Comparative role of calcium oxide nanoparticles and calcium bulk fertilizer to alleviate cadmium toxicity by modulating oxidative stress, photosynthetic performance and antioxidant-defense genes expression in alfalfa.

Cadmium (Cd) toxicity poses a significant threat to soil health and sustainable food production. Its bioaccumulation in plant tissues induces phytotoxicity by affecting physiological and biochemical attributes, leading to a reduction in plant biomass and production. Recently, nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach for addressing heavy metal toxicity in an eco-friendly manner to enhance crop production. However, the comparative role of foliar applied calcium oxide nanoparticles (CaO-NPs) and bulk calcium fertilizer under Cd stress in alfalfa remains unexplored. Herein, we studied the ameliorative role of CaO-NPs and bulk calcium (50 and 100 mg L-1) to alleviate Cd stress (30 mg kg-1) in alfalfa seedlings. Plants exposed to Cd exhibited significant decreases in morpho-physiological traits, gas exchange attributes, and pigment contents as well as increase in Cd bioaccumulation in plant tissues. Notably, exogenous application of CaO-NPs ameliorates the toxic impact of Cd by enhancing plant biomass (45%), fluorescence efficiency and gaseous exchange attributes. The maximum dose of CaO-NPs induced Cd-tolerance response accompanied by a significant increase in antioxidative enzyme activities, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD; 29%), peroxidase (POD; 41%), catalase (CAT; 36%) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX; 49%), which play positive roles in ROS scavenging. TEM examination further revealed the protective role of these NPs in averting Cd-induced damage to leaf ultrastructure and mesophyll cells. Furthermore, CaO-NPs had a substantial influence on both Cd and Ca2+ accumulation in plant tissues, while qRT‒PCR analysis demonstrated higher expression of antioxidant defense genes viz. Cu/ZnSOD (0.38 fold change (FC)), MtPOD (0.51 FC), MtCAT (0.61 FC) and MtAPX (0.79 FC) under CaO-NPs application, over Cd control. Overall, our findings suggested that exogenous CaO-NPs could be effective in alleviating the adverse effects of Cd on alfalfa seedlings to ensure food safety and support sustainable agriculture.

Evidence-based guideline on chronic postsurgical pain management in adult patients in resource-restricted setting, 2023: systematic review and guideline.

Background: Chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) after tissue trauma is frequent and may have a long-lasting impact on the functioning and quality of life. The development of CPSP increases the burden on both the patient and the community. This review aims to systematically review articles and, lastly, pull an evidence-based guideline for CPSP management in adult patients in resource-limited areas. Methodology: The review was reported based on preferred reporting items for the systemic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) protocol. A literature search was conducted from the Cochrane, PubMed/Medline, and Google Scholar databases, and other gray literature from 2010 to 2022. The conclusion was made based on the level of evidence. Results: A total of 3521 articles were identified through the database by searching strategies. Finally, by filtering duplicates unrelated to the topics, 22 articles (9 meta-analyses and systematic reviews, 12 systematic reviews, and one cohort study) were selected on the management of CPSP in adult patients. Filtering was made based on the intervention, outcome data of the population, and methodological quality. Conclusion: Given the complexity and multidimensional nature of chronic postsurgical pain, effective assessment, and management require a comprehensive, multiaxial approach. Adequate preoperative preparation and counseling, potential risk identification and optimization, and use of a multimodal approach, and noninvasive surgical techniques are crucial in reducing the development of chronic postsurgical pain.

Pattern of disease and determinants of mortality among ICU patients on mechanical ventilator in Sub-Saharan Africa: a multilevel analysis.

BACKGROUND: The global mortality rate of patients with MV is very high, despite a significant variation worldwide. Previous studies conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa among ICU patients focused on the pattern of admission and the incidence of mortality. However, the body of evidence on the clinical outcomes among patients with MV is still uncertain. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the pattern of disease and determinants of mortality among patients receiving mechanical ventilation in Southern Ethiopia. METHODS: Six hundred and thirty patients on mechanical ventilation were followed for 28 days, and multilevel analysis was used to account for the clustering effect of ICU care in the region. RESULTS: The incidence of 28-day mortality among patients with MV was 49% (95% CI: 36-58). The multilevel multivariate analysis revealed that being diabetic, having GSC < 8, and night time admission (AOR = 7.4; 95% CI: 2.96-18.38), (AOR = 5.9; (5% CI: 3.23, 10.69), and (AOR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.24, 5.05) were predictors. CONCLUSION: The higher 28-day mortality among ICU patients on mechanical ventilation in our study might be attributed to factors such as delayed patient presentation, lack of resources, insufficient healthcare infrastructure, lack of trained staff, and financial constraints. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The protocol was registered retrospectively on ( NCT05303831 ).

