β-Caryophyllene, a phytocannabinoid attenuates oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, glial activation, and salvages dopaminergic neurons in a rat model of Parkinson disease.

Parkinson disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) area. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of β-caryophyllene (BCP) against rotenone-induced oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in a rat model of PD. In the present study, BCP was administered once daily for 4 weeks at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight prior to a rotenone (2.

A cross-sectional study about knowledge and attitudes toward multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in a high-burden drug-resistant country.

Objective/background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death worldwide, with new threats of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB. Pakistan is the fifth highest among high-burden TB countries and the fourth highest among high-burden drug-resistant-TB countries. Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world, and Pakistani youth is the highest population group in Pakistan and second in the world.

Timing of foliar Zn application plays a vital role in minimizing Cd accumulation in wheat.

Due to chemical and biochemical similarities between cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn), application of Zn may minimize Cd uptake by plants and ameliorate its toxicity. However, there is poor understanding of the comparative effectiveness of the foliar Zn application at different growth stages on Cd toxicity and accumulation in wheat. The present study was carried out to compare the effectiveness of foliarly applied Zn at different stages of plant growth to minimize Cd accumulation in wheat grains.

Fluorescence modulation of cadmium sulfide quantum dots by azobenzene photochromic switches.

We have investigated the attachment of azobenzene photochromic switches on the modified surface of cadmium sulfide (CdS) quantum dots (QDs). The modification of CdS QDs is done by varying the concentration of the capping agent (mercaptoacetic acid) and NH in order to control the size of the QDs. The X-ray diffraction studies revealed that the crystallite size of CdS QDs ranged from 6 to 10 nm.

Capillary Penetration into Inclined Circular Glass Tubes.

The spontaneous penetration of a wetting liquid into a vertical tube against the force of gravity and the imbibition of the same liquid into a horizontal tube (or channel) are both driven by capillary forces and described by the same fundamental equations. However, there have been few experimental studies of the transition from one orientation to the other. We report systematic measurements of capillary penetration of polydimethylsiloxane oils of viscosities 9.

Emergence of mixed infection of Beijing/Non-Beijing strains among multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Pakistan.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains as one of the deadliest diseases after HIV globally with 95 % of deaths confined to low-and-middle income countries. Pakistan is fifth among the 22 high-burden TB countries with the incidence rate of 230/100,000 persons, however, studies related to prevalent Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains and their spread, drug resistance pattern and evolutionary genetics are inadequate. The present study was undertaken to highlight the circulation of M.

Development of Nonviral Vectors Targeting the Brain as a Therapeutic Approach For Parkinson's Disease and Other Brain Disorders.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease characterized by tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability, for which there is no effective treatment available till date. Here, we report the development of nonviral vectors specific for neuronal cells that can deliver short interfering RNA (siRNA) against the α-synuclein gene (SNCA), and prevent PD-like symptoms both in vitro and in vivo. These vectors not only help siRNA duplexes cross the blood-brain barrier in mice, but also stabilize these siRNAs leading to a sustainable 60-90% knockdown of α-synuclein protein.

Glycyrrhizic acid Attenuates Neuroinflammation and Oxidative Stress in Rotenone Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder affecting humans. It is characterized by dopaminergic neurodegeneration, mitochondrial impairment, and oxidative stress, enhanced lipid peroxidation, and induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines. We evaluated the neuroprotective efficacy of glycyrrhizic acid (GA), an active component of licorice, against rotenone-induced-oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in a PD rat model.

Neuroprotective potential of ferulic acid in the rotenone model of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive, and the second most common form of neurodegenerative disorders. In order to explore novel agents for the treatment of PD, in the current study, we have evaluated the neuroprotective efficacy of ferulic acid (FA) using rotenone (ROT)-induced rat model of PD. ROT was administered 2.

Characteristics and Antibiotic Resistance of Urinary Tract Pathogens Isolated From Punjab, Pakistan.

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is deemed the most prevalent infectious disease in that it has now touched the overall incidence of 18/1000 persons per year in the general population.

Objectives: This study sought to determine the characteristics of isolates from patients with UTI and their susceptibility to commonly used antibiotics in Punjab, Pakistan.

Patients And Methods: Totally, 1429 urine samples were analyzed from UTI patients for the isolation of uropathogens at Chughtai's Lahore Lab, Lahore, Pakistan, during a period of 14 months.

Comparison of fluorescence microscopy and Ziehl-Neelsen technique in diagnosis of tuberculosis in paediatric patients.

Early diagnosis of tuberculosis is very important for therapeutic reasons and to control the spread of infection. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of fluorescence (FL) microscopy in comparison to Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining. A total of 103 samples were collected from paediatric tuberculosis (TB) suspects and processed using Petroff's method.

Effect of hesperidin on neurobehavioral, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and lipid alteration in intracerebroventricular streptozotocin induced cognitive impairment in mice.

Recent attention is given to the influence of dietary supplementation on health and mental well-being. Oxidative stress is associated with many diseases including neurodegenerative disorders. Dietary flavonoids exert chemopreventive and neuroprotective effects and comprise the most common group of plant polyphenols that provide much of the flavour and colour of the vegetables and fruits.

Anatase TiO2 nanotubes as photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells.

To achieve higher power conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells, anatase TiO2 nanotubes anodized and transferred onto fluorine doped tin oxide glass. This technique is a promising candidate to improve the efficiency due to its outstanding properties, such as high light scattering effect, high surface-to-volume ratio, which result in enhancing light harvesting, minimum trapping sites, and low recombination rate. In this review, the structure, fabrication, and property of the TiO2 nanotube photoanode is compared with other photoanodes.

