Effect of Emilia sonchifolia (Linn.)DC on alcohol-induced oxidative stress in pancreas of male albino rats

ObjectiveTo explore the efficacy of n-hexane extract of Emilia sonchifolia (E. sonchifobia) against ethanol induced pancreatic dysfunction in the young Wistar albino rats.MethodsThe rats were divided into four groups. Control rats in group received distilled water orally, group received oral administration of 20% (w/v) ethanol dissolved in drinking water, group received oral administration of 20% (w/v) ethanol in distilled water+n-hexane extract of E. sonchifolia (250 mg/kg body weight), and group received oral administration of n-hexane extract of E. sonchifolia (250 mg/kg body weight) alone. Liver marker enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), pancreatic enzymatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase, lipid peroxidation, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, non-enzymatic antioxidants glutathione and vitamin C were measured and compared.ResultsAdministration of 20% ethanol for 16 weeks significantly increased the liver marker enzymes AST, ALT(P<0.05), reduced the pancreatic enzymatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase, lipid peroxidation, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione and vitamin C(P<0.05). Histopathological examination showed that the ethanol provoked the oxidative stress which was demonstrated as pancreatic necrosis and oedema. Simultaneous administration of n-hexane extract of E. sonchifolia (250 mg/kg body weight) protected the pancreas against the damage induced by ethanol which was confirmed by the histopathological studies and the normalization of biochemical parameters.ConclusionsThus n-hexane extract of E. sonchifolia shows a promise in therapeutic use in alcohol induced oxidative stress.     

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infection and colonization in the intensive care units of two community hospitals: A study of 143 patients

Study Objective: To study the epidemiology of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections in the intensive care units (ICUs) of community general hospitals. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review of 143 patients with cultures positive for S. maltophilia over a 2-year period. SETTING: Intensive care units of 2 community general hospitals. RESULTS: Patients with S. maltophilia infection or colonization were elderly (mean age 62.4 years), intubated for a mean of 11.8 days, and had a mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score of 16.6. A tracheostomy was present in 22.4%, and underlying chronic respiratory disease and malignancy were found in 25.9% and 15.4%, respectively. Only 2 patients (1.4%) were neutropenic. Most isolates (89.5%) were from the respiratory tract and were part of a polymicrobial culture in 52. 5% of patients. Only a slightly higher APACHE II score (mean = 18.0, SD 7.8 vs mean = 15.6, SD 6.2, P = 0.052) differentiated patients with infection from those with colonization. All but 2 patients were exposed to antibiotics before their positive culture. Crude mortality rate was 41.3% overall and was significantly higher in those with an APACHE II score of 15 or more (48.8% vs 30.5%, P = 0. 028). CONCLUSION: S. maltophilia is emerging as an important cause of nosocomial infection, especially pneumonia, in ICUs of community general hospitals. Patients tend to be elderly, intubated for a mean of about 12 days, have high APACHE II scores, and frequently have a tracheostomy or underlying chronic respiratory disease. In contrast to earlier reports, neutropenia and underlying malignancy are uncommon in our ICU population. We found prior antibiotic exposure was almost universal and similar to previous reports, but use of imipenem was much less common in our community hospital patients. Patients with a high APACHE II score should be considered infected rather than colonized, but differentiation of infection from colonization remains problematic. Isolation of S. maltophilia from a patient carries a crude mortality rate of 41.3%, and patients with an APACHE II score of 15 or more have a significantly higher mortality rate than those with lesser scores, approaching 50%. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) remains the drug of choice for infections caused by S. maltophilia.     

