AN OPEN CLINICAL STUDY EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF SHILAJITHU LOHA RASAYANA ON AFFLICTION OF BASTI MARMA (DIABETIC NEPHROPATHY) IN PATIENTS WITH PRAMEHA

Objectives of the study include answer to the research question or to the hypothesis framed. Present study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Shilajithu loha rasayana in reducing the affliction of Basti marma in patients with Prameha/diabetic nephropathy, also to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Shilajithu loha rasayana in reducing the blood sugar level in patients suffering from affliction of Basti marma in Prameha/diabetic nephropathy. Design: Study Type: Interventional, Estimated enrolment: 30 participants, Allocation: Non-Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Primary Purpose: Treatment, Masking: Open Label. Participants: From October 2019 to January 2020, 30 patients of affliction of Basthi marma in Prameha/ diabetic nephropathy having symptoms of diabetic nephropathy (microalbuminuria, reduced eGFR, raised cystatin-c) with a minimum of 5yrs history of diabetes are taken up for the study. Intervention: Kosta shodhana on day 1: 20ml of Eranda taila added with equal amount of Shunthi kashaya is orally administered during early morning in empty stomach. Day 2 to 22: Shilajithu loha rasayana is orally administered half an hour before breakfast, in a dose of 12g with warm water. Patient was advised diabetic diet and to do brisk walking/jogging or light exercise for 45 minutes daily during the course of treatment. Results: Shilajithu loha rasayana was successful in improving renal functions by increasing the glomerular filtration rate and reducing cystatin-c in patients also was successful in reducing fasting blood sugar and symptoms of Prameha which was justified statistically with p value <0.001. Conclusion: Shilajithu loha rasayana was successful in increasing the renal function and reducing symptoms of Prameha

Studies on cannning of mackerel fillets in oil

Canning operations suitable for packing mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) in the form of skinless and boneless fillets in oil were studied and the process standardised. The technique of lye peeling for skin removal could be successfully applied. The storage life of the final product was tested over a period of one year and found to be quite comparable to other similar fish products

High temperature processing of fish sausage 4. - Heat penetration study

An examination was made of the rate of penetration of heat into fish sausage during processing at 115.6°C. Findings showed processing for 24 minutes to bring about complete destruction of Clostridium botulinum. A processing time of 30 minutes destroys almost all spoilage-causing organisms, thus prolonging the shelf life of the products

A Comprehensive Review on the Therapeutic Applications and Synthetic Approaches of Buparvaquone

Buparvaquone 1a is a predominant anti-protozoal drug, it belongs to the pharmacologically active class of hydroxy-naphthoquinones. There are numerous publications on the wide therapeutic applications of 1a, but only a few approaches were reported towards its synthesis. Most of the prior arts report the synthesis from expensive raw materials with low yield, whereas only a few involves the use of readily available and less expensive raw materials with moderate to better yield. The present review work covers the developments on therapeutic applications of 1a along with the synthetic approaches disclosed till date

Isolation of Enterobacteriaceae and non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli (NFGNB) from Dental Unit Water Lines (DUWL) in a tertiary care institutional setup

Background: The quality of dental unit water lines (DUWL) is of considerable importance since patients and dental staff are regularly exposed to water and aerosols generated from dental units which thereby influence the individual patient outcome and health-care associated morbidity. The aim of the present study was to determine the microbiological quality of water used, presence of biofilms and also the potential of isolated bacterial species in producing biofilms within DUWL. Methods: Thirty DUWL samples were collected from various departments of Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore. Bacteriological analysis was done for the presence of various bacterial contaminants. Presence of biofilms on DUWLs and potential of bacterial isolates to form biofilm were also determined. Results: Seven of 30 samples (23.3%), were found to be of unsatisfactory quality (coliform count > 200 CFU/ml), most frequently from air/water syringes. A total of 45 strains were isolated from 14 water samples. Genera isolated were Escherichia spp., Enterobacter spp., Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Acinetobacter spp. Four of 10 samples from DUWL tubing showed presence of biofilms (40%), formed mostly by Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas spp. Out of 45 strains that were isolated, 19 strains displayed ability to form biofilms. Maximum number (10) isolates formed biofilms with 48 hours. Conclusion: Exposure to contaminated water from DUWL poses threat to the well-being of the patient and the health care personnel as well. Hence, measures should be initiated to ensure the optimum quality of DUWL water. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.131977

The Inhalation Characteristics of Patients When They Use Different Dry Powder Inhalers

Background: The characteristics of each inhalation maneuver when patients use dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are important, because they control the quality of the emitted dose. Methods: We have measured the inhalation profiles of asthmatic children [CHILD; n=16, mean forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) 79% predicted], asthmatic adults (ADULT; n=53, mean predicted FEV1 72%), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n=29, mean predicted FEV1 42%) patients when they inhaled through an Aerolizer, Diskus, Turbuhaler, and Easyhaler using their “real-life” DPI inhalation technique. These are low-, medium-, medium/high-, and high-resistance DPIs, respectively. The inhalation flow against time was recorded to provide the peak inhalation flow (PIF; in L/min), the maximum pressure change (ΔP; in kPa), acceleration rates (ACCEL; in kPa/sec), time to maximum inhalation, the length of each inhalation (in sec), and the inhalation volume (IV; in liters) of each inhalation maneuver. Results: PIF, ΔP, and ACCEL values were consistent with the order of the inhaler's resistance. For each device, the inhalation characteristics were in the order ADULT>COPD>CHILD for PIF, ΔP, and ACCEL (p4 L and ΔP >4 kPa. Conclusion: The large variability of these inhalation characteristics and their range highlights that if inhalation profiles were used with compendial in vitro dose emission measurements, then the results would provide useful information about the dose patients inhale during routine use. The inhalation characteristics highlight that adults with asthma have greater inspiratory capacity than patients with COPD, whereas children with asthma have the lowest. The significance of the inhaled volume to empty doses from each device requires investigation

