To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of fixed dose combination of curcumin and piperine in osteoarthritis (OA), a non-randomized, open labeled, non-comparative, single-centric, and post marketing surveillance (PMS) study was conducted in 166 osteoarthritic patients (73 men and 93 women, mean age: 54.5 ± 12.45 years). Each patient was administered a combination of curcumin 500 mg and piperine 5 mg twice daily for 12 weeks. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) was used as a tool to assess the efficacy of the fixe dose combination during the 12 weeks therapy. At the end of 12 weeks of therapy, WOMAC score improved significantly (p<0.0001) from 65.82 ± 18.10 to 25.12 ± 21.26. Also a significant reduction (p<0.0001) was found in scores for pain, stiffness and physical function from 15.03 ± 3.74 to 5.83 ± 4.42, 5.43 ± 1.95 to 1.52 ± 1.56 and 45.57 ± 13.72 to 17.76 ± 16.23 respectively at the end of 12 weeks. Combination of Curcumin and Piperine was effective and safe for the management of osteoarthritis in Indian patients.

Dental professionals are subjected to noise from dental equipment and instruments throughout the day at work. Although most of the individual instruments have sound emission below the safety level stated by Occupation safety and health administration (OSHA), running of multiple instruments in close proximity for long hours and over several years causes hearing loss in dental professionals. Changes such as irritability, constriction of blood vessels, increase in heart rate and blood pressure, tinnitus and decreased hearing sensitivity is associated with exposure to high levels of noise. Cumulative effect of excess noise can lead to damage to the cochlea causing irreversible damage to hearing. Dentists begin to show reduction in hearing to high frequency sound at 4000 to 6000 Hz but remain unaware of the problem till 28% of hearing loss has occurred. Dental professionals working in a dental school set-up are at an increased risk for noise induced hearing loss due to the proximity to pre-clinical, clinical and laboratory equipment during their work day. Dental students and professionals should be educated about these hazards and advised to use preventive measures to reduce disability. Employees should be informed of the potential for hearing loss and protocols should be in place to make such working environments safer.

The study was conducted to evaluate compliance of antibiotics prescribing in three selected outpatients healthcare facilities in Papua New Guinea(PNG), to the country specific Standard Treatment Guidelines(STG)and to identify factors influencing prescribing pattern. The study was carried out in the Losuia Health Centre (LHC), Alotau Provincial Hospital and Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) outpatient departments. The study sample involved300participants at each setting. Oral amoxicillin products, chloramphenicol and co-trimoxazole made up approximately 70% of the antibiotics prescribed to 637/1090 of patients. Almost one-quarter (24.4%) of prescriptions for antibiotics were non-compliant selections. At the LHC approximately 20% of both dosage and duration errors occurred. Overall non-compliant prescribing for children was approximately 50% but significantly more compliant at PMGH (P= 0.0058) contrasting with the other settings. At the LHC only 30.6% of antibiotic prescriptions for children were compliant with STG requirements and fulfilled PNG regulatory requirements. With respect to the STGs, Community Health Workers (68.0%) and Nurse Officers made more non-compliant antibiotic selections. High levels of antibiotic prescribing combined with high levels of non-compliant antibiotic prescribing as compared to PNG-STGs, were identified in this study. This is a disturbing finding as it raises many questions related to quality assurance of health care interventions in PNG. The data also raises a clinical concern for the high level of oral chloramphenicol prescribed in out-patient settings.

This study investigated antihyperglycemic effects of chronic administration of aqueous leaf extract of Senna fistula in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat. Thirty rats were randomly assigned into six groups (A-F). Animals in group A werethe control non-diabetic,in groupB were diabetic and received distilled water, in group C werediabetic,treated with 2.5 mg/kg body weight of Glibenclamide, while animals in groups D, E and F were diabetic treated with 28.57, 57.14 and 114.28 mg/kg body weightrespectively of aqueous leaf extract of Senna fistula for 28 days. At the end of 28 days blood samples were collectedfor the assay ofInsulin, Superoxide Dismutase, Catalase,andGlutathione Peroxidasein serumand liver Glycogen.The result showed that the blood glucose levels of diabetic rats were significantly reduced in the extract and Glibenclamide treated animals when compared with diabetic rats that received distilled water. Similarly, there was a significant increase in serum Insulin level, Superoxide dismutase, Catalase and Glutathione peroxidaseactivitiesand liver glycogenin the extract and Glibenclamide treated diabetic groups when compared with diabetic untreated group. The results indicated that oral administrationof aqueous extract of Senna fistula has antihyperglycemic effect by stimulating Insulin secretion and activating antioxidant enzymes.

