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Human genetics studies of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have identified the ABI3 gene as a candidate risk gene for AD. Because ABI3 is highly expressed in microglia, the brain’s immune cells, it was suggested that ABI3 might impact AD pathogenesis by regulating the immune response. Recent studies suggest that microglia have multifaceted roles in AD. Their immune response and phagocytosis functions can have beneficial effects in the early stages of AD by clearing up amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques. However, they can be harmful at later stages due to their continuous inflammatory response. Therefore, it is important to understand the role of genes in microglia functions and their impact on AD pathologies along the progression of the disease. To determine the role of ABI3 at the early stage of amyloid pathology, we crossed Abi3 knock-out mice with the 5XFAD Aβ-amyloidosis mouse model and aged them until 4.5-month-old. Here, we demonstrate that deletion of the Abi3 locus increased Aβ plaque deposition, while there was no significant change in microgliosis and astrogliosis. Transcriptomic analysis indicates alterations in the expression of immune genes, such as Tyrobp, Fcer1g, and C1qa. In addition to the transcriptomic changes, we found elevated cytokine protein levels in Abi3 knock-out mouse brains, strengthening the role of ABI3 in neuroinflammation. These findings suggest that loss of ABI3 function may exacerbate AD progression by increasing Aβ accumulation and inflammation starting from earlier stages of the pathology.

Bio-slurry is considered as a good quality organic fertilizer in Bangladesh agriculture. An experiment was conducted at Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to assess the effect of bulking materials over the composting of bio-slurry. The experiment was conducted with 4 treatments each of 3 replications. The treatments for compost preparation were, T0 (50% Bio-slurry + 50% manure), T1 (50% Bio-slurry + 50% manure and saw dust), T2 (50% Bio-slurry + 50% manure and rice straw), T3 (50% Bio-slurry + 50% manure and tree leaves). Compost moisture, pH, temperature and C: N ratio was assessed every week. Maximum temperature found in T1 (34.030C) and other treatments showed a slower rise in temperature. Highest C:N ratio (19.30) was obtained in T3. The pH of the compost was significantly influenced by saw dust which ranged from 8.28 in T2 to 8.74 in T1. Moisture content of compost was significantly influenced by bulky materials and ranged from 56.34 to 68.83. At 42 day the highest crude fiber was obtained in T2 (25.16%). The results suggest that bulky materials treated bio-slurry can be good compost which will be very effective to soil and crops. Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2020. 49 (2): 142-150

Obesity is a global epidemic that affects 13% of adults world-wide, and over 40% of adults in the United States. Further, obesity contributes substantially to global morbidity and mortality and acts as a major risk factor for type II diabetes, among many other diseases. Therefore, efforts to understand the pathobiology of obesity and generate novel methods of prevention are paramount. Recent findings suggest the importance of immune cells in the progression and onset of obesity, prominently including microglia, the immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS) , and peripheral macrophages. To this end, our project proposes to explore the role of these immune cells in the etiology and progression of obesity. Our laboratory found that deletion of the Abi3 gene locus, which is a gene primarily involved in the regulation of actin dynamics within immune cells, resulted in the induction of obesity in mice. Specifically, mice lacking Abi3 had increased body weight and body fat percentage compared to wild-type mice. Additionally, mice without Abi3 showed impaired glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, but no changes in acute energy expenditure or food intake. Further, through RNA-seq analysis, we observed that deletion of the Abi3 gene locus substantially altered the expression of immune genes in both the CNS and peripheral tissue. Through this study, we aimed to metabolically characterize mice with and without the Abi3 gene locus in order to discover the mechanisms by which this deletion alters central and peripheral immune cells to facilitate the onset of obesity. This and future studies will enable us to understand how perturbations to microglia and peripheral immune cells alter metabolic regulation to mediate susceptibility to metabolic disease. Disclosure D.C.Smith: None. H.Karahan: None. H.Wijeratne: None. M.Al amin: None. B.Mccord: None. Y.Moon: None. J.Kim: None. Funding Indiana University Diabetes and Obesity Research Training Program, DK064466

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in adults and is associated with cognitive impairment. However, the mechanism by which adult vitamin D (AVD) deficiency affects cognitive function remains unclear. We examined spatial memory impairment in AVD-deficient BALB/c mice and its underlying mechanism by measuring spine density, long term potentiation (LTP), nitric oxide (NO), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and endothelial NOS (eNOS) in the hippocampus. Adult male BALB/c mice were fed a control or vitamin D deficient diet for 20 weeks. Spatial memory performance was measured using an active place avoidance (APA) task, where AVD-deficient mice had reduced latency entering the shock zone compared to controls. We characterised hippocampal spine morphology in the CA1 and dentate gyrus (DG) and made electrophysiological recordings in the hippocampus of behaviourally naïve mice to measure LTP. We next measured NO, as well as glutathione, lipid peroxidation and oxidation of protein products and quantified hippocampal immunoreactivity for nNOS and eNOS. Spine morphology analysis revealed a significant reduction in the number of mushroom spines in the CA1 dendrites but not in the DG. There was no effect of diet on LTP. However, hippocampal NO levels were depleted whereas other oxidation markers were unaltered by AVD deficiency. We also showed a reduced nNOS, but not eNOS, immunoreactivity. Finally, vitamin D supplementation for 10 weeks to AVD-deficient mice restored nNOS immunoreactivity to that seen in in control mice. Our results suggest that lower levels of NO and reduced nNOS immunostaining contribute to hippocampal-dependent spatial learning deficits in AVD-deficient mice.

