Objective: This study aims at investigating the antibacterial potential of ethanolic extract of Camellia sinensis (common name: Green tea) and Azadirachta indica (common name: Neem) leaves on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC). Materials and Methods: Fresh leaves were processed and extracted by 99% ethanol and reconstituted with 50% ethanol before testing. Disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods were used to determine zone diameter of inhibition (ZDI) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), respectively. Nutrient agar plate was used to estimate the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Results: Maximum ZDI value was observed for green tea against MRSA (7.5 mm) and minimum for neem (4.9 mm). Moreover, the highest ZDI against STEC was also for green tea and the combination of green tea and neem (4.5 mm). The MIC values of green tea extract were 15.625 and 31.25 mg/ml against MRSA and STEC, respectively, whereas the MIC of neem was 31.25 and 125 mg/ml, respectively. The combination had similar MIC (46.87 mg/ml) against both organisms. Green tea showed the lowest MBC values, 31.25 and 62.5 mg/ml, against MRSA and STEC, respectively. However, MBC of neem and the combination against MRSA and STEC were found >250 mg/ml, >500 mg/ml and 93.75 mg/ml, >375 mg/ml, respectively. Conclusion: Green tea and neem leaves showed good antimicrobial effects and can be used to explore novel antimicrobial compounds against MRSA and STEC.

Rice bran is an undervalued/underutilized by-product of rice milling, rich in protein, lipids, dietary fibers, vitamins, and minerals. It is an inexpensive source of high-quality protein, fiber and lipids to be incorporated into value-added food products. The issue with rice bran is its susceptibility to rancidity and therefore measures must be taken to stabilize the bran in order for it to be fully utilized. Due to this susceptibility to rancidity, historically the bran has either been disposed and wasted or used as low-grade animal feed. As the nutritional value of the bran has been recognized, along with its potential to add value to food products, research has been increasing in volume in order to determine the most effective methods for stabilizing the bran and extracting the valuable nutrients from it. It's been reported that a free fatty acid content of over 5% is considered to render the bran unfit for human consumption (Tao, Rao & Liuzzo, 1993). Therefore, controlling this level of rancidity is imperative to being able to store and use rice bran over extended periods of time. In order to achieve control, stabilization procedures can be carried out on the rice bran to slow down the lipase activity within the bran and preserve the nutritional qualities that rice bran possesses. Stabilization of rice bran is particularly important for use over winter months in developing countries, where there may be no crops to harvest and therefore a supply of non-rancid rice bran could be extremely beneficial. This length of storage for stabilized rice bran could be up to a period of 6 months, where it can become important for value-added product development (Bagchi, Adak & Chattopadhyay, 2014). The present review will provide an overview of the traditional and innovation rice bran stabilization techniques, those have been a common interest in the research community, and the suitability of the process in terms of the energy consumption.

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Introduction:Pulmonary embolism (PE) ranges from incidental, clinically unimportant occurrences to causing sudden death. Virchow's triad of local trauma to the vessel wall, hypercoagulability, and stasis of blood leads to thrombus formation in the leg veins. 1 As thrombi form in the deep veins of the legs, pelvis, or arms, they may dislodge and embolize to the pulmonary arteries with potentially serious consequences. The most common sources of pulmonary emboli are the pelvic veins or deep veins of the thigh. 2 Pulmonary arterial obstruction by clot causes dilatation, dysfunction, and ischemia of the right ventricle. 1 Pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis is responsible for more than 250,000 hospitalizations and approximately 50,000 deaths per year in the United States. Because it is difficult to diagnose, the true incidence of pulmonary embolism is unknown, but it is estimated that approximately 650,000 cases occur annually. 1 Despite this high incidence, the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism continues to be difficult primarily because of the notorious varities of symptoms and signs in its presentation. 2 We present the case of a patient with pulmonary embolism presented with dyspnoea and review the pathophysiology and diagnostic considerations. Case report:Mr. X 68 yrs old pleasant gentleman admitted in CCU of UHL for respiratory distress along with sweating for 2 hours. He had also history of exertional dyspnoea and dyspepsia for last 4 days. He is diabetic, hypertensive and nonalcoholic. On G/E his Pulse-104/min, BP-120/ 90mmHg, RR-20/min and cardiac examination showed that there was a pansystolic murmur over the tricuspid area which increased with accentuated pulmonary component of the second heart sound.Initial investigations showed Hb-14gm/dl,TC-12.3X10 3 /µl, Platelet-222 x10 3 /µl, S,creatinine-1.45mg/dl,H s troponinI423ngm/ml, PT-13.7sec, INR-1.22, APTT-31.2sec, D Dimer4860ng/ml(0-550ng/ml) . Electrocardiography showed sinus tachycardia with SIQ3T3. Chest X-Ray revealed cardiomegaly. 2-D transthoracic echocardiography showed a dilated right side of the heart with a 5.7 cm × 1.4 cm mass in the right pulmonary artery. Valvular morphology was normal with moderate tricuspid regurgitation and moderate pulmonary hypertension. CT pulmonary angiography found pulmonary embolism involving the right pulmonary artery and most of their segmental branches. He underwent a duplex scan of the deep venous system of both lower limbs, which was found to be deep venous thrombosis in left popliteal vein. The patient was treated with streptokinase which was given initially as a loading dose of 250,000 IU over 30 minutes, followed by a dose of 100,000 IU/hour over 72 hours. After initial evaluation, a blood sample was taken to examine the thrombophilia panel [protein C-61IU/dl(70-146IU/dl), protein S-75IU/dl (60-130IU/dl), antithrombin-III-76.7 µg/ml (75-125 µg/ml) ].There his protein C level was low.Further echocardiography was performed and it revealed normal right heart function.After the recovery of the patient from...

Background and objectives: Migraine is now ranked as number 19 among all diseases causing disability by WHO1 which is characterized by recurrent attacks of various combinations of headache and neurological, gastrointestinal and autonomic symptoms2 accompanied by photophobia, phonophobia and vomiting3. The treatment of migraine involves acute, preventive drugs and non-pharmacological strategies. The basic principle in management of migraine is avoiding the trigger factors, blocking the mediators and splinting the end organ4. Though there is no significant curable treatment but there are some internationally proven and well accepted prophylactic medication which reduces headache severity, frequency, duration and risk for rebound5. Sodium valproate and pizotifen are commonest of them6, where sodium valproate is more effective than pizotifen in the prophylaxis of migraine patients. Methods: This study was a single blind randomized clinical trial carried out in the neurology outpatient department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka (BSMMU) for the period of 2 years, among adult patients between the age of 16-50 years. Results: A total of 120 patients were included & divided into two groups such as group-A(60 patients) treated by sodium valproate & group-B(60 patients) treated by pizotifen for a period of 6 months and followed up every two months for 3 times and showed sodium valproate is more effective than pizotifen. Conclusion: This study permit to conclude that efficacy of sodium valproate is more than pizotifen in the prophylaxis of migraine patients. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjn.v28i2.17174 Bangladesh Journal of Neuroscience 2012; Vol. 28 (2): 81-87