Assessment of Anti-inflammatory Activity of 3-Acetylmyricadiol in LPSStimulated Raw 264.7 Macrophages.

BACKGROUND: Pentacyclic triterpenoids are a biologically active class of phytoconstituents with diverse pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory action. OBJECTIVE: In the current study, we isolated 3-Acetylmyricadiol, a pentacyclic triterpenoid, from the ethyl acetate bark extract of Myrica esculenta and evaluated it for anti-inflammatory potential. METHODS: The ethyl acetate bark extract of the M. esculenta was subjected to column chromatography to isolate 3-Acetylmyricadiol. MTT assay was performed to check cell viability. The production of proinflammatory mediators like nitric oxide, IL-6, TNF-α were observed after the administration of 5, 10, 20 µM of 3-Acetylmyricadiol in LPS-activated raw 246.7 macrophages by the reported methods. RESULTS: MTT assay indicated more than 90% cell viability up to 20 µM of 3-Acetylmyricadiol. The administration of 3-Acetylmyricadiol inhibited the production of nitric oxide, IL-6, TNF-α in a dose-dependent manner significantly in comparison to LPS treated cells. The maximum effect was observed at 20 µM of 3-Acetylmyricadiol which resulted in 52.37, 63.10, and 55.37 % inhibition of nitric oxide, IL-6, and TNF-α, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated the anti-inflammatory action of 3-Acetylmyricadiol and can serve as a potential candidate in the development of the clinically efficient anti-inflammatory molecule.

How do gender disparities in entrepreneurial aspirations emerge in Pakistan? An approach to mediation and multi-group analysis.

This cross-sectional study sought to identify gender differences in individual behavioral attitudes, personal traits, and entrepreneurial education based on planned behavior theory. The Smart partial least squares (PLS) structural equation model and PLS path modeling were used. A survey design was used to collect data from 309 samples using quantitative measures. The model was tested for validity and reliability and showed variance (full, R2 = 58.9% and split, R2 = 62.7% and R2 = 52.7%) in male and female model predictive power, respectively. Subjective norms (SN), personality traits (PT), and entrepreneurial education (EE) significantly impacted the male sample's intention. Females' intentions toward entrepreneurship was less affected by attitude toward behavior (ATB), subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC), and entrepreneurship education (EE). Further, attitudes, social norms, and behavioral controls as mediation variables indicate a significant and positive role of male and female intentions. These findings imply that behavioral beliefs (ATB, PBC, and SN) influence entrepreneurial intention-action translation. The results significantly supported the designed hypotheses and shed light on individual personality traits (PT) and entrepreneurship education (EE) underpinning enterprise intention. The study determined that EE and PT are the strongest predictors of intention, thus highlighting the role of these motives in the entrepreneurial process. This study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on youth entrepreneurs, expands our understanding of entrepreneurship as a practical career choice, and offers a novel account differentiating male and female PT. The drive to evaluate the effects of entrepreneurial intention among budding disparities in Pakistan requires a more profound knowledge of the aspects that endorse entrepreneurship as a choice of profession and enhances youth incentive abilities to engage in entrepreneurial activities based on exploitation.

Assessment of Relationship of Serum Neurokinin-B Level in the Pathophysiology of Pre-eclampsia: A Case-Control Study.

INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy-induced disorder that complicates approximately 5-7% of pregnancies. It is the leading cause of maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality worldwide. AIM: To determine the role of serum neurokinin-B level in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia. METHODS: This was a case-control study. A total of 80 pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy were included in the study. They were divided into two groups (40 pre-eclamptic and 40 normotensive) according to the presence or absence of clinical parameters of pre-eclampsia. Serum level of neurokinin-B was measured with ELISA. RESULTS: Maternal age, weight, BMI, pulse, systolic BP and diastolic BP were statistically higher in the pre-eclampsia group compared to the normotensive group (P < 0.0001). Moreover, statistically higher levels were observed for neurokinin-B in the normotensive group as compared to the pre-eclamptic group. The mean value of neurokinin-B was 83.50 ng/L in the pre-eclamptic group compared to 111.5 ng/L in the normotensive group (P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: Higher levels of serum neurokinin-B were observed in the normotensive pregnant females as compared to the pre-eclamptic females. Thus, apparently, it seems that serum neurokinin-B plays no role in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia, and further large multicentre prospective studies may be required to ascertain its role.

Molecular interactions of dioxins and DLCs with the ketosteroid receptors: an in silico risk assessment approach.

Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs) are the ones with poor water solubility and low volatility, resistant to physical, chemical and biological processes, persistent in the environment even under extreme conditions. Due to lipophilic nature, they get adhered to the fatty material and concentrate through biomagnification and bioaccumulation, thereby easily getting incorporated into food chains, paving the way to endocrine disruption via modulation of various human receptors. This in turn leads to certain adverse health effects. In the present study, a total of 100 dioxins and DLCs were taken and their binding pattern was assessed with the ketosteroid receptors, i.e. androgen (hAR), glucocorticoid (hGR), progesterone (hPR) and mineralocorticoid (hMR) in comparison to the corresponding natural steroids and a known endocrine disrupting xenobiotic, Bisphenol A (BPA). Most of the DLCs, particularly those bearing hydroxyl (-OH) group showed considerable affinities with ketosteroid receptors. On comparing D scores of all the dioxins and DLCs against all four receptors, compound 8-hydroxy-3,4-dichlorodibenzofuran(8-OH-DCDF) exhibited least D score of -9.549 kcal mol-1 against hAR. 3,8-Dihydroxy-2-chlorodibenzofuran(3,8-DiOH-CDF), 4'-hydroxy-2,3,4,5-tetrachlorobiphenyl (4'-OH-TCB) and 4-hydroxy-2,2',5'-trichlorobiphenyl(4-OH-TCB) also showed comparable molecular interactions with the ketosteroid receptors. These interactions mainly include H-bonding, π-π stacking, hydrophobic, polar and van der Waals' interactions. In contrast, BPA and some natural ligands tested in this study showed lower binding affinities with these receptors than certain DLCs reported herein, i.e. certain DLCs might be more toxic than the proven toxic agent, BPA. Such studies play a pivotal role in the risk assessment of exposure to dioxins and DLCs on human health.

Healthcare under sanctions in Iraq: an elective experience.

As a consequence of the 1991 Gulf War and the ensuing UN sanctions, not only was the Iraqi government destroyed, but also the general infrastructure of the country was disrupted, with the civilian population and public services bearing much of the aftermath. Ten years after the war, the health system in Iraq is still in a perilous situation. The effects of sanctions have affected almost every aspect of medical care. There has been a mass exodus of health care professionals, many of whom were foreign nationals. Doctors' salaries fell rapidly to only $30 a month, barely enough to buy the necessities of daily living. Iraqi hospitals have no access to foreign journals, textbooks or the internet; leading to a generation of out-dated and under-skilled health professionals. Most worrying is the ever-present embargo on many essential medicines. Only one-third of the medicines are available for chemotherapy for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children (UKALL 97 modified 99 protocol). At the Al-Mansour paediatric teaching hospital this shortfall has led to a substantial increase in childhood mortality, with disease-free survival rates falling to 25 per cent compared to 60 per cent in 1988.