Synthesis and pharmacological investigation of novel 1-alkyl-4-(4-substituted aryl/heteroaryl)-1,2,4-triazolo [4,3- a] quinazolin-5 (4H)-ones as a new class of H1-antihistaminic agents

A series of novel 1-alkyl-4-(4-substituted aryl/heteroaryl)- 1,2,4-triazolo [4,3-a] quinazolin-5(4H)-ones were synthesized by the cyclization of 2-hydrazino-3-(4-subst. aryl/heteroaryl) quinazolin-4(3H)-one with various carbon donors. The starting material, 2-hydrazino-3-(4-subst. aryl/heteroaryl) quinazolin-4(3H)-one, was synthesized from 4-subst. arylamine/ heteroarylamine by a novel innovative route. When tested for their in vivo Hi-antihistaminic activity on conscious guinea pigs, all the test compounds protected the animals from histamine induced bronchospasm significantly, whereby the compound 1-methyl-4-(2-py-ridyl)-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a] quinazolin-5(4H)-one (II) was found to be more potent (percent protection 71.43 %) when compared to the reference standard, chlorpheniramine maleate (percent protection 71 %). Compound II showed negligible sedation (8 %) when compared to chlorpheniramine maleate (25 %). Hence it could serve as prototype molecule for further development as a new class of H1-antihistamines.     

Student apathy for classroom learning and need of repositioning in present andragogy in Indian dental schools

Background

In the world of technology, when today's student is approaching the on-line /distance learning in the open universities and doing on-line self-assessment, the classroom learning is vanishing slowly. Globally, teachers are taking efforts to improve the pedagogy by implementing effective methods to retain the classroom teaching and student attendance. The present study aims at shedding some light on the need of changing the adult education strategies (andragogy), which can effectively improve the student attendance for lectures.

Methods

It is an observational study, and the conceptual framework of it is based on beliefs, opinions and personal experiences of the respondents. Triangulation method is used for collecting the data. The data is achieved from three groups of concerned population who could provide valid results to support the study. It is collected by interviewing 10 senior faculty members who are/were the 'education experts' in the universities, while the main concerned groups of present educational stream, i.e. 'institution-teachers' and the 'students', were given questionnaires. 570 teacher respondents and 200 student respondents are the main participants of this study.

Results

As per data, it has been observed that senior faculty (90%) and students (93.25%) feel need of student motivation more than the institutional teachers (52.44%). P-values were obtained using Chi-Square test for testing the significance of difference between agreement and disagreement for a specific question.

Conclusions

In India, Universities have already sensed the need of 'teacher development programmes'. But teachers in dental colleges, demand more efforts to be taken by universities and managements in this regard and expect better educational policies to give them accessibility to prove themselves.

     

Antibodies reactive to non-HLA antigens in transplant glomerulopathy

Although T and B cell alloimmunity contribute to transplant injury, autoimmunity directed at kidney-expressed, non-HLA antigens may also participate. Because the specificity, prevalence, and importance of antibodies to non-HLA antigens in late allograft injury are poorly characterized, we used a protein microarray to compare antibody repertoires in pre- and post-transplant sera from several cohorts of patients with and without transplant glomerulopathy. Transplantation routinely induced changes in antibody repertoires, but we did not identify any de novo non-HLA antibodies common to patients with transplant glomerulopathy. The screening studies identified three reactivities present before transplantation that persisted after transplant and strongly associated with transplant glomerulopathy. ELISA confirmed that reactivity against peroxisomal-trans-2-enoyl-coA-reductase strongly associated with the development of transplant glomerulopathy in independent validation sets. In addition to providing insight into effects of transplantation on non-HLA antibody repertoires, these results suggest that pretransplant serum antibodies to peroxisomal-trans-2-enoyl-coA-reductase may predict prognosis in kidney transplantation.     

Part 2 of a 4-part series Hair Products: Trends and Alternatives: Data from the American Contact Alternatives Group

Objective: To provide updated data on usage of ingredients that are common potential contact allergens in several categories of hair products. To identify useful alternative products with few or no common contact allergens. Design: In November 2009, the full ingredient lists of 5,416 skin, hair, and cosmetic products marketed by the CVS pharmacy chain was copied from CVS.com into Microsoft Word format for analysis. Computer searches were made in Microsoft Word using search/replace and sorting functions to accurately identify the presence of specific allergens in each website product. Measurements: Percentages of American Contact Dermatitis Society core series allergens (and other common preservatives and sunblocks) were calculated. Results: The usage of American Contact Dermatitis Society core series allergens (and other preservatives and sunblocks) in hair products is reported. Conclusion: Data on allergens and alternatives for hair products is not widely published. This article reviews some of the common potential allergens in hair products, including shampoos, conditioners, and styling products. Suitable available alternative products for patients with contact allergy are listed.     

Effect of patent ductus arteriosus on pulmonary vascular disease

The hemodynamic effects of a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) are well known including systemic hypoperfusion and volume overload on the left ventricle. This article aims to provide a review of the long‐standing effect of a hemodynamically significant PDA on the pulmonary vasculature and the role of cardiac catheterization in preterm infants with a PDA and pulmonary hypertension.     

Growth,yield and elemental status of rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis>) grown in fly ash amended soils

Fly ash (FA) from coal in Orissa (India) was used for amending soil at levels equivalent to 0, 1, 2.5, 5, 10 and 15 metric tons per ha in which, rice was grown and elemental residues of amended soil and plant parts were enumerated. FA amendments caused significant improvement in soil quality and germination percentage of rice seeds. Growth (shoot length, leaf area and pigment composition) and yield (panicle length, seeds per panicle, seed weight and yield per plant) of rice increased with an increase in FA amendments. Catalase and peroxidase activities of young leaves increased initially in plants cultivated at lower FA levels but declined sharply at higher FA levels while the protein content of seeds improved at higher FA levels. Sodium content of rice-roots did not change with FA amendments but the contents of K, P, Mn, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, and Cd showed a progressive increase. Seeds of plants grown in FA amended soils accumulated Cu, Pb, Cr and Cd in amounts below allowable limits. Based on the data obtained we found that flooded-rice soil amended at 10 metric tons FA per ha level of FA not only improved the physical properties of the soil but also contributed to better growth and yield of rice.