Extent of awareness and prevalence of adulteration in selected food items in rural Dehradun

Background: Adulteration of food items is common phenomenon in India. It includes both willful adulteration to improve texture and quality of food items and supply of substandard food items. The usual outcomes is outbreak of food borne illness. Aims & Objectives: i) To estimate the prevalence of food adulteration in selected food items ii) the awareness of subjects regarding food adulteration act and iii) their buying practices. Material and Methods: Samplesize:150 households was sampled, based on prevalence of adulteration to be around 50%, with 95% confidence interval and absolute allowable error of 10%. Sample household were drawn from the selected villages randomly. Pre-designed and pretested questionnaires was administered to fulfill the objectives and food items were tested using NICE food adulteration kit. Data were analyzed by numeral with percentage, Pearson’s correlation test and F test. Results: In 59.3% households, housewives purchased the food items for the house. The prevalence of adulteration ranged from 17.3% to 66.2% in selected food items. Loose product was purchased by 54.3%. The food labels on packed items was not read by 86.3%. Mean percentage of purity was highest among literates (57.3 ±12.3) than illiterates and those having primary education. Statistically significant F ratio was seen for mean percentage of purity and respondent’s literacy status. Conclusion: Adulterant is rampant in poor strata of  society due to consumer’s illiteracy and lack of awareness towards food safety rules

AN OVERVIEW OF VISCOSUPPLEMENTS: THERAPEUTIC MODALITY FOR THE AILMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS

Osteoarthritis is a multifarious joint disease and is caused by inflammatory mediators, along with a procedure of wear and tear of cartilage. Osteoarthritis outcome in cartilage degradation, synovial inflammation, subchondral bone eburnation, degeneration of menisci, and capsular hypertrophy, which takes part in the pathogenesis of Osteoarthritis. Pain is the leading symptom of Osteoarthritis. However the precise mechanism causing pain is multifactorial and is still not well known. Viscosupplementation with intraarticular hylauronic acid promotes chondrocyte hyaluronic acid synthesis and prevents the additional cartilage degradation and may possible help to promote the cartilage regeneration. It is also postulated to diminish the production of inflammatory mediators and matrix metalloproteinase involved in Osteoarthritis. Viscosupplementation decline osteoarthritis symptoms in early to judicious Osteoarthritis, and improves functional outcome, if other conservative treatment modalities are ineffective. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is the major constituent of a 1-­â€2μm layer on the surface of articular cartilage; it is also a major constituent of synovial fluid. HA has many properties including exerting an anti-inflammatory effect, it acts as a lubricant when movements in the joint are slow and as a shock absorber when movements are fast effect. Viscosupplementation relieves the symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee, and this therapeutic effect may last several weeks. However, it is apparently not much greater than that of placebo and, according to some studies, it barely reaches clinical significance. Its pain-relieving effect seems comparable to that of other non-surgical options. The modest clinical benefit of viscosupplementation may never be great enough to outweigh its disadvantages, which include slow onset of action, the need for several weekly injections, the low but present risk of adverse reactions and the relatively high cost of this treatment. It helps in improving the function in early osteoarthritis knee joint and might delay the need for future knee surgery Keywords: Joint disorders, intraarticular hylauronic acid, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, osteoarthritisÂ

FORMULATION DEVELOPMENT, OPTIMIZATION & IN VITRO CHARATERIZATION OF LIQUISOLID COMPACTS OF AN OXICAM DERIVATIVE

The rationale of the current research was to investigate the in vitro dissolution properties of poorly water soluble piroxicam by utilizing liquisolid technology. Dissimilar liquisoli compacts were formulated using a factorial design to estimate the required quantities of powder and liquid ingredients to fabricate adequately flowable and compressible admixture. About 16 different formulations were developed using factorial design with carriers Neusilin (Magnesium aluminometasilicate)  and Avicel PH 102, binder PVP K-30 and vehicle PEG-400 as independent variables and Aerosil 200 is used as coating material. The In-vitro drug release from the LSC has used a dependent variable. The empirical method by Spireas and Bolton was applied to calculate the amounts of carrier and coating materials and obtained the improved flow characteristics and hardness by changing the proportion of carrier and coating materials. Liquid solid compacts were fabricated and evaluated for their tabletting properties. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X- ray powder diffraction (XRPD) were performed. The FTIR spectra showed disappearance of the characteristic absorption band of piroxicam (3338.78 cm-1) in liquisolid formulations which might be attributed to the formation of hydrogen bonding between the drug and liquid vehicle; this resulted in drug dissolution enhancement. A 23 factorial design is used and developed liquid soild compacts using Neusilin LSCN1 to LSCN8 and Avicel PH 102 LSCA1 to LSCA8. The physicochemical characterization of all formulations exhibited well within the specification limits with respect to weight variation, hardness, friability and content uniformity.  The In-vitro drug release from these liquid soild compacts was evaluated in 0.1 N HCl and the optimized formulation LSCA8 was compared with pure drug (capsule) and physical mixture (tablet). The release studies suggested that the liquisolid tablets outcome in higher release profile than pure active pharmaceutical ingredient and physical mixture due to enhance in surface and wetting properties of the active pharmaceutical ingredient. Liquid solid compacts technique confirmed the enhanced dissolution rate of oxicam derivative, which in turn promotes in enhancing bioavailability. Keywords: Piroxicam, Factorial design, Solubility, Dissolution rate, Avicel PH 10

