Antidiabetic effect of alcoholic extract of Caralluma sinaica L. on streptozotocin-induced diabetic rabbits

People of Asir region of Saudi Arabia chew Caralluma sinaica (CS) to lower glucose level. To establish its utility in diabetes mellitus we have under taken this study. The effect of CS on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic model as well as effect on oral glucose tolerance test were studied. The extract was shown to have positive test for possessing following chemical constituents like phenolic alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, coumarins, steroids and tannins. Administration of CS in different doses (50, 100, 150 and 200mg/kg, p.o.) to normal animals caused significant (P<0.01) decrease in glucose level. Prior administration of either CS (100mg/kg, p.o.) or glibenclamide (GB) (5mg/kg, p.o.) blocked the rise of glucose caused by the streptozotocin. Antidiabetic activity of CS was compared with clinically available drug GB. Administration of CS (100mg/kg, p.o.) to diabetic rabbits for 30 days has been shown to decrease plasma glucose level to almost normal level (P<0.001). Liver and kidney weight expressed as percentage of body weight significantly (P<0.05; P<0.01) increased in diabetic rabbits versus normal control (CNT). CS significantly (P<0.05) reversed the increasing weight of liver caused by STZ but not GB. STZ induced lowering of glycogen content of liver and muscle was reversed by both CS and GB. STZ induced a significant (P<0.001) increase in renal glycogen content this was almost normalized by CS (P<0.001) whereas GB significantly decreased (P<0.002) glycogen content. In oral glucose tolerance test administration of glucose increased plasma glucose level significantly in the diabetic control over the 2-h period. Compared to diabetic control plasma glucose levels in rabbits given CS or GB were significantly lower at all the time points that blood was sampled after oral glucose load. Comparing with the GB treatment blood glucose lowering effect was more pronounced for diabetic rabbits given CS. All these effects could explain the basis for use of this plant extract to manage diabetes mellitus.     

Progressive noninfectious anterior vertebral fusion in a girl with axial mesodermal dysplasia spectrum

We report a 7-year-old-girl who presented with the clinical criteria of the axial mesodermal dysplasia spectrum. Her parents were first cousins. Her facial dysmorphism was compatible with Goldenhar syndrome and in addition, she had anterior noninfectious vertebral fusions of the cervical and the thoracolumbar vertebrae, a congenital dermal sinus and a hypoplastic sacrum. The urogenital and the anal-recto regions were normal. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinical report of a child with axial mesodermal dysplasia in association with progressive noninfectious anterior vertebral fusion.     

Intravenous anti-D immunoglobulin in the treatment of resistant immune thrombocytopenic purpura in pregnancy

A 35-week pregnant 38-year-old woman presented with isolated thrombocytopenia (platelet count 4 x 10(9)/l). Investigations confirmed immune thrombocytopenic purpura, and she received treatment with prednisolone and intravenous immunoglobulins with no increment in the platelet count. At 37 and 38 weeks of the pregnancy, she received two doses of WinRho (anti-D immunoglobulin) at 50 microg/kg. Five days later, with a platelet count of 46 x 10(9)/l, she had an uncomplicated normal vaginal delivery. WinRho is a useful adjunct to other first-line treatment modalities for immune thrombocytopenia in pregnancy.     

Diluted magnetic semiconductor properties in TM doped ZnO nanoparticles

The hydrothermal method was used to create dilute magnetic semiconductor nanoparticles of Zn_1−xCo_xO (x = 0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.09). The effect of cobalt doping on the microstructure, morphological and optical properties of Zn_1−xCo_xO was also studied and the Co doping to host ZnO was confirmed from XRD and EDX analysis. The structural analysis showed that doping of cobalt into ZnO decreased the crystallinity, but the preferred orientation didn''t change. SEM analysis revealed that the cobalt dopant did not have a strong influence on the shape of the synthesized nanoparticles. No defect-related absorption peaks were observed in the UV-Vis spectra. The crystallinity of the doped samples was improved by high growth temperature and long growth time. Ferromagnetic behavior above room temperature was detected in co-doped ZnO nanoparticles. The ferromagnetic behavior increased with increasing Co (up to x = 0.05) doping. The ferromagnetic behavior declined when the Co content was further increased. Related research shows that doped ZnO nanoparticles have better dielectric, electrical conductivity, and magnetic properties than pure ZnO. This high ferromagnetism is usually a response reported for dilute magnetic semiconductors. These semiconductor nanoparticles were further used to designed spintronic based applications.

The enlarged central part M–H loop shows for the Co = 0.09 doped ZnO sample, the ferromagnetic (FM) behavior increased, i.e., a M_r of 0.2412 emu g⁻¹ with a H_c of 85 Oe.     

Effect of water storage on fluoride release and mechanical properties of a polyacid-modified composite resin （compomer）

We evaluated the effect of water storage on fluoride release and mechanical properties of compomer restorative material.Fluoride release was recorded using a specific fluoride electrode.Flexural properties and fracture toughness were measured using a universal testing machine.Vickers hardness was measured using a micro-hardness tester.There was initial burst of fluoride release up to 1 w,which was diminished to a low level in 1 mon and remained relatively constant over 6 mon.Flexural strength and hardness w...     

