Panchagavya Ghrita, an Ayurvedic formulation attenuates seizures, cognitive impairment and oxidative stress in pentylenetetrazole induced seizures in rats.

Panchagavya Ghrita (PG), according to Ayurvedic formulary of India (AFI), is used to treat epilepsy (apasmara), fever (jvara), mania (unmade) and jaundice (kamala). In the present study, we examined its effect on convulsions, oxidative stress and cognitive impairment in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced seizures in rats. PG @ 250, 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 mg/kg was administered orally for 7 days to male Wistar rats. On day 7, PTZ (60 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 2 h after the last dose of PG. Sodium valproate (300 mg/kg) was used as positive control. Latency to myoclonic jerks, clonus and generalized tonic clonic seizures (GTCS) were recorded for seizure severity. Cognitive impairment was assessed using elevated plus maze and passive avoidance tests. Malondialdehyde and reduced glutathione levels were measured in rat brain. The results have shown that pretreatment with PG @ 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 mg/kg exhibited 16.6, 33.3, 50 and 100% protection against occurrence of GTCS. The pretreatment with PG has significantly improved cognitive functions and the oxidative stress induced by seizures demonstrating its protective effect against PTZ induced seizures, and further, use of PG as an anticonvulsant in Ayurvedic system of medicine.

Preinduction incentive spirometry versus deep breathing to improve apnea tolerance during induction of anesthesia in patients of abdominal sepsis: A randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Abdominal sepsis is associated with varied degree of hypoxemia and atelactasis in the lung and can enhance the onset of desaturation of arterial blood during apnea. AIMS: This study looked at methods to improve safety margin of apnea during induction of anesthesia in these high-risk patients. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: It was a randomized, single blind study on adult patients presenting for emergency laparotomy due to peritonitis in a university teaching hospital setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In group 1 (IS) (n = 32), three sessions of incentive spirometry (IS) were performed within one hour before induction of anesthesia. In group 2 (DB) (n = 34), patients were subjected to deep breathing sessions in a similar manner. All patients received preoxygenation (100%) by mask for 3 min, followed by rapid-sequence induction of anesthesia using fentanyl, thiopental, and suxamethonium and endotracheal intubation. Patients were subjected to a period of apnea by keeping the end of the endotracheal tube open to air till they developed 95% hemoglobin saturation (SpO 2) by pulse oxymetry. Positive pressure ventilation was resumed at the end. We observed for hemodynamic changes, apnea time, and SpO 2 (100%) recovery time on resuming ventilation. Arterial blood gas samples were taken before intervention, after IS or DB, after preoxygenation, and at the end of apnea. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), X 2 test, Kaplan-Meier graph, and log-rank tests were applied to compare the two study groups. RESULTS: Oxygenation level in group 1 (265 ± 76.7 mmHg) patients was significantly (P < 0.001) higher than in group 2 (221 ± 61.8 mmHg)at the end of preoxygenation. The apnea time (median: lower bound - upper bound Confidence Interval apnea time) (272:240-279 s) in group 1 (IS) patients was significantly higher P < 0.05) than in group 2 (180:163-209 s) patients. Saturation recovery time (35:34-46 s) in group 1 (IS) patients was also quicker than in group 2 patients (48:44-58 s). CONCLUSIONS: IS in the preoperative period is superior to deep breathing sessions for improving apnea tolerance during induction of anesthesia in abdominal sepsis patients.

Haematology, blood biochemistry and tissue histopathology of lambs maintained on diets containing an insect controlling protein (Cry1Ac) in Bt-cottonseed.

