Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of hydroalcoholic extract of Piper betle leaves in experimental animals

Background: Piper betle leaf, commonly known as ‘paan’ has long been known for its various medicinal properties in traditional medicine but certain properties have remained less explored. We tried to assess the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of Piper betle leaves.Methods: Hydroalcoholic extract of Piper betle leaves (HEPBL) was extracted using soxhlet apparatus and its phytochemical analysis was performed. Wistar rats and Albino mice were used for all the experiments. Acute toxicity study was also done according to OECD guideline no.425 and the test doses were decided accordingly. The experimental models of tail-flick method and acetic acid induced writhing were used to study the analgesic activity whereas carrageenan induced paw edema and cotton pellet granuloma models were used for anti-inflammatory action. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Dunnett's test.Results: HEPBL showed significant analgesic activity at the doses of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg, and showed significant anti-inflammatory activity at the doses of 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg. The sub-therapeutic dose of HEPBL at 50 mg/kg also potentiated the analgesic effect of sub-therapeutic doses of standard analgesics. The analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of P.betle may be attributed to the presence of various phyto constituents’ viz. flavonoids, tannins, phenols and glycosides.Conclusions: HEPBL has significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity in experimental animals in our study

A survey of early career psychiatrists’ of India towards homosexuality

Background: Attitude of today’s early career psychiatrists (ECPs), those who have qualified as psychiatrists in the past 7 years, will have a bearing on how homosexuality will be perceived in the coming decades. Hence a study was planned to assess these attitudes of ECPs towards homosexuality.Methods: It was an online survey based cross-sectional study. After obtaining an informed consent, the ECPs were enquired about their age, religion, gender, place of work (urban/rural), profile of work (teaching institute/clinic/hospital/community), their frequency and comfort in attending the homosexual patients and their comfort in referring their patient to a homosexual colleague. Further all the consenting ECPs were asked to fill in the heterosexual attitude towards homosexuality (HATH) scale.Results: The mean age of the study group of ECPs (n=57) was 34.07±3.12 and their male female ratio was 2.35. Most of the respondents attend 1-10 homosexual patients per year (n=49), 54 (94.73%) were comfortable handling homosexual patients and 45 (78.94%) were comfortable referring their patient to a homosexual colleague. The mean HATH score of all the ECPs was 58.51±6.67 and it did not vary across gender, place of practice (rural/urban) and profile of practice (teaching institute/clinic/hospital/community).Conclusions: The attitude of ECPs towards homosexuality is neutral and doesn’t vary across gender, place of practice or profile of practice. Most of the ECPs are comfortable handling homosexual patients and also feel comfortable referring their patients to homosexual colleagues.

Comparing the personal oral hygiene practices among Government and Private school children of Mahabubnagar, Telangana state - A cross sectional study

Introduction: Oral health is fundamental to general health and well-being. A healthy mouth enables an individual to talk, eat, and socialize without experiencing active disease, discomfort, or embarrassment. Objectives: To assess the knowledge and oral hygiene practices of school children from both Government and Private schools in Mahabubnagar district. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 children aged 11–15 years were randomly selected from six Private and six Government schools. A questionnaire related to their personal and oral hygiene practices was distributed to the school children. Results: The results of this study showed thatmost respondents had a good knowledge of basic hygiene measures and positive attitude towards oral hygiene. The students of both schools exhibited poor oral hygiene practices but were significantly reported more in the Government school than in the Private schools (p<0.005). Majority of the respondents (91.3%) used a commercial toothbrush and toothpaste and half of them (50%) reported brushing twice a day. Two-third of the respondents (75%), had never visited a dental clinic. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the knowledge and oral hygiene practices of Government school children were less satisfactory in someaspects when compared to private school children.&nbsp

Mapping provision of enterprise education and support for entrepreneurship in England's higher education institutions

The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of support for enterprise and entrepreneurship education within England's Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The paper is based upon the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) Mapping Study of this activity. Research commissioned by NCGE (NCGE 2004; Hannon, 2005) has shown that there is a growing knowledge base about enterprise education but less so concerning the provision for student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship. There has been no recent study that has comprehensively mapped enterprise education activity in all higher education institutions across England. Institutional contacts in 94% of all the HEIs for this study entered data into an online institutional mapping template containing questions on modules/courses, non-accredited support and other institutional characteristics. The researchers maintained regular telephone contact and made personal visits to maximise data entry and to provide support where needed. This approach has led to the collection of a unique and robust data set that has been thoroughly and empirically analysed using SPSS. The paper presents a national overview and highlights selected regional variations in enterprise education and non–accredited entrepreneurship support. This includes: current and planned course provision over time; student profiles and targets; primary learning outcomes; non-accredited provision and student engagement; primary funding sources; and the development of a range of institutional characteristics conducive to supporting student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship. The findings from the mapping study illuminate the current HE landscape of support for enterprise and entrepreneurship thereby providing HEIs and educators with a valuable national resource as well as informing other key stakeholders – RDAs and central government – of the scope and scale of the contribution that HEIs offer to regional economic and social agendas. From such a unique evidence base more informed decisions can be taken in considering effective mechanisms for the future growth and development of HEI contributions. This paper offers the findings from a current comprehensive dataset on the HE provision of enterprise and entrepreneurship education in England. With 94% of the HEIs in the study providing data online the study has also created a nationaldatabase that can be a platform for sharing knowledge and experience across the community. Furthermore conducting a repeat online study on an annual basis will provide valuable time series data. The study findings will help shape the future environment for student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship across England