Transmission of Grapevine Red Blotch Virus by Spissistilus festinus [Say, 1830] (Hemiptera: Membracidae) between Free-Living Vines and Vitis vinifera ‘Cabernet Franc’

Grapevine red blotch disease emerged within the past decade, disrupting North American vine stock production and vineyard profitability. Our understanding of how grapevine red blotch virus (GRBV), the causal agent of the disease, interacts with its Vitis hosts and insect vector, Spissistilus festinus, is limited. Here, we studied the capabilities of S. festinus to transmit GRBV from and to free-living vines, identified as first-generation hybrids of V. californica and V. vinifera ‘Sauvignon blanc’ (Vcal hybrids), and to and from V. vinifera ‘Cabernet franc’ (Vvin Cf) vines. The transmission rate of GRBV was high from infected Vcal hybrid vines to healthy Vcal hybrid vines (77%, 10 of 13) and from infected Vvin Cf vines to healthy Vcal hybrid vines (100%, 3 of 3). In contrast, the transmission rate of GRBV was low from infected Vcal hybrid vines to healthy Vvin Cf vines (15%, 2 of 13), and from infected Vvin Cf vines to healthy Vvin Cf vines (19%, 5 of 27). No association was found between transmission rates and GRBV titer in donor vines used in transmission assays, but the virus titer was higher in the recipient leaves of Vcal hybrid vines compared with recipient leaves of Vvin Cf vines. The transmission of GRBV from infected Vcal hybrid vines was also determined to be trans-stadial. Altogether, our findings revealed that free-living vines can be a source for the GRBV inoculum that is transmissible by S. festinus to other free-living vines and a wine grape cultivar, illustrating the interconnected roles of the two virus hosts in riparian areas and commercial vineyards, respectively, for virus spread. These new insights into red blotch disease epidemiology will inform the implementation of disease management strategies.     

The Effect of Dentifrice on Micro-Hardness,Surface Gloss,and Micro-Roughness of Nano Filled Conventional and Bulk-Fill Polymer Composite—A Micro Indentation and Profilometric Study

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of brushing with two whitening dentifrices (Colgate Optic White (COW) and Colgate Optic White Charcoal (COC)) on surface gloss, micro-roughness, and micro-hardness of nanostructured hybrid conventional (Z350) and bulk-fill (Tetric N Ceram bulk-fill) polymer composite. In total, 96 disk samples using two nano-hybrid composite polymers (Z350 and Tetric N Ceram Bulk-fill) were prepared. All specimens were exposed to two different dentifrices (COW and COC), resulting in four main subgroups in the study. Specimens were assessed for surface gloss, micro-roughness (Ra), and micro-hardness using standardized methodology. Means and standard deviations of properties compared using paired t-test, one-way and two-way ANOVA, and post hoc test. The presence of dentifrices did not show any significant difference in micro-hardness values of Z350 (p > 0.05), whereas micro-hardness of bulk-fill composite significantly reduced on dentifrices exposure (p ≤ 0.05). Bulk-fill polymer composite showed significant reduction in gloss after dentifrice exposure (p < 0.05), however, Z350 showed no significant loss of gloss due to dentifrices (p > 0.05). A significant increase in Ra was observed for both resin materials after exposure to dentifrices (COC and COW). Conventional resin composite (Z350) showed comparable surface hardness and gloss before and after dentifrice exposure, however, micro-roughness increased significantly due to dentifrice exposure. Bulk-fill resin (Tetric N Ceram) showed significant loss of micro-hardness and gloss and increase in micro-roughness on dentifrice exposure. Conventional nano-hybrid composite polymer showed better durability in resisting loss of surface properties compared to bulk-fill resin polymer in the present experiment.     

Prevalence and factors affecting underweight,overweight and obesity using Asian and World Health Organization cutoffs among adults in Nepal: Analysis of the Demographic and Health Survey 2016

ObjectiveThere is a little published data on prevalence and determinants of underweight, overweight and obesity among adults in Nepal. This study analysed the cross-sectional Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) 2016 to obtain these using the World Health Organization (WHO) and Asian-specific cutoffs of body mass index (BMI).MethodsThe 2016 NDHS used a multistage cluster-sampling design to obtain data on major health indicators in Nepal. The BMI cutoffs for underweight was <18.5 kg/m². The BMI cutoffs for overweight/obesity as per the Asian and WHO classifications were ≥23, and ≥25 kg/m², respectively. After reporting the prevalence according to sex and background characteristics, multilevel logistic regression was conducted to estimate odds ratios.SubjectsThis analysis included 12,652 adults (5283 males and 7369 females) with a median age of 40 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 28–54).ResultsThe overall median BMI was 21.5 kg/m² (IQR:19.3–24.3). The overall prevalence of underweight was 16.7% (15.1% among males and 17.1% among females). The Asian-specific BMI cutoffs found the prevalence of overweight and obesity as 26.4% (27.4% among males and 25.6% among females) and 11.0% (7.7% among males and 13.3% among females), respectively. The WHO-recommended BMI cutoffs found 18.2% people overweight (16.7% among males and 19.3% among females) and 4.3% (2.5% among males and 5.6% among females) people obese. The prevalence and odds of extreme body weight categories (i.e., underweight, overweight and obesity) varied according to age, sex, education level, household wealth status, place, ecological zone and provinces of residence as per both recommended cutoffs. Overall, higher education level and wealth status were positively associated with overweight/obesity and inversely associated with underweight as per both cutoffs.ConclusionA large proportion Nepalese adults have either underweight, overweight or obesity, and could be at a greater risk of mortality and morbidity due to these extreme body weight categories. It is essential to address the factors or characteristics that are associated with the higher prevalence and likelihood of these extreme body weight categories to reduce the overall burden of underweight and overweight/obesity in Nepal.