In vitro evaluation of antibacterial activity in ethanolic extract of whole plant Sphaeranthus indicus Linn.

Background: Sphaeranthus indicus Linn is a widely used medicinal plant in Indian traditional system of medicine against human pathogens. Alarming bacterial resistance is urging scientist to search for newer anti-microbial substances from the medicinal plants. The objective of the study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of ethanolic extract of the whole plant Sphaeranthus indicus Linn (Asteraceae).Methods: The antibacterial activity of ethanolic extract of whole plant of Sphaeranthus indicus Linn was done against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus aureus in Mueller Hinton Agar (MHA) and compared with ciprofloxacin as standard by disc diffusion method.Results: The study revealed that there was no zone of inhibition in doses of 100 mcg, 200 mcg and 300 mcg of ethanolic whole plant extract of Sphaeranthus indicus in MHA plates compared with ciprofloxacin 30 mcg.Conclusions: Ethanolic extract of Sphaeranthus indicus does not have antibacterial activity. Further studies are needed in different extracts and parts of the plant. Simultaneous studies can be done in different places to evaluate environmental factors and regional variations

A Novel Routing Protocol For Wireless Sensor Networks With Improved Energy Efficient LEACH

Wireless Sensor Networks (Wsns) Have Been Widely Considered As One Of The Most Important Technologies For The Twenty-First Century. A Typical Wireless Sensor Network(WSN) Used For Environmental Condition Monitoring, Security Surveillance Of Battle-Fields, Wildlife Habitat Monitoring, Etc. Cluster-Based Hierarchical Routing Protocols Play An Essential Role In Decreasing The Energy Consumption Of Wireless Sensor Networks (Wsns). A Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) Has Been Proposed As An Application-Specific Protocol Architecture For Wsns. However, Without Considering The Distribution Of The Cluster Heads (Chs) In The Rotation Basis, The LEACH Protocol Will Increase The Energy Consumption Of The Network. To Improve The Energy Efficiency Of The WSN, We Propose A Novel Modified Routing Protocol In This Paper. The Newly Proposed Improved Energy-Efficient LEACH (IEE-LEACH) Protocol Considers The Residual Node Energy And The Average Energy Of The Networks. To Achieve Satisfactory Performance In Terms Of Reducing The Sensor Energy Consumption, The Proposed IEE-LEACH Accounts For The Numbers Of The Optimal Chs And Prohibits The Nodes That Are Closer To The Base Station (BS) To Join In The Cluster Formation. Furthermore, The Proposed IEE-LEACH Uses A New Threshold For Electing Chs Among The Sensor Nodes, And Employs Single Hop, Multi-Hop, And Hybrid Communications To Further Improve The Energy Efficiency Of The Networks. The Simulation Results Demonstrate That, Compared With Some Existing Routing Protocols, The Proposed Protocol Substantially Reduces The Energy Consumption Of Wsns

Antifungal activity of ethanolic extract of Sphaeranthus indicus Linn. against Dermatophytes and Candida species

Background: Sphaeranthus indicus as an entire plant or the specific parts like roots, leaves, flowers are used for treating helminthiasis, jaundice, diabetes, dyspepsia, fever, cough, hernia, gastritis, hemorrhoids, migraine, leprosy and skin diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of ethanolic extract of the whole plant Sphaeranthus indicus Linn. Methods: The antifungal activity of ethanolic extract of the whole plant Sphaeranthus indicus Linn was evaluated by incorporating the extract in Sabourauds dextrose agar. This property was studied in vitro using the ethanolic extract on Candida albicans, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Epidermophyton floccosum by using Clotrimazole as standard drug.Results: This study revealed that the ethanolic extract of Sphaeranthus indicus is having good antifungal activity against Dermatophytes and Candida species. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the promising antifungal action of ethanolic extract of whole plant of Sphaeranthus indicus Linn. This feature can be exploited in the development of a newer antifungal agent from plant.

HUMIC SUBSTANCES AS A POTENT BIOMATERIALS FOR THERAPEUTIC AND DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM-A REVIEW

Efficiency of therapeutic compounds could be enhanced by encapsulation and covalent attachments to a biomaterial carrier. Complex formation with humic substances is valuable techniques to improve bioactivity of natural products. Fractal structures of humic substances also have adjacent carboxyl and hydroxyl groups. Along with molecular bonding property, reduction-oxidation and association-dissociation capacities of humic substances are considered this as a biomaterial for transform, other molecules, and substances. Immune system responses of humic acid stimulates in the human body. However, pharmaceutical importance of humic substances, demands on evidenced efficacy and a clearly defined chemical composition of the preparations used. Toxicological safety standards also have to be evaluated. This review summarises the application of humic substances as pharmaceuticaly important biomaterial. Research on this zone opened up an application for humic substances in pharmacogonasy

Shami (Prosopis cineraria (L) Druce) - A Medicinal Benison

Shami (Prosopis cineraria (L) Druce) belongs to family Fabaceae known for its spiritual uses in India mentioned in almost all the Nighantu’s of Ayurveda. It is endemic to Hot, Dry and Arid regions of India. Even though almost all the parts of Shami are having pharmacological actions specially the Bark and Fruit but these remain unexplored. It mainly contains tannins (gallic acid), alkaloids (spicigerine, prosophylline), Flavone derivatives (prosogerin A, B, C, D and E) and quercetin are widely used as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, anti-convulsant, nootropic and antidepressant activity. Thus, the current article reviews on Ayurveda literature, botanical description, varieties and powder microscopy of Shami

Comparative Evaluation of Ropivacaine and Lignocaine with Ropivacaine, Lignocaine and Clonidine Combination during Peribulbar Anaesthesia for Cataract Surgery

BACKGROUND: Peribulbar is the most commonly used technique of anaesthesia in cataract surgery and Ropivacaine is a new amino amide local anaesthetic with safer pharmacological profile. OBJECTIVES: A double blind , prospective, randomized study carried out in our institution after getting approval from ethical committee, to compare the anaesthetic effects of Ropivacaine with combination of Ropivacaine and clonidine in administration of Peribulbar block in cataract surgery. METHODS: A total of 80 patients of both sexes aged 40-80 years of ASA PS Ι, ΙΙ, scheduled for cataract surgery were included in this study. Patients was allocated into two groups 0f 40 each; Ropivacaine, Lignocaine group(R group) who received Peribulbar block with 2.5ml of Lignocaine (2%)+ 2.5ml of Ropivacaine (0.75%) +50 Units of Hyaluronidase to a total volume of 5 ml and Ropivacaine,Lignocaine,Clonidine group(RC group) received Peribulbar block with 2ml Lignocaine (2%)+ 2ml of Ropivacaine (0.75%) + 50 Units of Hyaluronidase +1µg/kg of Clonidine to a total volume of 5ml. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), pulse oximetry (SpO2), intraocular pressure (IOP), quality of Peribulbar block were observed throughout the intraoperative period at regular intervals. Duration of analgesia was observed in postoperative period. At the end of the study the data was subjected to statistical analysis using the Student’s "t" test and Pearson’s chi square (X 2) test. RESULTS: Demographic characteristics, Spo2 were comparable in both group. The onset of sensory and motor blockade was significantly earlier in RC group. Intraocular pressure does not vary significantly in both groups. The hear rate, mean arterial pressure was on lower side in RC group. The duration of analgesia was prolonged in RC group (6.16 hours) as compared to R group (3.48 hours). CONCLUSION: On adding Clonidine to local anaesthetic agent augments early onset and prolonged offset of sensory analgesia. It also reduces the volume of local anaesthetic requirement. They maintain the hemodynamic throughout the procedure