AIM： To evaluate the antibacterial activity of Sapindus mukorossi （S. mukorossl） and Rheum emodi （R. emodl）. METHODS： Powders of S. mukorossi and R. emodi were extracted successively with petroleum ether, benzen...AIM： To evaluate the antibacterial activity of Sapindus mukorossi （S. mukorossl） and Rheum emodi （R. emodl）. METHODS： Powders of S. mukorossi and R. emodi were extracted successively with petroleum ether, benzene, chloroform and ethanol and were concentrated in vacuum. The disk diffusion method was used for in vitro studies and in vivo studies were performed on male Wister rats. Thirty resistant clinical isolates of H pylon, as determined by their antibiotic sensitivity patterns by E-test, along with two Gram ＋ve （S. aureus, B. subtilis） and two Gram -ve （E. coli, P. vugaris） organisms were screened for their susceptibility patterns against these extracts. RESULTS： In our screening, all 30 resistant isolates and the other four organisms （two Gram ＋ve S. aureus, B. subtilis and two Gram -ve, E. coli, P. vugaris） were sensitive to the test compounds. It was found that ethanol and chloroform extracts of S. mukorossi and ethanol and benzene extracts of R. emodi inhibited Hpylori at very low concentrations, In the in vitro study, the isolates showed a considerable zone of inhibition at very low concentrations （10 μg/mL） for both the extracts. In the in vivo study, the H pylori infection was cleared with minimal doses of extracts of S. mukorossi （2.5 mg/mL） and R. emodi （3.0 mg/mL） given orally for seven days. CONCLUSION： We can conclude from this study that the extracts of S. mukorossi and R. emodi inhibited the growth of pylori in vitro and, in in vivo studies, the H pylori infection cleared within seven days at very low concentrations. We also found that H pylori did not acquire resistance against these herbal extracts even after 10 consecutive passages.展开更多
AIM: To study the hepatoprotective capacity of Sapindus mukorossi (S. mukorossi) and Rheum emodi (R. emodi) extracts in CCl4 treated male rats. METHODS: The dried powder of S. mukorossi and R. emodi was extracted succ...AIM: To study the hepatoprotective capacity of Sapindus mukorossi (S. mukorossi) and Rheum emodi (R. emodi) extracts in CCl4 treated male rats. METHODS: The dried powder of S. mukorossi and R. emodi was extracted successively with petroleum ether, benzene, chloroform, and ethanol and concentrated in vacuum. Primary rat hepatocyte monolayer cultures were used for in vitro studies. In vivo, the hepatoprotective capacity of the extract of the fruit pericarp of S. mukorossi and the rhizomes of R. emodi was analyzed in liver injured CCl4-treated male rats. RESULTS: In vitro: primary hepatocytes monolayer cultures were treated with CCl4 and extracts of S. mukorossi & R. emodi. A protective activity could be demonstrated in the CCl4 damaged primary monolayer culture. In vivo : extracts of the fruit pericarp of S. mukorossi (2.5 mg/mL) and rhizomes of R. emodi (3.0 mg/mL) were found to have protective properties in rats with CCl4 induced liver damage as judged from serum marker enzyme activities. CONCLUSION: The extracts of S. mukorossi and R. emodi do have a protective capacity both in vitro on primary hepatocytes cultures and in in vivo in a rat model of CCl4 mediated liver injury.展开更多
AIM： To evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of a hydroalcoholic extract of the bark of Anogeissus latifolia; in vitro in primary rat hepatocyte monolayer culture and in vivo in the liver of Wistar rats intoxicated...AIM： To evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of a hydroalcoholic extract of the bark of Anogeissus latifolia; in vitro in primary rat hepatocyte monolayer culture and in vivo in the liver of Wistar rats intoxicated by carbon tetrachloride （CCl4）. METHODS： In the in vitro study, a primary hepatocyte monolayer culture was treated with CCh and extract of Anogeissus latifolia. Hepatoprotective activity was demonstrated in the CCh damaged primary monolayer culture. In the in vivo study, the hepatoprotective activity of a hydroalcoholic extract ofAnogeissus latifolia was analyzed in liver injured CCh-treated rats. Biochemical parameters including serum transaminases [aspartate aminotransferase （AST） and alanine aminotransferase （ALT）] and alkaline phosphatase （ALP） in serum