COMPARATIVE PHYSICO-CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF ROOTS OF YELLOW KARWEER (THEVETIA NERIIFOLIA JUSS) BEFORE AND AFTER PURIFICATION PROCESS

Yellow Karweer/ oleander (Thevetia neriifolia synonym Thevetia peruviana) belongs to the family Apocynaceae. It is a poisonous plant, with various pharmacological activities. It is used by Ayurvedic physician in various diseases, especially in the skin disease. Karweer are potentially lethal plants after ingestion. All parts of the plants are toxic and contain a variety of cardiac glycosides. Excess use of Karaweer results in nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, dysrhythmia and hypocalcaemia in most cases. Administration of Karweer is recommended only after the Shodhana (purification procedures) in Godugdha (cow’s milk).MethodAfter purification with cow’s milk by boiling method, Yellow Karweer root was evaluated for their pharmacognostical and pharmaceutical analysis. The obtained roots were investigated for their powder microscopically characters, phytochemical characters like preliminary phytochemical screening and Thin layer chromatography as per the API guidelines.ResultsOrganoleptic study shows variations in colour, odour, taste and appearance in all samples after purification. Microscopically study of powder highlights some changes like more number of oil globules in Godugdha (cow's milk) purified sample. Preliminary phytochemical screening reveals the presence of alkaloids, saponin glycoside, flavonoids, reducing sugar, etc.ConclusionThe observed data can be helpful to delineate the impact of purification process on yellow Karweer roots. Media has an important role to reduce the toxic effects and increase the potency

A NOVEL HPTLC METHOD FOR SIMULTANEOUS DETERMINATION OF CO-ENZYME Q10 AND α-TOCOPHEROL IN BULK AND PHARMACEUTICAL FORMULATION

Objective: HPTLC Method for Simultaneous quantification of co-enzyme Q10 and α-tocopherol in bulk and capsule dosage form was developed and validated as per International Conference on Harmonization [(ICH) Q2 (R1)] guideline.Methods: The chromatograms were developed using a mobile phase of Toluene: ethyl acetate: chloroform (10:1:2 v/v/v) on Pre-coated silica 60F 254 plates and quantified by densitometric absorbance mode at 280 nm.Results: The Rf values were 0.77 and 0.87 for co-enzyme Q10 and α-tocopherol, respectively. The linearity of the method was found to be in the concentration range of 0.6µg-1.8 µg/band for α-tocopherol and 2 µg-6 µg/band for co-enzyme Q10. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.3154 and 0.9559 µg/band for α-tocopherol and 3.441 and 10.42 µg/band for co-enzyme Q10.Conclusion: Developed densitometric method was found to be robust, precise, accurate, and rapid and can be used to analyse fixed-dose capsule samples of co-enzyme Q10 and α-tocopherol

Investigating Agile Adaptation for Project Development

Agile methodologies adaptation in software companies is an accepted norm.Rapid application development and efficient deliverables being the premise. The changing business needs, cost effectiveness and timely delivery are catered to by agile methods. Different software development models are in the literature and also are being used by the industry. Few companies have adopted agile, few are gearing up for and few are in transition. We investigated agile presence in a software company.Project management is an evolving art with innovative methods being added up.The aim of this paper is to tease about project management challenges, agile, agile transition in companies and a comparison of conventional software engineering practices with agile process model.This paper takes stock of the current status of quality in software projects and to add on quality process improvement strategies. The results presented here are after a qualitative interview study with one cross function team using streamline development framework in agile development

Alterations in the Phosphorus Metabolism During Seed Germination of Simarouba glauca

Phosphorus (P) is the second most important macronutrient for plant growth and is responsible for plant metabolism. Phosphorus is an important component of nucleic acid and also a component of phospholipids as a basic requirement for cellular organization and function as a membrane building block. Plants respond to Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) in phosphorus content in a variety of ways. A study was conducted to assess the activities of acid and alkaline phosphatases on seed germination and seedling growth in response to various PGRs of S. glauca at different time intervals. Seeds were subjected to 100 ppm solutions of various PGRs, which include GA, 6-BA, CCC, SA, Cysteine, and Methionine. The activity of the enzymes ATPase, acid phosphatase, and alkaline phosphatase increases in response to the most of PGRs

A comparative study of efficacy of argyreia speciosa and orlistat for their anti-obesity action in high fat diet induced obese rats

Background: To compare the anti-obesity action of Argyreia speciosa root extract with standard anti-obesity drug orlistat. Healthy Sprague-Dawley rats (100-200g, n=50) were obtained from the animal house. Dose of Orlistat was 32.4mg/kg/day and Dose of Argyreia speciosa root was 500mg/kg/day.Methods: Food induced obesity model was used. Following parameters were evaluated: Total Cholesterol (mg/dl), Triglyceride (mg/dl), HDL-cholesterol (mg/dl), LDL cholesterol (mg/dl), atherogenic index, serum lipase (U/L). Analysis was done by one way ANOVA followed by post-hoc test and Graph Pad Prism version 5.00 was used for the analysis.Results: Total cholesterol, triglcerides, LDL cholesterol and Atherogenic index was significantly lesser in the rats fed with CD+O group and CD+ASE group than in the animals from CD group (p<0.05). It was also significantly lesser in the rats fed with CD+O+ASE than in the animals from CD group (p<0.05). HDL cholesterol was significantly greater in the rats fed with CD+O group and CD+ASE group than in the animals from CD group (p<0.05). It was also significantly greater in the rats fed with CD+O+ASE than in the animals from CD group (p<0.05).Conclusions: ASE significantly reduces total cholesterol (mg/dl), triglyceride (mg/dl), LDL cholesterol (mg/dl) and atherogenic index, it significantly increases HDL- cholesterol (mg/dl) and it is comparable to orlistat. Thus the anti-obesity action of ASE is comparable to orlistat

