HEPATOPROTECTIVE EVALUATION OF EPALTES DIVARICATA (L.) CASS. WHOLE PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST PARACETAMOL-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN RATS

Objective: The plant of Epaltes divaricata (L.) Cass. Traditionally used for jaundice. The present work aimed to investigate the hepatoprotective activity of alcohol and aqueous extract of the whole plant against paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicity in rats to substantiate its traditional use.Methods: The alcohol and aqueous (200 and 400 mg/kg) extract of Epaltes divaricata prepared by cold maceration were administered orally to the animals with hepatotoxicity induced by paracetamol (1000 mg/kg). Silymarine (40 mg/k) was given as reference standard. Hepatoprotective activity was assessed by estimating marker enzymes and by histopathological studies.Results: Both alcohol and aqueous (200 and 400 mg/kg) extract treatment significantly restored the paracetamol-induced elevations in levels of serum enzymes aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphate (ALP) and total bilirubin in a dose-dependent manner. Histopathological examination revealed that the treatment attenuated the paracetamol-induced damage to the liver. The hepatoprotective effect of both extracts was comparable to that of the standard hepatoprotective agent, silymarin.Conclusion: The alcohol and aqueous extract of E. divaricata exhibited hepatoprotective effect against paracetamol-induced liver damage in rats. This study also validated their traditional medicinal use in jaundice

Study on the functional outcome of fluoroscopically guided transforaminal epidural steroid injections in patients suffering from lumbar disc herniation

Background: Intervertebral disc herniation of the lumbar region is one of the common causes of acute low back ache and lower extremity pain. While multiple treatment modalities exist, the efficacy of the usage of a transforaminal steroid injection as a tool to either alleviate pain or delay surgery needs to be further evaluated. The aim of this study is to determine the functional outcome of patients suffering from lumbar disc herniation treated with fluroscopically-guided transforaminal epidural steroid injections.Methods: This is a prospective case study in which total of 43 patients were included in the study dating between August 2014 and July 2015. These patients were evaluated and identified with lumbar disc herniation, confirmed with a magnetic resonance imaging prior to the procedure. A pre-injection VAS score was taken. These patients were administered TFESI under fluoroscopic guidance using 2ml of 40mg of Methylprednisolone with 1 ml of 2% xylocaine. They were then evaluated during follow up at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 6 months. Their pain outcome was evaluated using the VAS (visual analog scale) scores and functional outcome was evaluated using Oswestry disability index (ODI).Results: All patients showed significant improvement in the VAS score during their regular follow up when compared to their pre injection levels. Patient satisfaction was the high at 2 weeks post operatively slightly declining over time. 3 patients underwent surgery during the follow up period. The ODI scores also showed significant improvements when compared to the pre injection scores at all follow up periodsConclusions: TFESI provides significant short-term pain relief in patients suffering from a single level lumbar herniated disc and is a viable, effective short-term analgesic tool to address pain and may retard an early surgical intervention

ICTs and urban microenterprises : identifying and maximizing opportunities for economic development; final report

With more than a billion subscribers, mobile phones are the most readily available new ICT in the emerging South, and can be significant enablers of positive change in the developing world. However, robust evidence supporting this perspective remains in short supply, and this shortcoming is particularly evident in the space of social and economic outcomes among urban microenterprises. The research focuses on three specific ICTs – mobile phones, PCs, and Internet cafés. Key findings indicate that greater access to ICTs means a microentrepreneur is more likely to have year-over-year income growth. A model of possible relationships between business growth and six predictor variables is presented

Anti-inflammatory activity of Syzygium cumini seed

The Syzygium cumini (Myrtaceae) is a popular traditional medicinal plant in India. This study was intended to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of S. cumini seed in carrageenan induced paw oedema in wistar rats at the dose level of 200 and 400 mg/kgadministrated orally. Both the extracts exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity, which supports the traditional medicinal utilization of the plant. This study established anti-inflammatory activity of the seed of S. cumini

28-day repeated dose oral toxicity of a herbal mixture dia-2, containing standardized extracts of allium sativum and lagerstroemia speciosa in sprague dawley rats.

Allium sativum [ASE] and Lagerstroemia speciosa [LSE] are widely used in folk medicine as a medication for diabetes. DIA-2 is a polyherbal antidiabetic formulation containing fixed combination [1:1 w/w] of standardized aqueous extracts of Allium sativum bulbs containing 1.1 % alliin w/w and 40 % hydroalcholic extract of Lagerstroemia speciosa leaves containing 1.28% w/w corosolic acid. Earlier studies in our laboratories have demonstrated the oral safety of DIA-2 on acute oral exposure to female Sprague Dawley [SD] rats and the antidiabetic activity of DIA-2 in high-fat diet fed/streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The ingredients of DIA-2 have long history safety but however, there is little toxicological information regarding the oral safety on repeated exposure of ASE and LSE when given as a combined mixture. The present study evaluated the repeated oral toxicity of DIA-2 in both the sexes of SD rats.  Rats were treated orally once with 62.5, 125, 250 mg/kg body weight, and animals were observed till the 28 days of study. On repeated oral administration, DIA-2 showed did not exhibit any clinical signs of toxicity, mortality, significant change in food, water consumption, body weight, mortality, clinical chemistry, hematology, organ weight, gross pathology and histopathology when varying doses of the DIA-2 were administered orally once daily for a period of 28 days. The NOAEL [No Observed Adverse Effect Level] of DIA-2 in this study was identified to be greater than 250 mg/kg/day. The results from the study suggest that there are no toxicologically significant effects on 28 day repeated oral administration of DIA-2 and the data also provide satisfactory preclinical evidence on its oral safety to support its use as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of diabetes mellitus

Ethnomedicinal plant knowledge and practice of the Oromo ethnic group in southwestern Ethiopia

An ethnomedicinal study was conducted to document the indigenous medicinal plant knowledge and use by traditional healers in southwestern Ethiopia from December 2005 to November 2006. Data were collected from 45 randomly selected traditional healers using semi-structured interviews and observations. Sixty-seven ethnomedicinal plant species used by traditional healers to manage 51 different human ailments were identified and documented. Healers' indigenous knowledge was positively correlated with their reported age but not with their educational level. High degree of consensus was observed among traditional healers in treating tumor (locally known as Tanacha), rabies (Dhukuba Seree) and insect bite (Hadhaa). The use of more than one species was significantly cited for remedy preparations. The reported abundance of the ethnomedicinal plant species varied significantly with respect to the presence of multiple uses of the reported species. Our results showed that ethnomedicinal plant species used by healers are under serious threat due to several factors, which indicates the need for urgent attention towards their conservation and sustainable utilization