A Sensitive RP-HPLC Method for Simultaneous Estimation of Diethylcarbamazine and Levocetirizine in Tablet Formulation

A simple, sensitive and reproducible method was developed and validated for the simultaneous estimation of diethylcarbamazine and levocetirizine in its tablet formulation by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography using Waters1515 HPLC with UV detector at the λ(max) of 224 nm, using Princeton Sphere-100 C(18) (250×4.6 mm. 5 μ) column. The mobile phase used was 20mM potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate buffer (pH: 3.2):acetonitrile (50:50 v/v) with isocratic flow (flow rate 1 ml/min) and the pH was adjusted with orthophosphoric acid. Losartan potassium was used as an internal standard. The compounds diethylcarbamazine, levocetirizine and losartan potassium were eluted at 2.12, 4.27 and 5.96 min, respectively. The peaks were eluted with better resolution. The method was accurate with assay values of 96.32 and 93.04% w/w, precise (%RSD) with intra-day 1.72 and 1.89 and inter-day 1.85 and 1.92, recoveries 102.86 and 101.1% w/w, which are very sensitive with limit of detections (LOD)'s 75, 50 ng/ml and limit of quantification (LOQ)'s 100, 75 ng/ml and linear with R(2) values 0.994 in the range of 5 to 30 μg/ml 0.1 to 1 μg/ml for diethylcarbamazine and levocetirizine, respectively. Hence this method can be applied for quantification of different formulations containing diethylcarbamazine and levocetirizine simultaneously.     

Laboratory study on larvicidal activity of indigenous plant extracts against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anopheles subpictus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Culex tritaeniorhynchus</Emphasis>

Anopheles subpictus and Culex tritaeniorhynchus have developed resistance to various synthetic insecticides, making its control increasingly difficult. Insecticides of botanical origin may serve as suitable alternative biocontrol techniques in the future. The leaf acetone, chloroform, ethyl acetate, hexane, and methanol extracts of Aegle marmelos (Linn.) Correa ex Roxb, Andrographis lineata Wallich ex Nees., Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. ex Nees., Cocculus hirsutus (L.) Diels, Eclipta prostrata L., and Tagetes erecta L. were tested against fourth-instar larvae of malaria vector, A. subpictus Grassi and Japanese encephalitis vector, C. tritaeniorhynchus Giles (Diptera: Culicidae). All plant extracts showed moderate larvicidal effects after 24 h of exposure at 1,000 ppm; however, the highest larval mortality was found in leaf ethyl acetate of A. marmelos, E. prostrata, hexane, methanol of A. paniculata and C. hirsutus against the larvae of A. subpictus (LC₅₀ = 167.00, 78.28, 67.24, 142.83 ppm; LC₉₀ = 588.31, 360.75, 371.91, and 830.01 ppm) and against the larvae of C. tritaeniorhynchus (LC₅₀ = 99.03, 119.89, 88.50, 105.19 ppm; LC₉₀ = 479.23, 564.85, 416.39, and 507.86 ppm), respectively. These results suggest that the leaf hexane extract of A. paniculata and ethyl acetate extract of E. prostrata have the potential to be used as an ideal eco-friendly approach for the control of the A. subpictus and C. tritaeniorhynchus. Therefore, this study provides first report on the mosquito larvicidal activity of plant extracts against vectors from Southern India.     

Efficacy of larvicidal botanical extracts against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Culex quinquefasciatus</Emphasis> Say (Diptera: Culicidae)

The present study explored the effects of crude leaf acetone, chloroform, hot water, methanol, petroleum ether (60–80°C), and water extracts of Calotropis procera (Ait) R. Br., Canna indica L., Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn., Ipomoea carnea Jacq. spp. fistulosa Choisy, and Sarcostemma brevistigma Wight that were selected for investigating larvicidal potential against second and fourth instar larvae of the laboratory-reared mosquito species, Culex quinquefasciatus Say, in which the major lymphatic filariasis was used. All plant extracts showed moderate larvicidal effects after 24 h of exposure at 1,000 ppm; however, the highest larval mortality was found in leaf acetone, chloroform, methanol, and petroleum ether of C. indica (LC₅₀ = 29.62, 59.18, 40.77, and 44.38 ppm; LC₉₀ = 148.55, 267.87, 165.00, and 171.91 ppm) against second instar larvae (LC₅₀ = 121.88, 118.25, 69.76, and 56.31 ppm; LC₉₀ = 624.35, 573.93, 304.27, and 248.24 ppm) and against fourth instar larvae and acetone, hot water, methanol, and petroleum ether extracts of I. carnea (LC₅₀ = 61.17, 41.07, 41.82, and 39.32 ppm; LC₉₀ = 252.91, 142.67, 423.76, and 176.39 ppm) against second instar larvae (LC₅₀ = 145.37, 58.00, 163.81, and 41.75 ppm; LC₉₀ = 573.30, 181.10, 627.38, and 162.63 ppm) and against fourth instar larvae of C. quinquefasciatus, respectively. These results suggest that the acetone, methanol extracts of C. indica and hot water, petroleum ether extracts of I. carnea have the potential to be used as an ideal eco-friendly approach for the control of the major lymphatic filariasis vector, C. quinquefasciatus.     

Laboratory determination of efficacy of indigenous plant extracts for parasites control

The present study was based on assessments of the antiparasitic activities to determine the efficacies of acetone, chloroform, ethyl acetate, hexane, and methanol dried leaf, flower, and seed extracts of Achyranthes aspera L., Anisomeles malabarica (L.) R. Br., Gloriosa superba L., Psidium guajava L., Ricinus communis L., and Solanum trilobatum L. tested against the larvae of cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini 1887) (Acari: Ixodidae), sheep internal parasite Paramphistomum cervi (Zeder 1790) (Digenea: Paramphistomatidae) at 2,000 ppm and fourth instar larvae of Anopheles subpictus Grassi and Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles (Diptera: Culicidae) at 1,000 ppm. All plant extracts showed moderate effects after 24 h of exposure; however, the highest parasite mortality was found in the leaf ethyl acetate extract of A. aspera, leaf methanol extract of A. malabarica, flower methanol extract of G. superba, and leaf methanol extract of R. communis against the larvae of R. microplus (LC₅₀ = 265.33, 95.97, 153.73, and 181.49 ppm; LC₉₀ = 1,130.18, 393.88, 1,794.25, and 1,829.94 ppm); leaf acetone and chloroform of A. malabarica, flower acetone extract of G. superba, and leaf chloroform and methanol of R. communis against the adult of P. cervi (LC₅₀ = 108.07, 106.69, 157.61, 69.44, and 168.24 ppm; LC₉₀ = 521.77, 463.94, 747.02, 256.52, and 809.45 ppm); leaf ethyl acetate extract of A. aspera, leaf chloroform extract of A. malabarica, flower methanol of G. superba, and leaf methanol extract of R. communis against the larvae of A. subpictus (LC₅₀ = 48.83, 135.36, 106.77, and 102.71 ppm; LC₉₀ = 225.36, 527.24, 471.90, and 483.04 ppm); and leaf ethyl acetate extract of A. aspera, leaf chloroform extract of A. malabarica, flower methanol extract of G. superba, and leaf methanol extract of R. communis against the larvae of C. tritaeniorhynchus (LC₅₀ = 68.27, 95.98, 59.51, and 93.94 ppm; LC₉₀ = 306.88, 393.83, 278.99, and 413.27 ppm), respectively. These results suggest that the leaf ethyl acetate extract of A. aspera, leaf acetone and chloroform extract of A. malabarica, flower methanol extract of G. superba, and leaf methanol extract of R. communis have the potential to be used as an ideal eco-friendly approach for the control of the R. microplus, P. cervi, A. subpictus, and C. tritaeniorhynchus. Therefore, this study provides the first report on the larvae and adult parasitic activity of crude solvent extracts, indigenous plants consumed by the natives in southern India.     

Radiation and depression associated with complications of tissue expander reconstruction

Purpose

Rates of implant failure, wound healing delay, and infection are higher in patients having radiation therapy (RT) after tissue expander (TE) and permanent implant reconstruction. We investigated pretreatment risk factors for TE implant complications.

Patients and methods

127 breast cancer patients had TE reconstruction and radiation. For 85 cases of bilateral TE reconstruction, the non-irradiated breast provided an internal control. Comparison of differences in means for continuous variables used analysis of variance, then multiple pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni correction of p value.

