Effect of Nelumbo nucifera seeds on the reproductive organs of female rats

Background: Nelumbo nucifera has been used as antifertility agent in females by the local tribals of Rajasthan especially of Udaipur district India. Objective: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of Nelumbo nucifera on the fertility and general physiology in female rats. Materials and Methods: 20 female albino rats were taken and divided into two groups. Group 1 served as control and group 2 received ethanolic extract at dose of 800mg/kg b.wt. for investigating the nature of the drug and antifertility effect. Vaginal smear was monitored everyday in the morning to study the estrous cycle. On day 41st all the animals were sacrificed and various haematological and biochemical parameters were estimated. Results: Data revealed that oral administration of Nelumbo nucifera extract brought about a significant decline in the weight of Ovary; Control (43±4.75mg), Nelumbo extract treated (25±3.86mg), Uterus; Control (236±0.004mg), Nelumbo extract treated (214±0.007mg) and Vagina; Control (221±0.002mg), Nelumbo extract treated (178±0.003mg) as well as protein and glycogen level, however cholesterol level increased significantly. In addition, the diestrous phase of the estrous cycle was found to be prolonged; Control (1.81±0.21) days, Nelumbo extract treated (3.62±0.42) days. Conclusion: These results suggest that Nelumbo nucifera has the anti-estrogenic nature without altering the general physiology of the female rats

Nanocrystalline oxalate/carbonate precursors of Ce and Zr and their decompositions to CeO<SUB>2</SUB> and ZrO<SUB>2</SUB> nanoparticles

The oxalate and carbonate precursors of cerium and zirconium have been prepared using reverse micelles as nanoreactors. Cerium oxalate precursor on thermal decomposition leads to a mixture of nanorods and nanoparticles of cerium oxide (nanoparticles of 10 nm and nanorods with 7 nm diameter and 30 nm length). Cerium oxide with crystallite size of 10 nm was obtained from cerium carbonate precursor. Monodispersed nanoparticles of zirconia with an average size of 3-5 and 12 nm were obtained from the oxalate and carbonate precursor, respectively. Detailed dielectric properties of sintered discs of nanocrystalline ceria and zirconia have been studied with variation of frequency and temperature

Lvad-a cause of cola-colored urine.

LVAD thrombosis is rarely reported causeof heme-induced kidney injury. Two such cases have been reported so far in the literature. A 53 year old African American woman presented with complaints of generalized abdominal pain, diarrhea and cola colored urine. She had a history of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, ejection fraction of 25% and underwent placement of an LVAD two years prior with a complicated LVAD line infection post-operatively needing long-term parenteral antibiotic therapy. Additionally, she remained on warfarin for protein C deficiency. On clinical examination, she was hemodynamically stable, LVAD hum, generalized abdominal tenderness and no pedal edema were appreciated. Her initial diagnostics revealed a serum creatine of 2.7 mg/dL, hemoglobin of 8.7 g/dl and an INR of 3.19. A diptstick analysis of a grossly bloody urine sample showed glycosuria, 9-10 RBCs/hpf 20-25 WBCs/hpf, and 100mg/dl protein. A sediment analysis was suggestive of severe tubular injury with the presence of 9-10 muddy granular casts/lpf. Imaging with computed tomography was unremarkable for abnormal findings in the abdomen and pelvis. Creatine phosphokinase was minimally elevated 171U/L. A reticulocyte count of 3.2%, haptoglobin of \u3c30mg/dl, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) of 2100 U/L was suggestive of hemolytic anemia. However, a peripheral blood smear with 1-2 schistocytes was inconcusive for a microangiopathic process. Transthoracic echcardiogram and LVAD interrogation failed to identify any definitive malfunction. Right heart catheterization findings were suggestive of LVAD pump thrombus which was treated with intravenous thrombolytic therapy. There was rapid improvement in the urine discoloration with no urgent requirements for initiation of renal replacement therapy. Definitive management with LVAD exchange was deferred given her overall comorbidities. Heme pigment may cause direct proximal tubular cell injury secondary to free radical release or by vasoconstriction leading to reduced blood flow in the outer medulla. With the increasing incidence of LVAD implants as definitive therapy for advanced heart failure, hemoglobin induced injury should remain high in the differential for AKI in these patients. Definitive treatment is LVAD replacement if therapy fails. In such cases, expected renal survival with recovery and progression to end stage renal disease is unknown and needs to be further investigated

Facile synthesis of Pd@ZnO core@shell nanoparticles for selective ethanol detection

In this work, we reported a high-performance ethanol gas sensor based on novel Pd@ZnO core@shell nanoparticles (CSNPs). The Pd@ZnO CSNPs were synthesized by chemical method and characterized by XRD, TEM and EDS techniques. Gas sensing results demonstrated that Pd@ZnO CSNPs show high sensitivity and remarkable selectivity towards ethanol at 250 °C. The response value of Pd@ZnO CSNPs is 152, which is almost six times higher than the response value (27) of ZnO NPs at 250 °C. The mechanism of enhancement in sensing properties can be ascribed to the chemical and electronic sensitization effect of Pd NPs and also due to the unique core@shell structure. These characteristics may shed light on the development of a selective ethanol sensor based on Pd@ZnO CSNPs

Giant Cell Fibroma of Tongue: Understanding the Nature of an Unusual Histopathological Entity

Giant cell fibroma (GCF) is a rare case with unique histopathology. It belongs to the broad category of fibrous hyperplastic lesions of the oral cavity. It is often mistaken with fibroma and papilloma due to its clinical resemblance. Only its peculiar histopathological features help us to distinguish it from them. The origin of the giant cell is still controversial. Data available is very sparse to predict the exact behavior. Hence, we report a case of GCF of tongue in a 19-year-old male. Special emphasis is given to understand the basic process of development of the lesion, nature of giant cells, and also the need for formation of these peculiar cells. Briefly, the differential diagnosis for GCF is tabulated

Nanospheres, nanocubes, and nanorods of nickel oxalate: control of shape and size by surfactant and solvent

The role of surfactant and solvent in the size and morphology of nickel oxalate particles synthesized from reverse micelles was investigated. Nanorods of nickel oxalate with aspect ratios of 5:1 and 6:1 were formed from n-hexane and cyclohexane, respectively. Our studies show that the bulkiness of the solvent molecules leads to larger dimensions of the nanorods. The surface charge on the nanorods also plays an important role in the anisotropic growth of the nanorods. Negative ζ potential values were observed for the nanorods, which may have a bearing on the growth of the rods along the cross-section, especially with surfactant molecules having positively charged headgroups (CTAB). The rodlike morphology could be modified by changing the surfactant. For example, we obtained nanoparticles ~5 nm in size when the surfactant was changed from CTAB to TX-100, and nanocubes (~50 nm in dimension) were formed with Tergitol as the surfactant. Our study shows that a larger headgroup of the surfactant (TX-100) provides a greater barrier to interdroplet exchange, leading to small sized particles. The nickel oxalate particles obtained above were decomposed to yield NiO nanoparticles. The size of the oxide nanoparticles depends on the aspect ratio of the precursor rods, which in turn appears to be dependent on the solvent chosen for synthesis