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Evaluation of the Insecticidial Effect of Leaves from Callistemon viminalis (Myrtaceae) against a Major Bean Pest: Aconthoscelides obtectus (Say) (Coleoptera; Bruchidae). Efficacy of essential oil, dried leaf powder and acetonic extract from dry leaves of Callistemon viminalis (Myrtaceae) against Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say) (Coleoptera; Bruchidae), a major Phaseolus vulgaris pest of stored beans in Cameroon was evaluated in the Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Chemistry of the University of Dschang from November 2003 to April 2004. Breeding of bruchids and the different tests were carried out in Petri dishes at room temperature (24 ± 1 °C) and at 85 ± 5% relative humidity. Results revealed that at the end of the first day of exposure, the highest concentrations of essential oil applied on grains (0.40 μl/g) and on filter paper discs (0.251 μl/cm2) caused 72.6% and 80% mortality rates, respectively. These rates increased up to 97.5% and 100% respectively after four days of exposure whereas no mortality was recorded in the acetone-treated controls. LD50 values of the essential oil from C. viminalis leaves against adults of A. obtectus calculated after two days of contact through filter paper discs and on grains were 0.103 μl/cm2 and 0.152 μl/g, respectively. In addition, oil repellency average (defined as the average rate of insects repelled by the oil) was amounted to 60.8%. Both powder and acetonic extract showed no activity against the insects at the tested concentrations.

Fifteen triterpenoid saponins including five new compounds (Mannioside B: 3β-[(β-d-glucopyranosyl)oxy]urs-12-en-28-oic acid α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl ester (1), mannioside C: 3β-[(β-d-glucopyranosyl)23-dioxy]urs-12-en-28-oic acid α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl ester (2), mannioside D: 3β,23-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)- β-d-glucopyranosyl ester (3), mannioside E: 3β-hydroxy-23-oxolup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid α-l-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-d-glucopyranosyl ester (4) and mannioside F: (22S)-27β-[(β-d-glucopyranosyl)oxy]-22-hydroxyprotosta-12,24-dien-3β-yl β-d-glucopyranoside (5)) were isolated from the leaves of Schefflera mannii (Hook.f.) Harms. Their structures were established on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR data, mass spectrometry and chemical methods. The major isolated compounds were tested for their antiproliferative activity on human malignant epithelial (HeLa) cells but were not efficient at the concentration of 33 mM., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Every 90 seconds, a woman dies of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, resulting in more than 340,000 maternal deaths a year. Antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC) are significant determinants of maternal health and, particularly, safe motherhood. Antenatal care is an important predictor of safe delivery and provides health information and services that can improve the health of women and infants. mHealth broadly encompasses the use of mobile telecommunication and multimedia technologies as they are integrated within increasingly mobile and wireless health care delivery systems. This study aimed at assessing the acceptable implementation modalities of mHealth intervention on pregnant Women in Dschang health district, West Region of Cameroon.ng ba., Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive study in the Dschang health district, West region of Cameroon. Key informants were all pregnant women from 18 years and above and a total of 372 pregnant women were included. This study was carried out from March to July 2017., Results: Majority of the women, that is, 252(67.74%) were married, 117(31.45%) declaredtheir status as being single, while 3(0.81%) were devorced. Out of the 335 women that declared wanting an mHealth intervention, 41.79% of this number preferred SMS texts in the afternoon, 111(33.13%) in the evening, 46(13.73%) anytime and 38(11.34%) in the morning hours. A total of 83.33% women confirmed using telephone services., Conclusion: This study reveals that cell phones would be the acceptable medium of providing pregnancy and postpartum support to women in the Dschang health district. This is justified by the fact that a vast majority of women interviewed had access to a cell phone and referred to it as their desired and accepted means of communication., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© Nkemngu Blake Afutendem et al.)

