Md. Sarwar Hossain

Exploring the Effect of Phyllanthus emblica L. on Cognitive Performance, Brain Antioxidant Markers and Acetylcholinesterase Activity in Rats: Promising Natural Gift for the Mitigation of Alzheimer's Disease

Neurodegenerative diseases are incurable and debilitating conditions that result in the progressive degeneration of nerve cells, which affect the cognitive activity. Currently, as a result of multiple studies linking Alzheimers disease (AD) to oxidative damage, the uses of natural antioxidant to prevent, delay, or enhance the pathological changes underlying the progression of AD has received considerable attention. Therefore, this study was aimed at examining the effect of ethanolic extracts of Phyllanthus emblica (EEPE) ripe (EEPEr) and EEPE unripe (EEPEu) fruits on cognitive functions, brain antioxidant enzymes, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in rat. The effects of EEPEr and EEPEu fruits (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) were examined in Swiss albino male rats for 12 days and its effect on cognitive functions, brain antioxidant enzymes, and AChE activity determined. Learning and memory enhancing activity of EEPE fruit was examined by using passive avoidance test and rewarded alternation test. Antioxidant potentiality was evaluated by measuring the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase, reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase, and the contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in entire brain tissue homogenates. AChE activity was determined using colorimetric method. Administration of the highest dose (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEr fruit significantly (p < 0.01) and both lowest and highest doses (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEu fruit markedly (p < 0.05, p < 0.001) increased step-through latency in rats on 6th, 11th, and 12th day with respect to the control group. For aforementioned doses, the percentage of memory retention (MR) was considerably (p < 0.05, p < 0.01) increased in rats on 10th, 11th, and 12th days with respect to the control group. The extract, particularly highest dose (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEr fruit markedly (p < 0.05) and lowest and highest doses (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEu fruit significantly (p < 0.01) increased the correct responses in rats on 6th, and 12th day related to the control group. In case of this test, the percentage of MR was significantly (p < 0.05, p < 0.01) increased in rats treated with aforementioned doses on 12th day with respect to the control group. The highest dose (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEr fruit suggestively (p < 0.05) and both lowest and highest doses (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEu fruit suggestively (p < 0.05, p < 0.01, p < 0.001) increased the levels of SOD, CAT, GSH, GSH-Px and expressively (p < 0.01) decreased the TBARS level compared to the control group. Treatment with the highest dose (i.e., 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEr fruit significantly (p < 0.05) and both lowest and highest doses (i.e., 100 and 200 mg/kg b.w.) of EEPEu fruit markedly (p < 0.01, p < 0.001) decreased the level of AChE activity compared to that of the control group. The present study shows that EEPE fruit possesses an excellent source for natural cognitive enhancer which could be developed in the treatment of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Spectrum of Disease and Prescription Pattern for Outpatients with Neurological Disorders: An Empirical Pilot Study in Bangladesh

Background: Neurological disorders represent one of the most prominent causes of morbidity and mortality that adversely affect the lifestyle of patients and a major percentage of these diseases exists in developing countries. Purpose: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and prescription pattern for outpatients with neurological disorders in Bangladesh. Methods: The study was conducted on 1,684 patients in 6 hospitals (National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital, Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Sir Salimullah Medical College, and Apollo Hospitals Dhaka) of the Dhaka City from March 2014 to June 2015. Data were collected through a predesigned questionnaire from the patients that contain information about gender, age, marital status, occupation, residential status, affected disease, self-medicated medicines, and prescribed medicines. Results: Out of 1,684 patients, 28.38% patients were aged 51–60 years and male, 57.19% predominance. The study exposed headache and migraine for 29.75% patients, followed by stroke for 23.93% patients and seizure for 7.07% patients. Genetic reason for the neurological disorders was seen only among 12.35% patients. In this study, 16.98% patients had been affected by neurological disorders for more than 2 years and 19% of patients for less than 6 months. Most extensively prescribed medicines were multivitamins and multiminerals used by 17.89% of patients followed by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other analgesic by 14.84%; afterwards antiulcerants were used by 12.62%, subsequently anticoagulants were used by 11.61% followed by antihyperlipidemic medicines by 10.26% and antiepileptic drugs by 8.08% of patients. The crucial reasons for the selection of prescribed medicines were the confidence that patients had with the physician’s prescribed medicines, which was shown for 40.97% patients and knowledge of the medicines was reported for 35.04% patients. The period of prescribed medicine usage was 1–3 months for 39.73% patients and 3–6 months for 29.16% patients. The patient’s compliance for prescribed medicines was satisfactory for 34.56% patients, good for 28.15% patients, and side effects were reported for 23.22% patients. Conclusion: In Bangladesh, it is not surprising to note that neurological diseases are more prevalent than other different diseases among different age groups and genders. Headache and migraine, stroke and seizure are most frequently encountered neurological disorders here. Treatment procedure of these disorders is not quite suitable due to the anomalies of health care management systems. Appropriate management of the health care system, especially the placement of hospital and community pharmacy can overcome the existing inconsistencies as well as increase the knowledge, awareness, and perception of the patients about health and neurological disorders.