wereanalyzed. The biochemical findings were supplemented with histopathological examination of rat liver sections. RESULTS： In vitro： primary hepatocyte monolayer cultures were treated with CCh and extract of Anogeissus latifolia. A protective activity could be demonstrated in the CCh damaged primary monolayer cultUre. In vivo： Hydroalcoholic extract of Anogeissus latifolia （300 mg/kg） was found to have protective activity in rats with CCh-induced liver damage as judged from serum marker enzyme activity. CONCLUSION： The above findings lead to the conclusion that the hydroalcoholic extract of Anogeissus latifol/a is hepatoprotective. Hence, we suggest that the inclusion of this plant in the management of liver disorders is justified.展开更多
A method involving Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) fiber combined with gas chromatography (GC) coupled with flame ionization detection (FID) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was de...A method involving Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) fiber combined with gas chromatography (GC) coupled with flame ionization detection (FID) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed and optimized to investigate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from different tissues (flowers, leaves, stems, rhizosphere and whole plants) of Floribunda and Hybrid Tea roses (intact and cut). Three-phase fiber 50/30 μm divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/CAR/PDMS) was used. Two types of chambers (Tedlar bag and glass jar) were evaluated for collection of VOCs and glass jar was selected. Absorbed compounds on the fiber were completely desorbed in the GC injector port at three desorption times (5, 10 and 15 min), and 5 min at 250?C was used. The maximum extraction efficiency for flowers tissues (equilibrium absorption) was achieved 2 h after fiber exposure in the headspace for intact and cut Floribunda and Hybrid Tea flowers. Under the optimized HS-SPME and GC-FID/MS conditions, 1h extraction time was chosen for intact and cut Floribunda and Hybrid Tea leaves and stems. The results demonstrated that 5 cm depth was selected for root and soil part (rhizosphere) for both rose cultivars, and 6 h and 12 h extraction time of VOCs from rhizosphere was achieved for Floribunda and Hybrid Tea, respectively. One hour was chosen for VOCs released from whole rose plants for both cultivars. In this study, the VOC profiles of two rose cultivars were characterized by the optimized HS-SPME-GC method. The different tissues of rose plants gave wide range of the VOCs;also the chromatograms of different cultivars were quite different and the specific VOC pattern of rose types depends on the species. Results from this study demonstrate the feasibility of this method for identifying VOCs from two rose cultivars and the potential use of this method for physiological studies on rose plants or on other floriculture plants.展开更多
This research examined small farmers’ operational choice in converting to organic farming in the Southern region of the United States. A logistic model fitted to survey data from responses of 456 produce growers foun...This research examined small farmers’ operational choice in converting to organic farming in the Southern region of the United States. A logistic model fitted to survey data from responses of 456 produce growers found the key determinants of the conversion choices of farmers and offered quantitative impacts of the major influential factors retained in the fitted model. Among them, barriers to the conversion were linked to farmer’s age, risk aversion, years of farming, and the lack of education as well as low yield of organic farming;nevertheless, the model also revealed the existence of stimuli reflecting on access to farmers markets, peer exemplars, and operational scale. The confluence of variables retained partially explained a slow but steady conversion to organic farming in the United States. Besides the broad implication for policy making in the agricultural sector, this study found that organic farming was closely tied to small farms and organic farming could be a back road to the future of small US farms.展开更多
