Evaluation of total phenolics, antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of rhizome extracts from select Zingiberaceae species in South India

Zingiberaceae family members are well known for their ethnobotanical diversity and medicinal importance.  This study aimed to evaluate total phenolic content, antioxidant and antiproliferative capacity of five different organic solvent extracts prepared from the rhizomes of Curcuma mutabilis (CM), Curcuma haritha (CH), Curcuma neilgherrensis (CN) and Zingiber anamalayanum (ZA), four hitherto unexplored Zingiberaceae species.  Folin-Ciocalteu method and DPPH radical scavenging assay were used to determine respectively the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity.  The antiproliferative activity of the extracts were tested against four human cancer cell lines –  K562,  REH, Nalm6 and MCF7 to ascertain the IC50 values.  Based on total phenolic content, extracts were classified into high-H (> 150 mg GAE/g), medium-M (50-150 mg GAE/g) and low-L (< 50 mg GAE/g) categories.  Likewise, percentages of DPPH scavenging activity of extracts were also grouped into high-H (> 50%), medium-M (25 – 50%) and low-L (< 25%) categories.  Ten of the twenty extracts exhibited strong cytotoxicity with an IC50 value less than 30 μg/mL.  To our knowledge, this is the first report on quantitative assessment of total phenolics, antioxidant and antiproliferative potential of organic solvent extracts of rhizomes from the above mentioned plants

Jacobi forms and differential operators

We affirmatively answer a question due to S. Bocherer concerning the feasibility of removing one differential operator from the standard collection of m + 1 of them used to embed the space of Jacobi forms of weight 2 and index m into several pieces of elliptic modular forms. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

The study of morphology of placenta in anaemic subjects in south Indians

Placenta is the mirror of fetomaternal status. The effect of anemia in pregnancy can be diverse and detrimental to the mother and the fetus. The placenta also plays an impor­tant role in hormone production and releases hormones into both the maternal and fetal circulations to affect pregnancy, metabolism, fetal growth, and parturition. Earlier in developing countries women often become anemic during pregnancy because the demand of iron and vitamins will increase. Fetuses are at risk of preterm deliveries, low birth weight due to impairment of oxygen delivery to placenta and fetus.The study was carried out to study the morphology of placenta in anaemic subjects. Material and method - In the present study,50 placentae, 10 from normal pregnancies (control group) and 40 from anaemic mothers (study group) were studied.The parameters studied were mean placental weight, volume, diameter, average thickness, no. of cotyledons, presence of infarction, calcification and site of attachment of umblical cord & no. of blood vessels in cord. From the study it is concluded that anaemia affects placental outcome. It was concluded from the study that the weight of newborn baby is significantly low in anemia and it further decreased according to severity of anemia.&nbsp

A Dose-Finding Study to Guide Use of Verapamil as an Adjunctive Therapy in Tuberculosis.

Induction of mycobacterial efflux pumps is a cause of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) drug tolerance, a barrier to shortening antitubercular treatment. Verapamil inhibits Mtb efflux pumps that mediate tolerance to rifampin, a cornerstone of tuberculosis (TB) treatment. Verapamils mycobacterial efflux pump inhibition also limits Mtb growth in macrophages in the absence of antibiotic treatment. These findings suggest that verapamil could be used as an adjunctive therapy for TB treatment shortening. However, verapamil is rapidly and substantially metabolized when co-administered with rifampin. We determined in a dose-escalation clinical trial of persons with pulmonary TB that rifampin-induced clearance of verapamil can be countered without toxicity by the administration of larger than usual doses of verapamil. An oral dosage of 360 mg sustained-release (SR) verapamil given every 12 hours concomitantly with rifampin achieved median verapamil exposures of 903.1 ng.h/mL (area under the curve (AUC)0-12 h ) in the 18 participants receiving this highest studied verapamil dose; these AUC findings are similar to those in persons receiving daily doses of 240 mg verapamil SR but not rifampin. Moreover, norverapamil:verapamil, R:S verapamil, and R:S norverapamil AUC ratios were all significantly greater than those of historical controls receiving SR verapamil in the absence of rifampin. Thus, rifampin administration favors the less-cardioactive verapamil metabolites and enantiomers that retain similar Mtb efflux inhibitory activity to verapamil, increasing overall benefit. Finally, rifampin exposures were 50% greater after verapamil administration, which may also be advantageous. Our findings suggest that a higher dosage of verapamil can be safely used as adjunctive treatment in rifampin-containing treatment regimens

