Haematological and Biochemical Changes in Response to Stress Induced by the Administration of Amikacin Injection by Autoinjector in Animals

The drugs administered by autoinjectors, may act fast reducing the morbidity and mortality in critical and emergency situations. Amikacin drug cartridge was developed for the autoinjector as an antibacterial drug for critical situations and its tolerability was studied. Rats were given either 3 doses or 7 doses on consecutive days by the autoinjector (intraperitoneal, 63 mg/mL). Blood was withdrawn on the 4th day (3 doses) or the 8th day (7 doses), and haematological and biochemical parameters were studied. All the parameters studied were within the limits and did not show any significant difference when compared with the control. Rabbits were given 3 doses of two concentrations (intramuscular, 63 or 250 mg/mL) and on the 4th day blood was withdrawn for the haematological and biochemical estimations. 63 mg/mL cartridge did not show any significant change while 250 mg/mL cartridge showed significant change in the haematological and biochemical parameters. This study showed that intraperitoneal injection of amikacin by the autoinjector designed for intramuscular injection was well tolerated by the rats. In the rabbits, low dose (63 mg/mL) was tolerated while the higher dose, which is an adult human dose (250 mg/mL) showed significant changes.Defence Science Journal, 2014, 64(2), pp. 99-105. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.64.503

Assessment of Water Quality Parameters and Determination of Water Quality Index of Tube Well Water in Vengalacheddikulam DS Division,Vavuniya District, Sri Lanka

An attempt was made to analyze the distribution pattern of selected water quality parameters in tube wells and to explore the water quality index of Vengalacheddikulam DS (Divisional Secretariat) division in Vavuniya district. Secondary data of water quality parameters in 60 tube wells were collected from Cheddikulam Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) and Water board of Vavuniya. Nine parameters such as pH, EC, TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), Alkalinity, Total Hardness, Sulphates, Chlorides, Fluorides, and Nitrates were analyzed for this study. WQI was calculated and analyzed based on the existing literatures. IDW technique was deployed to analyze the distribution pattern of this parameters including WQI in the study area. Water quality parameters except TDS and Sulphate were in greater than the acceptable level for human consumption in considerable parts of the study area. Nearly 44% of study area were falls in to above maximum permissible level of alkalinity. The WQI result reveals that nearly 21.5% of area is not suitable for human consumption. Remedial actions to be undertaken to overcome the prevailing water pollution issues in the region

GIS-Based Flood Hazard Mapping in EravurPattu Divisional Secretariat, Batticaloa District, Sri Lanka

In the recent past, Sri Lanka experienced heavy floods in the Eastern Province. The livelihoods of many households in the East are affected by flood frequently. The objective of this study was to create a flood hazard risk map of EravurPattu DS division based on flood occurrence, topographical, hydrological and population census data. Geographic Information System (GIS) is used in this study to identify the hazard zone by floods. Variables such as number of flood occurrence, population density, elevation and the distance between the water bodies and the flood occurred area were considered for this study. The knowledge-based ranking scheme was applied to each of the four variables. Indicators that represent a high-level impact across the GN division were given higher ranks. Priority was given according to the level of impact on each division. All the factors were assigned equal weights and final flood hazard index map was produced by weighted overlay technique using Arc GIS. The study revealed that 80% of GN divisions in EravurPattu can be categorized under high and very high flood hazard areas. This study recommends to undertake remedial measures on land use planning

Pharmacophore modeling and 3D-QSAR studies on substituted benzothiazole / benzimidazole analogues as DHFR inhibitors with antimycobacterial activity

ABSTRACT The resurgence of tuberculosis and the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacteria drugs has propelled the development of new structural classes of antitubercular agents. The present study was undertaken to investigate the opportunities which the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase, a promising drug target for treatment of Mycobacterial infections offers for the development of new TB drugs. Pharmacophore models were established by using the HipHop and HypoGen algorithms implemented in the Catalyst software package. The best quantitative pharmacophore model, consisted of two hydrogen bond acceptor, a hydrophobic aliphatic, and a ring aromatic feature which has the highest correlation coefficient (0.93), as well as enrichment factor of 1.75 and Goodness of hit score of 0.73. Based on the pharmacophore model some leads were optimized and some of its derivatives were synthesized and analysed by following QSAR studies. About 25 compounds of substituted benzothiazole/ benzimidazole derivatives were synthesized as potent DHFR inhibitors and screened for antimycobacterial activity. To further explore the structure-activity relationships of all newly synthesized compounds, 3D-QSAR analyses were developed. MFA studies were performed with the QSAR module of Cerius2 using genetic partial least squares (G/PLS) algorithm. The predictive ability of the developed model was assessed using a training set of 25 and a test set of 5 compounds (r2pred = 0.924).The analyzed MFA model demonstrated a good fit, having r2 value of 0.868 and cross validated coefficient r2cv value of 0.771