Objectives: this research was conducted to describe the ultrasonic measurements of the foot full measurements (FFM) and their importance in the antenatal care (ANC). Material and methods: the Descriptive quantitative ...Objectives: this research was conducted to describe the ultrasonic measurements of the foot full measurements (FFM) and their importance in the antenatal care (ANC). Material and methods: the Descriptive quantitative cross-sectional study conducted in the ultrasound department at Alshaekh Mohammed Ali Fadol hospital in Omdurman locality. The study included 400 healthy Sudanese pregnant women whom in the 1st (late), 2nd and 3rd trimesters (i.e., after 10 weeks gestational age) of different parity and ages (15 years old and above);they have regular menstrual cycle and well certain of their last menstrual period and calculated date of delivery. Ultrasonographic measurement of Full Foot Length1 (FFL1), Foot Full Length2 (FFL2), and Foot Full Width (FFW) of all pregnant women were done. Sonographically we measured fetal foot from 14 to 40 weeks of gestation. Results: the study revealed that the mean FFL1 was 58.7 ± 12.9 mm. The minimum measurement was 18.8 mm, and the maximum was 89.1 mm, while the mean value of FFL2 was 53.4 ± 11.4 mm, with minimum value 17.5 mm and maximum 81.7 mm, and the mean FFW was 23.7 ± 5.1 mm, with minimum value 7.0 mm and maximum 38.0 mm. Conclusion: a strongly significant relationships were observed between (FFL1, FFL2, FFW) and gestational age (p = 0.00). However there is no significant difference between the FFL1, FFL2, and correlations with sex of embryo, residence, occupation, parity, maternal height, socioeconomic status, bleeding during this pregnancy, chronic illness, and caesarian section, moreover there are significant correlations between the FFL1, FFL2 and the (maternal age, maternal weight, and body mass index), but in the measurement of the fetal FFW there were no significant correlations with (sex of embryo, maternal age, body mass index, residence, occupation, parity, socioeconomic status, bleeding during this pregnancy, chronic illness, and caesarian section). Also there are significant correlations between the FFW and the maternal weight and height.展开更多
Rose (Rosa hybrida L.) is one of the most important specialty cut flowers produced. Characterization of physiological variability in photosynthetic efficiencies, respiration rate and chlorophyll content is one of the ...Rose (Rosa hybrida L.) is one of the most important specialty cut flowers produced. Characterization of physiological variability in photosynthetic efficiencies, respiration rate and chlorophyll content is one of the greatest challenges in assessing rose net primary production of flowering, quality of cut flowers and other rose uses. Two modern rose varieties Floribunda and Hybrid Tea were used to optimize different methods for analysing physiological characteristics (photosynthesis rate, respiration rate and chlorophyll content). Many parameters were optimized, five different lights intensity were used (600, 900, 1200, 1500 and 2000 μmol·m-2·s-1) of which 1200 μmol·m-2·s-1 gave the highest photosynthesis rate. Five different measuring times were used (8 am, 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm and 4 pm) and 12 pm was shown to be the optimum time for measuring photosynthesis rate. Among two different weather conditions (sunny day and cloudy day) sunny day was selected. For respiration rate two different measuring times (1 and 2 hours) after darkness were studied and 1 hour was chosen. Among three different times (10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm) for measuring chlorophyll content, 12 pm was selected. Using these optimized variables will allow researchers to collect robust and reproducible results to be obtained from different studies, and in turn lead to improved yields of horticultural plants.展开更多
