted to encourage active participation in the prevention and control of iron-deficiency anemia.     

Weekly Iron-Folic Acid Supplements to Prevent Anemia among Cambodian Women in Three Settings: Process and Outcomes of Social Marketing and Community Mobilization

Social marketing and community mobilization approaches were applied in a pilot program to introduce weekly iron-folic acid supplementation to prevent anemia in Cambodian women of reproductive age. The program was implemented in three very different environments: secondary school girls, women working in garment factories in the vicinity of Phnom Penh, and women in rural villages. Each population provided its own challenges and obstacles. However, all three groups of women showed substantial improvements in knowledge about the causes, consequences, and prevention of anemia, and the large majority reported interest in continuing to take the supplements.     

Community Mobilization and Social Marketing to Promote Weekly Iron-Folic Acid Supplementation in Women of Reproductive Age in Vietnam: Impact on Anemia and Iron Status

The community mobilization and social marketing program promoting a preventive approach of weekly iron-folic acid supplementation in women of reproductive age improved iron status of non-pregnant women in Vietnam. Three to six months of weekly pre-pregnancy supplementation and regular weekly intake of supplements during pregnancy allowed women to achieve good iron and hemoglobin status during the two first trimesters of pregnancy. In the third trimester, iron deficiency and anemia were notably present but low birth weight prevalence was low. This demonstrates the effectiveness and safety of the preventive approach as implemented here to prevent and control iron deficiency and anemia in women of reproductive age before and during pregnancy.