In Vitro Antimicrobial, Antioxidant Activities and Phytochemical Analysis of Canarium patentinervium Miq. from Malaysia

Six different extracts of Canarium patentinervium Miq. (Burseraceae) leaves and barks were screened for their phytochemical composition, and antimicrobial and free radical scavenging activities. Among the different extracts tested, the ethanol extract of leaves showed significant antimicrobial and radical scavenging activities. The most susceptible micro-organisms were found to be Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA) and Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Phytochemical analysis of the extracts revealed that the antimicrobial and the radical scavenging activities are mainly due to the presence of tannins and flavonoids. The results obtained suggest that Canarium patentinervium Miq. could be exploited in the management of various infectious diseases

Dynamic behaviour of an electrolyser with a two phase solid-liquid electrolyte : Part I : spectral analysis of potential fluctuations

The dynamic behaviour of a simplified electrolyser with a two phase solid-liquid electrolyte was investigated. The current-voltage curve and the impedance of the working electrode (current collector) was measured. In addition the fluctuations of the working electrode potential and of the electrolyte resistance close to the electrode were analysed, especially by spectral analysis. Conductive zinc-coated polystyrene beads and insulating glass beads were compared. For glass beads the kinetics were controlled by ohmic drop fluctuations due to the collisions of the beads onto the collector. With zinc beads the charge exchanges between the beads and the current collector were also observed and contributed to the potential fluctuations. A complementary analysis of the elementary potential and electrolyte resistance transients will be reported in Part II; the electrochemical behaviour of the collector will then be modelled

Ankle foot orthoses for young children with cerebral palsy: a scoping review.

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this recordAim: To describe research on outcomes associated with early Ankle Foot Orthosis (AFO) use, AFO use patterns, and parent and clinician perspectives on AFO use among young children with cerebral palsy. Method: Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage method was used to conduct a scoping review. MEDLINE (Ovid), PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, EMBASE, PEDro, Web of Science and Scopus were searched for studies evaluating AFO use with children under the age of six years. Descriptive information was extracted and outcomes categorized according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Quality assessments were conducted to evaluate methodological rigor. Results: Nineteen articles were included in the review; 14 focused on body functions and structures, seven on activity level outcomes and no studies addressed participation outcomes. Evaluations of the effects of AFOs on gross motor skills other than gait were limited. Overall, the body of evidence is comprised of methodologically weak studies with common threats to validity including inadequate descriptions of study protocols, AFO construction, and comparison interventions. Conclusion: Research evaluating the effects of AFOs on age-appropriate, functional outcomes including transitional movements, floor mobility and participation in early childhood settings is needed to inform practice regarding early orthotic prescription. Implications for rehabilitation Lack of rigorous evidence about the effects of AFOs in young children limits the ability of research to guide practice in pediatric rehabilitation. More rigorous research that evaluates a broader range of age-appropriate outcomes, including those focused on participation in meaningful activities, could further inform clinical practice. While clinicians often discuss expectations and goals with individual families, qualitative research that provides more insight into the experiences of families could guide AFO prescription and monitoring practices

A Gaussian process based approach for validation of multi-variable measurement systems: application to SAR measurement systems

Resource-efficient and robust validation of systems designed to measure a multi-dimensional parameter space is an unsolved problem as it would require millions of test permutations for comprehensive validation coverage. In the paper, an efficient and comprehensive validation approach based on a Gaussian Process (GP) model of the test system has been developed that can operate system-agnostically, avoids calibration to a fixed set of known validation benchmarks, and supports large configuration spaces. The approach consists of three steps that can be performed independently by different parties: 1) GP model creation, 2) model confirmation, and 3) targeted search for critical cases. It has been applied to two systems that measure specific absorption rate (SAR) for compliance testing of wireless devices and apply different SAR measurement methods: a probe-scanning system (per IEC/IEEE 62209-1528), and a static sensor-array system (per IEC 62209-3). The results demonstrate that the approach is practical, feasible, suitable for proving effective equivalence, and can be applied to any measurement method and implementation. The presented method is sufficiently general to be of value not only for SAR system validation, but also in a wide variety of applications that require critical, independent, and efficient validation

Current concepts for aligning knee implants: patient-specific or systematic?