A new sulfated steroidal derivative (fruticogenin A: 1-sulfo-australigenin-3-sodium sulphate, 1) and three new steroidal saponins named fruticoside K (3-sulfo-spirostan-25(27)-ene-1β,3β-diol-1-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-β-D-fucopyranoside], 2), fruticoside L (3-sulfo-spirostan-25(27)-ene-1β,3β,6α-triol-1-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 4)-β-D-fucopyranoside], 3) and fruticoside M (spirostan-25(27)-ene-1β,3α-diol-1-O-[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 → 2)-α-L-rhamnopyranoside], 4) were isolated from the aerial parts of Cordyline fruticosa L. var. strawberries. Their structures were established on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR data, mass spectrometry and chemical methods. Compounds 2 and 4 exhibited weak cytotoxicity against melanoma (A375), breast adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-231), and colon carcinoma (HCT116) human tumor cell lines., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The aqueous and methanol extracts from the dry bulbils of Dioscorea bulbifera L. var sativa (Dioscoreaceae)-evaluated orally at the doses of 300 and 600 mg/kg against pain induced by acetic acid, formalin, pressure and against inflammation induced by carrageenan, histamine, serotonin and formalin in mice and rats, showed a dose dependant inhibition of pain and inflammation with a maximum effect of 56.38%, 73.06% and 42.79% produced by the aqueous extract, respectively on pain induced by acetic acid, formalin and pressure while the methanol extract at the same dose respectively inhibited these models of pain by 62.70%, 84.54% and 47.70%. The oral administration of aqueous and methanol extracts caused significant anti-inflammatory activity on paw oedema induced by histamine, serotonin and formalin. The present results show that the bulbils of Dioscorea bulbifera var sativa possess potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. These activities may results from the inhibition of inflammatory mediators such as histamine, serotonin and prostaglandins. Thus, the analgesic activity of the bulbils of Dioscorea bulbifera may be at least partially linked to its anti-inflammatory activity.

Five 3-O-glucuronide triterpene saponins (1-5) were isolated from the stem bark of Bersama engleriana Gurke along with two known saponins, polyscias saponin C and aralia saponin 15, and one major C-glycoside xanthone, mangiferin. The structures of the saponins were established mainly by means of spectroscopic methods (one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy as well as FAB-, HRESI-mass spectrometry) as 3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl]-28-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-betulinic acid (1), 3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)-[beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1-->3)]-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl]-oleanolic acid (2), 3-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl]-28-O-[beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-d-glucopyranosyl]-oleanolic acid (3), 3-O-[beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1-->3)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl]-28-O-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-oleanolic acid (4), and 3-O-[beta-d-glucopyranosyl-(1-->3)-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1-->3)-beta-D-glucuronopyranosyl]-28-O-[beta-d-xylopyranosyl-(1-->6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-oleanolic acid (5).

Two clerodane diterpenoids, Bafoudiosbulbins A 1, and B 2, together with five known compounds: tetracosanoic acid, 1-(tetracosanoyl)-glycerol, trans-tetracosanylferulate, beta-sitosterol and 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-beta-sitosterol were isolated from the tubers of Dioscorea bulbifera L. var sativa. Their structures were established by spectroscopic methods (1D and 2D-NMR, MS) and X-ray crystallographic diffraction analysis of compound 1. The CH2Cl2-soluble portion of the crude extract and the two clerodanes were screened for anti-bacterial activity using both agar diffusion and broth dilution techniques against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi A and Salmonella paratyphi B. They both showed significant activities against P. aeruginosa, S. typhi, S. paratyphi A and S. paratyphi B.

Antibacterial bioassay-guided fractionation of Syzygium guineense leaf extracts afforded 10 triterpenes, namely betulinic acid 1, oleanolic acid 2, a mixture of 2-hydroxyoleanolic acid 3a, 2-hydroxyursolic acid 3b, arjunolic acid 4a, asiatic acid 4b, a mixture of terminolic acid 5a, 6-hydroxyasiatic acid 5b, and a mixture of arjunolic acid 28-beta-glucopyranosyl ester 6a and the asiatic acid 28-beta-glucopyranosyl ester 6b. Isolated compounds were submitted to an antibacterial assay system against gram-positive and -negative bacteria and human pathogen bacteria. Compounds 4a and 4b showed the most significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Shigella sonnei. The fraction 5a-5b was the least active, whereas compounds 1, 2 and the mixtures of 3a-3b and 6a-6b were inactive in the assays.

Five new triterpenoid saponins, pursaethosides A-E (1-5), were isolated from the n-BuOH extract of the seed kernels of Entada pursaetha along with the known phaseoloidin. The structures of 1-5 were elucidated mainly by spectroscopic data interpretation and chemical degradation. Pursaethosides C-E (3-5) possess as a common structural feature entagenic acid as aglycon, which is rare among triterpene saponins. Compounds 2-4 and phaesolidin were found to be not cytotoxic when tested against HCT 116 and HT-29 human colon cancer cells.