Modelling and Simulation in Air Traffic Management

Niranjan D., Shridhar N., Vinuta M., Manjunatha S., Sunilchandra U., Pradeep B., Manju G., Revanna P.S.

The plants were the primary source of primitive medicines which used to cure human ailments in past centuries. In modern medicine also many drugs are being discovered from plants. Trema orientalis is a tropical small to medium-sized tree also called Indian charcoal tree was native to South Africa, tropical Asia and Australia. It is widely distributed all over the world. It was used traditionally to treat infections and fevers. The leaves are simple, alternating, stipulated with short grey hairs below and serrated edges all around drooping branches. The fruits are tiny, oblong and meaty, when ripened, it turns glossy black. It has one dull-black seed embedded in bright-green flesh. The alkaloids, steroids and flavonoids were found to be abundant in T. orientalis, while tannins, saponins, terpenoids, glycosides and carbohydrates were present in moderate quantity. The crude methanolic extract of T. orientalis had antibacterial activity against various bacteria. It has also proven analgesic efficacy in acetic acid-induced writhing experiments in lab animals. In certain investigations, the stem bark extract of T. orientalis drastically lowered blood glucose in diabetic rats created through streptozotocin. One of the researchers demonstrated dose-dependent reduction in body temperature in rats with pyrexia using ethanolic extract of T. orientalis. The methanolic and ethanolic extracts of different parts of T. orientalis plant showed antidepressant, anxiolytic, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous, diuretic activity, anti-oxidant, anti-malarial and anti-ulcer activity. The clinicopathological alterations were induced by treatment of Jamnapari crossbred goats orally with Trema orientalis ethanolic leaf extract (ELETO). The gross and histological alterations in major vital organs, as well as the clinical symptoms were considered as indicators of the toxicity in a study. Another investigation revealed that T. orientalis was non-toxic and had a sizable haematopoietic effect. Thus further more research is required to extrapolate traditional uses of this plant to use it as medicine along with precaution regarding toxic dose.

Sultana R., Milon M.M., Kader M.A., Parvin S., Parvez G.M.

Medicinal plants have long history of being using as traditional medicines in almost every corner of the earth. Various chemical constituents of the plant are responsible for the activities. The plant Trewia nudiflora, belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family and is found abundantly in South Asia and Eastern Australia. Almost all parts of the plant such as root, stem bark, leaf, fruit and seed possess bioactive chemical constituents. The major chemical constituents are taraxerone, betasitosterol, nudiflorine, trewiasine, dehydrotrewiasine and maytanbutine. Although various parts of the plant have potential activity against cancer, tuberculosis, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer and antimicrobial activities, but many activities like diabetes, arthritis, analgesic, anticoagulant has not yet been studied. So, this plant could be a potential source for the future research.

Rwegoshora F., Mabiki F., Machumi F., Chacha M., Styrishave B., Cornett C.

The use of plants as sources of drug agents is attributed by factors among which are the easy accessibility to plants, less toxicity and little or no drug resistance. An improvement in both traditional medicine and drug discovery field necessitates investigation of pure compounds in any plant with medicinal value. Synadenium glaucescens Pax of the family Euphorbiaceae is among the medicinal plant in Tanzania which are proven to contain bioactive compounds against microbial infections. Analysis of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of root and stem barks respectively aided to isolated six pure compounds (SG1- 6). These compounds were analyzed by both 1D, 2D NMR and GC-MS while their spectral processing was achieved in the Bruker TopSpin 3.6.2. Among these compounds, one was a phenolic (hemicosanyl ferulate-SG1), three triterpenoids, (lupeol- SG2, epifriedelanol- SG4 and eupholSG5), one steroid (β-sitosterol- SG6) and a long chain alkene (1-nonacosene- SG2). Cytotoxicity evaluation by Brine shrimp lethality test (BLST) indicated the compounds under report were practically non-toxic.

Johnson M., Gilbert K., Peter M., Gordon N., Charles M.

