IntroductionCurcuma aromatica Salisb. (Zingiberaceae), indigenous to South Asia, is a robust zingiber with stout underground rhizomes. This wild, aromatic, and attractive turmeric is probably the most useful among the turmeric members for its unique medicinal values. C. aromatica rhizome is a rich source of volatile oil, which consists of several major anti-tumor ingredients including demethoxycurcumin, β-elemene, curcumol, curdione, etc. (Zhou et al., 1997;Dulak, 2005). C. aromatica could promote blood circulation to remove blood stasis and treat cancers and angiogenesis (Kim et al., 2002). The oil infused via the hepatic artery has proven to exert ideal therapeutic effects in humans with primary liver cancer and rats with transplanted hepatoma (Cheng et al., 1999). Curcumin, the most prevalent active secondary ingredient in C. aromatica, acts as a promising agent in the treatment and/or prevention of Alzheimer's disease (Ringman et al., 2005). In addition, the rhizome is Abstract: A rapid and improved micropropagation protocol was developed for Curcuma aromatica, a threatened aromatic medicinal plant, using rhizome sprout as the explant. Stepwise optimization of different plant growth regulators, carbon sources, and basal media was adopted to establish an efficient micropropagation protocol. When cytokinins, such as benzyl amino purine (BAP) or 6-(α,αdimethylallylamino)-purine (2iP), were used either singly or in combination with naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) for shoot induction and multiplication, a single use of BAP was the most effective. As a carbon source, 3% (w/v) sucrose exhibits the greatest promotive effect on shoot initiation and proliferation compared with other carbon sources used. Among the basal media, full strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) media produced the best results, compared to other media studied. By using the most effective treatment from each category, an average of 13.2 shoots/per explant were produced after 6 weeks of culture. Moreover, 85% survival was achieved when rooted explants acclimatized ex vitro using a mixture of sterile sand, soil, and farmyard manure (1:1:1). In addition, antimicrobial activities of rhizome extracts were evaluated. Petroleum ether and chloroform extracts of field-grown rhizome showed potential antimicrobial properties against several human pathogenic bacteria including Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Shigella sonnei, and Shigella dysenteriae, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 0.03 to 0.5 mg/mL. Thus, the optimized micropropagation protocol may offer large-scale production of plantlets to meet industrial demand for the rhizome. Moreover, our results suggest the rhizome extract of C. aromatica is a promising antimicrobial agent.
High chromium (Cr) in rice causes reduced yield and health hazards. This work investigates how Si alleviates Cr toxicity in rice. Addition of Si under Cr stress restored the growth parameters, total protein content, and membrane stability along with reduced Cr content in shoots, confirming that Si plays critical roles in Cr detoxification in rice. However, Si supplementation under Cr stress caused no significant changes in root Cr content but decreased shoot Cr concentrations compared with Cr-stressed plants, indicating that alleviation of Cr toxicity might be associated with Cr sequestration in roots. Further, concentration of Fe and expression of Fe transporter (OsIRT1) showed no significant changes due to Si supplementation under Cr stress, implying that Fe regulation is not involved with Si-mediated mitigation of Cr toxicity in rice. Further, phytochelatin accumulation and OsPCS1 (phytochelatin synthase) transcripts strongly induced due to the dual treatment of Si and Cr compared with Cr-stressed plants, suggesting that phytochelatin might bind to Cr, which leads to vacuolar sequestration in roots. Furthermore, increased glutathione reductase activity in roots implies that active involvement of ROS scavenging partially ameliorates Cr toxicity in rice plants. The study illustrates first evidences on the effect of Si alleviating Cr toxicity in rice plants.
