Multiparticulate formulation of Valdecoxib for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

An oral controlled onset dosage form intended to approximate the chronobiology of rheumatoid arthritis was proposed for colonic targeting. The multiparticulate system comprising of non-pareil seeds coated with Eudragit S100 was designed for chronotherapeutic delivery of valdecoxib. The drug was coated onto non-pareil seeds by powder layering technique using the conventional coating pan. Different coat weights of non-aqueous dispersions were applied onto the drug-coated pellets using spray coating technique. In vitro dissolution tests of the coated pellets were performed in different pH media for a period of 11 hours. The in-vitro dissolution tests showed that the release of valdecoxib from the coated pellets depended on the pH of the dissolution fluid and the coat weights applied. All the formulations exhibited no release of drug in the pH 1.2 and pH 4 buffers; drug release took place in phosphate buffer of pH 7.4. Further intactness of the drug in the formulation and the uniformity of the polymer coating were checked by the infrared study and scanning electron microscopy. Stability studies inferred that the drug undergoes no considerable degradation pattern at room temperature and 40oC even after three weeks. All the above results show that the formulation could be highly advantageous in the chronotherapy of rheumatoid arthritis with appreciable drug release and physiochemical properties.

A Study on Treatment Outcome of Registered Tuberculosis Cases under RNTCP in Udupi Taluk, Karnataka.

Directly Observed Treatment Short Course is the internationally recommended strategy to ensure cure of tuberculosis. However, it is equally important to review the shortcomings if any of such an important strategy against tuberculosis to make it more useful. This Descriptive study carried in a Tuberculosis Unit was to find out the treatment outcome of patients registered under Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program. The data was collected from the tuberculosis register and was analyzed using SPSS 13.0 version. Study included 563 patients, 68% were males and 32.0% were females. Category I had majority of the patients 307 (54.52%); Category II had 133 (23.6%), and Category III had 116 (20.6%) patients. In Category I, 175 (57.0%) patients were cured and 13(4.2%) had treatment failure. In Category II, 61 (45.9%) were cured and 11(8.3%) had treatment failure. In Category III, 105 (90.5%) had complet treatment. Out of 236 patients who were cured, majority were under the care of government health workers 125(53%), followed by anganwadi 32(13.6%) and social workers 27(11.4%). Joint efforts of DOTS providers cured 53 (22.4%) patients. Ensuring early diagnosis and high cure rate of Tuberculosis cases is the only effective way to stop the spread of Tuberculosis.

Late postpartum preeclampsia with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome is a reversible syndrome characterized by headache, seizures, altered mentation, and loss of vision associated with white matter changes on imaging. We report here a 27 year-old lady three weeks postpartum, presenting with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. She was treated successfully with antihypertensives and showed dramatic improvement. This condition is important to recognize and needs to be treated promptly to prevent morbidity and mortality in pregnancy and postpartum.

Disseminated tuberculosis presenting as mesenteric and cerebral abscess in HIV infection: case report

Disseminated tuberculosis in HIV infection involves multiple organs. Pulmonary and lymph node involvement are the commonest form of tuberculosis in HIV infection [1, 2]. Other forms of tuberculosis in the absence of lung and lymph node involvement are rare. Various forms of abdominal [3, 4] and neurological [5, 6] tubercular involvement in HIV infection have been reported. But tuberculosis presenting simultaneously with mesenteric and brain abscess has not been reported yet. We report a case of disseminated tuberculosis presenting as mesenteric and cerebral abscess in a HIV case without involving lung and lymph nodes. Bone marrow smears and fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) from mesenteric lesion were positive for acid fast bacilli (AFB) and the diagnosis of tuberculosis was confirmed by positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR). He responded well to treatment with anti tubercular drugs.