A Review on Antiulcer Activity of Few Indian Medicinal Plants

Ulcer is a common gastrointestinal disorder which is seen among many people. It is basically an inflamed break in the skin or the mucus membrane lining the alimentary tract. Ulceration occurs when there is a disturbance of the normal equilibrium caused by either enhanced aggression or diminished mucosal resistance. It may be due to the regular usage of drugs, irregular food habits, stress, and so forth. Peptic ulcers are a broad term that includes ulcers of digestive tract in the stomach or the duodenum. The formation of peptic ulcers depends on the presence of acid and peptic activity in gastric juice plus a breakdown in mucosal defenses. A number of synthetic drugs are available to treat ulcers. But these drugs are expensive and are likely to produce more side effects when compared to herbal medicines. The literature revealed that many medicinal plants and polyherbal formulations are used for the treatment of ulcer by various ayurvedic doctors and traditional medicinal practitioners. The ideal aims of treatment of peptic ulcer disease are to relieve pain, heal the ulcer, and delay ulcer recurrence. In this review attempts have been made to know about some medicinal plants which may be used in ayurvedic as well as modern science for the treatment or prevention of peptic ulcer

Ray fishery by trawlers off Chennai and some aspects of biology of the scaly whipray Himantura imbricata (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Rays are important components in the elasmobranch landings by different gears at Chennai fisheries harbour, contributing about 75.4% to the annual average elasmobranch landings. The annual average catch of rays during 2002-‘07 was 588.3 t and the maximum catch of 1297.4 t was recorded in the year 2002. Eleven species contributed a major portion to the landings of rays by trawlers at Chennai, among which Himantura jenkinsii dominated the catch, forming 38.6% and H. imbricata, 8.0%. The disc width (DW) range of H. imbricata in the landings was 110-229 mm and 130-289 mm for males and females, respectively. The annual average mean size was greater in females. The annual average sex ratio (M:F) was 1:1.11. The disc width-weight relationships were W = 0.00022DW2.676 and W = 0.00005DW2.965 for male and female, respectively. Analysis of covariance showed that the slopes differed significantly, at 5% level, between the sexes. More than 95% of fishes sampled were in wellfed condition. Analysis of gut contents revealed H. imbricata to be a benthic carnivore feeding mostly on small crustaceans, cephalochordates, molluscs, polychaetes and small fishes

ClimFish NICRA Newsletter Vol.1

Govt. of India has accorded high priority on research and development to cope with climate change in agricultural sector. The Prime Minister’s National Action Plan has identified agriculture as one of eight national missions. The project so far has benefitted several stakeholders across the nation. National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) is a network project of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) aimed at enhancing resilience of Indian agriculture to climate change

How can asset accumulation strategies be meaningful for adivasis in Southern India?

This paper is motivated by the observation that type and combination of assets play a significant role in reducing incidences of shocks by asset-poor households. Asset-based strategies treat assets not just as resources, but also as an agency to transform such resources to improve livelihood choices and tackle risks and shocks. Focusing on the case of adivasi households in the South Indian state of Kerala, we find that the type, number and combinations of specific assets (primarily social and physical capital) yield varied magnitudes of household resilience to both idiosyncratic and covariate shocks. Thus, social policies for specific social groups need to focus on the nature of asset and their combination, rather than welfare-based considerations

Population dynamics and stock assessment of grey sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon oligolinx Springer, 1964 (Chondrichthyes: Carcharhinidae) from the north-west coast of India

The life history and exploitation parameters of Rhizoprionodon oligolinx Springer, 1964 were assessed using commercial landing data of 2012-2015 from Mumbai waters of India to understand the population dynamics and stock status of the species. The average annual landing of the species was estimated to be 383 t, which formed about 9.1% of the total shark landings of Maharashtra. L∞, K and t0 estimated were 97.1 cm, 0.47 yr-1 and -0.79 yr respectively. Total mortality (Z), fishing mortality (F) and natural mortality (M) rates were estimated as 2.16 yr-1, 1.48 yr-1 and 0.69 yr-1 respectively. The length at capture (L50), length at female maturity (Lm50) and male maturity (Lm50) were estimated as 49.7, 62.3 and 59.5 cm respectively, which indicated that most of the sharks entered peak phase of exploitation before attaining sexual maturity. Length-weight relationship indicated allometric growth (b>3) for the species. The species was found to be a continuous breeder and showed peak recruitment during April. The current exploitation rate (Ecur) was found to be 0.68, which is lower than Emax estimated for the species using Beverton and Holt yield per recruit analysis. Thompson and Bell prediction model showed that at current exploitation level, the biomass (B) has reduced to 32% of virgin biomass (B0) where as, the spawning stock biomass (SSB) has reduced to 16% of the virgin spawning stock biomass (SSB0). Hence the exploitation level for the species should be reduced by 40% that will ensure the availability of SSB at a relatively safer 30% level to rebuild the stock for long term sustainability of the resource