Background: Enteric fever affects more than 11 million children and adults globally each year. Typhoid fever is treated with antibiotics. Ideally, treatment should be safe and available for adults and children in shortened courses of 5 days, cause defervescence within 1 week, render blood and stool cultures sterile, and prevent relapse. Objective: To compare the outcome of azithromycin and ciprofloxacin for treatment of uncomplicated typhoid fever. Method: This comparative intervention was done at tertiary hospital where one hundred patients ranging in age from 5 to 25 years were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups. Group A constituted of 50 patients receiving azithromycin and group B constituted of the other 50 patients receiving ciprofloxacin. All patients underwent blood cultures or stool cultures from which S. typhi or S. paratyphi was isolated, and these subjects comprised the basis for analysis. Results: During the study, majority of the patients belonged to 5-15 years age group. 50% cases lived in semi pucca buildings followed by 70% drank supply water without boiling and 80% cases were accustomed to homemade food and outside food. Moreover, significance association was noticed in food habit and water source of the patients. In group A, 50 cases showed positivity in salmonella typhi and their mean duration of hospital stay was 10 days. Similarly, in group B, 50 cases showed positivity in salmonella typhi and mean duration of hospital stay was 9.0 days. In group A, 90% were cured by day 7 plus no relapse cases were found. In group B, 80% were cured by day 7. Mild-to- moderate adverse events, all of which were short-term and self-limited were reported equally in both treatment groups. Conclusion: Our results indicated that azithromycin and ciprofloxacin were similarly effective, both clinically and bacteriologically, against typhoid fever caused by both sensitive organisms and MDR S. typhi.
Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) also known as male pattern baldness is the most common hair loss disorder characterized by chronic, nonscarring disorder that is marked by a progressive reduction in the diameter, length, and pigmentation of the hair. This disorder is located primarily on the central scalp with various patterns of loss. Pathophysiological features include an alteration in the hair cycle via reduction of the anagen (growth) phase, inflammation, and follicular miniaturization. Therapies for AGA are limited and there is no cure. There is a high demand for hair restoration. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a treatment modality shown to promote wound healing, has also been explored as a treatment for AGA. Objectives: To observe the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma for Androgenetic Alopecia. Materials & method: This prospective observational study was conducted among 30 subjects with androgenetic alopecia from July 2018 to June 2020 in a reputed private hospital in Dhaka. Five platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments, at intervals of 4 –5 weeks, and 2 follow-up examinations were performed. Blood (9 cc) from each AGA patient was collected in 10 cc syringe, and PRP was isolated using commercially available kit under sterilized conditions. Isolated PRP was injected in the bald areas of scalp of AGA patients. Treatment efficacy was assessed by changes in hair number and diameter. A secondary objective was to assess clinical improvement, which was evaluated by 5-point Likert scale. Then variables were analyzed and compared. Data was processed and analysed with the help of computer program SPSS and Microsoft excel. Quantitative data expressed as mean and standard deviation and qualitative data as frequency and percentage. Comparison was done by tabulation and graphical presentation in the form of tables, pie chart, graphs, bar diagrams, histogram & charts etc. Result: It was found that majority of the patients i.e. 41(68.3%) were in the age group 20-40 years, mean age was found to 38.3±6.5 years. No significant difference in age and other demographic profile was observed between groups. The median (range) hair number per square centimetre at baseline was 38.0 (13-105) in the both groups. At the final follow-up visit, hair number is improved & it was found 53.0 (24-130) in the treated group and 41.0 (11-105) in the control group. Differences was statistically significant (p=0.017). Hair diameter (μm) at baseline was 65.0 (48-81) μm in the treated group and 66.0 (49-75) in the control group. At the final follow up visit, hair diameter also improved and it was 80.0 (58-94) μm in the treated group and 69.0 (51-85) μm in the control group. Differences was statistically significant (p=0.031). There were no treatment-related adverse effects. Conclusion: Present study concluded that PRP is an effective treatment option in androgenetic alopecia, provides better clinical outcome in terms of improve hair density, diameter and significant subject satisfaction. J Shaheed Suhrawardy Med Coll 2021; 13(2): 158-163
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