CLINICAL EVALUATION ON EFFECT OF ROOT OF AMLEEKA (TAMARINDUS INDICA LINN.) IN NASTARTHAVA (AMENORRHOEA) - A CASE SERIES STUDY

Menstrual abnormalities are common in women nowadays due to lifestyle modifications, changes in dietary habits and lack of excercise. Of these menstrual disorders, amenorrhoea or absence of menstruation is a common clinical presentation for abnormalities of hypothalamo pituitory ovarian axis. Ayurvedic treatise, Vaidya Manorama and Chikitsamanjary mentions the use of root of Amleeka in treating Nastarthava (Amenorrhoea) – which is absence or abnormal cessation of menstruation. Amenorrhoea causes much physical and psychological problems to affected women. Considering the disease scenario, drawbacks of existing treatment modalities in modern medicine (which advocates greater use of steroids, hormones or surgery), effectiveness of the drug used by traditional practitioners and its easy availability, it seems ideal to investigate the effect of root of Amleeka in Nashtartava so as to provide a safe and affordable treatment. The clinical trial was undertaken as a before and after trial with 30 patients for a period of 3 months with the test drug and three months follow up. The assessment criteria were the amount and duration of menstrual bleeding, interval of menstrual cycle and associated symptoms before trial, after trial and after follow up. The trial drug was found to be effective in improving amount of menstrual bleeding from scanty to moderate and duration of bleeding from short to moderate level (P<0.001***). Thus it can be concluded that study drug is effective in inducing menstruation

Characterization of Vibrio spp. associated with Diseased Shrimp from Culture Ponds of Andhra Pradesh(India)

Surveys undertaken on diseases caused by Vibrio spp. in Penaeus monodon from culture ponds of coastal Andhra Pradesh recorded the occurrence of five types of diseases : tailnecrosis,shelldisease,reddisease,looseshellsyndrome(LSS), and white gut disease(WGD). Amongthese,LSS,WGD,and red disease caused mass mortalities in shrimp cultureponds. Six species of Vibrio V.harveyi,V.parahaemolyticus,V.alginolyticus,V.anguillarum,V.vulnificus,and V.splendidus are associated with the diseased shrimp. The number of Vibrio spp. associated with each disease ranged from two to five. Additionally,shrimp with red disease had concurrent infections with white spot syndrome virus.Vibrio harveyi in the case of LSS and WGD, V. parahaemolyticus for reddisease, and V.algino-lyticus for shell disease are the major etiologcalagents. Differences occur in the degree of virulence of different species of Vibrio and also different isolates of the same species. Vibrioharveyi isolated from LSS shrimp is the most virulent.Ingeneral, allthe Vibrio isolates from LSS shrimp tend to be more virulent as compared to their counter parts fromo the diseased shrimp.It is apparent that the degree of virulence of various Vibrio isolates depends on its source and the pond environmental conditions. Most of the Vibrio isolates showed susceptibility to oxy-tetracycline, norfloxacin, and ciprofloxacin. The luminous V.harveyi exhibited resistance to many antibiotics and susceptibility to only three drugs. Considering the emergence of antimicrobial resistant strains of Vibrio, the need for using probiotics in place of antibiotics for disease control is stressed

Biochemical Constituents of Shrimps from Semi-Intensive and Modified-Extensive Culture Ponds

A quantitative study on the occurrence of major biochemical constituents including protein, carbohydrate, lipid and cholesterol in the muscle of different growth stages of Penaeus monodon collected from semi-intensive (SI) and modified-extensive (ME) culture ponds of coastal Andhra Pradesh, adopting different feeding schedules was undertaken. The objective was to determine the effects of the age of shrimp and the stocking density on the biochemical composition of the muscle. Protein was found to be the major biochemical constituent and an increase in protein content with advancement of shrimp age was recorded. Glycogen occurred only in traces. Lipid and cholesterol occurred in moderate quantities with concentrations slightly higher in shrimps of SI ponds as compared to those of ME ponds. Overall, the stocking density had little impact on protein and glycogen concentration in the muscle

Characteristics, Pathogenicity and Antibiotic Sensitivity of Bacterial Isolates from White Spot Diseased Shrimp

