ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF OCIMUM SANCTUM (LINN) IN FORMALIN INDUCED ACUTE MODELS OF ALBINO RATS

The inflammatory process is the response to an injurious stimulus. It can be evoked by a wide variety of noxious agents (e.g., infections, antibodies, physical injuries). Many nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin, phenylbutazone, indomethacin etc. are in clinical use but all these are not completely devoid of adverse effects. In this study, the anti-inflammatory activity of O. sanctum alone and in combination with indomethacin was studied using formalin-induced rat paw edema. Aqueous extract of O. sanctum (200mg/kg, 300mg/kg  or 400mg/kg) was administered alone and in combination with indomethacin (25mg/kg) to separate group of rats and paw volume was measured by plethysmometer and compared with control group. All the test groups showed significant (P<0.05) anti-inflammatory effect in formalin-induced rat paw edema. The reduction of edema by O. sanctum was better than that of the standard anti-inflammatory drug, indomethacin and on co-administration marginally improved the anti-inflammatory profile of indomethacin. O.sanctum possesses significant anti-inflammatory activity probably due to inhibition of both cyclooxygenase and lipooxygenase pathways of arachidonic acid metabolism (dual inhibitory property). KEYWORDS: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); Indomethacin; Plethysmometer

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF OCIMUM SANCTUM (LINN) IN FORMALIN INDUCED ACUTE MODELS OF ALBINO RATS

The inflammatory process is the response to an injurious stimulus. It can be evoked by a wide variety of noxious agents (e.g., infections, antibodies, physical injuries). Many nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin, phenylbutazone, indomethacin etc. are in clinical use but all these are not completely devoid of adverse effects. In this study, the anti-inflammatory activity of O. sanctum alone and in combination with indomethacin was studied using formalin-induced rat paw edema. Aqueous extract of O. sanctum (200mg/kg, 300mg/kg  or 400mg/kg) was administered alone and in combination with indomethacin (25mg/kg) to separate group of rats and paw volume was measured by plethysmometer and compared with control group. All the test groups showed significant (P<0.05) anti-inflammatory effect in formalin-induced rat paw edema. The reduction of edema by O. sanctum was better than that of the standard anti-inflammatory drug, indomethacin and on co-administration marginally improved the anti-inflammatory profile of indomethacin. O.sanctum possesses significant anti-inflammatory activity probably due to inhibition of both cyclooxygenase and lipooxygenase pathways of arachidonic acid metabolism (dual inhibitory property). KEYWORDS: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); Indomethacin; Plethysmometer

Dynamic social learning under graph constraints

We introduce a model of graph-constrained dynamic choice with reinforcement modeled by positively $\alpha$-homogeneous rewards. We show that its empirical process, which can be written as a stochastic approximation recursion with Markov noise, has the same probability law as a certain vertex reinforced random walk. We use this equivalence to show that for $\alpha > 0$, the asymptotic outcome concentrates around the optimum in a certain limiting sense when `annealed' by letting $\alpha\uparrow\infty$ slowly

Recurrent stroke: the role of thrombophilia in a large international pediatric stroke population

Risk factors for arterial ischaemic stroke in children include vasculopathy and prothrombotic risk factors but their relative importance to recurrent stroke is uncertain. Data on recurrent stroke from the databases held in Canada (Toronto), Germany (Kiel-Lubeck/Munster), and UK (London/Southampton) were pooled. Data were available from 894 patients aged 1 month to 18 years at first stroke (median age 6 years) with a median follow-up of 35 months. 160/894 patients (17.9%) had recurrence from 1 day to 136 months after first stroke (median 3.1 months). Among 288 children with vasculopathy, recurrence was significantly more common (hazard ratio (HR) 2.5, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.92-3.5) compared to children without vasculopathy. Adjusting for vasculopathy, isolated antithrombin deficiency (HR 3.9; 95%CI 1.4-10.9), isolated elevated lipoprotein (a) (HR 2.3; 95%CI 1.3-4.1), and the presence of more than one prothrombotic risk (HR 1.9; 95%CI 1.12-3.2) were independently associated with an increased risk of recurrence. Recurrence rates calculated per 100 person-years were 10 (95%CI 3-24) for antithrombin deficiency, 6 (95%CI 4-9) for elevated lipoprotein (a), and 13 (95%CI 7-20) for the presence of more than one prothrombotic risk. Identifying children at increased for second stroke events is important in intensifying measures aimed at preventing recurrent stroke

