This research aims to study the efficacy of Cinnamomum verum (Cv) extracts for ovicidal, larvicidal, and repellent activities against Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito vectors. The active components of C. verum or cinnamon oil by Gas Chromatography (GC) analysis showed the highest cinnamaldehyde at 83.53%. For ovicidal assay, C. verum essential oil at concentrations 12.5, 25 and 50 ppm at 72 h had 100% egg hatch inhibition and had a significant difference when compared to the control group (p<0.05). Larvicidal activity showed that concentrations of 25 and 50 ppm were highly effective in killing 100% mosquito larvae. Morphological changes in egg raft showed a faded color and eggs that seemed to have split from their raft while the larvae changed to a pale white wrinkled body with a destroyed inner tube of the body and were motionless. A Scanning electron microscope study showed that the eggshell and micropyle were wrinkled with the chitin peeled out. After treatment with cinnamon oil, larvae appeared to have a wrinkled body, the thorax and abdominal cuticle were also destroyed with high density of oil particles observed on mouth brushes and obstructing the spiracle. The repellent assay showed that cinnamon oil could repel both male and female mosquitos for up to 180 min. From the results, it was concluded that cinnamon oil had highly effective repellency against Culex quinquefasciatus adults and insecticidal activity on eggs and larvae stages evidenced by LC50 at 6.59±0.54, 9.07±0.67 and 36.91±7.56 ppm and its morphological changes indicated how the mosquito could not survive after cinnamon oil treatment hence this may be a useful alternative method that is green friendly for controlling mosquitoes in endemic areas.

Chronic stress has been recognized to induce the alterations of neuronal and glial cells in the hippocampus, and is thus implicated in cognitive dysfunction. There is increasing evidence to indicate that natural compounds capable of exerting neuroprotective and antioxidant activities, may function as potential therapeutic agents for cognitive impairment. The present study examined the neuroprotective effects of pinostrobin from Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) against chronic restraint stress (CRS)-induced cognitive impairment associated with the alterations of oxidative stress, neuronal density and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) of astrocytes in the hippocampus. For this purpose, male Wistar rats were administered once daily with pinostrobin (20 and 40 mg/kg, per os ) prior to exposure to CRS (6 h/day) for 21 days. The cognitive behaviors, the concentration of malondialdehyde, and the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were determined. Histologically, the alterations in astrocytic GFAP and excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2) in the hippocampus were examined. The results revealed that pinostrobin potentially attenuated cognitive impairment in the Y-maze and in novel object recognition tests, with a reduction in oxidative stress. Furthermore, pinostrobin effectively increased neuronal density, as well as the immunoreactivities of GFAP and EAAT2 in the hippocampus. Taken together, these findings indicate that treatment with pinostrobin alleviates chronic stress-induced cognitive impairment by exerting antioxidant effects, reducing neuronal cell damage, and improving the function of astrocytic GFAP and EAAT2. Thus, pinostrobin may have potential for use as a neuroprotective agent to protect against chronic stress-induced brain dysfunction and cognitive deficits.

Oxidative stress plays a role in the delay of peripheral nerve regeneration after injury. The accumulation of free radicals results in nerve tissue damage and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuronal death. Pinostrobin (PB) is one of the bioflavonoids from Boesenbergia rotunda and has been reported to possess antioxidant capacity and numerous pharmacological activities. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of PB on peripheral nerve regeneration after injury. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups including control, sham, sciatic nerve crush injury (SNC), SNC + 20 mg/kg PB, and SNC + 40 mg/kg PB. Nerve functional recovery was observed every 7 days. At the end of the study, the sciatic nerve and the DRG were collected for histological and biochemical analyses. PB treatment at doses of 20 and 40 mg/kg reduced oxidative stress by up-regulating endogenous glutathione. The reduced oxidative stress in PB-treated rats resulted in increased axon diameters, greater number of DRG neurons, and p-ERK1/2 expression in addition to faster functional recovery within 4 weeks compared to untreated SNC rats. The results indicated that PB diminished the oxidative stress-induced nerve injury. These effects should be considered in the treatment of peripheral nerve injury.

This study was carried out to evaluate sensitivity, specificity, and test cutoff score to predict cardiorespiratory fitness by using the 2-min step test (2MST) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellites (DM). The associa-tion of the 2MST and physical fitness tests including a 6-min walk test (6MWT), a 5 time sit-to-stand test (FTSST), and leg strength in the form of a leg performance test were also investigated. This study was cross-sectional and conducted in 100 type 2 DM patients. Patients were screened through health questionnaires, medical illness, general char-acteristics, and physical fitness tests; 2MST, 6MWT, FTSST, and leg strength. Blood was collected for assessment of fasting blood sugar and lipid profiles. The number of steps in the 2MST was positively cor-related with the distance of the 6MWT (<i>r</i>=0.6995, <i>p</i><0.0001) and leg strength (<i>r</i>=0.4292, <i>p</i><0.0001). 2MST was negatively correlated with time to perform the FTSST (<i>r</i>=-0.405, <i>p</i><0.0001). Moreover, this study established the optimal cutoff score of the 2MST at ≤61 steps with 92.24% sensitivity, and 81.36% specificity to predict cardiorespiratory fitness in type 2 DM patients. Our findings indicate that the 2MST may be used as a predictor for walking capacity, leg strength, and ability to change position from sitting to standing in type 2 DM. In addition, this result may imply that patients with type 2 DM performing the 2MST at less than 61 steps was significantly associated with decreased cardio-respiratory fitness.

Oxidative stress has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study aimed to investigate a link between malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, pulmonary function, and cardiac autonomic control in patients with COPD. Plasma levels of MDA, heart rate variability, and pulmonary function were measured in 50 clinically stable COPD patients and 50 normal male controls. COPD patients exhibited lower means of the standard deviations of all normal to normal (NN) intervals (SDNN), the square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent NN intervals (RMSSD), and high frequency (HF). Nevertheless, they presented greater low frequency (LF) and low frequency/high frequency ratio (LF/HF ratio) in supine and head-up tilt positions than controls (<i>P</i>< 0.001). Moreover, a negative correlation between MDA levels with SDNN (<i>P</i>< 0.001) and a positive correlation with LF (<i>P</i>< 0.01) and LF/HF ratio (<i>P</i>< 0.05) were observed in both positions. In COPD patients, plasma MDA levels were 2.3 times greater than controls (4.33± 2.03 µM vs. 1.89± 0.39 µM, <i>P</i>< 0.001), and they were inversely correlated with forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 sec, midexpiratory flow, and peak expiratory flow (<i>P</i>< 0.001). Our findings suggest a potential role for oxidative stress in impaired cardiac autonomic control and clinical relevance of plasma MDA levels as a predictor of severity of COPD in COPD patients.