HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF AMOORA ROHITUKA

Abstract

Antihepatotoxic activity of a resuspended residue of the alcohol extract of Amoora rohituka W & A. (Meliaceae) was studied in rats with hepatic injury induced by carbon tetrachloride. Carbon tetrachloride (1 ml/kg, i.p.) was administered twice a week for 3 weeks and an extract of A. rohituka (50 mg/kg/day) was given orally for the same period. The rats were sacrificed 24 h after the last CC1₄ challenge. Carbon tetrachloride induced elevations of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (CPT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and total plasma bilirubin concentration as well as depression of total plasma cholesterol concentration were reduced significantly by the concurrent treatment of rats with A. rohituka suspension. Changes in the histological architecture of the liver produced by CC1₄ where also protected by the administration of A. rohituka suspension. These results indicate that A. rohituka suspension possesses hepatoprotective action.     

Encoded Exposure and Social Norms in Entertainment-Education

Entertainment-education is an effective health communication strategy that combines or embeds educational messages into entertainment programs to bring about social and behavior change. For years, scholars have considered how entertainment-education works. Some contemporary theories posit that entertainment-education does not engender behavior change directly but does so through mediating variables. This study adds to the literature on this topic by exploring the direct relationship between exposure and social norms instead of their relationship through behavior as a mediator. Novel to this study is the use of encoded exposure, a continuous and recognition-based measure of exposure that includes ever watching, recall, involvement, and dose in its operationalization. Using cross-sectional data from Kyunki … Jeena Issi Ka Naam Hai, an entertainment-education program in India, this exploratory analysis indicates a positive and significant relationship between encoded exposure and social norms. How can this finding be applied to future programs? Questions remain, and replication is needed, but if it is not essential to go through behavior in order to change social norms, then implications emerge for the theory and practice of entertainment-education.     

Chemokine-induced leishmanicidal activity in murine macrophages via the generation of nitric oxide

This study explored the role of the proinflammatory chemokines macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha and macrophage chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 for development of antileishmanial activity. There was substantial inhibition in nitrite generation in Leishmania donovani-infected macrophages. A marked elevation of nitrite generation and induction of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS) mRNA was found in chemokine-primed parasite-infected macrophages. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, which is the priming signal for NO production, was also up-regulated under similar experimental conditions. The priming with chemokine inhibited the multiplication of L. donovani amastigotes within the intramacrophageal milieu. The antileishmanial effect of chemokines was almost completely abrogated when the macrophages were preincubated with l-N-monomethyl arginine, the specific inhibitor of iNOS. The results of this investigation suggest that the CC chemokines MIP-1alpha and MCP-1 orchestrate an antileishmanial armamentarium via the induction of an NO-mediated regulatory mechanism to control the intracellular growth and multiplication of the Leishmania protozoan.     

Adverse dermatologic effects of cardiovascular drug therapy: part III

Cardiovascular disease is common, affecting an increasing number of persons as the population ages. To combat this growing health problem, physicians use a multitude of medications in the treatment of their patients. Although pharmacologic therapy greatly enhances quality of life for a majority of patients, there is always the potential for an unfavorable reaction. For example, cardiovascular drugs can induce a vast array of adverse dermatologic responses. This article reviews the various cutaneous reaction patterns that can occur as a result of treatment with vasodilators and other antihypertensive drugs, anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs, thrombolytic agents, and lipid-lowering agents.     

Is intimal hyperplasia a marker of neuro-ophthalmic complications of giant cell arteritis?

Objective. The ischaemic complications of giant cell arteritis(GCA) such as blindness and stroke may result from luminal narrowingof the affected arteries. This study focuses on the associationbetween the severity of intimal proliferation on temporal arterybiopsy (TAB) histology and neuro-ophthalmic complications (NOCs)of GCA. Method. We identified 30 cases of biopsy-proven temporal arteritis.One histopathologist (blinded to the clinical details) evaluatedthe TAB specimens and categorized the degree of maximum stenosisdue to intimal hyperplasia into four grades: grade 1 is <50%luminal occlusion due to intimal hyperplasia, grade 2 is 50–75%,grade 3 is >75% and grade 4 is complete luminal occlusion.A second histopathologist (also blinded to the clinical details)independently evaluated the TAB specimens using the same gradingsystem. The NOCs in these patients were noted after a case recordreview. Results. Of the 30 patients, 12 had NOC-10 with eye complications(complete visual loss, anterior ischaemic neuropathy, visualfield defects), one patient had cerebral infarcts and one hadboth cerebral infarcts and vision loss. There was evidence fora statistically significant trend of NOC associated with higherintimal hyperplasia scores (P = 0.001). The scores of the histopathologistsagreed for 23 (77%) patients and differed by 1 category forthe remaining 7 (-statistic 0.88). Conclusions. Our study suggests that the degree of intimal hyperplasiaon TAB histology (routinely available to all hospital units)seems to be closely associated with NOCs of GCA. The study highlightsthe possible prognostic as well as diagnostic role of the biopsy.We feel that intimal hyperplasia noted in biopsy specimens mayhelp us in the risk stratification of GCA patients and targetingof appropriate and novel therapies. KEY WORDS: Intimal hyperplasia, Giant cell arteritis, Neuro-ophthalmic complications Submitted 1 June 2007; revised version accepted 7 January 2008.