A bizarre case report of self-harm by ingested lock trapped in oropharynx

The present case report deals with a highly and yet unreported case of self-harm in which a medium sized lock was ingested with convulsive movements of the face and neck which ultimately got trapped in oropharyngeal region. The lock managed to ‘sink’ and settled down in that region so that the patient did not feel any gross pain once it was swallowed. There was history of mental illness reported by the attendants of the patient that remained unverified since no treatment card or the name of drug(s) was shown to the treating team of doctors. Therefore, it remained speculative whether the attempt to swallow lock was as a result of psychiatric illness or was supplemented by other social factor notable the influence of “Tantrik”. Tantriks are special breed of spiritual healers who resorted to unscientific method of healing. At times they use unethical practices. There are reports in which tantrik have provoked their unsuspecting victims to highly complex maneuvers leading to self-harm. The present case, it is believed falls in this category

Salinity management alternatives for the Rechna Doab, Punjab, Pakistan. Volume 7 - Initiative for upscaling: irrigation subdivision as the building block

Irrigation management / Soil salinity / Agricultural development / Resource management / Crop production / Intensive cropping / Cotton / Wheat / Rice / Sugarcane / Irrigated farming / Pakistan / Punjab / Rechna Doab

The Potential Role of Nitric Oxide in Halting Cancer Progression Through Chemoprevention

Nitric oxide (NO) in general plays a beneficial physiological role as a vasorelaxant and the role of NO is decided by its concentration present in physiological environments. NO either facilitates cancer-promoting characters or act as an anti-cancer agent. The dilemma in this regard still remains unanswered. This review summarizes the recent information on NO and its role in carcinogenesis and tumor progression, as well as dietary chemopreventive agents which have NO-modulating properties with safe cytotoxic profile. Understanding the molecular mechanisms and cross-talk modulating NO effect by these chemopreventive agents can allow us to develop better therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment

MRI features of spinal fluorosis: Results of an endemic community screening

Objectives: Fluorosis is endemic in many parts of the world. However community studies on MRI features of fluorosis are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine MRI features of spinal changes in a community with endemic fluorosis in the Thar Desert Pakistan.Methodology: Randomly selected adults from the Village Samorindh, district Tharparker, Sindh, Pakistan, with spinal fluorosis diagnosed on plain x-rays and raised serum fluoride levels were studied from June 2008 to January 2009. MRI was carried out on 0.5 T open magnet MRI system. Features of vertebral body, spinal ligaments, intervertebral disc, facet joints, iliac wings and other incidental findings were noted. Sclerosis was defined as low signal intensity on both T1 and T2 weighted images. RESULTS were described as mean and percentage values.Results: All the studied 27 subjects complained of back ache without neurological signs. The average age was 43.33 ± 10.45 years; 21 being male (77.8%). The most frequent findings included generalized vertebral sclerosis (24, 88.8%), ligamentum flavum hypertrophy (23, 85%), anterior (20, 74%) and lateral (17, 62.9%) disc herniation, thickened longitudinal ligaments, and narrowing of spinal foramina. Hemangioma was seen in 04(14.8%). The most commonly involved level was L1-2, L4-5 and lower dorsal spine.Conclusion: Vertebral sclerosis, a combination of premature degeneration with anterior disc herniation and an unusually high frequency of vertebral hemangioma formed the spectrum of MRI findings in subjects with spinal fluorosis having back ache but no neurological findings

Salinity management alternatives for the Rechna Doab, Punjab, Pakistan. Volume 2 - History of irrigated agriculture

Irrigation management / Soil salinity / Agricultural development / History / Irrigated farming / Sustainability / Land degradation / Farming / Water resources / Pakistan / Punjab / Rechna Doab

ETHNOMEDICINAL PLANTS USED BY TRIBES OF CHITTOOR DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH TO CURE MUSCULAR PAIN AND INFLAMMATION

