These findings suggest that the plant may be a potential source for the development of new oral hypoglycemic agent.

Purpose The study aims to determine the impact of non-Muslim tourists’ perception of halal tourism products and services (PHTPS) on trip quality, trip value, satisfaction and word of mouth (WOM) towards halal tourism destination. Design/methodology/approach A total of 375 non-Muslim tourists were surveyed in Malaysia using partial least square technique. Findings The findings showed that PHTPS has a significant impact on all four dimensions. The strongest relationship was found between PHTPS and trip quality, followed by PHTPS–WOM, PHTPS–satisfaction and PHTPS–trip value. Originality/value This study provides new insights into the theory and practice of non-Muslim tourists’ PHTPS and WOM towards halal tourism destination. The findings are valuable to tourism operators, managers and marketers with the understanding and responsibility to develop halal tourism products and services from non-Muslim tourists’ insights.

Bioactivity-guided fractionation of the ethyl acetate extract obtained from the culture of the endophytic fungus Fusarium solani resulted in the isolation of one new naphthoquinone, 9-desmethylherbarine (1), and two azaanthraquinone derivatives, 7-desmethylscorpinone (2) and 7-desmethyl-6-methylbostrycoidin (3), along with four known compounds. Their structures were elucidated by spectral analysis, as well as a direct comparison of spectral data with those of known compounds. Azaanthraquinones 2 and 3 showed cytotoxic activity against four human tumor cell lines, MDA MB 231, MIA PaCa2, HeLa, and NCI H1975. A molecular docking study suggested DNA interactions as the mode of action of these naphthoquinones and azaanthraquinones.

This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infestations among school children in Kaski District of Western Nepal. A total of 2091 stool samples were collected from school children selected from 11 rural and eight urban schools. The stool samples were examined for evidence of parasitic infections by direct microscopic examination. Prevalence of intestinal parasites was 21.3%. There was a significant difference in prevalence between urban (18.7%) and rural (24.1%) school samples. Giardia lamblia (13.2%), Ascaris lumbricoides (2.1%) and Entamoeba histolytica (1.7%) were the commonest parasites isolated. The results indicate that intestinal parasitic infestation among school children in the study area is mainly water-borne. The burden of parasitic infestations among the school children, coupled with the poor sanitary conditions in the schools, should be regarded as an issue of public health priority. This strongly supports the need for school health programmes that will involve periodic deworming, health education and improvement of school sanitation.

Problem statement:Mikania scandens (L.) Willd., a medicinal plant, is popularly used as herbal remedy for various ailments in Bangladesh. But the scientific basis for its medicinal use especially in pain and inflammation remains unknown. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate analgesic and antioxidant potential of the hydromethanol extract of the leaves of the plant. Approach: The analgesic activity was determined for its central and peripheral pharmacological actions using hotplate and tail immersion method and acetic acid-induced writhing test in mice respectively. The hydromethanol extract was also investigated for its antioxidant action using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, Nitric Oxide (NO) scavenging and reducing power assays. Results: The extract, at the dose of 250 and 500 mg kg −1 , produced a significant (p<0.05) increase in pain threshold in hotplate and tail immersion methods in a dose dependent manner. In acetic acid-induced writhing test, the extract (500 mg kg −1 ) produced a maximum of 53.73% inhibition (p<0.001) of writhing reaction compared to the reference drug Diclofenac-Na (76%). A dose dependent scavenging of DPPH radical and NO was observed with good reducing power with the extract. In DPPH radical scavenging assay, the IC 50 value of the extract was 375.40 µg mL −1 while the IC 50 value for the reference ascorbic acid was 55.89 µg mL −1 . The IC 50 values of the extract and ascorbic acid were 220.43 and 125.10 µg mL −1 , respectively in NO scavenging assay. Conclusion: The findings of the study suggested that the extract from Mikania scandens has strong analgesic and antioxidant effects.