Comparative evaluation of anti-diabetic activity of fresh juice and ethanolic extract of Sunderban mangrove Rhizophora mucronata Lam. leaves in animal model

Background: Mangrove flora possess compounds with potential medicinal values with unique bioactive components. Traditionally Rhizophora mucronata, a mangrove has been used extensively for the treatment of diabetes. Studies revealed that, the leaves of Rhizophora (Bhora) had promising anti-diabetic action in rat model.Methods: A comparative analysis of the anti-diabetic action of fresh juice and ethanolic extract of Rhizophora mucronata leaves was carried out in Streptozotocin induced diabetic model and the different biochemical parameters were evaluated.Results: Present research explored a comparative analysis of the anti-diabetic action of fresh juice and ethanolic extract of leaves of Rhizophora mucronata Lam. in Streptozotocin induced diabetic model. The ethanolic extract showed more potent effect in lowering the elevated blood sugar in the diabetic rats, 200mg/kg was the most effective dose for both the extracts. The ethanol extract was more beneficial having potent lipid lowering action along with anti-hyperglycemic property.Conclusions: This supports the scientific validation for using Rhizophora mucronata leaves in the treatment of diabetes as traditional folk medicine. Identification of the bioactive molecule is under process

Efficient and secure business model for content centric network using elliptic curve cryptography

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/dac.3839Initially, Internet has evolved as a resource sharing model where resources are identified by IP addresses. However, with rapid technological advancement, resources/hardware has become cheap and thus, the need of sharing hardware over Internet is reduced. Moreover, people are using Internet mainly for information exchange and hence, Internet has gradually shifted from resource sharing to information sharing model. To meet the recent growing demand of information exchange, Content Centric Network (CCN) is envisaged as a clean‐slate future network architecture which is specially destined for smooth content distribution over Internet. In CCN, content is easily made available using network caching mechanism which is misaligned with the existing business policy of content providers/publishers in IP‐based Internet. Hence, the transition from contemporary IP‐based Internet to CCN demands attention for redesigning the business policy of the content publishers/providers. In this paper, we have proposed efficient and secure communication protocols for flexible CCN business model to protect the existing business policies of the content publisher while maintaining the salient CCN features like in‐network content caching and Interest packet aggregation. To enhance the efficiency and security, the Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is used. The proposed ECC‐based scheme is analyzed to show that it is resilient to relevant existing cryptographic attacks. The performance analysis in terms of less computation and communication overheads and increased efficiency is given. Moreover, a formal security verification of the proposed scheme is done using widely used AVISPA simulator and BAN logic that shows our scheme is well secured

Histologic and morphometric study of human placenta in gestational diabetes mellitus

Aims: The aim was to study morphometry, site of umbilical cord insertion and histological changes in placentae of women with gestational diabetes mellitus and compare the results with those of normal pregnancies and observe the perinatal outcome. Methods: It was an observational, correlational study of 130 placenta specimens collected from labour room and operation theatre of Department of Gynaecology & Obstetrics, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata. The subjects were mothers who attended antenatal clinic of the hospital regularly and delivered their babies in the same hospital. Cases were selected randomly, and divided in two groups: group A consisted of mothers having normal, uncomplicated pregnancy, group B consisted of mothers whose pregnancies were complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus. Morphometry, site of umbilical cord insertion and histological changes in placentae of all women were recorded. Perinatal outcome of the cases were also registered. The statistical methods used were chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test.Results: It was observed that the placentae of diabetic mothers were significantly bigger in size, weight, volume, area, thickness, diameter and circumference than those of normal mothers. Also, in diabetic mothers, there was significant increase in villous oedema, fibrin deposition, calcification and congestion of blood vessels. These placental changes were significantly correlated with birth weights of babies. Out of 70 mothers in Group B, 65 had live births, 5 had still-born babies.Conclusions: Placentae of women with GDM showed several changes that may be associated with impaired functioning, leading to bad perinatal outcome