Predictive modelling of Parkinson's disease progression based on RNA-Sequence with densely connected deep recurrent neural networks.

The advent of recent high throughput sequencing technologies resulted in unexplored big data of genomics and transcriptomics that might help to answer various research questions in Parkinson's disease (PD) progression. While the literature has revealed various predictive models that use longitudinal clinical data for disease progression, there is no predictive model based on RNA-Sequence data of PD patients. This study investigates how to predict the PD Progression for a patient's next medical visit by capturing longitudinal temporal patterns in the RNA-Seq data. Data provided by Parkinson Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI) includes 423 PD patients without revealing any race, sex, or age information with a variable number of visits and 34,682 predictor variables for 4 years. We propose a predictive model based on deep Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) with the addition of dense connections and batch normalization into RNN layers. The results show that the proposed architecture can predict PD progression from high dimensional RNA-seq data with a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 6.0 and a rank-order correlation of (r = 0.83, p < 0.0001) between the predicted and actual disease status of PD.

Analgesic Efficacy of Spinal Morphine in Comparison With Transversus Abdominis Plane Block for Postoperative Pain Management in Patients Undergoing Cesarean Section Under Spinal Anesthesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Cesarean section (CS) has been one of the most frequently performed major surgical interventions and causes severe postoperative pain. Spinal opioid and abdominal field block have been investigated as effective analgesia for postoperative pain and reduce the need for systemic medications and associated side effects. The aim of the current study is to compare spinal morphine (SM) and bilateral landmark oriented transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block for postoperative pain management. METHOD: In this randomized controlled trial, 114 pregnant mothers scheduled for CS under spinal anesthesia were allocated randomly to receive either SM 0.1 mg (group SM; n = 56) or bilateral landmark-oriented TAP block with 20 ml of 0.25% of bupivacaine (group TAP; n = 52). A comparison of numerical variables between study groups was done using unpaired student t-test and Mann-Whitney test for symmetric and asymmetric data, respectively. Time to event variable was analyzed by using Kaplan-Meir's survival function. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULT: A total of 114 patients were recruited and randomly assigned and received interventions. Among them, 108 patients completed this study. Time to first analgesic request was significantly shorter in the TAP block compared to SM. Twenty-four-hour median morphine consumption was reduced in the SM group compared to the TAP block (p < 0.001). Median postoperative pain score during movement and rest shows statistically significant differences between groups (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The addition of preservative-free 100 µg SM provides prolonged postoperative analgesia time, superior postoperative analgesia, and less postoperative opioid consumption compared to the TAP block.

Effect of preoperative anxiety on postoperative pain on patients undergoing elective surgery: Prospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Anxiety is a feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness, fear, discomfort, and high autonomic activity with varying degrees of intensity resulting from anticipation of danger. Post-operative pain is associated with the emotional status, behavioural response, and high anxiety index of patients.This study aimed to assess the effect of preoperative anxiety on Postoperative Pain in Patients Undergoing Elective Surgery. METHODS: An institutional-based prospective cohort study was conducted on patients scheduled for elective surgeries from November 1, 2019, to October 30, 2020, in Dilla University Referral Hospital. Data was collected by pretested questionnaires and analysed by SPSS version 20. Categorical data were analysed by chi-square while Continuous data were analysed by student t-test and Mann Whitney U for parametric and nonparametric data respectively with a P-value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULT: As our finding revealed patients with high preoperative anxiety experienced significantly increased postoperative pain at 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, and 12 h with the P-value of 0.012, 0.01, 0.001, and 0.002 respectively and total tramadol consumption in a patient with high preoperative anxiety level is 156.5 ± 23.4 while in low anxiety 147.1 ± 39. with a p-value of 0.036. CONCLUSION: High preoperative anxiety increased the immediate postoperative pain score and 24 h tramadol consumption. It would be better to decrease preoperative anxiety levels to reduce postoperative pain and 24 h analgesic consumption.

