Subramanyam Vemulpad

Macquarie University · School of Natural Scieces

Purpose Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by decreasing exercise capacity and deteriorating quality of life (QoL). Recent evidence indicates that combining exercise with manual therapy (MT) delivers greater improvements in exercise capacity than exercise alone in moderate COPD. The aim of this study was to investigate wh...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is responsible for an increasing number of deaths worldwide. Smoking is the most reliable predictor for developing COPD later in life. However, women make up the majority of patients with COPD who have never smoked. There is therefore a need to identify other factors that can predict COPD in women. The a...

Ethnopharmacological relevance Alphitonia Reissek ex Endl. Is a relatively small genus of the family Rhamnaceae. Plants of this genus are found predominantly in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific, with some species being widely distributed and others endemic to a region. Almost half of the species of the Alphitonia ge...

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Chungtia villagers of Nagaland, India, have a strong reliance on plants as medicines. Previous studies have shown that 31 Chungtia medicinal plants (and parts therein) used customarily for skin related treatments possess antimicrobial properties against skin pathogens, strongly supporting the use of these plants by t...

In this article, findings of a qualitative study of an Indigenous widening participation program are presented. The program, River of Learning, has been in existence since 2010 and represents a powerful collaboration between a rural high school in New South Wales (NSW) Australia, a metropolitan university, Indigenous Elders and non-Indigenous commu...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The bark of Erythrina stricta Roxb. (Fabaceae) has been used in Indian indigenous systems as a remedy for rheumatism, stomach-ache, asthma, dysentery, contact dermatitis, eczema and skin infections. However, there have been limited phytochemical or biological studies on the bark of E. stricta and there are no studie...

Aboriginal people of Australia possess a rich knowledge on the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of sores, wounds, and skin infections, ailments which impose a high global disease burden and require effective treatments. The antibacterial and antioxidant activities and phytochemical contents of extracts, obtained from eight medicinal plants...

This study is a collaboration between Macquarie University researchers and the Yaegl Aboriginal Community of northern NSW, Australia to investigate the antimicrobial potential of plants used in the topical treatment of wounds, sores and skin infections. Based on previously documented medicinal applications, aqueous and aqueous ethanolic extracts of...

Lophostemon suaveolens is a relatively unexplored endemic medicinal plant of Australia. Extracts of fresh leaves of L. suaveolens obtained from sequential extraction with n-hexane and dichloromethane exhibited antibacterial activity in the disc diffusion and MTT microdilution assays against Streptococcus pyogenes and methicillin sensitive and resis...

to the editor: We read with interest the article titled Limitation in tidal volume expansion partially determines the intensity of physical activity in COPD in a recent issue of the Journal of Applied Physiology ([2][1]). The authors should be commended for their study's quality and attention to

Traditional medicinal plant knowledge is an integral and very important part of Indigenous cultures worldwide. For many communities there is a great urgency in recording this knowledge in written form. This is the first ethnobotanical report of medicinal plant knowledge of the Nagaland Ao tribe of Chungtia village and is an important step in the pr...

Objective: This study sought to determine congruence between student assessment tasks within the master of chiropractic curriculum at Macquarie University and 2 separate but related domains: (1) disorders commonly presenting to chiropractors and (2) musculoskeletal conditions for which there is published evidence that chiropractic treatment is eff...

Medium term effects of including manual therapy in a pulmonary rehabilitation program for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a randomized controlled pilot trial. Study design: Randomized clinical trial. Objective: To investigate the effect of including manual therapy (MT) in a pulmonary rehabilitation program for patients with chronic ob...

The purpose of this book is to discuss several medicinal plants to find wider application in the domain of medicinal, clinical, and pharmaceutical treatment. Recent Advances in Plant-Based, Traditional, and Natural Medicines serves as a useful source of ideas and an inspiration for further cell and molecular biology research toward developing drugs...

The purpose of this preliminary study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a study that measures the short-term effects of a course of manual therapy (MT) and exercise (Ex) in people with moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Fifteen participants (9 males; mean age, 56.1 years), with moderate COPD (mean % predicted forced expirato...

Objective: The purpose of this preliminary study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a study that measures the short-term effects of a course of manual therapy (MT) and exercise (Ex) in people with moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Fifteen participants (9 males; mean age, 56.1 years), with moderate COPD (mean % predi...

