Nanofibrous Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications

The discipline of tissue engineering opens up the ways for repair and regenerate damaged organs and tissues. In the current work biomimetic nanofibrous scaffolds were fabricated by electrospinning. Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) was blended with collagen and gelatin to fabricate PLLLA-collagen and PLLA-gelatin fibrous scaffolds respectively. Pure PLLA and gelatin scaffolds served as controls. All the scaffolds displayed randomly oriented smooth fibers studied by SEM. Surface topography and roughness were studied by AFM and surface contact angle was also measured for all the fabricated scaffolds. Surface roughness was found to be higher in collagen and gelatin blended scaffolds in comparison to PLLA scaffold. Blending of collagen and gelatin reduced the surface hydrophobicity of the scaffolds. Human osteosarcoma cell lines MG-63 were cultured on all scaffolds up to 7 days and cell adhesion was studied through SEM and confocal microscopy. SEM and confocal results showed that gelatin blended PLLA scaffold showed better cell attachment and cell spreading.

Variation in the Origin of the Testicular Arteries and Drainage of the Right Testicular Vein / Variación en el Origen de las Arterias Testiculares y el Drenaje de la Vena Testicular Derecha

During routine dissection of a 42 year old male Indian cadaver posterior abdominal wall, variations in the testicular vessels were observed. The right testicular artery arose from the right accessory renal artery, which originated from the ventral aspect of the abdominal aorta. The left testicular artery originated from the ventral aspect of the aorta in almost the same horizontal line as the right accessory renal artery, just below the superior mesenteric artery and 1.79 cm, above the origin of the renal arteries. The right vein drained into the right accessory renal vein instead of the inferior vena cava, while the left testicular vein drained into the left renal vein. The presence of variation of both the testicular arteries as well as the testicular vein is seldom seen together.

Durante una disección de rutina de un cadáver, perteneciente a un hombre indio de 42 años, se observaron variaciones en los vasos testiculares en la pared abdominal posterior. La arteria testicular derecha se originó desde la arteria renal accesoria, proveniente de la cara ventral de la parte abdominal de la aorta. La arteria testicular izquierda se originó en la cara ventral de la parte abdominal de la aorta, casi en la misma línea horizontal de la arteria renal accesoria derecha, justo distal a la arteria mesentérica superior y 1,79 cm sobre el origen de las arterias renales. La vena renal derecha drenaba en la vena renal accesoria en lugar de la vena cava inferior, mientras que la vena testicular izquierda drenaba en la vena renal izquierda. En muy pocas ocasiones es posible observar de manera conjunta, variaciones tanto de las arterias como de las venas testiculares.

Antidiarrhoeal activity on platycladus orieantalis extract.

Platycladus is a distinct genus of evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae, containing only one species, Platycladus orientalis, also known as Chinese Arborvitae or Biota. It is a small, slowgrowing tree, to 15-20 m tall and 0.5 m trunk diameterThe different parts of the plant are traditionally used as a diuretic, anticancer, anticonvulsant, stomachic, antipyretic, analgesic and anthelmintic [4,5 ]. The plant has not been explored for its anti diarrhoeal activity so far. The bio active fraction has been prove that it contain three major iridoid glycosides. These iridoids glycoside was subjected to anti diarrhoeal activity against validated experimental models like Castor oil induced diarrhea, gastrointestinal motility tests & PGE2-induced enteropooling. The extract inhibited castor oil induced diarrhoea and PGE2 induced enteropooling in rats; it also reduced gastrointestinal motility after charcoal meal administration. The obtained data demonstrated the excellent anti-diarrhoeal activity of P.Orieantalis and thus have great potential as a source for natural health products.

Antipyretic activity of platycladus orieantalis leaves extract in rat.

The study was conducted to screen the antipyretic activity of alcoholic extract of the leaf of Platycladus Orieantalis .Platycladus Orieantalis is a potent medicinal plant in the Indian systems of medicine. Traditionally it is used as a diuretic, anticancer, anticonvulsant, stomachic, antipyretic, analgesic, etc. In the present study the alcoholic extract of the leaf of Platycladus Orieantalis were studied for their antipyretic activity by Brewer’s yeast-induced pyrexia in rats. It was observed that the alcoholic extract produced significant antipyretic activity (p < 0.05). The extract showed marked antipyretic activity in a dose dependent manner.

Antipyretic activity of platycladus orieantalis leaves extract.

Antipyretic effect of ethanolic extract of the leaf of Platycladus orieantalis was investigated. Intraperitoneal administration of boiled milk at a dose 0.5 ml/kg body weight in albino rabbit leads to pyrexia. Intraperitoneal (i. p. route) administration of ethanolic extract of the leaf of Platycladus Orieantalis at a dose 80 mg/kg body weight were shown significantly reduce the elevated body temperature of rabbit which was compared with standard aspirin (market product) and solvent used.

An open randomized comparative study to test the efficacy and safety of oral terbinafine pulse as a monotherapy and in combination with topical ciclopirox olamine 8% or topical amorolfine hydrochloride 5% in the treatment of onychomycosis.

BACKGROUND: Onychomycosis is a fungal infection of nails caused by dermatophytes, yeasts and molds. AIMS: To study the efficacy and safety of oral terbinafine pulse as a monotherapy and in combination with topical ciclopirox olamine 8% or topical amorolfine hydrochloride 5% in onychomycosis. METHODS: A clinical comparative study was undertaken on 96 Patients of onychomycosis during the period between August 2005 to July 2006. Forty-eight patients were randomly assigned in group A to receive oral terbinafine 250 mg, one tablet twice daily for seven days every month (pulse therapy); 24 patients in group B to receive oral terbinafine pulse therapy plus topical ciclopirox olamine 8% to be applied once daily at night on all affected nails; and 24 patients in group C to receive oral terbinafine pulse therapy plus topical amorolfine hydrochloride 5% to be applied once weekly at night on all the affected nails. The treatment was continued for four months. The patients were evaluated at four weekly intervals till sixteen weeks and then at 24 and 36 weeks. RESULTS: We observed clinical cure in 71.73, 82.60 and 73.91% patients in groups A, B and C, respectively; Mycological cure rates against dematophytes were 88.9, 88.9 and 85.7 in groups A, B and C, respectively. The yeast mycological cure rates were 66.7, 100 and 50 in groups A, B and C, respectively. In the case of nondermatophytes, the overall response was poor: one out of two cases (50%) responded in group A, while one case each in group B and group C did not respond at all. CONCLUSION: Terbinafine pulse therapy is effective and safe alternative in treatment of onychomycosis due to dermatophytes; and combination therapy with topical ciclopirox or amorolfine do not show any significant difference in efficacy in comparison to monotherapy with oral terbinafine.