The Pharmaceutical and Chemical Journal

8-12

Authors: Tahia H. Saleem, Hamdy N. Eltalawy, Ahmed El-Abd Ahmed, Nagla H. Abu-faddan, Yasser Gamal, Mohammed H. Hassan

Glycogen storage disease type IV (GSD-IV) "Andersen's disease" is an autosomal recessive disorder due to a deficiency of glycogen branching enzyme (GBE). We report a four years old female patient with glycogen storage disease type-IV who exhibited an abdominal distension and failure to thrive since the age of 9 months. The patient showed hepatosplenomegaly and hypotonia of both upper and lower limbs proximally. The laboratory findings showed fasting hypoglycemia, raised liver enzymes, moderate hypochromic microcytic anemia, hyperlactatemia with raised total creatine phosphokinase & lactate dehydrogenase. The light microscopic findings of the liver biopsy specimen were consistent with GSD-IV. This study focuses on evaluation of the detailed clinical, biochemical and histopathological findings that found in a pediatric patient with GSD-IV.

27-34

Authors: Zaccheus Shehu, Lamai Wilson Danbature, Ahmed Muhammed

In this study, the locally available materials which include; montmorillonite clay and rice husks were used to synthesize montmorillonite-silica nanocomposite as adsorbent in removal of lead from aqueous solution. Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR), was used to characterize the adsorbent. Batch method of adsorption was employed in the study and parameters that influence the adsorption such as adsorbent dose, initial concentration and contact time have been studied. The optimum conditions of the study were found at the initial concentration 500 mg/L, adsorbent dosage (0.3g), contact time 40 (minutes) and constant stirring at 200 rpm. The experiments were carried out at the natural pH 5 ± 0.3 of the solution and room temperature (309 K). The results showed the maximum percentage of lead removal to be 99.99%. The equilibrium data for the adsorption was analyzed using both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms models with R2 =0.9375 and R2=0.9275 respectively and both fitted the experimental data. The maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) using Langmuir isotherm was found to be 132.802mg/g. The kinetics study was carried out by employing pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order kinetics, the result of the kinetic studies showed that pseudo-second order kinetic model was found to correlate well to experimental data with R2=1. The results indicate that montmrillonite-silica nanocomposite is a cost effective adsorbent that can employ for the adsorption of Lead from aqueous solution.

47-56

Authors: Elías Bedoya Marrugo, Carlos Severiche Sierra, José Jaimes Morales, Yesid Marrugo Ligardo

Review main postulates of industrial safety applied to activities of high risk in the industry. Security is fundamental in the processes of each company even more for those who handle high risk tasks, since this way will preserve the safety of workers, this article focuses on this issue as it is important to maintain the working environment Safe, a fundamental part in prevention, for this it is necessary that workers are aware of the risks to which they are exposed and how to prevent accidents and work diseases, there are specific regulations for each of these tasks, although it is a topic Which must be managed by all companies, there are few articles that talk particularly about safety in high risk tasks, thematic that contributes to continuous improvement and sustainable development.

66-72

Authors: Fariba Nabatchian, M. Tashauoei, A. Bahrami, N. Davoudy

Introduction and Objective: Morphine is one of the most important alkaloids of the opioid family and its most effective compound. Morphine is a very potent analgesic and narcotic drug. Considering the widespread use of morphine and its derivatives, its effects on hormones, especially sex hormones, are very important. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of morphine on sex hormones and its effectiveness differences according to sex. Materials and Methods: This applied study was performed on 38 adult Wistar rats. The serum levels of 17-beta-estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone were measured using biochemical kits. Statistical tests, t-test, paired t-test, and ANOVA were used to analyze the results. Discussion: Our findings showed that the level of testosterone decreased significantly during 1 week after morphine use when compared to the control group. The decrease in the testosterone level continued to the 4th week with continuing the use of morphine. Our results showed that the hormonal levels did not change significantly between the 1st and the 2nd, and between the 1st and the 3rd week. The level of progesterone decreased significantly in the 2nd week compared to the 1st week (P<0.002); however, the comparison between the 2nd and the 1st week was not significant by sex. No significant relationship was observed between morphine use and the level of estradiol. Conclusion: The level of testosterone decreased significantly following the use of morphine. The decrease is definitely associated with decreased libido and fertility in the male sex. The level of progesterone decreased significantly with the use of morphine, which may be associated with the pregnancy status and fetal preservation during pregnancy.

