Prospective observational study to evaluate the efficacy of labetalol versus nifedipine in the management of preeclampsia

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are the common medical disorders in pregnancy. It has effects both on expectant mother and fetus. Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy specific multisystem disorder of unknown etiology, and accounts for 12-18% of maternal mortality. There is general consensus that maternal risk is decreased by antihypertensive treatment that lowers very high blood pressure. Objective of this study was to study the efficacy of oral labetalol versus oral Nifedipine in the management of preeclampsia in the antepartum and intrapartum period.Methods: The present study was conducted in a tertiary care centre, Chennai from October 2013 to September 2014. It was a prospective observational study done in antenatal ward and labor ward. All antenatal women diagnosed to have pre-eclampsia, irrespective of gestation are included in this study.Results: Age distribution of PIH patients and the maximum number of patients were 20-25 years of age. maximum patients of severe preeclampsia were primigravida. Both systolic and diastolic BP in the two groups (oral labetalol and oral Nifedipine groups) were not statistically significant as the p value is >0.005.Conclusions: From this study, authors found that both oral labetalol and oral nifedipine are effective and well tolerated when used for rapid control of blood pressure in severe hypertension of pregnancy

EVALUATION OF IN VITRO INHIBITION OF PROTON􀇧PUMP BY NANOSILVER PARTICLES SYNTHESIZED USING SEEDS OF ANETHUM GRAVEOLENS

Objective: The green synthesis of nanoparticles is gaining popularity owing to its several advantages over the chemical methods. This study reports the biosynthesis of nanosilver mediated by the extract of the seeds of Anethum graveolens.Methods: Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was carried out using the aqueous extract of the seeds of A. graveolens (AESE). Microwave irradiation was done to hasten the process. The AgNPs synthesized were physically characterized using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The potential of the nanosilver particles in inhibiting H+ K+ adenosine triphosphatase (proton pump) was evaluated.Results: The nanosilver particles were initially subjected to characterization studies to ascertain their shape, size and surface composition. The particles were found to be crystalline, spherical of size 30-35 nm. The nanosilver particles inhibited the activity of proton pump by 67 % and thus were as potential as the standard drug, omeprazole.Conclusion: The seeds have several pharmacological benefits including its gastroprotective potential and hence the nanosilver particles synthesized using AESE was assessed for its gastroprotective potential. The results of this study prove that the nanosilver synthesized by green technology can inhibit proton-pump and thus act as promising gastroprotective agents