Effects of plant growth regulators on the carbohydrate accumulation in Simarouba glauca seedlings

A study was conducted to assess the accumulation of carbohydrate in germinating seeds as well as leaves, stem and roots of Simarouba glauca in response to various Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs). Field experiment was carried out to investigate effect of foliar application of PGRs like 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BA), gibberellic acid (GA), chlormequat (CCC), salicylic acid (SA), cysteine and methionine with 5 and 20 ppm concentration on carbohydrate content of Simarouba glauca DC whereas Seeds were subjected to 100 ppm solutions of various PGRs, which include GA, 6-BA, CCC, SA, Cysteine, and Methionine. It could be concluded that application of PGRs affect the carbohydrate metabolism or synthesis. Thus, the application of growth regulators in present study will be beneficial for induction of synthesis of primary metabolic products followed by synthesis of secondary metabolites of S. glauca

Design and implementation of a community-based mother-to-mother peer support programme for the follow-up of low birthweight infants in rural western Kenya

Background: Globally, low birthweight (LBW) infants ( Methods: Key informant interviews were conducted with 10 mothers of neonates (infants days) from two rural communities in western Kenya. These data informed the identification of key characteristics required for mother-to-mother peer supporters (peer mothers) following up LBW infants post discharge. Forty potential peer mothers were invited to attend a 5-day training programme that focused on three main themes: supportive care using appropriate communication, identification of severe illness, and recommended care strategies for LBW infants. Sixteen peer mothers were mentored to conduct seven community follow-up visits to each mother-LBW infant pair with fifteen completing all the visits over a 6-month period. A mixed methods approach was used to evaluate the implementation of the programme. Quantitative data of peer mother socio-demographic characteristics, recruitment, and retention was collected. Two post-training focus group discussions were conducted with the peer mothers to explore their experiences of the programme. Descriptive statistics were generated from the quantitative data and the qualitative data was analysed using a thematic framework. Results: The median age of the peer mothers was 26 years (range 21–43). From March-August 2019, each peer mother conducted a median of 28 visits (range 7–77) with fourteen (88%) completing all their assigned follow-up visits. Post training, our interviews suggest that peer mothers felt empowered to promote appropriate infant feeding practices. They gave multiple examples of improved health seeking behaviours as a result of the peer mother training programme. Conclusion: Our peer mother training programme equipped peer mothers with the knowledge and skills for the post-discharge follow-up of LBW infants in this rural community in Kenya. Community-based interventions for LBW infants, delivered by appropriately trained peer mothers, have the potential to address the current gaps in post-discharge care for these infants

Assessing a digital technology-supported community child health programme in India using the Social Return on Investment framework.

An estimated 5.0 million children aged under 5 years died in 2020, with 82% of these deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia. Over one-third of Mumbai's population has limited access to healthcare, and child health outcomes are particularly grave among the urban poor. We describe the implementation of a digital technology-based child health programme in Mumbai and evaluate its holistic impact. Using an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered mobile health platform, we developed a programme for community-based management of child health. Leveraging an existing workforce, community health workers (CHW), the programme was designed to strengthen triage and referral, improve access to healthcare in the community, and reduce dependence on hospitals. A Social Return on Investment (SROI) framework is used to evaluate holistic impact. The programme increased the proportion of illness episodes treated in the community from 4% to 76%, subsequently reducing hospitalisations and out-of-pocket expenditure on private healthcare providers. For the total investment of Indian Rupee (INR) 2,632,271, the social return was INR 34,435,827, delivering an SROI ratio of 13. The annual cost of the programme per child was INR 625. Upskilling an existing workforce such as CHWs, with the help of AI-driven decision- support tools, has the potential to extend capacity for critical health services into community settings. This study provides a blueprint for evaluating the holistic impact of health technologies using evidence-based tools like SROI. These findings have applicability across income settings, offering clear rationale for the promotion of technology-supported interventions that strengthen healthcare delivery

Access, acceptance and adherence to cancer prehabilitation: a mixed-methods systematic review

Purpose The purpose of this systematic review is to better understand access to, acceptance of and adherence to cancer prehabilitation. Methods MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, Embase, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, ProQuest Medical Library, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and grey literature were systematically searched for quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods studies published in English between January 2017 and June 2023. Screening, data extraction and critical appraisal were conducted by two reviewers independently using Covidence™ systematic review software. Data were analysed and synthesised thematically to address the question ‘What do we know about access, acceptance and adherence to cancer prehabilitation, particularly among socially deprived and minority ethnic groups?’ The protocol is published on PROSPERO CRD42023403776 Results Searches identified 11,715 records, and 56 studies of variable methodological quality were included: 32 quantitative, 15 qualitative and nine mixed-methods. Analysis identified facilitators and barriers at individual and structural levels, and with interpersonal connections important for prehabilitation access, acceptance and adherence. No study reported analysis of facilitators and barriers to prehabilitation specific to people from ethnic minority communities. One study described health literacy as a barrier to access for people from socioeconomically deprived communities. Conclusions There is limited empirical research of barriers and facilitators to inform improvement in equity of access to cancer prehabilitation