Role of non-lipid risk factors like hs-CRP, uric acid and thyroid stimulating hormone in metabolic syndrome

Background: Metabolic syndrome is the cluster of diseases which arises due to excess of plasma glucose, cholesterol, fatty acids, blood pressure and obesity. The role of lipids in the development of MetS had been extensively studied. Though some non-lipid factors like hsCRP, uric acid and TSH level also remain elevated in the serum of the MetS patients, the role of these non-lipid risk factors remain incompletely understood. The objective of this study was to investigate which of these factors better predicts Mets, in order to help prevention and early detection of MetS and its associated type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases. Aim and objectives was to study the significance of serum highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), serum uric acid (SUA) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in metabolic syndrome.Methods: A total of four hundred and fifty subjects (211 men and 239 women) aged ≥35 years attending the hospital were divided into three groups based on the components level of MetS as control (CS), normal (MS) and severe (SMS) MetS groups. Their fasting blood sample were taken and analyzed for the serum hs-CRP, uric acid and TSH levels. The result showed that the mean hs-CRP and uric acid levels were significantly higher in Metabolic Syndrome group (MS) and in Severe Metabolic Syndrome group (SMS) when compared to control group. But the mean TSH levels were more in MS group and in SMS group than the control which was statistically not significant. The analysis of relative significance of these risk factors showed that serum hs-CRP level had a positive linear correlation with the severity of MetS whereas, the TSH level was significantly high only in SMS and the uric acid level was not correlated with the MetS.Results: Our study revealed that type II (absence of sutural bones) was commoner than type I (presence of type I) asterion. The asterion was 4.82±0.58 cm from tip of the mastoid process on the right side and 4.70±0.70 cm on the left. It was greater in males than in females, p value being statistically significant (P = 0.00 and P = 0.02 for right and left sides respectively). The distance of asterion from supramastoid crest was 4.22±0.73 cm on the right and 4.23±0.58 cm on the left. The distance in males was more than in females. The P value 0.00 was statistically significant on the right side. Regarding the position of the asterion in relation to transverse sinus, it was on the transverse sinus in 62% cases, below it in 32% and above in 6%.Conclusions: In the present study, there was higher mean serum hs-CRP level in patients with metabolic syndrome which showed a linear increase with increasing number of components of the metabolic syndrome. Though available literature indicated that hyperuricemia adult subjects tend to develop MetS more frequently our findings showed this increase was not dependent on the severity of MetS. Also, significantly high TSH levels were found only in severe MetS suggest that as per this study the serum hs-CRP values may be consider as the diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome and helps to improve future prediction of development of type 2 DM and cardiovascular diseases

A Pharmacovigilance Study on Causality and Severity Assessment of Adverse Drug Reactions in a Teaching Hospital

Objectives: The main purpose of the study is to assess the causality, severity, preventability of ADRs and factors associated with ADRs in chronic disease patients of tertiary care teaching hospital. Study setting and Design: A Prospective observational longitudinal study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital at Hyderabad, India, for 3 years. Materials and Methods: Patients of age group > 18 years were included in the study. All the patients were distributed according to their gender, age, number medications used, disease condition, and socioeconomic state. The reported ADRs were analyzed by WHO-UMC causality, Hartwig’s Siegel’s scale and modified Shumock and Thornton criteria respectively. Statistical analysis used: Descriptive statistical analysis was used. Results: A total of 691 patients enrolled in the study, in that 391 patients reported with 510 ADRs. Of these 37.0% are in-patients and 62.9% are out-patients. Majority of the patients are female category (58.0%) and 45.8% of ADRs reported from adults (41-60 years). 65.8% patients are non-adherent to medication. Life style habits, economic status and education are found to be predictors for ADRs. WHO-UMC scale showed 42.9% of ADRs probable. Hartwig’s and Siegel’s severity scales shown 13.1 % ADRs are severe followed by 33.7% moderate ADRs and 40% of ADRs were preventable. Conclusion: Hence our study advises that there is a need of improvement in ADR reporting from health care professionals. This study also suggests further research in India for the improvement of possible intervention strategies to reduce burden and cost of ADR. Keywords: Prospective, ADR reporting, WHO-UMC, Hartwig’s Siegel’s scale, Shumock and Thornton

A STUDY ON PERCEPTIONS OF FACULTY MEMBERS ON INFORAMATION SOURCES OF LIBRARIES OF ENGINEERING COLLEGES AFFILIATED TO JNTU-ANANTAPUR, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA

Analysis of data collected from a simple random sample of 1130 faculty members belonging to 37 Engineering colleges affiliated to JNTU-Anantapur using a questionnaire, reveals that most of the faculty members are using textbooks (97.3%), and Internet (85.7%) for their teaching activity. Further, most of the faculty members are using e-journals (80.1%) and Internet (79.0%) for their research activity. Most of the faculty members are satisfied with latest editions of books available (79.8%) and with the multiple copies available for prescribed textbooks in their libraries (75.02%). Most of them (77.3%) are consulting periodicals for their teaching and research work. Most of them (78.1%) are satisfied with the present collection of periodicals. Nearly half of them (51.3%) are consulting indexing and abstracting periodicals to know the latest literature for their teaching and research needs. Most of them (77.2%) replied that the latest issues of periodicals are available in their libraries concerned. Majority of the faculty members replied that current issues of periodicals (68.8%) and the back volumes of periodicals (60.5%) are not issued for home reading. Most of them (81.8%) replied that their libraries are subscribing to e-journals. Majority of them (53.7%) replied that their libraries are not subscribing to e-books. A few recommendations have been made by the researchers on the basis of findings

A STUDY ON PERCEPTIONS OF FACULTY MEMBERS ON INFORAMATION SOURCES OF LIBRARIES OF ENGINEERING COLLEGES AFFILIATED TO JNTU-ANANTAPUR, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA

Analysis of data collected from a simple random sample of 1130 faculty members belonging to 37 Engineering colleges affiliated to JNTU-Anantapur using a questionnaire, reveals that most of the faculty members are using textbooks (97.3%), and Internet (85.7%) for their teaching activity. Further, most of the faculty members are using e-journals (80.1%) and Internet (79.0%) for their research activity. Most of the faculty members are satisfied with latest editions of books available (79.8%) and with the multiple copies available for prescribed textbooks in their libraries (75.02%). Most of them (77.3%) are consulting periodicals for their teaching and research work. Most of them (78.1%) are satisfied with the present collection of periodicals. Nearly half of them (51.3%) are consulting indexing and abstracting periodicals to know the latest literature for their teaching and research needs. Most of them (77.2%) replied that the latest issues of periodicals are available in their libraries concerned. Majority of the faculty members replied that current issues of periodicals (68.8%) and the back volumes of periodicals (60.5%) are not issued for home reading. Most of them (81.8%) replied that their libraries are subscribing to e-journals. Majority of them (53.7%) replied that their libraries are not subscribing to e-books. A few recommendations have been made by the researchers on the basis of findings

Finite Element Analysis of Radiation and Mass Transfer Flow Past Semi- Infinite Moving Vertical Plate with Viscous Dissipation

The objectives of the present study are to investigate the radiation effects on unsteady heat and mass transfer flow of a chemically reacting fluid past a semi-infinite vertical plate with viscous dissipation. The method of solution is applied using Finite element technique. Numerical results for the velocity, the temperature and the concentration are shown graphically for various flow parameters. The expressions for the skin-frication, Nusselt number and Sherwood number are obtained. The result shows that increased cooling (Gr>0) of the plate and the Eckert number leads to a rise in the velocity. Also, an increase in the Eckert number leads to an increase in the temperature, whereas increase in radiation lead to a decrease in the temperature distribution when the plate is being cooled

Acute and Subchronic Oral Toxicity Assessment of the Ethanolic Extract of the root of Oncoba spinosa (Flacourtiaceae) in Rodents

Purpose: To investigate the toxicological profile of the ethanol extract of Oncoba spinosa (EEOS) after acute and sub-chronic administration to rodents.Methods: In the acute toxicity study, a single administration of the extract at doses of 2000 and 5000 mg/kg, respectively, was given to the mice. Mice were observed for general behavioural changes, adverse effects and mortality up to 14 days post-treatment. In sub-acute toxicity studies, EEOS was given orally to male and female rats at doses of 250 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg for 28 days. Body weight, food intake and water intake were monitored throughout the experimental period; hematological parameters, biochemical parameters of the blood and histopathology of various organs were also evaluated at the end of the experiment.Results: In the acute toxicity study, both the doses used did not cause any mortality or significant behavioural changes. Daily oral administration of EEOS for 28 days, in the sub-chronic toxicity study, did not show any treatment-related abnormalities with regard to hematological and biochemical parameters. There were no significant differences in body weight and organ weight between the control and treated groups (p < 0.05). Histological analysis did not show any morphological changes in the major vital organs (liver, kidney, stomach, spleen, brain and heart) tested.Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the extract may not have any single dose toxicity. The LD50 value is greater than 5000 mg/kg. The no-observed adverse effects level (NOAEL) was considered to be 1000 mg/kg for male and female rats, respectively.Keywords: Oncoba spinosa, Acute and sub-acute toxicity, Hematological, Biochemical parameter

