A comparative bioavailability study of aceclofenac products in healthy human subjects

This study was conducted to compare the bioavailability of two branded formulations of aceclofenac and to evaluate their pharmacokinetic behavior. For bioequivalence study of two formulations of aceclofenac; drug A and drug B were administered to 18 healthy human volunteers using a two-treatment, two-way cross over study design in a randomized fashion. For the determination of aceclofenac plasma concentration, validated HPLC method with UV-visible detector, 20 µl injecting loop and C18 analytical column were used. The lower limit of detection is 0.0195µg/ml and quantitation range is 0.039, 0.078, 0.156, 0.312, 0.625, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20µg/ml. Different pharmacokinetic parameter were determined including Tmax, T1/2, Cmax, AUC0-t, AUC0-?, vd, ke for two formulations of aceclofenac in plasma. After log-transformation of plasma data for bioequivalence Cmax, AUC0-t and AUCt-? were tested. The Cmax values of 7.69 ± 0.14221µg/ml and 6.82 ± 0.13411µg/ml were attained in 3.14 ± 0.0801 h and 2.94 ± 0.1878 h for drug A and Drug B, respectively. AUC0-t was 45332.79 ± 2096.770µg.h/ml and 43842.56 ± 1046.954µg.h/ml, respectively. AUC0-? was 45329.97±2138.871µg.h/ml and 43589.97 ± 1039.78 µg.h/ml for drug A and Drug B, respectively. The t1/2 values were found to be 3.14 ± 0.080 h and 3.01 ± 0.024 h for drug A and Drug B

BASIL (Ocimum sanctum L.) aromatic medicinal plant: a review

Ocimum sanctum (Basil; Tulssi) is important traditional herb and used for therapeutic purposeall over the world. It has been used in traditional medicine from 3000 years, because of itsmiraculous healing properties. In India it is consider as the holiest herb. It is considered asassign of goddness in Hinduism. Each part of this plant is worshipped in India. It is used innumerous ailments such as insomnia, malaria, skin and digestive disorders, diarrhoea and alsoused in cough, cold and flu. Studies revealed its antifungal, antiviral, analgesic,bronchodilators, anti-asthmatic and anti-oxidant activites. Volatile oil, eugenol, urosolic acid,linalool, carvacrol, limatrol, sesquiterpene, methyl eugenol, estragole and caryophyllene arephytoconstituents present in Ocimum sanctum

Psychological Morbidity in patients with Idiopathic Hirsutism presenting for Laser Treatment at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Objective: The objective of our study was to determine the frequency of depression, anxiety, and stress in females presenting for laser treatment of hirsutism at a dermatology clinic. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. 152 female participants of all ages presenting for laser treatment of hirsutism to the dermatology department –removed for blind review--from June 2019 to Dec 2019, were included using a consecutive convenient sampling technique. Patients having an FG (Ferriman and Gallwey) score of 8 or more, were included whereas those having any underlying cause (as assessed by history and examination and laboratory investigations where required) for both hirsutism and psychological disorder were excluded. The participants were given an Urdu version of the DASS 21 (depression, anxiety, and stress scale) to complete. Results: The participants had a mean age of 30.22 (SD = 9.17). The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress in the sample was found to be 13.2%, 23.7%, and 17.8%, respectively. Mean depression, anxiety, and stress scores on DASS 21 were 4.43(SD=4.87, Cut-off= 10), 4.34(SD=5.12, Cut-off= 8), and 8.21(SD=6.26, Cut-off=15), respectively, indicating that the scores were within the normal range. Anxiety was the most common illness in the sample and both depression and stress showed a decline with advancing age up till 45years of age. No statistically significant association was found between the severity of hirsutism and depression, stress, and anxiety scores. Conclusion: Psychological morbidity was found to be lower in patients of idiopathic hirsutism presenting for laser treatment. The long-term efficacy of laser treatment needs further evaluation in future research

Effects of Cu and Zn Coated Urea on Eh, pH and Solubility of Cu and Zn in Rice Soils

