Farmacología de productos naturales: un enfoque reciente en Calotropis gigantea y Calotropis procera

The authors are thankful to the Dr. Ritu Gilhotra, Principal, School of Pharmacy, Suresh Gyanvihar University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. For valuable guidanceIntroduction: Since ancient times, people have used medicinal plants to treat varied diseases. Medicinal plants are the important source of drugs, and many of them that are currently available in the pharmaceutical market are obtained from plant sources. Calotropis gigantea and Calotropis procera are small shrub, which are used conventionally to treat many diseases such as cancer, diabetes and intestinal disease in African and Asian countries. There have been always an increased focus on primary health care: basic health care which is effective and affordable by developing countries. Objective: This paper aims to review the pharmacological and pharmacognostical features of Calotropis gigantea and Calotropis procera Method: Brief review on recent literature carried out using Scopus, Google scholar. Result and Discussion: Several studies provide evidence of their antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrheal, anticonvulsant, anti-malarial, hepatoprotective, antitumor, antimicrobial and antinociceptive properties. Conclusion: Species of Calotropis not widely recognized showed different pharmacological actions, due to the presence of effective secondary metabolites.Introducción: Desde la antigüedad, las personas han utilizado plantas medicinales para tratar diversas enfermedades. Las plantas medicinales son la fuente importante de los fármacos, y muchas de ellas, que están actualmente disponibles en el mercado farmacéutico, se obtienen de fuentes vegetales. Calotropis gigantea y Calotropis procera son arbustos pequeños que se utilizan convencionalmente para tratar muchas enfermedades como el cáncer, la diabetes y las enfermedades intestinales en países africanos y asiáticos. Siempre se ha prestado una mayor atención a la Atención Primaria de salud: la atención básica de la salud es eficaz y asequible para los países en desarrollo. Objetivos: Este trabajo tiene como objetivo revisar las características farmacológicas y farmacognosóticas de Calotropis gigantea y Calotropis procera. Método: Breve revisión de la literatura reciente realizada utilizando Scopus, Google scholar. Resultado y discusión: Varios estudios proporcionan evidencia de sus propiedades antioxidantes, analgésicas, antiinflamatorias, antidiarreicas, anticonvulsivas, antipalúdicas, hepatoprotectoras, antitumorales, antimicrobianas y anti-nociceptivas. Conclusión: Especies de Calotropis no ampliamente reconocido mostraron diferentes acciones farmacológicas, debido a la presencia de metabolitos secundarios efectivos

FORMULATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINED RELEASE MATRIX TABLETS OF LORNOXICAM

Lornoxicam is a NSAID having oxicam class mainly prescribed in the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. NSAID have the potential to relieve the pain and inflammation without the immunosuppressive and metabolic side effects associated with corticosteroids. Generally the classification of NSAID is applied to drugs that inhibit one or more steps in the metabolism of Arachidonic Acid (AA). In general, NSAID do not inhibit lipoxygenase formation or the formation of other inflammatory mediators. Due to its more biological half-life i.e. 3-5 hrs. in India, the dosage form is available in 8-16 mg, it can be increased upto 24 mg/day if necessary. The main objectives of present investigation are to confirm the drug by various analytical techniques, to study the drug excipients compatibility, to avoid the dose as well as the frequency of the dosage form and to perform the stability. The tablet can be developed with the combination of HPMC K 100M and Ethyl Cellulose as a matrix former. Lornoxicam is NSAID that has numerous functions in the body. It can be absorbed rapidly and completely from gastrointestinal track after the oral administration. Absolute bioavailability of Lornoxicam is 90-100%. No first pass effect is observed. It is found in the plasma in the unchanged form and as its hydroxylated metabolite. The hydroxylated metabolite exhibits no pharmacological activity. CYP2C3 has been shown to be the primary enzyme responsible for the biotransformation of Lornoxicam. Approximately 2/3 part of Lornoxicam is eliminated via the liver and 1/3 via the kidneys as inactive substance. Lornoxicam inhibits the production of prostaglandins by inhibiting the action of cyclooxygenase, which regulates the conversion of Arachidonic Acid to Prostaglandins. Lornoxicam mainly prescribed in the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and also in the management of ankylosing spondylitis, acute sciatica and low back pain.Keywords: Lornoxicam, Sustained release, matrix

Intimate partner violence and condom versus other modern contraception use among married women in rural India

Background: Data from India document that spousal intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with both unintended pregnancy and spacing contraceptive use. Analysis of IPV by type of contraception is lacking. Condom use may be less likely than other spacing contraception in the context of IPV, as it is under male control. This study aims to assess associations of physical and sexual IPV with condom and other contraception use among married women in rural India. We hypothesize that women reporting physical and sexual IPV victimization are significantly less likely to report condom use but not other contraception use, relative to women reporting no such victimization. Methods: Study participants were from the randomized control trial evaluation of CHARM, a male-centered family planning intervention for young married couples in rural Maharashtra, India. Baseline data from women (age 18-30, residing with husbands) were used for analyses; data were restricted to those who were not pregnant at interview (n¼867). Surveys assessed socio-demographics, husband’s physical and sexual IPV perpetration, and an item on primary form of contraception used by women in the past 3 months (subsequently categorized as none, condom, other modern spacing contraception). Multinomial logistic regression analyses assessed associations between past 6 month physical and sexual IPV and contraceptive use, adjusting for age, education, length of marriage, caste, parity, and husband’s alcohol use. All participants provided written informed consent; all study procedures were approved by Institutional Review Boards at UCSD, and ICMR. Findings: Participants were aged 18-30 (SD: 2.5), and 17% reported no formal education.12% and 4% of women reported past 6 month physical 218 Social and Environmental Determinants of Health and sexual IPV, respectively. The majority (72%) reported not using any modern spacing method of contraceptive in the past 3 months; 14% reported condom use and other modern spacing contraception, respectively. Physical IPV was significantly associated with condom use (AOR: 1.89, 95% CI: 1.04, 3.28) but not other contraception use. Sexual violence was associated with other modern contraceptive use (AOR: 2.78, 95% CI: 1.11, 7.00), but not condom use. Interpretation: Women contending with sexual violence were more likely to engage in other modern contraceptive use but not condom use. This finding may indicate that women contending with sexual violence may depend on forms of contraception more within their control. To our knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to examine such associations between IPV and contraception use by type of method. These findings are limited due to the cross-sectional nature of the data, and are not generalizable to the larger population of women in India. Further research is needed to explain the association between recent physical IPV and condom use, a finding inconsistent with prior research