83-88

Authors: Johnson JT, Ekpo GI, Ugwuoke JE

The immunomodulatory effect of the ethanolic leaf extract of Phyllantus amarus on wistar rats was investigated. Twenty eight (28) male animals were used for the study. The animals were divided into four (4) groups of seven (7) animals each. Group 1 was the normal control and received distilled water, animals in group 2 were given low dose (7.1 mg/kgBW) of the extract, group 3 were given medial dose (14.1mg/kgBW) and group 4 were given high dose (28.3 mg/kgBW) of the extract. The treatment was administered twice daily for twenty eight (28) days after which the animals were sacrificed and blood samples used for analysis where obtained via cardiac puncture. The phytochemical screening of the plant was carried out and results shows that the plant contains flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, terpenes, phenols, steroids, glycosides and tannin. Results reveal that the group treated with low (102.41±7.41), medial (101.84±11.72) and high dose (100.94±30.47) recorded an elevated WBC value when compared with the control (83.20±11.30) at p<0.05 significant level. Similar trend was observed for lymphocytes. The extract recorded no effect on monocytes and eosinophils counts. More so, the plants extract lowers the CD4, T-cells and B-cells count at p<0.05 significant level compared with the control, suggesting that the extracts have anti-microbial properties to lower infections and hence the decreased values observed. Owing to this phytochemical constituents, it also suggests that the extract have the ability to suppress inflammatory diseases and auto-immune diseases occasioned by CD4. Conclusively, ethanolic Phyllantus amarus leaf extract is a good immunomodulatory agent at recommended dose range of 7.1 to 28.3mg/kg.

98-106

Authors: Pratap Chandran R, Reshmi Sudhakaran, Abhiram Krishna, Arya B, Krishna Priya S, Surya Gayathry, Vandana R, Nino Joseph

Andrographis paniculata is an annual herb distributed in tropical countries and it is widely used in traditional medicines. The present study was aimed to investigate the presence of phytochemical constituents, anthelmintic and insecticidal properties of leaf extracts of A. paniculata. The highest percentage of extractive of 24.6% was observed for ethyl acetate extract and lowest, 10.8% for hexane extract. The phytochemical constituents such as carbohydrates, alkaloids, coumarin glycoside, flavonoids, phytosterols, fats and oils and terpenoids were present in the different solvent extracts. The aqueous and methanol extract showed anthelmintic activity. Anthelmintic properties were tested in Indian earth worm, Pheretima posthuma. The methanol extract at 80 mg/ml concentration only took 3 minutes for paralysis and 5 minutes for death, the standard albendazole took 16 minutes for paralysis and 48 minutes for death. The aqueous extract took 73 minutes for paralysis and 79 minutes for death. Insecticidal activity of aqueous extract at 200 mg/ml concentration showed 40% mortality on the 4th day and 75% mortality was observed on 7th day. The aqueous and methanol extract showed the presence of anthelmintic activities and the aqueous extract showed considerable insecticidal property.

121-128

Authors: Elías Alberto Bedoya Marrugo, José del Carmen Jaimes Morales, Carlos Alberto Severiche Sierra, Irma Osorio Giraldo

Introduction: The occupational disease refers to the personal injury that the professional can suffer as a result of the performance of his profession. Among the occupational diseases presented in people who work in offices, nurses, sewers, textiles, flower growers, packers and other jobs that require force and continuous and repetitive movements, is carpal tunnel syndrome, which consists of a neuropathic compression of the median nerve at the wrist level. Objective: To know and deepen the symptomatology of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and its repercussion in the workplace. Methodology: An electronic search was carried out in the databases of online journals such as ScIELO, Redalyc, web search engines such as Google and complementary information from the University of Cartagena database. Results: During the selection and examination of several articles it was possible to collect information and to deepen the symptoms of the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and the close relationship that it has with the work environment, since at present it is a disease classified as of work origin. Conclusion: It was found that, despite having an established belief that working conditions, especially repetitive manual labor, are important factors that increase the risk of CTS, the evidence is not yet sufficient to make such a statement, the studies have not been conclusive and the diagnostic tests are not sufficiently specific of this pathology.

137-142

Authors: Pandit Deepika, Rathore Kamal Singh

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the ethanolic extract of the plant Lantana camara leaves against Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli species. Also to formulate effective and stable herbal antibacterial cream evaluates its physical and antibacterial properties. Methods: Disk diffusion method was used to assess antibacterial activity of ethanolic extract using reference disk of antibiotics. The antibacterial cream was prepared by incorporating different amount of ingredients together and a certain amount of the herbal extract. Results: The prepared cream was evaluated for their physical, rheological and antibacterial properties. Finally the efficacy of the herbal cream formulation was compared to two commercial products. The antimicrobial activity of the ethanolic extract was found to be effective against both Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli. All the physical and rheological properties of all the preparation were nearly the same as commercial products. Stability studies showed a stable homogenous appearance and effective during three months storage period at room temperature. Conclusion: The prepared cream was found to be natural, stable and safe. Lantana camara cream could be used topically in order to treat skin infections.

