Alterations in Herbage Yield, Antioxidant Activities, Phytochemical Contents, and Bioactive Compounds of Sabah Snake Grass (Clinacanthus Nutans L.) with Regards to Harvesting Age and Harvesting Frequency.

Sabah snake grass or Clinacanthus nutans has drawn public interest having significant economic benefits attributable to the presence of phytochemicals and several interesting bioactive constituents that may differ according to harvesting age and harvesting frequency. The current study was aimed to evaluate the effect of harvesting age and harvesting frequency towards herbal yield, antioxidant activities, phytochemicals synthesis, and bioactive compounds of C. nutans. A factorial randomized completely block design with five replications was used to illustrate the relationship between herbal yield, DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays, total phenolic and flavonoid content affected by harvesting age (week 8, 12, and 16 after transplanting), and harvesting frequency (harvest 1, 2, and 3). The bioactive compounds by HPLC were also determined to describe the interaction effect between both harvesting age and harvesting frequency. The yield, antioxidant activities, and phytochemical contents were gradually increased as the plant grew, with the highest recorded during week 16. However, the synthesis and activities of phytochemicals were reduced in subsequent harvests despite the increment of the herbal yield. All bioactive compounds were found to be influenced insignificantly and significantly by harvesting age and harvesting frequency, respectively, specifically to shaftoside, iso-orientin, and orientin. Among all constituents, shaftoside was the main compound at various harvesting ages and harvesting frequencies. These results indicated that harvesting at week 16 with 1st harvest frequency might enhance the yield while sustaining the high synthesis of polyphenols and antioxidant activities of C. nutans.

Effect of Root Restriction on the Growth, Photosynthesis Rate, and Source and Sink Relationship of Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) Grown in Soilless Culture.

Chilli (Capsicum annum L.) plant is a high economic value vegetable in Malaysia, cultivated in soilless culture containers. In soilless culture, the adoption of small container sizes to optimize the volume of the growing substrate could potentially reduce the production cost, but will lead to a reduction of plant growth and yield. By understanding the physiological mechanism of the growth reduction, several potential measures could be adopted to improve yield under restricted root conditions. The mechanism of growth reduction of plants subjected to root restriction remains unclear. This study was conducted to determine the physiological mechanism of growth reduction of root-restricted chilli plants grown in polyvinyl-chloride (PVC) column of two different volumes, 2392 cm3(root-restricted) and 9570 cm3(control) in soilless culture. Root restriction affected plant growth, physiological process, and yield of chilli plants. Root restriction reduced the photosynthesis rate and photochemical activity of PSII, and increased relative chlorophyll content. Limited root growth in root restriction caused an accumulation of high levels of sucrose in the stem and suggested a transition of the stem as a major sink organ for photoassimilate. Growth reduction in root restriction was not related to limited carbohydrate production, but due to the low sink demand from the roots. Reduction of the total yield per plant about, 23% in root restriction was concomitant, with a slightly increased harvest index which reflected an increased photoassimilate partitioning to the fruit production and suggested more efficient fruits production in the given small plant size of root restriction.

Hand Grip Strength and Myocardial Oxygen Consumption Index among Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Patients.

BACKGROUND: Hand grip strength (HGS) is a reliable indicator of peripheral muscle strength. Although, numerous studies have investigated the strength of hand grip; little attention has been given to coronary artery disease (CAD) patients, exploring the relationship between HGS and myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2) index. The current study aimed to evaluate the interaction between HGS and MVO2 index findings before and after cardiac surgery. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients with CAD had HGS were assessed using handheld dynamometer. HGS for each hand were documented. MVO2 index was assessed using rate pressure product (RPP), which is the product of the heart rate (HR) and systolic blood pressure (SBP). Repeated measures MANOVA were carried out to estimate the interaction between both hands HGS and MVO2 index before and after surgery. RESULTS: There was significant interactions (P<0.001) for both HGS dominant and non-dominant with large effect sizes (HGS dominant×MVO2 index: hp (2)=0.44; HGS dominant×RPP: hp (2)=0.49). This signifies that peripheral muscle strength of the upper limb (HGS dominant and non-dominant) had different effects on MVO2 index before and after surgery. The interaction graph shows that the increase in MVO2 index after surgery was significantly greater for peripheral muscle strength of the dominant hand when compared to non-dominant. CONCLUSION: Patients with CAD had interactions between HGS and oxygen consumption before and after surgery. Hence, HGS might be used as a predictor to assess oxygen consumption among cardiac patients.

Coronary bypass surgery in patients aged 70 years and over: mortality, morbidity, length of stay and hospital cost.

The objective of this investigation was to compare the outcome of isolated coronary artery bypass grafting surgery in patients > or = 70 years with those < 70. The cardiac surgery database of the Institute was used to obtain the characteristics of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting between January 2000 and September 2001. The patients were divided into those > or = 70 years of age and those < 70 years old. A Parsonnet risk score was determined for each patient for the analysis of mortality, length of stay and hospital charges. During the study period, 1594 cases of isolated coronary artery bypass grafting were carried out. 184 (11.5%) cases were performed in the older group. The 30-day mortality for patients aged 70 and over was 7 (3.3%) out of 184 while that of patients < 70 years of age was 47 (3.8%) out of 1410 (p < 0.740). The overall hospital mortality was 10 (5.4%) of 184 and 53 (3.8%) of 1410 (p < 0.272) respectively. Apart from a higher incidence of wound infection in elderly patients, the frequency of other major complications was comparable in both groups. The average length of postoperative stay for the elderly patients was 10.4 +/- 0.9 days compared to 8.7 +/- 0.2 days for the younger group (p < 0.049). The mean hospital charge in patients > or = 70 was RM 25,160.38 +/- 1656.75 whereas for patients < 70, it was RM 21,801.47 +/- 308.91 (p < 0.048). This study supports the continued performance of coronary artery bypass grafting in patients > or = 70 years. Advanced age alone should not deter a cardiac surgeon from offering such a potentially beneficial intervention.