Diffraction evidence for the structure of cellulose microfibrils in bamboo, a model for grass and cereal celluloses

Background: Cellulose from grasses and cereals makes up much of the potential raw material for biofuel production. It is not clear if cellulose microfibrils from grasses and cereals differ in structure from those of other plants. The structures of the highly oriented cellulose microfibrils in the cell walls of the internodes of the bamboo Pseudosasa amabilis are reported. Strong orientation facilitated the use of a range of scattering techniques. Results: Small-angle neutron scattering provided evidence of extensive aggregation by hydrogen bonding through the hydrophilic edges of the sheets of chains. The microfibrils had a mean centre-to-centre distance of 3.0 nm in the dry state, expanding on hydration. The expansion on hydration suggests that this distance between centres was through the hydrophilic faces of adjacent microfibrils. However in the other direction, perpendicular to the sheets of chains, the mean, disorder-corrected Scherrer dimension from wide-angle X-ray scattering was 3.8 nm. It is possible that this dimension is increased by twinning (crystallographic coalescence) of thinner microfibrils over part of their length, through the hydrophobic faces. The wide-angle scattering data also showed that the microfibrils had a relatively large intersheet d-spacing and small monoclinic angle, features normally considered characteristic of primary-wall cellulose. Conclusions: Bamboo microfibrils have features found in both primary-wall and secondary-wall cellulose, but are crystallographically coalescent to a greater extent than is common in celluloses from other plants. The extensive aggregation and local coalescence of the microfibrils are likely to have parallels in other grass and cereal species and to influence the accessibility of cellulose to degradative enzymes during conversion to liquid biofuel

Mortality After Pediatric Arterial Ischemic Stroke

OBJECTIVES: Cerebrovascular disease is among the top 10 causes of death in US children, but risk factors for mortality are poorly understood. Within an international registry, we identify predictors of in-hospital mortality after pediatric arterial ischemic stroke (AIS). METHODS: Neonates (0-28 days) and children (29 days- < 19 years) with AIS were enrolled from January 2003 to July 2014 in a multinational stroke registry. Death during hospitalization and cause of death were ascertained from medical records. Logistic regression was used to analyze associations between risk factors and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Fourteen of 915 neonates (1.5%) and 70 of 2273 children (3.1%) died during hospitalization. Of 48 cases with reported causes of death, 31 (64.6%) were strokerelated, with remaining deaths attributed to medical disease. In multivariable analysis, congenital heart disease (odds ratio [OR]: 3.88; 95% confidence interval [CI] : 1.23-12.29; P = .021), posterior plus anterior circulation stroke (OR: 5.36; 95% CI: 1.70-16.85; P = .004), and stroke presentation without seizures (OR: 3.95; 95% CI: 1.26-12.37; P = .019) were associated with in-hospital mortality for neonates. Hispanic ethnicity (OR: 3.12; 95% CI: 1.56-6.24; P = .001), congenital heart disease (OR: 3.14; 95% CI: 1.75-5.61; P < .001), and posterior plus anterior circulation stroke (OR: 2.71; 95% CI: 1.40-5.25; P = .003) were associated with in-hospital mortality for children. CONCLUSIONS: In-hospital mortality occurred in 2.6% of pediatric AIS cases. Most deaths were attributable to stroke. Risk factors for in-hospital mortality included congenital heart disease and posterior plus anterior circulation stroke. Presentation without seizures and Hispanic ethnicity were also associated with mortality for neonates and children, respectively. Awareness and study of risk factors for mortality represent opportunities to increase survival