147-153

Authors: Negbenebor C, Johnson JT, Gbodo EA, Ekpo G

Anti-hepatitis B viral activity of ethanol stem bark extracts of Vitex doniana and Lophira alata in Wistar rats was investigated. Forty-two (42) humanized albino rats were used for the study. The animals were divided into six (6) groups of seven (7) animals each. Groups II-VI were inoculated with hepatitis-B virus at the concentration of 25μl of the virus preparation was inoculated into a day old suckling humanized Wistar rat via intra cerebral route using tuberculin syringe. Group 1 and 2 served as normal and positive controls respectively and were given Dimethylsulphoxide/distilled water as placebo. Group III received 300mg/kgBW of standard anti-retroviral drug (Tenofovir-Lamivudin), group IV received 244mg/kgBW of Vitex doniana, group V received 244mg/kgBW of Lophira alata and group VI received combination of Vitex doniana and Lophira alata both at 244mg/kgBW. The treatment was administered twice daily for ninety days with the aid of orogastric tube. Result of the study reveal a drastic reduction in viral load in all treated groups; groups III (172.47 ± 3.99), IV (18.58 ± 1.01), V (548.48 ± 3.26) and VI (0.00 ± 0.00) with more significant (p<0.05) reduction in the combined treated group; group VI (0.00 ± 0.00) which recorded no significant (p<0.05) differences and compared well with the normal control (0.00 ± 0.00). Results of biochemical indices determination revealed a significant (p<0.05) increase in AST activity in group VI compared with normal controls but was significantly lowered when compared with positive control. However, ALT activities in group V showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease while that of group VI was significantly (p<0.05) increased compared with normal controls. ALP activities showed significant (p<0.05) reduction in all treatment groups compared with the positive control. Total protein, globulin and albumin showed significant (p<0.05) increased in all treated groups compared with the positive controls. The results obtained for the above parameters in all treated groups may be as a result of the administration of the extracts which reduces the HBV viral load and hence, reversing hepatic necrosis and morphological distortion occasion by viral toxins on the liver tissues. Co-administration of the two plants extracts in the treatment of HBV-induced hepatitis in Wistar rats appears to be effective, safe at the dose investigated compared with the standard drug (Tenofovir-Lamivudin) and can be a candidate for further research and development new anti-viral drug.

164-173

Authors: Joshua O Owolabi, Philip O Ogunnaike, Joshua A. Adeyeye

The damaging effects of lead poisoning effects to various organs of the body have been severally reported; as well as the health complications they produce. There are however relatively few reports on the nature of such effects on body tissues- histology, most publications have rather addressed the resulting complications. The proper understanding of the nature of the effects of lead poisoning on body tissues could help in understating the cause of the complications and may provide insights into better ways of managing lead poisoning effects. This research investigated the effects of lead poisoning on vital body tissues histology. Twelve Wistar rats were distributed into two groups: Group A being the control and Group B was administered 50mg/kg body weight of lead-in-water for a period of 28 days that the experiment lasted. The tissues were excised, fixed in formal saline and processed using the routine Haematoxylin and Eosin staining technique. Photomicrographs were obtained and analysed critically using qualitative histological principles. Lead produced observable deleterious effects on all tissues tested, the extent however varies greatly: from its extensively disruptive effects on the brain tissues. Brain cerebral and cerebellar cortices show neuronal damage and morphological disruption. Cardiac muscle also showed signs of damage. Skeletal muscle simply had slight myocytes and fibre distortions. Lead poisoning effects was observed in all the tissues.

9-19

Authors: Shaziya Y Sayeed, Anju Goyal

Validation is an integral part of quality assurance; it involves the systematic study of systems, facilities and processes aimed at determining whether they perform their intended functions adequately and consistently as specified. A validated process is one which has been demonstrated to provide a high degree of assurance that uniform batches will be produced which meet the required specifications and has therefore been formally approved. Validation in itself does not improve processes but confirms that the processes have been properly developed and are under control. Process validation deepens the understanding of processes; decreases the risk of preventing problems and thus assures the smooth running of the process.

28-32

Authors: Omobowale T.O., Afolabi J.M., Adejumobi O.A.