Effect of rifampicin & isoniazid on the steady state pharmacokinetics of moxifloxacin.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Moxifloxacin (MFX) is reported to have promising antimycobacterial activity, and has a potential to shorten tuberculosis (TB) treatment. We undertook this study to examine the influence of rifampicin (RMP) and isoniazid (INH) on the steady state pharmacokinetics of MFX individually in healthy individuals. METHODS A baseline pharmacokinetic study of MFX (400 mg once daily) was conducted in 36 healthy adults and repeated after one week of daily MFX with either RMP (450/600 mg) (n = 18) or INH (300 mg) (n = 18). Plasma MFX concentrations were determined by a validated HPLC method. RESULTS Plasma peak concentration and exposure of MFX was significantly lower and plasma clearance significantly higher when combined with RMP (P<0.001). The C max to MIC and AUC 0-12 to MIC ratios of MFX were significantly lower during concomitant RMP (P<0.001). INH had no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of MFX. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS Concomitant RMP administration caused a significant decrease in C max and AUC 0-12 of MFX, the mean decreases being 26 and 29 per cent, respectively. It is uncertain whether this decrease would affect the treatment efficacy of MFX. Prospective studies in TB patients are needed to correlate MFX pharmacokinetics with treatment outcomes

Household catastrophic healthcare expenditure and impoverishment due to rotavirus gastroenteritis requiring hospitalization in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: While healthcare costs for rotavirus gastroenteritis requiring hospitalization may be burdensome on households in Malaysia, exploration on the distribution and catastrophic impact of these expenses on households are lacking. OBJECTIVES: We assessed the economic burden, levels and distribution of catastrophic healthcare expenditure, the poverty impact on households and inequities related to healthcare payments for acute gastroenteritis requiring hospitalization in Malaysia. METHODS: A two-year prospective, hospital-based study was conducted from 2008 to 2010 in an urban (Kuala Lumpur) and rural (Kuala Terengganu) setting in Malaysia. All children under the age of 5 years admitted for acute gastroenteritis were included. Patients were screened for rotavirus and information on healthcare expenditure was obtained. RESULTS: Of the 658 stool samples collected at both centers, 248 (38%) were positive for rotavirus. Direct and indirect costs incurred were significantly higher in Kuala Lumpur compared with Kuala Terengganu (US$222 Vs. US$45; p<0.001). The mean direct and indirect costs for rotavirus gastroenteritis consisted 20% of monthly household income in Kuala Lumpur, as compared with only 5% in Kuala Terengganu. Direct medical costs paid out-of-pocket caused 141 (33%) households in Kuala Lumpur to experience catastrophic expenditure and 11 (3%) households to incur poverty. However in Kuala Terengganu, only one household (0.5%) experienced catastrophic healthcare expenditure and none were impoverished. The lowest income quintile in Kuala Lumpur was more likely to experience catastrophic payments compared to the highest quintile (87% vs 8%). The concentration index for out-of-pocket healthcare payments was closer to zero at Kuala Lumpur (0.03) than at Kuala Terengganu (0.24). CONCLUSIONS: While urban households were wealthier, healthcare expenditure due to gastroenteritis had more catastrophic and poverty impact on the urban poor. Universal rotavirus vaccination would reduce both disease burden and health inequities in Malaysia

Significance of Elevated Blood Metal Ion Levels in Patients with Metal-on-Metal Prostheses: An Evaluation of Oxidative Stress Markers

It is widely known that cobalt and chromium ions can enhance the production of reactive oxygen species, known to be damaging to cells by disturbing their redox status and then generating oxidative stress. The aim of the present study was to determine if increased metal ion levels induce a state of oxidative stress in patients with metal-on-metal (MM) hip arthroplasty. Results indicated that there was no significant difference in the concentration of oxidative stress markers (total antioxidants, peroxides, and nitrated proteins) in the patients with MM bearings compared to patients without prostheses. The activity antioxidant enzymes was stable (catalase and glutathione peroxidase) or slightly decreased (superoxide dismutase and heme oxygenase-1) over time. This work is the first to determine the biological effects of metal ions released from MM hip implants with regards to mid-term systemic oxidative stress and showed that the increased levels of Co and Cr ions are not associated with significant oxidative stress damage in the plasma of patients with these implants

Benzodiazepine use among adults residing in the urban settlements of Karachi, Pakistan: A cross sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There are hardly any studies carried out in Pakistan on the usage of benzodiazepines at the level of community. This research was aimed to determine the frequency of benzodiazepine use, along with its associations with socio-demographic and clinical characteristics among community dwelling adults, residing in two urban settlements of Karachi, Pakistan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a cross sectional study from August 2008 to December 2009, in 2 areas of Karachi, namely Garden and Sultanabad. We followed the systematic sampling strategy to randomly select the households, with an adult of either sex and of age 18 years or more. Data collection was carried out through interview, using a pre-tested questionnaire, with items on socio-demographic position, medical history and benzodiazepine use. Student's t-test and χ²test was employed to determine the associations between socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, and their relationship with benzodiazepine use was determined using applied logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The overall percentage of benzodiazepine consumption was estimated to be 14%. There were significantly more benzodiazepine users in the peri-urban Sultanabad community to the urban community of Garden (p-value = 0.001). The mean age (± SD) for users was 51.3 (± 15.6) years compared to 37.1 (± 14.4) years among non-users. Bromazepam was the most widely used benzodiazepine (29%); followed by diazepam, with a median duration on primary use being 144 weeks (IQR = 48-240). The adjusted logistic regression model revealed that increasing age, location, female sex, unemployment and psychiatric consultation were associated with increased likelihood of benzodiazepine use.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We believe the unregulated over-the-counter sales of benzodiazepines and social conditions might be playing a role in this high consumption of benzodiazepines in the community.</p