In Vitro Evaluation of Dalbergia sissoo and Acacia modesta gum as Pharmaceutical Binders for Drug Delivery System

The present study aimed to compare the crude, modified and hydrolyzed gums of Dalbergia sissoo and Acacia modesta as a biodegradable binder for drug delivery system using acetaminophen as a model drug. The physiochemical properties such as pH, fluorescence analysis and swelling index were determined. The gums were hydrolyzed and modified. Acetaminophen tablets were prepared using wet granulation technique and the gum solutions were used as a binder. Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose was used as a synthetic binder. Different properties of granules and tablets were evaluated. Results showed that both gums were acidic in nature, while D. sissoo and A. modesta showed light brown and creamy color in fluorescence analysis. The swelling ratio was the highest in water followed by 0.1N HCl and least in phosphate buffer. The prepared tablets showed faster and slower dissolution profiles in the same dissolution system. The crude gums have the highest dissolution rate, and this rate was decreased in the case of modified and hydrolyzed gums samples. The crude gums showing slower release can be useful in sustained-release tablets, while the modified gums having faster release rate are helpful in conventional tablet formulation. Taken together, the selected gums could be a good model for evaluation as a binder or hydrophilic polymer in tablet formulation

FREQUENCY OF ABO BLOOD GROUPS AMONG PATIENTS WITH ISCHEMIC STROKE

Objective: The objective of this study was to find out the blood groups among the patients presenting with ischemic stroke either AB blood group or O blood group is more common (frequent) among these patients irrespective of other known factors responsible for stroke. Materials &Methods: We included total 292 patients (40-70 years of age), with ischemic stroke documented on CT scan brain of both gender (male and female).Blood sample of these patients were sent to the central laboratory of hospital for blood group determination using standard techniques. Results: Mean age was 56.26 ± 8.28 years. Out of the 292 patients, 163 (55.82%) were male and 129 (44.18%) were females with male to female ratio of 1.3:1. Frequency of blood group A, B, AB and O was found to be 114patients blood group A (39.04%), 53patients blood group B (18.15%), 26patients blood group AB (8.90%) and 99patients blood group O (33.90%) respectively. Conclusion: Our study results concluded that there is an association between ABO blood groups and ischemic stroke, irrespective of other risk factors. Our study results have observed that individuals belonging to non-O blood groups (A, B, or AB) are at an increased risk of ischemic stroke as compared to O blood group carriers however we did not control possible impact of confounders such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia etc .Many studies proved that persons with AB blood groups are at increased of atherosclerosis but no study showed that these persons have increased risk of ischemic stroke or not. Keywords: Ischemic stroke, ABO blood group

FREQUENCY OF RAISED LOW DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH ISCHEMIC STROKE AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL.

Objective; To determine frequency of raised LDL levels in ischemic stroke and its association with various risk factors causing cerebral ischemia in stroke patients. Background; Cerebrovascular accident(CVA) is a health concern worldwide. It causes enormous disabilities in adult age group, and is 2nd commonest cause of deaths throughout the world. It has been established that approximately 15 million people succumb to stroke each year worldwide, out of this 5 million don’t survive and another 5 million become permanently handicapped and thus put significant burden on catering families. This study was conducted to identify contribution of different risk factors in causing ischemic stroke in our population. Study Design: Descriptive, case series study. Setting: Department of Medicine, DHQ Teaching Hospital, Sahiwal. Duration of study; One Year tenure spread between May 2017 to May 2018. Material and Methods: 205 cases between 40-70 years of age including both male and female patients with ischemic stroke, irrespective of disease duration were included in study. History of raised BP, previous stroke, history of stroke in family, diabetes and smoking was recorded on pre-designed questionnaire. Body mass index was calculated after noting weight and height of the patient. Venous blood (5 ml) sample was drawn and sent to the pathology laboratory Hospital for estimation of serum LDL level and blood glucose level. Results; Of these 205 study cases, 92 (44.9%) patients were male while 113 (55.1%) patients were female. Mean age of patients in our setting was noted to 51.58 ± 8.05 years. In our study, 50 (24.4%) patients were smokers and 40 (19.5%) had history of hypertension. In our setting, family history of stroke was present in 39 (19%) and previous history of stroke was found in 31 (15.1%). Mean body mass index of our patients was calculated to be 23.17± 2.85 kg/m2 and 30(14.6%) cases were obese in our study. Mean fasting blood glucose level was 118.32 ± 23.21 mg/dl(48 (23.4%) had diabetes). Mean low density lipoprotein level (LDL) noted in our study was 109.59 ± 49.15 mg/dl and raised level of LDL was seen in 88 (42.9%) of our study cases. Conclusion; By identifying the share of various risk factors contributing in ischemic stroke, we can target population at risk of ischemic stroke and strict control and regulation of modifiable risk factors we can prevent this ominous condition to occur. Our study results point towards early diagnosis which will ultimately lead to proper management to improve clinical outcome in such patients. Raised levels of LDL were significantly associated with gender, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, family history and previous history of stroke. Keywords; Ischemic stroke, low density lipoprotein, frequency

