FORMULATION AND IN VITRO EVALUATION OF ORAL DISINTEGRATING TABLETS OF AMLODIPINE BESYLATE

Objective: The present investigation was undertaken with an objective of formulating oral disintegrating tablets of amlodipine besylate to enhance convenience and compliance of the elderly and pediatric patients for better therapeutic efficacy.Methods: The tablets were prepared by using direct compression method and evaluated for weight variation, hardness, friability, wetting time, disintegration time and in vitro drug release study. Prepared tablets were evaluated for compatibility by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.Results: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies revealed that there was no physicochemical interaction between amlodipine besylate and other excipients. All the tablets hardness was found to be around 3.5 kg/cm2 and friability of all the formulations was less than 1%, Drug content in all the formulations was found in the range of 97.05% to 99.13%.Conclusion: The study clearly indicated that the type and concentration of superdisintegrants plays an important role in disintegration and dissolution of drug from oral disintegrating tablets. Among all the formulations, the maximum percentage of drug release and less disintegration time was found in F9 formulation containing 4% of crospovidone.Â

DETERMINATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTIFUNGAL, BIOACTIVE CONSTITUENTS OF TRIPHALA BY FT-IR AND GC-MS ANALYSIS

Objectives: To characterize the number of phytoconstituents present in triphala using FT-IR and GC-MS. Methods: Antibacterial activity was measured by disc diffusion method, antifungal activity were analyzed by poisoned food technique, organic analysis was done by FT-IR, phytocomponents were identified by GC-MS analysis. Results: The major bioactive components were present in methanolic extracts, further screened by GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of 10 bioactive compounds. The results were presented that triphala contains richly 1,2,3-Benzenetriol, 2-Furancarboxaldehyde, 5-(hydroxymethyl)-, 4H-Pyran-4-one, 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-, Furfural, 2H-Pyran-2,6(3H)-dione, D-Allose, n-Hexadecanoic acid, DL-Proline, 5-oxo-, methyl ester, Undecanol-5, 9-Phenanthrenol Conclusion: Present findings indicated promising antimicrobial and phytocomponents are present and having remarkable number of qualities

Field evaluation of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) accessions for resistance against leaf hopper, Amrasca biguttula biguttula (Ishida)

One hundred and twelve accessions of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) were screened under field conditions in two seasons at Sambavar Vadakarai and Udappankulam villages of Tirunelveli district of Tamilnadu, India during January to April and June to September, 2009 respectively for their resistance against leaf hopper (Amrasca biguttula biguttula Ishida). Observations on the number of nymphs/adults per plant were recorded at weekly interval. In the first season, four accessions viz., KBSH 1, AHT 14, GK 2002 and GMU 698 harboured the least population whereas in the second season, the accession KBSH 1 proved to be promising

ANALYSIS OF THE PHYTOCHEMICALS, ANTIOXIDANTS, AND ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF FICUS TSJAHELA BURM. F LEAF, BARK, AND FRUIT EXTRACTS

Objective: Ficus tsjahela Burm. f is a medicinal tree species, endemic to the Western Ghats having various healing properties. This study focused to check the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the leaf, bark, and fruit samples of F. tsjahela. Methods: The plant samples were subjected to Soxhlet extraction for phytochemical analysis and further experimental studies. The test on phytochemical studies indicated the presence of alkaloids, saponins, glycosides, and flavonol glycosides within the plant parts, respectively. The estimation of alkaloids, saponins, in vitro antioxidant, and antibacterial activities revealed that the methanol bark extracts have high activity compared to others. Results: Total alkaloid and saponin content was found to be high in leaf methanol extract was 996.17 mg/g quinine equivalent/g and 957.3 mg/g diosgenin equivalent/g, respectively. In vitro antioxidant assays revealed a strong radical scavenging potential of the methanol bark extract against stable (2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), phosphomolybdenum, and superoxide radicals. Agar well diffusion method has been used to determine the antimicrobial activities against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Acetobacter aceti, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Conclusion: The bark methanol extract of F. tsjahela has exhibited remarkable antioxidant activity and significant antibacterial activity (p<0.05) against all tested bacterial strains observed

ASSESSMENT OF PHYTOCHEMICALS AND IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF SARCOSTEMMA BRUNONIANUM WIGHT AND ARN

Objective: Sarcostemma brunonianum Wight and Arn is a potential medicinal plant belonging to Asclepiadaceae. Bioactive constituents of the plant support the application of treating various ailments in the traditional system of medicine. The study aims to determine the presence of various phytoconstituents in stem, root, and flowers. Methods: Hot percolation method was carried out to obtain crude extracts using different solvent systems from low polar-high polar solvents ranging from petroleum ether, chloroform, (mid-polar) ethyl acetate, methanol and water. Estimation of total phenols, tannins and In vitro antioxidant, anti-inflammatory activities were evaluated for the determination of potential pharmaceutical drugs. Results: The results revealed the presence of some phytoconstituents such as phenols, tannins, glycosides, gums and mucilages. Ascorbic acid, BSA, Rutin and Gallic acid were used as the reference standard. The total phenolic content was found to be high in stem methanol extract 440.84±69.99 mg/g Gallic acid equivalent, whereas the tannin content was 291.78±4.68 mg/g GAE. The result proves that the S. brunonianum stem methanol extract possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities when compared to reference standards. In vitro, Nitric oxide scavenging activity of stem showed a maximum % of inhibition in methanol stem extract (24.39µg/ml) and anti-inflammatory activity maximum inhibition was found to be (55.56 %) in stem methanol and flower(53.62 %). The IC50 (concentration required for 50% inhibition) was also calculated for the DPPH radical model. Conclusion: This study results proclaims and justifies the role of folklore medicinal plant S. brunonianum in the treatment of inflammatory-related ailments and can be recommended for an effective drug

