An analytical survey of promotional drug literatures at C. U. Shah Medical College and Hospital, Surendranagar

Background: The research and marketing of a new drug requires a lot of money by the pharmaceutical companies. Promotion through advertising brochures and leaflets is widely used to influence the physicians. Most of the times, this information is the only source of new drug information for the physicians. Hence, this study to analyze the appropriateness, accuracy, and validity of promotional drug literatures was undertaken.Methods: Promotional materials were collected from outpatient departments of C. U. Shah Medical College and Hospital, Surendranagr. They were evaluated according to the “WHO criteria, 1988,” and the references cited to support the claims were checked for their validity and authenticity. The images and the pictorial content were evaluated to find out any biased nature of gender representation.Results: Evaluation of the total 486 brochures showed that none of them fulfilled all the nine criteria. Of the 308 claims, only 208 (42.79%) gave references to support the claims. Only 27 (39.13%) of the research articles among the 125 journal article cited were of high methodological quality. Among the 218 human figures, 144 were patients, and 103 were doctors. Female patients (62.5%) were depicted more than male patients (37.5%).Conclusion: The present study showed that pharmaceutical companies do not strictly follow the WHO guidelines and majority of the research were sponsored by companies. Hence, more stringent regulations need to be implemented for the proper promotion and dissemination of information about the new drugs

A comparative study of efficacy and safety of pitavastatin versus atorvastatin in the patients of dyslipidemia in medicine department of a tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the major cause of death globally. Dyslipidemia is one of the most significant risk factors for CVD. 3-hydroxy 3-methyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins), which are used for the treatment of dyslipidemia, has a beneficial effect in both primary and secondary prevention of CVD. Hence, this study was done to compare the efficacy and safety of atorvastatin versus pitavastatin in patients of dyslipidemias.Methods: After obtaining ethical clearance from institution and written informed consent from patients, 100 patients included in the study were randomly allocated to any of the following two groups. (1) Group A: Tablet atorvastatin 10 mg given orally once a day for 12 weeks. (2) Group B: Tablet pitavastatin 2 mg given orally once a day for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint of the study was a comparative assessment of change in lipid profile (triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein [LDL], high-density lipoprotein [HDL]) from baseline and after 12 weeks. The secondary endpoint involved recording all the adverse effects during the study.Results: Analysis of the baseline and post 12 weeks lipid levels by non-parametric unpaired t-test showed a statistically significant increase in HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) in Group B as compared to Group A (p=0.028 i.e. p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between two groups in decreasing LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) (p=0.615).Conclusions: In this study, pitavastatin is found to be more efficacious than atorvastatin in increasing HDL-C levels, while as efficacious as atorvastatin in decreasing LDL-C in dyslipidemic patients. Atorvastatin is better tolerated than pitavastatin

Estimation of foetal birth weight clinically and sonographically and its correlation with its actual birth weight: a prospective and comparative study

Background: Knowledge of fetal weight in utero is vital for the obstetrician in deciding whether to deliver the fetus as well as in fixing the mode of delivery. Both low birth weight and excessive fetal weight at delivery are associated with increased risk of newborn complications during labor and the puerperium.  During the last decade, estimated fetal weight has been incorporated into the standard routine antepartum evaluation of high-risk pregnancies and deliveries. Objective of present study was to assess the fetal weight in term pregnancies by Clinical and Sonographic and to compare the methods after knowing the actual weight of the baby after birth.Methods: It is a prospective and comparative study of 200 women at term pregnancy at Sir T. Hospital, Bhavnagar, India from 2015 to 2016. Patients within 7 days from their Expected Date of Delivery were included in the study. The formulas used in this study are: Johnson's formula, Dare’s formula and Hadlock's formula using ultrasound.Results: Results vary in terms of accuracy with various methods employed for estimating the fetal weight. This study showed that Dare’s Formula was the best indicator among all other methods assessed followed by Hadlock's formula by ultrasonographic method.Conclusions: SFH measurement continues to be used in many countries on large scale because of its low cost, ease of use and need for little training as the setup for ultrasonographic evaluation is not readily available in rural setups