Aflatoxins (AF) are harmful metabolites produced by Aspergillums species principally by Aspergillus. flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Aflatoxins are hepatotoxic, teratogenic, mutagenic and carcinogenic. The main objective of the current study was to evaluate protective effects of Spirulina platensis extract against aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) induced biochemical changes in male Swiss albino mice. Randomly 25 healthy inbred mice were allocated into five groups, each having 5 mice. Group I (Control group), mice received normal diet. Group II mice received 100 mg/kg/day of S. platensis extract. Group III mice received 200 µg/kg/day of AFB1. Group IV mice received S. platensis extract 100 mg/kg/day and 200 µg/kg/day of AFB1. Group V mice received S. platensis extract 200 mg/kg/day and 200 µg/kg/day of AFB1 for 28 days. Levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), globulin, albumin and total plasma protein were analyzed in blood samples using an automated biochemistry analyser. Data analysis was done using one way ANOVA with Tukey’s Honestly Significantly Differenced (HSD) post-hoc analysis. Statistical significance level was set at P<0.05. Results showed that compared to group 1 (control), group 3 (200 µg/Kg/day AFB1) had increased levels of ALT; (44.0±6.83 IU/L vs. 61.0±8.19 IU/L; p=0.054), AST (176.75±44.34 IU/L vs. 256±115.99 IU/L; p=0.0195) and ALP (51.75±11.89 IU/L vs. 59.40±6.91 IU/L; p =0.049). Mice that were co-treated with 200 µg/Kg/day of AFB1 and 200 mg/Kg/day of S. platensis extract exhibited lower levels compared to mice treated with only 200 mg/Kg/day of AFB1; ALT (49.8±7.9 IU/L vs. 61.5±8.19 IU/L; p=0.039), AST (229.8±95 IU/L vs. 256±11.15 IU/L; p=0.04819) and ALP (26.5±13.48 IU/L vs. 49.75±4.1 IU/L; p=0.0444). In conclusion, our study findings suggest that supplementation of S. platensis extract at a level of 100 mg/Kg/day and 200 mg/Kg/day can reverse elevation of ALT, AST and ALP serum levels caused by 200 µg/Kg/day of AFB1 in male Swiss albino mice.

Nyigo V.A., Malebo H.M., Mabiki F., Mdegela R.

Purification of dichloromethane extract from root barks and leaves of Synadenium glaucescens extracts through chromatographic techniques resulted into the isolation of two compounds, namely erythrinacinate C and 1-octacosanol. Chemical structures were established mainly using both one and two dimensional 1H and 13C NMR data and by comparison of the current NMR data with those from literature. Mass spectrophotometry data were used for confirmation through molecular ion peak. Both compounds are known to have been isolated from other plant species but are being reported from this plant species for the first time.

Radhakrishnan B.N., Narayanan R., Dharmar B., Dorai R P., C V.

The present study was conducted to identify the better extraction conditions for anthocyanin from fresh and dry petals of hibiscus with potent antioxidant activity and polyphenol content. The variables used in this study are solvents (aqueous, ethanol, methanol and each added with acidified agents (1% citric acid, 0.1% HCl and 1% acetic acid), temperatures (40 ºC, 50 ºC, 60 ºC, 70 ºC and 80 ºC), steeping time (interval viz., 60min, 90min, 120 min, 150min, 180min and 210min and pH (1-9). The study revealed that the anthocyanin content was higher for fresh petals of hibiscus extracted with test solvent methanol acidified with 0.1% HCl with the mean and standard error values of 167.69±0.41 mg CAG/100g. From the results, the optimized condition for anthocyanin extraction chosen was at the temperature of 60ºC for 120min at pH of 3-3.5. However, for the food uses, fresh petals extracted with ethanol (acidified with 1% citric acid) was recommended. Their yield at optimized extraction condition was found to be 156.25 ± 0.13 mg CAG/100g with the total phenolic content of 4965.83±1.19 (mg./100g) and 75.33±0.33% antioxidant activity. The F-values for each response implied high significance of the fittest models. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) and Paper Chromatography (PC) chromatograms predicted that the major types of anthocyanin present in hibiscus petals were cyanidin and delphinidin.

Agrawal S., Rami E.

