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Fulltext Characterization of phenolics and biological activities of different solvent extracts from Withania somnifera fruit

Tabassam, Q., Mehmood, T., Anwar, F., Saari, N., Qadir, R.

International Food Research Journal, 2020;27(5):915-924.
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The present work studies the profiling of phenolic bioactive and in vitro biological (anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial) activities of different solvent extracts from Withania
somnifera fruit. Anticancer activity was performed using potato-disc assay and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. While antibacterial and antifungal evaluation was done by using disc diffusion method against bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Escherichia coli, and
Klebsiella pneumonia) and fungal (Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium oxysporum) strains.
Among different extraction solvents used, n-hexane extract exhibited the highest inhibition of
tumour initiation (64%), whereas ethyl acetate (15%) was the lowest by using potato-disc
assay. Highest total phenolic and total flavonoid contents were noted for methanolic (69.10
GAE mg/g DW%) and n-hexane (29.45 CE mg/g DW%) extracts, respectively. For antioxidant potential, 2,2,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging (IC50) and reducing power EC50 were noted to be superior (0.6 and 2.0 mg/mL, respectively) for n-hexane
extract. All the tested extracts showed considerable antibacterial and antifungal activity with
the highest growth inhibition zones for K. pneumoniae (31.70 mm) and A. flavus (27.09 mm)
were shown by n-hexane extract. High Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) analysis of individual phenolics (gallic acid, 2,288.48 mg/kg) indicated the highest contents of these
compounds in n-hexane extract, which might explain the potent biological activities of this
extract. Our findings revealed that the bioactive present in the tested fruit had significant
potential as anticancer, antibacterial, and antifungal agents. Further studies are needed to
elucidate the mechanism of actions of isolated bioactive against specific diseases such as
cancer, especially in the case of n-hexane fraction.
Meta-synthesis exploring barriers to health seeking behaviour among Malaysian breast cancer patients

Yu FQ, Murugiah MK, Khan AH, Mehmood T

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2015;16(1):145-52.
PMID: 25640342

Barriers to health seeking constitute a challenging issue in the treatment of breast cancer. The current meta- synthesis aimed to explore common barriers to health seeking among Malaysian breast cancer patients. From the systematic search, nine studies were found meeting the inclusion criteria. Data extraction revealed that health behavior towards breast cancer among Malaysia women was influenced by knowledge, psychological, sociocultural and medical system factors. In terms of knowledge, most of the Malaysian patients were observed to have cursory information and the reliance on the information provided by media was limiting. Among psychological factors, stress and sense of denial were some of the common factors leading to delay in treatment seeking. Family member's advice, cultural beliefs towards traditional care were some of the common sociocultural factors hindering immediate access to advanced medical diagnosis and care. Lastly, the delay in referral was one of the most common health system-related problems highlighted in most of the studies. In conclusion, there is an immediate need to improve the knowledge and understanding of Malaysian women towards breast cancer. Mass media should liaise with the cancer specialists to disseminate accurate and up-to-date information for the readers and audience, helping in modification of cultural beliefs that hinder timing health seeking. However, such intervention will not improve or rectify the health system related barriers to treatment seeking. Therefore, there is an immediate need for resource adjustment and training programs among health professional to improve their competency and professionalism required to develop an efficient health system.
Fulltext Prescription drug dependence with and without concurrent illicit drug use: a multicenter cross-sectional survey among an addiction treatment seeking population

Nawaz A, Nielsen S, Mehmood T, Abdullah A, Ahmed A, Ullah W, et al.

Front Psychiatry, 2023;14:1133606.
PMID: 37324815 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1133606

BACKGROUND: Dependence on prescription drugs and illicit drugs imposes a global health and social burden. Despite accumulating evidence of prescription drugs and illicit drugs dependence, none of the systematized studies has explored the magnitude of this problem in Pakistan. The aim is to investigate the extent and associated factors of prescription drug dependence (PDD), as opposed to concomitant prescription drug dependence and illicit drug use (PIDU), within a sample of individuals seeking addiction treatment.
METHODS: The cross sectional study was conducted on the sample recruited from three drug treatment centers in Pakistan. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants who met ICD-10 criteria for prescription drug dependence. Several aspects like substance use histories, negative health outcomes, patient attitude, pharmacy and physician practices also collected to predict the determinants of (PDD). Binomial logistic regression models examined the factors associated with PDD and PIDU.
RESULTS: Of the 537 treatment seeking individuals interviewed at baseline, close to one third (178, 33.3%) met criteria for dependence on prescription drugs. The majority of the participants were male (93.3%), average age of 31 years, having urban residence (67.4%). Among participants who met criteria for dependence on prescription drugs (71.9%), reported benzodiazepines as the most frequently used drug, followed by narcotic analgesics (56.8%), cannabis/marijuana (45.5%), and heroin (41.5%). The patients reported alprazolam, buprenorphine, nalbuphine, and pentazocin use as alternatives to illicit drugs. PDD was significantly negatively associated with injectable route (OR = 0.281, 95% CI, 0.079-0.993) and psychotic symptoms (OR = 0.315, 95% CI, 0.100, 0.986). This implies that PDD is less likely to be associated with an injectable route and psychotic symptoms in contrast to PIDU. Pain, depression and sleep disorder were primary reasons for PDD. PDD was associated with the attitude that prescription drugs are safer than illicit drugs (OR = 4.057, 95%CI, 1.254-13.122) and PDD was associated with being on professional terms (i.e., having an established relationship) with pharmaceutical drugs retailers for acquisition of prescription drugs.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The study found benzodiazepine and opioid dependence in sub sample of addiction treatment seekers. The results have implications for drug policy and intervention strategies for preventing and treating drug use disorders.
Fulltext Phenolics Extracted from Jasminum sambac Mitigates Diabetic Cardiomyopathy by Modulating Oxidative Stress, Apoptotic Mediators and the Nfr-2/HO-1 Pathway in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

Umar U, Ahmed S, Iftikhar A, Iftikhar M, Majeed W, Liaqat A, et al.

Molecules, 2023 Jul 17;28(14).
PMID: 37513325 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28145453

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder defined as hyperglycemia and pancreatic β-cell deterioration, leading to other complications such as cardiomyopathy. The current study assessed the therapeutic effects of phenolic acids extracted from Jasminum sambac phenols of leaves (JSP) against diabetes-induced cardiomyopathy in rats. The rats were divided into four groups, with each group consisting of 20 rats. The rats were given intraperitoneal injections of alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg) to induce diabetes. The diabetes-induced groups (III and IV) received treatment for six weeks that included 250 and 500 mg/kg of JSP extract, respectively. In the treated rats, the results demonstrated that JSP extract restored fasting glucose, serum glucose, and hyperlipidemia. Alloxan induced cardiomyopathy, promoted oxidative stress, and altered cardiac function biomarkers, including cardiac troponin I, proBNP, CK-MB, LDH, and IMA. The JSP extract-treated rats showed improved cardiac function indicators, apoptosis, and oxidative stress. In diabetic rats, the mRNA expression of caspase-3, BAX, and Bcl-2 was significantly higher, while Bcl-2, Nrf-2, and HO-,1 was significantly lower. In the treated groups, the expression levels of the BAX, Nrf-2, HO-1, Caspase-3, and Bcl-2 genes were dramatically returned to normal level. According to our findings, the JSP extract prevented cardiomyopathy and heart failure in the hyperglycemic rats by improving cardiac biomarkers and lowering the levels of hyperlipidemia, oxidative stress, apoptosis, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia.