TEKNIK HYDROPRIMING DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN SENYAWA ORGANIK TERHADAP PENINGKATAN VIGOR BENIH BENIH MANGGIS

An experiment was conducted at seed science and technology laboratory, agriculture Faculty, Unsyiah from Mei to Agustus 2003. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the effect of organic compound on improving of mangosteen seed vigor. The research was calcilated with non factorial, based on Complete Randomized Design with four replications. The treatments were control and organic compound of five levels, i.e. coconut oil, corn, banana, carrot, and tomato. Each extract concentration used was 15%. Variables such as growth potential, seedling growth rate, speed of germination, and uniformity of growth were measured. The results showed that all organic compound significantly increased growth potential, seedling growth rate, speed of germination, and uniformity of groth. The coconut milk treatment is the best to increase mangosteen seed vigor

Successful Surgical Resection of Advanced Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Post Neoadjuvent Therapy

We report a case of a 48-year-old Indian male who presented with swelling and firmness in his left upper part of the abdomen of one month duration with anorexia and weight loss. Initial examination revealed an intra abdominal mass of around 16.8x11.0x24.5cm with minimal left sided pleural effusion. A biopsy from the mass confirmed the diagnosis of gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GISTs) as supported by immmunohistochemistry results which showed strong positivity for c-kit while stains for smooth muscle actin, desmin, myoglobin, S100 Protein and cytokerstin remained negative. The patient was not suitable for surgical intervention in view of advanced tumor, and Imatinib Mesylate 400mg daily was started with the aim of making the tumor operable. Such therapy lasted for twenty months and was tolerated well by the patient. It then resulted in gradual tumor regression, following which the patient underwent successful tumor resection. Post surgical resection patient had no radiological evidence of intra abdominal tumor but mild left sided pleural effusion with left lower lobe atelectasis. The patient had uneventful post operative recovery and he is currently on Imatinib mesylate and tolerating treatment well with mild skin rash. The experience with preoperative imatinib on surgical resection rates and post operative outcomes is limited especially with primary locally advanced GISTs. In our case successful surgical resection was possible for a huge locally advanced GIST with unusually prolonged treatment of twenty months with imatinib preoperatively

Formulation and Permeation Kinetic Studies of Flurbiprofen Gel

Purpose: To investigate the in vitro permeation and drug release kinetics of flurbiprofen gel.Methods: Thirteen batches (G1, G2 … G13) of flurbiprofen gels were prepared using different ratios ofpermeation enhancers, i.e., propylene glycol (PG) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), by response surface methodology (RSM). Viscosity, pH, spreadability, consistency and drug content of the flurbiprofen gels were measured. Permeation experiments were conducted using silicone membrane in a modified Franz diffusion cell. Permeation parameters determined include diffusion coefficient (D), Flux (J), lag time (tLag), permeation coefficient (Kp), input rate (IR) and enhancement ratio (ER). Primary skin irritation test was performed for the optimized gel, G3, using 11 human volunteers.Results: Maximum solubility (72.15 ± 0.02 mg/mL) of flurbiprofen was observed in a mixture (2:1) of methanol and water. Partition coefficient (Ko/w) was determined as logP = 3.68 ± 0.11. The gels were stable under various storage conditions, and were homogenous, crystalline and transparent. Viscosity, pH, spreadability, consistency and drug content were in the range of 150 – 178 × 102 cps, 5.42 - 5.75, 5.0 - 7.0 g.cm/s, 3.0 - 9.0 mm, and 97.99 - 99.86 %, respectively. No irritation or lesions (erythma, redness and ulceration) occurred in human volunteers over a 30-day period. The optimized formulation, G3, showed maximum flux through silicone membrane.Conclusion: PG and PEG are effective enhancers of flurbiprofen from  various formulations when used in various ratios.Keywords: Flurbiprofen, Gel, Diffusion, Permeation enhancers, Skin irritation, Silicone membran

Prediabetes management in the Middle East, Africa and Russia: Current status and call for action:

Most data on the burden of diabetes and prediabetes are from countries where local infrastructure can support reliable estimates of the burden of non-communicable diseases. Countries in the Middle ..

Evaluation of gut modulatory and bronchodilator activities of Amaranthus spinosus Linn.

Background The aqueous-methanolic extract of Amaranthus spinosus (A. spinosus Linn.,) whole plant, was studied for its laxative, spasmolytic and bronchodilator activities to validate some of its medicinal uses. Methods The crude extract of A. spinosus was studied in-vivo for bronchodilator and laxative activities and in-vitro using isolated tissue preparations which were mounted in tissue baths assembly containing physiological salt solutions, maintained at 37°C and aerated with carbogen, to assess the spasmolytic effect and to find out the possible underlying mechanisms. Results In the in-vivo experiments in mice, the administration of A. spinosus increased fecal output at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg showing laxative activity. It also inhibited carbachol-induced bronchospasm in anesthetized rats at 1, 3, 10 and 30 mg/kg indicative of bronchodilator activity. When tested on isolated gut preparations, the plant extract showed a concentration-dependent (0.01-10.0 mg/ml) spasmogenic effect in spontaneously contracting rabbit jejunum and guinea-pig ileum. The spasmogenic effect was partially blocked in tissues pretreated with atropine (0.1 μM). When tested on K+ (80 mM)-induced sustained contractions in isolated rabbit jejunum, the plant extract caused complete relaxation and also produced a shift in the Ca++ concentration-response curves (CRCs) towards right, similar to diltiazem. In rabbit trachea, the plant extract completely inhibited K+ (80 mM) and carbachol (CCh, 1 μM)-induced contractions at 1 mg/ml but pretreatment of tissue with propranolol (1 μM), caused around 10 fold shift in the inhibitory CRCs of the plant extract constructed against CCh-induced contraction. The plant extract (up to 0.3 mg/ml) also increased both force and rate of spontaneous contractions of isolated guinea-pig atria, followed by relaxation at higher concentration (1.0-5.0 mg/ml). The cardio-stimulant effect was abolished in the presence of propranolol, similar to that of isoprenaline. Activity-directed fractionation revealed that the spasmolytic component(s) was separated in the organic fraction, whereas the spasmogenic component was concentrated in the aqueous fraction. Conclusion These results indicate that A. spinosus possesses laxative activity partially mediated through cholinergic action. The spasmolytic effect was mediated through calcium channel blocking (CCB), while bronchodilator activity through a combination of β-adrenergic and CCB pathways, which may explain the traditional uses of A. spinosus in gut and airways disorders

