Antioxidant and antiarthritic potential of berberine: In vitro and in vivo studies / 中草药·英文版

OBJECTIVE@#To extract and isolate berberine from Berberis aristata (Berberidaceae). Isolated berberine was characterised using spectroscopy and its antioxidant and antiarthritic activity was analyzed.@*METHODS@#The berberine was isolated from B. aristata using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and characterised by a spectroscopic technique. The isolated berberine was evaluated for its antioxidant activity in DPPH, nitric oxide, and superoxide scavenging assays, while antiarthritic activity was evaluated in the complete freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis rat model.@*RESULTS@#The antioxidant activity of berberine revealed potent antioxidant activity in DPPH, nitric oxide, and superoxide scavenging assays. The in vivo antiarthritic activity of berberine in the CFA-induced arthritis rat model showed a significant reduction in paw diameter, arthritic score, and an increase in body weight. Furthermore, a concentration-dependent ameliorating action of berberine on haematological parameters was noticed. Proinflammatory biomarkers, including IL-6, IL-10, and TGF-b in serum were reported, and histopathology examination revealed that berberine decreased pannus formation, synovial hyperplasia, and bone erosion. Radiographic investigation showed soft tissue inflammation, bone resorption and erosion, joint gap reduction, and substantial connective tissue expansion after treatment with berberine.@*CONCLUSION@#The ameliorating action on haematological parameters and proinflammatory biomarkers of berberine makes them a suitable remedy for the treatment of arthritis.

Comparative Study of Tamsulosin versus Placebo in the Management of Lower Ureteric Stone

Aim: This study aims to compare the effect of tamsulosin versus placebo in the management of lower ureteric stones.Material and Methods: A total of 100 diagnosed patients of lower ureteric stone from the period of June 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019(12 months), were taken for the study. The study group was divided into three groups, Group A taken tamsulosin 0.4 mg + steroids(deflozacort 6 mg), Group B taken tamsulosin 0.4 mg + dicyclomine 20 mg, and Group C dicyclomine 20 mg alone. The results ofthree group were compared by expulsion rate and expulsion time of stones. Chi-square test was used for calculating the effect.Results: The mean age of Group A was 38.46 ± 10.68 years, Group B was 33.87 ± 9.62 years, and in Group C 32.94 ± 7.07 years.There was no significant relation between ages in stone expulsion. The mean calculus size in Group A was 5.93 ± 2.12 mm, Group Bwas 6.00 ± 2.03 mm, and Group C was 5.00 ± 2.01 mm. P = 0.784 was not statistically significant. In Group A, 40% of stones were onthe left side and 29.7% on the right side, in Group B, 20% of stones were on the left side and 40% on the right side, and in Group C,40% of stones were on the left side and 30.7% on the right side. P = 0.126 is not statistically significant. The mean time taken for stoneexpulsion in Group A was 5.39 ± 1.94 days, Group B was 4.75 ± 2.03 days, and Group C was 6.76 ± 1.90 days. P = 0.006 (<0.05)is highly statistically significant. Hence, in the present study, in Group A, 29 patients out of 33 patients, in Group B, 28 patients outof 33, and in Group C, 22 patients out of 34 patients, the stone was expelled out. P = 0.040 (<0.05) is highly statistically significant.There was no statistically significant difference which was found between the three groups in age, size, and side of stone.Conclusion: The results of this study have shown a potentially important role of tamsulosin for conservative expulsive therapyof distal ureteral stones, broadening pharmacological indications rather than endoscopic treatments for the resolution of thisdisease. Obviously, further studies with larger number of cases are necessary to validate these promising and statisticallysignificant results. The comparison with minimally invasive procedures in terms of cost and efficacy was useful, highlighting apredominant role of first-line pharmacological treatment, which can be easily be provided in an outpatient setting and not onlyat large, technologically advanced, centers. The drug tamsulosin proved to be safe and effective as demonstr ated by the lowincidence of side effects and the increased stone expulsion rate and reduced expulsion time. Moreover, medical expulsivetherapy with tamsulosin considerably decreased the analgesic use, thereby reducing additional need for pain relief and servedas an effective bridge between watch-and-wait management and surgical intervention.

