Clinical Evaluation of a Polyherbal Nutritional Supplement in Dyslipidemic Volunteers.

Ten important plant parts routinely used in South Indian ethnic food preparation as spices and condiments were investigated for their potential antidyslipidemic properties. The aim of the study was to characterize the biochemical properties of the polyherbal formulation (nutritional supplement) and evaluate its use to control dyslipidemia in patients. Phytochemical evaluation, in vitro α-amylase inhibitory assay, and high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) fingerprinting were carried out with alcoholic extracts of all 10 individual plants and with the nutritional supplement. Investigation in human volunteers was conducted to evaluate the effect on dyslipidemia as measured by serum lipid biomarkers. Sixty-five volunteers were recruited for this study. Biomarker values at baseline and at 6th visit (end of review, 8/9 months) were compared to assess the usefulness of the nutritional supplement in the normalization of lipid biomarkers. In the qualitative analysis of metabolites, the results revealed the presence of various bioactive primary and secondary metabolites that might be responsible for their medicinal attributes. In human volunteers, after supplement intake along with standard therapy, we observed significant decrease in serum cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) level did not change in test patient volunteers. Reductions in hemoglobin A1C (HBA1C) and postprandial blood sugar levels were observed; the difference was not statistically significant. We believe that the polyherbal formulation of 10 medicinal plants has potent antidyslipidemic activity. Our results contribute for the first time toward documentation of augmented dyslipidemia control by use of the formulation.

Comparative evaluation of nested PCR and conventional smear methods for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum samples.

BACKGROUND: With 1.8 million new cases each year, India carries 20% of the global burden of tuberculosis, a situation that is now further exacerbated with the emergence of drug resistance. The current diagnostic technique suggested by the Government of India's Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme is Ziehl-Neelsen staining of a sputum smear. This technique is known to be inadequate. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate nested PCR (nPCR) in the detection of pulmonary tuberculosis in sputum samples in comparison with conventional smear findings, in an effort to improve detection rates from those obtained by the smear-alone approach. STUDY DESIGN: Patients attending a tertiary-care hospital (situated in a rural area of Vellore district) with clinical suspicion of pulmonary tuberculosis were prospectively recruited from mid-April 2009 to mid-December 2009 and investigated. The sputum samples were stained by Ziehl-Neelsen staining for smear examination. DNA extracted from concentrated sputum was tested by nPCR, targeting the IS6110 sequence in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome. RESULTS: Among 84 patients tested (median age 45.5 years), 80.95% were from the rural community and 19.05% were from the peri-urban community. Seventeen patients (20.24%; mid-p 95% CI 31.5, 52.4) tested positive by the smear examination and 35 (41.67%; mid-p 95% CI 12.7, 29.8) tested positive by nPCR. The difference in detection rates was statistically significant (chi(2) = 9.02; p = 0.002). The kappa coefficient between smear findings and nPCR findings was 0.47, which was a statistically significant agreement (Z = 4.91; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: This report describes the molecular detection of M. tuberculosis in patients' sputum samples tested by the nPCR format, using IS6110 as a target sequence. A high prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis was identified by the nPCR assay, which was shown to have a significantly higher detection rate than conventional smear staining.