This experiment assessed the effect of feeding genetically modified cottonseed (Bt) containing an insect controlling protein (Cry1Ac) on haematology, blood biochemistry and histopathology of lambs. Haemato-biochemicals were estimated at periodic intervals, and histopathology at termination of experiment. Thirty three weaner lambs were fed a composite feed mixture (CFM) ad libitum individually, in three groups for 123 days. The isonitrogenous CFM had roughage (Perl Millet Stover) and concentrate ratio of 350:650. Diet fed to control lambs contained groundnut oil meal as protein source while other two groups received diet containing either whole cottonseed (N-Bt) or Bt-cottonseed (Bt-CS). Daily feed intake and average daily gain were similar among lambs of three groups. Lambs fed N-Bt diet had higher (p < 0.05) serum protein and globulin compared to control and Bt diets, while albumin content was higher (p = 0.018) in Bt diet fed lambs. Serum urea and creatinin content, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and serum glutamate pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) activities were not different among lamb groups, while urea and creatinin content and ALP activities increased linearly (p < 0.001) with increased feeding period. Blood haemoglobin (Hb), haematocrit (Hc), white blood cells (WBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) ranged from 11.1% to 11.2%, 31.8% to 32.8%, 7.0 to 8.3 (× 10(3) /µl), 19.1 to 22.5 fl and 33.2% to 35.5%, respectively, were similar among lamb groups. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (p = 0.008) and red blood cell counts (p = 0.006) were higher in Bt diet fed lambs. Control and N-Bt diet fed lambs had mild fatty infiltration in liver and/or micro-calculi in renal cortex, and such lesions were not seen in Bt diet fed lambs. Growth, haemato-biochemical and histopathology did not change by Bt-CS feeding in growing lamb. However, before recommending the use of Bt-CS in routine feed formulations prolonged feeding experiments of Bt-cotton seed require.

Evaluation of Antiseizure Activity of Essential Oil from Roots of Angelica archangelica Linn. in Mice.

In the present study, the effect of essential oil of the root of Angelica archangelica Linn. was evaluated against electrically and chemically induced seizures. The seizures were induced in mice by maximal electroshock and pentylenetetrazol. The effect of essential oil of the root of Angelica archangelica on seizures was compared with standard anticonvulsant agents, phenytoin and diazepam. The essential oil of the root of Angelica archangelica suppressed duration of tonic convulsions and showed recovery in maximal electroshock induced seizures while it delayed time of onset of clonic convulsions and showed mortality protection in pentylenetetrazol induced seizures. The essential oil of the root of Angelica archangelica also produced motor impairment at the antiseizure doses. The study indicated that the essential oil exhibited antiseizure effect. The antiseizure effect may be attributed to the presence of terpenes in the essential oil.

Role of temporalis muscle over activity in chronic tension type headache: effect of yoga based management.

The role of central versus peripheral mechanisms has always been questioned while explaining the etiopathogenesis of chronic tension type headache (CTTH). The following study was done to study the role of muscle spasm in CTTH. 15 patients of CTTH and 7 age matched controls were included in the study and their m. temporalis EMG was recorded for one minute each during rest, mental activity and maximal voluntary contraction and subjective pain scoring was done by visual analogue scale. The results revealed significant overactivity of m.temporalis in CTTH patients at rest when compared with control subjects (P = 0.01 and 0.03 left and right side respectively). After respective interventions namely non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs, botulinum toxin injections and yogic life style course, the EMG records revealed decrease in the mean EMG amplitude of m. temporalis during rest and mental activity more significantly after yoga based interventions (P = 0.03) and subjective pain scores decreased from 7.00 +/- 2.10 to 2.00 +/- 1.26 (P = 0.02) supporting the beneficial effect of such non invasive techniques.

Effect of complete feed blocks or grazing and supplementation of lambs on performance, nutrient utilisation, rumen fermentation and rumen microbial enzymes.

