AIM OF THE STUDY: Orthosiphon stamineus (Labiatae) is a traditional folk medicine widely used in Southeast Asia for the treatment of several kidney disorders, gout and as a diuretic. This study was conducted to examine the diuretic and hypouricemic effects of Orthosiphon stamineus leaf extracts.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The diuretic effect of different methanol extracts was examined by treating different groups of Sprague-Dawley rats with single (2g/kg) oral doses of methanol and methanol:water (1:1) extracts. Hydrochlorothiazide (10mg/kg) was used as positive control in acute study. Methanol and methanol water (1:1) extracts at 0.5 g/kg were administered for a period of 7 consecutive days. Cumulative urine volume and electrolytes (Na+ and K+) concentrations at different time intervals were measured. On the other hand, hypouricemic activity of methanol:water extract (1:1) was experimented using different oral single doses (0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2g/kg). Allopurinol was used as positive control. Uric acid concentration in serum was analyzed by using RP-HPLC at 280 nm.
RESULTS: Sodium and potassium excretion increased significantly (p<0.05 and <0.01) in the first 8h of treatment with a single dose (2g/kg) of the extracts in a pattern comparable to that of the known diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. Meanwhile, repeated administration of 0.5 g/kg methanol:water (1:1) extract showed a significant increase in urine volume (from day 3 to day 7) (p<0.01) and electrolytes excretion (Na+ and K+) from day 2 to day 7 (p<0.05 and <0.01). On the other hand, 0.5, 1 and 2g/kg of methanol:water (1:1) extract and the standard allopurinol reduced the serum urate level in hyperuricemic rats at hour 6.
CONCLUSION: These results provided an evidence of the high tendency of methanol:water (1:1) extract of Orthosiphon stamineus towards diuretic and hypouricemic effects in rats.
BACKGROUND: To determine the prevalence of goiter and to study the factors influencing goiter among people of the rural community in Karnataka state, a community based study. Setting and Study Design: A cross sectional study was carried out to find out the prevalence of goiter in a rural community of Belgaum district. The study was conducted by house-to-house survey for a period of one month.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two villages (Handiganur and Gundwad) were selected randomly from Belgaum and Raibag taluks of Belgaum district. All the family members in each household were examined for the presence of goiter using WHO criteria. Iodine content of the salt sample obtained from each household was estimated by using spot testing kits. Information regarding the determinants of goiter was collected and recorded in a pre tested proforma. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS statistical packages.
RESULTS: The prevalence of goiter among rural population was found to be 16.6%. Goiter of grade 1 was 15.7% and that of grade 2 was 0.9%. Prevalence among males and females were 7.2% and 21.8%, respectively. The prevalence of goiter was highest among adolescents. Estimation of iodine content in the salt sample revealed that 50% of samples had adequate iodine content (>/=15 ppm). Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis revealed that females of the age group 10-49 years were independently associated with goiter.
CONCLUSION: Prevalence of goiter was relatively high and therefore constituted a public health problem in this region.
KEYWORDS: Determinants; goiter; multiple logistic regression analysis; prevalence
In this study, palm oil mill effluent (POME) was solubilized by batch thermo-alkaline pre-treatments. A three-factor central composite design (CCD) was applied to identify the optimum COD solubilization condition. The individual and interactive effects of three factors, temperature, NaOH concentration and reaction time, on solubilization of POME were evaluated by employing response surface methodology (RSM). The experimental results showed that temperature, NaOH concentration and reaction time all had an individual significant effect on the solubilization of POME. But these three factors were independent, or there was insignificant interaction on the response. The maximum COD solubilization of 82.63% was estimated under the optimum condition at 32.5 degrees C, 8.83g/L of NaOH and 41.23h reaction time. The confirmation experiment of the predicted optimum conditions verified that the RSM with the central composite design was useful for optimizing the solubilization of POME.