High-throughput sequencing reveals differential expression of miRNAs in yak and cattleyak epididymis.

Cattleyaks (CY) are interspecific hybrids between cattle (Bos taurus) and yak (Bos gruniens, YK) exhibiting the same prominent adaptability and higher performances than YK. The main problem of this crossbreeding is that the males are sterile. Different series of events of spermatogenesis coordinate to regulate gene expressing, involving microRNAs (miRNAs). As non-coding ribonucleic acids (ncRNAs), miRNAs predominantly facilitate the regulation of gene expression at post-transcriptional stages and play important roles in the acquisition and maintenance of male fertility in reproduction. The function of miRNA in the male reproductive system extends from the testis into the epididymis, regulating gene expression and contributing to regional gene expression variations. RNA sequencing on biological replicates, we described differentially expressed miRNAs profiles for tissue from epididymis of YK and CY. In the present study, High-throughput sequencing analysis showed that 55 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were identified in the epididymis of YK and CY. Among these, 43 DE miRNAs were upregulated while the remaining 12 DE miRNAs were downregulated between epididymis of YK and CY. In addition, we identified that the top most important DE miRNAs, bta-miR-449c, bta-miR-539, bta- miR-136, bta-miR-504, bta-miR-31 and bta-miR-222 were involved in the process of sperm maturation in epididymis CY. It was identified that the bta-miR-449c and bta-miR-222 may play major roles in the process of sperm maturation, sperm quality, sperm count, sperm production and male infertility of CY. Furthermore, GO and KEGG analyses were performed to classify the functions of target genes for DE miRNAs. In addition, RT-qPCR validation of the DE miRNAs and its targeted genes revealed that putative miRNAs are involved in the male CY infertility by altering the gene expression. Present findings may not only increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulated by the miRNAs in epididymis, but also provide a valuable information to understand the male infertility mechanism of CY.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare workers toward COVID-19 and its prevention in Ethiopia: A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: An emerging respiratory disease abbreviated as coronavirus disease 2019 was first reported in December 2019 in Wuhan city of China. The virus is zoonotic and tends to be transmitted between animals to humans and humans to humans. The major route of transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 is droplet and close contact. The Ethiopian Ministry of Health has initiated training for health care workers at a different level. Thus, the main objective of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health workers in Ethiopia toward coronavirus disease 2019 and its prevention techniques. METHOD: An institution-based multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in each of eight teaching and referral hospitals. A total of 422 Ethiopian healthcare workers were selected for the assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice toward coronavirus disease 2019. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. A logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with the attitude and knowledge of healthcare workers toward coronavirus disease 2019 at a significance level of p < 0.05. RESULT: Three hundred ninety-seven healthcare workers participated in the study, with a response rate of 94%. Among these, 88.2% and 94.7% of respondents had good knowledge and positive attitudes, respectively. A respondent with a history of chronic medical illness (odds ratio: 0.193, 95% confidence interval: 0.063-0.593), social media, telecommunication, and television/radio as a source of information were significantly associated with knowledge (odds ratio: 3.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.5-7.4, OR: 4.3, 95% confidence interval: 1.3-14.3 and odds ratio: 3.2, 95% confidence interval: 1.4-7.2). In addition, respondents with a history of chronic medical illness were significantly associated with a negative attitude toward coronavirus disease 2019. CONCLUSION: The knowledge and attitude were good while; the practice was relatively low. Sources of information such as social media, telecommunication, and television/radio were positively associated with healthcare workers' knowledge about coronavirus disease 2019.

Comparative iTRAQ proteomics identified proteins associated with sperm maturation between yak and cattleyak epididymis.