In genetics and molecular biology, Gene transformation is a gene alteration technique that involves the introduction and expression of a foreign gene into the host organism. There are many gene transformation methods like particle bombardment, electroporation, micro-injection, PEG for different biotechnological experiments. But Plant gene transformation is a widely used procedure for obtaining transgenic plants and plant models to understand gene functions. Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a natural genetic engineer which is rod-shaped, gram-negative soil-born bacteria. Initially, Agrobacterium was utilized to transform only dicot plants but over the year’s modification in plant transformation protocol it was now utilized in monocot plants as well as in fruits plants too. Agrobacterium tumefaciens inserts its DNA (Transfer DNA-T-DNA) into the host plant. The transmitted DNA is randomly integrated into the host cell's genetic material inside the infected plant cell nucleus. Alternatively, bacterial DNA can transiently remain in the nucleus without integrating into the genome, but it still replicates alongside the plant genome, using its machinery and expressing its genes to make separate gene products. Besides the traditional method, new research has also been done to transform the plants through agrobacterium. Various methods have been developed to transform monocotyledonous plants such as wheat, maize, rice, and fruity plants. Generally, dicotyledonous plants can be transformed by the traditional method of agrobacterium but various methods have also been developed for dicots for various applications. Here, we have taken an example of a tobacco plant (nicotiana tabacum) transformed with different methods.

V R., AR N.

Medicinal plants are considered as rich sources of active components which can be used in drug development. Pterocarpus marsupium is a medicinal plant known for therapeutic efficacy against Diabetes mellitus and inflammatory conditions. The proximate analysis, phytochemical screening, GCMS analysis and the HPTLC analysis of flavonoid fraction isolated from methanolic extract of Pterocarpus marsupium were performed in the present study. The total ash, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, acid insoluble ash, carbohydrate content, calcium and phosphorus content were all measured. Standard techniques were used to examine the methanolic leaf extract for various phytochemical components. The presence of alkaloid, saponins, phytosterols, phenolic compounds, flavanoids, terpenoids and cardiac glycosides was revealed from the methanolic extract of P. marsupium. TLC analysis of crude methanolic extract of P. marsupium was conducted to study the separation pattern with different solvent systems and solvent combination with effective separation of components. The HPTLC finger print profiling of flavonoid fraction of methanolic extract of leaf of P. marsupium were also conducted. The GC-MS analysis revealed the composition of 13-Docosenamide and 1-Bromo-4- bromomethyldecane.

Ntchapda F., Talla E.R., Adjia H., Bonabe C., Kopodjing A.B., Miaffo D., Etet P.F.

Decoctions of the stem bark of the medicinal plant Haematostaphis barteri are used in African traditional medicine to treat hypertension. We assessed the diuretic and antihypertensive activities of H. barteri stem bark in Wistar rats. Changes on urine volume and electrolyte elimination induced by acute and subacute treatment of Wistar rats with aqueous extract of the stem bark of H. barteri (150, 200 and 250 mg/kg, per os). Then, the effects of a week of daily treatments with the extract on indicators of disease progression were assessed in adrenaline-induced hypertensive rats. In a dose-dependent fashion, the extract significantly reduced the urination latency (from 60±2.5 sec in vehicle group to 30±3 sec with dose 250 mg/kg), and increased the urine and electrolyte elimination (more than 2-fold, (P<0.01), in both acute and subacute administrations, as furosemide and AHCT. In addition, with stronger activity than propranolol, the extract mitigated the increases in pulse rate (50%), blood urea (90%), LDL, VLDL, and total cholesterol (up to 59%), and decreases in blood triglycerides and HDL (56%). Altogether, our findings suggest that the aqueous extract of H. barteri stem bark has diuretic (acute and subacute) and antihypertensive properties, and support the traditional use for the treatment of hypertension.

Moin M.S., Siddiqui J.I., Alam M.A., Khatoon F., Khan S., Minhajuddin A.

Drugs of traditional system of medicine including Unani and Ayurveda are recommended and used in various diseases since long. These drugs are mainly derived from herbs and plants. Neem is a pre-eminent and a sacred gift of nature. This tree is still regarded as “Wonder tree”, “Nature’s drug store”, “Divine tree”, “Heal all”, “Materia medica”, “Panacea of all diseases” and “Village dispensary” also considered as “An ancient cure for modern world”. In Unani System of Medicine (USM) it is widely used as antiinfective agent in various skin diseases (Amrāḍ-i Jild) such as leprosy, syphilis, tinea, itching and in ulcers. It is very effective in painful menses and dysmenorrhea, chronic joint pain, constipation, intestinal warm (Kirm-i Shikam) and also prefer in the killing of head lices, diabetes and rheumatic arthritis. This study is based on a comprehensive analysis of related articles published in journals using the phrases "Neem or Azadirachta indica ", "Neem research paper", "Neem and Unani Medicine" and "Neem used in traditional medicine" in electronic searches of the PubMed, SCOPUS, Google Scholar advanced search and AYUSH Research Portal. The evidence based scientific and clinical studies reported in the present review confirming the therapeutic efficacy of Azadirachta indica (Neem). Biological active phytoconstituents of Neem also indicate that it may serve as very effective natural medicine in different disease. In this aspect, further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed in respect to explore the recommendations of USM as well as other traditional system of medicines in term of the extensive therapeutic values of Azadirachta indica.

