Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Different Parts of Tagetes patula.: Preparation of Patuletin Derivatives

Abstract

The current study evaluates the antibacterial and antifungal activities of extracts from different parts of Tagetes patula. Linn. (Asteraceae), reported for the first time in a single set of experiments. In the preliminary assay, the methanol extract of the flower (JFM) was found to possess antimicrobial activity against a number of bacteria with inhibition zone diameters ranging from 9 to 20 mm, the bioassay-guided fractionation of which led to the isolation of a flavonoid patuletin (3) in high yield as the active antibacterial principle with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 12.5 μ g/disk against Corynebacterium. spp., Staphylococcus. spp., Streptococcus. spp., and Micrococcus luteus.. Its glucoside, patulitrin (4), was found to be weakly active, except against Staphylococcus saprophyticus., Streptococcus fecalis., and Streptococcus pyogenes. with inhibition zone diameters of 11, 16, and 12 mm, respectively. The cinnamate derivative (3b) of 3 showed antibacterial activity comparable with the parent flavonoid with a MIC value of 50 μ g/disk against Corynebacterium. spp., whereas benzoate derivative (3a) was found to be devoid of any activity; both the derivatives are new compounds. Moreover, the long-chain alcohol 5, which displayed antibacterial activity in the preliminary testing, was obtained in large quantity directly from the petroleum ether extract of the involucre of the flowers.     

The place of evidence-based medicine among primary health care physicians in Riyadh region,Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a style of practice in which doctors manage problems by reference to valid and relevant information. Unfortunately, research consistently has shown that clinical decisions rarely are based on the best available evidence. Since primary care is the essential foundation in effective health care systems, it follows that providing evidence-based primary care would reflect positively on the community's health. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to explore the awareness and the attitude of primary health care physicians (PHCPs) towards evidence-based medicine (EBM) and determine their related educational needs. METHODS: A questionnaire study was carried out of all 650 PHCPs practising at the Ministry of Health Primary Health Care Centres in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia. Main outcome measures were respondents' attitude towards EBM, ability to access and interpret evidence, perceived barriers to practising EBM and the best method of moving from opinion-based medicine to EBM. RESULTS: Respondents (n = 559) mainly welcomed EBM and agreed that its practice improves patient care. They had a low level of awareness of extracting journals, review publications and databases, and even if aware, many did not use them. The most commonly read journals by the PHCPs were The Practitioner and Medicine Digest. Only 16% had access to bibliographic databases and 10% to the worldwide web. The respondents showed a partial understanding of the technical terms used in EBM. The major perceived barriers to practising EBM were patient overload and lack of personal time. Respondents thought that the most appropriate way to move towards EBM was by learning the skills of EBM (43%), followed by using evidence-based guidelines developed by colleagues (37%). CONCLUSIONS: Efforts towards improving access to evidence-based guidelines and summaries are urgently needed. Teaching all the PHCPs literature searching and critical appraisal skills by feasible and friendly methods should be considered.     

Mutations in the cofilin partner Aip1/Wdr1 cause autoinflammatory disease and macrothrombocytopenia

A pivotal mediator of actin dynamics is the protein cofilin, which promotes filament severing and depolymerization, facilitating the breakdown of existing filaments, and the enhancement of filament growth from newly created barbed ends. It does so in concert with actin interacting protein 1 (Aip1), which serves to accelerate cofilin's activity. While progress has been made in understanding its biochemical functions, the physiologic processes the cofilin/Aip1 complex regulates, particularly in higher organisms, are yet to be determined. We have generated an allelic series for WD40 repeat protein 1 (Wdr1), the mammalian homolog of Aip1, and report that reductions in Wdr1 function produce a dramatic phenotype gradient. While severe loss of function at the Wdr1 locus causes embryonic lethality, macrothrombocytopenia and autoinflammatory disease develop in mice carrying hypomorphic alleles. Macrothrombocytopenia is the result of megakaryocyte maturation defects, which lead to a failure of normal platelet shedding. Autoinflammatory disease, which is bone marrow-derived yet nonlymphoid in origin, is characterized by a massive infiltration of neutrophils into inflammatory lesions. Cytoskeletal responses are impaired in Wdr1 mutant neutrophils. These studies establish an essential requirement for Wdr1 in megakaryocytes and neutrophils, indicating that cofilin-mediated actin dynamics are critically important to the development and function of both cell types.     

Repeatability of Computerized Tomography–Based Anthropomorphic Measurements of Frailty in Patients With Pulmonary Fibrosis Undergoing Lung Transplantation

Purpose

To determine interreader and intrareader repeatability and correlations among measurements of computerized tomography–based anthropomorphic measurements in patients with pulmonary fibrosis undergoing lung transplantation.

Reproductive implications of psychological distress for couples undergoing IVF

Objective

To study implications of psychological distress on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome of an infertile couple.

Methods

Prospective study in an academic infertility practice setting. Couples undergoing embryo transfer (ET) following IVF were offered participation. Female patient (n = 89) and partner (n = 77) completed questionnaires reflecting dysphoria (POMS) and pessimism (LOT) after undergoing ET. Relationship between dysphoria and pessimism and implications of individual and couple’s psychological distress on IVF cycle parameters and outcomes were assessed using multivariable analyses.

Results

Statistically significant correlations between dysphoria and pessimism were observed within the individual and between partners, (p < 0.01). Higher couple pessimism correlated with longer duration of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH, p = 0.02); higher partner psychological distress related to lower fertilization rate (FR, p = 0.03). On adjusted analyses, partner’s depression score was an independent predictor of reduced likelihood of clinical pregnancy (p = 0.03).

Conclusions

Our data validate the concept of a “stressed couple”. Adverse implications of a couple’s psychological distress for gamete biology (longer duration of COH and lower FR with increasing distress) are suggested. Partner’s depressive scores negatively correlated with IVF success. These findings suggest the importance of including partner’s evaluation in studies that focus on effects of psychological stress on IVF outcome; future studies should examine whether interventions aimed at reducing psychological stress for the infertile couple may improve IVF cycle success.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10815-013-0098-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.