Protective Effect of Adiantum Capillus Against Chemically Induced Oxidative Stress by Cisplatin.

Damage to cells caused by free radicals has been implicated in the disease progression of at least 50 diseases that is cancer, cardiovascular disease, renal dysfunction and other. So many factors contribute to oxidative stress. Hence, the present study was designed to investigate the potential nephroprotective activity of 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg. Ethanolic extract of Adiantum capillus-veneris dried fronds against Cisplatin induced oxidative stress caused in male Wistar rats. Acute nephrotoxicity was induced by i.p. injection of Cisplatin (7 mg/kg of body weight (b.w.)). Administration of ethanol extract at dose level of 500 and 250 mg/kg (b.w.) to Cisplatin-intoxicated rats (toxic control) for 14 days attenuated the biochemical and histological signs of nephrotoxicity of Cisplatin in dose-dependent fashion. Ethanol extract at 500 mg/kg decreased the serum level of creatinine and urea as compared to the toxic control group. The ethanol extract of Adiantum capillus-veneris at 500 mg/kg (b.w.) exhibited significant and comparable nephroprotective potential. The statistically (one-way-ANOVA followed by Dunnet’s test) processed results suggested the positive action of Adiantum capillus-veneris Cisplatin-induced nephropathy.

In-Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Centaurea behen.

The present investigation was conducted to investigate the in-vitro activity of ethanolic extract of Roots of Centaurea behens by using DPPH radical scavenging activity, nitric oxide radical scavenging activity, hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging activity, hydroxyl radical. Result suggests that the extract possess significant antioxidant activity as compared to the standard ascorbic acid and thus further in vivo investigation is required to evaluate the medicinal significance of the extract which can be used for assessing the possible therapeutic importance of the drug.

Acupuncture in bronchial asthma.

By now, there is adequate clinical experience of treating bronchial asthma with acupuncture. It has a limited role in treating acute attacks since it is a weak bronchodilator, but it has an excellent prophylactic effect in the long run. Controlled trials have shown that acupuncture causes modest improvement in objective parameters, with significant subjective improvement. However, in all these trials there is a large degree of variation in the technique and methodology used. It is expected that with standardization of the technique as per the guidelines given, future trials will be able to quantify the efficacy of acupuncture in bronchial asthma. In addition, investigation of the mechanism by which acupuncture works may lead to better understanding of the pathophysiology of asthma.

Acupuncture--a critical evaluation.

Acupuncture is a traditional form of Chinese medicine which has been in practice for over 3000 years. It was not accepted in the West mainly due to cultural barriers. However, research during the last decade has established the physiological basis of acupuncture. Although it is mainly used for chronic musculoskeletal pain in the West, it also has a place in the treatment of various non-painful disorders like bronchial asthma, alcohol and nicotine addiction and functional gastrointestinal disorders. Controlled trials published in the literature have many methodological flaws, and these can be rectified by standardisation of acupuncture technique. Since traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine differ in their concepts of anatomy, physiology and systems of diagnosis, it is not possible to reconcile them into a common language. However, it is possible for them to co-exist.

Comparative evaluation of the antipyretic efficacy of ibuprofen and paracetamol.

An open multicentric trial was conducted on 175 patients to compare the antipyretic efficacy of ibuprofen (7 mg/kg) and paracetamol (8 mg/kg). Children between the age of 4 months and 12 years with fever were admitted to the study, 85 in the ibuprofen group and 90 in the paracetamol group. The axillary temperatures were recorded at half hourly intervals for 2 hours. The mean fall in temperature at 1, 1.5 and 2 hours was similar in both groups and the differences were not statistically significant (p greater than 0.05). At half hour, the fall in temperature (mean +/- SEM) for ibuprofen was 0.1975 +/- 0.0409 and for paracetamol was 0.3843 +/- 0.0490. This absolute difference of 0.19 degrees C was statistically significant (p less than 0.05). We conclude that ibuprofen has antipyretic activity comparable to that of paracetamol and that it could be a valuable alternative antipyretic in clinical practice. There is a need to repeat this trial with higher doses of ibuprofen, to establish a dose response of the drug, if any, and to find an optimally effective dose.