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF EFFERVESCENT TABLETS OF TRIPHALA CHURNA

The present research work is based on the formulation of effervescent tablets. In the present investigation various standardization parameters such as physicochemical parameters like weight variation test, hardness test, friability, effervescent time, pH were carried out. The advantages of effervescent tablets forms include an opportunity for formulator to improve taste Triphala churna & also it is easy to carry & pack. It also gives a desired or calculated dose of medicament. It is concluded that the formulation has been prepared and evaluate by intervention of modern quality control measures

Probing the Physics of Narrow Line Regions in Active Galaxies II: The Siding Spring Southern Seyfert Spectroscopic Snapshot Survey (S7)

Here we describe the \emph{Siding Spring Southern Seyfert Spectroscopic Snapshot Survey} (S7) and present results on 64 galaxies drawn from the first data release. The S7 uses the Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS) mounted on the ANU 2.3m telescope located at the Siding Spring Observatory to deliver an integral field of $38\times25$~ arcsec at a spectral resolution of $R=7000$ in the red ($530-710$nm), and $R=3000$ in the blue ($340-560$nm). {From these data cubes we have extracted the Narrow Line Region (NLR) spectra from a 4 arc sec aperture centred on the nucleus. We also determine the H$\beta$ and [OIII]~$\lambda$5007 fluxes in the narrow lines, the nuclear reddening, the reddening-corrected relative intensities of the observed emission lines, and the H$\beta$ and \lOIII\ luminosities {determined from spectra for which the stellar continuum has been removed.} We present a set of images of the galaxies in [OIII]~$\lambda$5007, [NII]~$\lambda$6584 and H$\alpha$ which serve to delineate the spatial extent of the extended narrow line region (ENLR) and {\bf also to} reveal the structure and morphology of the surrounding \HII\ regions. Finally, we provide a preliminary discussion of those Seyfert~1 and Seyfert~2 galaxies which display coronal emission lines in order to explore the origin of these lines.Comment: Accepted for publication 9 Jan 2015, Astrophysical Journal Supplements. 49pages, 8 figure

S7 : Probing the physics of Seyfert Galaxies through their ENLR & HII Regions

Here we present the first results from the Siding Spring Southern Seyfert Spectroscopic Snapshot Survey (S7) which aims to investigate the physics of ~140 radio-detected southern active Galaxies with z<0.02 through Integral Field Spectroscopy using the Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS). This instrument provides data cubes of the central 38 x 25 arc sec. of the target galaxies in the waveband 340-710nm with the unusually high resolution of R=7000 in the red (530-710nm), and R=3000 in the blue (340-560nm). These data provide the morphology, kinematics and the excitation structure of the extended narrow-line region, probe relationships with the black hole characteristics and the host galaxy, measures host galaxy abundance gradients and the determination of nuclear abundances from the HII regions. From photoionisation modelling, we may determine the shape of the ionising spectrum of the AGN, discover whether AGN metallicities differ from nuclear abundances determined from HII regions, and probe grain destruction in the vicinity of the AGN. Here we present some preliminary results and modelling of both Seyfert galaxies observed as part of the survey.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, Invited Talk at the IAU symposium 30

Probing the Physics of Narrow Line Regions in Active Galaxies III: Accretion and Cocoon Shocks in the LINER NGC1052

