Carotenoid Assessments and Antioxidant Activities from Flower Petals

The objectives of this study were to evaluate carotenoid pigment profile and the antioxidant activity from 14 commonly grown flowers in Thailand. The result found that orange marigold showed the highest total carotenoid content at as 2,209±75.58 µg/g, followed by deep yellow chrysanthemum at 551.27±47.72 µg/g (P<0.01). The next lower total carotenoid content group was found in yellow silk cotton, yellow trumpetbush, yellow marigold and yellow golden shower with total carotenoid content of 447.42±27.56, 429.46±28.34, 409.85±34.58 and 363.88±12.74 µg/g, respectively. The highest antioxidant activities against DPPH and ABTS radicles were found from orange marigold, which were 32.34±2.16 and 50.08±0.87%, respectively. Deep yellow chrysanthemum, yellow silk cotton, yellow trumpetbush, yellow marigold and yellow golden shower also showed significantly higher antioxidant activities than other flowers (P<0.01). Total carotenoid contents well correlated with antioxidant activities against DPPH and ABTS radicals (r = 0.6924 and r = 0.8270, respectively) at P<0.01. TLC result elucidated that orange marigold, yellow silk cotton and yellow golden shower were a good source of β-carotene, while deep yellow chrysanthemum and yellow marigold were a good source of lutein and/or zeaxanthin. The result indicated that flower petals would be useful as natural carotenoid source and provide antioxidants for food industry.

AN AYURVEDIC MANAGEMENT OF ALCOHOLIC LIVER DISEASE W.S.R TO SHAKHASHRITA KAMALA - A CASE STUDY

Alcoholic liver disease is a pathological condition of the liver parenchymal tissue due to excessive consumption of alcohol over a long period of 6-10 years or even earlier. Here in we present a case of a married male of 35 yr. old reported in the Panchakarma OPD of SJIIM Government Ayurveda Medical College Bengaluru on 30th -Jan- 2021, with chief complaints of swelling in the bilateral lower limbs, deep yellowish and burning micturition, yel- lowish discoloration of sclera, reduced appetite, nausea and generalized weakness in the body since 3 months, with the increased level of LFT and USG-abdomen report suggesting hepatomegaly with fatty changes, was ex- amined and diagnosed as alcoholic liver disease and treated with Amapachana with Trikatu Churna, Nitya Virechana with Chitraka Haritaki Leha fallowed by Mustadi Yapana Basti had shown a very good improvement in normalizing appetite, bilateral lower limb swelling and deep yellow micturition. Total bilirubin, SGOT and ALP values were reduced. Keywords: Alcoholic Liver disease, Shakhashrita Kamala, Nitya Virechana

رنگوں کےذریعے امراض کا علاج: ایک تحقیقی مطالعہ

Allah Almighty has made the life of the world in the Universe perishable. Therefore, he has also made the lives of human beings, animals, birds and insects living on the earth eternal. For the end of their lives, Allah Almighty has made different causes according to his Sunnah. Among these causes of the decline of worldly life are also diseases. On the other hand Allah Almighty has also created means to take life to the appointed time. Among these causes are medicines which can be used to prolong the life of this world till the appointed time. Therefore, along with diseases, Allah Almighty has also revealed to human beings various methods of treatment for diseases. One of these methods is the treatment of colors. Different colors have different effects on human life. The proof of this is stated in the Holy Quran “The Said! Ask Allah to tell us what color it is. Musa Said! My Allah says: let its color be deep yellow, that it may please the beholders.” Since man is naturally endowed with beauty, Allah Almighty has adorned the universe with colors. This blessing is also mentioned in various places in the Holy Qur’an, as the Almighty says: “Do they not look at the sky above them, how we have made it and adorned it, and there is no crack in it?” “On top of these Paradises will be green garments of cherubim and silk rings and they will be adorned with silver bracelets”. The importance of colors has been mentioned in the Holy Quran. Keeping in view the importance of colors, Azimi Sahib has described the treatment of colors as a natural means of treatment. He has written “Treatment” “Color therapy” and “Theory of Color and Lights”. According to him, due to the excess and deficiency of colors, the human body suffers from various diseases. And if the deficiency and excess of the desired color in the body is corrected, the disease can be got rid of. Sunlight and rays help to eliminate abuse. Describing the mental properties of red, he has called it the color of courage and love. When things go awry and expectations are dashed, red dominates the mental center. The red color in the center of the red is an indication of abnormal emotional attachment or emotional trauma. People in the red color are in moderation, they help others and use all their abilities in their favorite hobbies.

Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome Presenting in a Patient With Punctate Inner Choroidopathy

Purpose: This work reports a case of long-standing punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) presenting with acute-onset multiple evanescent white dot syndrome. Methods: A 44 year-old man presented with new onset of flashes and a peripheral spot of blurry vision in the right eye. His ocular history included PIC in both eyes. Results: Corrected visual acuities and intraocular pressures were normal. Posterior segment examination of the right eye demonstrated old PIC lesions and new, deep-yellow lesions in the posterior pole and midperiphery. Four months later, these lesions had resolved. Conclusions: Coexistence of PIC and multiple evanescent white dot syndrome has been rarely reported, and more research is warranted to investigate a possible shared etiology.

Maturation and Fecundity of Large Freshwater Prawn Macrobrachium malcolmsonii and Macrobrachium gangeticum in the Ganga River System in India

The Ganga is the largest perennial river in India. The prawns’ fishery resources are declining in middle stretch of the river Ganga near Patna. The present paper deals with the maturation and fecundity of large size Macrobrachium species like Macrobrachium gangeticum (Bate) and Macrobrachium malcolmsonii (Edwards) were estimated for the period of two years. Maturity and fecundity of prawn were evaluated according to the size of prawn, ovary and breeding frequency. The initial stage developing ovaries of M. gangeticum were observed small & light yellowish green colour but at stage II to mature gonad of M. gangeticum were found deep yellow green mass in the carapace, whereas in M. malcolmsonii the developing stage of ovaries was observed large yellowish in colour and matured female gonad were found comparatively in large and deep yellow in the carapace. The gravid females observed long setae at the base of genital aperture and 1- 4 pleopodes in both species. After mating, eggs were transferred by both the female prawn from ovary to brood pouch. Berried prawn M. gangeticum one week old fertilized eggs were looked as yellowish green finally brawn color. Whereas, in M. malcolmsonii, one week fertilized eggs were looked as yellowish-grey then finally changed deep gray. M. gangeticum and M. malcolmsonii female releases of eggs, her ovaries displayed either stage resting or zero characteristics. The species of M. gangeticum possess minimum of 8000 eggs with size 75 mm and the maximum 76,240 eggs with respective size 190 mm, whereas M. malcolmsonii the minimum fecundity observed 8100 eggs with size 75 mm and the maximum fecundity was 81,200 eggs of 190 mm size. The total weights of the eggs per female prawn as well as the mean number of eggs were improved with cumulative length and weight. The breeding frequency of both species were found four times and in first breeding the number of eggs was found slight, but it increased comparatively in second and third breeding and got decreased again in fourth breeding.

Comparative Evaluation of Essential Oils of Helichrysum petiolare Hilliard & B.L. Burtt Obtained from Solvent-Free Microwave and Hydrodistillation Extraction Methods

Till date, no study has ever looked into the effect of extraction method on the chemical constituents of the essential oil of Helichrysum petiolare. This study therefore evaluated the effect of hydrodistillation and solvent free microwave extraction (SFME) methods on the chemical constituents of H. petiolare derived essential oils. The SFME derived essential oil was deep yellow and of higher yield than the pale yellow essential oil obtained through the hydrodistillation. There were substantial amounts of monoterpenes, monoterpene alcohols, sesquiterpenes, and sesquiterpene alcohols in both essential oils obtained. The SFME derived essential oil had 62 compounds as against the 52 derived through hydrodistillation. The SFME derived essential oil can therefore be suggested to be of better quality than of the hydrodistillation method. The compounds obtained in the essential oils have high pharmaceutical and cosmetic values, and as observed in this study, their quantity is dependent on method of extraction.