Acute loss of massive amounts of blood has been associated with disturbances of cardiovascular homeostasis. In this study, we evaluated the Lead-II electrocardiogram of Nigerian local dogs following acute loss of massive amounts of blood. Six local dogs aged between 6 and 8 months were used in this study. An estimated 30% of total blood volume was removed to simulate acute haemorrhage. About 30 min prior to the removal of blood, Lead-II electrocardiogram was recorded and subsequently at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h. From each animal, a 120-second electrocardiogram was recorded and parameters such as heart rate, R-amplitude, QRS-duration and QT/QTc values. Statistical analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics and ANOVA at a significance level of p<0.05. Induction of acute haemorrhage led to a significant (p<0.05) increase in heart rate and R-amplitude. Significant reduction (p<0.05) in QT/QTc values were observed from 0 hrs up till the termination of the study. Acute hemorrhage corresponding to about 30% of estimated blood volume caused tachycardia and increased QRS-amplitude in Nigerian dogs. Increase in R-wave amplitude suggests that the Brody effect does not occur in Nigerian dogs.

39-46

Authors: Abdel Karim M., Sima A. Khalid M.

Information on plants used traditionally in Sudanese system of medicine is very scarce. Hence this study was undertaken to investigate the chemical constituents of Petroselinum crispum fixed oil and to evaluate its potential antimicrobial activity. 62 components were detected by GC-MS. Major components are: apiol (36.44%), 9-octadecenoic acid methyl ester (27.17%), 4-Methoxy-6-(2-propenyl)-1,3-benzodioxole12.12%) and 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester (8.32%) The antibacterial activity of the oil was evaluated via the diffusion bioassay against five standard human pathogens (Gram positive: Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis; Gram negative: Escherichia coli and Pseudomonasa aeruginosa and the fungal species Candida albicans). The oil showed good activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis and also showed weak activity against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

57-65

Authors: Ramesh Pastham, Sunil Reddy, Venkatesam Allenki

In the present research work pulsatile drug delivery system of Zileuton tablets were formulated by employing compression coating technology. Initially the core tablets were prepared by 30% concentrations of super disintegrates, the formulated core tablets were coated with the polymers by using compression coating technology. All the core and press coated tablet formulations were subjected to various physical and chemical evaluation tests for core and press coated tablets. The thickness, hardness and weight variation shown by all the tablet formulations were found within the official pharmacopoeias limits. In-vitro release of Zileuton of core tablet formulations F1 showed faster drug release after 15 min. Faster drug release can be correlated with the high disintegration and friability observed in this study. The enteric coated formulations C1, C3 showed maximum drug release after 4 hour. Time dependent pulsatile drug delivery system has been achieved from tablet of formulation C3, C6 and C9 with 95.5%, 94.76% and 97.48% respectively.

85-90

Authors: Leila Fereidooni

In this study, bentonite based catalyst was prepared by impregnation methods in potassium hydroxide solution (35 wt.%). The catalysts were calcined at 500℃ for 3 h. The best reaction conditions in the presence of KOH/bentonite were determined while modifying the catalyst to soybean oil ratio and the reaction time. Bentonite was proved to enhance the transesterification reaction, which promotes the transformation of KOH to the catalytically active methoxide species. The influence of the operating variables such as reaction time, methanol: soybean oil molar ratio and catalyst concentration on the reaction yield was evaluated. The highest methyl ester yield (94.5%) was obtained for a reaction time of 15 h, a catalyst to soybean oil ratio of 0.6 wt.%, and a methanol to soybean oil molar ratio of 1:12.

102-108

Authors: Ogueche Peter N, MADUKA Ignatius C, UGWU Melvin N, OBIDOA O

Oxidative stress is associated with increased production of oxidizing species (from reactive oxygen species or transition metals) or a significant decrease in the effectiveness of antioxidant defense. Aluminum toxicity was investigated using antioxidant status in serum of male Wistar albino rats. Antioxidants studied in this work include superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione S- transferase (GST). The results show that specific activities of SOD and GST significantly increased (P<0.05) and decreased (P<0.05) in the test animals given 0.38, 3.8, and 38 mg/kg body weight as compared to the control after days 7 and 14 respectively. The results suggest that aluminum intoxication mobilizes antioxidants indicating possible oxidative stress.