To test the feasibility of identifying Staphylococcus aureus with a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay that uses a single hot-plate and urea-NaCl reagents. Slides spotted with S. aureus and treated with methanol and lysozyme were incubated with urea-NaCl reagents on a hot-plate with a precise temperature control and identified with spe...

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a clinically important pathogen. A small number of whole-cell fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probes have been reported to detect S. aureus. New online computational tools for in silico design and testing make it possible to assess candidate FISH probes for S. aureus. Materials and Methods: Six online...

Documentation of Australian bush medicines is of utmost importance to the preservation of this disappearing and invaluable knowledge. This collaboration between the Yaegl Aboriginal community in northern New South Wales (NSW), Australia and an academic institution, demonstrates an effective means of preserving and adding value to this information....

Aspects of the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method for the detection of clinically important bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Escherichia coli, were investigated for optimization. Various approaches to optimizing the FISH procedure were taken and different methods were compared. To save time, hyb...

The premise that lung function can regulate chest wall mobility is an accepted concept. Descriptions of the primary and accessory respiratory structures do not usually include spinal components as a part of these classifications. The case for including these components as a part of the respiratory mechanism and their role in the development of dysp...

The objective of this case series is to report the results of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who were older than 65 years. The study design was a prospective case series. Six patients of a long-term care center who were older than 65 years and having COPD underwent a course of 12 SMT s...

Objective: The objective of this case series is to report the results of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who were older than 65 years. Methods: The study design was a prospective case series. Six patients of a long-term care center who were older than 65 years and having COPD underwent...

To detect with whole-cell fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), Staphylococcus aureus is typically permeabilized with lysozyme and lysostaphin. We tested whether it was feasible to detect S. aureus and differentiate it from Staphylococcus epidermidis with lysozyme-only permeabilization. We compared lysozyme permeabilization to S. aureus permea...

Australia is one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries (Williams et al. 2001). It is home to over 20,000 vascular and 14,000 nonvascular plants, ∼250,000 species of fungi, and over 3,000 lichens. Of all the vascular plant species and nine plant families, 85% are endemic to the continent (Orchard 1999). This biodiversity is due to the continent’s...

As a proof-of-concept, the feasibility of detecting Staphylococcus aureus faster than previous whole-cell fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) methods was tested. Isolates of Staphylococcus were treated with three rapid slide-based FISH protocols and DNA probes. Protocols were shortened by optimizing, combining or omitting steps. All FISH proto...

The purpose of this study was to systematically review studies that quantify the high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) spinal thrust, to qualitatively compare the apparatus used and the force-time profiles generated, and to critically appraise studies involving the quantification of thrust as an augmented feedback tool in psychomotor learning. A sear...

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are known to alter the normal urine composition which, in principle, can lead to changes in urine autofluorescence. This paper describes the study of human urine (normal and UTI) by using UV fluorescence excitation/emission matrices and synchronous spectra and proposes a method of diagnosing UTI without any sample pr...

Despite biological variability the spectral characteristics of undiluted human urine show relatively low autofluorescence at short UV (250-300nm) excitation. However with dilution the fluorescence intensity remarkably increases. This paper examines the mechanisms behind this effect, by using excitation-emission matrices. Corrections for the inner f...

A number of predisposing factors are recognised as increasing the risk of developing chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD). There is increasing recognition that COPD may be an inflammatory disease with systemic consequences. However, the trigger for the transition from 'at risk' (stage 0) to COPD state remains unclear. The current approach t...

A variety of fluorophores are present in normal human urine. Alteration in the autofluorescence of urine could result from physiological or pathological changes. This study investigates the differences in the autofluorescence of 45 normal urine samples from 25 individuals with bacteriuria. Excitation at 290 nm showed good discrimination between the...

A number of predisposing factors are recognised as increasing the risk of developing chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD). There is increasing recognition that COPD may be an inflammatory disease with systemic consequences. However, the trigger for the transition from ‘at risk’ (stage 0) to COPD state remains unclear. The current approach t...

The Miriwoong Aboriginal people of Eastern Kimberley, Western Australia use the leaves and bark of Dolichandrone heterophylla (R. Br.) F. Muell., Bigoniaceae, to treat sores, rashes, grazes, scabies, boils and wounds. Bioassay guided fractionation of an aqueous extract of the leaves and twigs led to the isolation of the known ompounds caffeic acid,...

