COMPARATIVE PHARMACOGNOSTIC STUDIES OF ROOTS OF ASHWAGANDHA (WILD, NAGORI AND POSHITHA VAR)

Background: Ashwagandha is a very well-known herb in Ayurveda. It is widely used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, agricultural, food industries, and is a constituent of over 200 Ayurvedic formulations. The annual demand of Ashwagandha is 7000 tons but its actual availability is just 1500 tons, this demand is not met by using the wildly grown Ashwagandha. To meet this demand, it has been brought under cultivation many centuries ago, in India. Numerous cultivated varieties of Ashwagandha are developed for high yield and better quality roots. Amongst them, Nagori Ashwagandha is a popular variety, cultivated for its demand. Poshitha Ashwagandha is a high yielding and improved variety released by CSIR-CIMAPS. The current study aims at comparing the roots of wildly grown Ashwagandha, Nagori Ashwagandha and Poshitha Ashwagandha, pharmacognostically. Methodology: The study deals with macroscopic parameters, microscopic study of transverse sections physicochemical, phytochemical analysis and powder microscopy of roots of the three varieties of Ashwagandha. Results: Significant macroscopic differences were noted between the wild and the two cultivated varieties of Ashwagandha roots, there was no much variation in the physico-chemical and phyto-chemical parameters amongst the three, also there was no much difference found between the two cultivated varieties- morphologically and phyto-chemically

Scrotal Lipoma - A Case Study

Lipoma is one of the commonest benign mesenchymal tumor. It occurs with an incidence of 1% of the population. It is composed of fat cells of adult type. It may occur any where in the body, hence called Universal tumor or ubiquitous tumor. But lipomas with in the scrotum are rare and are included under para testicular or extra testicular tumors. To date, definite etiology of lipoma remains uncertain. One theory suggests cytokine release may trigger pre-adipocyte differentiation and maturation. Here we report a case of scrotal lipoma presented as a painless swelling in the scrotum

Design and implementation of DA FIR filter for bio-inspired computing architecture

This paper elucidates the system construct of DA-FIR filter optimized for design of distributed arithmetic (DA) finite impulse response (FIR) filter and is based on architecture with tightly coupled co-processor based data processing units. With a series of look-up-table (LUT) accesses in order to emulate multiply and accumulate operations the constructed DA based FIR filter is implemented on FPGA. The very high speed integrated circuit hardware description language (VHDL) is used implement the proposed filter and the design is verified using simulation. This paper discusses two optimization algorithms and resulting optimizations are incorporated into LUT layer and architecture extractions. The proposed method offers an optimized design in the form of offers average miminimizations of the number of LUT, reduction in populated slices and gate minimization for DA-finite impulse response filter. This research paves a direction towards development of bio inspired computing architectures developed without logically intensive operations, obtaining the desired specifications with respect to performance, timing, and reliability

COMPARISON BETWEEN ROBOTIC ASSISTED LAPAROSCOPIC PYELOPLASTY AND LAPAROSCOPIC PYELOPLASTY AS STANDARD OF CARE FOR PELVI-URETERIC JUNCTION OBSTRUCTION: HOSPITAL-BASED COHORT STUDY.