BACKGROUND: During maturation, spermatozoa acquire motility and fertilizing capacity as they transit through the epididymis. In recent years, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis has been employed in proteomics studies conducted in rat, boar and human. However, there has not been a complete information regarding the proteins associated with sperm maturation in the epididymis. In this study, we employed iTRAQ proteomics to investigate proteins associated with sperm maturation between yak and cattleyak epididymis. RESULTS: After a successful sampling and protein extraction, the iTRAQ coupled with LC-MS/MS mass spectrometry and bioinformatics analysis were performed. We identified 288 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) between yak and cattleyak epididymis; 151 were up-regulated while 137 were down-regulated in cattleyak relative to yak. Gene Ontology analysis identified that down-regulated DAPs in cattleyak were mostly enriched in the acetylation of protein component, along with negative and positive regulatory activities. iTRAQ proteomics data showed that the top up-regulated DAPs were mainly enriched in cell communication, cell adhesion, cytoskeleton organization, stress response, post-translational modifications and metabolic functions while the down-regulated DAPs were predominantly associated with sperm maturation, long-term sperm storage, sperm forward motility, sperm-oocyte fusion and regulatory functions. CONCLUSION: These results provide insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying male cattleyak sterility.

Comparison of thiopentone with lidocaine spray vs propofol for laryngeal mask airway insertion at tikur anbessa specialized hospital. A prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Insertion of laryngeal mask airway (LMA) requires an adequate depth of anesthesia. Optimal insertion conditions and hemodynamic stability during LMA insertion are mainly influenced by the choice of the intravenous induction agent. Propofol was recommended as a standard induction agent for LMA insertion. Due to unavailability and cost for treatment Propofol is not easily availed, thus this study aimed at assessing the effect of thiopentone with lidocaine spray compared to Propofol on hemodynamic change and LMA insertion on the patient undergoing elective surgery. METHODS: Eighty-four participants were followed in a prospective cohort study based on the induction type of either thiopentone-lidocaine group (TL) or Propofol (P). Hemodynamic variables, LMA insertion condition, apneic time, and cost of treatment during the perioperative time were recorded. Data were checked for normality using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Numeric data were analyzed unpaired student's t-test or Manny Whitney test. Categorical data were analyzed by the chi-square test. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered a statistically significant difference. RESULT: The comparison of data showed that a significant reduction in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) in the Propofol group during the first 10 min. The MAP at first minute after LMA insertion was 78.4 ± 5.5 in the Propofol group compared to 81.8 ± 5.6 in thiopentone-lidocaine group p < 0.001. the mean MAP at 5th and 10th minutes after LMA insertion is also significantly lower in the Propofol group compared to the thiopentone-lidocaine group, p < 0.05. There were no statistically significant differences regarding the heart rate change and insertion conditions between the two groups. Mean apneic time was 138 ± 45.8 s in the Propofol group and 85 ± 13.8 s in thiopentone-lidocaine group p < 0.001. Thiopentone-lidocaine group had a lower treatment cost compared to the Propofol group. CONCLUSION: Thiopentone with 10% topical Lignocaine is an alternative for the insertion of LMA to Propofol, with better hemodynamic stability and cost-effectiveness.

Analysis of long non-coding RNAs in epididymis of cattleyak associated with male infertility.

Cattleyak (CY), is a cross breed between cattle and yak (YK), which display equal adaptability to the harsh environment as YK and much higher performances than YK. However, the CY is female fertile and male sterile. Previous studies were conducted on testes tissues to investigate the mechanism of male infertility in CY. There is no systematic research on genes, especially lncRNAs between CY and YK epididymis. In this study, Illumina Hiseq was performed to profile the epididymis transcriptome (lncRNA and mRNA) of CY and YK. In total 18859 lncRNAs were identified, from which lincRNAs 12458, antisense lncRNAs 2345, intronic lncRNAs 3101, and sense lncRNAs 955 respectively. We have identified 345 DE lncRNAs and 3008 DE mRNAs between YK and CY epididymis. Thirteen DEGs were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. Combing with DEG, 14 couples of lncRNAs and their target genes were both DE, and 6 of them including CCDC39, KCNJ16, NECTIN2, MRPL20, PSMC4, and DEFB112 show their potential infertility-related terms such as cellular motility, sperm maturation, sperm storage, cellular junction, folate metabolism, and capacitation. On the other hand, several down-regulated genes such as DEFB124, DEFB126, DEFB125, DEFB127, DEFB129, CES5A, TKDP1, CST3, RNASE9 and CD52 in CY compared to YK were involved in the immune response and sperm maturation. Therefore, comprehensive analysis for lncRNAs and their target genes may enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the process of sperm maturation in CY and may provide important resources for further research.

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in a pregnant patient with COVID-19 improved after delivery: A case report and brief review.