A COMPARATIVE ANTIBACTERIAL STUDY OF IXORA COCCINEA L. PLANTS WITH RED, ORANGE, PINK AND WHITE FLOWERS

Eradication of pathogenic bacterial infection is the most effective means of curing several diseases and preventingrecurrent episodes. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the comparative antibacterial activity of Ixora coccinea L.plants with red, orange, pink and white flowers against tested bacteria Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis,Klebsiella pneumoniae. Both the methanolic and aqueous extracts of all four types of flowers exhibited considerable antibacterialactivities against bacteria. The methanolic extracts of red and pink flowers exhibited high antibacterial activity whereas orangeflowers showed moderate activity while white flowers showed low activity. The aqueous extracts displayed less inhibitory effectscompared to the methanolic extracts. The aqueous extracts of red and pink flowers showed considerable high antibacterialactivity compared to orange and white flowers. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids,glycosides, steroids, carbohydrates, flavonoids and tannins

Quality Assurance through Process Improvement - A Concise Review

The past two decades has seen the realization of the manufacturing firms towards quality consciousness. The various firms worldwide employed the statistical tools for minimizing the deviations and subsequently the number of rejects of the manufactured parts. In this process, more prominence is laid on prevention of defects rather than detecting and rejecting the defect in the usual traditional end inspection quality check. This review paper witnesses the procedures involved in the improvement of the manufacturing process capability and focuses on achieving quality assurance through sustained improvement in the manufacturing process. The different methodologies for sustained improvement in manufacturing process across varied industrial sectors, are identified, discussed and presented. The nuances of enhanced product quality levels through process capability improvement work performed in varied areas of industrial manufacturing are also captured

STUDY OF POTENTIAL DRUG INTERACTIONS AMONG EIGHT MAJOR DEPARTMENTS-GENERAL MEDICINE, ORTHOPEDICS, GYNECOLOGY, PULMONOLOGY, GENERAL SURGERY, PSYCHIATRY, OTOLARYNGOLOGY AND DERMATOLOGY OF A TERTIARY CARE TEACHING HOSPITAL IN SOUTHERN INDIA

Objective: To identify frequency, type, severity and predictors of potential drug-drug interactions(pDDIs), potential drug-food interactions(pDFIs), potential drug-alcohol interactions(pDAIs) and potential drug-tobacco interactions(pDTIs) and most frequently interacting drug combination pairs in hospitalized patients from departments(depts) of General Medicine(GM), Orthopedic(Ortho), Gynecology(OBG), Pulmonology(Pulmo), General Surgery (GS), Psychiatry (Psych), Otolaryngology(ENT) and Dermatology (Derm) of study population. Methods: A Prospective Observational Study was conducted in eight major dept's of a tertiary care teaching hospital for a period of 6 mo. A sample size of 650 prescriptions reflecting admission no's for each department were used. Results: A total of 650 patients were included in the study. Among them, 282(43.4%) were males and 368(56.6%) were females. The mean age of the study population was 39.67±15.23. A total of 487 pDDIs, 734 pDFIs, 586 pDAIs and 159 pDTIs were found out of 650 hospitalized episodes. OBG showed the highest pDDIs and pDAIs. Highest pDFIs and pDTIs were seen in Pulmo. The majority of DDIs were minor, DFIs and DAIs were moderate and DTIs were of major in severity. Pharmacokinetic types of interactions were seen in the majority of the depts. Logistic regression analysis showed that Polypharmacy was associated with the occurrence of DIs. Most of the DIs repeated several times in particular depts and a list of these combinations was prepared. Conclusion: With the high occurrence of overall DIs and characteristic patterns of DIs combination pairs among different departments of the hospital, the presence of clinical pharmacists in hospitals can play a great role, especially in developing nations like India where their role in hospitalized settings is always controversial

In vitro hepatoprotective activity of Eichhornia Crassipes flowers against CCl4 induced toxicity in BRL3A cell line

The present study was carried out to determine the in vitro hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic extract from Eichhornia crassipes (EEEC) flowers using the CCl4-challenged BRL3A cell model. Hepatoprotective activity of EEEC (at concentrations of 50, 100 and 200 μg/mL) and standard drug silymarin (200 μg/mL) was evaluated against CCl4 induced toxicity using BRL3A cell line by measuring the cell viability, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransaminase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and glutathione level (GSH). Treatment with CCl4 produced a significant decrease in cell viability. In addition, hepatotoxicity was revealed by increased hepatic marker enzymes like AST, ALT and LDH paralleled with elevated lipid peroxidation and decline in GSH levels. The toxicity induced by CCl4 in the BRL3A cells was significantly recovered by treatment with EEEC. The tested doses (100 and 200 μg/mL) significantly (P <0.01) reduced the CCl4 induced elevation of AST, ALT and LDH and also restored the altered biochemical parameters. These findings provide a basis for confirming the traditional uses of E. crassipes in treating liver ailments