An ethnobotanical survey was carried out to collect the first-hand information on medicinal plants used by the inhabited and traditionally rich tribal communities (Chenchus, Yanadis and Nakkalas) in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh (AP) for the treatment of muscular pain and inflammation. The information was gathered by an integrated approach of botanical collections, group discussions and questionnaire. The survey revealed thirty forty (34) ethno-medicinal plants belonging to twenty one (21) angiospermic families specifically used for the preparation of medicinal remedies. The tribal claims on the medicinal plants are listed with Latin name, family, local name, part used, method of preparation, dose and its use in pain and inflammation conditions. The habit of frequently used plant were recorded includes tree species (44 %) followed by herbs (35 %) climbers (12 %), under shrubs (6 %) and shrub (3%). Most frequently utilized plant parts were leaves, followed by root, latex, whole plant, bark, fruits, rhizome and seeds. In this particular study the most dominant family was found to be Euphorbiaceae. The result clearly indicates that people living around Chittoor forest area hold valuable traditional knowledge of the use of medicinal plants for their primary health care need related to muscular injury and inflammation. These plant resources are important component in their local livelihood and to control overexploitation of these resources sustainable management approach and proper conservation strategy for the area is also highly recommended by bringing the involvement of local communities and forest department. More in-depth investigations on these claims through phytochemical and pharmacological parameters are required to explore their activities to deal with the conditions of pain and inflammation

SCIENTIFIC VALIDATION AND STANDARDIZATION OF PARPATAKA AN AYURVEDIC DRUG WITH RESPECT TO FUMARIA INDICA

Objective: Fumaria indica is an essential curative herb and asserted as a prevalent weed across the plains of India. The entire plant is popularly employed in conventional systems of medicine for its therapeutic activities like anthelmintic, diuretic, diaphoretic, laxative, purging and stomachic. The entire plant is regarded to have therapeutical purposes in Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine and is employed in the preparation of important Ayurvedic formulation Parpataka. In Unani systems of medicine, it is used as shahtara. This contemporary study is intended to authenticate and validate the species Fumaria indica with respect to Parpataka drug. Methods: The chief objective of this contemporary research work is to assess the various pharmacognostic properties like Macroscopical, Microscopical, Physiochemical and Fluorescence studies. Microscopical studies include cell structure and their arrangement, Physicochemical parameter s include loss on drying, total ash value, acid insoluble ash, water-insoluble ash, various extractive values etc. Qualitative tests for various functional groups were also carried out. Results: The microscopical characters of leaf, stem and roots, physicochemical, preliminary phytochemical profiles were established. Conclusion: The pharmacognostical screening on Fumaria indica is significant data for the identification and to determine the quality and purity of the plant material in future reviews

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate reverses the expression of various tumor-suppressor genes by inhibiting DNA methyltransferases and histone deacetylases in human cervical cancer cells

There has been increasing evidence that numerous bioactive dietary agents can hamper the process of carcinogenesis by targeting epigenetic alterations including DNA methylation. This therapeutic approach is considered as a significant goal for cancer therapy due to the reversible nature of epigenetic-mediated gene silencing and warrants further attention. One such dietary agent, green tea catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been shown to modulate many cancer-related pathways. Thus, the present study was designed to investigate the role of EGCG as an epigenetic modifier in HeLa cells. DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition assays were conducted, and the transcription levels of DNMT3β and HDAC1 were assessed by enzymatic activity assay and RT-PCR, respectively. Furthermore, we studied the binding interaction of EGCG with DNMT3β and HDAC1 by molecular modeling as well as promoter DNA methylation and expression of retinoic acid receptor-â (RARâ), cadherin 1 (CDH1) and death-associated protein kinase-1 (DAPK1) in EGCG-treated HeLa cells by RT-PCR and MS-PCR. In the present study, time-dependent EGCG-treated HeLa cells were found to have a significant reduction in the enzymatic activity of DNMT and HDAC. However, the expression of DNMT3β was significantly decreased in a time-dependent manner whereas there was no significant change in HDAC1 expression. Molecular modeling data also supported the EGCG-mediated DNMT3β and HDAC1 activity inhibition. Furthermore, time-dependent exposure to EGCG resulted in reactivation of known tumor-suppressor genes (TSGs) in HeLa cells due to marked changes in the methylation of the promoter regions of these genes. Overall, the present study suggests that EGCG may have a significant impact on the development of novel epigenetic-based therapy