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) can frequently occur as a complication of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19). As the number of COVID-19 cases increases around the world, it is inevitable that COVID-19 and ARDS will complicate some pregnancies. Currently, there is scant data to guide decision-making on the timing of delivery for these patients. We present the case of a 41-year-old patient with severe ARDS from COVID-19 who was also 32 weeks pregnant, whose respiratory status improved dramatically after delivery.

Covering the last mile for vaccination: Feasibility and acceptability of traditional birth attendant-based referral system in hard-to-reach areas in rural Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: Pakistan has a decent network of community-based workers including lady health workers (LHWs) and vaccinators. However, a major section of the population is not covered by LHWs/vaccinators, labeled here as hard-to-reach (HTR) areas, where immunization coverage is also considerably low. This study explored the feasibility of engagement of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) to improve EPI vaccination coverage in HTR areas in rural Sindh, Pakistan. METHODS: This implementation research was conducted in two sub-districts of Sukkur (a district in Sindh Province). In an HTR selected intervention arm, TBAs were trained for vaccination and monetary incentives were provided to counsel and refer mothers for vaccination. While LHWs covered areas in the adjacent sub-district were provided with refresher training for vaccination only without any monetary incentive, and were considered as control arm. Considering the inherent differences in intervention and comparison group (HTR intervention area being worse regarding infrastructure and access), between groups and within group change in knowledge of TBA/LHWs and vaccination coverage was assessed before and after the intervention. Furthermore, focus group discussions were conducted with vaccinators, TBAs and LHWs and in-depth interviews with supervisors of vaccinators. RESULTS: TBAs and LHWs' vaccine related knowledge increased significantly after training (pretest vs post test score: 10.5 to 15.4). The BCG coverage improved 74.1% (percentage change) in TBA arm. While completion of vaccination (ie, Penta-3 coverage) increased by 147% from baseline following the intervention. The TBAs, LHWs, vaccinators and their supervisors all welcomed the initiative and considered it as a feasible option. CONCLUSIONS: Involvement of TBAs' to form a referral system has potential to improve vaccine coverage and completion in HTR areas in Pakistan. The system is acceptable to the population and implementation is feasible due to availability of TBAs. However, in order to sustain the initiative minimal incentive need to be provided to TBAs to improve the vaccination coverage. Compared to establishing the infrastructure in HTR the intervention seems less costly however, it requires formal cost-effective or cost-benefit analysis.

Wound healing effect of Euphorbia hirta linn. (Euphorbiaceae) in alloxan induced diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND: Euphorbia hirta linn., is a species of Euphorbiaceae family. They are known as asthma plant, barokhervi. The plant E. hirta is famous for its medicinal importance among the tribal population. It is a common practice to use the whole to heal wounds. Several pharmacological properties including antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antidibetic, antispasmodic, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anticonvulsant, nootropic, antifertility and aphrodisiac properties have already been reported for this plant. The aim of present work was to evaluate the wound healing property in diabetic animals by oral and topical administration of ethanolic extract of E. hirta whole plant. METHODS: The ethanolic extract of E. hirta was subjected to determine the total phenolic content and total flavonoid content using galic acid and quercetin, respectively as standard. A single injection of alloxan monohydrate (120 mg/kg, i.p.) prepared in normal saline was administered to produce diabetes in rats, after overnight fasting. For analyzing the rate of contraction of wound, excision wounds sized 4.90cm2 and of 2 mm depth were used. Oral (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg/day; p.o.) and topical treatment with the extract (5% and 10% ointment 50 mg/kg/day) and standard (5% povidone iodine ointment 50 mg/kg/day) was started on the day of induction of wound and continued up to 16 days. The means of wound area measurement between groups at different time intervals were compared using ANOVA and Dunnet's test. The diabetic wound healing mechanism was studied by measuring the plasma level of glucose, malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) in both control and treated groups. For the confirmation of activity, histopathology of the wounds tissues from excision wound model was performed. RESULTS: Phytochemical investigations showed the presence of various phytoconstituents (carbohydrates, saponins, alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, flavonoids, tannins). In the ethanolic extract of E. hirta the total phenol content was 285 ± 3.22 mg/g whereas the total flavonoid content was 118.46 ± 1.85 mg/g. In the present study, E. hirta caused significant wound closer both orally (35.92%, 44.69% and 61.42% at the doses of 100, 200 and 400, respectively) and topically (32.86% and 36.32% at the doses of 5% and 10%) treated groups as compared to diabetic control. However, the orally treated groups showed more significant effect than the topically treated groups. Moreover, oral administration of E. hirta ethanolic extract significantly reduced the blood glucose levels in diabetic wound rats (p < 0.01) on day 8 and day 16 as compared to the diabetic wound control (p < 0.01). On the other hand, topical application of E. hirta did not influence the blood glucose levels in diabetic rats (p > 0.05). It also demonstrated a significant decrease in the plasma levels of lipid malondialdehyde and nitric oxide. The results of biochemical parameters were further supported by the histopathological changes of different organs (liver, pancrease, kidney, heart and skin from wound area) which were evidenced through a decrease in inflammatory cell infiltration. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that E. hirta whole plant extract promotes healing of wounds more significantly as compared to diabetic control rats, where healing is otherwise delayed.