This research investigated the modulating effects of antihistamines—Loratadine, Fexofenadine, Meclizine, and Chlorpheniramine on cognitive (executive function, memory, attention, emotion regulation), mood, psychomotor performance, and sedation in healthy human volunteers. Twenty healthy volunteers received Loratadine 10-mg, Fexofenadine 120-mg, Meclizine 50-mg, Chlorpheniramine Maleate 4-mg, and Placebo 250-mg starch tablet in a five-way crossover, double-blind study. Following each dose the participants were subjected to take a series of test of cognitive functions and psychomotor performances at defined interval. A certain amount of washout period was also maintained for each drug. The test battery included PennCNP—Full Battery Test, Psychology Experiment Building Language, Stanford Sleepiness Scale, and Brief Mood Introspection Scale. The test results These test results were analyzed by one-way and two-way ANOVAs. In general, antihistamines didn't show any statistically significant deviation from that of placebo. However, slight improvement was observed in word memory test (Both immediate and delayed) by Chlorpheniramine; although it increased the reaction time in visual object learning test. Fexofenadine also increased performance in delayed word memory test. Meclizine showed significant reduction (p

Converging evidence from human and animal studies support an association between vitamin D deficiency and cognitive impairment. Previous studies have shown that hippocampal volume is reduced in adults with vitamin D deficiency as well as in a range of disorders, such as schizophrenia. The aim of the current study was to examine the effect of adult vitamin D (AVD) deficiency on hippocampal-dependent spatial learning, and hippocampal volume and connectivity in healthy adult mice. Ten-week-old male BALB/c mice were fed a control (vitamin D 1500 IU/kg) or vitamin D-depleted (vitamin D 0 IU/kg) diet for a minimum of 10 weeks. The mice were then tested for hippocampal-dependent spatial learning using active place avoidance (APA) and on tests of muscle and motor coordination (rotarod and grip strength). The mice were perfused and brains collected to acquire ex vivo structural and diffusion-weighted images using a 16.4 T MRI scanner. We also performed immunohistochemistry to quantify perineuronal nets (PNNs) and parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in various brain regions. AVD-deficient mice had a lower latency to enter the shock zone on APA, compared to control mice, suggesting impaired hippocampal-dependent spatial learning. There were no differences in rotarod or grip strength, indicating that AVD deficiency did not have an impact on muscle or motor coordination. AVD deficiency did not have an impact on hippocampal volume. However, AVD-deficient mice displayed a disrupted network centred on the right hippocampus with abnormal connectomes among 29 nodes. We found a reduction in PNN positive cells, but no change in PV, centred on the hippocampus. Our results provide compelling evidence to show that AVD deficiency in otherwise healthy adult mice may play a key role in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory formation. We suggest that the spatial learning deficits could be due to the disruption of right hippocampal structural connectivity.

Although amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition is one of the major causes of white matter (WM) alterations in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), little is known about the underlying basis of WM damage and its association with global structural connectivity and network topology. We aimed to dissect the contributions of WM microstructure to structural connectivity and network properties in the ArcAβ mice model of Aβ amyloidosis.We acquired diffusion-weighted images (DWI) of wild type (WT) and ArcAβ transgenic (TG) mice using a 9.4 T MRI scanner. Fixel-based analysis (FBA) was performed to measure fiber tract-specific properties. We also performed three complementary experiments; to identify the global differences in structural connectivity, to compute network properties and to measure cellular basis of white matter alterations.Transgenic mice displayed disrupted structural connectivity centered to the entorhinal cortex (EC) and a lower fiber density and fiber bundle cross-section. In addition, there was a reduced network efficiency and degree centrality in weighted structural connectivity in the transgenic mice. To further examine the underlying neuronal basis of connectivity and network deficits, we performed histology experiments. We found no alteration in myelination and an increased level of neurofilament light (NFL) in the brain regions with disrupted connectivity in the TG mice. Furthermore, TG mice had a reduced number of perineuronal nets (PNN) in the EC.The observed FDC reductions may indicate a decrease in axonal diameter or axon count which would explain the basis of connectivity deficits and reduced network efficiency in TG mice. The increase in NFL suggests a breakdown of axonal integrity, which would reduce WM fiber health. Considering the pivotal role of the EC in AD, Aβ deposition may primarily increase NFL release, damaging PNN in the entorhinal pathway, resulting in disrupted structural connectivity.

