A huge group of natural antimicrobial compounds are active against a large spectrum of bacterial strains causing infectious threat. The present study was conducted to investigate the crude extracts of antimicrobial protein and peptide efficacy from six medicinal plant seeds. Extraction was carried out in Sodium phosphate citrate buffer, and Sodium acetate buffer using different pH. Antimicrobial activities of these plants were determined by the microbiological technique using Agar well diffusion Assay. Extremely strong activity was observed in the seed extracts of Allium ascolinicum extracted in sodium phosphate citrate buffer at pH (5.8) against Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with zone of inhibition 17 mm, 17 mm and 15 mm and Rumex vesicarius at pH (7.6), Ammi majus at pH (6.8), Cichorium intybus at pH (7.4) and Cucumis sativus at pH (7.8) also showed better sensitivity against the bacterial strains with zone of inhibition ranges 16-10 mm and some of the strains were found to be resistant. Antibacterial activity pattern of different plant extracts prepared in sodium acetate buffer pH (6.5), among all the plant seed extracts used Foeniculum vulgare had shown good inhibition in all the bacterial strains used, with zone of inhibition ranges 11-12.5 mm, The extracts of C. intybus and C. sativus were found to be effective with zone of inhibition 11-6 mm and some of the strains were found to be resistant. Most of the strains found to have shown better sensitivity compared with the standard antibiotic Chloramphenicol (25 mcg). Our results showed that the plants used for our study are the richest source for antimicrobial proteins and peptides and they may be used for industrial extraction and isolation of antimicrobial compounds which may find a place in medicine industry as constituents of antibiotics.

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In diagnosing certain syndromes, abnormal facial features such as hypertelorism, low set ears or wide nasolabial distance are taken into consideration. Most often the description is from a visual impression, which may prove wrong as it is only relative. Detailed studies have, so far been only from the west, except for two, from northern India. These values may not suit us as facial features and measurements vary in different populations. This study was undertaken to set up a standard for the south Indian population, to detect deviations and to compare our figures with those from other studies. Measurements were taken in 850 children, from birth to 11 years of age (horizontal study). The parameters studied were the inner and outer canthal distances, from which interpupillary distance was calculated; nasolabial distance, ear length, ear set, hand length and AF/AT ratio. The average measurements for various features (50th percentile) 3rd and 97th centile are presented in tables. Besides providing standards, this paper will aquaint the pediatricians on the need to actually measure the features rather than rely on ones impression on physical features in diagnosing syndromes.

Herbal medications have been used for relief of symptoms of disease. Regardless of the great advances observed in current medicine in recent decades, plants still make a significant contribution to health care. An alarming increase in bacterial strains resistant to a number of antimicrobial agents demands that a renewed effort be made to seek antibacterial agents effective against pathogenic bacteria resistant to or less sensitive to current antibiotics. Anti-bacterial activity of stem bark was tested against pathogenic and using various solvent extracts. The in vitro anti-bacterial activity was performed by agar well diffusion method and the results were expressed as the average diameter of zone of inhibition of bacterial growth around the well. The ethanol and methanol extracts showed better anti-bacterial activity with zone of inhibition (20-25 mm) when compared with other tested extracts and standard antibiotic Erythromycin (15 mcg) with zone of inhibition (13-14 mm). Using Fisher's exact test of significance difference was found between two Salmonella strains sensitivity patterns against tested extracts ( ⩽ 0.035). Extracts of stem bark also exhibited significant antioxidant activity, thus establishing the extracts as an antioxidant. The results obtained in this study give some scientific support to the stem bark for further investigation of compounds and in future could be used as drug.

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