The aim of this study was to examine the role of complementary and alternative medical (CAM) practitioners in integrative practices where general practitioners (GPs) and CAM practitioners were co-located. This study used grounded theory, a qualitative methodology from the interpretive paradigm. A total of 23 integrative practitioners (10 general pr...

The customary medicinal plant knowledge possessed by the Australian Aboriginal people is a significant resource. Published information on it is scattered throughout the literature, in heterogeneous data formats, and is scattered among various Aboriginal communities across Australia, due to a multiplicity of languages. This ancient knowledge is at r...

A Macquarie University research group has been building partnerships with indigenous Australians to preserve their unique medicinal plant knowledge and to identify natural medicinal agents.

The objective of this study was to explore the effect of combining manual therapy with exercise on respiratory function in normal individuals. The study design was a randomized control trial. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) were measured in 20 healthy, nonsmoking individuals before and after 3 int...

Background: There is limited data on the public’s perception of chiropractic. Objective: To identify the public’s perception about what chiropractic is and their views about chiropractors’ role in health care. Design: A survey was conducted to gather the public’s perception using a 29-item questionnaire. The questions related to any history of chir...

This study aimed to determine the extent to which complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners in Australia are trained in and use CAM and Western medical diagnostic techniques, and the influence this may have on their role as primary contact practitioners. A 45-item questionnaire was mailed to members of the Australian Natural Therap...

A modified fluorescein diacetate (FDA) assay has been compared with standard NCCLS broth macrodilution and broth microdilution methods for the detection of antifungal activity. The FDA assay was performed in a medium containing bacteriological peptone, NaCl, yeast extract and glucose (0.2%, 0.1%, 0.1% and 1% w/v, respectively) and buffered with 10...

Two serrulatane diterpenes, 3,8-dihydroxyserrulatic acid (1) and serrulatic acid (2), have been isolated from Eremophila sturtii through bioassay-guided fractionation. These compounds inhibit the inflammation pathway enzymes cyclooxygenase 1 and 2, and exhibit bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus.

http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/1225925

http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/1226043

http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/1225876

The Australian Aboriginal people have used plants as medicine and food for thousands of years, however, this traditional knowledge is documented only to a limited extent, and is in danger of being lost. The Indigenous Bioresources Research Group (IBRG) aims to help Australian Aboriginal communities to preserve their customary medicinal knowledge, a...

The fluorescein diacetate (FDA) antibacterial assay relies on the cleavage of fluorescein diacetate by metabolically active bacteria. The recent finding that microbiological media can lead to significant levels of cleavage has reduced the reliability of the assay. Using the nucleophilic scavengers N-ethylmaleimide and maleic anhydride, we have demo...

ABSTRACT Objectives: To examine the extent the Australian Legislation protects (a) the professions that have spinal manipulation as a core practice and (b) the public from untrained manipulators. To consider the strengths, weaknesses and effectiveness of current Australian legislative approaches. Data Sources: The Library of the Supreme Court of NS...

http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/1226671

http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/1226922

http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/1215923

Three cases of Legionella pneumophila infection were identified in Sydney's west in November 1998. Epidemiological investigations identified an association with one workplace. Environmental sampling revealed that the cooling towers in the workplace, and at 2 other premises within a 1 km radius of the workplace, were positive for L. pneumophila sero...

From May to June 1999, 3,920 ethnic Albanians from Kosovo arrived in Australia as part of Operation Safe Haven. These people were evacuated from refugee camps in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Initial processing in Australia occurred at East Hills Reception Centre, and accommodation for the duration of stay was provided in eight Haven C...

Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, and Zomba Central Hospital, Zomba, Malawi. To evaluate treatment outcome of unsupervised ambulatory treatment (2R3H3Z3/2TH[EH]/4H) in Blantyre and 'standard' treatment (1STH[SEH]/11TH[EH]) in Zomba in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive and seronegative patients with smear-negative pulmonary t...

Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi. 1) To determine the proportion of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) suspects with negative sputum smears and a normal/minimally abnormal chest radiograph (CXR) who are culture-positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and 2) to determine how many develop smear or radiographic evidence of PTB (TB CXR) du...

