Pars plana vitrectomy in vitreous hemorrhage with or without Intravitreal Bevacizumab: a comparative overview

Objective: To compare the success in patients having vitreous hemorrhage undergoing pars plana vitrectomy with or without preoperative intravitreal injection of Bevacizumab

Methods: This Randomized controlled trial was conducted at Department of Ophthalmology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. Karachi. Duration of study was six months from January 2010 to June 2010. In this study 56 patients of advanced diabetic eye disease were divided into two groups. Patients in Group-A underwent three ports pars plana vitrectomy with preoperative intravitreal injection of Bevacizumab [Avastin] 1.25mg/0.05ml, 3.5mm from the limbus seven days before surgery and in Group-B patients underwent vitrectomy without preoperative intravitreal Bevacizumab [Avastin]. Intraoperative bleeding was monitored in both groups and was graded as no bleeding, mild bleeding and severe bleeding. The results were statistically analyzed through computer software SPSS 17

Results: Twenty eight patients in Group-A who were given an injection of intravitreal Bevacizumab [Avastin] before surgery, intraoperative bleeding monitored was ,no bleeding in 17 cases [60.7%], mild was observed in 6 cases [21.4%] and severe bleeding requiring diathermy to stop was observed in only 5 cases [17.9%]. 28 patients in Group-B that underwent surgery without Avastin no bleeding was observed in only 2 cases [7.1%], mild in 6 cases [21.4%] and severe in 20 cases [71.4%]

Conclusions: Intravitreal injection of Bevacizumab [Avastin] was effective before vitrectomy in the surgical management of Advanced Diabetic Eye disease

Diverse pharmacological properties of Cinnamomum cassia: a review

Cinnamomum cassia is widely utilized as a spice in different cookeries worldwide, especially in Asian cuisines. This herb is also being used in different forms of traditional medicine [Unani, Ayurvedic, Japanese and Chinese] for managing conditions like dyspepsia, peptic ulcer disease and ischemic brain injury. Recent studies have shown the scientific evidence for the medicinal use of this particular herb in several diseases like H. pylori infection, diabetes, brain ischemia and cancers. This article reviews the literature on potential benefits of the herb published within the last 10 years. The authors used Medical Subject Headings [MeSH] terms [Cinnamomum] with [cassia] or [arromaticum] to filter the PubMed database. To date, no systemic review focusing on medicinal use of C. cassia was found in the literature. Various research articles elucidating diverse pharmacological properties of C. cassia were identified. The standardised extract of C. cassia or the active compounds extracted from the herb might prove to be a novel candidate for early prevention and complimentary management of conditions like diabetes mellitus or H. Pylori-associated disorders

Concise review on the insight of hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is the disease of liver caused by hepatitis C virus [HCV]. Due to its widespread impact on human population, there is continued surge for new therapeutic agents to treat and reduce HCV. Hence, nowadays HCV is considered as global burden throughout the world. Advancements in therapeutic invention and clinical outcomes are dependent on HCV genome and diversity in nature, pathogenesis, dietary factors, social, economic and environmental factors. In this review we have focused mainly on HCV genome, its history and clinical outcomes from its discovery to present day research. In this article the authors have reviewed the published data from year 1997 to 2014. The topics of main concerns were hepatitis C with diverse nature and recent advances in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. The authors used MeSH terms "Hepatitis C Virus [HCV]", recent advances in the treatment of "HCV", "HCV and Immunity", "vaccination", or "Interferon therapy" to search the PubMed database. All relevant studies identified were included and are described according to the subheadings. Recent advancement in molecular biology and experimental techniques has opened new insights into the pathophysiology of HCV which is helping in combating this life threatening disease. Although the response to current treatment regimen for HCV is improved however complete recovery from the disease is still a challenge which requires more extensive studies from basic science research to large multicenter clinical trials

Role of Interleukin-I beta in conception after intracytoplasmic sperm injection

To identify the role of Interleukin-I Beta[IL- I beta] in patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection. The quasi-experimental study was conducted at an infertility clinic in Islamabad from June 2010 to August 2011, and comprised couples opting for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Down regulation of ovaries was followed by calculated stimulation, ovulation induction, oocytes retrieval, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, in vitro maturation of embryos and embryo transfer. Serum Interleukin-I Beta was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay onovulation induction day. Patients were grouped as non-pregnant with beta human chorionic gonadotropin 5-25 mIU/ml, pre-clinical abortion; beta human chorionic gonadotropin >25 mIU/ml with no cardiac activity and clinical pregnancy with foetal heart confirmation by trans-vaginal scan after 4 weeks of transfer. SPSS 15 was used for statistical analysis. Of the total 323 patients initially registered, embryo transfer could be carried out in 282[87.30%]. Clinical pregnancy was achieved in 101[36%] patients, clinical abortions was the result in 61[22%] cases, while 120[42%] subjects did not conceive at all. Clinical pregnancy was achieved in subjects with high mean Interleukin-I Beta levels; 155.84 +/- 51.65 compared to 41.81 +/- 11.77and 118.46 +/- 35.62pg/mlin non-pregnant, preclinical abortion groups respectively [p=0.001]. The production of Interleukin-I Beta was associated with oocyte maturation, fertilisation, endometrial receptivity and implantation in patients undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Studies of food drug interactions

Medicines can treat and alleviate many diseases provided that they must be taken properly to ensure that they are safe and useful. One issue related with the medicines is that whether to take on empty stomach or with food. The present work gives information regarding food-drug interactions that were studied by collecting seventy five prescriptions from various hospitals. In most of the collected prescriptions, food-drug interactions were detected using the literature available. It was also found that only few studies have been carried out so far on the effect of food on drug disposition in the Asian population. Thus more studies on food-drug interactions particularly in the local population is recommended in order to determine the effect of food and food components on drug disposition and to the kinetics of the drugs which has not yet well highlighted in this part of the world

Disease pattern at the paediatric opd of shifa ul-mulk memorial hospital, hamdard university, madinat Al-Hikmah, Karachi

To study disease prevalence and determine disease pattern in the 28 villages around Madinat al-Hikmah, a retrospective study has been carried out at the Department of Clinical and Pre-Clinical Sciences, Shifa ul-Mulk, Memorial Hospital, Hamdard University, Madinat al-Hikmah, Karachi, Pakistan. Three groups have been made on yearly basis from January 2001-June 2003. Review has also been conducted according to age, sex and disease pattern. It was found that respiratory and diarrhoeal diseases top the list. Male to female ratio was nearly 2:1 and highest numbers of patients are under the age of 5-yrs. It was concluded that morbidity and mortality is highest in under 5-years age group, hence special attention is required to deal with patients of this age group