An imaging study of body composition including lipodeposition pattern in a patient of familial partial lipodystrophy (Dunnigan type).

Familial Partial Lipodystrophy, Dunnigan type (FPLD), is characterised by loss of subcutaneous fat from the limbs and an excessive accumulation of fat on the neck, shoulder girdle and face. Affected individuals have insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia and early cardiovascular events. Body composition (BC) with details of adipose tissue distribution were studied by Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) ina heterozygote for the FPLD mutation LMNA R482W, and in an age, sex and body mass index (BMI) matched normal control. DEXA revealed a marked decrease in total as well as regional fat percentage in the patient compared to a normal control. Marked reductions in subcutaneous fat in the extremities with substantial lipodeposition in the nape of the neck were confirmed with. MRI. The importance of increased perinephric, retroperitoneal and intermuscular fat in the thighs found in this patient, needs to be explored vis-à-vis the pathogenesis of insulin resistance found in FPLD.

An open clinical trial of benazepril--a new ACE inhibitor in mild-moderate hypertension.

Benazepril hydrochloride, a new non-sulfhydryl ACE inhibitor (ACEI) was studied in a titrated dose of 10 mg-20 mg once a day for 6 weeks in 42 mild to moderate adult hypertensive patients with sitting diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) 95-114 mm Hg. The pre-drug SDBP(mean +/- SE) of 102.5 +/- 0.8 mm Hg showed a significant reduction to 87.5 +/- 0.93 mm Hg at the end of treatment. BP was controlled (SDBP < or = 90 mm Hg) in 34 (81%) patients and a drop of at least 10 mm Hg from the pre-treatment SDBP value was noted in 34 (81%) patients. Common adverse reaction was cough in 8(19%) patients. Clinically significant changes in laboratory evaluations were not seen in any patient. Study showed that benazepril in a dose range of 10 to 20 mg per day is an effective agent for treatment of mild to moderate hypertension.

Picrorhiza kurroa (Kutaki) Royle ex Benth as a hepatoprotective agent--experimental & clinical studies.

Picrorhiza kurroa (Pk), a known hepatoprotective plant, was studied in experimental and clinical situtations. The standardization of active principles--Picroside 1 and 2 was done with High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Picroside 1 ranged from 2.72 to 2.88 mg/capsule and picroside 2 from 5.50 to 6.00 mg/capsule. In the galactosamine-induced liver injury in rats, Pk at a dose of 200 mg/kg p.o. showed a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in liver lipid content, GOT and GPT. In a randomised, double-blind placebo controlled trial in patients diagnosed to have acute viral hepatitis (HBsAg negative), Pk root powder 375 mg three times a day was given for 2 weeks (n = 15) or a matching placebo (n = 18) was given. Difference in values of bilirubin, SGOT and SGPT was significant between placebo and Pk groups. The time in days required for total serum bilirubin to drop to average value of 2.5 mg% was 75.9 days in placebo as against 27.44 days in Pk group. The present study has shown a biological plausability of efficacy of Pk as supported by clinical trial in viral hepatitis, hepatoprotection in animal model and an approach for standardizing extracts based on picroside content.

Nifedipine, captopril, metoprolol and nifedipine with metoprolol in hypertensive crisis in non-intensive care setting.

In 102 cases of severe hypertension (DBP > or = 115 mm Hg), with or without acute complications, efficacy and safety of SL Nifedipine 10 mg (NIF), SL Captopril 25 mg (CAP), IV Metoprolol 15 mg (MET) and SL NIF + IV MET were studied in an inpatient trial. Maximum mean percent reduction in SBP was 13.3, 9.7, 15.7 and 19.9 and in DBP was 21.2, 13.9, 12.5 and 20.4 with NIF, CAP, MET and NIF + MET respectively. A safe DBP of < or = 110 mm Hg (Kaplan) was achieved in 90, 61, 72.2 and 95.2 percent of patients. A statistically significant fall in DBP was observed at 5 minutes with all regimens except CAP which was at 15 minutes. Mild side effects observed were palpitations and flushing (NIF n = 4), taste disturbances (CAP n = 3), heaviness of head (CAP n = 1) and giddiness (MET n = 2, NIF + MET n = 2). The trial data suggest that hypertensive crisis can be managed, without intensive care facility, with all four regimens; this implies significant cost containment.

Conceptual and methodologic challenges of assessing the short-term efficacy of Guggulu in obesity: data emergent from a naturalistic clinical trial.

An open comparative trial was conducted in 58 adult obese patients (Body Mass Index > or = 25 kg/square metre). Group I (n = 27), non-drug, was advised diet (1200-1600 cals) and a brisk walk for 30 minutes. Group II, in addition, received Guggulu (Medohar) 1.5-3 gms/day for 30 days. Mean difference in weight loss between Guggulu and non-drug group was 0.32 kg (ns) on day 15 and 0.58 kg on day 30 (ns). The mean weight reduction in patients (> 90 kgs) was 1.92 kg (ns) and 2.25 kg (ns) higher in Guggulu group. All patients weighing > 90 kg lost weight in Guggulu group whilst 3 in non-drug group did not lose weight. Guggulu was tolerated well. The data from this pilot study suggest a synergistic diet-Guggulu interaction over 30 days in patients weighing > 90 kgs which needs to be confirmed in a large placebo controlled study.

Determination of pyrazinamide in human by high performance liquid chromatography.

A facile and sensitive high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) technique has been developed for the determination pyrazinamide (PZA) in human plasma. Nicotinamide(NIA) is used as internal standard(IS). Plasma is deproteinized with 0.7 M perchloric acid; clear supernatant is neutralized with 1M NaOH and injected onto HPLC. The separation of pyrazinamide and the internal standard is carried out on a Supelco LC-18 (DB) column with a basic mobile phase. Pyrazinoic acid, the major metabolite, other anti-tuberculous drugs and endogenous components do not interfere with measurement of pyrazinamide. The limit of detection of pyrazinamide with this method is 0.2 mg/0.2 ml plasma (CV 8.2%).

A two-stage clinical trial of Phyllanthus amarus in hepatitis B carriers: failure to eradicate the surface antigen.

BACKGROUND: There have been conflicting data in literature about the value of Phyllanthus amarus in treating hepatitis B virus-related disorders. AIM: To evaluate the role of Phyllanthus amarus in eradication of the virus in hepatitis B carriers. METHODS: Phyllanthus amarus was administered to 30 asymptomatic carriers of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in a dosage of 250 to 500 mg thrice daily for 4 to 8 weeks. RESULTS: None of the 30 subjects cleared HBsAg. Phyllanthus amarus was well tolerated, with no clinical side effects or changes in the organ profiles for safety evaluation. CONCLUSION: Phyllanthus amarus is not effective in clearing HBsAg in asymptomatic carriers of the antigen.

Patterns of rheumatic diseases and antirheumatic drug usage in 11931 Indian patients.

Patterns of rheumatic diseases and antirheumatic drug usage in different regions of India were analysed. The data was collected from a post-marketing surveillance of diclofenac sodium (Voveran) in 11931 patients. The common conditions were-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 28.1%, osteoarthrosis (OA) 24.8%, soft-tissue rheumatism 12.4%, cervical spondylosis 6%, ankylosing spondylitis (AS) 3.5%, gout 2%. East zone had a significantly lower proportion of osteoarthritis (20.9%). The age distribution and sex ratios of RA, OA and AS were in line with literature reports. The severity of illness was moderate in 62% and duration was more than 6 months in 50.2%. Data on NSAID usage showed a preponderance of combinations and ibuprofen. There were no significant differences in NSAID usage across diseases or regions.