Alcohol and marijuana use while driving-an unexpected crash risk in Pakistani commercial drivers: a cross-sectional survey

Background:A significant proportion of road traffic crashes are attributable to alcohol and marijuana use while driving globally. Sale and use of both substances is illegal in Pakistan and is not considered a threat for road traffic injuries. However literature hints that this may not be the case. We did this study to assess usage of alcohol and marijuana in Pakistani commercial drivers.Methods:A sample of 857 commercial bus and truck drivers was interviewed in October 2008 at the largest commercial vehicle station in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan. Time location cluster sampling was used to select the subjects and a structured questionnaire was used to assess the basic demographic profile, substance abuse habits of the drivers while on the road, and reasons for usage of illicit substances while driving were recorded. Self reported information was collected after obtaining informed consent. Chi square and fisher exact tests were used to assess differences between groups and logistic regression was used to identify significant associations between driver characteristics and alcohol and marijuana use.Results:Almost 10% of truck drivers use alcohol while driving on Pakistani roads. Marijuana use is almost 30% in some groups. Statistically different patterns of usage are seen between population subgroups based on age, ethnicity, education, and marital status. Regression analysis shows association of alcohol and marijuana use with road rage and error behaviours, and also with an increased risk of being involved in road crashes. The reported reasons for using alcohol or marijuana show a general lack of awareness of the hazardous nature of this practice among the commercial driver population.Conclusion:Alcohol and marijuana use is highly prevalent in Pakistani commercial drivers. The issue needs to be recognized by concerned authorities and methods such as random breath tests and sobriety check points need to be employed for proper law enforcement

Validation of Endogenous Control Genes for Gene Expression Studies on Human Ocular Surface Epithelium

PURPOSE: To evaluate a panel of ten known endogenous control genes (ECG) with quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qPCR), for identification of stably expressed endogenous control genes in the ocular surface (OS) epithelial regions including cornea, limbus, limbal epithelial crypt and conjunctiva to normalise the quantitative reverse transcription PCR data of genes of interest expressed in above-mentioned regions. METHOD: The lasermicrodissected (LMD) OS epithelial regions of cryosectioned corneoscleral buttons from the cadaver eyes were processed for RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis to detect genes of interest with qPCR. Gene expression of 10 known ECG--glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), beta actin (ACTB), peptidylprolyl isomerase (PPIA), TATA-box binding protein (TBP1), hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT1), beta glucuronidase (GUSB), Eucaryotic 18S ribosomal RNA (18S), phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK1), beta-2-microglobulin (B2M), ribosomal protein, large, P0 (RPLP0)--was measured in the OS epithelial regions by qPCR method and the data collected was further analysed using geNorm software. RESULTS: The expression stability of ecgs in the os epithelial regions in increasing order as determined with genorm software is as follows: ACTB<18S<TBP<B2M<PGK1<HPRT1<GUSB<GAPDH<PPIA-RPLP0. In this study, geNorm analysis has shown the following ECGs pairs to be most stably expressed in individual OS epithelial regions: HPRT1-TBP in cornea, GUSB-PPIA in limbus, B2M-PPIA and RPLP0-TBP in LEC and conjunctiva respectively. However, across the entire ocular surface including all the regions mentioned above, PPIA-RPLP0 pair was shown to be most stable. CONCLUSION: This study has identified stably expressed ECGs on the OS epithelial regions for effective qPCR results in genes of interest. The results from this study are broadly applicable to quantitative reverse transcription PCR studies on human OS epithelium and provide evidence for the use of PPIA-RPLP0 ECGs pair in quantitative reverse transcription PCR across the OS epithelium

The Merging of Two Dynasties—Identification of an African Cotton Leaf Curl Disease-Associated Begomovirus with Cotton in Pakistan

Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is a severe disease of cotton that occurs in Africa and Pakistan/northwestern India. The disease is caused by begomoviruses in association with specific betasatellites that differ between Africa and Asia. During survey of symptomatic cotton in Sindh (southern Pakistan) Cotton leaf curl Gezira virus (CLCuGV), the begomovirus associated with CLCuD in Africa, was identified. However, the cognate African betasatellite (Cotton leaf curl Gezira betasatellite) was not found. Instead, two Asian betasatellites, the CLCuD-associated Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite (CLCuMB) and Chilli leaf curl betasatellite (ChLCB) were identified. Inoculation of the experimental plant species Nicotiana benthamiana showed that CLCuGV was competent to maintain both CLCuMB and ChLCB. Interestingly, the enations typical of CLCuD were only induced by CLCuGV in the presence of CLCuMB. Also in infections involving both CLCuMB and ChLCB the enations typical of CLCuMB were less evident. This is the first time an African begomovirus has been identified on the Indian sub-continent, highlight the growing threat of begomoviruses and particularly the threat of CLCuD causing viruses to cotton cultivation in the rest of the world