Dimensionality of Carbon Nanomaterials Determines the Binding and Dynamics of Amyloidogenic Peptides: Multiscale Theoretical Simulations

Experimental studies have demonstrated that nanoparticles can affect the rate of protein self-assembly, possibly interfering with the development of protein misfolding diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and prion disease caused by aggregation and fibril formation of amyloid-prone proteins. We employ classical molecular dynamics simulations and large-scale density functional theory calculations to investigate the effects of nanomaterials on the structure, dynamics and binding of an amyloidogenic peptide apoC-II(60-70). We show that the binding affinity of this peptide to carbonaceous nanomaterials such as C60, nanotubes and graphene decreases with increasing nanoparticle curvature. Strong binding is facilitated by the large contact area available for π-stacking between the aromatic residues of the peptide and the extended surfaces of graphene and the nanotube. The highly curved fullerene surface exhibits reduced efficiency for π-stacking but promotes increased peptide dynamics. We postulate that the increase in conformational dynamics of the amyloid peptide can be unfavorable for the formation of fibril competent structures. In contrast, extended fibril forming peptide conformations are promoted by the nanotube and graphene surfaces which can provide a template for fibril-growth

The PROMISES study: A mixed methods approach to explore the acceptability of salivary progesterone testing for preterm birth risk among pregnant women and trained frontline healthcare workers in rural India

Introduction India has an overall neonatal mortality rate of 28/1000 live births, with higher rates in rural India. Approximately 3.5 million pregnancies in India are affected by preterm birth (PTB) annually and contribute to approximately a quarter of PTBs globally. Embedded within the PROMISES study (which aims to validate a low-cost salivary progesterone test for early detection of PTB risk), we present a mixed methods explanatory sequential feasibility substudy of the salivary progesterone test. Methods A pretraining and post-training questionnaire to assess Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) (n=201) knowledge and experience of PTB and salivary progesterone sampling was analysed using the McNemar test. Descriptive statistics for a cross-sectional survey of pregnant women (n=400) are presented in which the acceptability of this test for pregnant women is assessed. Structured interviews were undertaken with ASHAs (n=10) and pregnant women (n=9), and were analysed using thematic framework analysis to explore the barriers and facilitators influencing the use of this test in rural India. Results Before training, ASHAs' knowledge of PTB (including risk factors, causes, postnatal support and testing) was very limited. After the training programme, there was a significant improvement in the ASHAs' knowledge of PTB. All 400 women reported the salivary test was acceptable with the majority finding it easy but not quick or better than drawing blood. For the qualitative aspects of the study, analysis of interview data with ASHAs and women, our thematic framework comprised of three main areas: implementation of intervention; networks of influence and access to healthcare. Qualitative data were stratified and presented as barriers and facilitators. Conclusion This study suggests support for ongoing investigations validating PTB testing using salivary progesterone in rural settings

The mutational impact of culturing human pluripotent and adult stem cells

Genetic changes acquired during in vitro culture pose a risk for the successful application of stem cells in regenerative medicine. To assess the genetic risks induced by culturing, we determined all mutations in individual human stem cells by whole genome sequencing. Individual pluripotent, intestinal, and liver stem cells accumulate 3.5 ± 0.5, 7.2 ± 1.1 and 8.3 ± 3.6 base substitutions per population doubling, respectively. The annual in vitro mutation accumulation rate of adult stem cells is nearly 40-fold higher than the in vivo mutation accumulation rate. Mutational signature analysis reveals that in vitro induced mutations are caused by oxidative stress. Reducing oxygen tension in culture lowers the mutational load. We use the mutation rates, spectra, and genomic distribution to model the accumulation of oncogenic mutations during typical in vitro expansion, manipulation or screening experiments using human stem cells. Our study provides empirically defined parameters to assess the mutational risk of stem cell based therapies

Computational analysis of expression of human embryonic stem cell-associated signatures in tumors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The cancer stem cell model has been proposed based on the linkage between human embryonic stem cells and human cancer cells. However, the evidences supporting the cancer stem cell model remain to be collected. In this study, we extensively examined the expression of human embryonic stem cell-associated signatures including core genes, transcription factors, pathways and microRNAs in various cancers using the computational biology approach.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used the class comparison analysis and survival analysis algorithms to identify differentially expressed genes and their associated transcription factors, pathways and microRNAs among normal vs. tumor or good prognosis vs. poor prognosis phenotypes classes based on numerous human cancer gene expression data. We found that most of the human embryonic stem cell- associated signatures were frequently identified in the analysis, suggesting a strong linkage between human embryonic stem cells and cancer cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study revealed the close linkage between the human embryonic stem cell associated gene expression profiles and cancer-associated gene expression profiles, and therefore offered an indirect support for the cancer stem cell theory. However, many interest issues remain to be addressed further.</p