Objective: The present study was aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effect of Croton hirtus (CH) extract against streptozotocin (STZ) in rats. Methods: (i) The sub-chronic toxicity consisted of 24 adult rats of either sex weighing from 160 to 200 g were divided into four groups with six rats in each group. Rats in group 1 received Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) mixed with saline; rats in groups 2, 3, and 4 received 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of methanolic extract of CH (MECH) orally by gavage administration for 28 d, respectively. The functional observation battery and locomotor activity were graded as part of their neurobehavioral activity and the brain regions, including cortex and hippocampus, were analyzed for neuropathological abnormalities. (ii) The main research consisted of 30 adult male Wistar rats weighing from 160 to 200 g, which were divided into five groups and six rats in each group, including control (I), STZ (II), Donepezil (III), MECH (100 mg/kg, IV), and MECH (200 mg/kg, V) groups. Rats in group I received citrate buffer orally and DMSO mixed with saline for 14 d. Rats in group II received STZ via intracerebroventricular injection (3 mg/kg, bilateral ICV-STZ) on days 1 and 3 followed by DMSO mixed with saline for 14 d. Rats in groups III, IV, and V received STZ administration on days 1 and 3 followed by Donepezil [3 mg/(kg·d), p.o.] and MECH [100 and 200 mg/(kg·d), p.o.] for 14 d. Rats were tested for learning and memory parameters such as Morris water maze (MWM) and passive avoidance test (PAT). They were sacrificed after completing behavioural experiments; brains were harvested to estimate the acetylcholinesterase (AChE), lipid peroxidation (LPO), glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) by using UV-Visible Spectrophotometer; caspase-3 was evaluated by total fluorescence emission spectra; amyloid β (Aβ) levels were detected using enzyme-linked immuosorbent assay (ELISA); and histopathological examination was conducted in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Results : (i) The sub-chronic toxicity results revealed that open field test parameters including line crossing, rearing, entering the middle square, defecating, or urinating did not differ significantly in the MECH rats (P > 0.05). The histopathological observation did not show any lesions in the neuronal cells and inflammation in both the regions in MECH rats compared with control rats. (ii) The main study findings demonstrated that STZ-treated rats showed asignificant increase in impairment in learning and memory parameters (P < 0.001), the levels of AChE, caspase-3, Aβ (1-40 and 1-42), and LPO were increased significantly (P < 0.001), and significant decrease was found in the levels of SOD (P < 0.001) and GSH (P < 0.01). Moreover, neuronal damage was found in the hippocampus. In contrast, STZ-induced behavioural and biochemical impairments in rats were considerably decreased by treatment with MECH dose-dependently. Conclusion MECH significantly prevented the memory deficit induced by STZ due to antioxidant action. Restoration of cholinergic functioning may be the cause of behavioural improvement. Therefore, MECH may be able to treat cognitive disorders like Alzheimer's disease (AD).

The LIM domain-containing proteins are dominantly found in plants and play a significant role in various biological processes such as gene transcription as well as actin cytoskeletal organization. Nevertheless, genome-wide identification as well as functional analysis of the LIM gene family have not yet been reported in the economically important plant sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.). Therefore, we conducted an in silico identification and characterization of LIM genes in S. bicolor genome using integrated bioinformatics approaches. Based on phylogenetic tree analysis and conserved domain, we identified five LIM genes in S. bicolor (SbLIM) genome corresponding to Arabidopsis LIM (AtLIM) genes. The conserved domain, motif as well as gene structure analyses of the SbLIM gene family showed the similarity within the SbLIM and AtLIM members. The gene ontology (GO) enrichment study revealed that the candidate LIM genes are directly involved in cytoskeletal organization and various other important biological as well as molecular pathways. Some important families of regulating transcription factors such as ERF, MYB, WRKY, NAC, bZIP, C2H2, Dof, and G2-like were detected by analyzing their interaction network with identified SbLIM genes. The cis-acting regulatory elements related to predicted SbLIM genes were identified as responsive to light, hormones, stress, and other functions. The present study will provide valuable useful information about LIM genes in sorghum which would pave the way for the future study of functional pathways of candidate SbLIM genes as well as their regulatory factors in wet-lab experiments.

