Essential Oils Of Aerial Parts Of Anaphalis Margaritacea (L.) Benth., Salvia Leucantha Cav. And Thymus Linearis Benth. From Uttarakhand Himalaya: Chemical Constituents And Antibacterial Activity

The components present in the essential oils extracted from Anaphalis margaritacea (L.) Benth., Salvia leucantha Cav. and Thymus linearis Benth. were identified by GC and GC/MS analysis. The main compounds present in the oils were aromadendrene (20.0%) in S. leucantha, Phellandrene (12.5%), α-thujene (12.0%) in A. margaritacea and thymol (50.0%) in T. linearis. The antibacterial activity of all the three oils against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and S. typhi, has been studied. In the antibacterial activity S. typhi is the most resistant bacteria to all the tested oils whereas essential oil of T. linearis showed highest antibactericidal activity against S. aureus in diffusion method.

Comparative Study of Diabetic Retinopathy by Means of Clinical Evaluation of Fundus and Fundus Fluorescein Angiography among Diabetic Patients Less than 10 Years of Diabetic Age

Introduction: Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causesof blindness.Up to 21% of patients with type 2 diabetes haveretinopathy at the first diagnosis of diabetes and most developsome degree of retinopathy over time. Study objectives wereto study diabetic Retinopathy clinically and angiographically,retinal changes in various duration of diabetes, observethe different stages of retinopathy and their analysis and toobserve the advantages of fluorescein angiographyMaterial and methods: This analytical study was performedin Krishna Hospital, Karad for a period of 18 months . Thefundus examination was done with indirect ophthalmoscope,90D/78D lens after pupillary dilatation with a combination ofphenylephrine and tropicamide eyed drops, and FFA was doneResult: The material for the present study consists of 100diabetic patients who attended the outpatient department of,or who were admitted in Krishna Hospital, KaradConclusion: In patients less than 5 years of diabetic ageor those who are at early stage of diabetic retinopathy, weobserved that early pathological changes which could not beseen on ophthalmoscopy were evident on FFA. So by Earlydetection of diabetic retinopathy we can help to stop furtherprogression of retinopathy. FFA is a better diagnostic tool fordiagnosing retinopathy as compared to ophthalmoscopy

Studies on strains of Trichoderma spp. from high altitude of Garhwal Himalayan region.

Two species of Trichoderma i.e. T. harzianum and T. viride have been isolated from the soil samples collected from the higher altitude (2000-3500 m) of Garhwal Himalayan region in India. The two species were grown in Petri plates on TSM agar media and it was also observed that the optimum temperature and pH for Trichoderma growth was 300 C and 5.5 respectively. When incubated on TSM agar medium at 40 C, the fungus grew normally with heavy induced sporulation within three weeks of incubation. Induction of sporulation on exposure to low temperature appeared to be strategies for survival of these species in extreme cold environment temperature 4 to 50 C. Antifungal activities of the two species of Trichoderma were demonstrated with phytopathogenic fungi in dual cultures. The antifungal metabolites produced by Trichoderma spp., diffusible as well as volatile, caused abnormalities in pathogenic fungi. Plant growth promotion of Trichoderma spp. was also shown through plant analysis in greenhouse.

An Unusual Case of Acute Pancreatitis in a Child.

Ascaris lumbricoides is a common intestinal parasite in tropical regions.Pancreatitis due to worm infestation is an uncommon but important cause in this region. While there are reports of pancreatic duct invasion by round worms in adults, such cases are rarely reported in pediatric population. We report one such case in a sixteen year old child.

Study of Mumps in Children attending a Tertiary Care Centre.