Mechanical or anatomical alignment techniques create a supposedly ‘biomechanically friendly’ but often functionally limited prosthetic knee. Alternative techniques for alignment in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) aim at being more anatomical and patient-specific, aiming to improve functional outcomes after TKA. The kinematic alignment (KA) technique for TKA has shown good early clinical outcomes. Its role in extreme anatomical variation remains to be defined. The restricted KA technique for TKA might be a reasonable option for patients with extreme anatomical variation. While unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has many advantages over TKA, the revision rate remains higher compared with TKA. One major explanation is the relative ease with which a UKA can be converted to a TKA, compared with revising a TKA. This can be considered as an additional advantage of UKA. Another reason is that surgeons favour revising a UKA to a TKA in cases of degeneration of the other femorotibial compartment rather than performing a relatively simple re-operation of the knee by doing an additional UKA (staged bi-UKA). Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2018;3:1–6. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.3.170021 </jats:p

Evaluation of gut modulatory and bronchodilator activities of Amaranthus spinosus Linn.

Background The aqueous-methanolic extract of Amaranthus spinosus (A. spinosus Linn.,) whole plant, was studied for its laxative, spasmolytic and bronchodilator activities to validate some of its medicinal uses. Methods The crude extract of A. spinosus was studied in-vivo for bronchodilator and laxative activities and in-vitro using isolated tissue preparations which were mounted in tissue baths assembly containing physiological salt solutions, maintained at 37°C and aerated with carbogen, to assess the spasmolytic effect and to find out the possible underlying mechanisms. Results In the in-vivo experiments in mice, the administration of A. spinosus increased fecal output at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg showing laxative activity. It also inhibited carbachol-induced bronchospasm in anesthetized rats at 1, 3, 10 and 30 mg/kg indicative of bronchodilator activity. When tested on isolated gut preparations, the plant extract showed a concentration-dependent (0.01-10.0 mg/ml) spasmogenic effect in spontaneously contracting rabbit jejunum and guinea-pig ileum. The spasmogenic effect was partially blocked in tissues pretreated with atropine (0.1 μM). When tested on K+ (80 mM)-induced sustained contractions in isolated rabbit jejunum, the plant extract caused complete relaxation and also produced a shift in the Ca++ concentration-response curves (CRCs) towards right, similar to diltiazem. In rabbit trachea, the plant extract completely inhibited K+ (80 mM) and carbachol (CCh, 1 μM)-induced contractions at 1 mg/ml but pretreatment of tissue with propranolol (1 μM), caused around 10 fold shift in the inhibitory CRCs of the plant extract constructed against CCh-induced contraction. The plant extract (up to 0.3 mg/ml) also increased both force and rate of spontaneous contractions of isolated guinea-pig atria, followed by relaxation at higher concentration (1.0-5.0 mg/ml). The cardio-stimulant effect was abolished in the presence of propranolol, similar to that of isoprenaline. Activity-directed fractionation revealed that the spasmolytic component(s) was separated in the organic fraction, whereas the spasmogenic component was concentrated in the aqueous fraction. Conclusion These results indicate that A. spinosus possesses laxative activity partially mediated through cholinergic action. The spasmolytic effect was mediated through calcium channel blocking (CCB), while bronchodilator activity through a combination of β-adrenergic and CCB pathways, which may explain the traditional uses of A. spinosus in gut and airways disorders

Anti-Inflammatory, Anticholinesterase, and Antioxidant Potential of Scopoletin Isolated from<i>Canarium patentinervium</i>Miq. (Burseraceae Kunth)