There is a folkloric claim that Pausinystalia yohimbe,Cassia sieberiana and Cissus populnearoots can be used to enhance sexual behaviour in male rats. However, there is still dearth of scientific evidence that substantiated the acclaimed efficacy of separate and combined use of the plant as sex enhancer. Therefore, the aims of this study were to compare the separate and combined effects of aqueous extracts of Pausinystalia yohimbe, Cassia sieberiena and Cissus populnearoots in paroxetine-induced sexually impaired male rats.Thirty five male rats were assigned into seven groups (A-G) such that rats in group A received orally 1.0 ml of distilled water for 7 days, while those in groups B -G which were induced into sexual dysfunction (administration of 10 mg/kg of paroxetine) also received equal volume of distilled water, 7.14 mg/kg body weight of PowmaxM (a reference drug), 50 mg/kg body weight of P. yohimbe, 50 mg/kg body weight of C. sieberiana, 50 mg/kg body weight of C. populneaand 50 mg/kg body weight of 1:1:1 mixture of the three extracts, once daily for seven days respectively. The sexual behavior indices of the male rats and the levels of their reproductive hormones were evaluated by standard procedures. The paroxetine-treatment related reductions (P<0.05) in the sexual behaviour indices of Mount Frequency, Intromission Frequency and Ejaculatory Frequency, levels of serum reproductive hormones of testosterone, luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone were progressively attenuated by the separate administration of the plant extracts. Furthermore, the increases in the Mount Latency, Intromission Latency, Ejaculatory Latency and Post-ejaculatory Interval were also gradually reduced, following the administration of the plant extracts. The male rat sexual behaviour indices and the levels of the male reproductive hormones following the administration of the 1:1:1 mixture of the extracts were not significantly different (P>0.05) from the effects of the separate extracts. All these changes compared favourably (P>0.05) well with those of the sexual dysfunction rats that received PowmaxM (Group G). The results obtained in the present study indicate that the extracts of these plants may have the potentialfor the management of sexual dysfunction in male rats. The combined use of the plants was not significantly better than the individual use of the plants thereby, each and any of the three plants readily available might be used for this purpose.
Aphrodisiacs ; Animals ; Phytotherapy

Sleep deprivation can be described as inadequate quantity or quality of sleep characterized by insufficient sleep duration, delayed sleep onset, and occurrence of napping episodes during the day. Sleep deprivation in animals and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in human was reported to be associated with increased oxidative stress. Glycyrrizha glabra (licorice) is a medicinal plant known to be a highly efficacious medicinal herb with several pharmacological effects. Hence, the aim of this study was to demonstrate whether or not licorice root extract will regulate the imbalance between the reactive oxygen species and production of antioxidant enzymes in the brain of sleep deprived rats. Twenty - five 6-week-old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups to undergo sleep deprivation and recovery for 5 days each. Group I (Control): Group II: sleep deprivation (SD); Group III: sleep deprivation and recovery (SD+SR) all received distill water (10ml/kg) orally; Group IV: sleep deprivation and licorice (SD+Lic), Group V: sleep deprivation, recovery with licorice (SD+SR+Lic) both received licorice (150mg/kg) orally once daily. MDA concentration among rats in Groups II (51%), III (46.7%) and IV (31.3%) were significantly higher when compared with control. Rats in Group III (20.5%), Group IV (24.6%) and Group V (30.8%) showed increased significant change in GSH concentration when compared with Group II. The concentration of CAT among rats in Group II was significantly lower than those rats in Group III (43.8%), Group IV (53.8%) and Group V (72.9%). These results clearly show that sleep deprivation significantly affects the oxidative status of rats. In conclusion, licorice root extract has ameliorative effect on the imbalance between the reactive oxygen species and production of antioxidant enzymes in the brain of sleep deprived rats.
Sleep ; Sleep Deprivation ; Oxidative Stress, Rats

