A green Hibiscus cannabinus oil emollient cream for potential topical applications

A green emollient cream with Hibiscus cannabinus seed oil and an alkyl polyglucoside surfactant has been formulated. It can serve as biological alternatives to synthetic formulations that normally incorporate chemical constituents as surfactants and stabilizers mainly to increase consumer compliance in terms of textural and visual aesthetics. FAME analysis of the oil showed the presence octanoic and decanoic acids. The cream after formulation and ultrasonication, presented a smooth and soft appearance with visual and textural appeal. It showed a mean particle size of 138 nm with a zeta potential of -59.2 mV and an electrophoretic mobility of -0.000459 cm2/Vs. Its SEM image projected well dispersed oil globules in water. FTIR spectrum showed extensive hydrogen bonding. Accelerated stability tests under conditions of freeze thawing, heating cooling and centrifugation revealed no cracking, creaming or phase separation. Similar results were observed during the shelf life studies. It is concluded that this Hibiscus cannabinus cream can be utilized as an emollient base for loading cosmopharmaceutic ingredients for their topical delivery, without any toxicity concerns, as it is formulated from completely natural constituents

Etiological profile of fever of unknown origin in children between 1 month to 12 years admitted in an urban referral centre

Etiology of fever of unknown origin varies from region to region, and also with age. Although the relative frequencies are some what different, the three most commonly identified causes of fever of unknown origin in children are: Infectious diseases, Rheumatological disorders and Malignancies. The adage that a fever of unknown origin is more likely to be caused by an unusual manifestation of a common disorder than by a common manifestation of a rare disorder is true in pediatrics. Early identification of exact etiology will help in better management of similar cases in future. Hence to know the exact etiology of fever of unknown in children between 1 month - 12 years, in this region this study has been planned. OBJECTIVES: 1 To study the etiological profile, of fever of unknown origin in children between 1 month to 12 years. 2. To utilize the outcome of the present study in the management of similar cases in future so as to shorten the delay. MATERIALS AND METHODS: METHODOLOGY Study Design: Descriptive study. Study Place: Institute of child health and hospital for children, Egmore, Chennai. Study Period: August 2004 to March 2006. Sample Size: n - 182 cases. Case Definition: Children with a fever documented by a health care provider and for which the cause could not be identified after 3 wks of evaluation as an outpatient or after 1 wk of evaluation in hospital Inclusion criteria: 1. A documented fever of more than 38oC which is present at least twice weekly for longer than three weeks for outpatients. 2. A child with fever more than 38oC with no apparent diagnosis even after one week of inpatient investigations. All children who are satisfying above criteria are included. Exclusion criteria: 1. Immunocompromised children as defined by; a. Neutropenia: (WBC count <1000 per microlitre and or neutrophil count <500 per microlitre) b. Known HIV patient. c. An intake of immunosuppressive drugs or prednisolone more than 2mg/kg/day at least for 2 weeks/>20mg if weight >10kg. 2. Nosocomial FUO, is a hospital-associated disorder in which patients first manifest fever after having been hospitalized for at least 24hours, not present or incubating on admission 3. All children with insufficient basic work up on admission. 4. Etiologic diagnosis already established by referring physician. CONCLUSION: * A total of 182 children between 1 month-12 years with fever of unknown origin have been studied. Out of these, 106 were male and 76 were female. * Children in the age group of 3-6 years constitute the majority of the study population 26.9%. * Infections were the most common cause of FUO constituting 37.4%. * Among infections tuberculosis was the commonest one causing 12% of FUO. Typhoid (6.6%) and UTI (6.6%) were the next common infections. * The extrapulmonary tuberculosis was the commonest form tuberculosis observed. Of these extrapulmonary forms, abdominal tuberculosis was most commonly observed. * Brucellosis was observed as cause of FUO in six cases. The triad of fever, arthralgia / arthritis, and hepatosplenomegaly was observed in all six cases. * All the three culture negative infective endocarditis cases were diagnosed with the help of duke criteria. * Malignancy was the second most common cause of FUO occurring in 24.2%. In this group, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (16%) was most commonly observed as a cause FUO, followed by acute myeloid leukemia (3.8%) and Hodgkins lymphoma (2.2%). * Non infectious inflammatory disorders were the next common cause of FUO, occurring in 22%. Of these Juvenile Rheumatoid arthritis (13.7%) was the commonest, followed by SLE (5.5%) and non – specific vasculitis (2.2%). * Non invasive methods helped in arriving at decisive diagnosis in 102 (67.1%) cases, invasive method helped in diagnosis in 50 cases (32.8%). * The diagnostic workup of FUO remains complex; however, considerable evidence exists to guide empiric testing. The diagnostic workup should begin with a thorough history review and physical examination. Routine noninvasive investigations, are recommended in all patients prior to identifying a patient as having FUO

