Anthelmintic Activity of Trikatu Churna and its Ingredients

The alcoholic extract of Trikatu churna and its ingredients were evaluated for anthelmintic activity. The dried fruits of Piper nigrum L. (Piperaceae), Piper longum L. (Piperaceae) and rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe. (Zingiberaceae) were powdered and mixed together in equiproportions to get a polyherbal formulation, Trikatu churna. All these three ingredients are spicy, commonly used in our daily diet, also well known for their tremendous therapeutic potential, since from the Vedic period. The alcoholic extract of Trikatu churna and its ingredients were screened for preliminary phytochemical studies and also tested for anthelmintic activity against Pheritima posthuma and recorded the time taken for induction of paralysis and death. Piperazine citrate (10 mg/ml) was included as standard reference and distilled water as control. The results demonstrated that, the extracts of Trikatu churna and its plant ingredients showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, lignins and steroids, these test samples were also exhibited potent anthelmintic activity, but the highest activity was noticed in Trikatu churna, this might be due to the multifunctional effect of all the three plant ingredients of Trikatu churna. Based on the above results, it is confirmed that, combination of Piper nigrum, Piper longum and Zingiber officinale in Trikatu churna offered promising anthelmintic effect than using the ingredients alone

Performance Enhancement of MIMO MC-CDMA System employing Cylically Rotated Complete Complementary Codes

Wireless communication needs very high data rate and throughput in order to meet increasing demand for multimedia applications. MC-CDMA technique along with multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technique is used to increase data rate and to reduce the channel impairments. Spreading code plays a major role in CDMA technique, Cyclically rotated complete complementary codes (CRCCCs) are used for spreading which have perfect auto-correlation and cross correlation properties. Bit error rate (BER) can be reduced and have other advantages like high data rate, high throughput, reduced inter symbol interference (ISI) and multiple access interference (MAI). MIMO MC-CDMA system employing CRCCCs is designed and simulation results are shown. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.150614

Prescription and Other Medication Use in Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: To characterize prescription and other medication use in a geographically and ethnically diverse cohort of women in their first pregnancy. METHODS: In a prospective, longitudinal cohort study of nulliparous women followed through pregnancy from the first trimester, medication use was chronicled longitudinally throughout pregnancy. Structured questions and aids were used to capture all medications taken as well as reasons they were taken. Total counts of all medications taken including number in each category and class were captured. Additionally, reasons the medications were taken were recorded. Trends in medications taken across pregnancy and in the first trimester were determined. RESULTS: Of the 9,546 study participants, 9,272 (97.1%) women took at least one medication during pregnancy with 9,139 (95.7%) taking a medication in the first trimester. Polypharmacy, defined as taking at least five medications, occurred in 2,915 (30.5%) women. Excluding vitamins, supplements, and vaccines, 73.4% of women took a medication during pregnancy with 55.1% taking one in the first trimester. The categories of drugs taken in pregnancy and in the first trimester include the following: gastrointestinal or antiemetic agents (34.3%, 19.5%), antibiotics (25.5%, 12.6%), and analgesics (23.7%, 15.6%, which includes 3.6%; 1.4% taking an opioid pain medication). CONCLUSION: In this geographically and ethnically diverse cohort of nulliparous pregnant women, medication use was nearly universal and polypharmacy was common

Long-Term Maternal Metabolic and Cardiovascular Phenotypes after a Pregnancy Complicated by Mild Gestational Diabetes Mellitus or Obesity

Objective: To evaluate the association of mild gestational diabetes (GDM) and obesity with metabolic and cardiovascular markers 5-10 years after pregnancy. Study Design: This was a secondary analysis of 5-10 year follow-up study of a mild GDM treatment trial and concurrent observational cohort of participants ineligible for the trial with abnormal 1-hour glucose challenge test only. Participants with 2-hour glucose tolerance test at follow-up were included. The primary exposures were mild GDM and obesity. The outcomes were insulinogenic index (IGI), 1/HOMA-IR, and cardiovascular markers VEGF, VCAM-1, CD40L, GDF-15, and ST-2. Multivariable linear regression estimated the association of GDM and obesity with biomarkers. Results: Of 951 participants in the parent study, 642(68%) were included. Lower 1/HOMA-IR were observed in treated and untreated GDM groups, compared with non-GDM (mean differences −0.24, 95%CI −0.36–−0.12 and −0.15, 95%CI −0.28–−0.03, respectively). Lower VCAM-1 (angiogenesis) was observed in treated GDM group (mean difference −0.11, 95%CI −0.19–−0.03). GDM was not associated with IGI or other biomarkers. Obesity was associated with lower 1/HOMA-IR (mean difference −0.42, 95%CI −0.52–−0.32), but not other biomarkers. Conclusion: Five to ten years after delivery, prior GDM and obesity are associated with more insulin resistance but not insulin secretion or consistent cardiovascular dysfunction

