Antimicrobial and Radical Scavenging Activity of Memecylon malabaricum

The present study was conducted to determine antimicrobial and radical scavenging potential of extract of two species of the genus Memecylon (Melastomataceae) viz., M. malabaricum (C.B. Clarke) Cogn. and M. talboltianum Brandis. The shade dried leaf materials of both Memecylon species were extracted using methanol. Antibacterial activity of leaf extracts was evaluated against five drug resistant uropathogenic bacteria by Agar well diffusion assay. Antifungal activity of leaf extracts was tested on the basis of mycelial growth inhibition of Colletotrichum capsici (isolated from anthracnose of chilli). Radical scavenging activity of extracts was determined by performing DPPH free radical scavenging activity. Total phenolic content of extracts was estimated by Folin-Ciocalteau reagent method. The extracts were subjected to preliminary phytochemical analysis to detect the presence of phytoconstituents. Among extracts, extract of M. malabaricum inhibited all test bacteria and inhibitory potential was marked against Gram positive bacteria than Gram negative bacteria. C. capsici was highly susceptible to extract of M. malabaricum when compared to extract of M. talboltianum. Overall, extract of M. malabaricum displayed marked antimicrobial activity than extract of M. talboltianum. Extract of M. malabaricum scavenged DPPH radicals more efficiently (IC50 6.26μg/ml) when compared to extract of M. talboltianum (IC50 43.80μg/ml). The content of total phenolics was also high in leaf extract of M. malabaricum (112μg GAE/mg) than that of M. talboltianum (28μg GAE/mg). Preliminary phytochemical analysis of leaf extracts revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, saponins and glycosides in both extracts. The antimicrobial and radical scavenging activity of leaf extracts could be ascribed to the presence of phytochemicals mainly phenolic compounds. These plants appear to be potential candidates for control of anthracnose disease of chilli and for development of agents active against drug resistant uropathogens and oxidative damage.Keywords: Memecylon; Antimicrobial; Agar well diffusion; Poisoned food technique; Antioxidant; DPP

A possible case of exfoliative dermatitis due to ibuprofen in an Eleven-month-old infant

Ibuprofen is a NSAID belonging to the class of propionic acid derivatives which is widely used for its analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory action. Well-known adverse effects of ibuprofen include gastric irritability leading to nausea and vomiting as well as allergic manifestations such as urticaria and skin rashes. Severe ADRs include renal papillary necrosis, SJS/TEN, and thrombotic events leading to myocardial infarction and stroke. Authors present a case of exfoliative dermatitis in an 11-month-old infant possibly due to ibuprofen. An 11-month-old infant was prescribed syrup ibuprofen by a local medical practitioner for unclear reasons. Three days after ibuprofen therapy, the infant developed erythematous, crusting exfoliative lesions predominantly over the face with a few lesions over the lower abdomen. Subsequently, the infant was admitted to Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center Hospital, Bangalore. A diagnosis of drug-induced exfoliative dermatitis was made after ruling out other causes. Treatment was initiated with intravenous and topical dexamethasone along with saline compressions and amoxicillin + clavulanic acid for secondary bacterial infection as well as topical emollient cream applied over the affected areas. The lesions improved significantly with the above management and the infant recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital after 3 days. The reaction was assessed to be “possible” as per Naranjo and WHO-UMC causality assessment scales, “moderately severe” on modified Hartwig’s severity assessment scale and “not preventable” according to Schumock and Thornton criteria. Severe and serious reactions such as exfoliative dermatitis can be caused by commonly used drugs like ibuprofen

Opportunistic screening of at risk asymptomatic adolescent children for prediabetes

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) once considered an adult disease is now being reported in children and adolescents all over the world due to a parallel increase in obesity. Prediabetes is an intermediate stage between no diabetes and diagnosis of DM. Objective: To screen at risk asymptomatic adolescent children for prediabetes state. Methods: A prospective descriptive study was conducted in the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in South India. All adolescent children between the age group of 10 and 18 years with evidence of overweight as per the World Health Organization age and sex specific centile charts for body mass index (BMI) were enrolled. The study period was 18-month. Anthropometric and demographic data were collected among these subjects and investigated for oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) as per the designed protocol. Results: Prediabetes was diagnosed in 13% of the study population with a combination of OGTT, FBG, and HbA1c tests. Prediction of prediabetes by OGTT was 10%, HbA1c 5% and by FBS was 3%. Combination of impaired glucose tolerance test with HbA1c had high sensitivity (92%) and specificity (100%). Conclusions: Our study had 13% population with increasing risk of developing T2DM. Further longitudinal studies are required to screen at risk asymptomatic adolescent children for prediabetes