Mycobacterium africanum is endemic to West Africa and is rare outside this region. Most of the people infected with M. africanum outside Africa are migrants from affected parts of Africa. We report a rare case of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) secondary to M. africanum in a man in Brunei Darussalam who had lived and worked in Guinea, West Africa for 6 years more than 20 years ago. He had been well until December 2020, when he presented with a chronic cough and was diagnosed with coinfections of Klebsiella pneumoniae and M. africanum, and newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus. This case highlights an interesting manifestation of pulmonary TB secondary to M. africanum in a patient whose last exposure was 20 years ago, contributed to by development of diabetes mellitus.

Both tuberculosis (TB) and melioidosis are endemic to certain parts of the world, including Brunei Darussalam, with TB being more widespread. Despite this, coinfection with TB and melioidosis is rarely encountered and reported. Although still uncommon, there has been an increase in the number of cases of this coinfection reported during the past 10 years, all of which have been in India and the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Region. We report a case of coinfection with pulmonary TB and melioidosis in a patient with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. This 64-year-old man presented with symptoms and radiological features of pulmonary TB, confirmed by sputum smear, but sputum culture also yielded Burkholderia pseudomallei, the pathogen that causes melioidosis. Coinfection was detected due to our practice of routinely screening for other infections in patients suspected or confirmed to have pulmonary TB. This highlights the importance of awareness of melioidosis and the need to consider screening for infection, especially in endemic regions.

Aims: To determine abundance of potential pathogenic microorganisms in pangasius and tilapia farms in five major fish-producing areas in Bangladesh by PCR approaches. Methodology and results: Important microbial water quality indicators were studied in water of 38 fish farms producing pangasius (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in five major fish-producing areas of Bangladesh. The parameters included physicochemical data and PCR detection of total coliforms and E. coli, species of potentially pathogenic Vibrio, and cyanobacterial genes encoding the toxins microcystin and saxitoxin. Quantitative PCR showed that coliform bacteria occurred in all fish farms with densities from one to 2.2 × 105 per mL, while E. coli ranged from none to 5.0 × 104 per mL. Numbers of total coliforms and E. coli were higher in pangasius farms than in tilapia farms, and when high abundances occurred, coliform bacteria and E. coli bacteria co-varied. Detection of Vibrio-specific genes indicated presence of Vibrio species in 76% of the farms and included V. vulnificus and V. cholerae. The human pathogen type of V. cholerae (carrying the ctxA gene) and the fish pathogen V. parahaemolyticus were not detected. The microcystin-encoding mcyE gene ranged from undetectable to 2.6 × 105 copies per mL and tended to be highest in pangasius farms. The saxitoxin-encoding gene sxtA was not found in any of the farms. Conclusion, significance and impact of study Based on the high abundance of especially coliform bacteria and E. coli, we recommend more efficient water quality monitoring systems to improve detection and control of fecal coliforms and to reduce presence of microcystin-producing cyanobacteria in aquaculture farms in Bangladesh
Water Quality ; Tilapia ; Catfishes

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global public health problem. DM is associated with the rising burden of diabetic complications. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the life-threatening and irreversible microvascular complications of DM. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2017 to April 2018. This study aimed to characterize the proportion of DN among people living with diabetes (n=290, where 40 T1DM, 200 T2DM as cases group and 50 nondiabetic as a control group) and the factors associated with it. The sample was selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS-22. Stages of DN were classified according ‘Revised Classification of DN’ given by the ‘Joint Committee on Diabetic Nephropathy’, Japan, 2014. Results: The proportion of pre-nephropathy (PN), incipient nephropathy (IN) and overt nephropathy (ON) was 10%, 82.5% and 7.5% respectively in T1DM. Similarly, in T2DM the proportion of PN, IN, ON and chronic kidney failure (CKF) was 5.5% 81%, 10%, and 3.5% respectively. Irrespective of diabetic group, according to multivariate analysis, older age (adjusted OR =1.05, CI: 1.01-1.08; adjusted OR: 2.33, CI: 2.01-2.99), and female sex (adjusted OR = 0.39, CI: 0.19-0.77) were independently associated with DN adjusting BMI, SBP, DBP and FBS level. Conclusions This study showed the proportion of DN was high among diabetic and mostly in type 2 diabetics with severe stage. Older age, and female sex were independently associated with DN.