Iodine deficiency is regarded as the single most common cause of preventable mental impairment in communities with suboptimal intake of iodine. Universal Salt Iodization is the most effective and sustainable intervention strategy for prevention, control and elimination of iodine deficiency. Urinary iodine concentration is the biochemical indicator for assessing the iodine status of a population. This study was prompted by reports showing evidence of cretinism in Karimui-Nomane district in Simbu province. The major objectives were therefore to assess the availability of adequately iodized salt in households, the per capita discretionary intake of salt per day and the iodine status of school children (age 6–12 years) in Karimui-Nomane, the district of concern, and Sina Sina Yonggomugl, a comparison district in Simbu province. Iodine level was assessed in salt samples collected from randomly selected households in both districts. The head of each household completed a questionnaire on knowledge, attitudes and practices related to salt iodization. Urinary iodine concentrations were measured in spot urine samples collected from randomly selected 6 to 12 years old children from selected primary schools in the two districts. 82.4% and 63.8% of salt samples from Karimui-Nomane and Sina Sina Yonggomugl respectively were adequately iodized above the national standard of 30ppm. The mean per capita discretionary intake of salt in households in Karimui-Nomane district was 4.62 ± 0.42 g/day, and in Sina Sina Yonggomugl district was 6.0 ± 2.61g/day. At measured levels of iodization (mean iodine content 34.7ppm and 32.7ppm respectively), this amount of salt would provide the recommended intake of iodine (150ug/day). However, for children in Karimui-Nomane the median UIC was 17.5μg/L and the interquartile range (IQR) was 15.0 – 43.0μg/L. and in Sina Sina Yonggomugl, the median UIC was 57.5μg/L and the IQR was 26.3–103.0μg/L, indicating severe and mild iodine deficiency respectively. These apparently conflicting findings may be explained by the fact that only 34% of households in Karimui-Nomane and 72% of households in Sina Sina Yonggomugl had salt on the day of the survey. The results indicate that iodine deficiency is a significant public health problem in Karimui-Nomane and Sina Sina Yonggomugl districts in Simbu province, potentially because of lack of access to salt, rather than inadequate implementation of salt iodization. Further studies are needed to quantify access to salt for communities in areas that are not easily accessible like Karimui-Nomane district in Papua New Guinea and, if inadequate salt access is confirmed, to develop alternative or complementary strategies to salt iodization

Cervical cancer is regarded as a sexually transmitted disease caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) detected in up to 80 per cent of the cancer biopsies. Genetic susceptibility of a p53 allelic variant has been postulated to play a vital role in carcinogenesis. This study was aimed at determining the allelic frequencies of p53 codon 72 polymorphism in Papua New Guinean women and also assessing the presence of HPV in cervical cancer biopsies. Peripheral blood (3-5 mL) was collected from 53 healthy females of reproductive age (19-37 years) with no known past and current history of HPV infections. Sixty-two cervical biopsies along with cervical swaps were obtained from patients (19-54 years) with clinical symptoms and histopathological confirmation of cervical cancer. DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood samples and cervical samples. Exon 4 was amplified with PCR and further genotypic analyses performed by Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP). Of the 53 normal samples analyzed, 3.8 % (2/53) were Arginine homozygous, 58.5 % were Proline homozygous and 37.7 % were heterozygous. For the cancer samples, 14.5 % (9/62) were Arginine homozygous, 54.8 % were Proline homozygous and 30.7% were heterozygous. HPV genome was detected in 83.9 % (52/62) of the cervical cancer samples. The genotypic trend and allelic frequencies were consistent with literature.

Fungal endophytes are fungi that reside in tissues of healthy living plants offering chemical protection and promoting growth of host plants. The chemistry and biological properties of their secondary metabolites from monoaxenic cultures have been extensively studied, but co-culture techniques using endophytes remain largely unexplored. Co-culture of bacteria with endophytic fungi have shown to be effective, leading to the discovery of novel chemistry while simultaneously addressing the problem of rediscovery of known metabolites from the monoaxenic culture techniques. Forty microliters (40μL) of culture broth consisting of monoaxenic and co-cultures were placed in separate agar wells with 5μg ciprofloxacin as positive control. The co-culture broth from one unidentified endophytic fungus with B. subtilis showed a marked zone of inhibition measuring 24.7 ±0.6 mm in comparison to ≥21.0 mm as the sensitivity range for ciprofloxacin against Escherichia coli while its monoaxenic culture exhibited no inhibition, but furthermore showed moderate activity (16.7 ± 1.2 mm) against B. subtilis. The isolation and chemical characterization of the active component and the mechanism of B.subtilis induction is under investigation. It is hoped that this unique Papua New Guinea endophyte will provide broad-spectrum antibiotic to combat the growing global problem of drug resistant infections.