Introduction Pelvi-Ureteric Junction Obstruction (PUJO) is a significant clinical difficulty that frequently necessitates surgical treatment. This study examines and contrasts the efficacy of Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty (RALP) and Laparoscopic Pyeloplasty (LP) in treating this problem. The objective is to assess perioperative parameters and patient outcomes to identify the most effective technique for controlling PUJO.  Methods The study comprised individuals diagnosed with PUJO who were scheduled to undergo surgical intervention. The study included a total of 48 patients, with 32 of them undergoing LP and the remaining 16 getting RALP.  Results 48 patients (32 LP, 16 RALP) aged 10-70 years were studied, with mean ages of 34.28 (LP) and 39.38 (RALP), a male-to-female ratio of 2.2:1, and success rates of 90.63% (LP) and 93.75% (RALP) in transitioning from an obstructed (TYPE 2) to a normal (TYPE 1) O' The RALP group had a longer mean operative time (226.87 ± 32.39 minutes) than the LP group (186.53 ± 33.58 minutes). The RALP group had better patient outcomes, including faster drain removal time (1.69 ± 1.40 days vs. 3.75 ± 1.50 days), shorter hospital stay (2.88 ± 0.88 days vs. 4.06 ± 1.39 days), and somewhat higher success rate (93.75% vs. 90.63%). The success criteria were an obstructed (TYPE 2) to normal (TYPE 1) O'Reilly Curve within 3 months of surgery.  Conclusion Although RALP has a longer operational time, it has been shown to achieve better results than LP in terms of success rate, duration of drain usage, and total length of hospital stay.  Recommendations It is recommended that future studies include larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods to further evaluate the long-term effectiveness of RALP and LP in the management of PUJO

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of Bacterial Isolates from Urine Samples from Female Patients Suffering From Urinary Tract Infection at Tertiary Care Center in South India

Introduction:  The frequency of bacteria affecting urinary tract and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern vary from one territory to another. This study was conducted to determine spectrum of bacterial isolates causing UTI and their antibiotic susceptibility pattern among female patients attending tertiary care center Materials and Methods: A total of 577 female urine culture sensitivity reports (CS) were collected. The culture was done by inoculation by standard loop technique. Antibiotic susceptibility testing for identified bacteria was done by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and result was interpreted as per CLSI guidelines. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. Results: Infection rates were similar up to reproductive age group with no significant difference between gram-positive (GP) and gram-negative organisms (GN) but post reproductive age group suffered more from GN. The most commonly infecting organism was Staphylococci followed by Escherichia coli showing resistance in >50% tests to cephalosporins, penicillin and fluoroquinolones. All antibiotics are showing resistance from one or the other organisms. Conclusion: The commonly infecting bacteria are developing resistance to regularly used antibiotics raising concerns of cross resistance and selection of antibiotics. This warrants due diligence by all stakeholders, including public-health authorities, health care providers, policymakers and even the public to prevent and control antimicrobial resistance

Multiple median nerve abscesses: A rare presentation of leprosy

A 25 year old male presented with swellings around the left elbow and forearm since 2 years. Examination showed 4 swellings along the course of median nerve over the left arm, elbow and forearm. They were circumscribed, soft to firm nodules with tenderness. There were no cutaneous lesions suggesting of leprosy. Histopathological examination of a biopsy from a swelling showed granulomas in the epineurium suggesting the diagnosis of leprosy neuritis. With these clinico-pathological features diagnosis of median nerve abscesses was confirmed. The patient was treated with multi drug therapy for leprosy and oral steroids

An Altered Pulmonary Function – A Cause or Consequence of Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Objective: To evaluate the pulmonary function in Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) patients without respiratory symptoms. Background: GERD is reported to adversely impact the pulmonary functions. GERD is associated with symptomatic asthma and chronic cough. Pulmonary functions are studied in symptomatic asthma patients with GERD. Treatment of GERD improves the respiratory symptoms and decreases the medication needed for the management of asthma. This study was undertaken to evaluate the pulmonary functions in GERD patients without respiratory symptoms. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in clinically diagnosed GERD cases (18 males and 15 females), confirmed by endoscopic examination without respiratory symptoms. Age, gender and anthropometrically matched healthy subjects served as controls. Pulmonary functions (FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC ratio and PEFR) were recorded using a computerized spirometer (Spirobank G) in sitting position. Percentage of predicted values was expressed as mean ± SD and was used for comparison. Results: There was a statistically significant reduction in FVC, FEV1 and PEFR in GERD patients without respiratory symptoms compared to controls (p < 0.05). Conclusion: It can be concluded that subjects suffering from GERD without respiratory symptoms also have an altered pulmonary function showing predominantly obstructive type with mild to moderate restrictive airway changes