The focus of this research is to study the potential of nanofiltration membrane technology in removing ammonia-nitrogen from the aquaculture system. One of the major fabrication parameters that directly affect the separation performance is shear rate or casting rate during membrane fabrication. In this study, asymmetric polyethersulfone (PES) nanofiltration membranes were prepared at five different shear rates within the range of 67-400 s(-1). Membrane productivity and separation performance were assessed via pure water, salt and ammonia-nitrogen permeation experiments, and their structural properties were determined by employing the combination of the irreversible thermodynamic (IT) model, solution diffusion model, steric hindrance pore (SHP) model and Teorell-Meyers (TMS) model. The study reveals that the alteration of shear rate enormously affects the membrane morphology and structural parameters, hence subsequently significantly influencing the membrane performance. It was found that, membrane produced at the shear rate 200 s(-1) or equivalent to 10s of casting speed during membrane fabrications managed to remove about 68% of ammonia-nitrogen, in which its separation performance is the most favourable by means of highest flux and rejection ability towards unwanted solutes. Besides, from the research findings, nano-membrane technology is a potential candidate for the treatment of aquaculture wastewater.
This study investigates the effects of a short-term aerobic training program in a hot environment on thermoregulation, blood parameters, sweat secretion and composition in tropic-dwellers who have been exposed to passive heat. Sixteen healthy Malaysian-Malay male volunteers underwent heat acclimation (HA) by exercising on a bicycle ergometer at 60% of VO2max for 60 min each day in a hot environment (Ta: 31.1+/-0.1 degrees C, rh: 70.0+/-4.4%) for 14 days. All parameters mentioned above were recorded on Day 1 and at the end of HA (Day 16). On these two days, subjects rested for 10 min, then cycled at 60% of VO2max for 60 min and rested again for 20 min (recovery) in an improvised heat chamber. Rectal temperature (Tre), mean skin temperature (Tsk) heart rate (HR), ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), thermal sensation (TS), local sweat rate and percent dehydration were recorded during the test. Sweat concentration was analysed for sodium [Na+]sweat and potassium. Blood samples were analysed for biochemical changes, electrolytes and hematologic indices. Urine samples were collected before and after each test and analysed for electrolytes.After the period of acclimation the percent dehydration during exercise significantly increased from 1.77+/-0.09% (Day 1) to 2.14+/-0.07% (Day 16). Resting levels of hemoglobin, hematocrit and red blood cells decreased significantly while [Na+]sweat increased significantly. For Tre and Tsk there were no differences at rest. Tre, HR, RPE, TS, plasma lactate concentration, hemoglobin and hematocrit at the 40th min of exercise were significantly lower after the period of acclimation but mean corpuscular hemoglobin and serum osmolality were significantly higher while no difference was seen in [Na+]sweat and Tsk. It can be concluded that tropic-dwelling subjects, although exposed to prolonged passive heat exposure, were not fully heat acclimatized. To achieve further HA, they should gradually expose themselves to exercise-heat stress in a hot environment.
The effects of salinity, temperature, and light conditions on the reproduction and development of harpacticoid copepod, Nitocra affinis f. californica under controlled laboratory conditions were determined. Seven different salinity levels (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 ppt), four temperatures (20, 25, 30, 35 degrees C), three different light intensities (25, 56, 130 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) and photoperiods (24 h:0 h, 1 h:23 h, 12 h:12 h LD cycle) were employed in this study. The highest (p < 0.05) overall reproduction and fastest development time were achieved by copepods reared under 30-35 ppt salinity. The optimum temperature required for the maximum reproduction was 30 degrees C while under 30 degrees C and 35 degrees C the copepod development time was shortest (p < 0.05) compared to other temperature levels. The overall reproduction was highest (p < 0.05) and development rate of N. affinis was shortest (p < 0.05) under lowest light intensity (25 micromol m(-2) s(-1)). Continuous light (24 h:0 h LD) inhibited the egg production while, continuous darkness (1 h:23 h LD) and 12 h:12 h LD significantly favoured the overall reproductive activity of the female. Photoperiods 1 h:23 h and 12 h:12 h LD yielded highest total (p < 0.05) offspring female(-1) coupled with highest (p < 0.05) survival percentage. This study illustrated that although N. affinis can tolerate wide range of environmental conditions, prolonged exposure to subnormal environments affect its reproduction and development. This study showed that this species can be mass cultured for commercial purposes and has a potential to be used for toxicity studies due to its high reproductive performance fast development and a wide range of tolerance to environmental conditions.