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory and gastric anti-ulcer activity of Phyllanthus niruri L. (Euphorbiaceae) leaves in experimental rats.

BACKGROUND: The medicinal plants signify a massive basin of potential phytoconstituents that could be valuable as a substitute to allopathic drugs or considered as an analogue in drug development. Phyllanthus niruri L. (Euphorbiaceae) is generally used in traditional medicine to treat ulcer and inflammation. In this project we investigated the methanolic extract of leaves of Phyllanthus niruri for anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer activity. METHODS: The anti-inflammatory activity of methanol extract of Phyllanthus niruri leaves was evaluated at the doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o. while using ibuprofen (20 mg/kg, p.o) as the standard drug. The animals used were Swiss albino rats. Inflammation was induced by injecting 0.1 ml carrageenan (1% w/v) into the left hind paw. Paw tissues from the different groups were examined for inflammatory cell infiltration. On the other hand, antiulcer activity of methanolic extract of P. niruri leaves at the doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o. were examined against ethanol-acid induced gastric mucosal injury in the Swiss albino rats - keeping omeprazole (20 mg/kg, p.o.) as reference. The rats were dissected and the stomachs were macroscopically examined to identify hemorrhagic lesions in the glandular mucosa. RESULTS: P. niruri significantly (p < 0.01) decreased carrageenan-induced paw edema; it exhibited a reduction of 46.80%, 55.32% and 69.14% at doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, respectively. These findings were further supported by the histological study. The methanolic extract also disclosed good protective effect against ethanol-acid induced gastric mucosal injury in the rats. Administration of the extract's doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) demonstrated a significant (p < 0.01) reduction in the ethanol- acid induced gastric erosion in all the experimental groups when compared to the control. The methanolic extract at the higher dose (400 mg/kg) resulted in better inhibition of ethanol-acid induced gastric ulcer as compare to omeprazole (20 mg/kg). Histological studies of the gastric wall revealed that toxic control rats revealed mucosal degeneration, ulceration and migration of numerous inflammatory cells throughout the section. On the other hand, MEPN treatment groups showed significant regeneration of mucosal layer and significantly prevented the formation of hemorrhage and edema. CONCLUSIONS: The investigation suggests that methanolic extract of P. niruri leaf possess anti-inflammatory activity and promotes ulcer protection as ascertained by regeneration of mucosal layer and substantial prevention of the formation of hemorrhage and edema.

Prevalence of Diarrhoeal Disease, its Seasonal and Age Variation in under- fives in Kashmir, India.

BACKGROUND: Diarrhoeal disease forms one of the two major killer diseases in children under five years of age in the developing world. Data on the prevalence and related factors of diarrhea in Kashmir valley is quite scanty. Thus this study was carried out to find the burden of diarrhoeal disease and the effect of a temperate climate (as compared to a tropical one in rest of India) on the pattern of diarrhoeal disease in Kashmir valley. METHODS: Cross sectional study was carried out using pretested interview schedule. RESULTS: Overall period (last 15 days) and point (24 hrs) prevalence rates of diarrhoeal diseases among children under age of 5 years were calculated which came to the order of (25.2%) and (9.3%) respectively. Prevalence of diarrhoea decreased significantly with increased age and in summer months. CONCLUSION: The burden of diarrhoeal disease in Kashmir is quite high, like most places in the developing world. The age pattern, and seasonal pattern of diarrhoeal disease also resembles that found in studies across India and the developing world.