Levels of serum vascular endothelial growth factor in type 2 diabetics with retinopathy

Ischemic retina in diabetic patients releases a number of chemical substances including vascular endothelial growth factor which leads to retinal vascular proliferation and blindness following rupture and bleeding of vessels. Strategies to control this action can considerably halt this process. To determine the relationship of various stages of diabetic retinopathy with the levels vascular endothelial growth factor in the serum of type 2 diabetic patients. Study type, settings and duration: This cross sectional analytical study was done over one year [2010-2011] in three major public sector hospitals of Peshawar. Patients and Methods: Adult patients of either gender having type 2 diabetes mellitus with proliferative or non proliferative retinopathy and those without retinopathy were selected for the study. Retinopathy was diagnosed on fundoscopy. Non-diabetic patients without retinopathy were selected as controls. Serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor were done in patients and controls using ELISA. Serum vascular endothelial growth factor levels were significantly higher in all cases having retinopathy as compared to controls. These levels progressively increased with the gr ades of retinopathy. Levels were higher in females. Levels of vascular endothelial growth factor are raised in diabetic retinopathy and rising levels can alert the clinician in worsening of retinopathy so that preventive and therapeutic measures can be taken promptly. Policy message: Further larger scale studies are recommended on national level to pave way for the establishment of appropriate management paradigms for diabetic retinopathy through anti-VEGF treatment

Pharmacokinetics of amikacin in plasma of healthy goats after intravenous injection once daily for three days / 대한수의학회지

Amikacin is a semisynthetic derivative of kanamycin and primarily active against aerobic Gram-negative-pathogens with limited activity against Gram-positive bacteria. Meager study was reported on pharmacokinetic data on multi-days administration of amikacin. Hence, pharmacokinetics study was done in five clinically healthy goats (n = 5), after intravenous bolus injection of amikacin sulfate at the dose rate of 10 mg/kg body weight daily for three consecutive days. The amikacin concentrations in plasma and pharmacokinetics-parameters were analyzed by using microbiological assay technique and noncompartmental open-model, respectively. The mean peak plasma concentrations (Mean +/- SD) of amikacin at time zero (Cp0) was 114.19 +/- 20.78 and 128.67 +/- 14.37 microg/mL, on day 1st and 3rd, respectively. The mean elimination half-life (t(1/2)ke) was 1.00 +/- 0.28 h on day 1st and 1.22 +/- 0.29 h on day 3rd. Mean of area under concentration-time curve (AUC(0-->infinity)) was 158.26 +/- 60.10 and 159.70 +/- 22.74 microg.h/mL, on day 1st and 3rd respectively. The total body clearance (ClB) and volume of distribution at steady state (Vdss) on day 1st and 3rd were ClB = 0.07 +/- 0.02 and 0.06 +/- 0.01 L/h.kg and Vdss = 0.10 +/- 0.03 and 0.11 +/- 0.05 L/kg, respectively. No-significant difference was noted in both drug-plasma concentration and pharmacokinetics-parameters, respectively. Amikacin concentration in plasma was found higher up-to 4 h and 6 h onward on down-ward trends favour to reduce toxicity. Which also support the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic way of dosing of aminoglycosides and hence, amikacin may be administered 10 mg/kg intravenously daily to treat principally Gram-negative pathogens and limitedly Gram-positive-pathogens.

Antibacterial activity of 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, diisooctyl ester isolated from the root of plumbago zeylanica linn

1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, diisooctyl ester [diisooctyl phthalate] isolated from the roots of Plumbago zeylanica was screened for its antibacterial activity against eleven human pathogenic bacteria viz., Bacillus subtilis, B. cereus, B. megaterium. Escherichia coli, INABA ET [Vibrio], Shigella dysenteriae, S. sonnei, Salmonella typhi, S. paratyphi, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas mutabilis. The antibacterial activity of the compound was evaluated using the disc diffusion and macrodilution method. The compound showed moderate to good antibacterial activity against almost all the test bacterial pathogens. The largest zone of inhibition 22 mm, 14 mm, 11 mm, and 6 mm in diameter were recorded against Pseudomonas mutabilis at the concentration of 50 micro g, 20 micro g, 10 micro g and 5 micro g/disc respectively. The compound exhibited the lowest MIC [40 micro g/ml] against Bacillus subtilis, B. cereus, B. megaterium, Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, Salmonella paratyphi and Pseudomonas mutabilis and MBC [160 micro g/ml] against Bacillus cereus, B. megaterium, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas mutabilis