Purpose Bangladesh is facing an alarming situation with the drinking water in its most areas, as groundwater used for drinking has been contaminated with naturally occurring inorganic arsenic. Many entrepreneurs along with the government are trying to cope up with this problem. SONO filter is one of them that is based on the social innovation concept. Social innovation is defined as innovative products/services motivated by the goal of meeting a social need, with the opportunity to create new social collaborations. This paper aims to examine the concepts of social innovation, which advocates enhancing values to society and the social benefit to all the stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach This is an exploratory study and presents the evolution, the development of the social business model and its implementation. Abul Hussam initiated the social business concept through SONO filter that is commercialized through the Manob Sakti Unnayan Kendro. The study has been conducted entirely on the basis of documentary information and data available in the public domain. Findings The findings show a hopeful contribution toward enhancing social benefits to society especially in arsenic-affected areas. SONO filter helps to mitigate the water-borne diseases and make people clean and safe, as well as healthy, by providing pure drinking water. Even by drinking pure water, people with arsenic-related diseases are getting better day by day through this social initiative. Originality/value Business based on social innovation is a new and really a good working concept. It has faced many hurdles in its journey to meet social objectives. Many researchers, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, national planners and society leaders will surely be benefited by its solution.

Background: Aluminum, a neurotoxic substance, causes oxidative stress induced-neurodegenerative diseases. Several lines of evidence suggest that levocarnitine has an antioxidant effect and also plays an important role in beta-oxidation of fatty acids. However, the role of levocarnitine in aluminum-induced neurotoxicity has not been well documented. Here we aimed to investigate the effect of levocarnitine on aluminum chloride (AlCl3)-induced oxidative stress and memory dysfunction.Methods: Male Swiss albino mice (n = 30) were treated with either control (saline) or AlCl3 or AlCl3 plus levocarnitine or levocarnitine or astaxanthin plus AlCl3 or astaxanthin alone. The spatial working memory was determined by radial arm maze (RAM). In addition, we measured the lipid peroxidation (MDA), glutathione (GSH), advanced oxidation of protein products (AOPP), nitric oxide (NO) and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the various brain regions including prefrontal cortex (PFC), striatum (ST), parietal cortex (PC), hippocampus (HIP) hypothalamus (HT) and cerebellum (CB). We used astaxanthin as a standard antioxidant to compare the antioxidant activity of levocarnitine.Results: The RAM data showed that AlCl3 treatment (50 mg/kg) for 2 weeks resulted in a significant deficit in spatial learning in mice. Moreover, aluminum exposure significantly (p < 0.05) increased the level of oxidative stress markers such as MDA, GSH, AOPP and NO in the various brain regions compared to the controls. In addition, combined administration of levocarnitine and AlCl3 significantly (p < 0.05) lowered the MDA, AOPP, GSH and NO levels in mice.Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that levocarnitine could serve as a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of oxidative stress associated diseases as well as in memory impairment.

Prenatal exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been exploited to simulate brain disorder in animal model. Prenatal LPS-exposure has shown elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the early stages of the postnatal period. This study determines the effect of prenatal LPS-exposure on oxidative stress (OS) in the distinct brain regions in the early postnatal stages. LPS (50 μg/kg, i.p.) and water for injection (100 μl, i.p.) were given to the experimental (n=5) and control (n=5) group of pregnant Swiss albino mice respectively on gestational day (GD)-16 and 17. Animals were decapitated on postnatal day (PnD) - 1, 7, 14 and 21 to assay levels of oxidative markers from 6 distinct brain regions. When compared with the control, prenatal LPS-exposure alters levels of OS markers: (i) on PnD-1, glutathione (GSH) level is raised and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity is dropped, (ii) on PnD-7, advanced oxidation of protein product (AOPP) level is elevated, (iii) on PnD-14, lipid peroxidation (MDA) and activity of catalase (CAT) are enhanced, (iv) on PnD-21, increased MDA continued. The hippocampus (HC) and cerebellum (CB) were mostly susceptible to OS in the early postnatal development. Levels of MDA and activity of CAT enzyme were increased on PnD-14 in the cortex, HC and CB. Except MDA, all OS markers recovered and returned to the level of control animals on PnD-21. Taken together, these results suggest that prenatal LPS-exposure induces age- and region-specific OS in the early postnatal stage.

It is well established that vitamin D is essential in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism. Recent evidence has exposed further roles of vitamin D in adult brain function, specifically indicating that low vitamin D levels during adulthood may be related to cognitive impairment. We have recently shown that adult vitamin D (AVD) deficiency disrupts hippocampal-dependent learning and structural brain connectivity in BALB/c mice. The BALB/c mouse strain is more vulnerable to social stress compared with other resilient mouse strains, such as C57BL/6J mice. Therefore, the primary aim of this research was to examine C57BL/6J mice exposed to varying levels of vitamin D (0, 1500 and 15,000 IU/vitamin D3/kg referred to as deficient, control and elevated, respectively) for 10 weeks. The mice were assessed for hippocampal-dependent learning using the active place avoidance (APA) task. Mice were tested for behaviours that could alter performance on the APA task, and hippocampal tissue was analysed for catecholamine and protein expression. Vitamin D status did not affect spatial learning and memory, general behavioural domains, or catecholamine or protein expression in C57BL/6J mice. Overall, these results indicate that, in contrast to BALB/c mice, vitamin D status does not impact on hippocampal-dependent behaviour in young and healthy, adult male C57BL/6J mice.