The concentration of Cu (Copper) and Zn (Zinc) decreases upon flooded conditions of rice soil. To assess the effects of flooding and application of Cu and Zn coated urea on changes in Eh, pH and solubility of Cu and Zn, a glasshouse experiment was conducted at Universiti Putra Malaysia. Rice plants (30 days old seedlings of type MR-219) on two soils (riverine and alluvium and marine alluvium) were transplanted. Nine treatments with variable rates and combinations of Cu and Zn coated urea were applied. The sources of fertilizers were copper sulfate and zinc sulfate. Eh values decreased with flooding time in both soils. The changes of Eh values were more negative in control treatments and stabilized after 3 weeks of submergence. The Eh variation was not observed affectively in the treated soils however, soil pH increased with flooding time. During the 3rd week of submergence, pH was neutral (pH 7.0). In both soils, Cu and Zn treated soil showed lower Eh and higher pH values as compared to untreated soil. Concentration of Cu and Zn in soil solution decreased with flooding. The higher Cu and Zn contents in soil were recorded in treated soils. Reduced solubility of Cu and Zn in control soils was related to larger changes in Eh and pH values. Mean comparison with Tukey’s HSD (Honest Significant Difference) test showed that Cu and Zn solubility decreased with decreased Eh and increased pH in the soil solution (p < 0.05%)

Salt stress effects on some morphological and physiological characteristics of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.)

Salinity is worldwide problem that limits the growth and productivity of all vegetations and it is going toincreasing day by day. The objective of the investigation was to study the response of okra (Abelmoschus esculentusL.) in terms of morphological and physiological characteristics under salt stress conditions. Okra seeds of cultivarChinese Red were grown in plastic pots having fine sand as growth medium. After 30 days of germination, theplants were subjected to salt stress under control, 25, 50, and 75 mM NaCl. Increasing salinity caused a decrease ofgermination percentage, shoot and root length, plant height, pod weight, pod length, photosynthesis rate, andstomatal conductance. The Na+ and Cl- accumulation were correlated with a decline in concentration of K+ inleaves and roots. Under salinity, a high concentrations of Na+ and Cl- were noted in both leave and roots portions

Effectiveness of unani regimen in protecting high risk population from COVID -19: A pilot study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread globally. COVID-19 presents varied clinical features. The present study focuses on number of patients turning COVID-19 positive, change in Immune Status Questionnaire (ISQ) and WHO quality of life- Bref (WHO Qol – BREF) scales after taking intervention. This open labelled, double arm, controlled, interventional, clinical trial was conducted on high-risk individuals i.e., those residing with a COVID-19 positive member in the identified quarantine area. This twin armed study was conducted on asymptomatic individuals exposed to COVID -19. The test group were prescribed Unani poly-herbal decoction together with Unani formulations Khamira Marwareed and Tiryaq e Arba whereas the control group was not on any intervention. The duration of intervention was 20 days; follow ups were planned on day 10 and day 20. Of the 81 participants enrolled, none of the patients turned COVID-19 positive. However, 13.58% (n=11) developed COVID like symptoms and 70 patients completed the study. The mean age of the participants was 41.42±16.9 years; however, majority of the participants were 18-28 years male with Damvi (Sanguine) temperament. The quality of life of the intervention group improved significantly however, the immune status in both the groups increased with P &lt;0.001. The Unani prophylactic regimen provides a 62% (relative risk reduction) protection against COVID -19. This pilot study paves for a study on a larger population. No adverse effects were observed during the study. Absence of biochemical investigations were limitations to the study

Effect Of Physical And Chemical Mutagens On Morphological Behavior Of Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) CV. “Rio Grande” Under Heat Stress Conditions.

Given the importance to tomato production under heat stress conditions in hot climates of Pakistan, the objective of this research work was to study the influence of temperature and application of physical and chemical mutagens on tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.,) CV. “Rio grande” Seeds were treated with chemical mutagen (Ethyl Methane Sulphonate) and physical mutagen (Gamma radiation). Plants were grown in open field conditions under day/night temperatures regimes at the experimental area of Department of Horticulture, faculty of crop and food sciences, PMAS-AAUR. The experiment was set twenty treatments and four replications in Complete Randomize Block Design. It is observed that by increasing dose of mutagens shows lethal effect and morphological parameters reduced significantly. But lower doses of EMS and Gamma radiation improve thermotolerance capacity significantly. Plants were investigated for different morphological parameters i.e Plant height, no. of leaves, leaf area, relative water contents of leaves, chlorophyll contents, cell viability (TCC Assay) and pollen germination. Among gamma rays 5Kr were the only dose which survived and bear fruits. Among EMS 4mM, 8 mM, 16mM performed better under heat stress conditions than other treatments