To understand the technology generating practices among universities and research institutes in north central zone of Nigeria,this study examined sources of funds for technology generating activities,compared agro-tec...To understand the technology generating practices among universities and research institutes in north central zone of Nigeria,this study examined sources of funds for technology generating activities,compared agro-technology generating practices and identified constraining factors hindering technology generating practices.One hundred and fifty-two academic staff were randomly selected from universities and one hundred and thirty-six respondents were drawn from research institutes.Validated questionnaires with reliability coefficient of r=0.92 were used to elicit data.Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics,Likert-scale,T-test and Factor analysis.Majority(93.4%)of universities’respondents used their personal funds to generate new technology compared to their counterparts in research institutes.The most widely employed mechanism for generating agricultural technologies was joint radio programmes(mean=3.38)while the least was biotechnology(mean=2.57).Major areas of differences in technology generation between the two institutions were the physical distance(t=13.54;P<0.05),farmers participation in field research trials(t=8.50;P<0.05),farmers co-finance of adaptive research trials(t=3.77;P<0.05)and adequate research facilities and incentives to workers(t=2.05;P<0.05).Factors constraining technology generation for universities were poor access to knowledge and information on new innovation(r=0.815)while for research institutes it was limited physical resources(ICT,Telephone)(r=0.801).It was recommended therefore that respondents should look into options of writing alternate fund proposals and submitting to a wider range of funding bodies.Governance of innovation could be strengthened through the formation of a formal technological linkage advisory council.展开更多
文摘AIM： To evaluate the antibacterial activity of Sapindus mukorossi （S. mukorossl） and Rheum emodi （R. emodl）. METHODS： Powders of S. mukorossi and R. emodi were extracted successively with petroleum ether, benzene, chloroform and ethanol and were concentrated in vacuum. The disk diffusion method was used for in vitro studies and in vivo studies were performed on male Wister rats. Thirty resistant clinical isolates of H pylon, as determined by their antibiotic sensitivity patterns by E-test, along with two Gram ＋ve （S. aureus, B. subtilis） and two Gram -ve （E. coli, P. vugaris） organisms were screened for their susceptibility patterns against these extracts. RESULTS： In our screening, all 30 resistant isolates and the other four organisms （two Gram ＋ve S. aureus, B. subtilis and two Gram -ve, E. coli, P. vugaris） were sensitive to the test compounds. It was found that ethanol and chloroform extracts of S. mukorossi and ethanol and benzene extracts of R. emodi inhibited Hpylori at very low concentrations, In the in vitro study, the isolates showed a considerable zone of inhibition at very low concentrations （10 μg/mL） for both the extracts. In the in vivo study, the H pylori infection was cleared with minimal doses of extracts of S. mukorossi （2.5 mg/mL） and R. emodi （3.0 mg/mL） given orally for seven days. CONCLUSION： We can conclude from this study that the extracts of S. mukorossi and R. emodi inhibited the growth of pylori in vitro and, in in vivo studies, the H pylori infection cleared within seven days at very low concentrations. We also found that H pylori did not acquire resistance against these herbal extracts even after 10 consecutive passages.
文摘AIM: To study the hepatoprotective capacity of Sapindus mukorossi (S. mukorossi) and Rheum emodi (R. emodi) extracts in CCl4 treated male rats. METHODS: The dried powder of S. mukorossi and R. emodi was extracted successively with petroleum ether, benzene, chloroform, and ethanol and concentrated in vacuum. Primary rat hepatocyte monolayer cultures were used for in vitro studies. In vivo, the hepatoprotective capacity of the extract of the fruit pericarp of S. mukorossi and the rhizomes of R. emodi was analyzed in liver injured CCl4-treated male rats. RESULTS: In vitro: primary hepatocytes monolayer cultures were treated with CCl4 and extracts of S. mukorossi & R. emodi. A protective activity could be demonstrated in the CCl4 damaged primary monolayer culture. In vivo : extracts of the fruit pericarp of S. mukorossi (2.5 mg/mL) and rhizomes of R. emodi (3.0 mg/mL) were found to have protective properties in rats with CCl4 induced liver damage as judged from serum marker enzyme activities. CONCLUSION: The extracts of S. mukorossi and R. emodi do have a protective capacity both in vitro on primary hepatocytes cultures and in in vivo in a rat model of CCl4 mediated liver injury.