Inhibition of protein glycation and advanced glycation end products by ascorbic acid

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation is increased in diabetes mellitus, leading to microvascular and macrovascular complications. Recently, much attention has been focused on natural and synthetic inhibitors to delay the onset or progression of diabetes and its comorbidities. Ascorbic acid (AA) can react with proteins, including hemoglobin and possibly interfere with protein glycation process. An in vitro glycation model containing plasma from type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic healthy volunteers together with glucose as glycating agent was used to study antiglycation activity of AA. Samples with different concentrations of glucose and AA were incubated for five weeks at 37°C. Nonenzymatic glycation (NEG) was quantitated by thiobarbituric acid calorimetry and AGEs were measured by enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA). The NEG and AGEs levels were reduced by AA. Increasing the AA concentrations greatly diminished protein glycations, indicating dose-dependent effects of AA. Plasma NEG and AGEs were decreased with an average of 20 to 26% (p < 0.05) and 26 to 28% (p < 0.05). A significant correlation was found between the glycation inhibition and the inhibition of AGE formation (p < 0.05). The antiglycation role of AA is evident in the present study and it also indicates the possibility of inexpensive, relatively non-toxic vitamin therapy for the prevention and treatment of diabetic complications. It is plausible that AGEs inhibition by AA may also form the basis for future intervention strategies in both diabetic and non-diabetic individuals.Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, glycation, advanced glycation end products, hyperglycemia, ascorbic aci

Recent facts of eating habits and obesity among adolescent; a case of Pakistan

Background: Obesity is an escalating problem that is reaching to pandemic level. Multiple factors may involve in causing obesity such as improper food pattern of physical activities, social and ecological variables, choice of menu and other biological factors. Conducting to a study to evaluate the primary cause. However, a few studies are conducting to see the impact of eating patterns on health and weight. Methods: University students (n=150, ages 18-24 years) 50% males and 50% females were selected for data collection via questionnaire. The outcomes showed that 70 individuals prefer to eat saturated fats that can lead to accumulation of bad cholesterol. 5% females and 5% males prefer using trans-fat that is even worse. On the other hand, 44 respondents prefer to choose low fat food. Results: About 25% individuals are unaware of nutritional on facts of the products but females are more conscious as compared to the men. 55% individuals eat unconsciously while watching television and consume more than the requirement. 94 individuals got attracted by advertisement tactics of food companies and but to eat them. It is also witnessed that males (32%) consume more carbonated drinks than females (13%). 64 students strongly agreed that supplements lead to obesity. In our sample population 10% obese, 14% were overweight and 47% were of normal weight. Conclusion: The major reason of obesity could be that they are eating out more often. It could be due to the fact they are dependent on high calorie food. There is a lack of vegetables and fruits in their diet. On the other hand, fruits, veggies and whole grains are linked to less gain and even weight loss. Making smart food choices can help you stay slim and healthy.

Sonographic Association of Uterine Artery Pulsatility Index with Hypertension During Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Background: Hypertension (HTN) in pregnancy is the second most basic reason for maternal death and cause obstetric complications in 5-10% of all pregnancies. HTN directly affects the blood flow of uterine artery.  Doppler screening test is a valuable method to do safe and non-invasive detection and has high reliability in the detection of uterine artery blood flow characteristics. Objective: The purpose of the present study is to find association between predictive value of uterine artery pulsatility index in normal and hypertensive pregnancy during third trimester. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with the sample size of 138 patients by selecting the convenient sampling from Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital, Lahore. The pulsatility index of uterine artery of all the women with normal singleton pregnancy and hypertensive during third trimester of pregnancy were obtained using Doppler ultrasound. Data was analyzed with the help of Anova .The results were derived by mean, frequency and standard deviation . Results: The significance between groups was 0.002. The mean values of right and left uterine artery pulsatility index of 36 hypertensive patients were 1.40 and 1.41 and standard deviation 0.4 and 0.5 respectively whereas the mean values of right and left uterine artery pulsatility index of 102 normal patients were 0.739 and 0.77 and standard deviation 0.23 and 0.5 respectively Conclusion: Our study concluded that there was an association between uterine atery pulsatility index and hypertension during pregnancy. The uterine artery pulsatiltiy index has increased with hypertension in third trimester of pregnancy. Keywords: Hypertension, Pulsatility Index, Doppler Ultrasound DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/72-07 Publication date:March 31st 202

