The impact of crude oil prices on Chinese stock markets and selected sectors: evidence from the VAR-DCC-GARCH model.

The interaction between oil and stock market returns is one of the most important relationships that have a significant influence on the economy of any country all over the world. Therefore, this paper investigates the impact of crude oil prices on the Chinese stock market and selected industries by using the VAR-DCC-GARCH model over the period from December 26, 2001, to April 30, 2019. The empirical results show that the impact of Brent crude oil prices on the Shanghai Composite Index and selected industries is significant. However, there are some variations in these relationships and the degree of influence on each differs during different sample periods. Brent crude oil prices exert substantial influence on some specific industries, like mining, chemical, nonferrous metals, and steel. Whereas, the volatility spillover effect of Brent crude oil prices is stronger within the mining, chemical, steel, nonferrous metal, building materials, building decoration, electrical equipment, electrical equipment, textile and garment, light manufacturing, public utility, and transportation industries than within other industries. When oil prices change abruptly, the risk of spillover impacts of oil prices on stock markets will also increase. In conclusion, the impact of Brent crude oil prices on the Chinese stock market is generally positive. Furthermore, the subsequent volatility of Chinese stock market prices will, in turn, influence the volatility spillover of Brent crude oil prices on the indexes. The result is an ongoing back and forth of changes in price volatilities.

Assessment of the antioxidant, thrombolytic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant and anxiolytic activities of leaf extracts and fractions of Tetracera sarmentosa (L.) Vahl.

BACKGROUND: The plant under investigation (Tetracera sarmentosa) is a dicotyledonous flowering plant and belongs to the family Dilleniaceae. The goal of our investigation was to determine whether the leaf extracts of this plant held any significant medicinal properties. METHODS: Leaves of T. sarmentosa were extracted with pure ethanol (EETS) and methanol (METS), and then methanol extract fractioned with n-hexane (NHFMETS) and chloroform (CHFMETS). The extracts and fractions were tested for antioxidant activity, which was measured by using qualitative and quantitative procedures. Thrombolytic activity was evaluated by the clot lysis test. Analgesic activity was evaluated employing the acidic acid-induced writhing test, the formalin-induced paw licking test and tail immersion on Swiss albino mice. The anti-inflammatory activity test was studied using the paw edema test. Forced swimming, tail suspension, elevated plus maze and hole board model tests were used to evaluate neuropharmacological activity. RESULTS: All the extracts and fractions possessed antioxidant effects. All the extracts, fractions and streptokinase exhibited significant (p<0.0001) clot lysis. The extracts and fractions produced significant analgesic effects as evaluated by the acetic acid writhing test, the formalin-induced paw licking test and the tail immersion method. Similarly, carrageenan-induced inflammation was significantly antagonized by the treatments. The extracts and fractions also significantly showed neuropharmacological (antidepressant and anxiolytic) effects. CONCLUSIONS: The overall results suggested that this plant deserves further investigation to isolate the active compounds which are responsible for these activities and to establish the mechanism of action.

In vivo analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory potential of leaf extracts and fractions of Eria javanica.

