Posted by admin on May 31, 2016 in |
Snakebite is an important cause of morbidity and mortality and is one of the major health problems in India. Russell’s viper (Daboia russelli) appears to be the commonest cause of fatal snakebite in many Asian countries and especially in the Indian subcontinent. Intravenous administration of anti venom serum neutralizes the systemic actions, but it is of little effect on the reversal of local symptoms and often induces adverse reactions, a context that drives the search for complementary treatments for snakebite accidents. Plant extracts with a range of antiophidian activities constitute an excellent alternative. The methanolic extracts of seeds of Pongamia pinnata, fruits of Piper longum and Sapindus laurifolius and leaves of Adhatoda zeylanica were tested for the snake venom neutralizing capacity using in vitro methods. The venom of Daboia russelii (Russell’s viper) was used to evaluate the antivenom activity of these extracts individually and in combinations. The parameters assessed were the neutralization of procoagulant activity, proteolytic activity and phospholipase A2 activity. All the extracts studied exhibited significant activity in...
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Posted by admin on May 31, 2016 in |
In the present investigation phenolic contents and antioxidant potential of Barleria prionitis L. leaf and stem extracts were analyzed by in vitro antioxidant assays and RP-HPLC method. The results indicated that high amount of total phenolics were present in acetone extracts of leaf (20.22±0.57 mg of GAE/g) and stem (21.19±1.25 mg of GAE/g). Highest flavonoid content was observed in ethanolic (44.23±2.82 mg of RE/g) and acetone extracts (44.94±0.85 mg of RE/g) of leaf, while stem extracts were poor in flavonoid contents. RP-HPLC method for determination of specific phenolic compounds was reported for the first time in B. prionitis L. Out of the phenolic compounds tested, Gallic acid was most common and more abundantly present in both leaf and stem of B. prionitis L. Aqueous extract of leaf showed highest extraction capacity for Gallic acid (211.70 μg/g) and Catechol (112.57 μg/g), while Caffeic acid (37.74 μg/g) and p-Coumaric acid (48.66 μg/g) were highest in methanolic extract. The present study indicated strong influence of extraction solvents and plant parts on antioxidant...
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Posted by admin on May 31, 2016 in |
Objective: Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorders rapidly rising in India. There are numerous classes of antipsychotic agents available. It is important to find out which are the most frequently prescribed antipsychotics in population subsets of various regions of the country. Similarly, it is also important to do apharmacoeconomic evaluation of such treatment. Thus the primary objective of the study was to observe the prescribing pattern and evaluate the average cost of antipsychotics used. Methods: The drug prescribing pattern was noted from the Psychiatry OPD of Modern Institute of Medical Science, Indore and cost analysis performed for the drugs used. The data from OPD card of patients was obtained in a structured study proforma. Results: In 6 months, 304 cases reviewed out of which 158(52%) cases were of Schizophrenia. The Female to Male ratio of patients was 1.24. The average drugs per prescription were 3.17.68% of patients were on monotherapy. Out of total antipsychotics prescribed, 35.39% were Typical and 64.61% were Atypical Antipsychotics. Most commonly prescribed antipsychotic drugs were Olanzapine...
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Posted by admin on May 31, 2016 in |
Maytenus emarginatus Willd. Celeastraceae, popularly known as “Kankeri or kankero”, is a Thorny staff evergreen tree that is rich in various chemical constituents that determine the medicinal potential of this species. Diabetes mellitus is a disease that is affecting major population of the world. This study aimed to evaluate the antihyperglycaemic activity of the hydroalcoholic extract of the leaves of Maytenus emarginatus plant which is widely found in dry and arid regions of India mainly in Rajasthan. The hydroalcholic extract of the leaves of M. emarginata (250 and 500 mg/kg/day) were administered orally to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (n = 6/group) for 21 days. Changes in body weight, food and water intake, biochemical markers, fasting glucose levels and oral glucose tolerance test were evaluated. The results showed that the M. emarginatus dried extract (250 and 500 mg/kg) reduced significantly the level of blood glucose comparable to glibenclamide (10mg/kg) throughout the evaluation period and improved metabolic status of the animals and ameliorate the oral tolerance glucose test. Thus, we conclude that...
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Posted by admin on May 31, 2016 in |
This cross-sectional questionnaire based study was conducted among 200 randomly selected child bearing mothers aged 16 to 40 to evaluate their awareness regarding breastfeeding and its health benefits in urban and slum area of Dhaka city from July to December 2013. The study showed that about 46% of respondents completed higher secondary education or more and about 27% were illiterate. A significant proportion of mothers (75%) were employed while 25% were housewives. More educated mothers had significantly (p<0.001) better knowledge about colostrum milk (91.5%) about the appropriate duration of breastfeeding (81.40%) and that breast milk is the only food recommended for babies up to 6 months of age (96.90%) in comparison to that of the uneducated mothers (49.30%; 25.35% and 77.46%, respectively). Educated mothers were also significantly more likely than uneducated women to know about benefits of breastfeeding with regard to post-partum weight loss (OR=0.462, 95% CI 0.298-0.715, p<0.001), prevention of unwanted pregnancy (OR=0.064, 95% CI 0.030-0.136, p<0.001) and post-partum bleeding (OR=0.147, 95% CI 0.083-0.257, p<0.001). Awareness of recommended...
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