Chepkwony J.K., Mwitari P.G., Kipsumbai P.K., Bii C.C., Tuei V.C.

Conventional medicine used against dermatophytosis has resulted in treatment failure, relapses of the fungal infection and side effects due to its use. Herbalist in the Tugen community in Kenya claim that Salvia nilotica leaves have anti-dermatophytic effects but there is no scientific documentation for these claims. This study determined the phytochemical constituents in Salvia nilotica methanolic crude leaf extract, its anti-dermatophytic activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes and probable mode of action through the effects on metalloprotease 2 (MEP2), sulphite efflux pump (SSU1), subtilisin 3 (SUB3) and dipeptidyl-peptidases V (DDPV) target genes. The phytochemical constituents of S. nilotica leaf extract were determined using standard methods. Food-poisoned technique was used to determine the anti-dermatophytic activity of extract at different concentrations ranging from 7.76 mg/mL to 77.59 mg/mL versus the standard, fluconazole. Comparative CT analysis of real time quantitative PCR data was utilized for gene expression analysis. The Phytochemical-rich Salvia nilotica leaf extract was found to have anti-dermatophytic activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes which was not significantly different (p < 0.05) when compared with fluconazole treatments. In addition, MEP2, SSU1, SUB3, and DPPV genes of Trichophyton mentagrophytes were down regulated by different folds by the extract. This study has shown that Salvia nilotica crude leaf methanolic extract could offer a potential alternative medicine for dermatophytosis treatment.

SS R., UD P., CN M., VC L., HB P., CM M.

Quercetin is a flavonoid mostly found in fruits and vegetables. Curcumin is the main natural polyphenol found in the rhizome of Curcuma longa and in others Curcuma spp.. Individually, quercetin and curcumin had shown to have various pharmacological properties. The increasing level of cadmium in the environment is alarming as cadmium affects the antioxidant defense system with ability to persist in the body for long time. The bioaccumulation of cadmium is well-known, which is dangerous for the health of human and animals after continuous exposure to it. The present experiment was carried out to evaluate the ameliorating effect of quercetin (50 mg/kg daily orally for 28 days) and curcumin (100 mg/kg daily orally for 28 days) alone and in combination of both against cadmium-induced (100 ppm in water for 28 days) alterations in biochemical markers and histological changes in intestine, liver and kidney of rats. Body weight gain in rats of toxicity group during the 4th week of study period was significantly affected by the cadmium. Cadmium exposure significantly increased the levels of AST, ALT, ALP, bilirubin and glucose in serum along with higher level of MDA in intestine, liver and kidney of rats. The administration of quercetin and curcumin in combination as compared to individual treatment along with cadmium exposure had shown significantly lower levels of above parameters. Various histological changes were noticed in intestine, liver and kidney of rats following exposure to cadmium which were improved in rats treated with individual or combined treatment of quercetin and curcumin. Quercetin alone had shown the ameliorating effect against cadmium-induced alteration in kidney of rats. While, combination of quercetin and curcumin has been found to protect the intestine and liver from cadmium-induced damage following sub-acute exposure in rats. However, further study is needed to explore the mechanism of protective effect of the quercetin and curcumin against cadmiuminduced changes in intestine, liver and kidney.

Grover M.

