Posted by admin on Apr 1, 2013 in |
Background: Self-medication is an important component of self-care. Though it is widely practiced globally, very few studies have evaluated its pattern and prevalence in dental students. Aim: The study was conducted to compare pattern of self-medication practices between junior and senior dental undergraduate students. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, anonymous, descriptive study with a six month illness recall that evaluated two groups of dental students- Group I: second year BDS students who were unexposed to pharmacology subject; Group 2: students pursuing internship (interns) having a sound knowledge of pharmacology. A questionnaire consisting of both open and close ended questions related to various aspects of self-medication was handed to the students. Consenting students anonymously filled the questionnaire. Comparison between the two groups was done by two- tailed Chi-square test. P values<0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results: A total of 167 students participated in the study.90% respondents in group 1 (second year) and 94% respondents in group 2 (interns) practiced self-medication. Illnesses for which self-medication was practiced included fever (76%...
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Posted by admin on Apr 1, 2013 in |
Backround: The present study has been carried out to evaluate the radio-protective effects of Alstonia scholaris extract (ASE) on peripheral blood of mice. Materials & Methods: Male Swiss albino mice were selected from an inbred colony and assorted into 4 groups. Animals in Group I were administered with double distilled water (DDW), volume equal to ASE, by oral gavage to serve as vehicle treated control. Mice in Group II were administered orally ASE once daily at a dose of 100 mg/kg b. wt. / animal/day for 5 consecutive days. In Group III, animals were given DDW for 5 consecutive days then exposed to 2.5 Gy gamma radiation. Group IV mice were treated with ASE (as in Group-II), and were exposed to 2.5 Gy after half an hour of the last administration of ASE. Animals of each group were autopsied on 12 hrs, days 1, 3, 7, 15 & 30 post-treatment intervals for hematological as well as biochemical estimations in blood. Results: Total erythrocyte count, hemoglobin level, and hematocrit percentage...
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Posted by admin on Apr 1, 2013 in |
The present study was conducted to evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory potential of the flowers of Ervatamia coronaria. The analgesic activity of the extract was assessed by the acetic acid induced writhing test. Aspirin was used as a standard drug. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by carrageenan induced rat hind paw edema method. The initial paw volume was measured plethysmographically immediately before subplanter injection. The relative increase in the paw volume was measured in control, standard and treated groups, 4h after carrageenan injection. The results of acetic acid writhing test in mice showed a significant decrease in number of wriths in ethanolic extracts of flowers of E. coronaria, suggesting peripheral analgesic effect. In carrageenan induced rat hind paw method; it was found that ethanolic extract of the flowers of E. coronaria, at a dose of 400 mg/kg body weight significantly reduced the oedema volume, which was comparable to standard drug diclofenac sodium. The flowers of the plant exhibited significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity, thereby justifying their use in traditional...
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Posted by admin on Apr 1, 2013 in |
We demonstrated previously that the aqueous root extract of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (cryptolepis), with cryptolepine as the major constituent adversely affect reproduction and foetal development in mice. However, very little is known on the effect of prenatal exposure of cryptolepis on the post-natal life of surviving animals. Using murine models, we report here, the effects of prenatal exposure to cryptolepis on the growth and development of physical landmarks and sensorimotor systems. Prenatal cryptolepis (62.5, 100, 500 mg/kg; p.o) treatment of pregnant mice from gestation day 6 – 19 significantly caused a delay in eye opening and development of reflexes such as righting, mid-air righting, auditory startle and pinna reflex. Prenatal cryptolepis treatment also inhibited intrauterine growth but not post-natal growth. This study shows that prenatal cryptolepis treatment provokes functional toxicity by delaying the development of physical landmarks and sensorimotor systems in...
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Posted by admin on Apr 1, 2013 in |
This research was focused on the qualitative and quantitative evaluation of anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of ethanolic extract of Scindapsus officinalis (EESO) fruit in laboratory animals and whether these effects were of any statistical significance. Carrageenan-induced Hind Paw Edema test in long evans rat was the experiment for anti-inflammatory activity of the ethanolic extract of Scindapsus officinalis fruit while hot plate test was carried out to assess its analgesic activity in swiss albino mice. At two different doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight, the analgesic test was evaluated on mice and the anti-inflammatory test was evaluated on rats by the ethanolic extract of the fruit. Phytochemical analysis of ethanolic extract of Scindapsus officinalis has indicated the presence of steroid, carbohydrate, flavonoid, alkaloid, tanin, saponin and terpenoid-compounds. Since these compounds are of pharmacological interest, coupled with the use of this plant in traditional medicine, prompted us for its possible analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. The experimental activities for the ethanolic extract ofScindapsus officinalis fruit exhibited statistically significant (p<0.05) anti-inflammatoryactivity...
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