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by progressive disruption of cholinergic neurotransmission and impaired cognitive functions. In rodents, scopolamine has been used to induce cholinergic dysfunction resulting in cognitive impairments and an increment of oxidative stress in the brain. Here we tested whether oxidative stress can be attenuated via an antioxidant (astaxanthin) to rescue scopolamine-induced spatial memory. For this purpose, we administered either 0.9% saline (control), or scopolamine (SCP), or scopolamine plus astaxanthin (SCP + AST) to Swiss albino mice (ten weeks old; n = 20) for 28 consecutive days and subsequently examined animals’ locomotor activity, spatial learning, and memory performance. The mice were then euthanized and prefrontal cortex (PFC), striatum (ST), hippocampus (HP), and liver tissues were assayed for antioxidant enzymes, glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and nitric oxide (NO). The SCP group exhibited impaired spatial learning and significantly altered levels of antioxidant enzymes and NO in the PFC, ST, and HP. In contrast, SCP + AST treatment did not cause spatial learning deficits. Furthermore, this condition also showed unaltered levels of SOD and NO in the ST and HP. Taken together, our results show that scopolamine may interrupt the striatal-hippocampal cholinergic activity resulting in impaired spatial memory. At the same time, these impairments are extinguished with astaxanthin by preventing oxidative damage in the striatal-hippocampal cholinergic neurons. Therefore, we suggest astaxanthin as a potential treatment to slow the onset or progression of cognitive dysfunctions that are elicited by abnormal cholinergic neurotransmission in Alzheimer’s disease.

Risperidone (RIS), an atypical antipsychotic has been found to show anti-inflammatory effect against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation. In vitro study has revealed that RIS inhibits the LPS-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. We investigated the antioxidant effects of RIS on LPS-induced oxidative stress markers in Swiss albino mice. Ten weeks old male Swiss albino mice (30 ± 2 g) were pretreated with either distilled water (control) or RIS (3 mg/kg) for 7 days. On day 8, animals were challenged with a single dose of LPS (0.8 mg/kg) while control animals received distilled water only. The animals were sacrificed after 24 h of LPS administration and tissue samples were collected. RIS administration significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the LPS-induced elevated levels of lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA), advanced protein oxidation products, and nitric oxide (NO) in the cortex. Catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were also diminished while the level of glutathione (GSH) was enhanced. Hippocampus data showed that RIS significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the LPS-induced increased levels of MDA and NO, and SOD activity. Our results suggest that LPS-induced neuronal oxidative damage can be alleviated by the pretreatment with RIS and the effect is shown presumably by scavenging of the ROS by risperidone as an antioxidant.

Spilanthes paniculata Linn. (Asteraceae) is a well-known plant for its folklore use in toothache and tlıroat infection. The methanol extract of S. paniculata was investigated for if s probable antinociceptive activity by hot plate, acetic acid-induced writhing and fonnalin test. The extract at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight showed significant (p

In this study, Khadiraristha (KDR), a traditional Ayurvedic preparation used in dennatological disorder has been in-vestigated for its biochemical effects and in some extent justify the pliannacological uses under the stated circums-tances. Kliadiraristlia was administered orally to female albino rat for 46 days. After the treatment period animals were fasted for 18 hours. Biochemical parameters including; Total protein. Serum albumin. Blood Urea Nitrogen, Bilirubin. Liver enzymes (sGPT, sGOT, ALT) were detennined in the plasma. KDR significantly inereased (p)

We aimed to study phytochemical screening and analgesic activity of ethanol extract of Oroxylum indicum. The dried powder of the barks of the plant was extracted with 95% ethanol and was subjected to various phytochemical tests to ascertain the principle constituents contained in the extract. The result revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, glycosides in the ethanol extract of Oroxylum indicum. The extract was screened for analgesic activity by using hot plate, acetic acid-induced writhing and formalin test. The ethanol extract of the plant at two different doses (250 and 500 mg/kg) showed significant (P

OBJECTIVE We investigated the effects of antipsychotics on immune-challenged peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures. METHODS Blood samples were collected from twelve patients with first-episode schizophrenia. The PBMCs were separated and cultures were prepared and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly[I:C]), and then separately treated with a typical antipsychotic (haloperidol) or atypical antipsychotic (clozapine, quetiapine, or risperidone). Pro-inflammatory (interferon gamma [IFN-γ]) and anti-inflammatory (interleukin [IL]-4 and IL-10) cytokine levels were measured in the LPS- or poly(I:C)-stimulated PBMC cultures treated with antipsychotics. RESULTS Haloperidol and quetiapine significantly increased the IL-4 levels (p