Pistacia integerrima is an important medicinal plant belongs to the family Anacardiacea. It is commonly called as Crab’s claw in English and Shani/Shringi in Hindi. It is a single-stemmed, dioecious tree widely distributed in countries like Nepal, China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Armenia, North-west and West Himalayas. The plant has significant applications in the traditional systems of medications such as Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. In addition, the plant is also used in many folkloric cultures around the world to treat a vast array of human ailments such as diarrhoea, dysentery, fever, vomiting, skin diseases, respiratory ailments and psoriasis appetizer, hepatitis and liver related disorders. The characteristic feature of the plant is its essential oil content comprised of many important phytochemical constituents such as alpha-pinene, camphene, di-limonene, 1:8-cineol, caprylic acid, alpha-terpineol and aromadendrene. However, the plant contains many other important secondary metabolites such as steroids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins and phenols which are associated with important pharmacological activities such as anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective, anti-cancer, antidiarrhoeal, anticonvulsant and muscle relaxant. The aim of the present study is to summarize the recent pharmacological activities of Pistacia integerrima along with its utilization in traditional medication systems.

Barde B., Sasode D., Joshi E., Singh V., Patel R.

Background: In most areas where corn is sown, the crop growth is usually affected by low available nitrogen. The experiment was carried out during 2019 Kharif seasons to investigate the effect of integrated nutrient management on growth, yield attributes, yield and economics of sweet corn under northern tract condition of Madhya Pradesh. Methods: The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with three replicates. Observations were recorded on growth parameters (plant height, dry matter accumulation), yield attributes (number of cobs per plant, number of rows per cob, number of grains per cob, cob length, grain weight per cob) and green cob yield and stover yield of sweet corn. Results: Revealed that combination of 75% RDF + BF + 25 % VC recorded higher mean growth parameters were plant height (196.4 cm), dry matter (193.45 g plant-1 ) and yield attributes were number of cobs per plant (1.60), length of cob (20.2 cm), number of rows per cob (16.5), number of grains per cob (612), grain weight per cob (126 g) and green cob yield & stover yield (18603 & 9770 kg ha-1 , respectively) as compared to rest of treatments, whereas above parameters lowest under absolute control. The practice of integration of 75% RDF + BF + 25 % VC gave maximum net returns of ₹ 306657 ha-1 compared to other treatments.

S O.Z., A A.I., A A.J., I U.D.

Black Velvet Tamarind (BVT) is a famous edible fruit with multiple therapeutic properties. The aim of this study was to determine the secondary metabolites and evaluate the medicinal activities of the seed extract of the plant in order to scientifically report its possible medicinal applications in food and pharmaceutical industries. The pulverized seed was extracted with methanol/ethylacetate (2:1) and the concentrated extract was analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), the antioxidant capacity was evaluated using galvinoxyl and 2,2ʹ-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assays while the antibacterial activity was determined by agar-well diffusion method. From the GC-MS analysis, Twenty (20) organic compounds were identified in the seed extract, accounting for 99.3% of the identifiable components in the seed extract, and the main constituents were:4-O-methylmannose (40.46%), 9,9-dimethoxybicyclo[3.3.1]nona-2,4-dione (12.30%), palmitic acid (10.00%), nitroisobutylglycerol (8.60%), simiarenol (4.77%) and methyl-α-d-mannofuranoside (4.70%). The extract also contained some notable therapeutically active phenolic compounds such as dihydrochavicol (3.60%), p-chloro-m-cresol (0.67%) and p-vinylguaiacol (0.1%). The seed extract possesses significant free radical scavenging and antioxidant (IC50 and AAI) properties; for galvinoxyl assay (30.00-34.00%), 5.0 and 8.4 and DPPH assay (86.78-90.57%), 6.0 and AAI of 6.7, respectively. The result showed that the antioxidant properties of the seed extract of BVT increased in dose-concentration manner due to the synergetic activity of secondary metabolites present in the seed extract. This study showed that the seed of BVT possesses antioxidant and antimicrobial potential and it might be useful against ROS and RNS induced disorders. The seed of BVT can be used as an easily accessible source of natural antioxidant. The extract has high inhibitory effects at different concentrations (1000-250 µgml-1 ) on Enterococcus faecalis (30 mm) and Serratia marcescens (15 mm) isolated from clinical samples. The susceptibility of Gram positive and negative bacterial strains to the seed extract was due to the synergic activities of the secondary metabolites in the seed extract, most especially the phenolic compound and the terpenoids. This study showed that the seed extract of BVT has medicinally bioactive phytochemicals that may be useful in the formulation of food preservatives or drug supplements and treatment of bacterial infections.