Diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetic foot syndrome in South India

Purpose: The purpose was to study the retinopathy status in diabetic patients with a risk of diabetic foot (DF) syndrome visiting a tertiary care hospital in South India. Methods: In this cross sectional study all patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) with a risk of DF syndrome, visiting a tertiary care hospital during the study period, underwent an ophthalmological evaluation for documentation of their retinopathy status. Results: One hundred and eighty-two patients diagnosed to have a risk profile for DF syndrome were included in the study. Their mean age was 59.28 years and 75.27% were males. The mean duration of Type 1 and Type 2 variants of DM was 14.9 years and 10.9 years, respectively. Of the 182 patients, 67.58% had retinopathy changes. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR) constituted 17.88% of the total patients with retinopathy. An increased presence of retinopathy in patients with an increased risk grade of DF was found significant by the Chi-square test (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Our study found an increased presence of DR in a South Indian cohort with DF syndrome. The severity of retinopathy was greater in patients with higher grades of risk for DF. The establishment of an association between DR and DF syndrome will help in developing an integrated management strategy for these two debilitating consequences of diabetes.

Carqueja (Baccharis trimera): utilização terapêutica e biossíntese / Broom (Baccharis trimera): therapeutic use and biosynthesis

A utilização de plantas medicinais no tratamento e cura de enfermidades é um recurso terapêutico muito antigo e talvez o único adotado em muitas comunidades e grupos étnicos. A família Asteraceae concentra grande número de espécies com potencial terapêutico, algumas das quais do gênero Baccharis, utilizadas na medicina popular e também na produção de fitoterápicos. Estudos relatam que a principal indicação terapêutica mencionada para estas espécies estão relacionadas com ações sobre o trato gastrintestinal. A partir de pesquisa bibliográfica, foram identificadas as características morfológicas da carqueja, bem como, as propriedades terapêuticas cientificamente comprovadas, biossíntese dos principais metabólitos secundários, e possíveis interações medicamentosas.

The use of medicinal plants to treat and cure diseases is a very old therapeutic resource and perhaps the only one adopted in many communities and ethnic groups. The Asteraceae family concentrates a great number of species with therapeutic potential, some of which belong to the Baccharis genus and have been used in folk medicine and herbal medicine production. Studies have reported that the main therapeutic indication for these species is related to actions on the gastrointestinal tract. From literature searches, the morphological characteristics of broom, its scientifically proven therapeutic properties, as well as biosynthesis of secondary metabolites and possible drug interactions were identified.

Suppessive effects of calendula micrantha essential oil and gibberelic acid [PGR] on reproductive porential of the mediterranean fruit fly ceratitis capitata wied. [diptera: tephritidae]

The volatile oil of Calendula micrtantha plant was extracted and the components were identified by Gc/Ms. Adulticidal efficiency of the volatile oil and gibberelic acid "plant growth promoting hormone" as well as their mixture was assessed against the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata. The result showed that the two compounds capable have characteristic resembling to insect juvenile hormones and have suppressive effect on reproductive potential. They induced the significant disturbances in the ovarian protein fraction and the amino acids patterns

Evaluation of the efficacy of dill apiol and pyriproxyfen in the treatment and control of xenopsylla cheopis flea roths [siphonaptera: pulicidae]

The effect of LC50 of the isolated dill apiol compound and pyriproxyfen caused significant prolongation in the first gonotrophic cycle and great reduction in the percentage of female [Xenopsylla cheopis] reproductive potential as well as egg hatchability. The results indicated that, the larval treatments inhibited the ovarian development and evolved drastic changes in the ovarian histology and histochemistry. The two tested compounds reduced the vitellogenesis and synthesis of carbohydrates, protein, DNA and RNA materials and lipids in oocytes. The two compounds are similar in their mode and site of action

Pathological alterations in the ovaries of culex pipiens induced by fixed oil extracts from thevetia peruvine, datura stramonium and acacia sp

The fixed oil extracts from Thevetia peruvine, Datura stramonium and Acacia sp were tested on Culex pipiens larvae. The estimated sublethal concentrations [LC50] were used in the present study. The reproductive potential of females and the histochemistry of their ovaries were determined. The results indicated that oil treatments of larvae caused drastic changes in reproduction potential of female mosquito including the ovarian development in the first gonotrophic cycle, fecundity and fertility of treated females. Histological and histochemical studies revealed clear changes in the oocytes of females derived from treated larvae. Treatment with the oils reduced the vitellogenesis, synthesis of proteins, carbohydrates, lipid contents, DNA and RNA materials. The reproduction was always significant and may reflect the shortage in reproductive potential, the state of being disturbed. Generally, these fixed oils merit further investigations as a potential suppressant of Culex pipiens because their abilities to kill the early stages inhibit growth and development of ovaries and reduce the reproductive potential of adult females. The three oils have variable activities but they are similar in their mode and site of actions