Introduction: Mumps is a self-limiting viral infection of the salivary glands with systemic manifestations and complications. It primarily affects young children, with increased incidence in winter and spring. Mumps infection is endemic in developing countries because of poor vaccination coverage. This study is intended to highlight the increased number of mumps cases in children attending tertiary care center in Nepal and thus to emphasize the importance of mumps vaccination, so as to decrease the disease occurrence and disease burden by vaccinating all children. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study done in Civil Service Hospital of Nepal over a period of 2 years from November 2009 to October 2011. All children less than 14years of age with symptoms of fever and parotid swelling were included in the study group. A detailed history pertaining to the disease was taken, that included; history of exposure and prior vaccination against mumps. Children were asked to follow up either after 5 days or in case of noticing any signs and symptoms of complication. Results: There were total 113 cases diagnosed clinically as mumps of which there were 71 males (62.83%) and 42 females (37.16%) with the peak incidence of disease in the month of March and September with 22 cases (19.46%) in each month. The increase incidence was seen in 4-6 years of age with 58 cases (51.32%). There were 70 patients (61.94%) that had history of exposure to mumps infection. All the patients in this study had either unilateral or bilateral parotitis. None of the children were vaccinated against mumps. And all the school going children had to be off school for a period of 3-5 days. Conclusion: There were large number of children with mumps and none of them were vaccinated. Child can be prevented from the infection by vaccination and thus avoiding possible sufferings and complications. Thus we recommend the use of mumps vaccination in Routine immunization programme.

Ectrodactyly: A rare anomaly of limbs.

Split-hand/split-foot malformation (SHFM) is a rare congenital malformation of the limbs with median clefts of the hands and feet and aplasia/hypoplasia of the phalanges, metacarpals and metatarsals. When present as an isolated anomaly, it is usually inherited as an autosomal dominant form. We report a case of nonsyndromic form of ectrodactyly because of its rarity.

Clinical Profile and Sensitivity Pattern of Salmonella Serotypes in Children: A Hospital Based Study.

Introduction: Enteric fever is a systemic infection caused by the bacteria, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S.typhi) and Salmonella enterica serovara Paratyphi (S. paratyphi A, B and C). Most of the burden of the disease is limited to the developing world and the disease still has the issues like wide spectrum of clinical presentation and multidrug resistance. Objectives: This study was done to analyze the clinical profile and antibiotic sensitivity pattern in the cases of culture positive enteric fever. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Civil Service Hospital from February 2010 to January 2011 in the paediatric population in the age group of 2 to 14 years. Children with Salmonella species isolated in blood culture were included in the study. Results: Out of the 40 children with culture positive enteric fever, male to female ratio was 1.3:1 with common age group between 11-14 years. S typhi was isolated in 25 cases while S. paratyphi in 15 cases. Clinical features of S. typhi and S. paratyphi were indistinguishable. Both S.typhi and S. paratyphi were found to be 100% sensitive to drugs like Ceftriaxone, Cefotaxime, Cefixime and Chloramphenicol. Sensitivity to Ofloxacin was 100% in S. paratyphi and 92% in S.typhi. Similarly sensitivity of Azithromycin was 92% and 93% for S.typhi and S. paratyphi respectively. Conclusion: Salmonella serotype is still 100 % sensitive to third generation cephalosporin. Some percentage of resistance is seen with Ofloxacin in S. typhi and with Azithromycin in both S.typhi and S. paratyphi.

Antagonistic and plant growth activity of Trichoderma isolates of Western Himalayas.

The genus Trichoderma is rapidly growing colonies bearing tufted or postulate, repeatedly branched conidiophores with lageniform phialides and hyaline or green conidia born in slimy heads. 62 isolates of Trichoderma species were isolated from different rhizospheric soil samples collected from different places located in Western Himalayas region. Out of these only two species were found i.e. Trichoderma hazianum and Trichoderma viride. Their efficacy against soil borne plant pathogens like Sclerotium rolfsii, Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum revealed that only three isolates amounting to 5% of the total collected isolates of this region were found highly antagonist. Among them 5% isolates were found against S. rolfsii, 13% isolates against R. solani, 10% against sclerotium caused above 80% inhibition of mycelial growth respectively. 6% isolates out of twenty seven utilized chitin by more than 80 and 16% isolates consumed cellulose by above 80% and therefore are producers of chitinase and cellulases. 58% isolates produced colonies having cottony texture and 41% produced dark green colonies. Pigmentation as observed from reverse side of the colony revealed that 70% of them did not produced pigment in the medium. Plant growth promotion measured as root and shoot lengths were significantly higher than in control. The maximum root length and shoot length were recorded when seeds were treated with isolates were recorded at Srinagar Garhwal was 4.70 and 4.75 cm out of all the isolates in which isolate recorded from Srinagar no 3 caused maximum percent seed germination which was significantly higher 79.49%.