A study to compare two feeding systems, stall feeding (SF) and grazing plus supplementation (GR) was carried out, based on intake, performance and rumen fermentation characteristics of lambs. While SF animals received ad libitum complete feed blocks (CFB), GR animals were allowed grazing for 8 h on a pasture and supplemented with concentrate mixture at 250 g per head per day. Intake in grazing animals was determined using chromium III oxide as internal marker. Intake of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and organic matter (OM) were higher ( P < 0.01) in SF than in GR animals. Similarly, digestibility of OM, CP and energy were higher ( P < 0.01) in SF animals. Average daily gain in SF animals (101 g) was significantly ( P < 0.01) higher than in GR animals (78 g) but total wool yield was similar for the two groups (856 g, SF; 782 g, GR). The pH of the rumen content, concentration of total volatile fatty acids and total activities of carboxymethyl cellulase, xylanase and esterase in the rumen liquor were similar. The concentrations (mg/dl) of total nitrogen (125, SF; 63, GR) and NH3-nitrogen (42, SF; 31, GR) were higher in SF animals than that of GR animals. A significantly higher activity ( P < 0.05) of microcrystalline cellulase (24.5 v. 7.7 units) and lower activity ( P < 0.05) of protease (309 v. 525 units), was observed in the rumen of SF animals than in GR animals. SF animals could therefore harness more energy through degradation of plant cell walls thus reducing breakdown of plant proteins as gluconeogenic source. The SF system of feeding where CFB was offered to sheep appeared superior to GR in terms of intake, nutrient utilisation and animal performance. Therefore the SF feeding system where CFB are offered to animals can be advocated as an alternative to grazing and supplementation feeding strategy for sheep production, especially where the pastures are highly eroded and need resting for regeneration or curing. The CFB feeding can also be adopted under adverse conditions like drought and famine, a common phenomenon in arid and semiarid conditions.

Assessment of nematode resistance in wheat transgenic plants expressing potato proteinase inhibitor (PIN2) gene.

Serine proteinase inhibitors (IP's) are proteins found naturally in a wide range of plants with a significant role in the natural defense system of plants against herbivores. The question addressed in the present study involves assessing the ability of the serine proteinase inhibitor in combating nematode infestation. The present study involves engineering a plant serine proteinase inhibitor (pin2) gene into T. durum PDW215 by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to combat cereal cyst nematode (Heterodera avenae) infestation. Putative T(0) transformants were screened and positive segregating lines analysed further for the study of the stable integration, expression and segregation of the genes. PCR, Southern analysis along with bar gene expression studies corroborate the stable integration pattern of the respective genes. The transformation efficiency is 3%, while the frequency of escapes was 35.71%. chi(2) analysis reveals the stable integration and segregation of the genes in both the T(1) and T(2) progeny lines. The PIN2 systemic expression confers satisfactory nematode resistance. The correlation analysis suggests that at p < 0.05 level of significance the relative proteinase inhibitor (PI) values show a direct positive correlation vis-à-vis plant height, plant seed weight and also the seed number.

Cyclopeptide alkaloids from Zizyphus jujuba.

A new cyclopeptide alkaloid, jubanine-C (1), together with known alkaloids scutianine-C (4) and zizyphine-A (5), have been isolated from the stem bark of Zizyphus jujuba and identified by spectral analysis.

The beneficial effect of OST-6 (OsteoCare), a herbomineral formulation, in experimental osteoporosis.

OST-6 (OsteoCare), a herbomineral formulation, was evaluated for its inhibitory effect on the progress of bone loss induced by ovariectomy in rats. Ovariectomized (Ovx) rats were administered with OST-6 at 250 and 500 mg/kg b.wt., orally daily for 90 days. On 91st day, ovariectomized rats showed reduced bone mineral content and increased serum alkaline phosphatase levels, excretion of urinary calcium and pyridinium cross-links levels. Histologically, bone sections revealed narrowed and disappearance of trabeculae and widened medullary spaces. The total numbers of Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) positive cells were significantly increased both in-vivo and in-vitro methods. OST-6, at a dose of 500 mg/kg, significantly improved bone mineral contents, serum alkaline phosphatase levels, reduced the elevated urinary calcium and pyridinium cross-links excretion, number of TRAP positive cells and reversal of the above mentioned histological features. These results indicate the usefulness of OST-6 in the management of osteoporosis in a natural way through herbal resources.

