Study of correlation between vitamin D3 levels and dry eye

Purpose: Dry eye is a prevalent disorder of tear film resulting from either decreased tear production or increased tear evaporation. It is becoming a serious issue due to its disturbing symptoms, which become progressively troublesome affecting the work efficiency of patients and increasing financial burden due to lifelong dependency on eye drops. If not detected early, it can lead to sight?threatening complications. This study aims to explore serum vitamin D3 deficiency as a causative factor of dry eye. Methods: The study was conducted in the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in India, for a period of two years from September 2018 to September 2020. About 40 patients who had dry eye and 20 controls were enrolled in this study. They were given an Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, examined for signs of dry eye on slit lamp with Schirmer’s test and tear film break?up time. All 60 participants were subjected to serum vitamin D3 level laboratory test and its deficiency prevalence was correlated with dry eye and its severity. Results: Serum vitamin D3 deficiency was found to be more prevalent in patients with dry eye. There was no gender predilection or change in prevalence with increasing age. Vitamin D3 level was negatively correlated with OSDI and positively with Schirmer’s test 1 and 2 and tear film break?up time (TBUT) scores. Conclusion: The prevalence of vitamin D3 deficiency was not consistently found to be associated with the increasing severity of dry eye.

Organ histopathological associations with hyperostosis frontalis interna in humans / Asociaciones histopatológicas de órganos con hiperostosis frontal interna en humanos

SUMMARY: An increased thickening of the frontal bone by irregular laminar additions on the inner surface just deep to the dura mater have been known in the archaeological and medical record as hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI). The distribution of this is idiosyncratically restricted to the frontal and has no known etiology. The prevalence among post-menopausal females and rarity in males suggests that it is hormonally driven. Here we report histopathological findings of particularly hormonally active organs (pituitaries, gonads and liver) from a geriatric cadaveric sample in which HFI is assessed. HFI was present in 50 % of males (7/14) and 95 % (21/22) of females. All males with HFI had testicular atrophy or had testes absent. Males with HFI category C or D had moderate to severe testicular atrophy. Decreased numbers of interstitial cells (Leydig cells) were present in 83.3 % of males with HFI. All but one female (21/22) from this study exhibited evidence of HFI, and ovarian pathologies were unevenly distributed (fibromas in two) and most exhibited signs of being healthy and post-menopausal. Liver pathologies had opposite patterns between the sexes, with more liver pathologies occurring among males without HFI (particularly passive congestion and bile stasis). The only exceptions were that the one case of liver neoplasia was found in a male with HFI and steotosis was found in two cases with HFI and one case without HFI. In females all cases of liver pathologies (steotosis, hepatitis, passive congestion, fibrosis, and bile stasis) were associated with HFI. It appears that gonadal pathology is most closely associated with HFI in males but not females, suggesting that the role of estradiol in this unusual growth of bone in geriatric humans may be worth investigating further.

RESUMEN: Un aumento del engrosamiento del hueso frontal, por adiciones laminares irregulares en la superficie interna, justo en la profundidad de la duramadre, se conoce en los registros arqueológicos y médicos como hiperostosis frontal interna (HFI). La distribución de ésta, se restringe idiosincráticamente al hueso frontal y no tiene etiología conocida. La prevalencia entre las mujeres posmenopáusicas y la rareza en los hombres sugiere que se debe a las hormonas. Aquí informamos los hallazgos histopatológicos de órganos hormonalmente activos (hipófisis, gónadas e hí- gado) de una muestra de cadáveres geriátricos en la que se evaluó HFI. La HFI estuvo presente en el 50 % de los hombres (7/14) y el 95 % (21/22) de las mujeres. Todos los hombres con HFI tenían atrofia testicular o no tenían testículos. En los hombres con HFI categoría C o D se observó atrofia testicular de moderada a grave. Hubo una disminución en el número de células intersticiales (células de Leydig) en el 83,3 % de los hombres con HFI. En 21de 22 mujeres se observó evidencia de HFI, y las patologías ováricas se distribuyeron de manera desigual (fibromas en dos) y la mayoría exhibió signos de estar sana y posmenopáusica. Las patologías hepáticas tenían patrones opuestos entre los sexos, con más patologías hepáticas entre los hombres sin HFI (particularmente congestión pasiva y estasis biliar). Las excepciones fueron que el único caso de neoplasia hepática se encontró en un varón con HFI y se presentó esteatosis en dos casos con HFI y un caso sin HFI. En las mujeres, todos los casos de patologías hepáticas (esteatosis, hepatitis, congestión pasiva, fibrosis y estasis biliar) se asociaron con HFI. Al parecer la patología gonadal está más estrechamente asociada con la HFI en los hombres que en las mujeres, lo que sugiere un rol del estradiol en este crecimiento inusual de hueso en hombres de avanzada edad. Sería importante realizar investigaciones más detalladas precisas respecto a la hiperostosis frontal interna.