Serological diagnosis of tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of ELISA for the detection of IgG antibodies against antigen 85 complex (Ag 85 complex) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. METHODS: Children of either sex, 0-18 years of age, attending the outpatient department and admitted in the casualty and wards of the Department of Pediatrics, S.N. Medical College, Agra, were included in present study. The study was carried out on children with pulmonary and CNS tuberculosis along with matching controls (83 cases and 32 controls). Informed consents of their parents or guardians were taken. They were subjected to clinical examination, relevant laboratory investigations, tuberculin test and chest radiograph. Relevant body fluids were subjected to bacteriological tests; ELISA was applied to serum samples for detection of IgG antibodies against antigen 85 complex (Ag85). The result of ELISA was compared with bacteriological tests [Ziehl Neelson (ZN) staining for acid-fast bacilli, culture on Lowenstein Jensen (LJ) medium and culture on BacT/Alert 3D system]. RESULTS: ELISA tests showed a significantly higher sensitivity (59.1%) as compared with LJ medium culture method (19.3%), BacT/Alert 3D system (24.1%) and ZN staining (16.9%) in all patients (p<0.001). Specificity of ELISA test was 71.9%. CONCLUSION: In view of the convenience, low cost and good sensitivity, ELISA tests have a promising future in the diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis.

Photoperiod and melatonin-induced changes in male reproduction in Indian desert gerbil, Meriones hurrianae (Jerdon).

Exposure to continuous darkness and chronic treatment with melatonin, for six weeks, stimulated reproduction in the male Indian desert gerbil as evidenced by morphometric data. Exposure to continuous light, for same duration, on the other hand inhibited reproduction. The results are opposite to those reported from similar studies on temperate zone species. Surface areas of abdominal scent glands increased following both, exposures to continuous darkness and the treatment with melatonin. Exposure to continuous light decreased the scent gland surface area. Assessment of scent gland activity could be useful in evaluation of reproductive function as they are dependent on sex steroids. Melatonin that mediates photoperiodic influence on reproduction is not always inhibitory to gonads.

Influence of melatonin on blood morphology in male albino mice.

Influence of melatonin on diurnal changes in hematological profiles was examined in male albino mice, at six hourly interval. Melatonin treatment either once daily (25 micrograms at 1700 hrs) or twice daily (25 micrograms at 0900 and 1700 hrs) for two weeks resulted in an alternation in the RBC rhythm. Generally the effect was suppressive though at some times the counts were marginally increased. Total WBC counts were increased and there was apparently a change in their rhythm too. Interestingly the differential WBC counts exhibited different patterns in, once and twice daily melatonin-treated mice. Melatonin given once daily predominantly stimulated the absolute lymphocyte count whereas the twice daily regimen predominantly stimulated the neutrophil count. This perhaps is related to the varied exposures of the animals to melatonin in the two experimental setups. Erythrocyte indices like mean cell volume, mean cell hemolglobin and mean cell hemoglobin concentration in both the experiments correlated with hemoglobin and hematocrit values. It may be concluded that melatonin has a modulatory role in hemopoiesis and its rhythms. The stimulatory effect of melatonin on WBC supports its purported immunopotentiating action.

Contextual constraints in the choice of synonymous codons.

From EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database, protein coding sequences of all E. coli and its DNA phages, were extracted using our computer programme. Same programme has been used to form a database of sequence of oligonucleotides of length 18 nucleotides on both sides of each of the 61 codons. From analysis of this database and study of variations in twist parameter (Tw) values, as an indicator of sequence dependent variations in B-DNA helix, a method is developed to fix the codon among the set of synonymous codons. The accuracy of the method was checked on enlarged data set by adding data from more prokaryotes. Our method assign the codon 85-90% times correctly if the selection has to be made between codons having different sequence in terms of R and Y. The accuracy of the method is somewhat lower when choice of the codon has to be made between codons having same codes in terms of R and Y. This study points out that the major factors which decide the choice of a codon from a set of synonymous codons are contextual constraints arising from flanking regions.

Effect of long-term administration of melatonin on adrenal histomorphology of the Indian desert gerbil Meriones hurrianae Jerdon.

Melatonin treatment for 8 weeks resulted in a significant increase (P < 0.01) in weights of the adrenal glands, in both male and female, M. hurrianae. The weight increase was not related to the time of administration of melatonin. Histology of adrenal glands in melatonin treated gerbils revealed a stimulatory response. In treated gerbils, adrenal cortex exhibited significant hypertrophy with enlarged nuclei and degranulated cytoplasm. Signs of hypertrophy were also evident in the adrenal medulla. The physiological significance of this response is not yet clear. It remains to be clarified if the hypertrophy indicates enhanced synthesis of corticosteroids.

Effect of long-term administration of melatonin on eyes and harderian glands in albino rat.

Pineal hormone melatonin is also synthesized by the ocular structures, retina and Harderian gland. The physiological significance of such production is not fully understood. Daily treatment with melatonin (25 micrograms/rat) for 8 weeks led to an increase in weight of eye balls and fluid within it (P < 0.05). Weight of the Harderian gland in the control and treated rats was not significantly different, though the histological observation revealed an increase in cell height and reduction in lumen diameter in the treated animals. Inter luminal deposits of porphyrin content appeared to be more in the Harderian glands of melatonin treated rats. The retinal tissue indicated degenerative changes in the melatonin treated rats. The results suggest melatonin's influence on level of ocular fluid, structure/function of retina and harderian gland.

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.

Determinant analysis and interaction studies on monoclonal antibodies to bovine IgG1 and IgG2.

Two mouse monoclonal antibodies SKb1 and SKb6 were prepared by fusion of myeloma cells with spleen cells of female Balb/c mouse immunized with a mixture of bovine IgG1 and IgG2. In radioimmunoassay, SKb1 bound specifically to IgG2 but SKb6 reacted with both IgG1 and IgG2 molecules. In the competition experiments, heavy chain isolated from bovine IgG could inhibit the binding of 125I-IgG1 and 125I-IgG2 to SKb6, while it failed to inhibit the binding of 125I-IgG2 to SKb1. The epitope reacting with SKb1 was found to be present not only on bovine IgG2 but also on goat IgG and was not present on IgG molecules isolated from the serum of rabbit, rat, sheep, horse, human and monkey. Similarly, the epitope reacting to SKb6 was found to be present on bovine IgG1 and IgG2 and also on IgG molecules isolated from goat and sheep serum but was absent in the IgG molecules isolated from the serum of rabbit, rat, horse, human and monkey. The association constants of the interactions of SKb1 with 125I-IgG2 and of SKb6 with 125I-IgG1 and 125I-IgG2, determined by Scatchard analysis, Steward-Petty plot and Sips plot, were found to be in the order of 10(8)-10(10) L/M. The association constants were determined at varying temperatures to obtain the thermodynamic parameters. The enthalpy (delta H0) and entropy (delta S0) values for the above antigen-antibody interactions were in the range of 9.15-15.96 kcal/mole and 36.96-41.15 eu/mole respectively. The heterogeneity indices for similar interactions determined by Sips equation were consistent with the expected values for binding of monoclonal antibodies with homogeneous protein determinants.