Quercetin mitigates lead acetate-induced behavioral and histological alterations via suppression of oxidative stress, Hsp-70, Bak and upregulation of Bcl-2.

Lead toxicity is of major health concern due to its persistence in environment that induces cognitive impairment and neuronal degeneration. The present study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of quercetin, a ubiquitous bioflavonoid against lead-induced neurotoxicity in Wistar rats. Briefly, lead acetate (20mg/kg) was injected i.

1,8-cineole (eucalyptol) mitigates inflammation in amyloid Beta toxicated PC12 cells: relevance to Alzheimer's disease.

Inflammatory process has a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and insoluble amyloid beta deposits and neurofibrillary tangles provide the obvious stimuli for inflammation. The present study demonstrate the effect of pretreatment of 1,8-cineole (Cin) on inflammation induced by Aβ(25-35) in differentiated PC12 cells. The cells were treated with Cin at different doses for 24 h and then replaced by media containing Aβ(25-35) for another 24 h.

Delayed administration of zingerone mitigates the behavioral and histological alteration via repression of oxidative stress and intrinsic programmed cell death in focal transient ischemic rats.

The neuronal mitochondria succumb to ischemia-reperfusion injury and release huge amount of reactive oxygen species and ultimately lead the neurons to intrinsic pathway of programmed cell death (iPCD). The present study was undertaken to elucidate the ischemia-reperfusion-induced oxidative stress and molecular events in iPCD 24 h post ischemia-reperfusion injury and plausible mitigation by zingerone, a potent antioxidant of ginger rhizome. The right middle cerebral artery was occluded for 2 h followed by reperfusion for 22 hours.

Taurine ameliorates neurobehavioral, neurochemical and immunohistochemical changes in sporadic dementia of Alzheimer's type (SDAT) caused by intracerebroventricular streptozotocin in rats.

Oxidative loads in the brain are involved in age related impairments like learning and memory as well as neurodegeneration. Taurine, the most abundant free amino acid in humans has many potential health benefits through its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Therefore, we investigated the neuroprotective potential of taurine on oxidative stress, neuronal loss and memory impairments in streptozotocin model of cognitive impairments in rats.

Amelioration of cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration by catechin hydrate in rat model of streptozotocin-induced experimental dementia of Alzheimer's type.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder resulting in cognitive decline and enhancement of oxidative loads in the brain. Flavonoids have been considered to exert human health benefits by anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study is aimed to elucidate the neuroprotective effect of catechin hydrate (CH), a natural flavanoid with potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, on intracerebroventricular streptozotocin (ICV-STZ) induced neuronal loss and memory impairment.

Attenuation of oxidative damage-associated cognitive decline by Withania somnifera in rat model of streptozotocin-induced cognitive impairment.

Oxidative stress is a critical contributing factor to age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Therefore, the inhibition of oxidative damage, responsible for chronic detrimental neurodegeneration, is an important strategy for neuroprotective therapy. Withania somnifera (WS) extract has been reported to have potent antioxidant and free radical quenching properties in various disease conditions.

Azadirachta indica mitigates behavioral impairments, oxidative damage, histological alterations and apoptosis in focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model of rats.

Azadirachta indica Linn. (Meliaceae) has been used from ancient times as a remedy for various ailments. The present study was designed to investigate the antioxidant and anti-apoptotic properties of A.

Centella asiatica attenuates the neurobehavioral, neurochemical and histological changes in transient focal middle cerebral artery occlusion rats.

Centella asiatica has been used as psychoactive and antioxidant herbal medicine since ancient time. The present study was design to evaluate the preventive role of ethanolic extract of C. asiatica in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats.

Attenuation of Aβ-induced neurotoxicity by thymoquinone via inhibition of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.

Beta-amyloid (Aβ) peptides are considered to play a major role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and compounds that can prevent pathways of Aβ-induced neurotoxicity may be potential therapeutic agents for treatment of AD. This study examined the hypothesis that thymoquinone (TQ) would reduce oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in differentiated pheochromocytoma (PC 12) cells exposed to Aβ fragment 25-35 (Aβ(25-35)). To test this hypothesis, Aβ was used to induce an in vitro model of AD in differentiated PC 12 cell line of rat.

Piperine suppresses cerebral ischemia-reperfusion-induced inflammation through the repression of COX-2, NOS-2, and NF-κB in middle cerebral artery occlusion rat model.

The pathophysiological mechanisms leading to neuronal injury in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of cerebral stroke are complex and multifactorial that form the bases of behavioral deficits and inflammation mediated damage. The present study demonstrates the effect of piperine pretreatment (10 mg/kg b wt, once daily p.o.

Edaravone ameliorates oxidative stress associated cholinergic dysfunction and limits apoptotic response following focal cerebral ischemia in rat.

Stroke is a life-threatening disease with major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The neuronal damage following cerebral ischemia is a serious risk to stroke patients. Oxidative stress and apoptotic damage play an important role in cerebral ischemic pathogenesis and may represent a target for treatment.

Catechin hydrate ameliorates redox imbalance and limits inflammatory response in focal cerebral ischemia.

Epidemiologic studies have shown that foods rich in polyphenols, such as flavonoids, can lower the risk of ischemic disease; however, the mechanism of protection has not been clearly investigated. In this study, we hypothesized that pretreatment effect of catechin hydrate (CH) on functional outcome, neuronal damage and on secondary injuries in the ischemic brain of rats. To test this hypothesis, male Wistar rats were pretreated with CH (20 mg/kg b.