Dandruff is a perennial skin condition manifesting as inflammation and physiologic scaling on the scalp. Malassezia species are the part of the skin microflora of humans and the etiological agents of dandruff. Malassezia comprises of lipophilic and non-lipophilic yeasts. At present topical azoles are used for the treatment of dandruff. This study was conducted to isolate and identify the Malassezia spp. from dandruff samples and to determine their responsiveness towards antifungal agents such as fluconazole, ketoconazole, miconazole and nystatin. Malassezia spp. was isolated using selective media and identified by biochemical tests and microscopic examination. Antifungal activities were assessed by the Kirby Bauer method using well diffusion technique. Total fifteen Malassezia spp. including M. furfur, M. pachydermatis, M. sympodialis and M. globosa were identified from twenty five dandruff samples. Among them, M. furfur was most prevalent (66.67%) followed by M. pachydermatis (13.33%), M. sympodialis (13.33%) and M. globosa (6.67%). All strains were sensitive to the antifungal agents but to different extent. Fluconazole and ketoconazole proved to be the most effective agents against these microorganisms. Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 22(2): 146-152, 2019

Crude plant parts used as a source of medicine is an ancient practice and important for health care system worldwide. In Bangladesh, a large number of population depends on the traditional medicine using crude drugs. In traditional systems, street sellers collect powered plant parts or dried plant parts from whole sale markets locally or from various parts of Bangladesh. Favorable environmental condition for microbial growth and handling with unhygienic conditions may result in microbial contamination. The present study was performed to assess the total bacterial count and presence of coliform bacteria from 33 powdered plant part samples collected from street markets, Dhaka. Bacterial count was performed using pour plate technique in nutrient agar according to microbiological standard USP method. Bacterial growth was done by streak plate technique on MacConkey and EMB agar plates. Results showed that, 13 out of 33 samples exceeded permissible limit of bacterial count (>10 5 cfu/gm).However, 20 samples showed bacterial count ranging from 3.1×10 2 to 2×10 3 cfu/gm. About 48.5%samples contained Escherichia coli indicating the presence of coliform bacteria and 21.2% samples contained other enteric bacteria (unidentified) which was confirmed by bacterial growth on MacConkey and EMB agar plates. Therefore, from this study, it may be concluded that crude herbal products contain a high level of bacteria that may be associated with health risk.

Vetiver oil (Vetiveria zizanoides) has been used as perfume materials, cosmetics, fragrance soaps, anti-inflammation, repellent, and insecticidal agents. Organic vetiver oil has higher economical value than non-organic vetiver oil and it has been regarded to be able to compete in the global market. Therefore, studies have been carried out using 1 hectare of land and the first generation of organic vetiver oil has produced 0.57% of yield, greater than non-organic (0.50%). The quality of organic and non-organic vetiver oil was analyzed by Indonesian Standard (SNI) parameter, pesticide residue test, chemical composition by GC/MS, and the appearance of vetiver root. In general, the result of organic and non-organic vetiver oil has fulfilled the national standard; the quality of organic vetiver oil was better than non-organic one. Physically, the appearance of organic vetiver root was better than non-organic vetiver root; organic vetiver root was denser, more appealing, and did not have any black spots. The pesticide residue of organic vetiver oil was lower than non-organic vetiver oil. Based on SNI test, vetiverol (oxygen compounds) in organic vetiver oil was higher than non-organic vetiver oil.

Depression is a pervasive psychiatric disorder worldwide and diarrhea is considered a leading cause of preventable death for infants and children in developing countries. The current study was done to assess in vivo activities of crude methanol extract of Stixis suaveolens fruit, focusing on antidepressant and antidiarrheal effects. The effect on central nervous system (CNS) was examined by recording the onset of sleep and total sleeping time. Besides, castor oil-induced diarrhea in the mice model was followed while evaluating the antidiarrheal effects. Significant (p<0.01) reduction in onset time (64.8 min) as well as in total sleeping time (64.8 min) were recorded between the test groups and the control. The extract, when given orally, also resulted in a significant (p < 0.001) reduction of diarrheal feces induced by castor oil by 71.43%. The in vivo bioassays demonstrated that the crude methanol extract of the fruit of S. suaveolens contains significant antidiarrheal and CNS stimulating actions. However, further vigorous studies are recommended to isolate and characterize the major phytoconstituents from the plant in order to develop the exact mechanism of actions of the plant against various disorders. Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 26(1): 28-35, 2023 (January)

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