Fish waste management: turning fish waste into healthy fertilizer

In recent decades there has been a constant increase in global population which generates the gigantic challenge of providing food and livelihoods to a population well of greater than 9 billion people by the middle of twenty-first century (FAO, 2018). Fisheries sector plays a key role in providing food safety and employment formany people. Global fish production has touched about 171 million tonnesby 2016 (FAO, 2018) and further increase in fish production through growing aquaculture industry is expected in coming decades. On contrast, of the overall worldwide fish production, almost 75% is only used for human consumption (FAO, 2007).The abandons from the world’s fisheries exceed 20 million tons annually(equivalent to 25% of total production) which include “non-target” species, fish processing wastes and by-products. Most of these are simply disposed off in landfills, by incineration, or dumping at sea or lands. Considering the high organic content fish waste is categorized as “certified waste” that is even more costly to dispose. Management of fish waste is coming under increased scrutiny to environmental issues (Jesperson et al., 2000) and is an emerging alarm and cost burden to whole fish industry (Anon, 2002). Considering the present and future intensity of fish production, the ultimate disposal of fish waste will turn out to be a serious problem for environment. Utilization of fish wastes help to eliminate harmful environmental aspects and improve the income for fish farmers, demanding the critical necessity to find ecologically acceptable means for reutilization of these wastes

Emerging Trend in Mobile Technology for Aged People Monitoring and Parameter Reception Using GSM Technologies

ABSTRACT In recent past, the criminals frequently target mentally and physically challenged people and aged people who live alone. Hence their safety is a matter of serious concern to their relatives. Moreover their health conditions are also of important concern to their relatives who are physically far away from them. Hence it becomes necessary to develop a monitoring system that will indicate the conditions of these aged people to their relatives. Such a monitoring system involves sensors, micro controller and web based Global Systems for Mobile Communication (GSM) services for mobile communication. The project aims at developing such a monitoring system that is to be placed at the aged people premises. The sensors continuously grab the temperature conditions and indicate it to the micro controller. Micro controller activates the corresponding services to the relative's mobile under abnormal conditions. The Ethernet system then communicates to the relative's mobile through serial communication port. The embedded GSM based monitoring system serves as a reliable watchdog for the aged people living alone. In case of any critical situation, the proposed monitoring system provides the information to the relatives through GSM modem. It also helps the relatives to know about the current location of the aged people

Antimicrobial resistance and virulence characteristics of Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio harveyi from natural disease outbreaks of marine/estuarine fishes

Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio harveyi are the causative agents of the most severe diseases of marine and brackish aquaculture systems. These are also associated with serious ailments in humans. The present paper unravels the virulence features/genes and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) phenotypes/genes of these Vibrio spp. isolated from natural disease outbreaks of marine/estuarine fishes of India for the first time. Results on virulence features showed that V. vulnificus infected fish can pose public health risk. While, it has been found clinically that V. parahaemolyticus without tdh and trh genes are pathogenic to fish, even though they are reported to be, not associated with human diseases. It was significant to note that virulence features of V. harveyi were induced at increased salinity. Analysis based on the percentage prevalence of susceptible isolates and variation coefficient of zone diameters categorized 17 antibiotics in terms of their efficiency against each fish pathogenic species. Multiple antibiotic resistance index (MARi) of the isolates ranged between 0.058 and 0.47. Results on MARi and percentage of multidrug resistance strains indicated that >50% of the isolates were from low antibiotic usage area. The study generated tetH sequence from V. parahaemolyticus for the first time, and the sequence revealed high identity to that of clinical strains. Presence of tetB/ tetH gene was identified as the predictor for the resistance against the first generation tetracycline, the most commonly used antibiotic against Vibrio spp. in aquaculture practices. The data on associations between AMR features predicted certain cross-resistance between antimicrobials within Vibrio spp. Altogether, the paper serves as the baseline for epizootic tracking of public health significant vibrios from diseased fishes, to devise practical guidelines for antibiotic use and to formulate efficient control measures against three Vibrio spp. in aquaculture, targeting final applications in the implementation of national green and healthy aquaculture practices

Pathological investigations of Vibrio vulnificus infection in Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) cultured at a floating cage farm of India

An outbreak of skin ulcers with morbidity and mortality rate of 80% and 20% respectively, among Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) sub-adults reared in a brackish water floating cage farm of Kochi, Kerala, India was reported. Bacterial isolation attempts from various internal organs (blood, kidney, liver, spleen and brain) of different diseased fish indicated a common bacterial etiology. Organisms were identified as Vibrio vulnificus based on conventional microbiological methods followed by molecular confirmation. Additionally, V. vulnificus marker specific for fish virulence was present in the isolates. Fish pathogenicity was confirmed by challenge tests. LD50 was calculated as 2.1 × 105.13 CFU/fish and 2.1 × 106.12 CFU/mL in injection and immersion route respectively. pilF polymorphism-based PCR and vvhA gene sequence indicated potential danger for humans. The strain was positive for siderophore, hemolysin, capsule, polar and lateral flagella. The strain could multiply rapidly in healthy fish serum. All these results indicated that the isolate could act as a primary pathogen for tilapia fish. Interestingly, serum survival ratio of the pathogen was significantly larger at higher temperatures (p ≤ .05); which may explain the increase in infective capacity of V. vulnificus at higher temperature. Multiple antibiotic resistance index of the strain was ≤0.2. In conclusion, the paper provides detailed descriptions of clinical signs, microscopic and macroscopic lesions of a natural disease outbreak among tilapia raised in brackish water cage farms of India. The concurrent attempts to identify and characterize the etiology fetches the basis for future development of effective control and preventive measures against V. vulnificus, the most infectious and lethal of all zoonotic vibrios