Effect of substitution of groundnut with high glucosinolate mustard (Brassica juncea) meal on nutrient utilization, growth, vital organ weight and blood composition of lambs.

Twenty-four 14-day-old weaner Avivastra (Russian MerinoxNali) male lambs were maintained for 180 days on ad libidum Cenchrus (Cenchrus ciliaris) hay and concentrate mixture (CM) contained groundnut meal (control) and mustard meal (MM group) as major protein source. The two CMs were isonitrogenous (21% CP) and isocaloric (2.78McalMEkg(-1) DM), while, CM fed to MM group contained 24.6mg glucosinolatesg(-1) DM. Digestibility of nutrients was similar (P>0.05) in the two groups except for CP and hemicellulose, which was higher (P<0.05) in control. Urinary N loss was higher (P<0.01) in control than in MM group, whereas N retention (% of N intake and absorbed) was higher (P<0.01) in MM group compared to control. Dry matter (gkg(-1)BW) and glucosinolate intakes were higher in MM fed group, whereas DCP and ME intakes were similar (P>0.05) in the two groups. Average daily gain (ADG) was, however, 22% higher (P<0.01) in control than in MM group. Hemoglobin and albumin contents were lower (P<0.01) in MM group than in control. Serum thiocyanate content was 26.7µgg(-1) in MM fed group, while it was not detected in control group. Thyroid weight was higher (P<0.01) while liver and kidney weights were lower (P<0.01) in MM group. Meat from dissected carcass of control group contained more protein and less fat, whereas the reverse was noticed in MM group. It is concluded that feeding mustard meal as protein supplement reduced growth rate and induced iodine deficiency. Carcass of lambs fed mustard meal had more fat and less protein.

Anti-inflammatory effect of (+)-pinitol.

In the carrageenin-induced paw oedema in rats, (+)-pinitol (2.5-10 mg/kg, i.p.), isolated from Abies pindrow leaves, showed a significant anti-inflammatory effect, the highest dose being comparable to phenylbutazone (100 mg/kg, i.p.).

Pharmacokinetic interactions of Mentat with carbamazepine and phenytoin.

In the present study, Mentat, a herbomineral psychotropic preparation, was studied for its pharmacokinetic interaction with the commonly used anti-epileptic drugs, carbamazepine and phenytoin. The interaction of carbamazepine and phenytoin with Mentat was studied in rabbits. Thirty two rabbits were divided into four groups of eight each. Animals of Group I were treated with carbamazepine (50 mg/kg b.wt. p.o.), Group II were treated with carbamazepine (50 mg/kg b.wt. p.o.) + Mentat (500 mg/kg b.wt. p.o.), Group III were treated with phenytoin (50 mg/kg b.wt. p.o.) and Group IV were treated with phenytoin (50 mg/kg b.wt. p.o.) + Mentat (500 mg/kg b.wt. p.o.) for a period of 8 days. On day 0 and day 8, plasma carbamazepine and phenytoin levels were estimated at different time intervals. A simultaneous treatment with Mentat resulted in a significant increase in plasma AUC of carbamazepine as well as phenytoin as compared to carbamazepine or phenytoin alone. Cmax and Tmax of carbamazepine and phenytoin also were evaluated. The results suggest that co-administration of Mentat could improve the effectiveness of anti-epileptic drugs due to the increased bioavailability of the latter. However, this has to be done with critical medical supervision to avoid any toxic reactions and preferably with therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) which could also help in dose optimization.

Studies on some recommended ayurvedic herbs for contact dermatitis.

A number of plant drugs are used in topical application meant for medical and cosmetic purposes. Many of such recommended drugs have been reported to cause contact dermatitis which fact is well supported by clinical studies. To find out the role of these plant drugs in the etiology of contact dermatitis, clinical studies of 34 such herbal drugs were carried out.