Physical, chemical parameter and optimization for the production of “moringa oleifera” enzyme extract: studies includes phytochemicals, minerals and antimicrobials.

Moringa Oleifera is one of the 14 species of family Moringaceae, native to India, Africa, Arabia, South Asia, South America and the pacific and Caribbean Islands. Moringa oleifera has been naturalized in many tropic and subtropic regions worldwide, the plant is referred by a number of names such as horseradish tree, drumstick tree, ben oil tree, miracle tree, and “Mothers best friend”. The present study is to investigate physical and chemical parameters on the production of enzyme from leaf extract of Moringa oleifera. The leaf extract of different solvents showed the enzyme activity of Protease and lipase. The enzymes were optimized at different temperatures, and different chemical and nitrogen sources. The enzyme activity was determined at the different time intervals. The extract of different solvents showed the antibacterial activity against the selective pathogens. The enzyme was electrophoresed in SDS PAGE and molecular weight was determined and reported.

A novel approach for the microbial production and optimization of gold nanoparticles- an alternate approach to chemical synthesis.

Nanotechnology is the application of science to control matter at the molecular level. A nanometer (nm) is one billionth of a meter, or roughly the length of three atoms side by side. A nanoparticle is a microscopic particle with atleast one dimension less than 100 nm. The applilcation of nanoscale materials and structures, usually ranging from 1 to 100 nanometer are an emerging area of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Gold nanoparticles, in particular, are of interest, due to their stability under atmospheric conditions, resistance to oxidation and biocompatibility. Microorganisms as possible eco–friendly nanofactories can exert control over size, morphology, composition and crystallographic orientation of the as–prepared metal nanostructured particles. In the area of nanotechnology, the development of techniques for the controlled synthesis of metal nanoparticles of well defined size, shape and composition is a big challenge. This work was highly focused on the Gold nanoparticles production from Pseudomonas sp. and concentrating the work towards the production at controlled size by means of various parameter optimization studies like pH, temperature and concentration. The optimization work was characterized by means of TEM. With the results of TEM, the small sized nanoparticle of about 10nm was observed at pH of 9 and 12nm was produced at the pH of 3. Low temperature of 25oC favored the small size nanoparticle at a concentration of 250 mg/l using HAuCl4.

Assessment of efficacy, safety and tolerability of fixed dose combination of telmisartan 40mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5mg in adult Indian patients with mild to moderate hypertension.

The objective of the study was to assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of a fixed dose combination of telmisartan 40 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg in adult Indian patients with mild to moderate hypertension. A prospective, multicentric, open-label, non-comparative, phase IV study was conducted. A total of 353 patients of either sex, between 18- 65 years of age with supine blood pressure (BP) levels of systolic BP (SBP) of 140-200 mmHg and diastolic BP (DBP) of 95-114 mmHg were included. After a placebo run-in period of 2 weeks, each patient received a fixed dose combination of telmisartan/hydrochlorothiazide (40mg/12.5mg) once daily, for 8 weeks. Supine BP was assessed at the end of every 2 weeks. Tolerability and safety were assessed by physical examination, laboratory parameters and evaluation of adverse events. A total of 339 patients completed the study with 14 drop-out cases because of loss to follow-up. There was a significant fall (p<0.05) in both the SBP and DBP starting from the second week as compared to the baseline. Mean SBP had a significant reduction of 23.55 mmHg (15.0%) and 27.79 mmHg (18%) at the end of 6th and 8th week respectively, compared to baseline values. Mean DBP had also had a significant reduction of 12.51 mmHg (12.6%) and 15.17 mmHg (15.3%) at the end of 6th and 8th week respectively, compared to baseline values. This combination was well tolerated with only 3.9% of the total cases reporting mild adverse events like fatigue, dizziness, nausea, diarrhoea etc. The laboratory values were within normal limits. Fixed dose combination of telmisartan/hydrochlorothiazide (40 mg/12.5 mg) once daily has a significant therapeutic effect and a good tolerability profile in adult Indian patients with mild to moderate hypertension.

Efficacy and safety of nateglinide in the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus.

Nateglinide a new short-acting D-phenylalanine derivative represents a new chemical class of drugs for treating type 2 diabetes that is pharmacologically and therapeutically distinct from currently existing agents. Studies in normal patients and those with type 2 diabetes have shown that nateglinide reduces mealtime blood glucose excursions by physiologic regulation of insulin secretion. Nateglinide binds to and inhibits the K+(ATP) channel of the beta-cell, causing membrane depolarisation, with a subsequent influx of extracellular calcium that results in insulin secretion. A total of 105 patients in 5 centres with type II diabetes mellitus were taken according to the inclusion criteria and given drug treatment and were evaluated on their improvement in fasting and postprandial plasma glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin values for efficacy, besides physician's assessment of the overall safety and efficacy. Nateglinide in a dose of 60 mg before three main meals was given and increased to a maximum of 120 mg thrice daily over the first 3-4 weeks. Nateglinide had to be taken 10 minutes before meals. Duration of treatment was 12 weeks. The patients showed decrease in fasting plasma glucose from 2nd week onwards and reduction in glycosylated haemoglobin by 6th week onwards. Postprandial glucose reduction was also significant at the end of 12th week. The frequency of adverse effects was low and no serious adverse effects were encountered.

A concurrent comparison of a WHO-recommended 30-cluster survey and a modified version of it under Indian conditions in the estimation of immunization coverages.

A concurrent comparison of the WHO 30-cluster sample survey method for estimating immunization coverages (DPT, Polio, BCG, Measles) and an Indian modification of (GOI) was undertaken in five districts in South India. The essential difference between the two methods is the manner in which the first household is selected in the chosen clusters. With the WHO method, it is chosen clusters. With the WHO method, it is chosen at random, whereas with the GOI method it is often close to the village centre. Estimates with the required degree of precision, i.e., 95% confidence limits of +/- 10 percentage points, were provided in 18 (90%) of 20 instances by the WHO method and in 19 (95%) by the GOI method, findings which are in accordance with expectation. The estimated coverages were, however, higher by the GOI method than by the WHO method in two districts, lower in one district, and in the remaining two districts there was no clear pattern. On the average, there was a suggestion that the GOI method yielded slightly higher coverages, but the differences were not statistically significant.

A comparison of a 30-cluster survey method used in India and a purposive method in the estimation of immunization coverages in Tamil Nadu.

A 30-cluster survey method that is employed for estimating immunization coverages by the Government of India (GOI) was compared with a Purposive method, to investigate whether the likely omission of SC/ST and backward classes in the former would lead to the reporting of higher coverages. The essential difference between the two methods is in the manner in which the first household is selected in the chosen first stage sampling units (villages). With the GOI method, it is often close to the village centre, whereas with the Purposive method it is always in the periphery or in a pocket consisting of SC/ST or backward classes. A concurrent comparison of the two methods in three districts in Tamil Nadu showed no real differences in the coverage with DPT and BCG vaccines. However, the coverage was consistently higher by the GOI method in the case of the Polio vaccine (by 1.5%, 3.1% and 5.3% in the 3 districts), and the Measles vaccine (by 4.8%, 13.3% and 13.9%); the average difference was 3.3% for Polio vaccine (p = 0.08) and 7.3% for Measles vaccine (p = 0.01).