Background The objective of the study was to evaluate the antinociceptive, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities of ethanolic extract, methanolic extract and n-hexane and chloroform-soluble fractions of methanolic extract of Eria javanica leaves in animal model (rat and mice). Methods The anti-nociceptive potentials of the extracts were studied using the acetic acid-induced writhing test in mice and the antipyretic activity was investigated using yeast-induced pyrexia in rats. Anti-inflammatory activity test was done on rats at a dose by using carrageenan-induced paw edema test. Results In acetic acid-induced writhing inhibition study in Swiss albino mice, the crude methanolic extract at 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg doses and the n-hexane soluble fraction of crude methanolic extract at 400 mg/kg showed statistically significant activity with 53.21 % (p<0.001), 50.36 % (p<0.001) and 67.86 % (p<0.001) inhibition respectively compared to control. The crude ethanolic extract showed statistically significant antipyretic activity from 1 hours and onwards after administration at doses of 200 mg/kg body weight (p<0.005 at 1st hour and p<0.001 at 2nd, 3rd and 4th hour respectively) and 400 mg/kg body weight (p<0.05 at 1st hour and p<0.001 at 2nd, 3rd and 4th hour respectively). The crude methanolic extract showed statistically significant antipyretic activity from 2 hours and onwards at 400 mg/kg body weight (p<0.05 at 2nd hour and p<0.001 at 3rd and 4th hour respectively) and 200 mg/kg body weight dose showed statistically significant antipyretic activity from 3 hours and onward(p<0.001) in Brewer's yeast-induced pyrexia test in albino Wister rats. In carrageenan-induced rat's paw edema test, crude methanolic extract showed statistically significant anti-inflammatory activity from 2nd hour and onwards. The chloroform-soluble fraction of methanolic extract also showed significant activity from 1st hour onwards. Conclusions This study thereby indicates that leaves of E. javanica possess peripheral analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory activities and therefore a suitable candidate for further study.

A target-specific oral formulation of Doxorubicin-protein nanoparticles: efficacy and safety in hepatocellular cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) also known as malignant hepatoma is a most common liver cancer. Doxorubicin (Doxo) is an anti-cancer drug having activity against a wide spectrum of cancer types. Clinical Utility of doxo has been limited due to its poor bioavailability and toxicity to heart and spleen. Furthermore, cancer chemotherapeutics have limited oral absorption. Transferrin family proteins are highly abundant and plays important role in transport and storage of iron in cells and tissues. Since apotransferrin and lactoferrin receptors are highly expressed on the surface of metabolically active cancer cells, the principal objective of present study is to evaluate efficacy of doxorubicin loaded apotransferrin and lactoferrin nanoparticles (apodoxonano or lactodoxonano) in oral treatment of HCC in rats. STUDY DESIGN: HCC was induced in rats by supplementing 100 mg/L of diethylnitrosamine (DENA) in drinking water for 8 weeks. A week after the last day of DENA administration, rats were divided into four groups, each group comprising of five animals. Each group was administered with one of the drug viz., saline, doxorubicin (doxo), apodoxonano and lactodoxonano (4 mg/ kg equivalent of drug). In each case, they received 8 doses of the drug orally with six day interval. One week after the last dose, anticancer activity was evaluated by counting the liver nodules, H & E analysis of tissue sections and expression levels of angiogenic and antitumor markers. RESULTS: In rats treated with apodoxonano and lactodoxonano, the number of neoplastic nodules was significantly lower than that of rats administered with saline or with doxo. Apodoxonano and lactodoxonano did not exhibit decrease in mean body weight, which was markedly reduced by 22% in the case of doxo administered rats. In rats treated with nanoformulations, the number of liver nodules was found reduced by >93%. Both nanoformulations showed significantly high localization in liver compared to doxo. CONCLUSIONS: Apodoxonano and lactodoxonano showed improved efficacy, bioavailability and safety compared to doxo for treatment of HCC in rats when administered orally.

Impact of magnetic nanoparticles in biomedical applications.

In the recent years, there has been a growing interest in the development of nanoparticles based targeting agents for the tumor diagnostics and therapeutics. This is because of their potential to detect the tumor and treat the diseased tissue at the cellular and molecular level. In this respect nanoscale magnetic materials have shown a very promising therapeutic concept and offer a new perspective for the diagnostic and target drug delivery approach. The magnetic nanocarriers have the ability to accumulate at any desired pharmacological site just by the guidance of external magnetic field. But, the interactions of these magnetic nanocarriers with the biological environment are rare and depend largely upon their surface chemistry and size. To increase the interactions and achieve the desired pharmaceutically acceptable delivery system, the surface of magnetic nanocarriers is modified in various ways by coating with organic polymers and inorganic metals or oxides. On the basis of surface characteristics, a number of effective magnetically driven therapies have been proposed by many researchers and protected through patents time to time.