METHODS: Kenaf seed oil (KSO), microencapsulated kenaf seed oil (MKSO), kenaf seed extract (KSE) and defatted kenaf seed meal (DKSM) were prepared and phytochemicals screening on these samples were done prior in vivo study. Phenolic compounds in KSE were quantified using high performance liquid chromatography. There were 40 (divided in eight diet groups of 5) male Sprague dawley rats adapted to normal standard diet or hypercholesterolemic diet (HD) with or without the treatment of these kenaf samples for 32 days.

RESULTS: All the kenaf samples exhibited to contain most of the major phytochemicals. KSE possessed gallic acid, tannic acid, catechin, benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, syringic acid, sinapic acid, ferulic acid, naringin acid, and protocatechuic acid. The significant higher (P<0.05) serum total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and MDA levels in HD group without treatment than the normal control group suggested the hypercholesterolemia was induced by the incorporation of cholesterol into diet. KSE exhibited higher cholesterol-lowering properties due to the significant lower (P<0.05) in serum triglycerides, total cholesterol and MDA levels. KSE showed the highest efficiency of cholesterol-lowering activity, followed by KSO, MKSO and DKSM.

METHODS: A rapid, specific, reversed phase, HPLC-UV method with an isocratic elution of acetonitrile and 2% v/v acetic acid (40% : 60% v/v) (pH 2.6) at a flow rate of 1.3 mL/minutes, a column temperature of 35°C, and ultraviolet (UV) detection at 370 nm was developed. The method was validated and applied to the quantification of different types of market available Chinese medicine extracts, pills and tablets.

RESULTS: The method allowed simultaneous determination of quercetin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, demethoxycurcumin and curcumin in the concentration ranges of 0.00488 ─ 200 μg/mL, 0.625 ─ 320 μg/mL, 0.07813 ─ 320 μg/mL and 0.03906 ─ 320 μg/mL, respectively. The limits of detection and quantification, respectively, were 0.00488 and 0.03906 μg/mL for quercetin, 0.62500 and 2.50000 μg/mL for bisdemethoxycurcumin, 0.07813 and 0.31250 μg/mL for demethoxycurcumin, and 0.03906 and 0.07813 μg/mL for curcumin. The percent relative intra day standard deviation (% RSD) values were 0.432 ─ 0.806 μg/mL, 0.576 ─ 0.723 μg/mL, 0.635 ─ 0.752 μg/mL and 0.655 ─ 0.732 μg/mL for quercetin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, demethoxycurcumin and curcumin, respectively, and those for intra day precision were 0.323 ─ 0.968 μg/mL, 0.805 ─ 0.854 μg/mL, 0.078 ─ 0.844 μg/mL and 0.275 ─ 0.829 μg/mL, respectively. The intra day accuracies were 99.589% ─ 100.821%, 98.588% ─ 101.084%, 9.289% ─ 100.88%, and 98.292% ─ 101.022% for quercetin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, demethoxycurcumin and curcumin, respectively, and the inter day accuracy were 99.665% ─ 103.06%, 97.669% ─ 103.513%, 99.569% ─ 103.617%, and 97.929% ─ 103.606%, respectively.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Crude methanol extract from P. betel powdered leaves was partitioned between chloroform and water. The fractions were tested against A. flavus UPMC 89, a strong aflatoxin producing strain. Inhibition of mycelial growth and aflatoxin biosynthesis were tested by disk diffusion and macrodillution techniques, respectively. The presence of aflatoxin was determined by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and fluorescence spectroscopy techniques using AFB1 standard. The chloroform soluble compounds were identified using HPLC-Tandem mass spectrometry technique.

RESULTS: The results, evaluated by measuring the mycelial growth and quantification of aflatoxin B1(AFLB1) production in broth medium revealed that chloroform soluble compounds extract from P. betle dried leaves was able to block the aflatoxin biosynthesis pathway at concentration of 500μg/ml without a significant effect on mycelium growth. In analyzing of this effective fractions using HPLC-MS(2) with ESI ionization technique, 11 phenolic compounds were identified.

METHODS: We report a case of a 49-year-old lady with history of poliomyelitis with resultant flaccid paralysis of the involved limb.

RESULTS: The bone mineral density revealed asymmetrical severe osteoporosis in the poliomyelitic limb. Given the risk of falls and fractures, she was commenced on oral bisphosphonate therapy.

METHODS: Nevirapine population pharmacokinetics was modelled with Pmetrics. A total of 708 observations from 112 patients were included in the model building and validation analysis. Evaluation of the model was based on a visual inspection of observed versus predicted (population and individual) concentrations and plots weighted residual error versus concentrations. Accuracy and robustness of the model were evaluated by visual predictive check (VPC). The median parameters' estimates obtained from the final model were used to predict individual nevirapine plasma area-under-curve (AUC) in the validation dataset. The Bland-Altman plot was used to compare the AUC predicted with trapezoidal AUC.

RESULTS: The median nevirapine clearance was of 2.92 L/h, the median rate of absorption was 2.55/h and the volume of distribution was 78.23 L. Nevirapine pharmacokinetics were best described by one-compartmental with first-order absorption model and a lag-time. Weighted residuals for the model selected were homogenously distributed over the concentration and time range. The developed model adequately estimated AUC.