In-Vivo Neuropharmacological and Anti-Nutrient Study of Methanolic Extract of Lemna Minor

Medicinal plants constitute an important natural wealth of a country. They play a significant role in providing primary health care services to rural people. They serve as therapeutic agents as well as important raw materials for the manufacture of traditional and modern medicine. Lemna minor, the common duckweed is an aquatic freshwater aquatic plant of the genus Lemna. They belong to the family of Lemnaceae, which is monophyletic to the Araceae family. The study assesses In-vivo Neuropharmacological and Anti Nutrient Study of methanolic extract of Lemna minor. The plants were collected from Chandpur were extracted in methanol solvents using soxhlet apparatus. Chemical tests to identify different anti nutrients, total phenolic and flavonids were carried out using specific reagents. Several test such as open field test, hole cross test, hole board test and phenobarbital induced sleeping time test are performed to check possible neurological activity.The study of anti-nutrient properties showed a very high amount of tannin (5.625gm/kg) but a low amount of phytic acid (0.03gm/kg) & alkaloids (0.526gm/kg) comparison with standard value. Total phenolic (19.22 GAE/g dry weight) and flavonoids (7.68 QE/g dry weight) content determine that Lemna minor have a very good amount of phenolic and flavanoids content and which may act as good anti-oxidant. In the study of in-vivo neurological activity the efficacy of Lemna minorextract was compared with standard anxiolytic drug diazepam (1 mg/kg b.w.) showed limited sedation as well as anxiolytic properties in mice. The present study of in-vivo & anti-nutrient is biological evaluation of this plant forms a primary platform for further phytochemical, anti-nutrient & pharmacological studies.

Effect of Wetting Conditions on the In Situ Density of Soil Using the Sand-Cone Method

The sand-cone method is commonly used to measure the in situ density of compacted soils. While determining field density with this method, differences in the sand-filling process between the test hole and the calibration container can cause errors. The differences can result from various in situ conditions such as the shape and size of the test hole and the moisture conditions of the filling sand and test ground. Temporary rainfall can increase the moisture content of both in situ soils and filling sand. This study examined the effect of wetting conditions on the accuracy of the sand-cone method in a laboratory. Compacted soils with different water contents (2–16%) were prepared in a small circular container in the laboratory, and the sand-filling process was simulated for cylindrical, conical, and roof-shaped test holes with depths of 10 and 15 cm. As the water content of the compacted soils increased, the sand-cone method underestimated the volume of sand accumulated in the test holes by up to 20%, resulting in the calculated density being overestimated by an identical amount. Slightly moist sand was poured into artificial test holes. When the water content of the filling sand was below 1%, no significant error was observed in the calculated volume.

A Method and Equipment for Continuously Testing the Permeability Coefficient of Rock and Soil Layers

The water pressure test and steady-flow pumping test are still commonly used for measuring the permeability coefficient of rock and soil strata. Limited by the fact that the average value of the permeability coefficient could be obtained only by this testing method, the accuracy of the experimental results of the permeability coefficient for special rock and soil strata is not good. Therefore, a new on-site testing method and equipment for continuously measuring the permeability coefficient of rock and soil strata is studied in this paper. The method is suitable for water pressure testing in borehole and the steady-flow pumping test. The technical proposal is when the pumping test or water pressure test is carried out, the final water penetration will tend to be a stable value, and then, the high-precision current meter probe will be placed at the bottom of the pumping test hole or water pressure test hole. For the pumping test, the current meter will be lifted uniformly from the bottom of the borehole testing section to the stable water level. Meanwhile, the flow rate of a differential zone of the tested section is continuously detected. For the water pressure test, the current meter will be lifted uniformly from the bottom of the borehole test section to the top of the borehole test section, and the flow rate of the differential section will be continuously detected. Through data analysis and processing, not only the average permeability coefficient of the detected sections can be obtained but also the permeability coefficient of the differential section of the rock and soil stratum can be calculated, respectively. Furthermore, the corresponding relationship between the permeability coefficient and the detected location can be obtained. In view of the abovementioned reasons, the leaking point, the specific position, and the leakage quantity of the detected section could be found out accurately, which will improve the accuracy of the testing results obviously.