Background: The association of mental disorder with cardiac disease is not a coincidence rather a strong relationship exists in between those two. Objective: We investigated the prescription pattern of psycholeptic drugs during the discharge of patients in a national cardiovascular hospital. Methods: Data was collected from the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) at Dhaka in Bangladesh. In total, 1076 prescriptions were collected randomly from July 2012 to June 2013. Data were analyzed by using the software Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS, version 22). Results: Benzodiazepine was the highest (99.3%) prescribed psycholeptic class while Bromazepam (87.49%) the highest advised molecule. Psycholeptics were advised for 15 (38.77%), 10 (19.91%), 30 (15.72%) and 7 (13.39%) days. The patient group without psycholeptic medication (M=6.64 day) spent significantly (p < 0.05) a longer duration in the hospital compared to the psycholeptic medication (Mean=5.06 day) group. Age is significantly (p < 0.05) associated with the duration of staying in hospital and polymorbidity. Also, polymorbidity (p < 0.05) is significantly associated with the polypharmacy. No significant (p < 0.05) correlation has been found between age and polypharmacy. Duration of psycholeptics intake was not significantly (p < 0.05) related to either age, or polymorbidity,or length hospital stay. Conclusion: This study revealed that bromazepam is the utmost prescribed drug of choice at NICVD, Bangladesh. Frequent prescription of bromazepam indicates that this kind of patients' needs enough sleep to reduce their mental stress.

Aims: To investigate the effect of ethanol extract of Coccinia grandis Lin (Cucurbitaceae) leaf in glucose and cholesterol lowering activity in animal model. Study Design: Extraction, glucose and cholesterol lowering activity evaluation. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmacy, North South University, Dhaka between June 2012 and December 2012. Methodology: Glucose and cholesterol lowering effect of the ethanol extract of C. grandis leaf was evaluated using the alloxan-induced diabetic rat and compared the activity with diabetic control and antidiabetic drug (Glibenclamide). Ethanol extract (25mg/kg) of C. grandis and Glibenclamide were administered to normal and experimental diabetic rats for the duration of 10 days. Results: Phytochemical screening showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, cardenolides and polyprenols in significant amounts. In the alloxan-induced diabetic rat model, C. grandis (25 mg/kg) significantly (p

Aims: To investigate the effect of different antipsychotics on cytokine production in immunologically challenged Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC) culture. Study Design: In vitro cell culture study to determine cytokine (IL-4, IL-10 and IFN-γ) level. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmacy, North South University, Dhaka between January 2013 and April 2013. Methodology: Blood sample was collected from 22 healthy volunteers. Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells were separated and culture was prepared. The culture was stimulated with either LPS (lipopolysaccharide) or poly(I:C) (polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid). Stimulated PBMC culture was treated with typical antipsychotic (Haloperidol) and atypical antipsychotics (Clozapine, Quetiapine, Risperidone). Pro-inflammatory (IFN-γ) and antiinflammatory (IL-4, IL-10) cytokine levels were determined from the stimulated PBMC culture and stimulated plus antipsychotic treated PBMC culture. Results: Typical antipsychotic; Haloperidol and atypical antipsychotics; Clozapine, Quetiapine, Risperidone significantly (P = .05) enhance IL-10 production but not IL-4 in the LPS and poly(I:C) stimulated PBMC culture. IL-10 production was robust in LPS stimulated PBMC culture than the poly(I:C) stimulated culture. Typical and atypical both antipsychotics significantly (P = .05) reduce increased IFN-γ level in the LPS and poly(I:C) Research Article International Neuropsychiatric Disease Journal, 1(1): 35-45, 2013 36 stimulated PBMC culture. Conclusion: Typical and atypical antipsychotics were successfully alters immune function by the suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokine (IFN-γ) levels and elevation of anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10).

Background Attentional bias to affective information and reduced cognitive control may maintain the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and impair cognitive functioning. However, the role of content specificity of affective stimuli (e.g., trauma-related, emotional trauma-unrelated) in the observed attentional bias and cognitive control is less clear, as this has not been tested simultaneously before. Therefore, we examined the content specificity of attentional bias to threat in PTSD. Methods PTSD participants (survivors of a multistory factory collapse, n = 30) and matched controls (n = 30) performed an Eriksen Flanker task. They identified the direction of a centrally presented target arrow, which was flanked by several task-irrelevant distractor arrows pointed to the same (congruent) or opposite direction (incongruent). Additionally, participants were presented with a picture of a face (neutral, emotional) or building (neutral = normal, emotional = collapsed multistory factory) as a task-irrelevant background image. Results We found that PTSD participants produced overall larger conflict effects and longer reaction times (RT) to emotional than to neutral stimuli relative to their healthy counterparts. Moreover, PTSD, but not healthy participants showed a stimulus specific dissociation in processing emotional stimuli. Emotional faces elicited longer RTs compared to neutral faces, while emotional buildings elicited faster responses, compared to neutral buildings. Conclusions PTSD patients show a content-sensitive attentional bias to emotional information and impaired cognitive control.

