The authors examined potential mechanisms underlying motor coordination in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Because children with DCD experience difficulty processing visual, auditory, and vibrotactile information, the authors explored patterns of choice reaction time (RT) in young (6-7 years) and older (9-10 years) children with and without DCD by using a compatibility-incompatibility paradigm and different sensory modalities. Young children responded more slowly than older children to visual, auditory, and vibrotactile stimuli. Children with DCD took longer than typical children to process visual and vibrotactile stimuli under more complex stimulus-response mappings. Young children with DCD responded more slowly than typical children to visual and vibrotactile information under incompatible conditions. Children with DCD responded faster than unaffected children to auditory stimuli. The results suggest that there is a developmental nature in the processing of visual and auditory input and imply that the vibrotactile sensory modality may be key to the motor coordination difficulties of children with DCD.

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The present study aims to assess the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of selected medicinal plants (Achyranthes bidentata, Linum usitatissimum, Pedalium murex, Sphaeranthus indicus and, Terminalia bellirica) extracts against seven different microorganisms Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis, and Streptococcus mutants. Leaf, root, and flower extracts of plants were prepared in different solvents like methanol, distilled water, dichloromethane, ethanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, petroleum ether, propanol, benzene, and hexane. All the prepared extracts showed very good antimicrobial activity except distilled water extract. Most of the extracts were found to have antimicrobial potential against pathogens but Linum usitatissimum and T. bellirica leaf and seed extract prepared in methanol and chloroform solvents show a higher zone of inhibition against E. coli. Only Linum usitatissimum shows activity aganist Candida albicans. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration for Achyranthes bidentata extracts varied from 150µl/ml to 200µl/ml in different solvents. Antioxidant studies were carried out in methanolic extracts of all the plants. The maximum scavenging activity of methanolic leaf extracts was observed between 80 -100 μg/ml concentrations.

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The present study proposed differential effect of solvents on extraction, pharmacognostic evaluation and antioxidant activity of Long pepper (Piper longum) fruit extract. The bio-analytes present in P. longum fruit were extracted by dissolving powder fruit in water, ethanol, methanol, acetone, and ethyl acetate. Further, the extracts were dried using rotavapor at 55 °C and used to assess the phytochemical analysis where total phenolic compounds (TPCs) were evaluated using Folin-Ciocalteu Assay. Additionally, ascorbic acid content was measured, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was performed to predict the presence of various compounds based on their surface functional groups. Further, antioxidant efficiency was determined by considering DPPH radical scavenging activity. The quantitative measurements of the TPC and ascorbic acid reveal the presence of the pharmacognostic compounds in P. longum, which is also supported by FTIR analysis. The FC assay test confirmed the highest polyphenols (181.0 ± 8.69 mg GAE/g) in ethyl acetate extract, while methanolic extract showed the maximum ascorbic acid content (1.51 ± 0.067 mg AE/g). Methanolic and ethyl acetate-based extraction process showed great results than other solvents as they showed maximum DPPH radical scavenging activity (% degradation), 81.57 %, followed by ethyl acetate (79.35%). The obtained results announced P. longum extract can be used as a raw material in pharmaceutical industries and local levels to improve health conditions.

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