Response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN) were used to optimize the effect of four independent variables, viz. glucose, sodium chloride (NaCl), temperature and induction time, on lipase production by a recombinant Escherichia coli BL21. The optimization and prediction capabilities of RSM and ANN were then compared. RSM predicted the dependent variable with a good coefficient of correlation determination (R² and adjusted R² values for the model. Although the R (2) value showed a good fit, absolute average deviation (AAD) and root mean square error (RMSE) values did not support the accuracy of the model and this was due to the inferiority in predicting the values towards the edges of the design points. On the other hand, ANN-predicted values were closer to the observed values with better R², adjusted R², AAD and RMSE values and this was due to the capability of predicting the values throughout the selected range of the design points. Similar to RSM, ANN could also be used to rank the effect of variables. However, ANN could not predict the interactive effect between the variables as performed by RSM. The optimum levels for glucose, NaCl, temperature and induction time predicted by RSM are 32 g/L, 5 g/L, 32°C and 2.12 h, and those by ANN are 25 g/L, 3 g/L, 30°C and 2 h, respectively. The ANN-predicted optimal levels gave higher lipase activity (55.8 IU/mL) as compared to RSM-predicted levels (50.2 IU/mL) and the predicted lipase activity was also closer to the observed data at these levels, suggesting that ANN is a better optimization method than RSM for lipase production by the recombinant strain.
A lipase catalysed enantioselective hydrolysis process under in situ racemization of the remaining (R)-ibuprofen ester substrate with sodium hydroxide as the catalyst was developed for the production of S-ibuprofen from (R,S)-ibuprofen ester in isooctane. Detailed investigations on parameters study indicated that 0.5 M NaOH, addition of 20% (v/v) co-solvent (dimethyl sulphoxide), operating temperature of 45 degrees C, and 40 mmol/L substrate gave 86% conversion and 99.4% optical purity of S-ibuprofen in dynamic kinetic resolution. Meanwhile, in common enzymatic kinetic resolution process, only 42% conversion of the racemate and 93% enantiomeric excess of the product was obtained which are of lower values as compared to dynamic kinetic resolution. The S-ibuprofen produced during each process was evaluated and approximately 50% increment in concentration of S-acid product was produced when dynamic kinetic resolution was applied into the process.
Four tropical PSP toxins-producing dinoflagellates, Alexandrium minutum, Alexandrium tamiyavanichii, Alexandrium tamarense and Alexandrium peruvianum from Malaysian waters were studied to investigate the influences of salinity on growth and toxin production. Experiments were conducted on constant temperature 25 degrees C, 140 microE mol m(-2) s(-1) and under 14:10 light:dark photo-cycle with salinity ranged from 2 to 30 psu. The PSP-toxin congeners, GTX 1-6, STX, dcSTX, NEO and C1-C2 were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography. Salinity tolerance of the four species in decreasing order is A. minutum>A. peruvianum>A. tamarense>A. tamiyavanichii. Specific growth rates and maximum densities varied among these species with A. minutum recorded as the highest, 0.5 day(-1) and 6 x 10(4) cells L(-1). Toxin content decreased with elevated salinities in A. minutum, the highest toxin content was about 12 fmole cell(-1) at 5 psu. In A. tamiyavanichii, toxin content peaked at optimal growth salinity (20 and 25 psu). Toxin content of A. tamarense, somehow peaked at sub-optimal growth salinity (15 and 30 psu). Results of this study implied that salinity fluctuation not only influenced the growth physiology but also toxin production of these species.
Thermal decomposition of oil palm fruit press fiber (FPF) into a liquid product (LP) was achieved using subcritical water treatment in the presence of sodium hydroxide in a high pressure batch reactor. This study uses experimental design and process optimisation tools to maximise the LP yield using response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite rotatable design (CCRD). The independent variables were temperature, residence time, particle size, specimen loading, and additive loading. The mathematical model that was developed fit the experimental results well for all of the response variables that were studied. The optimal conditions were found to be a temperature of 551 K, a residence time of 40 min, a particle size of 710-1000 microm, a specimen loading of 5 g, and a additive loading of 9 wt.% to achieve a LP yield of 76.16%.
In the current study we evaluated adverse effects of monosodium glutamate (MSG) on memory formation and its retrieval as well as the role of ascorbic acid (Vitamin-C) in prevention of MSG-induced alteration of neurobehavioral performance in periadolescent rats.