115-122

Authors: Ayuk Eugene L, Oforji Chizoba F, Aronimo Samuel B, Ugwu Francis C, Njokunwaogbu Ambrose N

The ethanol, methanol, n-hexane and aqueous extracts of Gnetum africanum leaves were investigated for phytochemical studies and antibacterial assay using Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus fumigatus. The phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, glycosides, steroids in varying amount and the absence of flavonoids and anthraquinones. The antimicrobial assay for the bacterial strains showed that, n-hexane extracts exhibited the highest zone of activity against Escherichia coli, aqueous extract showed the highest activity against Staphylococcus aureus while the ethanol extract showed the highest activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 62.5mg/ml respectively. Aqueous extract exhibited the highest against P. aeruginosa and the lowest zone against P. aeruginosa. There was relatively high antifungal activity, particularly against Penicillium chrysogenum for all the solvent extracts except for the n-hexane extracts. Generally, the methanol extract exhibited more activity than the others. The study justifies that Gnetum africanum leaves possess pharmacological properties and therefore can be use as medicinal plants for treatment of microbial infections and diseases.

10-28

Authors: PE Omale, SO Okeniyi, AO Aliyu, UV Agbogo

A healthy nation is a wealthy one. One can conclude that a nation full of drug abusers is a nation set for destruction and without labour force for the economic development. Since the youths are future leaders of any nation, problem of youths should become problem of all and the welfare of the youths should be the welfare of all as they constitute the labour strength for the nation that work hard for economic development. A drug free Society is the one with viable workforce. Working age of every country determines the extent of the economic development of the country; hence the Society, Family, School and Worship Centres are expected to mentor, monitor, train and develop the capacity of the youth by building a positive values system. This paper focuses on the concept of drug abuse, types, theories of causes, signs and symptoms, effects, and strategies for counselling.

31-36

Authors: Arash AlizadehYegani*, HalilMahir Kaplan, Ergin Şingirik

Studies have shown the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of alpha-linolenic acid, one of the omega 3 fatty acids found abundantly in linseed oil. Cigarette smoke causes impotence as it contains many harmful components and increases oxidative stress. Therefore, we planned to investigate whether or not alpha-linolenic acid has protective effect against impotence due to cigarette smoke exposure. For this purpose mice were given cigarette smoke and 200 mg / kg alpha-linolenic acid gavage for 8 weeks And phospholipase A2, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) enzymes in corpus cavernosum tissues were analyzed by ELISA. Application of cigarette smoke to the mice reduced the enzyme eNOS while boosting corpus cavernosum cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), phospholipase A2 and iNOS. Administration of alpha-linolenic acid to mice exposed to cigarette smoke refused the increase in COX-2, phospholipase A2 and iNOS enzymes and caused an increase in eNOS enzyme. In conclusion, our study has shown that smoking is the cause of impotence due to the increase of inflammatory mediators and the reduction of eNOS enzyme responsible for erection, and that the use of alpha-linolenic acid with smoking is beneficial against these effects.

43-45

Authors: Robson Fernandes de Farias

Combining quantum chemical thermochemistry and experimental data from literature, a series of thermochemical parameters (ΔsolvHθ; ΔcrgHθ; ΔcrlHθ; ΔlgHθ; ΔfgHθ; ΔflHθ; ΔfcrHθ; Cv and Cp) were obtained for 2,4-dimethylglycoluril (2,4-DMGU), 2-6-dimethylglycoluril (2,6-DMGU) and 2,8-dimethylglycoluril (2,8-DMGU).

55-74

Authors: Kalyan Hazra, Sreya Dutta, Achintya Kumar Mandal, Dhirendra Nath Mondal, Jayram Hazra

Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa is a medicinal and dietary plant species with traditional and folk uses since millennia. Numerous numbers of phytochemicals present in the plant are responsible for diversified pharmacological activities. Brief discussions on plant pharmacognosy, pharmacology are included in this article. The authors of this review put an immense emphasis on phytochemicals isolated from the plant. The article also summarizes the extensive study of spectral data on phytochemicals.

9-18

Authors: Vatchavai Bhaskara Raju, Bonthu Mohan Gandhi, Kamatham Sumanth, Kolli Srinivas, Boppana Sowmya

A new, accurate, rapid and effective isocratic reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method was developed, optimized and validated for the estimation of Lamivudine (LAM) and Zidovudine (ZID) in bulk and pharmaceutical dosage forms. The drugs were estimated using Shiseido C18 (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 µm particle size) column. A mobile phase composed of phosphate buffer (pH 3) and ACN in the ratio of 70:30, v/v at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min was used for the separation. Detection was carried out at 228 nm. The linearity range used was 7.5-22.5µg/ml for LAM and 15-45µg/ml for ZID with retention times (Rt) of 2.512 min and 3.721 min for LAM and ZID respectively. The correlation coefficient values were found to be 0.999. Precession studies showed %RSD values less than 2% for both the drugs in all the selected concentrations. The percentage recoveries of LAM and ZID were found to be 99.06% and 99.88% respectively. The assay results of LAM and ZID were within the limits of 98-102%. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.1ng/ml and 0.1µg/ml for LAM and 0.1µg/ml and 0.5µg/ml for ZID respectively. The method was validated as per the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The developed method was successfully used for the quantitative analysis of commercially available dosage form.

