Objective:To investigate in vitro antioxidant and in vivo antitumor activity of the crude methanolic extract of Aponogeton undulatus (MAU) along with its various organic fractions. Methods:Aponogeton undulatus leaves were successively extracted using methanol (MAU) and then fractionated by chloroform, ethyl acetate (EAU) and water. The total antioxidant capacity, lipid peroxidation inhibition assay, 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and ferrous reducing power assessment were used to evaluate the antioxidant potential of the crude extract and its organic fractions. The in vivo antitumor activity is evaluated against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cell bearing in Swiss albino mice. Results:EAU showed the highest antioxidant capacity as (175.80±0.41) mg/g, IC50 value of DPPH scavenging activity was (38.84±0.02)μg/mL and also exhibited maximum lipid peroxidation inhibition activity with the IC50 value of (42.52±0.32)μg/mL than other fractions. The results demonstrate that reducing power of the extract was concentration dependent. In addition, EAU was administered at 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight respectively to EAC cell bearing mice and a significant (P<0.05) decrease in tumor volume, packed cell volume and viable cell count and also increased the life span (17.52%, 42.53%and 62.05%). Hematological profiles were restored to normal levels in MAU treated mice as compared to EAC control mice. Conclusions:The results were found to be significant and confirmed that the Aponogeton undulatus has remarkable antitumor activity with antioxidant potential.

To understand the extent of food insecurity in Bangladesh emphasizing on the non cereal food availability and maternal and child nutritional outcome. We conducted systematic review in between 1985 to 2010 by using PubMed and Google Scholar databases as well as archives of relevant journals by hand. Contacting with the author was also performed in the case where original data needed. Results from the evidence it may be sated that despite the growth of cereal production and its availability Bangladesh is still problems with accessing of non cereal foods (e.g., vegetable, fruits, fish, milk, meat, egg etc) as well as the incidence of acute malnutrition in children and mothers were hardnosed in the rural area of Bangladesh.
Food Supply ; Body Mass Index ; Malnutrition ; Child ; Mothers ; Bangladesh

Objective:To determine the hepatoprotective effect of acetone semicarbazone (ASC) in vivo in normal and Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) bearing male Swiss albino mice. Methods:Drug-induced changes in biochemical and behavioral parameters at dose of 2.0 mg/kg body weight for 14 d and nullifying the toxicity induced by EAC cells were studied. The histopathology studies of the protective effects of ASC on vital organs were also assessed. Results:The administration of ASC made insignificant changes in body weight and behavioral (salivation, diarrhea, muscular numbness) changes during treatment period due to minor toxicity were minimized after the treatment in normal mice. The biochemical parameters, including serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase, glutamate oxaloactate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, serum glucose, cholesterol, urea, triglyceride and billirubin changed modestly in normal mice receiving ASC. Though the treatment continued, these values gradually decreased to normal level after the treatment. In EAC bearing mice, the toxic effects due to EAC cells in all cases were nullified by treatment with the ASC. Significant abnormalities were not detected in histology of the various organs of the normal mice treated with ASC. Conclusions: ASC can, therefore, be considered safe in formulating novel anticancer drug, as it exhibits strong protective effect against EAC cell bearing mice.

Objective To observe the effect of a Uyghur medicine Munziq Balgam on the mouse model of psoriasis.Methods 130 healthy Kunming mice were used in this study .The mouse model of psoriasis was established by applying 5% propranol hydrochloride emulsion to the mouse ear .The tail and ear skin histology was examined using HE staining, and the serum levels of IL-10, IL-17, IL-23 were measured with ELISA.Results The mice of Munziq Balgam treated groups (2, 4, 8 g/kg) did not show obvious abnormalities of general condition and body weight changes (P >0.05).The 8 g/kg Munziq Balgam treated group showed decreased thymus index (P <0.05).The 2, 4, and 8 g/kg Munziq Balgam treated groups showed no significant changes of the serum levels of IL -10, IL-17, and IL-23 (P >0.05). The 2, 4, and 8 g/kg Munziq Balgam treated groups showed promoted formation of epidermis granular layer in the mouse tail skin and improved histology of the ear skin .Conclusions The Uygur medicine Munziq Balgam shows therapeutic effect on experimental mouse models of psoriasis .