The influence of the genetic background of Cymbopogon species on the antifungal activity of essential oils derived from the plants was investigated against three yeast-like and nine filamentous fungi. Essential oils from distinct strains of the aromatic grass Cymbopogon showed interspecific and intraspecific differences in antifungal activity.

The prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in patients with short duration of cough was determined. Ninety-eight adult out-patients (60 men, 38 women; mean age 32 years) at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi, who had cough for 1–3 weeks which was unresponsive to a course of antibiotics, were successfully screened by microscopy a...

In a prospective study of pneumococcal carriage in 200 Malawian children under 5 years of age, 47.5% were carriers. The carriage rate was highest in those aged 3-12 months and did not vary with family size, nor was it higher in those who had recently been admitted to hospital. Nasopharyngeal swabs were significantly more efficient than throat swabs...

Alternative strategies for screening tuberculosis (TB) suspects are needed in sub-saharan Africa. Ambulatory adult TB suspects who were seen in the chronic cough room of Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi, were assessed with respect to appropriateness of referral. Appropriate referrals (patients with cough 3 weeks or longer, weight...

Three cases of cryptococcal meningitis in Malawian children aged 6 weeks, 3 years and 9 years are described. Only 23 cases of cryptococcal meningitis in children have been described previously, but in children from Europe and the USA. These are therefore the first cases of cryptococcosis to be described in African children. PIP The majority of cry...

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic is associated with a marked increase of tuberculosis cases. The influence of HIV on diagnostic methods for tuberculous lymphadenitis is less clear. In an environment of high HIV and tuberculosis prevalence in Blantyre, Malawi, a prospective study compared results of basic procedures diagnosing tubercu...

Five aromatic constituents of essential oils (cineole, citral, geraniol, linalool and menthol) were tested for antimicrobial activity against eighteen bacteria (including Gram-positive cocci and rods, and Gram-negative rods) and twelve fungi (three yeast-like and nine filamentous). In terms of antibacterial activity linalool was the most effective...

Thermotolerant fungi (26 strains in toto) were isolated from Taptapani, a local hot spring at Orissa, at a temperature of sim;45°C. The isolates grew in vitro at 28-60°C, and seven were found to have cellulolytic activity at 60°C using both Congo red and dinitrosalicylic acid reagent techniques.

Three recent cases of chloramphenicol-resistant pyogenic meningitis are reported from Malawi. The implications of the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b causing childhood meningitis are discussed.

The essential oils of aegle, ageratum, citronella, eucalyptus, geranium, lemongrass, orange, palmarosa, patchouli and peppermint, were tested for antibacterial activity against 22 bacteria, including Gram-positive cocci and rods and Gram-negative rods, and twelve fungi (3 yeast-like and 9 filamentous) by the disc diffusion method. Lemongrass, eucal...

Nineteen strains of thermotolerant Gram-positive bacteria were isolated from three natural hot springs of Orissa. The isolates were identified as Bacillus species. They grew at temperatures up to 75°C and over a broad range of pH. The isolates had a variety of enzyme activities (amylase, protease, ?-lactamase, lipase, glutaminase and DNase), many o...

VR-6, a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, harboured a plasmid and was not inhibited by 20 microliters ml-1 of essential oils (eucalyptus, lemongrass, palmarosa, and peppermint). On treatment with acridine orange, a clone VR-6-AO-1 was obtained which was susceptible to 16.6 microliters ml-1 of eucalyptus or palmarosa oil. The plasmid DNA content of...

The influence of the genetic background of a plant on the antibacterial activity of essential oil derived from it was investigated. Essential oils from six distinct strains of Cymbopogon were tested against eighteen bacteria. Interspecific and intra-specific differences were evident in the antibacterial activity of the essential oils derived from t...

The four essential oils (aromatic plant products) from palmarosa (Pm), lemongrass (Lg), peppermint (Pt) and eucalyptus (Eu) plants were found to be bactericidal to Escherichia coli strain SP-11, at a concentration of 1.66 (Pm, Lg and Eu) or 2.5 (Pt) microl ml-1. This effect was observed both at 37 degrees C and 4 degrees C and was not prevented by...

A Curvularia species was isolated from a chronic ulcer on the lower limb of a 2I-year-old man. The histopathological findings supported the mycological diagnosis. An enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) was performed using a crude soluble fungal antigen. The patient's serum contained significantly more antibodies than 10 sera from control sub...