This paper is an exploratory nature of how to adapt structuration theory in the context of information and communication technology (ICT) as used in non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Bangladesh. Structuration theory, developed by Anthony Giddens in 1984, has been used to explain organisational structures with Giddens arguing that structure and human interactions are mutually interdependent. However the main aim of the paper is to evaluate the application of structuration theory in the context of ICT in the microfinance sector of Bangladesh. The case study has been conducted on a leading microfinance institution in Bangladesh (given the pseudonym of DESH). The paper finds that the theory provides a well organised framework to identify organisational and social issues and how they are interconnected to technology. The paper also provides suggestions how technology can be more meaningful to the practitioners.

Background Prenatal maternal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure leads to behavioral deficits such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia in the adult lives. LPS-exposure resulted in the production of cytokines and oxidative damage. On the contrary, astaxanthin is a carotenoid compound, showed neuroprotective properties via its antioxidant capacity. This study examines the effect of astaxanthin on the prenatal maternal LPS-induced postnatal behavioral deficit in mice. Results We found that prenatal LPS-exposed mice showed extensive immobile phase in the tail suspension test, higher frequent head dipping in the hole-board test and greater hypolocomotion in the open field test. All these values were statistically significant (p

Aluminum chloride induces neurodegenerative disease in animal model. Evidence suggests that aluminum intake results in the activation of glial cells and generation of reactive oxygen species. By contrast, astaxanthin is an antioxidant having potential neuroprotective activity. In this study, we investigate the effect of astaxanthin on aluminum chloride-exposed behavioral brain function and neuronal oxidative stress (OS). Male Swiss albino mice (4 months old) were divided into 4 groups: (i) control (distilled water), (ii) aluminum chloride, (iii) astaxanthin+aluminum chloride, and (iv) astaxanthin. Two behavioral tests; radial arm maze and open field test were conducted, and OS markers were assayed from the brain and liver tissues following 42 days of treatment. Aluminum exposed group showed a significant reduction in spatial memory performance and anxiety-like behavior. Moreover, aluminum group exhibited a marked deterioration of oxidative markers; lipid peroxidation (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), glutathione (GSH) and advanced oxidation of protein products (AOPP) in the brain. To the contrary, co-administration of astaxanthin and aluminum has shown improved spatial memory, locomotor activity, and OS. These results indicate that astaxanthin improves aluminum-induced impaired memory performances presumably by the reduction of OS in the distinct brain regions. We suggest a future study to determine the underlying mechanism of astaxanthin in improving aluminum-exposed behavioral deficits.

Astaxanthin is a potential antioxidant which shows neuroprotective property. We aimed to investigate the age-dependent and region-specific antioxidant effects of astaxanthin in mice brain. Animals were divided into 4 groups; treatment young (3 months, n = 6) (AY), treatment old (16 months, n = 6) (AO), placebo young (3 months, n = 6) (PY) and placebo old (16 months, n = 6) (PO) groups. Treatment group was given astaxanthin (2 mg/kg/day, body weight), and placebo group was given 100 μl of 0.9 % normal saline orally to the healthy Swiss albino mice for 4 weeks. The level of non-enzymatic oxidative markers namely malondialdehyde (MDA); nitric oxide (NO); advanced protein oxidation product (APOP); glutathione (GSH) and the activity of enzymatic antioxidants i.e.; catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined from the isolated brain regions. Treatment with astaxanthin significantly (p

Prenatal exposure to valproic acid on gestational day 12.5 may lead to the impaired behavior in the offspring, which is similar to the human autistic symptoms. To the contrary, astaxanthin shows neuroprotective effect by its antioxidant mechanism. We aimed to (i) develop mice model of autism and (ii) investigate the effect of astaxanthin on such model animals. Valproic acid (600 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally to the pregnant mice on gestational day 12.5. Prenatal valproic acid-exposed mice were divided into 2 groups on postnatal day 25 and astaxanthin (2 mg/kg) was given to the experimental group (VPA_AST, n = 10) while saline was given to the control group (VPA, n = 10) for 4 weeks. Behavioral test including social interaction, open field and hot-plate were conducted on postnatal day 25 and oxidative stress markers such as lipid peroxidation, advanced protein oxidation product, nitric oxide, glutathione, and activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase were estimated on postnatal day 26 to confirm mice model of autism and on postnatal day 56 to assess the effect of astaxanthin. On postnatal day 25, prenatal valproic acid-exposed mice exhibited (i) delayed eye opening (ii) longer latency to respond painful stimuli, (iii) poor sociability and social novelty and (iv) high level of anxiety. In addition, an increased level of oxidative stress was found by determining different oxidative stress markers. Treatment with astaxanthin significantly (p < 0.05) improved the behavioral disorder and reduced the oxidative stress in brain and liver. In conclusion, prenatal exposure to valproic day in pregnant mice leads to the development of autism-like features. Astaxanthin improves the impaired behavior in animal model of autism presumably by its antioxidant activity.