24-28

Authors: Muhammad Ishtiaq, Shamaila Nazeer, Mehwish Maqbool, Azhar Azam, Aneeqa Kanwal, Maria Zaib

The plant Capparis decidua L. belongs to family Capparidaceae and its stem and fruit were extracted successively with four organic solvents viz. petroleum ether, chloroform, ethanol, and distil water. These crude extracts were assessed for antibacterial activity against two gram positive bacteria i.e. Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilus and two gram negative bacteria i.e. Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by using disc diffusion method. The antibacterial activity of the crude ethanolic extract of stem of selected plant was more active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (21.33± 0.058) and showed less antibacterial activity against E. coli (4.67 ± 0.058). The chloroform extract of stem showed good antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa (14.33 ± 0.115) but represented less activity against E. coli (2.33 ± 0.058mm) The petroleum ether extract of stem of Capparis decidua showed antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa (8.67 ± 0.058) and show very less activity against E. coli (1.33 ± 0.058). The distill water extract of stem of Capparis decidua showed maximum antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa (13.33 ± 0.058) and showed less activity against E. coli (8.67 ± 0.058). The Chloroform extract of fruit showed good activity against P. aeruginosa (12.69 ± 0.112mm) and minimum activity against E. coli that were (3.60 ± 0.058mm), The ethanolic extract of fruit of Capparis decidua showed good antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa (19.33 ± 0.058) and show less antibacterial activity against E. coli (2.67 ± 0.058). The chloroform and ethanolic extracts showed the significant zones of inhibition for all microorganisms. This set of experiment was conducted to compare the antibacterial activity of stem and fruit of Capparis decidua. Anatomical studies were conducted to observe the variation in the cells size of stem of Capparis decidua taken from different localities of District Bhimber. There was variation in the size of cells of pith, xylem, phloem, and epidermis of the stem of Capparis decidua taken from the different areas of District Bhimber. The size of epidermal cells of stem (1089.54 ± 0.83) was higher that was taken from Kaschanater and size of epidermal cell wasminimum (793.72 ± 0.94) that was taken from Chata. The size of cortex cell wasmaximum (1690.33 ± 0.54) that was taken from Bhimber and wasminimum (1090.32 ± 0.73) that was taken from Chata. It proves that this, medicinal plant is medicinally very important and further research may be conducted to explore its comprehensive pharmaceutical analysis.

35-42

Authors: Paul N. Waithaka, Eliud M. Gathuru, Benson M. Githaiga, Silviah W. Gachau

Erwinia spp. causes soft rot in Ornithogalum spp., a flower grown purposely for export in Kenya. As a result the pathogen pauses a great risk to the economy of the country. This study aimed at isolating actinomycetes and Erwinia spp. from the soils of Menengai crater and infected Ornithogalum spp. respectively. In addition, the study sought to produce antiserum against the pathogen using a rabbit. Isolation of actinomycetes from the soil was carried out using standard methods. Erwinia spp. was isolated by first sterilizing the plant tissues using 70% ethanol prior to plating using nutrient agar after cleaning the plant tissues using distilled water. Further sub-culturing on nutrient agar was carried out to obtain pure cultures. The obtained Erwinia spp. was used in testing for sensitivity using the actinomycetes isolate and in production of antiserum through injection of the antigen intramuscularly into the rabbit. The antiserum was tested against the pathogen using immunodiffusion technique. Five potent actinomycetes, PAN 12, PAN 30, PAN 35, PAN 50 and PAN 60 were isolated from the soils of menengai crater. The Erwiniaspp.obtained had typical cultural and morphological characteristics of Erwinia spp. Although there was no significant difference in the zones of inhibition of the Erwinia spp. by the actinomycetes isolates, PAN 35 indicated the largest zones of inhibition. The antiserum produced had very high potency of controlling Erwinia spp. There is need to control Erwinia spp. otherwise horticultural farming in general and growing of the flower in particular will be jeopardized.