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) leads to tubular injury, kidney fibrosis and anemia. These conditions are influenced by fibrotic and anti-fibrotic substances, such as Transforming Growth Factor beta-1 (TGF-β1), Hepatic Growth Factor (HGF), and Bone Morphogenic Protein-7 (BMP-7). Yacon is an herbal medicine which has not been elucidated in CKD. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ethanolic extract of Yacon leaves on attenuating renal injury in CKD model in mice. Methods: We performed 5/6 subtotal nephrectomy (SN) in male Swiss-Webster mice (3 months old, 30–40 grams) to induce chronic kidney disease, then the mice were sacrificed at day 14. The mice (n=25) were divided into five groups: one SN group, three groups of SN with administration of Yacon extract, and one group of sham operation (SO, with supplementation of 0.1% aquadest). There were three different doses of ethanolic extract of Yacon leaves: 98 mg/kg BW (SN+YK1), 49 mg/kg BW (SN+YK2), and 24.5 BW mg/kg (SN+YK3). Tubular injury, perivascular and interstitial fibrosis were quantified based on histopathological examination. Reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) was performed to quantify HGF and BMP-7. Results: SN group demonstrated CKD with elevation of creatinine level, anemia, tubular injury, glomerulosclerosis, and fibrosis. Yacon extract treatment showed attenuation of injury with lower creatinine level, tubular injury, glomerulosclerosis and fibrosis compared to the SN group. HGF and BMP-7 mRNA expressions were higher in Yacon-treated groups than the SN group. Conclusion: Yacon treatment might ameliorate CKD through reducing fibrosis and increasing expression of anti-fibrotic genes.

Background: The anterior-middle superior alveolar (AMSA) anesthetic technique has been reported to be a less traumatic alternative to several conventional nerve blocks and local infiltration for anesthesia of the maxillary teeth, their periodontium, and the palate. However, its anatomic basis remains controversial. The present study aimed to determine if the pattern of cortical and cancellous bone density in the maxillary premolar region can provide a rationale for the success of the AMSA anesthetic technique.Method: Cone-beam computed tomography scans of 66 maxillary quadrants from 34 patients (16 men and 18 women) were evaluated using a volumetric imaging software for cortical and cancellous bone densities in three interdental regions between the canine and first molar. Bone density was measured in Hounsfield units (HU) separately for the buccal cortical, palatal cortical, buccal cancellous, and palatal cancellous bones. Mean HU values were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test and one-way ANOVA with post-hoc analysis. Results: Cancellous bone density was significantly lower (P ≤ 0.001) in the palatal half than in the buccal half across all three interdental regions. However, there was no significant difference (P = 0.106) between the buccal and palatal cortical bone densities at the site of AMSA injection. No significant difference was observed between the two genders for any of the evaluated parameters. Conclusions The palatal half of the cancellous bone had a significantly lower density than the buccal half, which could be a reason for the effective diffusion of the anesthetic solution following a palatal injection during the AMSA anesthetic technique.

Three new alkyl substituted anthraquinone derivatives, trivially named as symploquinones A-C (Compounds 1-3) were isolated from Symplocos racemosa. The structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses (UV, IR, Mass, H- and C-NMR, and two-dimensional (2D) NMR techniques). The resulting data were also compared with the reported literature. These compounds were then subjected to antibacterial or antibiofilm testing. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited good antibacterial activity in the concentration range of 160-83 μg·mL against Streptococcus mutans, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis. Both compounds were further screened for anti-biofilm activity, which revealed promising activities at sub-MIC concentrations. None of the compounds were found to be active against Klebsiella pneumoniae.
Anthraquinones ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Biofilms ; drug effects ; growth & development ; Ericales ; chemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Mass Spectrometry ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; physiology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Proteus mirabilis ; drug effects ; physiology ; Spectrophotometry, Infrared ; Streptococcus mutans ; drug effects ; physiology

Objective To investigate the pharmacological basis of its uses of Phyla nodiflora (P. nodiflora) for the treatment of anomalies predominantly by smooth muscle containing tissues such as gastrointestinal/vascular/broncho spasm and cardiovascular modulation. Methods The crude hydroalcoholic extract of P. nodiflora (Pn.Cr) and its fractions were evaluated on isolated rabbit jejunum, rat trachea, aorta and atrium. To access the contractile or relaxant effects of testing materials, the tissues were mounted in isolated organ bath and responses were recorded with transducers coupled with data acquisition system. BALB/c mice were challenged with castor oil for the assessment of in-vivo antidiarrheal activity. Normotensive rats were used for in-vivo hypotensive study. Results Hydroalcoholic extract of Pn.Cr at variable concentrations inhibited the natural spontaneous rhythm and 80 mmol/L K