Formulation and Evaluation of Targeted Drug Delivery Systems of Aceclofenac

Selected formulations containing aceclofenac (MC3, TMC7, ET3, CET1 and F10), were stored at 40°C/75% relative humidity (RH) for 6 months. Physical observation and drug release studies were conducted after 3 months of storage and after 6 months of storage. The stored formulations were evaluated for physical changes in the microcapsules tablets. The stored formulations were also evaluated for drug content and drug release. No color change was observed during the storage. Statistical analysis was done by paired t- test to verify whether the difference observed during storage at 40 2°C and at 755% relative humidity (RH) in 6 months period in drug content was significant or not. No significant difference was observed in all the cases (P>0.05). The drug release characteristics of all the formulations tested remained unaltered during the storage period. The results thus indicated that formulations were quite stable and the control release characteristics of the prepared microcapsules tablets remained unaltered. Aceclofenac release from the formulations, ET1 and ET2 was completed within 10 hours and 16 hours, respectively. From the formulations, ET3, ET4 and ET5, 98.14±0.16%, 89.26±1.47 and 75.38±0.58 of drug was released, respectively, within 24 hours. Aceclofenac release from the formulations, ET1 and ET2 was diffusion controlled and followed first order kinetics. Aceclofenac release from the formulations ET3, ET4, and ET5 was diffusion controlled and followed zero order kinetics. Fickian diffusion was the mechanism for drug release from the formulations, ET1 and ET2 (n<0.5) (0.38 and 0.48) and non-Fickian diffusion was the mechanism from the formulations ET3, ET4 and ET5 (n>0.5) (0.77, 0.60 and 0.56). Good linear relationships were observed between percent polymer (Eudragit L 100 and Eudragit S 100) and release rate (K0 and K1) values. Aceclofenac release from the matrix tablets ET3 formulated employing 40% of Eudragit L 100 and Eudragit S 100 was similar to that of Hifenac SR (commercial SR tablet). So, formulation ET3 was considered as a good sustained release formulation for aceclofenac and suitable for pH sensitive drug delivery to release the drug in the colon. The drug content and release profiles of the aceclofenac controlled release formulation (F10) and colon specific formulation (TMC7) developed employing polymers like Polyox and Eudragit were quite stable during the accelerated stability testing performed at 40° ± 2°C and 75% ± 5 % RH. CONCLUSION: The results of the present investigation clearly indicated that the two approaches used for colon specific delivery of aceclofenac exhibited good maintenance of lag time for drug release and better controlled release profiles in vitro. The sustained release formulation (F10) for aceclofenac employing Polyox exhibited good controlled release characteristics in vitro and was found suitable for oral controlled release for 24 hours. Thus the objectives of the project undertaken were achieved. A colon specific drug delivery system with the required lag time of around 5 hours was developed and it was found to be giving effective time profile up to 30 hours. An SR formulation comparable to a marketed SR formulation was developed and was found to be giving effective time profile upto 24 hours

End to End Encrypted Smart Lock Using RSA based on Opinion from Social Media Review Comments

In the modern era, from big apartments to small houses, startups to corporate buildings, protecting assets or preventing unauthorized persons are crucial problems. Often traditional locks like padlocks are prone to security risks since they can be easily bypassed. Existing smart lock systems are prone to Man in middle Attacks where digital keys can easily be duplicated. The review comments about prevailing smart locks technologies have been collected from various sources such as blogs and microblogs.&nbsp; The data set is analyzed to discover the opinion of the people about the smartlock product. In this proposed system, an innovative smartlock system prototype is designed using current technologies. A smart lock system has been proposed which is encrypted end-to-end using the RSA algorithm. This system uses a one-time password sent to registered users combined with the master code to unlock the door. This system is designed as such only the users who are connected to a wireless local area network are able to access the smart lock system, this adds an additional layer of security. It is connected to the cloud and logs all the activity from booting to shutting down. The breach detection system along with image capture is also included to detect forced intrusions. The client functionality can be easily ported to any platform which supports HTTP protocol which tends to be the major advantage of the proposed work

Automated Robot for Field Navigation in Multi-Floor Environments

In certain situations people need to go some places without having any previous knowledge about the locality. This condition may occur when the place is not visited ever before, or even when there is not any available sources to situate them in the current position. In those cases, the marks of the environment are essential for achieving the area. The same condition may happen for an autonomous machine, i.e., robot. This kind of robots must be talented of solving this problem in a talented way. In order to do this, the robot must use the resources present in their atmosphere. This paper offers a RFID based system, which has been developed to guide and give important information to an autonomous robot. This robot will detect the patient’s abnormal condition and it immediately communicates it to the doctor. This system has been implemented in a real indoor environment and it has been successfully proved in the autonomous and social robot. At the end of the paper, some experimental results, carried out inside the hospital building, are discussed