Hypoglycemic effect of Costus pictus D. Don on alloxan induced type 2 diabetes mellitus in albino rats

ObjectiveTo demonstrate the effect of aqueous extract of Costus pictus (C. pictus) leaves on blood glucose, lipid profile and liver antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation in alloxan induced diabetic rats.MethodsAqueous extract of C. pictus (AECP) leaves was administered orally for 30 days and its effect on blood glucose, lipid profile, hepatic marker enzymes such as serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), serum urea, creatinine, protein and albumin content and liver antioxidant enzymes such as catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and lipid peroxidation in alloxan induced diabetic rats were examined.ResultsOral administration of aqueous extract of C. pictus leaves to diabetic rats for 30 days significantly reduced the levels of blood glucose, lipid profile, lipid peroxidation, liver marker enzymes, urea, creatinine and increased the levels of antioxidant enzymes.ConclusionsThe aqueous extract of C. pictus leaves controls the blood glucose level, improves lipid metabolism and prevents diabetic complications associated with lipid peroxidation and also maintains the antioxidant enzymes in experimental diabetic rats. Therefore, it can be recommeded for the prevention of diabetes mellitus.     

Insulin-induced biphasic responses in rat mesenteric vascular bed: role of endothelin

The vasodilatory capacity of insulin has been widely reported, yet some investigators have not noted this effect. Because insulin has been shown to enhance endothelin release, we speculated that endothelin could be attenuating insulin-evoked vasodilation. We examined the effect of ex vivo insulin perfusion on vascular resistance by using the Sprague-Dawley rat mesenteric vascular bed. In methoxamine-preconstricted preparations, insulin (3.0 pmol/L to 10 nmol/L) evoked a concentration-dependent decrease in perfusion pressure (PP) with a maximal response of 42.0+/-9.2%, whereas continuous exposure to 10 nmol/L insulin induced a 51.8+/-3.5% relaxation. Further exposure to 10 nmol/L insulin resulted in the generation of endothelin and a subsequent loss of the vasodilatory response. Indomethacin had no effect on vascular responses. The vasodilatory response was significantly inhibited by nitric oxide synthase inhibition (20.5+/-4.2%; P<0.01) and calcium-activated potassium channel blockade (28.5+/-3.7%; P<0.05). Endothelial denudation attenuated the vasodilatory component (20.3+/-7.1%; P<0.01) and altered the biphasic pattern of the response. The decline in insulin-evoked vasodilation was significantly prevented by an endothelin-A antagonist (BQ123), an endothelin-B antagonist (BQ788), and nonselective endothelin blockade with both BQ123 and BQ788. These results demonstrate that the endothelium is intimately involved in regulating the vascular response to insulin. Insulin promotes the release of nitric oxide and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor. During sustained exposure to higher concentrations, this vasodilatory effect is countered by the pathological generation of endothelin. Endothelin receptor blockade facilitates the maintenance of vasodilation despite high insulin concentrations.     

Utility of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in diarrhea—An Indian perspective

Background

Infective diarrhea causes morbidity worldwide. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based pathogen diagnostics of diarrheal stool specimens are shown to be highly sensitive and rapid as opposed to conventional diagnostics.

Methods

We analyzed the performance of FilmArray gastrointestinal (GI) panel, one such multiplex PCR test, on stool specimens in patients presenting with diarrhea to our hospital from March 2016 to September 2017 and compared the results with conventional diagnostic tests.

Results

A total of 106 patients were included. The panel detected at least one target in 54 out of 106 patients (50.9%) with results available on the same day. Multiple targets were detected in 26 out of 54 patients who tested positive (48.1%). Bacteria as an isolated etiology for diarrhea was present in 34 patients (62.9%), viruses (16.7%, nine patients), parasites (7.4%, four patients), and multiple pathogens in seven patients (12.9%). Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) was the commonest pathogen detected (in 23, 24% patients). Conventional diagnostic investigations, undertaken in 68/106 (64.1%) patients were positive in 12 (17.65%) as compared to 54/106 (50.9%) (p?<?0.0001). Conventional  investigations detected a pathogen not included in the study panel in 11 of 52 patients (21.1%).

