An analysis of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome-related awareness among masses

Background: Prevention is better than cure. This age-old phrase holds very true in the case of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). So, adequate HIV and AIDS related education for young people is considered as an important prevention strategy. The main aim of the study was to analyze the awareness regarding HIV/AIDS among masses. The other objectives were to review and analyze the existing awareness campaigns regarding the need for establishment of new awareness campaigns.Methods: The study was conducted among a total of 80 subjects through a questionnaire comprising of questions about HIV/AIDS.Results: It was observed that the awareness among subjects with the non-scientific educational background was less than those with the scientific educational background. The analysis of attempted questionnaires showed that the knowledge of Indian subjects lacked considerably in certain basic areas related to HIV/AIDS. This indicates that the awareness measures and strategies running in India are ineffective and inadequate. Furthermore, it was observed that counseling by teachers, friends, and parents/families in Indians was lesser than that of subjects from the USA.Conclusion: Lack of awareness among masses has pointed toward the need to promote more awareness campaigns. It has been concluded that there is a need of providing comprehensive and detailed information regarding the preventive measures to masses, especially young people not only through educational institutions but also through families and friends

A COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATIVE NOTE ON ASCITES

 Ascites impairs both the physical and mental dimensions of quality of life in patients. The patients due to unawareness do not report to medical practitioners in the early stage of disease, and also in few cases, medical practitioners due to lack of adequate expertise face difficulty to ensure the early stage detection for causes of ascites, i.e., due to cirrhosis, cancer, congestive heart failure, mycobacterium tuberculosis, or others. Ascites is a symptom of progression of single disease or multiple diseases. Gross collection of fluid in peritoneal cavity may initiate a series of problems such as spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and an increase in abdominal distension and discomfort and hinder the mobility of the patient and dullness and loss of appetite. In the present review, a detail study over the ecology of ascites has been done with emphasizing on diagnosis by history and physical examination, clinical examination, and imagining techniques followed by management of treatment through general guidelines, and various available therapies are covered

Thermophysical studies of protonated and deprotonated glycine in aqueous sodium acetate buffer solutions at different temperatures

Interactions of glycine in water and in (0.10, 0.50 and 1.00) aqueous sodium acetate buffer solutions of pH (1.00 and 12.40) have been investigated at different temperatures, T/K = (298.15-318.15). Densities,  and viscosities, of glycine in water and in aqueous sodium acetate buffer solutions have been measured. The obtained density data have been used to calculate apparent molar volume, , limiting partial molar volume, , limiting partial molar volumes of transfer, . Viscosity B-coefficient, viscosity B-coefficient of transfer, , Activation free energies per mole of the solute,  and solvent,  have been calculated from viscosity data. Further, second order derivative of partial molar expansion coefficient and dependence of coefficients on temperature is useful in measuring the structure making and breaking behavior of solute in these systems. Pair and triplet interaction coefficients for both the properties were also calculated. Thus, the results obtained from volumetric and viscometric studies are of considerable importance to identify different type of interactions (i.e. H-bonding, van der Waal’s interactions)in these systems

A Review on Phytochemical and Pharmacological Aspects of Ochradenus baccatus

Ochradenus baccatus, also known as "Taily Weed," is a perennial shrub that belongs to the Resedaceae family and is often used as a folk medicine for the treatment of headache, fever or sexual disorders in the Middle Eastern countries. It is also used as an antibiotic, cooling agent and deodorant. Due to its widespread use in traditional medicine in the Middle Eastern countries and lack of scientific evidence, it is being investigated for its phytotherapeutic potential in different disease conditions

Thermophysical studies of protonated and deprotonated glycine in aqueous sodium acetate buffer solutions at different temperatures

1317-1328Interactions of glycine in water and in (0.10, 0.50 and 1.00) mol kg−1 aqueous sodium acetate buffer solutions of pH(1.00 and 12.40) have been investigated at different temperatures, T(K) = (298.15-318.15). Densities, and viscosities, of glycine in water and in aqueous sodium acetate buffer solutions have been measured. The obtained density data have been used to calculate apparent molar volume, , limiting partial molar volume, , limiting partial molar volumes of transfer,Δ. Viscosity B-coefficient, viscosity B-coefficient of transfer, Δ, activation free energies per mole of the solute,Δ2# and solvent, Δ1# have been calculated from viscosity data. Further, second order derivative of partial molarexpansion coefficient and dependence of coefficients on temperature is useful in measuring the structure making and breaking behaviour of solute in these systems. Pair and triplet interaction coefficients for both the properties were also calculated. Thus, the results obtained from volumetric and viscometric studies are of considerable importance to identify different type of interactions (i.e. H-bonding, van der Waals interactions) in these systems

Bacteria in cancer therapy: a novel experimental strategy

Resistance to conventional anticancer therapies in patients with advanced solid tumors has prompted the need of alternative cancer therapies. Moreover, the success of novel cancer therapies depends on their selectivity for cancer cells with limited toxicity to normal tissues. Several decades after Coley's work a variety of natural and genetically modified non-pathogenic bacterial species are being explored as potential antitumor agents, either to provide direct tumoricidal effects or to deliver tumoricidal molecules. Live, attenuated or genetically modified non-pathogenic bacterial species are capable of multiplying selectively in tumors and inhibiting their growth. Due to their selectivity for tumor tissues, these bacteria and their spores also serve as ideal vectors for delivering therapeutic proteins to tumors. Bacterial toxins too have emerged as promising cancer treatment strategy. The most potential and promising strategy is bacteria based gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy. Although it has shown successful results in vivo yet further investigation about the targeting mechanisms of the bacteria are required to make it a complete therapeutic approach in cancer treatment