FACTORS THAT IMPACT GREEN PRODUCT PURCHASE BEHAVIOUR OF MALAYSIAN SHOPPERS

Today, the rapid development of technology has caused both positive and negative effects and environmental changes. While enjoying the convenience provided by technology, people should have the right mindset in keeping and protecting their environment healthy. Therefore, this study aims to examine the factors that impact the green product purchase behaviour of Malaysian shoppers in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Five independent variables were used in this research project to identify the factors that influence working consumers’ purchasing behaviour toward green products: social influences, environmental attitudes, environmental concern, and perceived effectiveness of environmental problems and perceived effectiveness of environmental behaviour. Six hundred consumers are the solely targeted respondents in this study. It is found that there are no significant differences for the gender and race variables, whereas the monthly income variable found a significant difference. In addition, the study findings also discovered a significant relationship between the factors influencing consumers’ purchasing behaviour towards green products. Consequently, these research findings have provided insights and feedback to businesses facing many challenges in convincing consumers to purchase green products. By gathering this information, marketers can understand the route that shifts the environmental factors to green purchase behaviour. They also would be able to formulate their various strategies to effectively attract more consumers to purchase green products.  Article visualizations

In vivo efficiency of Bacillus sp. isolated from biofloc system on growth, haematological, immunological and antioxidant status of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT)

In aquaculture, Biofloc technology is emerging as one of the successful sustainable technologies to increase production. It is known to possess several immunostimulatory compounds exhibiting possible probiotic effect in culture. Here, we explored the in vivo efficiency of Bacillus infantis (T1), B. subtilis (T2), Exiguobacterium profundum (T3) and B. megaterium (T4) isolated from biofloc systems for improving the growth and immune performance of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT). Animals (10+0.08 g) were stocked at a density of 100 per m-3 in 500 L FRP tanks for 42 days in triplicate. All the four probiotics (OD =1) were mixed with basal diet in treatments and feed without probiotic maintained as control. A significant difference (P &lt;0.05) in weight gain, specific growth rate and FCR were observed between treatments and control with 100% survival. Serum albumin, globulin, protein, total blood count, glucose, myeloperoxidase activity and SOD were significantly different (P &lt;0.05) between treatments and control. T4 and T2 showed better immunological and anti-oxidant ability when compared to other strains. Results from principal component analysis demonstrated that B. megaterium and B. subtilis can be the promising probiotic bacteria isolated from biofloc systems exhibiting multiple benefits with improved growth and health of the culture animals

In vivo efficiency of Bacillus sp. isolated from biofloc system on growth, haematological, immunological and antioxidant status of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT)

714-721In aquaculture, Biofloc technology is emerging as one of the successful sustainable technologies to increase production. It is known to possess several immunostimulatory compounds exhibiting possible probiotic effect in culture. Here, we explored the in vivo efficiency of Bacillus infantis (T1), B. subtilis (T2), Exiguobacterium profundum (T3) and B. megaterium (T4) isolated from biofloc systems for improving the growth and immune performance of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT). Animals (10+0.08 g) were stocked at a density of 100 per m-3 in 500 L FRP tanks for 42 days in triplicate. All the four probiotics (OD =1) were mixed with basal diet in treatments and feed without probiotic maintained as control. A significant difference (P 0.05) in weight gain, specific growth rate and FCR were observed between treatments and control with 100% survival. Serum albumin, globulin, protein, total blood count, glucose, myeloperoxidase activity and SOD were significantly different (P B. megaterium and B. subtilis can be the promising probiotic bacteria isolated from biofloc systems exhibiting multiple benefits with improved growth and health of the culture animals