A dose‐finding study to guide use of verapamil as an adjunctive therapy in tuberculosis

Induction of mycobacterial efflux pumps is a cause of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) drug tolerance, a barrier to shortening antitubercular treatment. Verapamil inhibits Mtb efflux pumps that mediate tolerance to rifampin, a cornerstone of tuberculosis treatment. Verapamil's mycobacterial efflux pump inhibition also limits Mtb growth in macrophages in the absence of antibiotic treatment. These findings suggest that verapamil could be used as an adjunctive therapy for TB treatment shortening. However, verapamil is rapidly and substantially metabolized when co‐administered with rifampin. We determined in a dose‐escalation clinical trial of persons with pulmonary tuberculosis that rifampin‐induced clearance of verapamil can be countered without toxicity by the administration of larger than usual doses of verapamil. An oral dosage of 360 mg sustained‐release (SR) verapamil given every 12 hours concomitantly with rifampin achieved median verapamil exposures of 903.1 ng.h/ml (AUC 0‐12h) in the 18 participants receiving this highest studied verapamil dose; these AUC findings are similar to those in persons receiving daily doses of 240 mg verapamil SR but not rifampin. Moreover, norverapamil:verapamil, R:S verapamil and R:S norverapamil AUC ratios were all significantly greater than those of historical controls receiving SR verapamil in the absence of rifampin. Thus, rifampin administration favors the less‐cardioactive verapamil metabolites and enantiomers that retain similar Mtb efflux inhibitory activity to verapamil, increasing overall benefit. Finally, rifampin exposures were 50% greater after verapamil administration, which may also be advantageous. Our findings suggest that a higher dosage of verapamil can be safely used as adjunctive treatment in rifampin‐containing treatment regimens.</jats:p

A dose‐finding study to guide use of verapamil as an adjunctive therapy in tuberculosis

Publication status: PublishedInduction of mycobacterial efflux pumps is a cause of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) drug tolerance, a barrier to shortening antitubercular treatment. Verapamil inhibits Mtb efflux pumps that mediate tolerance to rifampin, a cornerstone of tuberculosis treatment. Verapamil's mycobacterial efflux pump inhibition also limits Mtb growth in macrophages in the absence of antibiotic treatment. These findings suggest that verapamil could be used as an adjunctive therapy for TB treatment shortening. However, verapamil is rapidly and substantially metabolized when co‐administered with rifampin. We determined in a dose‐escalation clinical trial of persons with pulmonary tuberculosis that rifampin‐induced clearance of verapamil can be countered without toxicity by the administration of larger than usual doses of verapamil. An oral dosage of 360 mg sustained‐release (SR) verapamil given every 12 hours concomitantly with rifampin achieved median verapamil exposures of 903.1 ng.h/ml (AUC 0‐12h) in the 18 participants receiving this highest studied verapamil dose; these AUC findings are similar to those in persons receiving daily doses of 240 mg verapamil SR but not rifampin. Moreover, norverapamil:verapamil, R:S verapamil and R:S norverapamil AUC ratios were all significantly greater than those of historical controls receiving SR verapamil in the absence of rifampin. Thus, rifampin administration favors the less‐cardioactive verapamil metabolites and enantiomers that retain similar Mtb efflux inhibitory activity to verapamil, increasing overall benefit. Finally, rifampin exposures were 50% greater after verapamil administration, which may also be advantageous. Our findings suggest that a higher dosage of verapamil can be safely used as adjunctive treatment in rifampin‐containing treatment regimens.</jats:p