文摘AIM： To evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of a hydroalcoholic extract of the bark of Anogeissus latifolia; in vitro in primary rat hepatocyte monolayer culture and in vivo in the liver of Wistar rats intoxicated by carbon tetrachloride （CCl4）. METHODS： In the in vitro study, a primary hepatocyte monolayer culture was treated with CCh and extract of Anogeissus latifolia. Hepatoprotective activity was demonstrated in the CCh damaged primary monolayer culture. In the in vivo study, the hepatoprotective activity of a hydroalcoholic extract ofAnogeissus latifolia was analyzed in liver injured CCh-treated rats. Biochemical parameters including serum transaminases [aspartate aminotransferase （AST） and alanine aminotransferase （ALT）] and alkaline phosphatase （ALP） in serum wereanalyzed. The biochemical findings were supplemented with histopathological examination of rat liver sections. RESULTS： In vitro： primary hepatocyte monolayer cultures were treated with CCh and extract of Anogeissus latifolia. A protective activity could be demonstrated in the CCh damaged primary monolayer cultUre. In vivo： Hydroalcoholic extract of Anogeissus latifolia （300 mg/kg） was found to have protective activity in rats with CCh-induced liver damage as judged from serum marker enzyme activity. CONCLUSION： The above findings lead to the conclusion that the hydroalcoholic extract of Anogeissus latifol/a is hepatoprotective. Hence, we suggest that the inclusion of this plant in the management of liver disorders is justified.
文摘A method involving Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) fiber combined with gas chromatography (GC) coupled with flame ionization detection (FID) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed and optimized to investigate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from different tissues (flowers, leaves, stems, rhizosphere and whole plants) of Floribunda and Hybrid Tea roses (intact and cut). Three-phase fiber 50/30 μm divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/CAR/PDMS) was used. Two types of chambers (Tedlar bag and glass jar) were evaluated for collection of VOCs and glass jar was selected. Absorbed compounds on the fiber were completely desorbed in the GC injector port at three desorption times (5, 10 and 15 min), and 5 min at 250?C was used. The maximum extraction efficiency for flowers tissues (equilibrium absorption) was achieved 2 h after fiber exposure in the headspace for intact and cut Floribunda and Hybrid Tea flowers. Under the optimized HS-SPME and GC-FID/MS conditions, 1h extraction time was chosen for intact and cut Floribunda and Hybrid Tea leaves and stems. The results demonstrated that 5 cm depth was selected for root and soil part (rhizosphere) for both rose cultivars, and 6 h and 12 h extraction time of VOCs from rhizosphere was achieved for Floribunda and Hybrid Tea, respectively. One hour was chosen for VOCs released from whole rose plants for both cultivars. In this study, the VOC profiles of two rose cultivars were characterized by the optimized HS-SPME-GC method. The different tissues of rose plants gave wide range of the VOCs;also the chromatograms of different cultivars were quite different and the specific VOC pattern of rose types depends on the species. Results from this study demonstrate the feasibility of this method for identifying VOCs from two rose cultivars and the potential use of this method for physiological studies on rose plants or on other floriculture plants.
文摘This research examined small farmers’ operational choice in converting to organic farming in the Southern region of the United States. A logistic model fitted to survey data from responses of 456 produce growers found the key determinants of the conversion choices of farmers and offered quantitative impacts of the major influential factors retained in the fitted model. Among them, barriers to the conversion were linked to farmer’s age, risk aversion, years of farming, and the lack of education as well as low yield of organic farming;nevertheless, the model also revealed the existence of stimuli reflecting on access to farmers markets, peer exemplars, and operational scale. The confluence of variables retained partially explained a slow but steady conversion to organic farming in the United States. Besides the broad implication for policy making in the agricultural sector, this study found that organic farming was closely tied to small farms and organic farming could be a back road to the future of small US farms.