Inhibitory Effects of Standardized Extracts of Phyllanthus amarus

The standardized methanol extracts of Phyllanthus amarus and P. urinaria, collected from Malaysia and Indonesia, and their isolated chemical markers, phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin, were evaluated for their effects on the chemotaxis, phagocytosis and chemiluminescence of human phagocytes. All the plant extracts strongly inhibited the migration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) with the Malaysian P. amarus showing the strongest inhibitory activity (IC50 value, 1.1 µg/mL). There was moderate inhibition by the extracts of the bacteria engulfment by the phagocytes with the Malaysian P. amarus exhibiting the highest inhibition (50.8% of phagocytizing cells). The Malaysian P. amarus and P. urinaria showed strong reactive oxygen species (ROS) inhibitory activity, with both extracts exhibiting IC50 value of 0.7 µg/mL. Phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin exhibited relatively strong activity against PMNs chemotaxis, with IC50 values slightly lower than that of ibuprofen (1.4 µg/mL). Phyllanthin exhibited strong inhibitory activity on the oxidative burst with an IC50 value comparable to that of aspirin (1.9 µg/mL). Phyllanthin exhibited strong engulfment inhibitory activity with percentage of phagocytizing cells of 14.2 and 27.1% for neutrophils and monocytes, respectively. The strong inhibitory activity of the extracts was due to the presence of high amounts of phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin although other constituents may also contribute

Evaluation of Mycobacterium indicus pranii as an immuno-potentiator in combination with 1’S-1’- acetoxychavicol acetate from the Malaysian Alpinia conchigera and cisplatin against various cancer types / Menaga Subramaniam

Cancer is a multistage disease consisting of tumour initiation, promotion and progression resulting from the modification of many genes. As a result, in many cases single drug treatment often fails to produce the desired therapeutic effect. In this study, a triple combinatorial usage between the immuno-potentiating activity of Mycobacterium indicus prani (MIP), the chemopotentiating properties of 1’S-1’-acetoxychavicol acetate (ACA) from the Malaysian Alpinia conchigera and the cytotoxic properties of the commercially available anti-cancer drug, cisplatin (CDDP) was proposed in order to synergistically chemosensitize and eradicate targeted malignancies in anti-cancer chemotherapeutic treatments in both in vitro and in vivo models. ACA is a phenylpropanoid which is isolated from the rhizomes of a sub-tropical ginger, Alpinia conchigera. MIP is a saprophytic bacterium which has been tested in a number of disease models and its immunomodulatory property in leprosy has been well documented. CDDP is a commercial anticancer agent clinically used for the treatment of various malignant tumours, such as head and neck, gastric, bladder, prostate, esophageal and osteosarcoma. In order to identify the potential cytotoxic element(s), a preliminary test was first carried out using four different fractions consisting of live bacteria, culture supernatant, heat killed bacteria and heat killed culture supernatant of MIP against human cancer cells A549 and CaSki by 3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazol)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Apoptosis was investigated in MCF-7 and ORL-115 cancer cells by poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and DNA fragmentation assays. Among the four MIP fractions, only heat killed MIP fraction (HKB) showed significant cytotoxicity in various cancer cells with inhibitory concentration, IC50 in the range 5.6–35.0 μl/(1.0×106 MIP cells/ml). Evaluation on PARP assay further suggested that cytotoxicity in cancer cells were potentially induced via caspase-mediated apoptosis. The cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of MIP HKB have indicated that this fraction can be a good candidate to further identify effective anti-cancer agent. In addition, synergistic effects was identified in MCF-7 cells treated with double (MIP/ACA, MIP/CDDP) and triple (MIP/ACA/CDDP) combinations. The type of interaction between drugs/agent was evaluated based on combination index (CI) value being less than 0.8 for synergistic effect. Based on previous studies, mechanism of cell death upon drug combinations which involved intrinsic apoptosis and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) proteins was validated in western blot analysis. All double and triple combinations confirmed intrinsic apoptosis activation and NF-κB inactivation. Therefore, double and triple combination regimes which targets induction of the same death mechanism with reduced dosage of each drug, is proposed in this study. The in vitro combination effects were validated in in vivo animal model, BALB/c mice using 4T1 mice breast cancer cells. It was found that mice exposed to combined treatment displayed higher reduction in tumour volume compared to standalone drug. The immunohistochemistry and cytokine analysis provided evidence that combination chemotherapy not only downregulate NF-κB activation, but also reduced the expression of NF-κB regulated genes and inflammatory biomarkers. Consequently, combination therapy shows great therapeutic potential and a pioneer for the basis of future combination drug development