A Comparison of Vitamin A and Leucovorin for the Prevention of Methotrexate-Induced Micronuclei Production in Rat Bone Marrow

INTRODUCTION: Methotrexate, a folate antagonist, is a mainstay treatment for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It is also widely used in a low dose formulation to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In rats, methotrexate is known to induce micronuclei formation, leading to genetic damage, while vitamin A is known to protect against such methotrexate-induced genetic damage. Leucovorin (folinic acid) is generally administered with methotrexate to decrease methotrexate-induced toxicity. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine whether vitamin A and leucovorin differed in their capacity to prevent formation of methotrexate-induced micronuclei in rat bone marrow erythrocytes. The present study also aimed to evaluate the effect of combined treatment with vitamin A and leucovorin on the formation of methotrexate-induced micronuclei. METHODS: Male and female Wistar rats (n=8) were injected with 20 mg/kg methotrexate (single i.p. dose). The control group received an equal volume of distilled water. The third and fourth groups of rats received vitamin A (5000 IU daily dose for 4 successive days) and leucovorin (0.5 mg/kg i.p. dose for 4 successive days), respectively. The fifth and sixth groups of rats received a combination of vitamin A and a single dose of methotrexate and a combination of leucovorin and methotrexate, respectively. The last group of rats received a combination of leucovorin, vitamin A and single dose of methotrexate. Samples were collected at 24 hours after the last dose of the treatment into 5% bovine albumin. Smears were obtained and stained with May-Grunwald and Giemsa. One thousand polychromatic erythrocytes were counted per animal for the presence of micronuclei and the percentage of polychromatic erythrocyte was determined. RESULTS: Comparison of methotrexate-treated rats with the control group showed a significant increase in the percentage of cells with micronuclei and a significant decrease polychromatic erythrocyte percentage. Combined methotrexate and vitamin A therapy and combined methotrexate and leucovorin therapy led to significant decreases in the micronuclei percentage and an increase in polychromatic erythrocyte percentage when compared to rats treated with methotrexate alone. Leucovorin was found to be more effective than vitamin A against the formation of methotrexate-induced micronuclei. CONCLUSIONS: Both vitamin A and leucovorin provided significant protection against genetic damage induced by methotrexate

A Systematic Study towards the Synthesis, Isolation, and Recrystallization of Atovaquone, an Antimalarial Drug: A Sustainable Synthetic Pathway

In the present work, studies were conducted towards the synthesis of 2-[trans-4-(4-chlorophenyl) cyclohexyl]-3-hydroxy-1 ,4-naphthoquinone 5 with systematic reaction and recrystallization condition optimization to isolate 5 in high yield with better purity. Synthesis of 5 was done by the hydrolysis of 2-[trans-4-(4-chlorophenyl) cyclohexyl]-3-chloro-1, 4-naphthoquinone 4, which was isolated by the decarboxylative condensation of trans-4-(4-chlorophenyl) cyclohexanecarboxylic acid 3 with naphthoquinone moiety. After the hydrolysis of 4, isolation of crude 5 was done by the use of acetic acid instead of dilute hydrochloric acid, product 5 was isolated in good purity with very less polar impurities. The study extends to provide the polymorphic form I of 5 by the useof solvent combination for the recrystallization, prior artreports the use of a large volume of solvent for theisolation of polymorphic form I of 5. The use of a largevolume of solvent becomes a bottleneck for thecommercial synthesis of 5

Characterization of Escherichia coli Phylogenetic Groups Associated with Extraintestinal Infections in South Indian Population

Background: Escherichia coli strains mainly fall into four phylogenetic groups (A, B1, B2, and D) and that virulent extra‑intestinal strains mainly belong to groups B2 and D. Aim: The aim was to determine the association between phylogenetic groups of E. coli causing extraintestinal infections (ExPEC) regarding the site of infection, expression of virulence factors, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and clinical outcome. This descriptive study was carried out in a multi‑specialty Tertiary Care Hospital.Materials and Methods: A total of 300 E. coli causing ExPEC were studied. Triplex polymerase chain reaction was used to classify the phylogenetic groups; hemolysin production was assessed on sheep blood agar and biofilm production in a microtiter plate assay. Production of extended spectrum of beta‑lactamase (ESBLs) was detected by combination disk method; AmpC was detected by AmpC disk test, Carbapenemase production was detected by modified Hodge test and metallo‑â‑lactamase by metallo‑beta‑lactamases (MBL) E‑test.Results: Of 300 isolates, 61/300 (20 %) belonged to phylogroup A, 27/300 (9%) to phylogroup B1, 104/300 (35%) were B2 and 108/300 (36%) belonged to group D, respectively. Phylogroups B2 and D were the most predominant groups in urinary tract infection and sepsis. Prognoses were better in infections with group A and B1 isolates, and relapses and death were common in infections with B2 and D. Expression of biofilm was greatest in B1 and hemolysin in group B2. Group A and B1 showed higher resistance to ciprofloxacin and were most frequent â‑lactamase (ESBL, AmpC, Carbapenemase and MBL) producers.Conclusions: Phylogenetic group B2 and D were predominant in ExPEC and exhibited least antimicrobial resistance among the groups. Resistance to multiple antibiotics was most prevalent in group A and B1. Regular monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility in commensal strains is essential as they might transfer the property of antimicrobial resistance to pathogenic strains.Keywords: Drug resistance, Escherichia coli, Extraintestinal infections, Polymerase chain reaction, Phylogenetic group, Virulenc