The Spasmolytic, Bronchodilator, and Vasodilator Activities of Parmotrema perlatum Are Explained by Anti-Muscarinic and Calcium Antagonistic Mechanisms

Parmotremaperlatumis traditionally used in different areas of Pakistan to treat gastrointestinal, respiratory, and vascular diseases. This study evaluates the underlying mechanisms for traditional uses of P. perlatumin diarrhea, asthma, and hypertension. In vitro pharmacological studies were conducted using isolated jejunum, trachea, and aortic preparations, while the cytotoxic study was conducted in mice. Crude extract of P. perlatum(Pp.Cr), comprising appreciable quantities of alkaloids and flavonoids, relaxed spontaneously contracting jejunum preparation, K+ (80 mM)-induced, and carbachol (1 µM)-induced jejunum contractions in a concentration-dependent manner similar to dicyclomine and dantrolene. Pp.Cr showed a rightward parallel shift of concentration-response curves (CRCs) of Cch after a non-parallel shift similarto dicyclomine and shifted CRCs of Ca+2 to rightward much likeverapamil and dantrolene, demonstrating the coexistence of antimuscarinic and Ca+2 antagonistic mechanism. Furthermore, Pp.Cr, dicyclomine, and dantrolene relaxed K+ (80 mM)-induced and Cch (1 µM)-induced tracheal contractions and shifted rightward CRCs of Cch similar to dicyclomine, signifying the dual blockade. Additionally, Pp.Cr also relaxed the K+ (80 mM)-induced and phenylephrine (1 µM)-induced aortic contraction, similarly to verapamil and dantrolene, suggesting Ca+2 channel antagonism. Here, we explored for the first time thespasmolytic and bronchodilator effects of Pp.Crand whether they maybe due to the dual blockade of Ca+2 channels and muscarinic receptors, while the vasodilator effect might be owing to Ca+2 antagonism. Our results provide the pharmacological evidence that P. perlatumcould be a new potential therapeutic option to treat gastrointestinal, respiratory, and vascular diseases. Hence, there is a need for further research to explore bioactive constituent of P. perlatumas well as further investigation by suitable experimental models are required to further confirm the importance and usefulness of P. perlatumin diarrhea, asthma, and hypertension treatment.

Abstract P193: Effect Of Nitroglycerin And Sympathetic Withdrawal On Splanchnic Capacitance And Cardiac Blood Volumes

The splanchnic vasculature is the largest blood volume reservoir in the human body. Reduced capacitance of this vascular bed, in part due to sympathetic venoconstriction, is proposed to play a role in hypertension and heart failure. Thus, interventions that increase splanchnic capacitance or decrease sympathetic activity may be beneficial in these conditions. In a proof-of-concept study in healthy and hypertensive subjects, we evaluated whether venodilation with nitroglycerin (NTG; Study 1) or sympathetic withdrawal with trimethaphan (Study 2) increase splanchnic capacitance and reduce cardiac and stroke volumes. In Study 1 (n=10, 36±4 yrs, BMI 26.1±1.7, 4 men), abdominal and chest scintigrams, to measure regional blood volumes, were obtained before and after 0.6 mg sublingual NTG. Splanchnic capacitance (volume-pressure relationships, VPR) and compliance (VPR slope) were estimated by recording abdominal scintigrams during progressive escalation of intrathoracic pressure using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16 cm H 2 O, each for ≤2 min. We found that NTG increased splanchnic blood volume at rest (4%, IQR 1.81-9.95; P<0.01) resulting in a rightward parallel shift in splanchnic VPR (P slope =0.46 and P intercept =0.01), indicating an increase in splanchnic capacitance. This was associated with a decrease in cardiac blood volume (-9%, IQR 2.2-10.3; P<0.01). In Study 2, we measured blood pressure (BP) and stroke volume, used as a surrogate of venous return, during the same CPAP protocol before and during autonomic blockade with trimethaphan in 12 hypertensive subjects (49±2 yrs, BMI 29.9±1.7, 5 men). Sympathetic withdrawal decreased systolic BP (-27±14 mmHg) and produced a leftward parallel shift in VPR (i.e. reduced stroke volume; P slope =0.12 and P intercept <0.01), indicating a reduction in venous return likely due to an increase in splanchnic capacitance. In conclusion, venodilation with NTG increased splanchnic capacitance and decreased cardiac volume. Sympathetic withdrawal had similar hemodynamic effects. These findings highlight the importance of splanchnic capacitance in cardiovascular regulation.

Alignment shift as functional markedness reversal

In this paper, we propose treating alignment shift as a process of functional markedness reversal in the domain of semantically transitive constructions. We illustrate how this approach allows us to capture similarities between the alignment shifts in Eskimo-Aleut and Western Austronesian languages, despite morphosyntactic differences in their voice systems. Using three diagnostics of functional markedness (semantic transitivity, topic continuity of P, and discourse frequency), we compare antipassive and ergative constructions in Eskimo-Aleut varieties and actor voice (av) and undergoer voice (uv) constructions in Western Austronesian varieties. We argue that ergative alignment is equivalent to a functionally unmarked P-prominent construction (e.g., ergative, uv), whilst accusative alignment is equivalent to a functionally unmarked A-prominent construction (e.g., antipassive, av). On this basis, we claim that both language groups are undergoing a parallel shift from ergative to accusative, since A-prominent constructions are functionally marked in more conservative varieties, but lose their functionally marked character and begin to function as unmarked transitive constructions in more innovative varieties.

Attitude towards Sustainable Product among Malaysian Consumers

This research investigates consumers’ attitude towards the acceptance of a sustainable product (SP). The current research on consumers’ behaviour mainly focuses on “determinants” or “factors” affecting attitudes, while; this research offers a parallel shift, focusing on consumers’ attitude influencing the acceptance of a sustainable product. Three main variables undergo in-depth examination: consumers’ attitudes (CA), consumers’ persuasion (CP) and consumers’ ethics (CE). This study develops a model of sustainability, considering the strengths and limitations of existing models. The theoretical framework for this study is based on the theory of reasoned action (TRA), the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the attribution theory (AT) and the Thompson & Barton environmental attitudes model (EAM)

Identification System for Moving Objects Based on Parallel Shift Technology

There are tasks of automatic identification of the moving stock of the railway, one of which is the automatic identification of rail cars cars by their number plates. Different organizational, legal, moral and ethical, technical, and programmatic methods of automated identification are used to solve this problem. At present little attention is paid to the development of means of automatic identification of moving objects, which would be possible regardless of the orientation and shape of the figure, especially if it concerns the recognition of freely oriented images of number plates. Therefore, many new methods for recognizing of number plates are developing. In the chapter, the system of identification of objects by their number plates in real time is considered. On moving objects (moving stock of a railway), an identifier image is drawn, which is an ordered set of characters. As a rule, these are numbers. But there may be other characters. The work also discusses the method of identification images of number plates with a high percentage of noise.

Reproduction of Images of Convex Figures by a Set of Stored Reference Surfaces

Image processing is one of the important tasks of creating artificial intelligence. The methods for digital images processing are widely used by developers at this time. The parallel shift technology makes it possible to create alternative ways of describing and processing images. It involves the transformation of images not into a set of pixels, but into a set of functions that are organized in a certain way. The completeness of the system is determined by the ability to perform some basic tasks. Image processing includes image pre-processing, video data storage, various image manipulations, images restoration. This chapter discusses a mathematical model for the recovery of flat convex binary images. Images are restored on the basis of data generated by an image processing system based on parallel shift technology. Two methods are provided for determining the imaging area.