We present Wide Field Spectrograph (WiFeS) integral field spectroscopy and HST FOS spectroscopy for the LINER galaxy NGC 1052. We infer the presence of a turbulent accretion flow forming a small-scale accretion disk. We find a large-scale outflow and ionisation cone along the minor axis of the galaxy. Part of this outflow region is photoionised by the AGN, and shares properties with the ENLR of Seyfert galaxies, but the inner ($R \lesssim 1.0$~arcsec) accretion disk and the region around the radio jet appear shock excited. The emission line properties can be modelled by a "double shock" model in which the accretion flow first passes through an accretion shock in the presence of a hard X-ray radiation, and the accretion disk is then processed through a cocoon shock driven by the overpressure of the radio jets. This model explains the observation of two distinct densities ($\sim10^4$ and $\sim10^6$ cm$^{-3}$), and provides a good fit to the observed emission line spectrum. We derive estimates for the velocities of the two shock components and their mixing fractions, the black hole mass, the accretion rate needed to sustain the LINER emission and derive an estimate for the jet power. Our emission line model is remarkably robust against variation of input parameters, and so offers a generic explanation for the excitation of LINER galaxies, including those of spiral type such as NGC 3031 (M81).Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal. 16 pages, 12 figure

Comparative Evaluation of Two Different Marketed Brands of Enalapril maleate

Efficacy of pharmaceuticals dosage form generally depends on their formulation properties and manufacturing methods, hence it is likely that the quality of dosage form may vary. Renin acts on angiotensinogen to form angiotensin I, which is converted to angiotensin II by angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). Angiotensin II, a potent vasoconstrictor increases blood pressure by increasing vasopressin&nbsp;production and aldosterone secretion. Enalaprilat, the active metabolite of enalapril, inhibits ACE, hence decreases levels of angiotensin II resulting in less vasoconstriction and decreased blood pressure. The study was exclusively experimental that used IP and other standard books to check in vitro quality of enalapril maleate tablet using different analytical techniques and procedure. Test for weight variation, hardness, friability, disintegration time, and dissolution were conducted. The dissolution test was performed at pH 6.8 for both the brands of the tablet. Further all the tablets passed weight variation, hardness, friability and disintegration test as per the pharmacopoeial standard. Hence we can conclude that both the brands of tablets are equal and both the brands contain equal quantity of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Both the brands having higher and lower costs exert similar action. Keywords: Enalapril maleate, In Vitro, Dissolution test, Enalapri

Heme metabolism genes Downregulated in COPD Cachexia.

IntroductionCachexia contributes to increased mortality and reduced quality of life in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and may be associated with underlying gene expression changes. Our goal was to identify differential gene expression signatures associated with COPD cachexia in current and former smokers.MethodsWe analyzed whole-blood gene expression data from participants with COPD in a discovery cohort (COPDGene, N = 400) and assessed replication (ECLIPSE, N = 114). To approximate the consensus definition using available criteria, cachexia was defined as weight-loss &gt; 5% in the past 12 months or low body mass index (BMI) (&lt; 20 kg/m2) and 1/3 criteria: decreased muscle strength (six-minute walk distance &lt; 350 m), anemia (hemoglobin &lt; 12 g/dl), and low fat-free mass index (FFMI) (&lt; 15 kg/m2 among women and &lt; 17 kg/m2 among men) in COPDGene. In ECLIPSE, cachexia was defined as weight-loss &gt; 5% in the past 12 months or low BMI and 3/5 criteria: decreased muscle strength, anorexia, abnormal biochemistry (anemia or high c-reactive protein (&gt; 5 mg/l)), fatigue, and low FFMI. Differential gene expression was assessed between cachectic and non-cachectic subjects, adjusting for age, sex, white blood cell counts, and technical covariates. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed using MSigDB.ResultsThe prevalence of COPD cachexia was 13.7% in COPDGene and 7.9% in ECLIPSE. Fourteen genes were differentially downregulated in cachectic versus non-cachectic COPD patients in COPDGene (FDR &lt; 0.05) and ECLIPSE (FDR &lt; 0.05).DiscussionSeveral replicated genes regulating heme metabolism were downregulated among participants with COPD cachexia. Impaired heme biosynthesis may contribute to cachexia development through free-iron buildup and oxidative tissue damage