文摘Objectives: this research was conducted to describe the ultrasonic measurements of the foot full measurements (FFM) and their importance in the antenatal care (ANC). Material and methods: the Descriptive quantitative cross-sectional study conducted in the ultrasound department at Alshaekh Mohammed Ali Fadol hospital in Omdurman locality. The study included 400 healthy Sudanese pregnant women whom in the 1st (late), 2nd and 3rd trimesters (i.e., after 10 weeks gestational age) of different parity and ages (15 years old and above);they have regular menstrual cycle and well certain of their last menstrual period and calculated date of delivery. Ultrasonographic measurement of Full Foot Length1 (FFL1), Foot Full Length2 (FFL2), and Foot Full Width (FFW) of all pregnant women were done. Sonographically we measured fetal foot from 14 to 40 weeks of gestation. Results: the study revealed that the mean FFL1 was 58.7 ± 12.9 mm. The minimum measurement was 18.8 mm, and the maximum was 89.1 mm, while the mean value of FFL2 was 53.4 ± 11.4 mm, with minimum value 17.5 mm and maximum 81.7 mm, and the mean FFW was 23.7 ± 5.1 mm, with minimum value 7.0 mm and maximum 38.0 mm. Conclusion: a strongly significant relationships were observed between (FFL1, FFL2, FFW) and gestational age (p = 0.00). However there is no significant difference between the FFL1, FFL2, and correlations with sex of embryo, residence, occupation, parity, maternal height, socioeconomic status, bleeding during this pregnancy, chronic illness, and caesarian section, moreover there are significant correlations between the FFL1, FFL2 and the (maternal age, maternal weight, and body mass index), but in the measurement of the fetal FFW there were no significant correlations with (sex of embryo, maternal age, body mass index, residence, occupation, parity, socioeconomic status, bleeding during this pregnancy, chronic illness, and caesarian section). Also there are significant correlations between the FFW and the maternal weight and height.
文摘Rose (Rosa hybrida L.) is one of the most important specialty cut flowers produced. Characterization of physiological variability in photosynthetic efficiencies, respiration rate and chlorophyll content is one of the greatest challenges in assessing rose net primary production of flowering, quality of cut flowers and other rose uses. Two modern rose varieties Floribunda and Hybrid Tea were used to optimize different methods for analysing physiological characteristics (photosynthesis rate, respiration rate and chlorophyll content). Many parameters were optimized, five different lights intensity were used (600, 900, 1200, 1500 and 2000 μmol·m-2·s-1) of which 1200 μmol·m-2·s-1 gave the highest photosynthesis rate. Five different measuring times were used (8 am, 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm and 4 pm) and 12 pm was shown to be the optimum time for measuring photosynthesis rate. Among two different weather conditions (sunny day and cloudy day) sunny day was selected. For respiration rate two different measuring times (1 and 2 hours) after darkness were studied and 1 hour was chosen. Among three different times (10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm) for measuring chlorophyll content, 12 pm was selected. Using these optimized variables will allow researchers to collect robust and reproducible results to be obtained from different studies, and in turn lead to improved yields of horticultural plants.
文摘To understand the technology generating practices among universities and research institutes in north central zone of Nigeria,this study examined sources of funds for technology generating activities,compared agro-technology generating practices and identified constraining factors hindering technology generating practices.One hundred and fifty-two academic staff were randomly selected from universities and one hundred and thirty-six respondents were drawn from research institutes.Validated questionnaires with reliability coefficient of r=0.92 were used to elicit data.Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics,Likert-scale,T-test and Factor analysis.Majority(93.4%)of universities’respondents used their personal funds to generate new technology compared to their counterparts in research institutes.The most widely employed mechanism for generating agricultural technologies was joint radio programmes(mean=3.38)while the least was biotechnology(mean=2.57).Major areas of differences in technology generation between the two institutions were the physical distance(t=13.54;P<0.05),farmers participation in field research trials(t=8.50;P<0.05),farmers co-finance of adaptive research trials(t=3.77;P<0.05)and adequate research facilities and incentives to workers(t=2.05;P<0.05).Factors constraining technology generation for universities were poor access to knowledge and information on new innovation(r=0.815)while for research institutes it was limited physical resources(ICT,Telephone)(r=0.801).It was recommended therefore that respondents should look into options of writing alternate fund proposals and submitting to a wider range of funding bodies.Governance of innovation could be strengthened through the formation of a formal technological linkage advisory council.