Conclusion

FilmArray multiplex PCR panel detects a wide array of GI pathogens including viruses and co-infections at a shorter time with more sensitivity compared to conventional diagnostics. Henceforth, it may facilitate treatment decisions, isolation policy, and antimicrobial stewardship in patients with diarrhea requiring hospitalization.

     

Dammarane triterpene saponin from Bacopa monniera as the superoxide inhibitor in polymorphonuclear cells.

The hydroalcoholic extract of the whole plant of Bacopa monniera Wettst. (Scrophulariaceae), exhibited an inhibitory effect on superoxide released from polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells in the nitroblue tetrazolium (NBT) assay. The major saponin bacoside A(3) was found to be responsible for this effect in the herb. This compound showed 85, 91.66, 91.66, and 83 % inhibitions of NBT reduction at the concentrations of 200, 100, 50, and 25 microg/ml, respectively, with an IC(50) value of 10.22 microg/ml. These inhibitory effects were compared with those of the standard positive controls, quercetin and ascorbic acid with IC(50) of 111 and 14.16 microg/ml, respectively. Another major saponin bacopasaponin C was found to be much less potent as compared to bacoside A(3) whereas the remaining two mixtures of saponins were found to be inactive.     

Combretastatin A4 phosphate has primary antineoplastic activity against human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cell lines and xenograft tumors.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a fatal malignancy the clinical outcome of which is unaltered by current therapeutic modalities. A recent phase 1 clinical trial of combretastatin A4 phosphate (CA4P) produced a long-lasting total remission in a patient with ATC. CA4P is a tubulin-binding agent derived from the African bush willow, Combretum caffrum, which possesses tumor vascular-targeting activity. In order to discriminate primary antineoplastic effects from tumor antivascular activity, we evaluated CA4P cytotoxicity in eight human ATC cell lines and compared it to paclitaxel, another tubulin-binding agent with significant clinical activity. CA4P displayed significant cytotoxicity against the ATC cell lines, comparable to that of paclitaxel, and these effects were longer lasting in two cell lines compared to the duration of paclitaxel. We further investigated the effects of CA4P on xenograft tumors from four ATC cell lines injected in athymic nude mice. Significantly lower tumor weights were observed in animals treated with CA4P compared to those treated with vehicle alone. Continuous monitoring of xenograft tumor volumes from one of the ATC cell lines also revealed a significantly lower rate of tumor growth in the CA4P-treated mice compared to those receiving vehicle alone. These results suggest that antitumoral effects of CA4P can be consequent to a combination of primary antineoplastic effects as well as the potential destruction of tumor vasculature.     

Toxicity of Heavy Metals on Embryogenesis and Larvae of the Marine Sedentary Polychaete <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hydroides elegans</Emphasis>

The toxicity of heavy metals to marine invertebrates has been widely investigated; however, the effects on marine sedentary polychaetes have largely been ignored. The toxicity of copper, aluminium, lead, nickel, and zinc on fertilization, embryogenesis, and larvae of Hydroides elegans was examined in laboratory acute-toxicity tests. Exposure to metal during fertilization or early developmental stages leads to fertilization block and arrested development, which resulted in morphologic abnormalities in embryo and larvae. Fertilization rate showed a drastic decrease at the highest metal concentration tested. Embryos of H. elegans showed a differential response to metals, and the responses were stage-specific. The different morphologic effects of heavy metals reflect differentiation of the early embryonic cells. For individual metals, the toxicity ranking for 24−hour trochophore larvae was Cu > Al > Pb > Ni > Zn, with EC₅₀ values of 0.122, 0.210, 0.231, 0.316, and 0.391 mg l⁻¹, respectively. Rate of larval development and embryogenesis were the most sensitive end points, although the latter is more advisable for routine assessment of seawater quality because of its greater simplicity. In addition to bivalves and sea urchins, polychaete embryos can provide biologic criteria for seawater quality taking into account the sensitivity of a polychaete and contributing to the detection of harmful chemicals with no marked effect on the species currently in use in seawater quality bioassays.