Immunomodulatory activity of methanolic extract of Murraya koenigii (L) Spreng. leaves.

Immunomodulatory activity of methanolic extract of M. koenigii leaves was evaluated on humoral and cell mediated immune response to ovalbumin, phagocytic activity by carbon clearance test, nitric oxide (NO) release from murine peritoneal macrophages and cyclophosphamide induced myelosuppression. Significant increase in the NO production by mouse peritoneal macrophages was detected in culture supernatants indicated increased phagocytic activity of macrophages. The extract showed significant increase in phagocytic index by rapid removal of carbon particles from blood stream. The extract also increased the antibody titre against the ovalbumin and protection towards the cyclophosphamide induced myelosuppression. However, the extract did not show any significant increase in delayed type hypersensitivity reaction which indicated the inability of the extract to stimulate T cells. Present study thus reveals that the extract holds promise as immunomodulatory agent, which acts by stimulating humoral immunity and phagocytic function.

Protective effect of Piper longum L. on oxidative stress induced injury and cellular abnormality in adriamycin induced cardiotoxicity in rats.

Effect of methanolic extract of fruits of P. longum (PLM) on the biochemical changes, tissue peroxidative damage and abnormal antioxidant levels in adriamycin (ADR) induced cardiotoxicity in Wistar rats was investigated. PLM was administered to Wistar albino rats in two different doses, by gastric gavage (250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg) for 21 days followed by ip ADR (15 mg/kg) on 21st day. ADR administration showed significant decrease in the activities of marker enzymes aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase in heart with a concomitant increase in their activities in serum. A significant increase in lipid peroxide levels in heart of ADR treated rats was also observed. Pretreatment with PLM ameliorated the effect of ADR on lipid peroxide formation and restored activities of marker enzymes. Activities of myocardial antioxidant enzymes like catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase along with reduced glutathione were significantly lowered due to cardiotoxicity in rats administered with ADR. PLM pretreatment augmented these endogenous antioxidants. Histopathological studies of heart revealed degenerative changes and cellular infiltrations in rats administered with ADR and pretreatment with PLM reduced the intensity of such lesions. The results indicate that PLM administration offers significant protection against ADR induced oxidative stress and reduces the cardiotoxicity by virtue of its antioxidant activity.

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity of extract obtained from Aspergillus candidus MTCC 2202 broth filtrate.

Antioxidant potential of Aspergillus candidus MTCC 2202 broth filtrate extract was studied using different antioxidant models, whereas anti-inflammatory potential was studied using carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema model. The ethyl acetate extract at 1000 microg/ml showed maximum scavenging activity of the stable radical 1,1-diphenyl,2-picryl hydrazyl upto 96.65% (IC50=430.36 microg/ml) and scavenging of the radical cation, 2,2-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate) upto 92.25% (IC50=606.29 microg/ml) at the same concentration. The extract had good reducing power, however showed moderate inhibition for conjugated dienes and thiobarbituric acid reactive acid substances (59.56 and 51.45%). The total phenolic content of various extracts of A. candidus broth filtrate was measured and a correlation between radical scavenging activities of extracts with total phenolic content was observed. The ethyl acetate extract (125 mg/kg ip) showed significant anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema model. The exhibited antioxidant activity of ethyl acetate extract of A. candidus broth filtrate was comparable with BHA and ascorbic acid, while anti-inflammatory activity was comparable with standard diclofenac sodium.