Interactions of rosiglitazone and anti-arrhythmic drugs in animal model

Background: Diabetes increases the risk of vascular problems by two times compared with a healthy individual, with deposition of fats in blood vessel and this includes cardiovascular disease. The treatment regimens for patients suffering from both diseases generally include prolonged use of anti-diabetic drugs for diabetes and anti-arrhythmic drugs for cardiac arrhythmias.Aim:The aim of the study is to compare the influence of Mexiletine and Disopyramide on the pharmacodynamics (PDs) of Rosiglitazone in normal and diabetic rats.Materials and Methods:The study was conducted in normal rats and diabetic induced rats (with Alloxan monohydrate 100 mg/kg body weight). Albino rats weighing between 160 and 280 g were administered oral doses of Rosiglitazone 0.72 mg/kg, Mexiletine 36 mg/kg, or Disopyramide 18 mg/kg of bodyweight and their combination, with 1 week of washout between treatments. Eighteen rats were divided into three sub-sets with six rats in each sub-set. After 4 days, the blood glucose was estimated to confirm the diabetes. The Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) using MedCalc® software Version 11.6.1.0 was performed to analyze mean change in blood glucose between treatments with body weight as co-variable and treatment as factor for normal and diabetic rats.Results:No statistically significant difference in mean change in blood glucose between Rosiglitazone in comparison with Rosiglitazone + Mexiletine or Rosiglitazone + Disopyramide was observed in normal and diabetic rats (P = 0.606). The maximum mean change in blood glucose for Rosiglitazone and Rosiglitazone + Mexiletine or Rosiglitazone + Disopyramide was observed at 1 h and 8 h in normal and diabetic rats. The post hoc analysis showed baseline correction method has increased the reliability of the results (P < 0.001).Conclusion:The study concludes that PD activity of Rosiglitazone was not affected by the anti-arrhythmic drugs. This study introduced a new statistical methodology for analyzing the blood glucose endpoint

A comparison of alternative plant mixes for conservation bio-control by native beneficial arthropods in vegetable cropping systems in Queensland Australia.

Cucurbit crops host a range of serious sap-sucking insect pests, including silverleaf whitefly (SLW) and aphids, which potentially represent considerable risk to the Australian horticulture industry. These pests are extremely polyphagous with a wide host range. Chemical control is made difficult due to resistance and pollution, and other side-effects are associated with insecticide use. Consequently, there is much interest in maximising the role of biological control in the management of these sap-sucking insect pests. This study aimed to evaluate companion cropping alongside cucurbit crops in a tropical setting as a means to increase the populations of beneficial insects and spiders so as to control the major sap-sucking insect pests. The population of beneficial and harmful insects, with a focus on SLW and aphids, and other invertebrates were sampled weekly on four different crops which could be used for habitat manipulation: Goodbug Mix (GBM; a proprietary seed mixture including self-sowing annual and perennial herbaceous flower species); lablab (Lablab purpureus L. Sweet); lucerne (Medicago sativa L.); and niger (Guizotia abyssinica (L.f.) Cass.). Lablab hosted the highest numbers of beneficial insects (larvae and adults of lacewing (Mallada signata (Schneider)), ladybird beetles (Coccinella transversalis Fabricius) and spiders) while GBM hosted the highest numbers of European bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus) and spiders. Lucerne and niger showed little promise in hosting beneficial insects, but lucerne hosted significantly more spiders (double the numbers) than niger. Lucerne hosted sig-nificantly more of the harmful insect species of aphids (Aphis gossypii (Glover)) and Myzus persicae (Sulzer)) and heliothis (Heliothis armigera Hübner). Niger hosted significantly more vegetable weevils (Listroderes difficillis (Germar)) than the other three species. Therefore, lablab and GBM appear to be viable options to grow within cucurbits or as field boundary crops to attract and increase beneficial insects and spiders for the control of sap-sucking insect pests. Use of these bio-control strategies affords the opportunity to minimise pesticide usage and the risks associated with pollution.