ANTIDIABETIC EFFECT OF MIKANIA SCANDENS ON ALLOXAN-INDUCED RAT MODEL

 Objective: The objective was to study the evaluation of antidiabetic and antioxidant activity of different doses ethanolic extract of Mikania scandens leaves.Methods: The rats were divided into five groups of six animals each (non-diabetic control, diabetic control, standard drug-treated, and plant treated groups (250 and 500 mg/kg body weight)). Diabetes was induced in the healthy male Wistar rats (150–200 g body weight, 4–6 weeks old) by the administration of alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg, i.p.). On the 0th, 3th, 7th, 11th, and 15th days, the blood samples were analyzed for blood glucose. The antioxidant and antidiabetic parameters were evaluated by standard protocol. The liver tissue was used for histopathological assessment of liver damage.Results: The ethanolic extract of leaves of M. scandens showed a significant reduction (p<0.001) in the blood glucose levels and the antioxidant levels, with 500 mg/kg of body weight in the alloxan-induced diabetic rats as compared to the controls. Histopathological studies provided evidence that the leaf extract possesses antidiabetic activity.Conclusions: The ethanolic extract of leaves of M. scandens showed potent antidiabetic and antioxidant abilities against alloxan-induced rats, which indicate the presence of hypoglycemic constituents in the plant

Role of Imunomet in upper respiratory tract disorders: A randomized double blind placebo controlled clinical trial

281-283Upper respiratory tract disorders comprise 87.5% of total acute respiratory morbidity in children in India. This has become a major community health problem. The symptoms are often self limiting and many a time caused by viruses, however, recurrent attacks may lead to distinct morbidity. This study was conducted in hospital outpatient department on children who have been attending at frequent interval with complaints of sore throat, pharyngitis, tonsillitis. They were administered Imunomet syrup or tablet for a period of 8 weeks. At the end of the treatment, about 84% patients responded well to treatment and 16% patients had fair response to treatment. None of the patients showed any adverse reaction to treatment. The syrup was found to be palatable

AN AUDIT OF PRESCRIPTION FOR ANTIBIOTIC IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN KOLKATA, INDIA

Antibiotics are most commonly prescribed drugs in tertiary care hospitals; more than 30% of the hospitalised patients were treated with antibiotics. Rational use of antibiotics is very important to ensure the optimum treatment outcomes and to limit the emergence of bacterial resistance. Present study is a hospital based cross-sectional study carried out for a period of three months in different clinical departments of a tertiary care hospital to find out the antibiotics prescribing pattern. Out of total 551 evaluated prescriptions, an antibiotic was prescribed in 45.5% cases. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics were Moxifloxacin 19.5%, Metronidazole 10.4% and Amoxicillin+Cloxacillin 10.2%, broad spectrum antibiotics usage was higher & 87.7% of the antibiotics were prescribed by brand names. The appropriate use of antibiotic is a greatest need of the current situation all over the world. The rising antibiotic resistance is a global problem which is directly related with the irrational prescription of antibiotics

Anti-Ebola therapy for patients with Ebola virus disease: a systematic review

Background: Management of Ebola virus disease (EVD) has historically focused on infection prevention, case detection and supportive care. Several specific anti-Ebola therapies have been investigated, including during the 2014–2016 West African outbreak. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of the effect of anti-Ebola virus therapies on clinical outcomes to guide their potential use and future evaluation. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Global Health, Cochrane Library, African Index Medicus, WHOLIS (inception-9 April 2018), and trial registries for observational studies or clinical trials, in any language, that enrolled patients with confirmed EVD who received therapy targeting Ebola virus and reported on mortality, symptom duration, or adverse effects. Results: From 11,257 citations and registered trials, we reviewed 55 full-text citations, of which 35 met eligibility criteria (1 randomized clinical trial (RCT), 8 non-randomized comparative studies, 9 case series and 17 case reports) and collectively examined 21 anti-Ebola virus agents. The 31 studies performed during the West African outbreak reported on 4.8% (1377/28616) of all patients with Ebola. The only RCT enrolled 72 patients (0.25% of all patients with Ebola) and compared the monoclonal antibody ZMapp vs. standard care (mortality, 22% vs. 37%; 95% confidence interval for risk difference, − 36 to 7%). Studies of convalescent plasma, interferon-β-1a, favipiravir, brincidofovir, artesunate-amodiaquine and TKM-130803 were associated with at least moderate risk of bias. Conclusions: Research evaluating anti-Ebola virus agents has reached very few patients with EVD, and inferences are limited by non-randomized study designs. ZMapp has the most promising treatment signal.Medicine, Faculty ofNon UBCInfectious Diseases, Division ofMedicine, Department ofPediatrics, Department ofReviewedFacult