Phytochemical Screening and Antioxidant Profile of Syngonium podophyllum Schott Stems: A Fecund Phytopharmakon

Background : Oxidative stress has been shown to play an imperative role in copious disease pathology. Plants are acquaintances of mankind and mainstay for the treatment of oxidative stress linked disorders. Therefore, the objective of the existing study was to assess the phytochemical contents and antioxidant activity of crude methanol extract (CME), n-hexane (NHF), chloroform (CLF), ethyl acetate (EAF) and aqueous (AQF) fractions of Syngonium podophyllum ( S. podophyllum ) Schott stems. Methods : The S. podophyllum Schott stems extract and its fractions were subjected to phytochemical analysis to detect the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, saponins, tannins, resins, flavonoids and steroids. The antioxidant profile was determined by total antioxidant activity (TAA), reducing power activity (RPA) and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity tests and correlated with the estimation of total flavonoid content (TFC). Results : In CME and its fractions of S. podophyllum Schott stems all of the tested phytoconstituents (alkaloids, tannins, resins, flavonoids and steroids) were detected at various concentration except carbohydrates and saponins. In TAA test, highest absorbance (2.18 nm) which is a measure of high antioxidant activity was reported in CME compared to remaining fractions. Likely in RPA test with respect to all fractions similar denouements were found for CME (3.29 nm). In case of DPPH scavenging test, the CME showed highest scavenging activity (77.89 %) having IC 50 of 41.02 ?g/ml (P < 0.05) compared to remaining fractions. The antioxidant activity is possibly due to the highest TFC (7.45 mg of GAE/g of dried extract) reported in CME compared to existing fractions. Conclusion : The aforementioned outcomes recommend that CME of S. podophyllum Schott stems can be a possible cradle of plant-derived natural antioxidant and can be used to avert diseases linked with free radicals.

Profitable broiler farming at the villages of Khulna district in Bangladesh

Data from a total of 49 broiler farmers in the villages of Khulna in Bangladesh were collected to seek suggestions from the farmers to explore the knowledge how to make broiler farming a profitable and sustainable enterprise. Many (40.8%) of the broiler farmers were secondary school certificate holder and took broiler farming as their main occupation (59.2%) and most of them (71.4%) received training in broiler farming. Most of the broiler farms were small in scale of operation and majority of the farmers (73.5%) reported high price of day old chicks at their end. However, 51% farmers informed that Marek’s disease vaccines were administered at hatchery by the day old chick producing company and most of the farmers were using Newcastle Disease and Infectious Bursal Disease Vaccine in their farm. All farmers were brooding their broiler bird for a period of 5 to 7 days and most of them using electric brooder and hurricane lantern was using for standby power supplier in all enumerated broiler farm. Farmer and his family members were the main worker in the operation and all farmers sold their live broiler bird to the traders at their farm gate. Live broiler’s body weight at marketing, feed conversion ratio, day old chick weight, mortality and average daily body weight gain were 1.73 kg, 1.44, 48.39± 0.39 g, 4.64% and 50.39 g, respectively. Feed price per kg, day old chick price per piece and per kg live broiler price were 45.56, 56.90± 0.56 and 127.35± 0.92 Bangladeshi Taka (BDT), respectively. Present study explored the opinion of farmers, which suggested that, providing the broiler farmers with bank loan in a lower rate of interest, making loan easy and available, supplying feed from factory to the farmers directly in credit and stabilizing market price of day old chicks, feed and live broiler at marketing age could make the broiler farming a profitable and sustainable enterprise and which could contribute lot more in rural economy of Bangladesh.

Sedative and Anxiolytic-Like Actions of Ethanol Extract of Leaves of Glinus oppositifolius (Linn.) Aug. DC.

Glinus oppositifolius is a small herb, widely used in the traditional medicine of Bangladesh in treatment of a variety of diseases and disorders such as insomnia, pain, inflammation, jaundice, and fever. The present study evaluated the sedative and anxiolytic potentials of the ethanol extract of leaves of G. oppositifolius (EEGO) in different behavioral models in mice. The sedative activity of EEGO was investigated using hole cross, open field, rotarod, and thiopental sodium- (TS-) induced sleeping time determination tests, where the elevated plus maze (EPM) and light-dark box (LDB) exploration tests were employed to justify the anxiolytic potentials in mice at the doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg. The results demonstrated that EEGO significantly inhibited the exploratory behavior of the animals both in hole cross and in open field tests in a dose-dependent manner. It also decreased motor coordination and modified TS-mediated hypnosis in mice. In addition, EEGO showed anxiolytic potential by increasing the number and time of entries in the open arm of EPM, which is further strengthened by increase in total time spent in the light part of LDB. Therefore, this study suggests the sedative and anxiolytic properties of the leaves of G. oppositifolius and supports the traditional use of this plant in treatment of different psychiatric disorders including insomnia.