Crocus baalbekensis K. Addam & M. Bou Hamdan sp. Nov and its three forms (IRIDACEAE), new endemic species and forms from Lebanon, joined the Lebanese Flora

Crocus baalbekensis K. Addam & M. Bou Hamdan sp. Nov is nominated as a novel species in addition to its three forms from Baalbek District, northeast of Lebanon. The new species resembles Crocus aleppicus and Crocus hyemalis but varies in terms of phytogeography, phenology, and some taxonomic structures such as (corm, tunic, leaves, and shape of the perianth, segment and others). Thousands of this new species were perceived in countless villages in the northern city of Baalbek. It grows in cold semi-arid climates in stony grasslands, tundra where trees are absent. Plant material and morphological analyses were done, measurements, colors, and other details given in the description are based on both herbarium and fresh materials. Morphological data were taken from more than 10 specimens. The flower is 1-6, 30-40mm tall, white, fragrant (Fresia smell), corm oblong conical about 20-26mm x 14-20mm in diameter. Corm tunic 4-10 layers, brown, extended neck 10-20mm, great build-up of old tunics, coarse parallel fibers, not glued together, with cross-links. Leaves 4-12 (present at flowering), green, glabrous, white stripe about 1/4 of leaf keels, Spathe, 3-4, membranous white to pale yellow pipe. Outer perianth segment, 3, oblanceolate, abaxial side is colored by yellow, mottled by dark blue–violet, middle (1 to 3) stripe of dark violates veins continue to the segment, filament, 3, deep yellow, Anther, wide, arrow shape, longitudinally striped in black and yellow. Style 1, deep yellow to orange, sometimes striped by thinner black lines, divided to 3 stigmas, equal or longer than the stamen. Stigma (each one) is branched to 3-6 short strands. Voucher specimen (Holotype) is deposited in K. Addam’s Herbarium Arts, Sciences and Technology University in Lebanon, Accession No.: 22-1-17-58-001. The three forms resemble Crocus baalbekensis but differ in the color of the tepals.

The Effect of Multispectral Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) on the Activation of Morphogenic Processes in Cell Culture of Rice Oryza Sativa l

The influence of light irradiation with different intensity parameters and different spectral composition on morphogenic structures, namely green zones of cultivar Dolinny cell cultures was investigated. Light irradiation was generated by 10 types of LEDs with different spectra: cold white (Cold W), white (W), warm white (Warm W), Full spectrum, Red, Deep Red, Yellow, Green, Blue and Royal Blue. It was shown that LEDs with Cold W, W and Royal Blue more actively influenced on green zones generation, while Red, Red Deep, Yellow и Green displayed no results. Standard fluorescent lighting illumination (WFL) was used as a control. The number of induced green zones was lower under control luminescent light (WFL) in comparison with the green zones, which were induced by the illumination of the most active spectra of LEDs, but lifetime of these control structures was longer. After 19 weeks of cultivation, degradation of the green zones of the calli was not observed under control and LEDs Cold W, Warm W, and Blue in the position with maximal intensity of light. The Royal Blue illumination displayed the same results not only in the position with maximum intensity but also at the other intensities approaching the control values (49,3 230 μmol/s*m2).

Functionalized Silver Nano-Sensor for Colorimetric Detection of Hg2+ Ions: Facile Synthesis and Docking Studies

In the present study, we describe the facile synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and their nanostructures functionalized with 2-aminopyrimidine-4,6-diol (APD-AgNPs) for Hg2+ ion detection. The promising colorimetric response of APD-AgNPs to detect Hg2+ ions was visible with naked eyes and spectroscopic changes were examined by using a UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The aggregation of APD-AgNPs upon addition of Hg2+ ions was due to the chelation effect of the functionalized nanostructures and results in a color change from pale brown to deep yellow color. The probing sensitivity was observed within five minutes with a detection limit of about 0.35 µM/L. The TEM images of APD-AgNPs showed polydispersed morphologies with hexagonal, heptagonal and spherical nanostructures with an average size between 10 to 40 nm. Furthermore, the sensing behavior of APD-AgNPs towards Hg2+ ions detection was investigated using docking and interaction studies.

STUDY ON CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS OF THE LICHEN PARMOTREMA TINCTORUM (NYL.) HALE (PARMELIACEAE)

A phytochemical investigation was conducted on a foliose lichen, Parmotrema tinctorum (Nyl.) Hale, collected in Lam Dong province, Vietnam. Colour reactions for identification of lichen substances (+K deep yellow, +C red, +KC red, + P pale yellow) suggested the presence of atranorin, lecanoric acid, quinones, depsides, and xanthones containing two free hydroxyl groups in meta-position. Chemical constituent study led to the isolation of six compounds, including atranol (1), methyl haematomate (2), divaricatinic acid (3), methyl divaricatinate (4), atranorin (5) and lecanoric acid (6). Their structures were confirmed unambiguously by X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic data and compared with those in references.