A bacteriological study was undertaken on white spot diseased shrimp collected from extensive, modified-extensive and semi-intensive ponds located at Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts of North Coastal Andhra Pradesh. The diseased shrimp exhibited white spots and red discoloration of the body. Four species of bacteria, V. alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus, V. anguillarum and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from the hemolymph of the diseased shrimp. V. alginolyticus was found to be the most dominant and virulent species. All the bacterial isolates showed sensitivity towards oxytetracycline which is a commonly used antibiotic in culture ponds

Survival, Growth and Production of Penaeus monodon in Modified- Extensive and Semi Intensive Culture Systems of Andhra Pradesh, India

An analysis was made on the stocking density, survival, growth and production of Penaeus monodon in semi intensive (SI) and modified extensive (ME) shrimp culture ponds located in East Godavari district of Coastal Andhra Pradesh, India. Survival of shrimp in the ME systems with low stocking densities is higher (56 - 88%) than in the SI systems (12.3 – 52%) with higher stocking densities. Growth of shrimp is dependent not only on the stocking density but also on the management practices. Although the percent survival is more in ME system the growth is much faster in SI system owing to better management practices. Weight gain of shrimp was more rapid in the SI system than in the ME system initially up to 90 days of culture (DOC) but the trend was reverse in the later age of culture period. The optimum stocking density for achieving maximum production in the area is suggested as 10-15 individuals / m2 in SI ponds and 3-5 individuals / m2 in ME ponds

High frequency Agrobacterium mediated genetic transformation in rubber tree via. vacuum infiltration

In a tree species like Hevea brasiliensis, genetic transformation offers a viable approach for crop improvement within a short period. Hevea being highly recalcitrant to in vitro culture, an efficient transformation protocol is necessary for generating large number of transgenic plants with stable foreign gene expression. After several modifications in the initial transformation protocol, the transformation frequency was increased to 14 per cent using proliferated anther callus. Therefore, vacuum infiltration was attempted for enhancing the transformation frequency. In the present work the conditions for vacuum infiltration viz. vacuum pressure and period of infiltration were standardized. Vacuum infiltration at 30 psi pressure for 10 minutes was found to be ideal for getting high frequency transformation in H. brasiliensis. Irrespective of the gene constructs experimented, transformation frequency was significantly improved by adopting vacuum infiltration. Employing this technique, the transformation efficiency of MnSOD gene construct with FMV34S promoter could be enhanced from 14 to 50 percent

DETECTION AND PREVALENCE OF EFFLUX PUMP-MEDIATED DRUG RESISTANCE IN CLINICAL ISOLATES OF MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA FROM NORTH KERALA, INDIA

Objectives: The present study was carried out to detect the prevalence of efflux pump-mediated drug resistance in clinical isolates of multidrugresistant(MDR) Gram-negativebacteriaisolatedfromNorth Kerala.Methods: Clinical isolates (n = 123) of MDR Gram-negative bacteria were collected from various clinical laboratories in North Kerala, and their effluxmediateddrug resistancewasdetectedbytwosimple phenotypic assays-ethidiumbromide(EB)-agarcartwheelmethod andefflux pump inhibitor(EPI)-basedmicroplateassay,employingphenylalanine-arginineβ-naphthylamideas inhibitor.Results: The 123 Gram-negative MDR strains tested comprised Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter spp., and Klebsiella spp. TheEB-agar cartwheel method of screening revealed efflux activity in 20% (n=25) of the strains with representatives from all 4 genera. The efflux activitywas revealed at a minimum concentration of EB at 1 mg/l. P. aeruginosa strains showed the highest activity, many folds higher up to a concentrationof 2.5 mg/l. The confirmatory EPI-based microplate assay showed efflux activity only in 15% (n=18) strains with 6% (n=7) active against more thanone antibiotic. Efflux pump-mediated drug resistance was found to be most prevalent in P. aeruginosa (34.8%, n=8 out of 23), followed by that in E. coli(18.6%, n=8 out of 43), Acinetobacter spp. (9%, n=1out of 11), and Klebsiella spp. (2%, n=1 out of 46).Conclusion: This study reports on the emergence of efflux pump-based multidrug-resistance in North Kerala. Our results showed that 15% of drugresistance in Gram-negative MDR strains is attributable to efflux-related mechanisms, thereby emphasizing the need for inclusion of efflux-relatedtests in the diagnostic regimen for MDR clinical bacteria.Keywords: Gram-negative bacteria, Multidrug-resistance, Efflux pumps, Ethidium bromide, Efflux pump-inhibitor