52-65

Authors: Aftab Hussain Atif, Asif Shahzad, Nayab Sahar, Sumbal Arshad, Yasir Iqbal, Sajjad Rafique, Mehrban Ashiq

Volatile organic compounds are those that are present in the air having the low boiling points and easily evaporated. These are classified into three categories: volatile, semi-volatile and very volatile compounds. They can be collected by the passive and air sampling or grab and integrated sampling. Mostly, they are collected in tedlar bags made up of Teflon or canisters or can be adsorbed on adsorption tubes. These organic compounds are characterized by the GC-MS, MS, thermal conductivity and electron impact ionization techniques. These compounds are very dangerous and cause many diseases in organisms like urine, blood, lung and skin irritation.

72-79

Authors: Muammer BAHSI, Nevin ILHAN, Demet CICE

Behçet disease (BD) is a rare multisystem, inflammatory disease of unknown origin that may lead to life-threatening events and is associated with a prothrombotic state. The aim of this study was to determine the role of homocysteine and haemostatic factors in the etiopathogenesis and the determination of the activity of BD. In line with this objective, the present study aimed to examine the levels of homocysteine, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid which are play role of homocysteine metabolism, and haemostatic factors such as PAI-1, for the diagnosis and particularly the follow-up of BD. The study group consisted of a total of 60 persons, 40 of whom were BD patients and 20 of whom were healthy individuals. We evaluated homocysteine levels and some vitamin levels which were associated with homocysteine metabolism and plasma levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1), C-reactive protein (CRP), and MDA, lipid peroxidation end product. Plasma vitamin B12, folic acid, PAI-1 and homocysteine levels in the active patient group were statistically significantly higher than those in inactive and control group (p<0.05), there was no statistically significant difference in vitamin B6 levels as such between active, inactive Behcet’s patients and the control group (p>0.05). An excess of PAI-1 and hyperhomocysteinaemia, which is a major and independent risk factor for vascular disease, and an accompanying evaluation of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid may be responsible for the endothelial damage in BD and assumed to be a risk factor and a marker for activation of BD.

9-15

Authors: Zela Aljesri, M. Hakki Alma, Yusuf Yildirim, Eyyüp Karaoğul, Selman Sarica

Objective: To find out the effects of various natural cerumenolytic products (e.g. ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, rosemary, pine turpentine, pergamote, chestnut, rosehip and rose oils, and onion tincture) as well as distilled water and pure olive oil on the disintegration/dissolution of cerumen. Method: Cerumen was provided by mechanical removal from adult patients who attended the otolaryngology clinic. Each cerumen sample was placed in a tube containing one of eleven test solutions. The cerumens undissolved were weighed at specific time intervals. e.g., 1 hour, 5 hours, 1 days, 2 days and 5 days. The efficacy of these oils and vitamins were evaluated by measuring the weight of cerumen part disintegrated/undissolved. Results: The results showed that highest percentage of cerumen disintegration was found for ascorbic acid within 1 hour, followed by pine oil and distilled water in 5 hours, onion tincture in 5 hours, chestnut oil in 2 days, rose oil and α-tocopherol in 5 days, respectively. However, rose, pergamote, chestnut and rosemary oils along with α-tocopherol and onion tincture disintegrated entirely the cerumen within 5 days only, except for olive oil and rosehip oil having the disintegration ratio of about 68% within 5 days. Conclusion: It could be concluded that the products studied here could be used as cerumenolytic products having different disintegration period depending upon their chemical composition. Furthermore, distilled water showed the greater degree of cerumenolysis compared to oil-based cerumenolytics.

25-31

Authors: Tarek A. Elbashiti

Staphylokinase (SAK) is abacterial kinase produced by certain strains of Staphylococcus spp. It is a 14.5 kDa, consisting of 136 amino acids single polypeptidechain protein, which activates plasminogen to form plasmin and digest fibrin clots. SAK is a promising thrombolytic agent for the treatment of myocardial infarction. The present research was carried out to produce SAK from locally isolated lysogenic Staphylococcus aureus. The main focus of this work was to isolate and characterize lysogenic S. aureus from various environmental samples involving non-pathogenic Staphylococcus spp., while the earlier isolation was done using pathogenic samples.

41-47

Authors: Clément M. Mbadiko, Koto-te-Nyiwa Ngbolua, Pius T. Mpiana, Mutambel ’ Hity, Ruffin N. Kikakedimau, Gisèle K. Makengo, Aaron L. Pambu, Landry L. Kemfine, Gédéon N. Bongo, Théophile F. Mbemba