Background: Our present study was carried out to explore the potential role of the methanol extract from the leaves of Phlogocanthus thyrsiflorous (PT) Nees. in central and peripheral analgesic activities using hot plate and acetic acid-induced writhing methods. We also tested the antiinflammatory effects and anti-oxidant activity using carrageenan-induced paw edema and the DPPH method, respectively. Methods: Methanol extracts of PT leaves were prepared using 500 g powder in 1.8 L methanol by percolation method, followed by evaporation in a rotary evaporator under controlled temperature and pressure. The crude methanol extract was dried by freeze drier and preserved at 4 ° C. Results: Oral administration of PT significantly (p < 0.05) increased the reaction time at 55.73% (250 mg/kg) and 72.81% (500 mg/kg) inhibition (p < 0.05) in the hot plate test at 3 h. PT significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited 42.17% (250 mg/kg) and 56.63% (500 mg/kg) acetic acid-induced writhing. PT leaves (250 and 500 mg/kg) also significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited paw edema 6 h after carrageenan injection. Furthermore, this plant showed significant (p < 0.05) free radical-scavenging activity at a dose range of 25 – 800 μ g/mL. Conclusions: Based on the findings, we can conclude that PT leaf possesses analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant activities. Preliminary phytochemical study of PT leaves revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins and triterpens in methanol extract which could be correlated with its observed biological activities.

Background Plant-derived phytochemicals consisting of phenols and flavonoids possess antioxidant properties, eventually rendering a lucrative tool to scavenge reactive oxygen species. This study was carried out to evaluate in vitro antioxidant and cytotoxic potential of methanolic extract and petroleum ether extracts of Smilax zeylanica L. stems. Methods Phytochemical screening was done following standard procedures. Antioxidant activity was tested using several in vitro assays, viz., 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, NO assay, H2O2 assay, CUPRAC assay, FRAP assay and total antioxidant capacity assay. Total phenol and flavonoid contents were determined by colorimetric method. Brine shrimp lethality and MTT cell viability assays were used for cytotoxic potential. Results Preliminary phytochemical study revealed the presence of flavonoids and glycosides in both extracts. Methanolic extract was found to possess stronger antioxidant potential than petroleum ether extracts in all assays. The IC50 value of methanolic extract was 29.14±0.39 μg/mL, 120.30±3.32 μg/mL and 78.41±5.53 μg/mL in DPPH assay, NO assay and H2O2 assay, respectively. Likewise, total phenol [56.78 mg/g gallic acid (GAE)] and flovonoid [125.69 mg/g quercetin equivalents (QE)] were higher in methanolic extract. In cytotoxicity assays, petroleum ether extract showed stronger activity in both brine shrimp lethality (LC50 2.85±0.13 μg/mL) and MTT cell viability assay (IC50 15.49±1.18 μg/mL). Conclusions These findings demonstrate that methanolic extracts could be considered as potential sources of natural antioxidant, whereas petroleum ether extracts could be explored for promising anticancer molecules.

Tadalafil, a type-5 phosphodiesterase enzyme inhibitor with long half-life used to treat erectile dysfunction. Recently it has been reported that tadalafil improves cognitive function. Here, we aimed to investigate the age dependent effects of tadalafil on memory, locomotor, behavior, and oxidative stress in the hippocampus. Tadalafil was orally administered everyday (5 mg/kg) to young (2 months) and old (16 months) healthy mice for 4 weeks. Control mice from each group received equal volume of 0.9% normal saline for the same duration. Memory and locomotor activity were tested using radial arm maze and open field test respectively. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), and advanced protein oxidation product (APOP) was analyzed and catalase activity was determined from the isolated hippocampus. Treatment with tadalafil in aged mice improves working memory than the corresponding tadalafil treated young mice in radial arm maze test. Tadalafil treated mice traveled less distance in the center and the mean speed of tadalafil treated aged mice was significantly lower than the tadalafil treated young mice in open field test. Tadalafil treatment elicited a decrease of MDA level in the hippocampus of aged mice than that of young mice. APOP level was decreased only in aged mice treated with tadalafil. Treatment with tadalafil decreased NO and increased catalase activity in both young and aged mice. On the basis of previous and our findings, we conclude that tadalafil treatment reduces oxidative stress while increased cGMP level in the hippocampus might be responsible for memory enhancement.