Results

Mean age was 53 ± 10.1 years with 14.6% African-American. Twelve (9.4%) were BRCA positive (9 BRCA1, 4 BRCA2, 1 Both). Complications were: Grade 0 (no complication; 43.9%), Grade 1 (tightness and/or drifting of implant or Baker Grade II capsular contracture; 30.9%), Grade 2 (infection, hypertrophic scarring, or incisional necrosis; 9.8%), Grade 3 (Baker Grade III capsular contracture, wound dehiscence, or impending exposure of implant; 5.7%), Grade 4 (implant failure, exchange of implant, or Baker Grade IV capsular contracture; 9.8%). 15.3% (19 cases) experienced Grade 3 or 4 complication and 9.8% (12 cases) had Grade 4 complication. Considering non-irradiated breasts, there were two (1.6%) Grade 3–4 complications. For BMI, there was no significant difference by category as defined by the CDC (p = 0.91). Patients with depression were more likely to experience Grade 3 or 4 complication (29.4 vs 13.2%; p = 0.01). Using multiple logistic regression to predict the probability of a Grade 3 or 4 complications in patients with depression were found to be 4.2 times more likely to have a Grade 3 or 4 complication (OR = 4.2, p = 0.03).

Conclusions

Higher rates of TE reconstruction complications are expected in patients receiving radiotherapy. An unexpected finding was that patients reporting medical history of depression showed statistically significant increase in complication rates.

     

Evaluation of repellent properties of botanical extracts against Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles (Diptera: Culicidae)

In recent times, there were considerable efforts made to promote the use of environmentally friendly and biodegradable natural insecticides and repellents, particularly from botanical sources. The present study explored the effects of crude leaf ethyl acetate, acetone, and methanol extracts of Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa ex Roxb, Andrographis lineata Wallich ex Nees., Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wallich ex Nees., Cocculus hirsutus (L.) Diels, Eclipta prostrata L., and Tagetes erecta L. on repellent activity against Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles. The maximum repellent activity was observed at 500 ppm in methanol extracts of A. marmelos, ethyl acetate extracts of A. lineata, C. hirsutus, and E. prostrata and the mean complete protection time ranged from 120 to 150 min with the different extracts tested. The ethyl acetate extract of A. lineata showed 100% repellency in 120 min; acetone extracts of A. marmelos and C. hirsutus and methanol extract of T. erecta showed complete protection in 90 min at 250 ppm, respectively. These results suggest that the leaf extracts of A. marmelos, A. lineata, and C. hirsutus have the potential to be used as an ideal eco-friendly approach for the control of the C. tritaeniorhynchus. Therefore, this study provides first report on the repellent activity against Japanese encephalitis, C. tritaeniorhynchus of plant extracts from Southern India.     

Evaluation of botanical extracts against Haemaphysalis bispinosa Neumann and Hippobosca maculata Leach

In the current study, in vitro evaluation of crude hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate, acetone, and methanol extracts of Anisomeles malabarica (L.) R. Br., Gloriosa superba L., Psidium guajava L., Ricinus communis L., and Solanum trilobatum L. exhibited acaricidal and insecticidal activities against the adult of Haemaphysalis bispinosa Neumann (Acarina: Ixodidae) and hematophagous fly Hippobosca maculata Leach (Diptera: Hippoboscidae). All plant extracts showed moderate toxic effect on parasites after 24 h of exposure; the complete inhibition (100%) at the maximum concentration tested (3,000 ppm) was obtained in acetone, methanol, hexane, and chloroform extracts of A. malabarica; methanol, chloroform, and ethyl acetate extracts of G. superba; acetone extract of P. guajava; methanol extract of R. communis; and leaf hexane extract of S. trilobatum; and the lowest inhibition (38%) was recorded for the seed hexane extract of S. trilobatum. The highest parasite dead was found in leaf acetone and methanol extracts of A. malabarica, seed methanol of G. superba, leaf methanol of R. communis against H. bispinosa (LC₅₀ = 466.15, 719.78, 476.06, and 243.87 ppm; LC₉₀ = 1,837.96, 2,014.47, 1,904.36, and 2,692.15 ppm), leaf hexane and chloroform extracts of A. malabarica, seed chloroform and ethyl acetate of G. superba, leaf acetone of P. guajava, leaf methanol of R. communis, and leaf hexane extract of S. trilobatum against H. maculata (LC₅₀ = 495.61, 414.81, 360.02, 479.37, 646.30, 506.13, and 432.77 ppm; LC₉₀ = 1,914.84, 1,956.59, 1,598.54, 1,636.41, 2,192.73, 1,982.66, and 1,872.33 ppm), respectively. These results suggest that the leaf methanol of R. communis, chloroform extracts of A. malabarica, and chloroform extract of G. superba have the potential to be used as an ideal eco-friendly approach for the control of the H. bispinosa and H. maculata. Therefore, this study provides first report on the parasitic activities of plant extracts from Southern India.     