ENRICHMENT OF MEMORY BY USING HERBAL FORMULATIONS

Memory is the ability of an organism to store, retain, and subsequently recall information. Memory enhancers are the compounds which improve or enhance the memory. The compounds, enhance memory are called nootropics. Some physiological conditions such as stress, anxiety affect the memory. Memory loss may be age related and due to some disease condition like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease etc. There are several nootropics marketed such as torental, duxil but these products has side effects like vascular dementia related to lacunae or to multiple infarcts, or leucoaraiosis and drg related amnesia. So mostly people prefer herbal nootropics over synthetic nootropics because they have less side effects than others. Herbal nootrppics mainly act by different ways like by increasing and replenishing neurotransmitter at high concentration in brain, by anti-depression, adaptogenic and mood stabilization, by improved oxygen supply and brain energy, by improved concentration, stamina, and focus, by memory enhancement and learning improvement, by nerve growth stimulation and brain cell protection. Memory is the most imperative characteristic for effectual survival of human beings. It also differentiates humans from animals. Reminiscence is the ability of an personage to record the in sequence and recall it whenever needed. Traditionally herbal drugs have been used to augment cognitive functions. A figure of medicinal plants and medicines derived from these plants have shown memory enhancing properties by virtue of their medicinal constituents. There has been substantial pharmacological exploration into the memory enhancing activity of some compounds. Since allopathic system of medicine is yet to make available a radical cure, the usefulness of traditional medicines needs to be explored. This article reviews the memory enhancing properties of the most commonly employed herbal medicines and their identified active constituents. The herbs acting on the brain are called Nootropic herbs and their isolated constituents are referred to as smart drugs. These herbs enhance the memory as well as increase blood circulation in the brain

SITE SPECIFIC DRUG DELIVERY THROUGH NASAL ROUTE USING BIOADHESIVE POLYMERS

This review explains some aspects of mucoadhesion related to the nasal drug delivery system. On the first count, the theories of the adhesion of mucoadhesive polymers to the mucosa epithelium are described. Secondly, the characteristics and application of several widely used mucoadhesive polymers in nasal drug delivery are presented. The nasal mucosa provides a potentially good route for systemic drug delivery. One of the most important features of the nasal route is that it avoids first-pass hepatic metabolism, thereby reducing metabolism. The application of mucoadhesive polymers in nasal drug delivery systems has gained to promote dosage form residence time in the nasal cavity as well as improving intimacy of contact with absorptive membranes of the biological system. The aspiration of any drug delivery system is to endow with a therapeutic amount of drug to the proper site in the body to achieve promptly & then uphold the desired drug concentration. That is why the drug delivery system should deliver drug at a state dictated by the needs of the body over a specified period of treatment. This idealized objective points to the two aspects most important to drug delivery, namely, spatial placement relates to targeting a drug to a specific organ or tissue while temporal delivery refers to the control of rate of drug delivery to the target tissue. Over the last few decades, the relevance of mucoadhesive polymers in nasal drug delivery systems has gained significance among pharmaceutical scientists as a means of promoting dosage form residence time in the nasal cavity as well as for improving intimacy of contact with absorptive membranes of the biological system. In addition, the improved paracellular absorption subsequent the swelling of the mucoadhesive polymers on the nasal membranes provides an important way for the absorption of the macromolecules through the nasal cavity. Keywords: Nasal route, Mucoadhesive polymers, Paracellular absorption

An epidemiological evaluation of predictors of overweight and obesity in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.

