To evaluate and compare the efficacy of alcoholic and aqueous extract of Lagenaria siceraria in high fat diet model in wistar rats

Background: Obesity is not only affecting the affluent society but also affecting developing countries like India. The incidence of obesity is rapidly increasing throughout the world. However, the current anti-obesity drugs have numerous limitations.Methods: The obesity was induced in male wistar rats by giving high-fat diet over 12 weeks. The variables assessed were body weight, abdominal girth, blood triglyceride level, liver weight and fat mass and histopathology of liver. Aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Lagenaria siceraria (200mg/kg and 400mg/kg Doses) were compared to orlistat (treatment control) and high-fat diet group (disease control) for different variables.Results: Alcoholic and aqueous extracts high dose (400mg/kg) of Lagenaria siceraria significantly reduced total body weight (p<0.05), abdominal girth (p <0.05) at week 10 and 12 compared to high fat diet group. Alcoholic extract (400mg/kg) significantly reduced total blood triglyceride level (p <0.05) and total liver weight (p <0.05) compared to high-fat diet group. None of the study drugs reduced % liver weight. Alcoholic extract high dose (p <0.05) has shown improvement in histopathological score. Both aqueous and alcoholic extracts have shown reduced fat mass compared to high-fat diet group.Conclusions: The alcoholic extract (400mg/kg) of Lagenaria siceraria alleviated high fat diet induced obesity and dyslipidemic changes in rats. The alcoholic extract of Lagenaria siceraria is having better anti-obesity potential than aqueous extract

An audit of studies registered retrospectively with the Clinical Trials Registry of India: A one year analysis

Background: The Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI) was launched in July 2007 and will enter its tenth year in 2017. While its mission is to encourage prospective trial registration, CTRI does permit retrospective trial registration. Against this backdrop, the present audit was carried out with the primary objective of assessing the nature and extent of trials retrospectively registered with CTRI. Methods: All studies registered in the year 2016 were searched within CTRI using the keyword “CTRI/2016.” The total number of trials registered in that year, their phase, the source of funding and their nature (Interventional or observational; whether postgraduate theses or otherwise, source of funding (pharmaceutical industry/Government of India/Institute Funded), whether prospectively or retrospectively registered were noted. We also tested for the association between the nature of the trial and retrospective registration using the Chi-square test and generated crude odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Results: A total of 1147 studies were registered in 2016, of which 719 (63%) were retrospectively registered. Interventional studies formed the majority of studies at n = 926 (81%), while postgraduate theses constituted half of the studies (384; 53%). Postgraduate theses (relative to all other studies) were twice as likely to be retrospectively registered (cOR 2.4 [1.8, 3.0], p < 0.0001). Studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry were four times more likely to be registered prospectively relative to nonindustry funded studies (cOR 4.4 [3.2, 5.9], p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Given that CTRI will be insisting on prospective registration effective April 1, 2018, and as trial registration is an ethical, scientific and moral imperative, prospective registration must always be done as prerequisite to participant protection