Bioassay guided fractionation of an ethanol extract of leaves ofCanarium patentinerviumMiq. (Burseraceae Kunth.) led to the isolation of scopoletin. The structure of this coumarin was elucidated based on spectroscopic methods including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR-1D and 2D) and mass spectrometry. Scopoletin inhibited the enzymatic activity of 5-lipoxygenase and acetyl cholinesterase with an IC50equal to1.76±0.01 μM and0.27±0.02 mM, respectively, and confronted oxidation in the ABTS, DPPH, FRAP, andβ-carotene bleaching assay with EC50values equal to5.62±0.03 μM,0.19±0.01 mM,0.25±0.03 mM and0.65±0.07 mM, respectively. Given the aforementioned evidence, it is tempting to speculate that scopoletin represents an exciting scaffold from which to develop leads for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.</jats:p

The Medicinal Timber <i>Canarium patentinervium</i> Miq. (Burseraceae Kunth.) Is an Anti-Inflammatory Bioresource of Dual Inhibitors of Cyclooxygenase (COX) and 5-Lipoxygenase (5-LOX)

The barks and leaves extracts of Canarium patentinervium Miq. (Burseraceae Kunth.) were investigated for cyclooxygenase (COX) and 5-lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibition via in vitro models. The corresponding antioxidative power of the plant extract was also tested via nonenzyme and enzyme in vitro assays. The ethanolic extract of leaves inhibited the enzymatic activity of 5-LOX, COX-1, and COX-2 with IC50 equal to 49.66±0.02 μg/mL, 0.60±0.01 μg/mL, and 1.07±0.01 μg/mL, respectively, with selective COX-2 activity noted in ethanolic extract of barks with COX-1/COX-2 ratio of 1.22. The ethanol extract of barks confronted oxidation in the ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP assay with EC50 values equal to 0.93±0.01 μg/mL, 2.33±0.02 μg/mL, and 67.00±0.32 μg/mL, respectively, while the ethanol extract of leaves confronted oxidation in β-carotene bleaching assay and superoxide dismutase (SOD) assay with EC50 value of 6.04±0.02 μg/mL and IC50 value of 3.05±0.01 μg/mL. The ethanol extract acts as a dual inhibitor of LOX and COX enzymes with potent antioxidant capacity. The clinical significance of these data is quite clear that they support a role for Canarium patentinervium Miq. (Burseraceae Kunth.) as a source of lead compounds in the management of inflammatory diseases.</jats:p

Aquatic therapy for boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): an external pilot randomised controlled trial

Background: Standard treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) includes regular physiotherapy. There are no data to show whether adding aquatic therapy (AT) to land-based exercises helps maintain motor function. We assessed the feasibility of recruiting and collecting data from boys with DMD in a parallel-group pilot randomised trial (primary objective), also assessing how intervention and trial procedures work. Methods: Ambulant boys with DMD aged 7–16 years established on steroids, with North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) score ≥8, who were able to complete a 10-m walk test without aids or assistance, were randomly allocated (1:1) to 6 months of either optimised land-based exercises 4 to 6 days/week, defined by local community physiotherapists, or the same 4 days/week plus AT 2 days/week. Those unable to commit to a programme, with >20% variation between NSAA scores 4 weeks apart, or contraindications to AT were excluded. The main outcome measures included feasibility of recruiting 40 participants in 6 months from six UK centres, clinical outcomes including NSAA, independent assessment of treatment optimisation, participant/therapist views on acceptability of intervention and research protocols, value of information (VoI) analysis and cost-impact analysis. Results: Over 6 months, 348 boys were screened: most lived too far from centres or were enrolled in other trials; 12 (30% of the targets) were randomised to AT (n = 8) or control (n = 4). The mean change in NSAA at 6 months was −5.5 (SD 7.8) in the control arm and −2.8 (SD 4.1) in the AT arm. Harms included fatigue in two boys, pain in one. Physiotherapists and parents valued AT but believed it should be delivered in community settings. Randomisation was unattractive to families, who had already decided that AT was useful and who often preferred to enrol in drug studies. The AT prescription was considered to be optimised for three boys, with other boys given programmes that were too extensive and insufficiently focused. Recruitment was insufficient for VoI analysis. Conclusions: Neither a UK-based RCT of AT nor a twice weekly AT therapy delivered at tertiary centres is feasible. Our study will help in the optimisation of AT service provision and the design of future research. Trial registration: ISRCTN4100295