Spatial fluctuations at vertices of epithelial layers: quantification of regulation by Rho pathway

In living matter, shape fluctuations induced by acto-myosin are usually studied in vitro via reconstituted gels, whose properties are controlled by changing the concentrations of actin, myosin and cross-linkers. Such an approach deliberately avoids to consider the complexity of biochemical signaling inherent to living systems. Acto-myosin activity inside living cells is mainly regulated by the Rho signaling pathway which is composed of multiple layers of coupled activators and inhibitors. We investigate how such a pathway controls the dynamics of confluent epithelial tissues by tracking the displacements of the junction points between cells. Using a phenomenological model to analyze the vertex fluctuations, we rationalize the effects of different Rho signaling targets on the emergent tissue activity by quantifying the effective diffusion coefficient, the persistence time and persistence length of the fluctuations. Our results reveal an unanticipated correlation between layers of activation/inhibition and spatial fluctuations within tissues. Overall, this work connects the regulation via biochemical signaling with mesoscopic spatial fluctuations, with potential application to the study of structural rearrangements in epithelial tissues.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Finfish resources around Andaman and Nicobar islands

The average catch rate of finfishes obtained by FORV Sagar Sampada from the survey area in the Andaman Sea was 259 kg/hr and the yield ranged from 8.6 to 1260 kg/hr. Silver bellies was the most abundant component (37.5%) with a catch rate of 96.9 kg/hr. Carangids, elasmobranchs and perches accounted for 20.3%, 11.9% and 8.0% of the total catch and the corresponding catch rates were 52.5, 31.1 and 20.8 kg/hr respectively. The highest catch rate of 1260 kg/hr was recorded from 13°10'N - 92°37'E at a depth of 65m. The catch rate indicated that the depth zone 51-100 m is productive and yielded 84.7% of the total catch at a catch rate of 501.4 kg/hr. Although the pelagic trawl was operated at 38 stations, the catch realised was neghgible (0.83 kg/hr)

Bottle-nose dolphin stranded at Kovalam in Kerala

On 5th September 1998, an Indian bottle-nose dolphin {Tursiops truncatus aduncus Ehrenberg. 1833) was washed ashore at Ashoka beach in Kovalam

Familial chylomicronemia: A rare case report

We report a 5-day-old neonate born out of 3rd-degree consanguinity who presented with milky blood, hepatosplenomegaly, and lipemia retinalis (fundus examination). The baby was asymptomatic, euglycemic, and did not have xanthomas. Lipid profile was altered (total cholesterol - 2340 mg/dl, triglycerides (TG) - &gt;10,000 mg/dl, high-density lipoprotein - &lt;5 mg/dl, lipoprotein (a) - &lt;10.1 mg/dl, and apolipoprotein A1 - 795 mg/dl). Lipid profile of mother, father, and elder sibling were normal. The baby was started on skimmed milk powder and medium-chain TGs powder. The baby is under follow-up and lipid profile is improving

Stranding of a rare marine dolphin at Vizhinjam

On sighting a dolphin struggling for survival In the near shore area off Adimaithura (near Vizhinjam) on 31-08-1998, the fishermen encircled it with a shore seine. It was a rare marine Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus (Cuvier, 1812), measuring 250 cm in length. In spite of the medical treatments given for the injuries, it survived in the Marine Aquarium at Vizhinjam for about 13 hrs only

Occurrence of ribbonfish in the Indian EEZ

The survey conducted by FORV Sagar Sampada during 1985-91 (90 cruises) revealed the occurrence of ribbonfish in 56 stations out of 904 stations where fishing was conducted. It was reported from 41 stations along the west coast and 14 stations along the east coast. About 14 tonne of ribbonfish was caught in these operations which formed 4.8% of the total fish catch. West coast was more productive and contributed 93.6% of the catch, while the east coast only 6.4%. It abundantly occurred in the southwest, centralwest, northwest and northeast coasts. Depth-wise study revealed that major portion of the catch was obtained from within the 100 m depth zone. The dominant species reported was Trichiurus leptur

Abdominal pain with a twist

Malrotation in children is due to either an incomplete or non-rotation of the foetal mid-gut during perinatal development. Presentation is usually in the first few weeks of life, often with life-threatening volvulus and ischaemia. However, it can be a rare cause of abdominal pain in older children and young adults. We present such a case, as a reminder to emergency physicians that malrotation should be considered in the differential diagnosis of recurrent or chronic abdominal pain not only in children but also in adolescents