Association of STAT4 rs7574865 with sysceptibility to juvenile onset systemic lupus erythematous in Pakistani population

Association of STAT4 (signal transducer and activator of transcription4) haplotype tagged by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs7574865 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was reported in different populations. This study was aimed to investigate a genetic association between STAT4 single nucleotide polymorphism (rs7574865) with susceptibility and clinical features of systemic lupus erythematosus in Pakistani population. A total of 75 clinically diagnosed individuals affected with SLE were enrolled from Children’s Hospital and Institute of Child Health Lahore. Sixty-eight healthy individuals of same ethnicity were also enrolled for this study. Clinical assessment of patients was done with the help of clinical features suggestive for SLE and some diagnostic tests specific for the disease were performed. SNP rs7574865 was genotyped by allele specific tetra ARMS PCR assay to check and compare the genotypic allele frequencies between SLE patients and healthy controls. Different statistical analysis ChiSquare, Fisher’s exact tests and binary Logistic Regression is performed to determine association of risk alleles with SLE in Pakistani population. p value less than >0.05 consider significant. This study showed the frequency of GG (28%), TT (12%), and GT alleles (60%) in SLE patients while controls showed allele frequencies of GG (5%), TT (29%) and GT (64%), respectively. The results showed that GG genotype and G allele in STAT4 rs7574865 was the risk allele for SLE while T allele proved to be the protective one for disease susceptibility when compared with healthy controls genotypic frequencies. This study suggests the strong association of SNP rs7574865 in STAT4 with the risk of SLE in Pakistani population. However, G allele showed no association with organ damage and immune disorder of SLE

Polymers encapsulated aspirin loaded silver oxide nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization and its bio-applications

Simple, facile and cost effective approach is used for the synthesis of Aspirin based silver oxide nano-particles (SONPs) by chemical wet method. The synthesized SONPs were loaded with Aspirin to form Asp-SONPs, which was confirmed with the help of UV spectroscopy. Characterization was done using spectroscopy techniques FTIR, SEM, TEM and XRD. Antimicrobial assay of Asp-SONPs were carried out against six bacterial strains (E. coli, Protues, Vibrio, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, S. aureus) and fungal strains (Curvularia, Alternaria, Rhizopus, Aspergillus, Helmithosporium, Paecilomyces) by well diffusion method which confirmed its potential application as an antimicrobial agent. Asp-SONPs-PVA also displayed highest insecticidal activity against both tested insects (Tribolium casterium and Callosobruchus chinensis) having LC50 value of 15.917, and 37.6365 and highest percent mortality at 1000 ppm was 67%, and 73%, respectively. PVA coated SONPs displayed encouraging phytotoxicity when exposed to allopathic, where Asp-SONPs coated PVA give excellent anthelmintic activity by killing or paralyzing all the species (earthworm) at 1000 ppm

Moringa oleifera gum based silver and zinc oxide nanoparticles: green synthesis, characterization and their antibacterial potential against MRSA

Abstract Background Herein, we first time used the gum Moringa oleifera as reducing and capping agent for successful synthesis of silver nitrate and zinc oxide nanoparticles(NPs) through green synthesis approach. This study was aimed to check antibacterial activities of synthesized NPs against multidrug resistant bacteria methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Methods Aqueous solutions of AgNO3 and purified gum powder were mixed with 1:1 ratio, autoclaved at 120oC for 2 min. NPs pellet collected after centrifugation at 10,000 g for 20 min. ZnO NPs were prepared by mixing purified gum powder and metal salt with1:1 ratio, heated (70oC) and stirred at 100 rpm for 4 h followed by centrifugation at 10,000 g for 20 min. Pellet was washed and calcinated at 400oC for 4 h. Antibacterial potential against E. coli, S. aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was assessed by widely used Kirby-Bauer antibiotic susceptibility test. Results Optical observation of colour change from transparent to dark and UV-Visible analysis confirmed the synthesis of NPs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of prepared nonmaterial revealed the characteristic AgNPs and ZnO stretch vibrations at wave number of 523 cm− 1 and 471 cm− 1resectively. Crystalline nature of AgNPs and ZnO NPs was confirmed by x-ray diffraction pattern with clear sharp Peaks. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed good surface morphology of AgNPs and ZnO NPs with 50nm and 60nm size respectively. AgNPs and ZnO NPs exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli (with zone of inhibition of 21 ± 02mm and 22 ± 03mm) and S.aureus ( with zone of inhibition of 20 ± 03mm and 21 ± 02mm) while good activity was observed against “super bug” methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with 16 ± 03mm ad 17 ± 02mm zone if inhibitions respectively. Conclusions This novel addition of Moringa Gum based nanoparticles will open new dimensions in the field of nanomedicine and pharmaceutics especially against MDR bacterial strains