A Novel Therapy for Melanoma Developed in Mice: Transformation of Melanoma into Dendritic Cells with Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive bacteria and human pathogen widely used in cancer immunotherapy because of its capacity to induce a specific cytotoxic T cell response in tumours. This bacterial pathogen strongly induces innate and specific immunity with the potential to overcome tumour induced tolerance and weak immunogenicity. Here, we propose a Listeria based vaccination for melanoma based in its tropism for these tumour cells and its ability to transform in vitro and in vivo melanoma cells into matured and activated dendritic cells with competent microbicidal and antigen processing abilities. This Listeria based vaccination using low doses of the pathogen caused melanoma regression by apoptosis as well as bacterial clearance. Vaccination efficacy is LLO dependent and implies the reduction of LLO-specific CD4+ T cell responses, strong stimulation of innate pro-inflammatory immune cells and a prevalence of LLO-specific CD8+ T cells involved in tumour regression and Listeria elimination. These results support the use of low doses of pathogenic Listeria as safe melanoma therapeutic vaccines that do not require antibiotics for bacterial removal

From Toxins Targeting Ligand Gated Ion Channels to Therapeutic Molecules

Ligand-gated ion channels (LGIC) play a central role in inter-cellular communication. This key function has two consequences: (i) these receptor channels are major targets for drug discovery because of their potential involvement in numerous human brain diseases; (ii) they are often found to be the target of plant and animal toxins. Together this makes toxin/receptor interactions important to drug discovery projects. Therefore, toxins acting on LGIC are presented and their current/potential therapeutic uses highlighted

COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF DIFFERENT DOSES OF VINPOCETINE ALONE AND IN COMBINATION WITH SULFASALAZINE IN EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE IN RATS

  Objective: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a disorder characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and its exact etiopathology is still unclear. Most of the currently available drugs provide the symptomatic improvement, and their long-term use can lead to various unwanted effects also. This study was done to observe the effects of vinpocetine alone and in combination with sulfasalazine on IBD in rats.Methods: Adult Wistar rats of either sex were used (n=36). Experimental colitis was produced by intracolonic administration of acetic acid (10% v/v, 0.20 ml/rat) given per rectally. Rats were divided into six groups (n=6): Group I - normal control (0.9% w/v saline, intracolonic administration + 0.5% w/v carboxymethyl cellulose, i.e., CMC, p.o); Group II - acetic acid (10% v/v, intracolonic administration+0.5% w/v CMC, p.o); Group IIIA - acetic acid + vinpocetine (5 mg/kg, p.o); Group IIIB - acetic acid + vinpocetine (10 mg/kg, p.o); Group IV - acetic acid + sulfasalazine (360 mg/kg, p.o.); Group V - acetic acid + sulfasalazine + vinpocetine (360 mg/kg, p.o. + 5 mg/kg, p.o). The study period was of 15 days in which animals were treated with acetic acid solution on day 1 and treatment was started 4 hrs after the administration of acetic acid till the 14th day. On 15th day, the animals were sacrificed for the investigation of various macroscopic, microscopic, and biochemical parameters.Results: The higher dose of orally administered vinpocetine (10 mg/kg) and combination of sulfasalazine + vinpocetine (360 mg/kg + 5 mg/kg) were found to be the most effective in reducing the severity of mucosal damage which was similar to the reference drug sulfasalazine (360 mg/kg). Both the doses of vinpocetine curtailed the histopathological scores. The combination therapy of sulfasalazine + vinpocetine (360 mg/kg + 5 mg/kg) was equally effective to standard drug but not found to be the most effective treatment. Myeloperoxidase levels were significantly reduced in vinpocetine treated groups as compared to acetic acid control group, while the glutathione levels were increased significantly. Similarly, vinpocetine significantly decreased the malondialdehyde level in the intestinal tissue of the rats with acetic acid induced colitis, and thus the severity of the tissue damage.Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that vinpocetine possesses anti-inflammatory activity and are therapeutically effective in acetic acid induced ulcerative colitis at a dose of 5 mg/kg. More pronounced effects were observed at higher dose, i.e., 10 mg/kg. The combination of sulfasalzine + vinpocetine was also found to be effective as compared to high dose of vinpocetine (10 mg/kg)

Chemopreventive effect of artesunate in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine-induced rat colon carcinogenesis

Artesunate (ART) is a semisynthetic derivative of artemisinin. Artemisinin and its derivatives have shown profound cytotoxicity and antitumor activity in addition to antimalarial activity in various studies. As the in vivo chemopreventive efficacy of ART in colon carcinogenesis has not been investigated so far, the aim of the current study was to study the chemopreventive effect of ART in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH)-induced rat colon carcinogenesis. Animals were divided into four groups (n = 6): Group I - vehicle (1 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), Group II - DMH (20 mg/kg), Group III - DMH + 5-fluorouracil (81 mg/kg), Group IV - DMH + ART (6.7 mg/kg). After completion of 15 weeks of treatment, rats were sacrificed under ether anesthesia by cervical dislocation for assessment of lipid peroxidation (LPO), antioxidant status, average number of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), and cytokine levels. ART administration significantly decreased the average number of ACF/microscopic field. Similarly, LPO level was decreased and antioxidant activities were enhanced after ART treatment. ART decreased the levels of proinflammatory cytokines and induced apoptosis in the colons of DMH-treated rats. The results of this study suggest that ART has a beneficial effect against chemically induced colonic preneoplastic progression in rats