Context: The goal of phototherapy is to lower the concentration of circulating bilirubin or keep it from increasing in the treatment of neonatal unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia. As phototherapy decrease billirubin level of infants, it is important to fix the dose of phototherapy. Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of double phototherapy versus conventional single phototherapy in the treatment of neonatal unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia. Materials and Methods: For this purpose 50 term and preterm newborns were enrolled. They were divided into 2 groups, 38 newborns were taken in group 1 and 12 newborn were taken in group 2. The babies who got conventional single phototherapy were taken in group 1. Each group was again divided into 3 subgroups according to their birth weight Normal Birth Weight (NBW), = Low Birth Weight (LBW) and Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW).
Results:The serum bilirubin level of term babies were found 17.32 ± 4.08 mg/dl and in preterm babies were found 13.17 ± 1.49 mg/dl. Neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia in enrolled babies were due to physiologic jaundice (38%), neonatal sepsis (50%) and perinatal asphyxia (12%). The serum bilirubin level in physiological jaundice was found 18.47 ± 5.38 mg/dl, in neonatal sepsis was found 14.90 ± 1.85 mg/dl and in perenatal asphyxia was found 14.10 ± 1.47 mg / dl. Decline rate of serum bilirubin per day was found 4.58 ± 2.43 mg / dl in NBW babies with the use of conventional single phototherapy compared to 6.27 ± 2.26 mg / dl with the use of conventional double phototherapy. In LBW babies decline rate of serum bilirubin per day was found 2.07 ± 0.84 mg / dl with the use of conventional single phototherapy but 4.70 ± 2.08 mg / dl with the use of conventional double phototherapy. In VLBW babies, decline rate of serum bilirubin per day was found 2.24 ± 1.10 mg / dl with the use of conventional single phototherapy. Any VLBW babies which were given conventional double phototherapy were not found. Conclusion: From this study it can be concluded that double phototherapy is more effective than conventional single phototherapy in the treatment of neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia in both groups of neonates; however the rate of fall of bilirubin was higher in NBW subgroups.
Endo-beta-1, 4-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.4) activity was measured in the gut fluid of phytophagous insect Podontia quatuordecimpunctata Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in different days of development. The eight day-old larva showed maximum activity with 1.73 U mg(-1) of protein, which was confirmed by gel zymography. In zymogram, using Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC) as substrate, four distinct cellulolytic protein bands were detected in leaf borer gut fluids through out of its development. The optimum temperature and pH were 60 degrees C and 5.0, respectively. This endo-beta-1,4-glucanase showed maximum stability at 20-45 degrees C with approximately 20% remaining activity. Zymography also showed complete loss of endo-beta-1,4 glucanase activity at 55 degrees C. This is the first report that the cellulolytic enzyme is produced in the gut of P. quatuordecimpunctata through the whole developmental stages, from the 1st instar to the adult, except for pupae.
Phenolic content and antioxidant activity of two common fruits of Bangladesh, namely
Phyllunthus emblica and Elaeocarpus floribundus, were measured in water, methanol,
ethanol, acetone and hexane extracts. Several in vitro models including
phosphomolybdenum assay, DPPH free radical scavenging assay, FRAP assay and
reducing power assay were used to assess the antioxidant activity of these extracts in
comparison with reference antioxidants. Between the two fruits, P. emblica showed higher
phenolic content and antioxidant activity in all the solvents used. In the DPPH scavenging
assay, the activity of P. emblica extracts was close to reference antioxidants, ascorbic acid
and BHT. Besides, considering the solvents used, extracts of both fruits had the highest
phenolic and antioxidant activity in polar solvents. The correlation coefficient between
total phenolics and antioxidant activities was found statistically significant. These findings
suggest that P. emblica could be an excellent antioxidant resource for industries like food,
pharmaceutical, and cosmetics.
Insect guts, particularly of phytophagous insects, are considered as intriguing bioprospecting sources of cellulase and xylanase due to their use in biofuel industry. In this study, the activities of cellulase and xylanase were identified in the gut fluid of grasshopper, Oxya velox, and characterized. Qualitative assays of gut fluid carried out for endo-β-1,4-D-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.4) and endo-β-1,4-D-xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8) activities, using substrate-agar plate method, revealed clear transparent zones against the red-stained background. When measured by dinitrosalicylic acid method, the gut fluid had 0.759 ± 0.005 U and 0.303 ± 0.002 U of endoglucanase and endoxylanase activities, respectively, per mg of protein. In the gel zymogram, four distinct cellulolytic protein bands and one xylanolytic protein band were detected against substrates carboxymethyl cellulose and xylan, respectively. The optimal temperature and pH of both endo-β-1,4-D-glucanase and endo-β-1,4-D-xylanase were 55EC and 5, respectively. Preincubation at 70EC for 20 min resulted in almost complete loss of endo-β-1,4-D-glucanase activity as shown by zymography. The presence of both cellulase and xylanase activities suggested that O. velox could be considered as a model for studying the process of lignocellulose digestion in insect gut; the insect could also serve as a good source of enzymes for biofuel production.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.