Genetic diversity and population structure analysis of Asian and African aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) genotypes

Rice germplasms collected from different regions could be used as valuable resources for the future breeding programme. For the utilization of such collections, knowledge about the level and distribution of genetic diversity among these collections will facilitate the breeder. In this study, we report the phenotypic correlation, biochemical quality parameters and population genetic analysis of 35 rice accessions including 34 aromatic rice from different countries and a nonaromatic, Nagina 22, a well-known drought resistance variety. Further biochemical quality analysis, gel consistency test, molecular diversity analysis with 55 simple sequence repeat markers, population structure analysis and pair wise FST analysis were also conducted to assess the genetic diversity. The collected rice genotypes showed significant variability in different agronomic traits, i.e. spikelet per panicle, branches per panicle etc. Results obtained from the above tests demonstrated the importance of regional genetic studies for understanding the diversification of aromatic rice in Asian and African rice.

Girls' Collectives Address Adolescents' Anemia and Social Norms in Socially-excluded Tea Estates in India: A Public-private Partnership in Assam.

Objectives: To generate evidence on engaging girls' collectives to address anemia and social norms in self-contained, privately-managed tea plantations in India. Methods: In 2006, UNICEF India partnered with a federation of tea companies in Assam's Dibrugarh district, and Twinning Corporate Social Responsibility to establish 158 girls' collectives across 117 of 273 tea gardens. These collectives meet weekly to discuss and address social issues such as child marriage, child labor, school dropout, and life skills. In 2012, supervised weekly iron folic acid (IFA) supplementation, biannual deworming and nutrition education were weaved in these peer interactions and implemented in 15 tea estates through 45 girls' collectives comprising 7097 adolescent girls, with the objective to address anemia. Visual aids, recipe demonstrations, and home gardening were used to make sessions interesting. Government positioned adequate supplies at tea estate hospitals/outposts. Two peer monitors per tea estate supervised the activities of the collectives. The follow up of this cohort included a baseline (2011) and an end line (2013) survey. Results: Compliance with weekly IFA supplementation (4 tablets per month) increased from 25% (2012) to 82% (2013). Home gardens were introduced in 1,002 homes and 55 community patches. Provisional end line data shows a 1.25 g/dl improvement in mean hemoglobin levels (9.77 to 11.2 g/dl). There is also evidence of increased girls' re-enrollment in high school and a reduction in the proportion of child marriages. Conclusions: Lessons from this public-private partnership can be adapted to similar programming environments that aim at reaching out to adolescent girls with anemia control interventions.

Chlorhexidine chip and tetracycline fibers as adjunct to scaling and root planing: a clinical study

Aim: Prevention of periodontal disease progression is the primary goal of periodontal therapy. When conventional therapy is found inadequate to attain periodontal health in chronic periodontitis, local antimicrobial agents have been used as adjunct to scaling and root planing, producing encouragingresults. Hence, a study was undertaken to evaluate clinically, the newly released sustained drugs, PerioColTMCG(Chlorhexidine - CHX- chip) with Periodontal Plus ABTM (Tetracycline fibers). Methods: Patients wereallocated in 3 experimental treatment groups, Group A- SRP + CHX Chip, Group B- SRP + Tetracycline fibers, and Group C- SRP alone (control group). Forty-five sites in 14 patients (9 females and 5 males) with chronic periodontitis (5-8mm probing depth), were evaluated clinically for probing depth (PD) and relative attachment level (RAL). Results: All the treatment groups were found to be efficacious in the treatment of periodontal disease as demonstrated by improvement in PD and RAL. Conclusion: Combination of SRP + CHX chip (Group A) resulted in added benefits compared to the other two treatment groups.

Idiopathic spontaneous coronary artery dissection presenting as acute myocardial infarction in a young boy.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare cause of acute myocardial infarction. It is more commonly seen in the younger age group particularly in women. We report a case of 14-year-old boy that presented with acute myocardial infarction (MI), with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and was detected to have left main coronary artery dissection on coronary angiography. Myocardial perfusion imaging did not show any evidence of reversible ischemia. Patient was managed conservatively and was marginally improved. This case highlights one of the rare causes of myocardial infarction and the use of myocardial perfusion imaging in selecting treatment options for management of this rare entity.