Influence of ethanolic extract of Jasminum grandflorum linn flower on wound healing activity in rats.

The influence of flower extract of Jasminum grandiflorum was studied for its wound healing activity at a dose of 250 mg/kg body weight, using excision and dead space wound models in rats. The animals were divided into three groups in excision wound model, the controls (n=10) were treated with 0.25% CM cellulose, reference standard (n=10) were treated with sulfathiazole ointment and the experimental (n=10) were treated with extract of J. grandiflorum flower till complete epithelialization. The animals in dead space wound models were divided into two groups, controls were given plain drinking water and the experimental animals were administered with extract orally for 10 days. The extract treated wounds were found to epithelize faster as compared to controls. Extract-treated rats exhibited 65% reduction in the wound area when compared to controls (54%). The wet and dry granulation tissue weight, and hydroxyproline content in a dead space wound model increased significantly (P < 0.001) when compared to controls. Histological studies of the tissue obtained on day 10 from the extract-treated group showed increased well organized bands of collagen, more fibroblasts and few inflammatory cells when compared to controls which showed inflammatory cells, scanty collagen fibres and fibroblasts. The. demonstration of increased rate of wound contraction together with the biochemical and histological findings suggest the use of J. grandiflorum flower extract in the management of wound healing.

Cerebrospinal fluid lactate dehydrogenase and glutamine in meningitis.

The cerebrospinal fluid concentration of Glutamine and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were studied in patients with pyogenic and tubercular meningitis. Significant increase in Glutamine and LDH level (P<0.001) were observed in the test group when compared to the control group. LDH and glutamine may not be useful in differentiating viral from other meningitis. It may act as corroborative evidence of meningitis.

Fishmeal extract agar--a new antibiotic sensitivity test medium.

Fishmeal extract agar is a new antibiotic sensitivity test medium. It is simpler and cheaper than Mueller-Hinton agar and comparable in its efficacy to the latter. It can also be used for isolation of moderately fastidious and non-fastidious bacteria from clinical specimens. Fishmeal extract broth can be used as a base for biochemical tests used for the identification of bacterial isolates.