Effect of Ethrel® on Flowering, Sex-Expression and Yield in Cashew

A field trial was conducted at Regional Fruit Research Station, Vengurle, Dist. Sindhudurg, (Maharashtra) to assess the efficacy of Ethrel® in relation to flowering behavior and yield enhancement in cashew on seven year old Cashew trees of Vengurle -7 variety during 2008-09. Three sprays of Ethrel® @ 100 ppm, 200 ppm and 400 ppm along with water spray were given before flushing, after flushing and during fruit-set. Control consisted of no. spray. Among treatments, Ethrel® @ 100 ppm significantly increased number of flowering panicles m-2 (12.0), number of perfect flowers per panicle (52.8), fruit-set m-2 (28.8), number of nuts per panicle (2.9) and yield tree-1 ( 1.51 kg tree-1) than control and water spray. Thus, lower concentration of Ethrel® had a beneficial effect on cashew

Ipomoea Reniformis: Isolation, Characterization, and Evaluation of Scopoletin and its Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities

The Ipomoea reniformis is found predominantly all over India and is used traditionally for several diseases including for the cure of cancer. This study aimed to isolate and characterize phytoconstituents from bioactive extract, evaluate antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of chloroform (CH), ethyl acetate (EA), ethanol (ET), hydroalcoholic (HA) (50%v/v) extracts and isolated compound. Antioxidant property was evaluated by using 1,1-Dipheny l, 2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay and cytotoxic potential was evaluated by using MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) Assay. All the extracts (CH, EA, ET, HA) of Ipomoea reniformis exhibited significant antioxidant potential but the highest antioxidant activity (94.84 ± 1.56 % at 1000 µg/ml) was shown by ET extract with IC50 value of 52.24 µg/ml and SM (scopoletin) isolated from ET extract showed more potent antioxidant activity IC50 value of 52.24± 0.9367 µg/ml, and the highest antioxidant activity (96.29± 0.86 %) at 1000 µg/ml compared to ET extract.  The percent cell viability of MCF-7, A-549, and HCT-116 human cell lines was evaluated by treatment with CH, EA, ET, HA extracts and SM. The percent cell viability was found to be, ET (4.4117 ± 6.2711%, 0.0605 ± 0.7748%, 9.8290 ± 2.1149%) and SM (4.23± 1.38%, 0.059 ± 0.32 %, 8.92 ± 0.87%) for MCF-7, A-549, HCT-116 respectively.  Therefore, from the present study it was concluded that isolated SM has more potent antioxidant and cytotoxic potential than ET extract of Ipomoea reniformis

Synthesis of new 4-thiazolidinones bearing potentially active heteryl moities

124-1282-Acyl-3-methyl-7-substituted-1,4-benzothiazines 1A and 5-acyl-1-aryl-2-mercapto-4-methy limidazoles 1B have been converted to their respective hydrazones 2A and 2B by refluxing them with hydrazine hydrate in digol. The hydrazino derivatives on condensation with aryl isothiocyanates give asymmetric thioureas 3A and 3B. The thioureas when refluxed with monochloroacetic acid in glacial acetic acid using anhydrous sodium acetate as catalyst yield the title products, 2-[(-3'-methyl-4H-7'-substituted-1 ,4-benzothiazin-2'-yl)-methyl-ketoiminyl]imino-3-aryl-4-thiazolidinones 4A and 2-[(1'-substituted phenyl-2' -mercapto-4'-methylimidazol-5'-yl)-methyl-ketoiminyl] imino-3-substituted phenyl-4-thiazolidinones 4B. Some of the newly synthesised compounds have been screened against Alternaria brassicae, Gloeosporium ampelophagum and Fusarium oxysporium and the results are presented

Comparison of health care professionals' and laypeople's knowledge, attitudes, and practices on the use of antimicrobial and antimicrobial resistance

BACKGROUND: The discovery of antimicrobials is a pioneering step in health sciences concerning preventive care and early management for infectious diseases. However, with advancements in health sciences, inappropriate knowledge, practices, and over-the-counter medications were often used by the general population in underdeveloped nations like India without thinking about its consequences which leads to the use of antimicrobials excessively or inadequately, which is also a factor for antimicrobial resistance. This quantitative study determines the awareness of healthcare professionals and laypersons about usage and resistance of antimicrobials.METHODS AND MATERIALS: Research was carried out in rural tertiary teaching hospital of study participants were 106 nurses, 115 interns, 107 junior residents, and 97 laypersons using a “self-administered WHO questionnaire”. SPSS version 27.0 software was used to analyze the data. The P value cut-off for significance was established at <.05.RESULTS: Forty seven percent of nurses and 44% of interns consumed antimicrobials in the last month, more than interns and junior residents. Fourteen percent of interns and 13% of laypersons did not get any prescription for lastly taken antimicrobial. The majority of participants obtain prescribed antimicrobials from medical stores and pharmacies. Fifty five percent of laypersons and 59% of nurses stop taking antimicrobials when they feel better. Only 13% of nurses were aware of the proper indications of antimicrobials for the same illness. Only 22% of respondents know the term superbugs, significantly less than the other key terms related to the antimicrobials. Nurses and laypersons had some misconceptions related to the mechanism of development of antimicrobial resistance.CONCLUSIONS: The analysis revealed that a significant lack of knowledge and various misconceptions were primarily seen in the nurses and laypersons. In contrast, medical graduates such as interns and junior residents lacked the right attitude and perspective regarding the use of antimicrobials and their resistance

Formulation and Evaluation of Buccoadhesive Tablet of Verapamil Hydrochloride for the Treatment of Hypertension

The creation and assessment of buccoadhesive tablets of verapamil hydrochloride were the study's primary goals. Blood pushing excessively hard against the arterial wall is referred to as hypertension. Typically, hypertension is characterized by blood pressure readings over 140/90; readings over 180/120 are regarded as severe hypertension. Verapamil is used to manage angina (chest pain) and treat excessive blood pressure. Verapamil belongs to the category of drugs known as calcium channel blockers. In order to save the heart from having to pump as hard, it relaxes the blood artery. Additionally, it enhances the heart's blood and oxygen flow while decreasing electrical activity to regulate heart rate. Five formulations that demonstrated satisfactory physicochemical characteristics and drug release were chosen for the investigation. Physical examination, weight fluctuation, uniformity of content, thickness, friability, hardness, and in vitro drug release were used to characterize the formulation. In terms of physical examination, weight variation, uniformity of content, thickness, friability, hardness, and in vitro drug release, all formulations produce satisfactory results. The buccoadhesive tablet formulation (F2 Batch) had the best in vitro drug release of 87% in 8 hours. Verapamil hydrochloride's UV spectrum was examined, and it was discovered that the drug's highest absorbance occurs at 227nm, increasing its bioavailability. Keywords: Verapamil Hydrochloride, Hypertension, Bioavailability, Buccoadhesive Tablet, Calcium channel blocker