The present study was conducted in order to justify the use of Afromomum melegueta seeds intraditional medicine for the treatment of certain infectious diseases and to assess the influence of heat during the extraction of the active principles of the drug decoction on the antibacterial activity. Then, a bacteriological study was conducted to compare the antibacterial activity of the total aqueous and ethanolic extracts. In this study, it was also necessary question of testing the hypothesis that the addition of native salt in the total aqueous extracts of A. melegueta seeds in traditional medicine optimizes the antibacterial activity against three bacterial strains of which Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp. and Staphylococcus aureus. A phytochemical screening was performed to identify the major chemical groups present in total extracts (aqueous and ethanolic) of A. melegueta seeds. The results showed that all tested samples have the antibacterial activity. However, the addition of native salt and aqueous extract mixture of A. melegueta seeds seems to have an antagonistic effect and showed a low activity compared to aqueous extracts tested individually. In addition, the aqueous extracts, in particular the macerated revealed a strong activity on the bacterial strains tested compared to other extracts. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins and total polyphenols in the aqueous extracts and the presence of quinones, steroids and triterpenoids in the ethanolic extracts. The seeds of A. melegueta have antibacterial molecules and can be used for the treatment of certain infectious diseases especially for Klebsiella infections.

60-66

Authors: Maduka Ignatius C, Egwu Mary Chinyere

Non insulin dependent diabetes also known as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and can have devastating consequences on quality of life. Diagnosis of Acute cardiac event in the early stage of its onset is important in the treatment process, and the development of highly sensitive and specific immunoassays for myocardial proteins such as cardiac Troponin I (cTnI) and Creatine kinase-MB had made it possible. The identification of subjects with high risk of developing cardiac event in the future is more significant as it will provide time to prevent such incidents. Alcohol is also a risk factor for both diabetes and cardiovascular disorder. This paper is aimed at evaluating the relationship between alcohol and cardiac markers like CK-MB, Troponin I and lipid profile in Non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus subjects. A total of 200 adult male (aged 30-70 years) subjects were selected by stratified random sampling technique and by administration of questionnaire. Glucose, lipid profile, and CK-MB levels of these subjects were assayed using 2012 Shenzhen mindray semi-auto Chemistry Analyzer, model BA-88A. Troponin I was assayed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The blood glucose levels of both men who reported to be diabetic and non diabetic were assayed to reconfirm those who were diabetics and the non diabetics. Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 software was used to analyze the data obtained in this study. Values were expressed as mean ± standard deviation Level of significant was taken at p<0.05. The results show that Creatine Kinase-MB is significantly higher in diabetics than in non diabetic male subjects (p = 0.004). There are also significantly increased levels of total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, diastolic blood pressure, and troponin I in alcoholic type 2 diabetic men when compared to the corresponding non alcoholic diabetics. Also, the result shows that alcohol positively associated with troponin I, triglyceride, and fasting blood sugar in alcoholic diabetics. From this study, lipid profile levels can still be used in screening populations to identify the subjects with high risk of developing cardiac event which is identified by highly sensitive and specific positive Troponin test. Alcoholic diabetic subjects are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease than non alcoholic diabetic subjects with same anthropometric factors.

72-76

Authors: M. Panneerselvam

The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on root colonization, growth and nutrient content of (Coleus aromaticus) was investigated as complete randomized design with 4 treatments and 4 replications. Fungi inoculation treatments consisted: Gf (Glomus fasciculatum), Glomus margarita and NM (non-mycorrhizal). The results showed mycorrhizal plants significantly had higher shoot and root dry weight, as well as N, P, K, Ca, Fe, Cu and Mg concentration compared to non-inoculated plants. The effect of AM fungi inoculation on the root colonization, growth parameters dry weight of Coleus aromaticus are more pronounced with G. fasciculatum than other AM fungi. It is concluded that G. fasciculatum was more effective than other species, which may indicate effective symbiotic potential of this strain with Coleus roots.

82-87

Authors: Uno UU, Ogbe HO, Okolo CM, Ekaluo UB, Akwa BU

Extract of Annona spp. have been used for several medicinal purposes such as the management of diabetes and its complications, also as antioxidant and antimutagenic agents. Hence, the mitigating effect of soursop (A. muricata) leaf extract on sperm toxicity induced by caffeine was assessed on the weight of testes and epididymes, epididymal sperm count, motility, viability, semen pH and sperm head abnormality in albino rats as a model. The male rats were divided into six groups of six rats each. The rats were administered with treatments of caffeine and Soursop Tea (SST) for 65 days. Results obtained revealed a significant (p<0.05) decrease in the weight of epididymes, sperm motility, sperm viability and sperm count while sperm head abnormalities significantly increased in caffeine – treated animals. No significant differences were observed in semen pH and weight of testes. In conclusion, SST mitigated the caffeine-induced toxicity on weight of epididymes, sperm motility, sperm viability, sperm count and sperm head abnormality in the mammalian models in a dose – dependent manner.