Exploring the Antibacterial Potency of Citrus Fruit Peel Extracts Using Various Solvents

The study evaluates the inhibitory effect of different solvent-extracted citrus peel extracts (Citrus lemon, Citrus sinensis, Citrus maxima, Citrus reticulata and Citrus aurantiifolia) on the growth of various bacterial strains (Klebsiella. pneumonia, Staphylococcus. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli). Citrus lemon extract demonstrated the most significant inhibition with methanol and acetone showing the highest zones of inhibition. Citrus sinensis extract showed antibacterial activity, with the choice of solvent influencing the effectiveness. Methanol and acetone generally performed well.  Citrus maxima extract demonstrated antibacterial activity, with methanol and butanol being effective solvents. Citrus reticulata extract's effectiveness varied depending on the solvent and bacterial strain tested. Ethanol and butanol were more effective solvents for inhibiting the growth of some bacteria, while acetone and methanol showed limited effectiveness. The Citrus aurentiifolia peel extract exhibited varying degrees of antibacterial activity against the tested bacteria. The effectiveness of the extract depended on the solvent used and the type of bacteria. For some bacteria, such as E. coli and S. aureus, the extract showed significant inhibitory effects, particularly when using Ethanol as the solvent. Further research and optimization may be necessary to enhance the antibacterial properties of Citrus aurentiifolia peel extract

Beyond the Small-Angle Approximation For MBR Anisotropy from Seeds

In this paper we give a general expression for the energy shift of massless particles travelling through the gravitational field of an arbitrary matter distribution as calculated in the weak field limit in an asymptotically flat space-time. It is {\it not} assumed that matter is non-relativistic. We demonstrate the surprising result that if the matter is illuminated by a uniform brightness background that the brightness pattern observed at a given point in space-time (modulo a term dependent on the oberver's velocity) depends only on the matter distribution on the observer's past light-cone. These results apply directly to the cosmological MBR anisotropy pattern generated in the immediate vicinity of of an object like a cosmic string or global texture. We apply these results to cosmic strings, finding a correction to previously published results for in the small-angle approximation. We also derive the full-sky anisotropy pattern of a collapsing texture knot.Comment: 23 pages, FERMILAB-Pub-94/047-

Erythromycin before endoscopy in upper GI bleeding : a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a common medical emergency that accounts for numerous hospital admissions each year. Given its significant morbidity and mortality, urgent endoscopy with adequate gastric mucosal visualization is imperative for identification and treatment of bleeding lesions. Various studies have been done evaluating the effectiveness of erythromycin infusion prior to endoscopy to improve visibility and therapeutic potential of endoscopy; however, the results have been controversial. To evaluate further, we performed a meta-analysis comparing the efficacy of erythromycin infusion before endoscopy in acute UGIB

Upper GI bleeding with myocardial infarction : evaluation of safety for endoscopy

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in the setting of acute myocardial infarction (MI) is a complex medical condition with substantial morbidity and mortality. The anemia due to the UGIB may exacerbate the MI or the anticoagulation for the MI may contribute to UGIB. In addition, both have many significant complications. Several studies have been performed in studying the safety of EGD after MI; however, these studies vary in definitions and results. This study evaluated the safety and effect of EGD in patients with acute MI in a tertiary-care center

Population dynamics and stock assessment of spadenose shark Scoliodon laticaudus Muller and Henle 1839 along Gujarat coast of India

423-433Stock assessment of Scoliodon laticaudus Muller and Henle, 1839 was made along with analysis of its few biological characteristics from its commercial landings during 2012-2016 from Gujarat waters of India to understand the population dynamics and stock status of the species. The average annual landing of the species was 5442 t, which constituted about 67% of the total shark landings at Gujarat coast. L∞, K and t0 were estimated as 75.53 cm and 0.54/yr, and -0.4 yr, respectively. Total mortality rate, fishing mortality rate and natural mortality rate were estimated as 1.95 yr-1, 1.04 yr-1 and 0.91 yr-1, respectively. The length at capture (Lc50) and length at maturity (Lm50) were 39.74 cm and 35.79 cm, respectively, which indicate that most of the sharks are exploited after attaining the sexual maturity. Length-weight relationship showed that the growth was isometric. The species was a continuous breeder and showed peak recruitment during September. The current exploitation ratio (Ecur) was found to be 0.53, which is lower than E0.1 estimated for the species using Beverton and Holt yield per recruit analysis. Thompson and Bell prediction model showed that maximum sustainable yield for S. laticaudus could be obtained by increasing fishing effort by almost 2.4 times higher than the present level which would deplete the spawning stock biomass (SSB) to 20%. Maximum economic yield could be obtained by increasing the fishing effort by 1.8 times which would also decrease the SSB, but to a comparatively safer 26.5% level. Considering 30% SSB as a precautionary management reference point, the effort could be increased by 50% exclusively for the sharks to increase the yield and revenue from fishery while maintain SSB at a safer 30% level