Community Reintegration in Rehabilitated South Indian Persons With Spinal Cord Injury

Samuelkamaleshkumar S, Radhika S, Cherian B, Elango A, Winrose W, Suhany BT, Prakash MH. Community reintegration in rehabilitated South Indian persons with spinal cord injury.

Objectives

To explore community reintegration in rehabilitated South Indian persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to compare the level of community reintegration based on demographic variables.

Design

Survey.

Setting

Rehabilitation center of a tertiary care university teaching hospital.

Participants

Community-dwelling persons with SCI (N=104).

Interventions

Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures

Craig Handicap Assessment and Reporting Technique (CHART).

Results

The mean scores for each CHART domain were physical independence 98±5, social Integration 96±11, cognitive independence 92±17, occupation 70±34, mobility 65±18, and economic self sufficiency 53±40. Demographic variables showed no statistically significant difference with any of the CHART domains except for age and mobility, level of education, and social integration.

Conclusions

Persons with SCI in rural South India who have completed comprehensive, mostly self-financed, rehabilitation with an emphasis on achieving functional ambulation, family support, and self-employment and who attend a regular annual follow-up show a high level of community reintegration in physical independence, social integration, and cognitive independence. CHART scores in the domains of occupation, mobility, and economic self-sufficiency showed lower levels of community reintegration.     

Genomic sequence of physalis mottle virus and its evolutionary relationship with other tymoviruses

Summary.  The genome of physalis mottle tymovirus (PhMV) is 6673 nucleotides long and is rich in cytosine residues (40.58%) like other tymoviruses. The organization of the genes is also similar to that of five other tymoviruses whose sequences are known. However, PhMV has the longest 3 ′ noncoding region as well as the longest replicase (RP) ORF. The RP sequences are similar to those of other tymoviruses (48–60% identity) whereas the coat proteins (CP) and the overlapping proteins (OP) are conserved to a lesser extent (30–50% and 26–34% respectively). A tetra peptide “GILG” was found to be present in all the tymoviral OPs. The PhMV RP also possesses the methyl transferase, polymerase and the helicase motifs found in all the Sindbis-like super group of plant viruses. A phylogenetic analysis of the six tymoviral sequences revealed that they do not have a rigid hierarchical similarity relationship. Accepted April 3, 1998     

The mumps virus nucleocapsid mRNA sequence and homology among the Paramyxoviridae proteins

The nucleotide sequence of mumps virus nucleocapsid protein (NP) mRNA has been determined from two overlapping cDNA clones and confirmed by partial sequencing of the mRNA and the genome. The mRNA contains 1844 nucleotides excluding poly(A) and encodes a protein of 553 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight of 61,792. A comparison of the mumps virus nucleocapsid protein sequence with that of other paramyxoviruses revealed a moderate degree of homology (33.1%) with the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) only. The nucleocapsid proteins of all paramyxoviruses studied to date, excluding that of the genus pneumovirus, have a conserved sequence of six amino acids (Ser-Tyr-Ala-Met-Gly-Val) except that of NDV which has a mismatch of two amino acids (Ser-Phe-Ala-Met-Gly-Met) in that sequence. In addition, there is another conserved region of seven amino acids (Phe-Ala-Pro-Gly-X-Tyr-Pro) in the nucleocapsid proteins of mumps virus, Sendai virus and parainfluenza virus type 3. The nucleocapsid proteins of measles virus and canine distemper virus (CDV) also have this conserved region but with three conservative amino acid changes.