Pregnancy-Associated Hypertension in Glucose-Intolerant Pregnancy and Subsequent Metabolic Syndrome

To evaluate whether pregnancy-associated hypertension (preeclampsia or gestational hypertension), among women with varying degrees of glucose intolerance during pregnancy is associated with maternal metabolic syndrome 5-10 years later

Relationship Between Excessive Gestational Weight Gain and Neonatal Adiposity in Women With Mild Gestational Diabetes Mellitus:

To evaluate the relationships between excessive gestational weight gain, neonatal adiposity, and adverse obstetric outcomes in women with mild gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)

Carpenter-Coustan Compared With National Diabetes Data Group Criteria for Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes

Use of Carpenter-Coustan compared to National Diabetes Data Group (NDDG) criteria increases the number of women diagnosed with GDM by 30-50%, but whether treatment of this milder GDM reduces adverse outcomes is unknown. We explored the effects of the diagnostic criteria used on the benefits of GDM treatment

Patterns of leisure-time physical activity across pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes

Background Although leisure-time physical activity (PA) contributes to overall health, including pregnancy health, patterns across pregnancy have not been related to birth outcomes. We hypothesized that women with sustained low leisure-time PA would have excess risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, and that changing patterns across pregnancy (high to low and low to high) may also be related to risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Methods Nulliparous women (n = 10,038) were enrolled at 8 centers early in pregnancy (mean gestational age in weeks [SD] = 12.05 [1.51]. Frequency, duration, and intensity (metabolic equivalents) of up to three leisure activities reported in the first, second and third trimesters were analyzed. Growth mixture modeling was used to identify leisure-time PA patterns across pregnancy. Adverse pregnancy outcomes (preterm birth, [PTB, overall and spontaneous], hypertensive disorders of pregnancy [HDP], gestational diabetes [GDM] and small-for-gestational-age births [SGA]) were assessed via chart abstraction. Results Five patterns of leisure-time PA across pregnancy were identified: High (35%), low (18%), late decreasing (24%), early decreasing (10%), and early increasing (13%). Women with sustained low leisure-time PA were younger and more likely to be black or Hispanic, obese, or to have smoked prior to pregnancy. Women with low vs. high leisure-time PA patterns had higher rates of PTB (10.4 vs. 7.5), HDP (13.9 vs. 11.4), and GDM (5.7 vs. 3.1, all p < 0.05). After adjusting for maternal factors (age, race/ethnicity, BMI and smoking), the risk of GDM (Odds ratio 2.00 [95% CI 1.47, 2.73]) remained higher in women with low compared to high patterns. Early and late decreasing leisure-time PA patterns were also associated with higher rates of GDM. In contrast, women with early increasing patterns had rates of GDM similar to the group with high leisure-time PA (3.8% vs. 3.1%, adjusted OR 1.16 [0.81, 1.68]). Adjusted risk of overall PTB (1.31 [1.05, 1.63]) was higher in the low pattern group, but spontaneous PTB, HDP and SGA were not associated with leisure-time PA patterns. Conclusions Sustained low leisure-time PA across pregnancy is associated with excess risk of GDM and overall PTB compared to high patterns in nulliparous women. Women with increased leisure-time PA early in pregnancy had low rates of GDM that were similar to women with high patterns, raising the possibility that early pregnancy increases in activity may be associated with improved pregnancy health. Trial registration Registration number NCT02231398

Racial or Ethnic and Socioeconomic Inequalities in Adherence to National Dietary Guidance in a Large Cohort of US Pregnant Women

BACKGROUND: The significance of periconceptional nutrition for optimizing offspring and maternal health and reducing social inequalities warrants greater understanding of diet quality among US women. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to evaluate racial or ethnic and education inequalities in periconceptional diet quality and sources of energy and micronutrients. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data from the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be cohort. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Nulliparous women (N=7,511) were enrolled across eight US medical centers from 2010 to 2013. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire assessing usual dietary intake during the 3 months around conception was self-administered during the first trimester. Diet quality, measured using the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010), and sources of energy and micronutrients were the outcomes. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Differences in diet quality were tested across maternal racial or ethnic and education groups using F tests associated with analysis of variance and χ2 tests. RESULTS: HEI-2010 score increased with higher education, but the increase among non-Hispanic black women was smaller than among non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics (interaction P value <0.0001). For all groups, average scores for HEI-2010 components were below recommendations. Top sources of energy were sugar-sweetened beverages, pasta dishes, and grain desserts, but sources varied by race or ethnicity and education. Approximately 34% of energy consumed was from empty calories (the sum of energy from added sugars, solid fats, and alcohol beyond moderate levels). The primary sources of iron, folate, and vitamin C were juices and enriched breads. CONCLUSIONS: Diet quality is suboptimal around conception, particularly among women who are non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, or who had less than a college degree. Diet quality could be improved by substituting intakes of refined grains and foods empty in calories with vegetables, peas and beans (legumes), seafood, and whole grains