We investigated the idea of possible anti-inflammatory treatment approaches for inflammatory disorders in the CNS. The articles used for this review were searched through PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google scholar and published between January 2000 and July 2013. The CNS has its own type of defensive mechanism. The crosstalk between neurons and the immune system take place via small molecules called cytokines that are secreted from glial cells. Previous study suggested that the imbalance of cytokines facilitates the development of CNS disorders. For instance, the interleukin-6 level is raised in the astrocyte cell during depressive episodes, while axons are damaged by the activated lymphocytes and microglia in multiple sclerosis. Several studies demonstrated that cytokines and inflammatory compounds are closely linked to neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we have accumulated and summarized evidence from those papers that support the anti-inflammatory treatment options for inflammatory CNS disorders.

Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the toxicological and pharmacological aspects of the popular ayurvedic preparation Raktapittantaka Louha ( RPT ) which has been used for hyperacidity non ulcer dyspepsia and haemorhagic diseases. Methods: Raktapittantaka Louha was administered orally to male albino rat. After 46 days of treatment period animals were fasted for 18 hours after the last administration. Biochemical studies including; total protein, serum albumin, blood urea nitrogen, bilirubin, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase & alkaline phosphatase were conducted. Results: Triglyceride level was significantly (p=0.001) lowered in the RPT group than the corresponding control group. Total cholesterols, LDL, VLDL and HDL levels were raised significantly (p=0.05) in the RPT group. The amount of Albumin, Creatinine and Urea in serum were significantly (p=0.05) increased in RPT group. Lowering of Triglyceride is particularly beneficial in the condition where triglyceride is a burden. Further studies are needed to be conducted to reach a concrete decision about its application in human. Normal 0 false false false

Central nervous system (CNS) has a completely separate immune system that communicates with the neurons by small molecules called cytokines. Cytokines are involved in many crucial processes in neuron including cell metabolism and neurotransmitter synthesis. It has been reported that cytokine imbalance is involved in the progression of many CNS diseases such as neuropsychiatric disorders (depression, schizophrenia, autism, and bipolar disorder) and neurodegenerative disorders (Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease). Here, the effects of diclofenac, different antidepressants (sertraline, venlafaxine, and fluvoxamine), and vitamin B₆ (pyridoxine) on IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) change with and without immune challenges with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were investigated in in vitro culture of astrocytes from 2-day-old Swiss-Albino mice. Diclofenac and Sertraline significantly (p0.05) improves anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) while suppress (p0.05) LPS-induced elevated level of pro-inflammatory mediators (TNF-α) in astrocyte culture. Pyridoxine was not able to reduce (p0.05) TNF-α in the astrocyte culture. Antidepressant (sertraline) showed positive effects (increased IL-10 and reduced TNF-α level) possibly through the suppression of Th1 lymphocytes and monocytes and stimulation of Th2 lymphocytes and monocytes/macrophages. NSAID (diclofenac) showed positive immune regulation effect possibly through the inhibition of cyclo-oxygenase enzyme. Based on these findings, it may conclude that, diclofenac and antidepressants (sertraline) may positively contribute in the cytokine production in astrocyte cell culture.

The human visual system prioritizes processing of novel information, leading to faster detection of novel stimuli. Novelty facilitates conflict resolution through the enhanced early perceptual processing. However, the role of novel information processing during the conflict-related response selection and inhibition remains unclear. Here, we used a face-gender classification version of the Simon task and manipulated task-difficulty and novelty of task-relevant information. The novel quality of stimuli was made task-irrelevant, and an in-group bias was tightly controlled by manipulation of a gender of picture stimuli. We found that the in-group bias modulated the role of novelty in executive control. Novel opposite-sex stimuli facilitated response inhibition only when the task was not demanding. By contrast, novelty enhanced response selection irrespective of the in-group factor when task-difficulty was increased. These findings support the in-group bias mechanism of visual processing, in cases when attentional resources are not limited by a demanding task. The results are further discussed along the lines of the attentional load theory and neural mechanisms of response-inhibition and locomotor activity. In conclusion, our data showed that processing of novel information may enhance executive control through facilitated response selection and inhibition.

Article history: We analyzed the prevalence of polypharmacy among cardiac patients in the Natioal Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Polypharmacy was defined as consumption of six or more drugs at the same time. We entered the drugs that were prescribed into the Drug Interaction Checker provided by MedScape online edition. Almost 85% of cardiac patients met criteria for three types of polypharmacy (minor, moderate and serious). However, serious and moderate types of polypharmacy were not influnenced by the increase in number of disorders (polymorbidity) as well as by the total number of drugs taken. The most frequent cause and threat that is associated with polypharmacy comes primarily from the quality of drug-drug interactions and not the total number of drugs prescribed. Most of the dangerous consecuences of polypharmacy came from the interaction of Clopidogrel with either Aspirin or PPIs. Our study emphasizes the need of informing doctors more about the problem of polypharmacy. Careful and thoughtful drug prescription strategy seems to be able to eliminate most of the cases of polypharmacy even in patients who are suffering from a multiplace disorders simultaneously. The results also provide support for development of new drugs that take into account compatibility with other medication, especially in elderly people.