Antibacterial activity of flower extract of Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Delonix regia and Peltaphorum ferrugineum against Urinary tract Pathogens

Abstract The present study wa

A pleiotropic missense variant in SLC39A8 is associated with Crohn's disease and human gut microbiome composition

Genome-wide association studies have identified 200 inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) loci, but the genetic architecture of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis remain incompletely defined. Here, we aimed to identify novel associations between IBD and functional genetic variants using the Illumina ExomeChip (San Diego, CA)

The Importance of mitral valve prolapse doming volume in the assessment of left ventricular stroke volume with cardiac MRI

There remains a debate whether the ventricular volume within prolapsing mitral valve (MV) leaflets should be included in the left ventricular (LV) end-systolic volume, and therefore factored in LV stroke volume (SV), in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) assessments. This study aims to compare LV volumes during end-systolic phases, with and without the inclusion of the volume of blood on the left atrial aspect of the atrioventricular groove but still within the MV prolapsing leaflets, against the reference LV SV by four-dimensional flow (4DF). A total of 15 patients with MV prolapse (MVP) were retrospectively enrolled in this study. We compared LV SV with (LV SVMVP) and without (LV SVstandard) MVP left ventricular doming volume, using 4D flow (LV SV4DF) as the reference value. Significant differences were observed when comparing LV SVstandard and LV SVMVP (p < 0.001), and between LV SVstandard and LV SV4DF (p = 0.02). The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) test demonstrated good repeatability between LV SVMVP and LV SV4DF (ICC = 0.86, p < 0.001) but only moderate repeatability between LV SVstandard and LV SV4DF (ICC = 0.75, p < 0.01). Calculating LV SV by including the MVP left ventricular doming volume has a higher consistency with LV SV derived from the 4DF assessment. In conclusion, LV SV short-axis cine assessment incorporating MVP dooming volume can significantly improve the precision of LV SV assessment compared to the reference 4DF method. Hence, in cases with bi-leaflet MVP, we recommend factoring in MVP dooming into the left ventricular end-systolic volume to improve the accuracy and precision of quantifying mitral regurgitation

Oxygen-Independent Stabilization of Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF)-1 during RSV Infection

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF)-1alpha is a transcription factor that functions as master regulator of mammalian oxygen homeostasis. In addition, recent studies identified a role for HIF-1alpha as transcriptional regulator during inflammation or infection. Based on studies showing that respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is among the most potent biological stimuli to induce an inflammatory milieu, we hypothesized a role of HIF-1alpha as transcriptional regulator during infections with RSV. METHODOLOGY, PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We gained first insight from immunohistocemical studies of RSV-infected human pulmonary epithelia that were stained for HIF-1alpha. These studies revealed that RSV-positive cells also stained for HIF-1alpha, suggesting concomitant HIF-activation during RSV infection. Similarly, Western blot analysis confirmed an approximately 8-fold increase in HIF-1alpha protein 24 h after RSV infection. In contrast, HIF-1alpha activation was abolished utilizing UV-treated RSV. Moreover, HIF-alpha-regulated genes (VEGF, CD73, FN-1, COX-2) were induced with RSV infection of wild-type cells. In contrast, HIF-1alpha dependent gene induction was abolished in pulmonary epithelia following siRNA mediated repression of HIF-1alpha. Measurements of the partial pressure of oxygen in the supernatants of RSV infected epithelia or controls revealed no differences in oxygen content, suggesting that HIF-1alpha activation is not caused by RSV associated hypoxia. Finally, studies of RSV pneumonitis in mice confirmed HIF-alpha-activation in a murine in vivo model. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Taking together, these studies suggest hypoxia-independent activation of HIF-1alpha during infection with RSV in vitro and in vivo