Sulforaphane inhibits growth of human breast cancer cells and augments the therapeutic index of the chemotherapeutic drug, gemcitabine

Phytochemicals are among the natural chemopreventive agents with most potential for delaying, blocking or reversing the initiation and promotional events of carcinogenesis. They therefore offer cancer treatment strategies to reduce cancer related death. One such promising chemopreventive agent which has attracted considerable attention is sulforaphane (SFN), which exhibits anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-microbial properties. The present study was undertaken to assess effect of SFN alone and in combination with a chemotherapeutic agent, gemcitabine, on the proliferative potential of MCF-7 cells by cell viability assay and authenticated the results by nuclear morphological examination. Further we analyzed the modulation of expression of Bcl-2 and COX-2 on treatment of these cells with SFN by RT-PCR. SFN showed cytotoxic effects on MCF-7 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner via an apoptotic mode of cell death. In addition, a combinational treatment of SFN and gemcitabine on MCF-7 cells resulted in growth inhibition in a synergistic manner with a combination index (CI)\u3c1. Notably, SFN was found to significantly downregulate the expression of Bcl-2, an anti-apoptotic gene, and COX-2, a gene involved in inflammation, in a time-dependent manner. These results indicate that SFN induces apoptosis and anti-inflammatory effects on MCF-7 cells via downregulation of Bcl-2 and COX-2 respectively. The combination of SFN and gemcitabine may potentiate the efficacy of gemcitabine and minimize the toxicity to normal cells. Taken together, SFN may be a potent anti-cancer agent for breast cancer treatment

A trial sequential meta-analysis of TNF-α –308G\u3eA (rs800629) gene polymorphism and susceptibility to colorectal cancer

© 2019 The Author(s). Purpose: Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), secreted by the activated macrophages, may participate in the onset and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). The association of TNF-α –308 G\u3eA (rs1800629) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with CRC risk has been investigated by many studies but the results are inconclusive. A trial sequential meta-analysis was performed for precise estimation of the relationship between TNF-α –308 G\u3eA gene polymorphism with CRC risk. Methods: Medline (PubMed), EMBASE (Excerpta-Medica) and Google Scholar were mined for relevant articles. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to estimate the significance of association. Results: The pooled analysis indicated no risk associated with TNF-α –308 G\u3eA SNP and overall CRC risk in five genetic comparison models, i.e. allelic (A vs. G: P = 0.524; OR = 1.074, 95% CI = 0.863–1.335), homozygous (AA vs. GG: P = 0.489; OR = 1.227, 95% CI = 0.688–2.188), heterozygous (AG vs. GG: P = 0.811; OR = 1.024, 95% CI = 0.843–1.244), dominant (AA+AG vs. GG: P = 0.630; OR = 1.055, 95% CI = 0.849–1.311) and recessive (AA vs. AG+GG: P = 0.549; OR = 1.181, 95% CI = 0.686–2.033). Subgroup analysis revealed that TNF-α –308 G\u3eA SNP is associated with reduced risk of CRC in Asian ethnicity. The study showed no publication bias. Conclusions: No association of TNF-α –308 G\u3eA SNP with overall CRC risk was found. This SNP is likely to be protective against CRC in Asian population when compared with Caucasian population. Larger prospective-epidemiological studies are warranted to elucidate the roles of TNF-α –308 G\u3eA SNP in the etiology of CRC and to endorse the present findings