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Physalis alkekengi L. (Solanaceae) is a popular plant in traditional European and Chinese folk medicine, and it has been reported to have many ethnopharmacological properties including antifungal, anti-cough, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and febricide activities. Some active components from Physalis species have been investigated. However, no antimicrobial activity studies on extracts and physalins of P. alkekengi have been carried out. In this study, we attempted to identify the possible antimicrobial activities of the methanol extract from aerial parts of P. alkekengi and the dichloromethane extract from calyces of the plant. The extracts were tested against five Gram-positive and five Gram-negative bacteria and five Candida species by using disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods. The extracts were fractionated to isolate physalins using chromatographic techniques, and physalin D was isolated from the extracts. The structure of the compound was elucidated on the basis of 1H-NMR spectroscopic study, and confirmed by comparison with a reference sample and literature data. Results indicated that all the extracts and physalin D were characterized by antibacterial action, especially against Gram-positive bacteria, with MIC values between 32 and 128 μg/mL. The methanol extract had moderate activity against fungi at MICs ranging from 128 to 512 μg/mL, but the dichloromethane extract and physalin D had low activity against fungi at MICs ranging from 256 to 512 μg/mL. Additionally, the antioxidant activity of physalin D was evaluated by qualitative DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical and TBA (thiobarbituric acid) assays. Physalin D showed low antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of ≥ 10 ± 2.1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels in patients with ocular pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome. Subjects with ocular PEX syndrome were included in the PEX group and subjects without PEX syndrome were defined as the control group. 25(OH)D levels were measured by chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay method. BMD measurements were obtained from the femoral neck and lumbar spine by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The results were expressed as gram per square centimeter, T-scores (standard deviation compared to a healthy 30-yr-old male), and Z-scores (standard deviation compared to the subject's age). Independent t-test was used to compare the mean and medians of the groups. The PEX group consisted of 23 subjects with a mean age of 71.09 ± 2.02 yr and the control group consisted 46 subjects with a mean age of 67.04 ± 1.34 yr. There was no significant difference between the groups as regards the BMD measurements (gram per square meter), T-scores, and Z-scores. Both groups have low 25(OH)D, yet vitamin 25(OH)D levels were similar in the groups (p > 0.05). In the light of our results, although patients with ocular PEX have low BMD and 25(OH)D, BMD and 25(OH)D do not appear to be linked to ocular PEX syndrome in our study population., (Copyright © 2016 International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)