Piper sarmentosum as an antioxidant on oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells induced by hydrogen peroxide

Endothelial cell death due to increased reactive oxygen species(ROS) may contribute to the initial endothelial injury,which promotes atherosclerotic lesion formation.Piper sarmentosum(PS),a natural product,has been shown to have an antioxidant property,which is hypothesized to inhibit production of ROS and prevent cell injury.Thus,the present study was designed to determine the effects of PS on the hydrogen peroxide(H2O2)-induced oxidative cell damage in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs).In this experiment,HUVECs were obtained by collagenase perfusion of the large vein in the umbilical cord and cultured in medium M200 supplemented with low serum growth supplementation(LSGS).HUVECs were treated with various concentrations of H2O2(0-1000 μmol/L) and it was observed that 180 μmol/L H2O2 reduced cell viability by 50% as denoted by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay.Using the above concentration as the positive control,the H2O2-induced HUVECs were concomitantly treated with various concentrations(100,150,250 and 300 μg/ml) of three different extracts(aqueous,methanol and hexane) of PS.Malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT) and glutathione peroxidase(GPX) levels showed a significant increase(P0.05) in HUVECs compared to the negative control.However,PS extracts showed a protective effect on HUVECs from H2O2-induced cell apoptosis with a significant reduction in MDA,SOD,CAT and GPX levels(P0.05).Furthermore,PS had exhibited ferric reducing antioxidant power with its high phenolic content.Hence,it was concluded that PS plays a beneficial role in reducing oxidative stress in H2O2-induced HUVECs.     

The implications of Ramadan fasting for human health and well-being

Islamic Ramadan is a 29-30 day fast in which food, fluids, medications, drugs and smoking are prohibited during the daylight hours which can be extended between 13 and 18 h · day(-1) depending on the geographical location and season. The majority of health-specific findings related to Ramadan fasting are mixed. The likely causes for these heterogeneous findings lie in the amount of daily time of fasting, number of subjects who smoke, take oral medications, and/or receive intravenous fluids, in the type of food and eating habits and in changes in lifestyle. During Ramadan fasting, glucose homeostasis is maintained by meals taken during night time before dawn and by liver glycogen stores. Changes in serum lipids are variable and depend on the quality and quantity of food intake, physical activity and exercise, and changes in body weight. Compliant, well-controlled type II diabetics may observe Ramadan fasting, but fasting is not recommended for type I, noncompliant, poorly controlled and pregnant diabetics. There are no adverse effects of Ramadan fasting on respiratory and cardiovascular systems, haematologic profile, endocrine, and neuropsychiatric functions. Conclusions: Although Ramadan fasting is safe for all healthy individuals, those with various diseases should consult their physicians and follow medical and scientific recommendations.     

Coping with racism,classism and sexism

At its most essential level, the child care process is an experience in human relations. As such, the interpersonal behaviors that are manifested in the child care setting are likely to reflect the social structural realities of the broader society. Since America continues to be a society plagued by racial, socioeconomic and sex discrimination, we must realistically expect these behavioral aberrations to be reflected in those settings where child care is provided.     

Light quality and temperature effects on antirrhinum growth and development

An experiment was carried out to examine the effects of light quality on the growth and development of antirrhinum under three different temperatures 19℃, 24℃ and 27℃ in glasshouses. Five different colour filters (i.e. 'Red absorbing', 'Blue absorbing', 'Blue and Red absorbing' and two 'partially Blue absorbing' materials) were     

Breeding ecology of birds

One of the most fascinating aspects in the life of birds is their breeding phase, which is intimately tied to the distribution and abundance of food resources in their environment. However, food is not evenly distributed in space and time, and this is thought to have been one of the factors affecting the evolution nesting strategies. To understand how birds have evolved different types of nesting patterns ornithologists have used a variety of approaches, the most useful of which have been to build simple models based on optimality principles.     

We are invited to imagine: using a literary text to encourage cross-cultural dialogue about citizenship

ABSTRACT

Using William Golding’s Lord of the Flies as a stimulus, researchers from Norway, Pakistan and the United Kingdom explored the potential of a literary text to encourage intercultural dialogue. The innovative research method used was to combine Literature Circles and Google Documents to provide a platform for asynchronous online exchange between three cohorts of students in higher education. The authors’ analysis of the data suggested differences between those students who regarded the text as a living document speaking directly to their personal experiences of citizenship issues and those for whom the novel remained a historical document, removed from their lived experience. The authors contend that this research can contribute original and significant insights to the literature on teaching citizenship through literary texts such as the relationship between text choice and context, models of international collaboration at the higher education level and contrasting approaches towards citizenship and reading.     

The Make Up of Institutional Branding: Who,What, How?

Tertiary Education and Management - The purpose of this paper is to report on who creates branding within institutions of higher learning, and what impact branding has on core institutional...     

Technical college teachers sharing their knowledge: does leadership,institutional factors or barriers predict their practices?

This study determines the preferable leadership practised by colleges’ directors, institutional factors and challenges encountered in knowledge sharing in Malaysian technical higher learning institutions (HLIs). Using a pragmatic mixed-method strand, we obtained 212 teachers and instructors’ viewpoints on knowledge sharing factors and barriers. The study also interviewed four teachers in exploring college directors’ leadership practices and issues faced while sharing their knowledge and experiences with their colleagues. The findings revealed that technical college teachers favoured enabling others to act as a preferable leadership practice that empirically supports their knowledge sharing practices. Thus, reward system and culture were antecedents and significant predictors for teachers’ knowledge sharing practices in technical HLIs compared with their colleges directors’ transformational leadership practices. Teachers also highlighted that their directors provide affirmative responses concerning the knowledge sharing activities; thus, practising their roles as a knowledge sharing catalysts. However, lack of support from the management, micro-politics and teachers’ own negative perceptions were identified as challenges and constraints teachers encountered while sharing their knowledge with their peers. The findings put forward some suggestions for improvement on technical college’s knowledge sharing practices.     

The effect of different initial densities of nematode （Meloidogyne javanica） on the build-up of Pasteuria penetrans population

Pasteuria penetrans will build-up faster where there is a high initial nematode density and can suppress root-knot nematode populations in the roots of tomato plants. The effect of different initial densities of nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) (150, 750, 1500, 3000) and P. penetrans infected females (F1, F3) densities (F0=control and     

Phytochemical composition,biological potential and enzyme inhibition activity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scandix pecten-veneris</Emphasis> L.

Objective

Scandix pecten-veneris L. is a less studied wild edible herb and is considered an extinct plant species in many parts of the world. This study was designed to evaluate its phytochemical composition and biological potential of S. pecten-veneris L.

Methods

Phytochemicals including alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, and tannins were determined in extracts of S. pecten-veneris. Antioxidant activity was determined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), while reducing power was tested by ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Antimicrobial activity against seven bacterial and four fungal strains was evaluated using agar well diffusion assay. Enzymes inhibition study was performed for urease, phosphodiesterase-I, and catalase-II.

Results

S. pecten-veneris showed moderate antiradical activity and reducing potential of hydroxyl radicals to about 20% of the initial value. The antioxidant activity of various extracts of S. pecten-veneris showed a linear correlation with total phenolic contents in the order of water>n-butanol>chloroform>ethyl acetate>methanol extracts. S. pecten-veneris leaves showed the highest inhibitory activity against Staphylococcus aureus while the highest antifungal activity was observed against Candida albicans. The plant extract was most potent against urease enzymes but showed moderate activity against phosphodiestrase-I and carbonic anhydrase-II.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrate that in addition to its culinary uses, S. pecten-veneris has good medicinal potential and hence could be used for treating some specific health ailments.