A study of adverse drug reactions among elderly patients in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Adverse drug reactions are major setback in the advancement of current therapeutic modalities and safe treatment becomes a challenge in elderly patients. Multifarious health issues in elderly patients require assorted groups of drugs leading to prominent ADRs (Adeverse drug reactions). This study was designed to analyse the most affront drug group causing ADRs among elderly patients and the most frequent signs and symptoms of ADR in tertiary care hospital.Methods: All elderly inpatients aged 60 years and above were included in the study. Clinical pharmacist monitored and reported ADRs which were analysed by pharmacologist and physicians. The drugs causing ADRs were identified and different signs and symptoms of ADR were evaluated.Results: A total of 810 (7.26%) ADRs were reported from 11157 inpatients. Out of 810 ADRs reported 320 (39.5%) ADRs were among elderly patients. ADR analyses showed a sight male predominance among elderly patients. Antibacterial agents were the most offended drug group contributing for 18.76% of ADR’s. Gastointestinal tract was the most frequently affected system with maximum number of ADRs 102 (31.88%).Conclusions: ADRs are major threat to hospitalized elderly patients. The risk of ADRs can be reduced by dosing the drug according to the age of the patient and by close monitoring of patients

Evaluation of antiulcer and antioxidant potential of Ipomoea Reniformis leaf extract against experimentally induced ulcer in rats

Background: Ulcer is a major disease of gastrointestinal system which affects about 10% of the world’s population. As conventional drugs can produce undesirable side effects on long term use it can be replaced by herbal medicines more safely. The study was designed to evaluate the antiulcer activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Ipomoea reniformis against pyloric ligated ulcer and cold restraint stress induced ulcer models in rats.Methods: Male Wistar albino rats were used. 0.1% Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (CMC) was used as vehicle. Ethanolic leaf extract of Ipomoea reniformis was employed at two dose levels (200 and 400mg/kg). Omeprazole (10mg/kg) was used as reference control in both the models. The test drugs were administered by suspending in CMC, through oral route. In pyloric ligated ulcer model, gastric volume, ulcer index and percentage protection were measured. In cold restraint stress induced ulcer model, ulcer index and percentage protection was measured. The stomach homogenate was subjected to antioxidant profiles.Results: Ethanolic leaf extract of Ipomoea reniformis dose dependently decreased the gastric volume in pyloric ligated ulcer model and significantly reduced the ulcer index in both the models. Ipomoea reniformis in both the doses significantly protected the animals against stress-induced free radical damage due to decrease in LPO and reversal of changes induced by stress on SOD and CAT.Conclusions: From the result, it was concluded that the Ipomoea reniformis leaf extract exhibited antiulcer activity in both the tested models were due to its antisecretary and antioxidant property

Squilloides leptosquilla, a deepsea stomatopod landed at Kalamukku Fishing Harbour, Kochi

The mantis shrimp, Squilloides leptosquilla (Brooks, 1886) was obtained from deepsea trawl operations along with the deepsea shrimps, Plesionika spinipes, Heterocarpus gibbosus and Metapenaeopsis andamanensis from the Kalamukku Fishing Harbour during September, 2008

ALOE-EMODIN GLYCOSIDES AMELIORATE GLUCOSE UTILIZATION VIA INSULIN DOWNSTREAM REGULATORS: AN IN VIVO INVESTIGATION

ABSTRACTObjective: Aloe-emodin glycosides (AEG) isolated from Cassia fistula stimulates glucose transport and glycogen storage through a phosphatidylinositol3 kinase (PI3K)-dependent mechanism in L6 myotubes and inhibits adipocytes differentiation in 3T3L1 adipocytes was previously reported. Thisstudy intended to investigate the insulin mimetic effect of AEG by in vivo method.Methods: Male Wistar albino rats were randomly allocated into two groups and fed for a period of 3-week. The high-fat diet group animals wereinjected with a low dose (35 mg/kg) of streptozotocin to induce Type-2 diabetes. The diabetic rats were then treated with low dose: 10 mg/kg andhigh dose: 30 mg/kg for a period of 21-day. A dose-dependent decrease in fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides levels on treatmentwith AEG. The carbohydrate metabolism in diabetic rats appeared to improve due to regulation in hepatic enzymes such as hexokinase, glucose-6phosphatase,and fructose1,6-bisphosphatase with a concomitant increasein glycogencontent.Results: AEG decreased lipid peroxidation and improved the antioxidant (enzymatic and nonenzymatic) levels in the liver of diabetic rats. Treatmentwith AEG (30 mg/kg) augmented the phosphorylation of insulin downstream regulators such as insulin receptor beta, insulin receptor substrate 1,PI3K, glucose transporter 4, glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta, and peroxisome proliferator activator receptor gamma in the skeletal muscle tissue ofthe Type-2 diabetic rats compared to vehicle-treated diabetic rats.Conclusion: The present results suggested that AEG could serve as an interesting candidate in the drug development for the management of diabetes.Keywords: Aloe-emodin glycoside, Type-2 diabetes, High-fat diet/streptozotocin, Carbohydrate Metabolism, Glycogen, Antioxidant enzyme

