An Integrated Approach to Iron Deficiency Anemia

Iron deficiency is a common nutritional disorder in developing countries and contributes significantly to reduced work productivity and economic output as well as to increased morbidity and mortality. There are well-established biochemical tests for assessing iron status in developed countries. However, cost and interference from infectious conditions make it difficult to assess iron status in many developing country settings. Examination of the hemoglobin distribution in the population and assessment of the hemoglobin response to supplementation are alternative approaches to define iron status and the nature of anemia. Prevention and control of iron deficiency requires the combined approach of dietary improvement, fortification of a common staple food when feasible, and appropriate iron supplementation for infants and pregnant women. In all these intervention activities, operational research is needed to improve effectiveness. In addition, controlling iron deficiency requires coordination with other nutrition and primary health care programs as part of an integrated approach to improved health and nutrition of the population. A randomized, controlled double-blind clinical trial was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of herbal medicinal treatment syrup Sharbat-a-Folad versus syrup Ferplex for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia (IDA)

Current Knowledge and Therapeutic Strategies of Herbal Medicine for Acute Diarrhea

Diarrhea is a common gastrointestinal problem characterized by loose watery stool and mild to severe dehydration. Annually, about 1.7–5 billion new cases of diarrhea were reported. In developing countries, it is more common, where young kids have diarrhea approximately three times/year. In 2013, 1.26 million deaths occurred due to diarrhea, whereas in 1990, the figure was slightly higher (2.58 million). In 2012, diarrhea was the second most common reason of death (11%, n = 0.76 million) in children less than 5 years. Although various synthetic drugs are being prescribed as standard therapy for diarrhea, they have side effects. It is possible to prescribe the herbal medicine for diarrhea, which is safe and effective. In this study, medicinal plants discussed are proven to be scientifically active in diarrheal diseases. This study reviews about current medicinal plants used in the treatment of diarrhea. The use of medicinal plants for diarrhea results in improvement of the symptom. Moreover, studies on large scale are needed to characterize the beneficial role of medicinal plants in the treatment of diarrhea

A novel HPTLC method for quantitative estimation of biomarkers in polyherbal formulation

AbstractObjectiveTo explore the quantitative estimation of biomarkers gallic acid and berberine in polyherbal formulation Entoban syrup.MethodsHigh performance thin layer chromatography was performed to evaluate the presence of gallic acid and berberine employing toluene: ethyl acetate: formic acid: methanol 12:9:4:0.5 (v/v/v/v) and ethanol: water: formic acid 90:9:1 (v/v/v), as a mobile phase respectively.ResultsThe Rf values (0.58) for gallic acid and (0.76) for berberine in both sample and reference standard were found comparable under UV light at 273 nm and 366 nm respectively. The high performance thin layer chromatography method developed for quantization was simple, accurate and specific.ConclusionsThe present standardization provides specific and accurate tool to develop qualifications for identity, transparency and reproducibility of biomarkers in Entoban syrup

Anti-nociceptive activities of medicinal plants: A Review

Medicinal plants are traditionally used in worldwide as analgesic and for treatment of inflammatory disorders. In the present review, the antinociceptive effects of plants have been discussed. Medicinal plants are gaining popularity among population due to low cost and best efficacy. Pain is symptom of various illnesses and drugs that relive pain is a subject of pharmaceutical research. Objective of this article is to document the plants having anti-nociceptive activities. Material for this review was taken mostly from textbooks & electronic journal Up to date. To collect publication PubMed, google scholars and the Cochrane database of systematic reviews was used. Some other relevant references were collected from personal database of papers on antinociceptive. A total of 76 reports on plants have been found to report such activities. While 7 reports were explained in detail, 69 plants were mentioned having activities. This review will summarize medicinal plants or their constituents with analgesic-like activity from the chemical and pharmacological perspectives. The data show that these medicinal plants have potential to treat pain and may be helpful for therapeutic purposes

Monograph of Holarrhena antidysenterica (linn.) Wall

Holarrhena Antidysenterica is a very significant herbal drug in Unani system of medicine and Ayurvedic system of medicine. This meticulous herb was used to treat a variety of infectious diseases especially in Staphylococcus aureus, Entamoeba histolytica and Escherichia coli. It is a large tree of 30 to 40 feet in height grows widely on the mountains. A large number of pharmacological studies have been done on the bark and seed of the tree.Keywords: Holarrhena Antidysenterica, Conessine, amoebic dysenter

Concise review on the insight of hepatitis C

AbstractHepatitis C is the disease of liver caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV). Due to its widespread impact on human population, there is continued surge for new therapeutic agents to treat and reduce HCV. Hence, nowadays HCV is considered as global burden throughout the world. Advancements in therapeutic invention and clinical outcomes are dependent on HCV genome and diversity in nature, pathogenesis, dietary factors, social, economic and environmental factors. In this review we have focused mainly on HCV genome, its history and clinical outcomes from its discovery to present day research.In this article the authors have reviewed the published data from year 1997 to 2014. The topics of main concerns were hepatitis C with diverse nature and recent advances in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. The authors used MeSH terms “Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)”, recent advances in the treatment of “HCV”, “HCV and Immunity”, “vaccination”, or “Interferon therapy” to search the PubMed database.All relevant studies identified were included and are described according to the subheadings. Recent advancement in molecular biology and experimental techniques has opened new insights into the pathophysiology of HCV which is helping in combating this life threatening disease.Although the response to current treatment regimen for HCV is improved however complete recovery from the disease is still a challenge which requires more extensive studies from basic science research to large multicenter clinical trials

EFFECT OF FORMULATION AND PROCESS VARIABLES ON DEGRADATION PRODUCTS OF LOVASTATIN IN TABLET DOSAGE FORM

Objective: Quantification of degradation products in drug substances and products is the most challenging tasks in pharmaceutical industriesnowadays. Systematic study on the degradation products of lovastatin in compressed tablets has not been reported in the literature. The objectiveof the present study is to investigate the effect of excipients and method of manufacturing on the degradation products of lovastatin in compressedtablets manufactured by three different methods. The study also aims to evaluate the impact of aging and packaging material on the degradationproducts.Methods: Tablets of lovastatin were prepared by wet granulation, dry granulation and direct compression methods with different excipients. Thetablets were assayed by a validated HPLC method for lovastatin and its major degradation products initially and after 12 months period while storingat 25±°C in glass bottles, Polyvinyl chloride/Aluminum foil blisters and Alu/Alu blisters.Results: Results have shown that excipients and method of manufacturing influence the amounts of major degradation products hydroxyacidlovastatin (HAL) and dehydrolovastatin (DHL) which were found in amounts of 0.67% and 0.45% in tablets compressed via wet-granulation, 0.42%and 0.19% in tablet compressed via dry-granulation and 0.30% and 0.20% in tablets compressed via direct compression method respectively. Thetablets showed maximum stability in Alu/Alu packing followed by packing in glass bottles and PVC/Al. foil blisters, respectively.Conclusion: This study concluded that lovastatin obtained from different sources have different degradation products showing that they are originatedfrom the manufacturing stage of the API. The varying contents of the degradation products in tablets manufactured by different methods initially andwith time indicate that the manufacturing process and excipients also have important role in generation of degradation products. Furthermore,packaging material significantly affect the stability of the tablets during storage. Therefore, all these conditions and factors must be considered andcontrolled during formulation, manufacturing, and storage of the compound and its formulated products.Keywords: Lovastatin, Degradation products, Hydroxy acid lovastatin and dehydro lovastatin