Background: Overweight and obesity are now considered to be a very serious public health problems, contributing to a number of preventable non communicable diseases and are among the most significant contributors to ill health.Material & method: A cross sectional study was carried out with a total sample size of 632. Multistage stratified random sampling and “Kish” method was applied for selection of study area and selection of study subjects (21-60 years). WHO STEPS for NCD Risk Factor Surveillance, was used to gather the necessary information. Percentage, Chi square, & logistic regression analysis was calculated and significant level was taken at p<0.05.Results: As per Asia Pacific classification 49.3% (majority) of subjects while as per WHO classification 33.3% of subjects were found to be overweight or obese (BMI > 23kg/m2). It was nearly 2 times higher in urban males. Central obesity was more commonly observed in urban subjects (male: 38.9%, female: 77.6%) as compared to rural subjects (males: 17.8%, females: 59.4%). High (at risk) WHR was recorded in 55.9% of total subjects. High (at risk) WHtR was recorded in 66.8% of total subjects while in 54.4% & 79.1% among rural & urban subjects respectively. All the predictors showed higher percentages in females and in urban area.Conclusion: The present study reveals that, there is high prevalence of overweight and obesity in the study population. Certainly, there has been a considerable shift in their dietary and lifestyle profile.  The dietary profile is changed to a mixture of rural and urban diets, with higher consumption of saturated fat and low intake of fibre.

Analysis by NASA's VESGEN Software of Retinal Blood Vessels Before and After 70-Day Bed Rest: A Retrospective Study

Significant risks for visual impairment associated with increased intracranial pressure (VIIP) are incurred by microgravity spaceflight, especially long-duration missions. Impairments include decreased near visual acuity, posterior globe flattening, choroidal folds, optic disc edema and cotton wool spots. We hypothesize that microgravity-induced fluid shifts result in pathological changes within the retinal blood vessels that precede development of visual and other ocular impairments. Potential contributions of retinal vascular remodeling to VIIP etiology are therefore being investigated by NASAs innovative VESsel GENeration Analysis (VESGEN) software for two studies: (1) head-down tilt in human subjects before and after 70 days of bed rest, and (2) U.S. crew members before and after ISS missions. VESGEN analysis in previous research supported by the US National Institutes of Health identified surprising new opportunities to regenerate retinal vessels during early-stage, potentially reversible progression of the visually impairing and blinding disease, diabetic retinopathy

Radical scavenging activity of Chlorophytum borivilianum L. root extract and its protective role in cauda epididymal sperm integrity in Mus musculus after gamma irradiation

Background:Chlorophytumborivilianum L. is a recognized herbal medicine for the management of impotency in South Asian countries. In Ayurveda, it is used for the management of multiple health conditions, including diabetes, infection, and cardiovascular diseases. Parts of the plant have been used as excellent antioxidants and scavengers of free radicals. Since oxidative stress plays an important role in spermatogenesis and fertility in male populations, this study evaluated the role of ethanolic extract of C. borivilianum roots in epididymal sperm maturation against adversities posed by ionizing gamma irradiation.Materials and methods: Antioxidant potential of C. borivilianum root extract (CRE) was evaluated through DPPH (2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl) and NO (nitric oxide) scavenging assays. Four groups of healthy Swiss albino mice were constituted, which were labeled as follows: Group I: sham control, Group II: 7-day pre-treatment with 50 mg/kg CRE, Group III: 6 Gy irradiation without pre-treatment, and Group IV: 7-day pre-treatment with 50 mg/kg CRE and 6 Gy irradiation on day 7. Swiss albino mice were observed for 30 days and later sacrificed to evaluate sperm quality parameters.Results: CRE showed a remarkable antioxidant potential with IC50 values of 46.37 μg/ml and 98.39 μg/ml for DPPH and NO, respectively. A significant decline (p < 0.001) in cauda epididymal sperm count, motility, and viability was observed in Group III animals. Group IV also showed a substantial decline (p < 0.01) in all three parameters compared to Group I; nonetheless, these were significantly higher than Group III. Morphological alterations indicated a coiled and bent tail, with the presence of cytoplasmic droplets in Group III, which declined substantially in Group IV. The ultrastructure of sperm indicated higher curvature of hook in Group III than Group IV, indicating specific interferences in the sperm maturation process.Conclusion: It was concluded that pre-treatment with 50 mg/kg body weight of CRE could protect sperm during epididymal maturation against oxidative stress

Association Between Increased Vascular Density and Loss of Protective RAS in Early-Stage NPDR

Our hypothesis predicts that retinal blood vessels increase in density during early-stage progression to moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). The prevailing paradigm of NPDR progression is that vessels drop out prior to abnormal, vision-impairing regrowth at late-stage proliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR). However, surprising results for our previous preliminary study 1 with NASA's VESsel GENeration Analysis (VESGEN) software showed that vessels proliferated considerably during moderate NPDR compared to drop out at both mild and severe NPDR. Validation of our hypothesis will support development of successful early-stage regenerative therapies such as vascular repair by circulating angiogenic cells (CACs). The renin-angiotensin system (RAS)is implicated in the pathogenesis of DR and in the function of CACs, a critical bone marrow-derived population that is instrumental in vascular repair