A wealth of information concerning the essential role of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in the regulation of renal function and mean arterial blood pressure homeostasis has been established. However, many important parameters with which RSNA interacts are yet to be explicitly characterized. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of acute renal denervation (ARD) on sodium and water excretory responses to intravenous (iv) infusions of either norepinephrine (NE) or angiotensin II (Ang II) in anaesthetized spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).
Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is one of the main components in the detergent and cosmetic industries. Its bioremediation by suitable microorganism has begun to receive greater attention as the amount of SDS usage increases to a point where treatment plants would not be able to cope with the increasing amount of SDS in wastewater. The purpose of this work was to isolate local SDS-degrading bacteria. Screening was carried out by the conventional enrichment-culture technique. Six SDS-degrading bacteria were isolated. Of these isolates, isolate S14 showed the highest degradation of SDS with 90% degradation after three days of incubation. Isolate S14 was tentatively identified as Klebsiella oxytoca strain DRY14 based on carbon utilization profiles using Biolog GN plates and partial 16S rDNA molecular phylogeny. SDS degradation by the bacterium was optimum at 37 degrees 0. Ammonium sulphate; at 2.0 g l(-1), was found to be the best nitrogen source for the growth of strain DRY14. Maximum growth on SDS was observed at pH 7.25. The strain exhibited optimum growth at SDS concentration of 2.0 g l(-1) and was completely inhibited at 10 g l(-1) SDS. At the tolerable initial concentration of 2.0 g l(-1), almost 80% of 2.0 g l(-1) SDS was degraded after 4 days of incubation concomitant with increase in cellular growth. The K(m(app) and V(max(app)) values calculated for the alkylsulfatase from this bacterium were 0.1 mM SDS and 1.07 micromol min(-1) mg(-1) protein, respectively.
This crossover study assessed the effectiveness of plain water (PW), sports drink (SD), fresh young coconut water (CW) and sodium-enriched fresh young coconut water (SCW) on whole body rehydration (R) and plasma volume (PV) restoration after exercise-induced dehydration. Ten healthy male subjects ran at 65% of VO2max in an environmental temperature of 32.06 +/- 0.02 degree C with a relative humidity (rh) of 53.32 +/- 0.17% for 90 minutes to lose 3% body weight (BW). During the 2-hour rehydration period, subjects drank, in randomized order, PW, SD, CW or SCW equivalent to 120% of BW lost in three boluses representing 50, 40 and 30% of the fluid lost at 0, 30, and 60 minutes, respectively. In all trials subjects were still somewhat dehydrated even after the 2-hour rehydration period. Indexes of percent rehydration with PW, SD, CW and SCW were 58 +/- 2, 68 +/- 2, 65+/- 2 and 69 +/- 1%, respectively, with significantly better rehydration with SD and SCW. The rehydration indexes for SD and SCW were significantly lower than PW (p < 0.01). PV was restored to euhydration levels after 2 hours of rehydration with SD, CW and SCW but not with PW. The plasma glucose concentration were significantly higher when SD, CW and SCW were ingested. SCW was similar in sweetness to CW and SD but caused less nausea and stomach upset compared to SD and PW. In conclusion, ingesting SCW was as good as ingesting a commercial sports drink for whole body rehydration after exercise-induced dehydration but with better fluid tolerance.
Six weed species (Leptochola chinensis, Echinochloa crus-galli, Echinochloa colona, Jussiaea linifolia, Oryza sativa (weedy rice) and Cyperus iria) were tested for their salt tolerant traits in terms of chlorophyll, proline and mineral nutrients accumulation against different salinity levels (0, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 40 dS m(-1)). Chlorophyll a, b and total chlorophyll content, proline and mineral nutrients accumulation were determined. Salt stress showed prominent effect on all the parameters investigated and there were significant variations between the all weed species. Chlorophyll content, K+, Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) ions in both shoots and roots significantly decreased; while proline and Na+ accumulation significantly increased with increasing salinity up to 40 dS m(-1). In terms of overall performance, Cyperus iria and E. crus-galliwere relatively more tolerant; E. colona and J. linifolia were tolerant; L. chinensis and O. sativa L were salt sensitive, respectively.
