ABSTRACT
The stem bark, stem wood, root bark and root wood of Mahonia leschenaultii Takeda [Family -Berberidaceae] were extracted successively with various organic solvents and the subsequent fluorescence analysis was carried out. The quantitative ash values and extractive values were determined. Berberine was isolated and characterized. The quantitative estimation of berberine in the various extracts was carried out by High performance thin layer chromatography method. The antibacterial and antifungal activity of methanolic extracts were carried out by agar diffusion and serial dilution method. The methanolic extracts showed prominent activity against Staphylococcus aureus in comparison to other strains
ABSTRACT
The present study was carried out involving 25 patients with paucibacillary leprosy who attended the outpatient department of dermatology of Father Muller's Medical College Hospital during the period January 2001 to March 2002. All the patients were examined clinically and histopathologically at the beginning and at the end of six months of MDT and relevant data recorded. Clinicopathological correlation with histopathological classification before MDT was 72% and 68% at the end of MDT in our study. At the end of treatment 4 (16%) cases were clinically active and 8 (32%) were histopathologlcally active. The study showed that active cases were significantly reduced as a result of MDT, both clinically and histopathologically. The histopathological activity that outlasts MDT may be due to the bacillary fragments that persist; but clinical activity coupled with histopathological activity seen in 2 patients at the end of 6 months of MDT was possibly an indicator of relapse and these patients and similar others need to be followed up for a longer duration. In this study, resolution of granuloma and clinical activity after completion of MDT were assessed.