Occurrence of concurrent infections with multiple viruses in Penaeus monodon from culture ponds of north coastal Andhra Pradesh

A histopathological study of Penaeus monodon show-ing external symptoms of white spot disease, collected from culture ponds at Mulakuddu and Rambilli villages (Visakhapatnam District) during May and July 2001, provided evidence for the occurrence of multiple viral infections. Each diseased shrimp carried concurrent infections with four different viruses, identified on the basis of nuclear changes, resulting in the formation of characteristic inclusion/occlusion bodies, as WSSV, YHV, MBV and IHHNV. The iden-tification of the various viruses needs confirmation through molecular diagnostic methods. This consti-tutes a report recording concurrent infections with multiple viruses in a single shrimp

Multiple Antibiotic Resistance pattern of Vibrio harveyi from Luminous Vibriosis affected cultured Tiger Shrimp, Penaeus monodon in Andhra Pradesh, India

An investigation was undertaken to determine the extent of antibiotic resistance exhibited by Vibrio harveyi, isolated from diseased Penaeus monodon, collected from culture ponds located in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. A total of 159 isolates of Vibrio harveyi, of which 110 are from four Modified-Extensive ponds (ME1, ME2, ME3, ME4) and 49 are from four Semi-Intensive ponds (SIA, SIB, SIC, SID), were screened for their susceptibility to 22 antibiotics. All the isolates from ME and SI ponds were resistant to penicillin G and 100% susceptibility was observed in the case of all the isolates of ME ponds towards Ciprofloxacin and Norfloxacin. The isolates from ME ponds were more resistant than those from SI ponds and the isolates of ME 1 pond exhibited 100% resistance towards eight antibiotics, whereas those of SI ponds were 100% resistant to only one antibiotic. A significant difference was observed in the Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) of the isolates from ME ponds, whereas the difference was not significant in the case of isolates from SI ponds. MAR against 4 - 10 antibiotics was highest in the isolates from pond ME 4 (90.5%), followed by those from ME 3 (76.7%) and ME 2 (11.4%) and it was highest with 40 % in the isolates from SI D pond. The study revealed the occurrence of highly virulent strains of Vibrio harveyi in shrimp culture ponds, which developed resistance to many antibiotics due to indiscriminate usage of antibiotics

Analysis of cytology of germ cell tumors with histopathological and serum tumor marker correlation: a tertiary care centre experience

Background: Germ cell tumors are found primarily in children and young adults usually arising from gonads and rarely from extragonadal sites like mediastinum, retroperitoneum, pineal gland and sacrococcygeal region. Involvement of lymphnodes or bodycavities (pleural/peritoneal cavity) is usually associated with metastatic disease.Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 96 cases of germ cell tumor for which a primary diagnosis of germ cell tumor was given by cytology from primary and metastatic sites. The study period is from January 1993- December 2013. Pap stained and Romanowsky stained smears and cell block sections (10cases) were studied. Serum tumor markers (LDH, BetaHCG and AFP) were correlated in all cases along with histopathology in available cases.Results: Among 96 cases 34 were diagnosed as seminoma/dysgerminoma,10 as embryonal carcinoma,9 as yolk sac tumor,6 as teratoma and 2 as mixed germ ell tumor. In 25 cases the cytology report was suggestive of germ cell tumor and in 10 cases malignant cells favouring germ cell tumor. Among the 10 cases the serum markers were high in six of the cases and the clinician after discussing with the pathologist treated them as germ cell tumors. 47 cases had histopathology and it correlated with cytology except in 14 cases which showed no residual neoplasm after chemotherapy. 15 cases expired immediately after the diagnosis or during the course of treatment 12cases were lost to follow up. Rest of the cases have completed the treatment. In our study the serum tumor markers showed a sensitivity of 92.75% and positive predictive value was 71.11%.Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of picking up the diagnosis of germ cell tumors by fine needle aspiration cytology so that patient can get an early diagnosis, effective treatment and a multidisciplinary approach is essential in diagnosing a difficult case of germ cell tumor. Previous history, radiology, clinical features and serum tumor markers all aid in the cytological diagnosis of germ cell tumor