Priorities, Barriers, and Facilitators towards International Guidelines for the Delivery of Supportive Clinical Care during an Ebola Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Survey

During the Ebola outbreak, mortality reduction was attributed to multiple improvements in supportive care delivered in Ebola treatment units (ETUs). We aimed to identify high-priority supportive care measures, as well as perceived barriers and facilitators to their implementation, for patients with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). We conducted a cross-sectional survey of key stakeholders involved in the response to the 2014–2016 West African EVD outbreak. Out of 57 email invitations, 44 responses were received, and 29 respondents completed the survey. The respondents listed insufficient numbers of health workers (23/29, 79%), improper tools for the documentation of clinical data (n = 22/28, 79%), insufficient material resources (n = 22/29, 76%), and unadapted personal protective equipment (n = 20/28, 71%) as the main barriers to the provision of supportive care in ETUs. Facilitators to the provision of supportive care included team camaraderie (n in agreement = 25/28, 89%), ability to speak the local language (22/28, 79%), and having treatment protocols in place (22/28, 79%). This survey highlights a consensus across various stakeholders involved in the response to the 2014–2016 EVD outbreak on a limited number of high-priority supportive care interventions for clinical practice guidelines. Identified barriers and facilitators further inform the application of guidelines.Medicine, Faculty ofNon UBCInfectious Diseases, Division ofMedicine, Department ofPediatrics, Department ofPopulation and Public Health (SPPH), School ofReviewedFacult

Establishing Healthcare Worker Performance and Safety in Providing Critical Care for Patients in a Simulated Ebola Treatment Unit: Non-Randomized Pilot Study

Improving the provision of supportive care for patients with Ebola is an important quality improvement initiative. We designed a simulated Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) to assess performance and safety of healthcare workers (HCWs) performing tasks wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) in hot (35 °C, 60% relative humidity) or thermo-neutral (20 °C, 20% relative humidity) conditions. In this pilot phase to determine the feasibility of study procedures, HCWs in PPE were non-randomly allocated to hot or thermo-neutral conditions to perform peripheral intravenous (PIV) and midline catheter (MLC) insertion and endotracheal intubation (ETI) on mannequins. Eighteen HCWs (13 physicians, 4 nurses, 1 nurse practitioner; 2 with prior ETU experience; 10 in hot conditions) spent 69 (10) (mean (SD)) minutes in the simulated ETU. Mean (SD) task completion times were 16 (6) min for PIV insertion; 33 (5) min for MLC insertion; and 16 (8) min for ETI. Satisfactory task completion was numerically higher for physicians vs. nurses. Participants’ blood pressure was similar, but heart rate was higher (p = 0.0005) post-simulation vs. baseline. Participants had a median (range) of 2.0 (0.0–10.0) minor PPE breaches, 2.0 (0.0–6.0) near-miss incidents, and 2.0 (0.0–6.0) health symptoms and concerns. There were eight health-assessment triggers in five participants, of whom four were in hot conditions. We terminated the simulation of two participants in hot conditions due to thermal discomfort. In summary, study tasks were suitable for physician participants, but they require redesign to match nurses’ expertise for the subsequent randomized phase of the study. One-quarter of participants had a health-assessment trigger. This research model may be useful in future training and research regarding clinical care for patients with highly infectious pathogens in austere settings.Medicine, Faculty ofNon UBCInfectious Diseases, Division ofMedicine, Department ofPediatrics, Department ofReviewedFacultyResearcherOthe