Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is associated with a significant morbidity and mortality. In addition to physical factors, patient’s quality of life (QOL) i.e. individual’s physical health, psychological state, level of independence, social relationships, and their relationship to salient features of their environment also influence on post-operative outcome and there by long term survival after surgery. Health related quality of life (HRQOL) is the extent to which one’s usual or expected physical, emotional and social well-being are affected by a medical condition or its treatment. The purpose of this study was to compere the health-related quality of life before and after revascularization following PAD and to identify the relationship with post-operative outcome following revascularization.Methods: Cases were divided into two groups according to presence and absence of ulceration in foot. Those patients having claudication with ulceration were enrolled in group A and those having claudication without ulceration were enrolled in group B. Data were collected from both groups preoperatively and during follow up at 1 month and 3 months by interviewing the patient according to SF-36. Results: Two groups with preoperative poorer HRQOL (n=25) or optimum HRQOL (n=25) were compared. Postoperative outcome was found poor in Group A compered to Group B. In both groups, there was little improvement in quality of life after 1 month of surgery. In Group A QOL improved a little between 1 to 3 months postoperatively. But in Group B, there was significant improvement of postoperative QOL between 1 and 3 months. Overall, Group A patients had preoperative symptoms more prominent and their postoperative outcome was also poor.Conclusions: Those patients who had preoperative optimum quality of life had better postoperative outcome. From this study it can be concluded that quality of life can be used as a predictor of postoperative outcome in peripheral arterial disease patients.

Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is one of the leading causes of death in both developed and developing countries including Bangladesh. CHD endanger not only physical health but also psychological, environmental and social health of the patients seriously and many of them live without hope to improve. Thus evaluation of health related quality of life of such patients is very important.Methods: This descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 217 CHD patients at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, during the period from January to December 2013. The study intended to assess their health related quality of life in terms of general health, physical health, psychological health, social relationship and environmental conditions. Data were collected by a semi-structured questionnaire based on WHOQOLBREF (26) scale.Results: Regarding level of quality of life and general health, majority (51.2%) had “average” quality of life while in respect of physical health, most (89.9%) of the patients had “average” quality of health. Regarding psychological health, majority (72.8%) had “average” quality while regarding social relationship, majority (53.9%) had “average” quality and by environmental conditions, majority (64.1%) had “average” quality. Overall health related quality of life by age of the CHD patients was statistically significant as most (391.3%) of the CHD patients with age 30-49 years had “average” while majority (53.3%) of the elderly (65-75 years) had “poor” quality of life [c2(4)=28.42, p<0.01]. Overall quality of life and general health was “average” among most (31.3%) of the middle aged patients while it was “poor” among majority (53.3%) of the elderly patients and this variation was statistically significant [c2(10)=35.89, p<0.01]. Overall quality of life and general health was “average” among most (91.3%) of the middle aged patients while it was “poor” among majority (53.3%) of the elderly patients and this variation was statistically significant (c2(4), p<0.01). All of the retired patients had “average” and most (94.0%) of the service-holder had “average” physical health.Conclusion: The study recommends effective measures to improve the overall health related quality of life of the CHD patients in the context of Bangladesh.Cardiovasc. j. 2016; 9(1): 43-48

The condition known as male pattern hair loss and benign prostatic hyperplasia are both treated with a family of drugs known as 5 alpha reductase (5α-reductase) inhibitors. This study shows that the flower of Hibiscus rosa sinensis has 5α-reductase inhibitory action that is helpful in the treatment of androgenic diseases. Phytochemical screening was done using petroleum ether, methanol, and water extracts to identify the phytochemical group present. Then, using quercetin as a reference flavonoid component, the Total Flavonoid Content (TFC) was assessed using a colorimetric technique. The 5α-reductase inhibitory activity was evaluated using several extracts and compared to the well-known 5α-reductase inhibitor finasteride. Finally, the inhibition of different extracts to the enzyme was assessed using a biochemical approach to measure the activity of 5α-reductase. It was determined that the IC₅₀ value of Hibiscus rosa sinensis methanolic extract, 146.048 ± 0.453 (μg/mL) and quercetin (a chemical biomarker of the plant material) 141.426 ± 1.578 (μg/mL), were promising candidates for future investigation into their antiandrogenic activities.

A class of medications known as 5 alpha reductase (5α-reductase or 5αR) inhibitors is used to treat male pattern hair loss and benign prostatic hyperplasia. This study shows that Eclipta alba has 5αR inhibitory action that is helpful in the treatment of androgenic diseases. For 5αR enzyme inhibition evaluation, E. alba was extracted using methanol and petroleum ether. Further phytochemical screening can be done. Phytosterols test negatively found in methanol extract during phytochemical screening but positive in petroleum ether extract of E. alba. HPTLC data of different extracts was performed based on the phytochemical screening found. According to the HPTLC analysis, petroleum ether extract of E. alba contained 0.11% of β-sitosterol, while the methanolic extract had a higher concentration of 4.75%. The inhibitory activity of these plant extracts against 5αR was examined in comparison to the commonly used 5αR inhibitor, finasteride. IC50 measurements for petroleum ether extract of E. alba and β-sitosterol (a chemical biomarker derived from the plant material) were established as 150.76 ± 4.56 and 77.09 ± 3.07 μg/mL, correspondingly. These results indicate their potential as compelling contenders worthy of deeper exploration regarding their anti-androgenic properties. The notable abundance of β-sitosterol in the petroleum ether extract of E. alba enhances its potential for significant biological activity, particularly in terms of inhibiting the 5αR enzyme.

The current study aimed to develop a herbal hair cream formulation including plant extracts traditionally used for hair growth, and further research was conducted to understand the hair growth capability better using the 5 alpha reductase inhibitory model. 5 alpha reductases, an enzyme confined to the nuclear membrane, converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone. The 5 alpha-reductase and its metabolite dihydrotestosterone influence various human disorders, including male pattern baldness, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and prostate cancer. Finasteride and alfatradiol are examples of synthetic medications; however, because of their negative impacts, researchers are currently focused on creating safer 5α-reductase inhibitors from plants. The hair cream formulation contained 0.5% extracts of Hibiscus rosa sinensis flower, Eclipta alba whole plant, and Solanum nigrum plant berries in a ratio of 1:1:1. Plant extracts used in the formulation were characterized by chemical biomarkers. The cream formulation was developed, and the quality control parameters were examined. Furthermore, the produced formulation's 5α-reductase inhibitory activity was tested using finasteride as a positive control. H. rosa sinensis, E. alba, and S. nigrum extracts, which comprise 0.35% oleanolic acid, 4.65% β-sitosterol, and 31.18% linoleic acid, were used in the formulation. HPTLC data revealed that each 10 gm of cream formulation contains 16.68 ± 0.21 mg of linoleic acid, 3.61 ± 0.18 mg of β-sitosterol and 0.380 ± 0.11 mg oleanolic acid. In-vitro results showed a good 5α-reductase inhibitory potential. The IC50 value of the developed formulation was 85.254 ± 0.888 μg/ml, whereas finasteride (positive control) was 223.039 ± 1.367 ng/ml. Thus, the herbal hair cream composition benefits alopecia therapy by inhibiting the 5α- reductase enzyme. In addition, the formulation might be a potential option for further research into its antiandrogenic properties.