Effect of Pt Doping on Nucleation and Crystallization in Li2O.2SiO2 Glass: Experimental Measurements and Computer Modeling

Heterogeneous nucleation and its effects on the crystallization of lithium disilicate glass containing small amounts of Pt are investigated. Measurements of the nucleation frequencies and induction times with and without Pt are shown to be consistent with predictions based on the classical nucleation theory. A realistic computer model for the transformation is presented. Computed differential thermal analysis data (such as crystallization rates as a function of time and temperature) are shown to be in good agreement with experimental results. This modeling provides a new, more quantitative method for analyzing calorimetric data

Empirical Methods to Estimate Burn Rate Scale up Factor from Sub scale to Full Scale Solid Rocket Motors

Two empirical methods to estimate the burn time of full scale motors (FSMs) are presented. The static test data of sub-scale motors and other FSMs provide the necessary input for the use of these methods. The applicability of these methods was verified by comparing the predicted values with actual values which were found to match closely. Advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed

चेन्नई और नीण्डकरा बन्दरगाह में अवतरित ब्राकिचूरन कर्कटों की जैवविविधता – एक झलक

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Occurrence and Abundance of Phosphatase-Producing Bacteria in Mangrove Ecosystem

The study detailed the isolation and characterization of phosphatase producing bacteria (PPB) from rhizospheric, pneumatophoric and bulk sediments of Avicennia marina along Mumbai coast, India and also estimated alkaline phosphatase activity in sediment in addition to the Phosphatase enzymatic activity of isolates. The inorganic-organic nature of phosphorus was also examined. About, 42 PPB were isolated and identified from the sediment samples. 16S rDNA sequence revealed that all the isolates belong to the genus Bacillus except the one which belong to Geobacillus in the environment and B. anthracis str. Ames showed the phosphatase-producing activity of 84.11±0.01 µg p-NP released per 1×108 cfu in 72 hrs. The isolates, B. cereus strain APT23 and B. thuringiensis strain INRS4 showed the next best phosphatase activity. It was observed that PPB was very much abundant in A. marina mangroves. The pneumatophoric sediment showed significantly higher number of PPB with higher alkaline phosphatase activity, inorganic P and low organic P than those of other sediment types indicating that pneumatophoric region of A. marina harbours favourably the phosphatase-producers than the rhizospheric or bulk sediments and forms the first reference worldwide depicting this relationship. The isolates that showed higher phosphatase-producing potentials can be explored for using as phosphatic bio-fertilizer to enhance the agricultural, aquacultural and mangrove productivity on a larger scale

DISCOSOMES: A FUTURISTIC UPHEAVAL IN VESICULAR DRUG DELIVERY

The formulation system employed to convey pharmaceutical drugs compound in the body to attain the desired therapeutic effect at a predetermined rate depending on pharmacological aspects, drug profile, and physiological conditions can be referred to as a novel drug delivery system (NDDS). Due to the intricately sensitive anatomy and physiology of the eye pharmacologist find the ocular delivery system to be more involuted than other routes. Pre-corneal, static and dynamic is the 3 types of ophthalmic barriers, which along with the inflow and outflow of lacrimal fluids, nasolacrimal drainage, are some of the germane factors that affect bioavailability. Unlike conventional dosage forms, where the distribution of drugs in non-targeted body fluids and tissues transcends the quantity of required drug in targeted tissues and causes repercussions, these modified drug delivery systems surpass the ocular barriers and adverse reactions, emphasizing on less invasive, prolonged action. It also promotes sustained release formulation that subjugates the drug loss or degradation to treat many ocular diseases effectively. The current review recapitulates the fundamentals of discosomes, a type of vesicular drug delivery system that acts as a vehicle for the drug delivery of both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs. Discosomes are giant, disc-shaped structures modified from niosomes by arresting the vesicles at the discosome phase. Due to their idiosyncratic size, it provides all due benefits compared to other ocular drug delivery systems. From the review, it can be culminated that discosomes are a potential subject of opposition and opportunities in the arena of safe and effective ocular drug delivery

Reaction of 2,2,2- Trifluoroethoxytetrachloroantimony (V) with Some Oxygen & Nitrogen Donors

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