Sedative and Anxiolytic Activities of Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill.: An Experimental Assessment in Mice

Ethnobotanical field surveys revealed the use of fruits of Opuntia ficus indica (L.) Mill. for treating diabetes, burns, bronchial asthma, constipation, kidney stones, and rheumatic pains and as a sedative in Turkish folk medicine. This study aimed to verify the efficacy of the fruits of O. ficus indica experimentally and to define components responsible for the activity using bioassay-guided procedures. The crude methanolic extract of the fruits was sequentially fractionated into five subextracts: n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and water. Further experiments were carried out on the most active subextract, that is, the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) subextract, which was further subjected to fractionation through successive column chromatographic applications on Sephadex LH-20. For activity assessment, each extract or fraction was submitted to bioassay systems; traction test, fireplace test, hole-board test, elevated plus-maze test, and open-field test were used for sedative and anxiolytic effects, and a thiopental-induced sleeping test was used for the hypnotic effect. Among the subextracts obtained from the methanolic extract, the EtOAc subextract showed significant sedative and anxiolytic effects in the bioassay systems. From the EtOAc subextract, major components were isolated, and their structures were determined as isorhamnetin, isorhamnetin 3-O-glucoside, isorhamnetin 3-O-rutinoside, and kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside using spectral techniques. In conclusion, this study confirmed the claimed use of the plant against anxiety in Turkish folk medicine.

Genistein Modifies Hamster Behavior and Expression of Inflammatory Factors following Subchronic Unpredictable Mild Stress

Background: Previous studies have pointed to the protective role of genistein against stress adaptations although neuromolecular mechanisms are not yet fully known. With this work, we evaluated the influence of such a phytoestrogen on hamster behavioral and molecular activities following exposure to subchronic unpredictable mild stress. Methods: The motor behaviors of hamsters (n = 28) were analyzed using elevated plus maze (EPM) test, hole board (HB) test, and forced swim test (FST). In addition, neurodegeneration events were assessed with amino cupric silver stain, while expression variations of tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), nuclear factor kappa-B1 (NF-κB1), and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) mRNAs were highlighted in limbic neuronal fields via in situ hybridization. Results: Genistein accounted for increased motor performances in EPM and HB tests but reduced immobility during FST, which were correlated with diminished argyrophilic signals in some limbic neuronal fields. Contextually, upregulated Hsp70 and TrkB mRNAs occurred in hippocampal (HIP) and hypothalamic neuronal fields. Conversely, diminished NF-κB1 levels were mainly obtained in HIP. Conclusion: Hormonal neuroprotective properties of genistein corroborating anxiolytic and antidepressant role(s) through elevated expression levels of stress proteins and trophic factors may constitute novel therapeutic measures against emotional and stress-related motor performances.

Protective Effects of Ferulic Acid in Alcohol Withdrawal Induced Anxiety and Depression in Mice

Background: Anxiety and depression are the most important troubling symptoms of continuous alcoholism. Objective: The present study was designed to examine the protective effects of ferulic acid in alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety and depression in experimental mice. Methods: Male albino mice were divided into different groups. They were received 10% ethanol (2 g/kg; p.o.) twice on the first day and once on successive days for total six days, after 24 hrs. Withdrawal symptoms were observed using the different model for anxiety and depression such as elevated plus maze, open field test, hole board test, marble burying test and tail suspension test. Ferulic acid was tested as 10 and 20 mg/ kg, orally. Results: Treatment with ferulic acid (10 and 20 mg/kg, p.o) showed significant reduction of alcohol withdrawal syndromes in different models. Taken together our result showed a protective effect in alcohol withdrawal anxiety and depression as tested in well-established animal models. Conclusion: The present study showed that ferulic acid dose-dependently prevents alcohol withdrawal-induced anxiety and depression in mice.

The T. M. Joslin Site (41VN3) in the Sabine River Basin, Van Zandt County, Texas

The T. M. Joslin site (41VN3) is a multi-component prehistoric site that was investigated by the University of Texas (UT) in September 1940 as Works Progress Administration (WPA) Project No. 15409. The excavations began immediately after the UT WPA crew had finished work at the nearby Yarbrough site (41VN6). The site is on a sandy knoll on Caney Creek, a northward-flowing tributary of the Sabine River in the Post Oak Savannah of East Texas. Supervised by William A. Duffen of UT, a crew of 16 local laborers excavated a 100 x 100 ft. block (30.5 x 30.5 m) on the knoll between September 12-30, 1940. The local labor began their excavations with shovels at the southern end of the block, and moved north at the completion of each 10 ft. row, working from the completed vertical face of the previous row. The archaeological deposits were described by Duffen as a shallow midden overlying a red clay subsoil; the subsoil was reached between 1.0-1.3 ft. bs (ca. 30-41 cm bs) and the upper plow zone extended from 0-13 cm bs. No cultural features were identified in the WPA excavations, but a very large Canton Incised jar was reconstructed from a large sherd concentration encountered at ca. 25 cm bs. A. T. Jackson, who had first visited the site in the Spring of 1930, before he began to work at UT, had discovered in a “test hole” portions of a large ceramic bowl (36 cm in diameter) and a large water bottle, presumably from a Caddo burial feature, but he did not further explore the feature. About 15 m away he found remnants of a dog burial. It is not known where these finds were in relationship to the WPA excavations.