Subcutaneous emphysema is the presence of gas or air in the subcutaneous tissue plane. The term is generally used to describe any soft tissue emphysema of the body wall or limbs, it can result from benign causes, most commonly secondary to trauma or from a life-threatening infection by gas gangrene or necrotising fasciitis. A case of subcutaneous emphysema involving the upper limb resulting from a trivial laceration to the elbow is reported and the importance of distinguishing between the two causes of subcutaneous emphysema is highlighted.
Subcutaneous Emphysema

This paper examines the prevalence and socio-economic correlates of malnutrition among ever married non-pregnant women of reproductive age of Bangladesh using a nationally representative weighted sample of 10,145. Body mass index was used to measure nutritional status. Both bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were employed to assess the relationship between socio-economic characteristics and women’s nutritional status. Overall, 28.5% of the women were found to be underweight. The fixed effect multivariate binary logistic regression analysis yielded significantly increased risk of underweight for the young, currently working, non-Muslim, rural residents, widowed, divorced or separated women. Significant wide variations of malnourishment prevailed in the administrative regions of the country. Wealth index and women’s education were the most important determinants of underweight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the risk of being underweight was almost seven times higher (OR=6.76, 95% CI=5.20-8.80) among women with no formal education as compared to those with higher education and the likelihood of underweight was significantly (p<0.001) 5.2 times (OR=5.23, 95% CI=4.51-6.07) in the poorest as compared to their richest counterparts. Poverty alleviation programmes should be strengthened targeting the poor. Effective policies, information and health education programmes for women are required to ensure adequate access to health services and for them to understand the components of a healthy diet.

Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) are a prognostic genetic model of absence epilepsy. This model displays the electro-clinical, behavioural, and pharmacological features of absence seizures. Although GAERS share typical characteristics, including spike-and-wave discharges (SWDs) in the electroencephalography (EEG), age-dependent studies with these animals have not yet been reported. The aim of the present study is to perform a systematic comparison contrasting the SWDs of young and older GAERS, in terms of the number, duration, frequency, and waveform morphology of the discharges, as well as the pre-SWD EEG characteristics, using identical measurement and analysis techniques. The number, cumulative total duration and mean duration of SWDs were significantly higher in young GAERS (4 to 6 months) compared to older GAERS (12 to 14 months). Furthermore, the SWD spectra and average SWD waveforms indicated that a single cycle of the SWD contains more energy in faster components, such as increased spikes and higher power, in the SWDs of the young GAERS. Additionally, older GAERS showed weak amplitude spikes in SWDs and higher power pre-SWDs. These clear morphological differences in the EEGs of young and older GAERS rats should be further examined in future studies that explore new dimensions of genetic absence epilepsy.

Objective: To find out the effective anticancer drugs from bacterial products, petroleum ether extract of Corynebacterium xerosis.Methods:parameters like tumor weight measurement, tumor cell growth inhibition in mice and survival time of tumor bearing mice, etc. Hepatoprotective effect of the metabolites was determined by observing biochemical, hematological parameters.Results:It has been found that the petroleum ether extract bacterial metabolite significantly Antiproliferative activity of the metabolite has been measured by monitoring the decrease cell growth (78.58%; P<0.01), tumor weight (36.04 %; P<0.01) and increase the life span of tumor bearing mice (69.23%; P<0.01) at dose 100 mg/kg (i.p.) in comparison to those of untreated Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) bearing mice. The metabolite also alters the depleted hematological parameters like red blood cell, white blood cell, hemoglobin (Hb%), etc. towards normal in tumor bearing mice. Metabolite show no adverse effect on liver functions regarding blood glucose, serum alkaline phosphatases, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase activity and serum billirubin, etc. in normal mice. Histopathological observation of these mice organ does not show any toxic effect on cellular structure. But in the case of EAC bearing untreated mice these hematological and biochemical parameters deteriorate extremely with time whereas petroleum ether extract bacterial metabolite receiving EAC bearing mice nullified the toxicity induced by EAC cells.Conclusion:Study results reveal that metabolite possesses significant antiproliferative and hepatoprotective effect against EAC cells.

Objective:To identify the differential expression of candidate gluconeogenic genes which may initiate hepatitis C virus (HCV) related metabolic disorder during early stages of disease. Methods:Patients of diverse age and sex, with positive HCV genotype 3 (HCV-3) RNA in serum and with no history of other related infections, co-infections, alcoholism, diabetes or chemotherapeutic treatments were considered for this study. Semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR analysis and quantitative fold change analysis of the fresh liver biopsies of eight chronically infected HCV-3 patients and six healthy individuals were evaluated for three potential biomarkers involved in glucose homeostasis induction, namely mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 2 (PCK2), glucose-6-phosphatase catalytic subunit (G6PC) and associated forkhead box protein 01 (FOXO1).Results:Symptomatic evaluation, clinical history and blood test were conducted according to general disease prognosis procedures and reported here. Significantly upregulated expression ofPCK2 independent of age, sex and viral infectivity levels in all HCV patients was observed, whereas no significant changes in the expression ofG6PC andFOXO1were found.Conclusions:PCK2 triggers initial gluconeogenic reactions which ultimately result in the accumulation of glycogen in the liver hepatocytes. We therefore suggest that the overproduction of PCK2 has important physiological role in the onset of metabolic disorder in the HCV-3 patients.