Prevalance, Mean Intensity and relative density of nematode parasite Contracaecum sp. from the gill of Channa striatus.

The study deals with the investigation of nematode parasitic infection in Channa striatus collected from different water bodies of Mavelikara Municipality, Alappuzha district, Kerala, India. The snake head fishes collected during the study period were found to be infected with the larval nematode parasite, Contracaecum sp. The mean prevalence of infection of the parasite on Channa striatus was 63.75%. The mean intensity was 1.22 and the relative density recorded was 0.76.The present study represents a new locality record for the larval nematode parasite, Contracaecum sp

Modulation of Sn concentration in ZnO nanorod array: intensification on the conductivity and humidity sensing properties

Tin (Sn)-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod arrays (TZO) were synthesized onto aluminum-doped ZnO-coated glass substrate via a facile sonicated sol–gel immersion method for humidity sensor applications. These nanorod arrays were grown at different Sn concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 3 at.%. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the deposited TZO arrays exhibited a wurtzite structure. The stress/strain condition of the ZnO film metamorphosed from tensile strain/compressive stress to compressive strain/tensile stress when the Sn concentrations increased. Results indicated that 1 at.% Sn doping of TZO, which has the lowest tensile stress of 0.14 GPa, generated the highest conductivity of 1.31 S cm− 1. In addition, 1 at.% Sn doping of TZO possessed superior sensitivity to a humidity of 3.36. These results revealed that the optimum performance of a humidity-sensing device can be obtained mainly by controlling the amount of extrinsic element in a ZnO film

Silymarin protects liver against toxic effects of anti-tuberculosis drugs in experimental animals

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The first line anti-tuberculosis drugs isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RIF) and pyrazinamide (PZA) continues to be the effective drugs in the treatment of tuberculosis, however, the use of these drugs is associated with toxic reactions in tissues, particularly in the liver, leading to hepatitis. Silymarin, a standard plant extract with strong antioxidant activity obtained from <it>S. marianum</it>, is known to be an effective agent for liver protection and liver regeneration. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective actions of silymarin against hepatotoxicity caused by different combinations of anti-tuberculosis drugs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Male Wistar albino rats weighing 250–300 g were used to form 6 study groups, each group consisting of 10 rats. Animals were treated with intra-peritoneal injection of isoniazid (50 mg/kg) and rifampicin (100 mg/kg); and intra-gastric administration of pyrazinamid (350 mg/kg) and silymarin (200 mg/kg). Hepatotoxicity was induced by a combination of drugs with INH+RIF and INH+RIF+PZA. Hepatoprotective effect of silymarin was investigated by co-administration of silymarin together with the drugs. Serum biochemical tests for liver functions and histopathological examination of livers were carried out to demonstrate the protection of liver against anti-tuberculosis drugs by silymarin.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Treatment of rats with INH+RIF or INH+RIF+PZA induced hepatotoxicity as evidenced by biochemical measurements: serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities and the levels of total bilirubin were elevated, and the levels of albumin and total protein were decreased in drugs-treated animals. Histopathological changes were also observed in livers of animals that received drugs. Simultaneous administration of silymarin significantly decreased the biochemical and histological changes induced by the drugs.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The active components of silymarin had protective effects against hepatotoxic actions of drugs used in the chemotherapy of tuberculosis in animal models. Since no significant toxicity of silymarin is reported in human studies, this plant extract can be used as a dietary supplement by patients taking anti-tuberculosis medications.</p

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF RP-HPLC METHOD FOR SIMULTANEOUS ESTIMATION OF CHLORPHENIRAMINE MALEATE AND DIETHYLCARBAMAZINE CITRATE IN PHARMACEUTICAL DOSAGE FORMS

Objective: The present study describes method development and subsequent validation of RP-HPLC method for the simultaneous estimation of Diethylcarbamazine citrate and Chlorpheniramine maleate in tablet dosage forms.Method: Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed and validated for simultaneous estimation of Diethylcarbamazine citrate and Chlorpheniramine maleate in combined dosage forms. RP-HPLC separation was achieved by using Kromasil C18 column (250mm 4.6mm, 5mm) with mobile phase consisting of (80:20) Acetonitrile: Potassium di hydrogen phosphate solution (0.01M, pH 3.0 adjusting with Ortho phosphoric acid) with a flow rate 1.0 ml/min (UV detection 238nm).Results: The retention time of Diethylcarbamazine citrate and Chlorpheniramine maleate were found to be 2.808 min and 4.042 min respectively. The developed method was validated as per ICH guidelines using the parameters such as accuracy, precision, linearity, LOD, LOQ and robustness. Linearity was observed over the concentration range 10–50 µg/ml with regression equation y=1099x+1143, R2=0.999 for CPM and y=10972x+14199, R2=0.998 for DEC.Conclusion: The developed and validated RP-HPLC method was successfully used for the quantitative analysis of Diethylcarbamazine citrate and Chlorpheniramine maleate in combined tablet dosage forms. KEY WORDS:Diethylcarbamazine citrate, Chlorpheniramine maleate, Eofil Forte tablet dosage forms, HPLC, Method validation

Flow visualization of waterflooding with horizontal and vertical wells

This article presents an experimental and numerical study of the water-flooding process with different horizontal and vertical well configurations using flow visualization technique. The effect of horizontal wells on flood profile has been investigated by using two different well configurations, viz., horizontal injection-vertical production (HI-VP) and vertical injection-horizontal production (VI-HP). The experimental results show that HI-VP configuration recovers more oil than VI-HP configuration. The commercial simulator, ECLIPSE, is used for simulating the flood profiles for these well configurations. A good agreement is observed with the experimental flood profiles. Further simulations are carried out with varied perforation lengths and well positions to find out the optimal well configuration for both HI-VP and VI-HP. Such flow visualization experiments can be used as a validation tool for numerical simulators

ABNORMAL UTERINE BLEEDING IN REPRODUCTIVE WOMEN: DIAGNOSIS, MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT

Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB) is a common cause for concern among reproductive women and their families, as well as a frequent cause of visits to the Emergency Department and/or health care provider. In the pilot study which was conducted in 50 patients, observed that majority of patients were admitted due to menorrhagia and most of them were peri-menopausal women. Fibroid uterus is the most common cause in the study population, other than cyst and adenomyosis. Among the 50 patients, 54% were managed with drugs, 32% with surgery &amp; drugs and the remaining with surgery alone. Among the drugs used, tranexamicacid is an effective therapy for the management of aub. The adolescents were treated with oral progestins. Anemia which was assessed in 20% and was corrected with folic acid supplements, iron sucrose and blood transfusions if required. Hysterectomy was done in majority of patients with cyst and fibroid excisions.Key words: AUB, Menorrhagia, fibroid uterus, tranexamic acid, progestins, anemia, hysterectom