Disaster is that which stimulates a pronounced effect on the one who experiences it. Not only does it result in a physical effect but also a significant psychological repercussion on the victim. The bulk of disaster management researches give too great an emphasis on the physical outlook such as property and health, relative to the psychological aftermath and its management aspect. This research has taken the qualitative approach through an extensive interview with five victims of the flash flood catastrophe in Kelantan to identify the sustained psychological effect as well as how the management of psychological support aspect can be of assistance for the victims. The acquisition of the research findings encompassed several themes namely sustained emotion theme, sustained psychological issue theme along with management of psychological victim aspect. The outcome of the resulting theme corroborated with the disaster management model via three stages namely, induction, identification and assessment, and finally, development and preservation.
New psychoactive substances (NPS) are substances of abuse that easily evade existing controlled drug regulations. This study conducted a systematic review on controlled drug regulations and analyzed the numbers of new psychoactive substances (NPS) reported in six East and Southeast Asian countries in comparison to US and UK from 2009 to 2020. Generally, more NPS were reported in the US (551) and UK (400), compared to Japan (379), China (221), Singapore (142), South Korea (99), Malaysia (41), and Taiwan (35). Legislative mechanisms including the specific listing of individual substances, generic control of a family of substances, analogue control of similar substances, temporary bans of new substances were evaluated. In this review, countries that have adopted a combination of legislative mechanisms were able to identify higher numbers of NPS for regulatory control, such as the US, UK, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. These findings can provide references to countries like Malaysia and Taiwan, to strengthen NPS-related regulations nationally. Countries in the East and Southeast Asian region should be encouraged to collaborate more closely and to implement additional legislative approaches most relevant to the regional NPS trends to bridge the regulatory gap and to prevent the spread of emerging NPS.
Matched MeSH terms: Central Nervous System Agents*
It is known that carbon nanotubes show desirable physical and chemical properties with a wide array of potential applications. Nonetheless, their potential has been hampered by the difficulties in acquiring high purity, chiral-specific tubes. Considerable advancement has been made in terms of the purification of carbon nanotubes, for instance chemical oxidation, physical separation, and myriad combinations of physical and chemical methods. The aqueous two-phase separation technique has recently been demonstrated to be able to sort carbon nanotubes based on their chirality. The technique requires low cost polymers and salt, and is able to sort the tubes based on their diameter as well as metallicity. In this review, we aim to provide a review that could stimulate innovative thought on the progress of a carbon nanotubes sorting method using the aqueous two-phase separation method, and present possible future work and an outlook that could enhance the methodology.
Centella asiatica has a reputation to restore declining cognitive function in traditional medicine. To date, only a few compounds that show enhancing learning and memory properties are available. Therefore, the present study investigates the effects of for acute administration of asiatic acid (A-A) isolated from Centella asiatica administration on memory and learning in male Spraque-Dawley rats.
Matched MeSH terms: Central Nervous System Agents/isolation & purification; Central Nervous System Agents/pharmacology*
Annona muricata is a member of the Annonaceae family and is a fruit tree with a long history of traditional use. A. muricata, also known as soursop, graviola and guanabana, is an evergreen plant that is mostly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The fruits of A. muricata are extensively used to prepare syrups, candies, beverages, ice creams and shakes. A wide array of ethnomedicinal activities is contributed to different parts of A. muricata, and indigenous communities in Africa and South America extensively use this plant in their folk medicine. Numerous investigations have substantiated these activities, including anticancer, anticonvulsant, anti-arthritic, antiparasitic, antimalarial, hepatoprotective and antidiabetic activities. Phytochemical studies reveal that annonaceous acetogenins are the major constituents of A. muricata. More than 100 annonaceous acetogenins have been isolated from leaves, barks, seeds, roots and fruits of A. muricata. In view of the immense studies on A. muricata, this review strives to unite available information regarding its phytochemistry, traditional uses and biological activities.
Matched MeSH terms: Central Nervous System Agents/isolation & purification; Central Nervous System Agents/pharmacology; Central Nervous System Agents/chemistry
Neurotherapeutic potentials of Centella asiatica and its reputation to boost memory, prevent cognitive deficits and improve brain functions are widely acknowledged. The plant's bioactive compounds, i.e. asiaticoside, madecassoside and asiatic acid were reported to have central nervous system (CNS) actions, particularly in protecting the brain against neurodegenerative disorders. Hence, it is important for these compounds to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to be clinically effective therapeutics. This study aimed to explore the capability of asiaticoside, madecassoside and asiatic acid to cross the BBB using in vitro BBB model from primary porcine brain endothelial cells (PBECs). Our findings showed that asiaticoside, madecassoside and asiatic acid are highly BBB permeable with apparent permeability (Papp) of 70.61 ± 6.60, 53.31 ± 12.55 and 50.94 ± 10.91 × 10-6 cm/s respectively. No evidence of cytotoxicity and tight junction disruption of the PBECs were observed in the presence of these compounds. Asiatic acid showed cytoprotective effect towards the PBECs against oxidative stress. This study reported for the first time that Centella asiatica compounds demonstrated high capability to cross the BBB, comparable to central nervous system drugs, and therefore warrant further development as therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Medicinal plants become very important in our days for their therapeutic benefits to humankind. It sustains human health, and it is commonly known as herbal medicines since ancient times. Annona muricata is a heart-shaped fruit that is consumed raw or as the fruit juice in the tropical area. A. muricata is used in traditional and alternative medicine to treat different ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, respiratory and skin illness, inflammation and cancer. A. muricata contains essential anticancer agents named acetogenins that play the significant role in various cancer types. Acetogenins are strong nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidase inhibitors of the cancer cell's mitochondrial membrane but showed neurotoxic effects in rats. Therefore, acetogenins need to be further investigated to determine the exact mechanisms of action, long-term safety, optimal dosage, and potential side effects. Given the extensive studies on A. muricata, this review focuses on the phytochemistry, medicinal uses, biological activities and the mechanisms of action for the fruit extracts and acetogenins, to stimulate further studies on the fruit pulp used for human consumption.