ABSTRACT
Rifampicin continues to be an effective drug for treatment of tuberculosis. A variety of drug reactions have been reported of which hepatotoxicity is well known. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of ascorbic acid as dietary supplementation in case of Rifampicin induced hepatotoxicity. Animal house NIH [National Institute of Health]. Randomized control trial. Thirty adult BALB/c mice weighing 30-60 grams were taken. They were kept under standard laboratory conditions. Mice were randomized and divided into three groups A, B and C each containing 10 mice. Group A was given Rifampicin 100 mg/kg body weight, group B was administered Rifampicin 100 mg/kg body weight along with ascorbic acid 500 mg/kg body weight orally and group C was given regular NIH lab diet for six weeks. Liver specimens of animals given rifampicin showed formation of necrotic foci. Simultaneous administration of ascorbic acid significantly reduced histological changes induced by Rifampicin. Ascorbic acid has protective role against hepatotoxic effect of Rifampicin used in chemotherapy of tuberculosis in animal models
ABSTRACT
Dengue is an important vector borne viral disease of public health significance. Dengue fever is on the rise in Pakistan with considerable morbidity and mortality in recent outbreaks. We undertook the study to analyze the prevalence of Dengue fever in Rawalpindi and Islamabad region. The object of our study was to estimate the burden fever in Rawalpindi and Islamabad region. Another aim of our study was to evaluate and if possible alleviate the anxiety associated with dengue fever. We wanted to find out the factual prevalence of the disease. We aimed to determine the most common age group and gender of the illness as well. Cross Sectional Study. This study was conducted in Benzair Bhutto Hospital [BBH] and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences [PIMS] in Rawalpindi and Islamabad from 1[st] September to 15[th] November 2011. People of all ages and both sexes with suspicion of Dengue were included in the study. A total of 16616 people turning up at these hospitals were tested for dengue virus. Only 2269 were positive for disease [13.6%]. Male to female ratio came out to be 2.1:1 and maximum number of cases belonged to age group 21-30 years. The number of cases turning up with Dengue suspicion is out of proportion to actual disease burden. Thus we need to alleviate the anxiety associated with the disease. There is a genuine need for strict adherence to preventive control measures and research needs to be undertaken in order to reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with the Dengue