Analysis of Irregular High Raised RCC Buildings by Using Tuned Mass Damping System

Tall buildings are indispensable in urban areas due to high cost of land, shortage of open spaces and scarcity of lands. The tall buildings are in general highly vulnerable to lateral forces arising out of cyclones and earthquakes. Designing the structures to withstand these occasional lateral forces is very expensive; hence it is not always desirable. The measures to reduce the lateral forces are by way of reducing the weight of the structure and by reducing the exposed faces to thwart wind. However the architectural requirement and the utility of the building have to be honored at all times by the structural designer. Though the technique of Tuned mass damping (TMD) is very well appreciated, the mathematical implications involved in finding the magnitude of mass, stiffness and damping of the TMD is highly intricate and suitable TMD system for a given building structure, which shall remain an integral part of the structure itself, placed on top of the building yet serves the purpose of reducing the earthquake effects on buildings. The TMD methodology adopted for three irregular R.C. framed models having + (Plus)-shape , C-shape and T-shape in plan. This apart the device shall find its utility for all zones of seismic activity and ground/structural conditions and introduces various structural motion control methodologies with focus on tuned mass damping systems. The control properties and some aspects of TMD parameters are outlined. ETABS software is used for dynamic analysis of various shapes of the framed buildings

Synthesis, Spectral Characterization and Antimicrobial Studies of Co(II) Complexes with Tetradentate Schiff bases Derived from Ortho-Phthalaldehyde

A series of cobalt (II) complexes have been synthesized with Schiff bases derived from ortho-phthalaldehyde and various amines in aqueous methanol solution. The newly synthesized Schiff bases and their Co (II) complexes have been characterized  by elemental analysis, magnetic susceptibility, thermal, conductance measurements, mass, IR, electronic, 1H,13C-NMR spectral techniques. These ligands act as tetradentate species and coordinate to the metal center through the different potential donor atoms such as N, O and S. The probable octahedral structures have been assigned to these complexes. All the synthesized Schiff base ligands and Co(II) metal complexes have also been screened for their antimicrobial activities and metal complexes found to be more active than respective Schiff-base ligands

Dynamics of parasite population and its histopathological and histophysiological effects in the stomach of a freshwater fish

The caryophyllaeid cestode Lytocestoides fossilis infects the freshwater catfish Heteropneustes fossilis. The study was conducted for two consecutive years (2004-06) to record the bio-statistical data of the parasite. The incidence, intensity, density and index of infection of the parasite have been recorded. The infection was more during June to September, moderate during February to May and low during October to January. The parasite brought about severe histopathological changes in the stomach of infected fish. The changes observed in the stomach of fish included structural damage of the villi, inflammation, and fibrosis associated with hyperplasia and metaplasia. The hypertrophy of mucous layer led to vacuolation and necrosis. Histochemical changes were noticed with enhanced carbohydrate, protein and lipid contents. The enhanced substrate content in the infected organ might be due to the disfunctioning of the digestive tract, which results in the accumulation of various metabolites. Mucus secretion was triggered as a protective interaction against parasitic invasion. The parasitic infection affects the general metabolic state of the host and as the result, the fish becomes sluggish and moribund

Intrathecal baclofen in management of a patient with very severe tetanus

Tetanus is uncommon in developed countries. The majority of tetanus cases occur in third world countries and 50% of these cases occur in neonates. There are more than 800,000 deaths due to tetanus each year in the world. We present a case of 40-year-old male patient diagnosed to have very severe tetanus - Grade IV as per Ablett classification of severity, managed in our hospital with aggressive treatment for 27-days and use of intrathecal baclofen he showed drastic improvement in this status.  He was discharged in neurological intact conditions with hemodynamic stability.

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of Aquaporin genes in pearl millet [ Pennisetum glaucum (L) R. Br.] genotypes contrasting in their transpiration response to high vapour pressure deficits

Pearl millet is a crop of the semi-arid tropics having high degree of genetic diversity and variable tolerance to drought stress. To investigate drought tolerance mechanism that possibly accounts for differences in drought tolerance, four recombinant inbred lines from a high resolution cross (HRC) were selected for variability in their transpiration rate (Tr) response to vapour pressure deficit (VPD) conditions. The differential Tr response of the genotypes to increased VPD conditions was used to classify the genotypes as sensitive or insensitive to high VPD. Aquaporin (AQP) genes PgPIP1;1, PgPIP1;2, PgPIP2;1, PgPIP2;3, PgPIP2;6, PgTIP1;1 and PgTIP2;2 were cloned. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the cloned PgAQPs were evolutionarily closer to maize AQPs than to rice. PgAQP genes, including PgPIP1;1 and PgPIP2;6 in root tissue showed a significant expression pattern with higher expression in VPD-insensitive genotypes than VPD-sensitive genotypes under low VPD conditions (1.2 kPa) i.e when there is no high evaporative demand from the atmosphere. PgAQP genes (PgPIP2;1 in leaf and root tissues; PgPIP1;2 and PgTIP2;2 in leaf and PgPIP2;6 in root) followed a diurnal rhythm in leaves and roots that have either higher or lower expression levels at different time intervals. Under high VPD conditions (4.21 kPa), PgPIP2;3 showed higher transcript abundance in VPD-insensitive genotypes, and PgPIP2;1 in VPD-sensitive genotypes, while rest of the PgAQPs showed differential expression. Our current hypothesis is that these differences in the expression of AQP genes under different VPDs suggests a role of the AQPs in tuning the water transport pathways with variation between genotypes