This work aimed to develop a chiral separation method of ketoconazole enantiomers using electrokinetic chromatography. The separation was achieved using heptakis (2, 3, 6-tri-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin (TMβCD), a commonly used chiral selector (CS), as it is relatively inexpensive and has a low UV absorbance in addition to an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The influence of TMβCD concentration, phosphate buffer concentration, SDS concentration, buffer pH, and applied voltage were investigated. The optimum conditions for chiral separation of ketoconazole was achieved using 10 mM phosphate buffer at pH 2.5 containing 20 mM TMβCD, 5 mM SDS, and 1.0% (v/v) methanol with an applied voltage of 25 kV at 25 °C with a 5-s injection time (hydrodynamic injection). The four ketoconazole stereoisomers were successfully resolved for the first time within 17 min (total analysis time was 28 min including capillary conditioning). The migration time precision of this method was examined to give repeatability and reproducibility with RSDs ≤5.80% (n =3) and RSDs ≤8.88% (n =9), respectively.
Food wastes with high moisture and organic matter content are likely to emit odours as a result of the decomposition process. The management of odour from decomposing wastes is needed to sustain the interest of residents and local councils in the source separation of kitchen wastes. This study investigated the potential of baking soda (at 50 g, 75 g and 100g per kg food waste) to control odour from seven days stored food waste. It was found that 50 g of baking soda, spread at the bottom of 8l food wastes bin, can reduce the odour by about 70%. A higher amount (above 100g) is not advised as a pH higher than 9.0 may be induced leading to the volatilization of odorous ammonia. This research finding is expected to benefit the waste management sector, food processing industries as well as the local authorities where malodour from waste storage is a pressing issue.
Separation of proteins based on the physicochemical properties with different molecular weight and isoelectric points would be more accurate. In the current research, the 45-day-old seedlings were treated with 0 (control) and 12 dS m(-1) of sodium chloride in the hydroponic system. After 15 days of salt exposure, the total protein of the fresh leaves and roots was extracted and analyzed using two-dimensional electrophoresis system (2-DE). The analysis led to the detection of 32 induced proteins (19 proteins in leaf and 13 proteins in the root) as well as 12 upregulated proteins (four proteins in leaf and eight proteins in the root) in the salt-treated plants. Of the 44 detected proteins, 12 were sequenced, and three of them matched with superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase and ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate oxygenase whereas the rest remained unknown. The three known proteins associate with plants response to environmental stresses and could represent the general stress proteins in the present study too. In addition, the proteomic feedback of different accessions of A. paniculata to salt stress can potentially be used to breed salt-tolerant varieties of the herb.
Maintaining near normal uterine fluid pH is important for restoring uterine function after menopause. We hypothesized that genistein could restore uterine fluid pH via its effect on NHE expression. This study therefore investigated changes in uterine NHE-1, 2 and 4 expression under genistein influence. Ovariectomized female rats received genistein (25, 50 or 100mg/kg/day) for seven consecutive days. Uteri were harvested and NHE-1, 2 and 4 mRNA expression were analyzed by Real-time PCR while distribution of these transporters' protein was observed by immunohistochemistry. Expression of NHE-1, 2 and 4 mRNA increased with increasing doses of genistein which was antagonized by ICI 182780. Under genistein influence, NHE-1, 2 and 4 proteins were found to be distributed at apical membrane of endometrial luminal epithelia. Enhanced expression of NHE-1, 2 and 4 in ovariectomised rat uteri by genistein might help to restore pH of uterine fluid which could be useful for women after menopause.
The impact of ionic strength (from 0.003 to 500mM) and salt type (NaCl vs MgCl2) on transport and retention of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) in saturated limestone porous media was systematically studied. Vertical columns were packed with limestone grains. The NPs were introduced as a pulse suspended in aqueous solutions and breakthrough curves in the column outlet were generated using an ultraviolent-visible spectrometry. Presence of NaCl and MgCl2 in the suspensions were found to have a significant influence on the electrokinetic properties of the NP aggregates and limestone grains. In NaCl and MgCl2 solutions, the deposition rates of the TiO2-NP aggregates were enhanced with the increase in ionic strength, a trend consistent with traditional Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory. Furthermore, the NP aggregates retention increased in the porous media with ionic strength. The presence of salts also caused a considerable delay in the NPs breakthrough time. MgCl2 as compared to NaCl was found to be more effective agent for the deposition and retention of TiO2-NPs. The experimental results followed closely the general trends predicted by the filtration and DLVO calculations. Overall, it was found that TiO2-NP mobility in the limestone porous media depends on ionic strength and salt type.