Curative effect of Terminalia chebula extract on acetic acid-induced experimental colitis: role of antioxidants, free radicals and acute inflammatory marker.

The present study has evaluated the healing effects of extract of dried fruit pulp of Terminalia chebula (TCE) on acetic acid (AA)-induced colitis in rats. TCE (600 mg/kg) showed healing effects against AA-induced colonic damage score and weight when administered orally daily for 14 days. TCE was further studied for its effects on various physical (mucus/blood in stool and stool frequency, food and water intake and body weight changes), histology, antibacterial activity and free radicals (NO and LPO), antioxidants (SOD, CAT and GSH) and myeloperoxidase in colonic tissue. Intra-colonic AA administration increased colonic mucosal damage and inflammation, mucus/bloody diarrhoea, stool frequency, but decreased body weight which were reversed by TCE and sulfasalazine (SS, positive control) treatments. TCE showed antibacterial activity and both TCE and SS enhanced the antioxidants, but decreased free radicals and myeloperoxidase activities affected in acetic acid-induced colitis. TCE indicated the presence of active principles with proven antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and free radical scavenging and healing properties. Thus, TCE seemed to be safe and effective in healing experimental colitis.

Antimicrobial activity of Elaeocarpus sphaericus.

Antibacterial activity of petroleum ether (PE), benzene (BE), chloroform (CE), acetone (AE) and ethanol (EE) extracts of dried Elaeocarpus sphaericus fruit was investigated against 28 gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria using the disc diffusion and plate dilution methods. The AE fraction showed marked antimicrobial activity against ten organisms. BE was active against Salmonella typhimurium and Morganella morganii, and EE against Plesiomonas shigelloides, Shigella flexnerii and Sh. sonneii. The alkaloids and flavonoids present in the plant appear to be of chemotherapeutic interest.

Pharmacological actions of Abies pindrow Royle leaf.

Petroleum ether (PE), benzene (BE), chloroform (CE), acetone (AE) and ethanolic (EE) extracts (50-200 or 200 mg/kg, i.p. or 200 mg/kg, p.o.) of dried Abies pindrow leaves, given 30-45 min before showed significant anti-inflammatory (both against acute and sub-acute models), analgesic, barbiturate hypnosis potentiation and anti-ulcerogenic acitivities in rats. All the extracts except EE decreased swim stress immobility in mice indicating some degree of anti-depressant activity. Only PE exhibited hypotension in dogs blocked by atropine. Chemically, extracts showed the presence of glycosides, steroids, terpenoids and flavonoids. They had no anti-bacterial effect. However, toxicity studies indicated that the extracts had an extended safety index. The investigations are consonant with some of the uses of this plant in Ayurveda.

Pharmacological actions of Pongamia pinnata roots in albino rats.

Pongamia pinnata root has been advocated in Ayurveda for treatment of various inflammatory and infective conditions including ulcers. Sequential petroleum ether, benzene, chloroform, acetone and ethanolic extracts of P. pinnata roots when administered in the dose of 50 mg/kg, i.p. in rats was found to have anti-inflammatory, analgesic activity while pentobarbitone-induced 'sleep time' was reduced by all the extracts except petroleum ether which, however, enhanced it. They were also found to possess antiulcer effects when administered either by i.p. (45 min before) or oral route (45 min before or for 4 days) against restraint-stress or pylorus-ligated gastric ulcers in rats, the maximum protection being afforded by petroleum ether and ethanol extracts. The mechanism of antiulcer effect could either be due to decrease in acid-pepsin secretion and augmentation of mucin secretion as observed with ethanol extract, while petroleum ether extract might be producing the effect by virtue of its anti-stress activity.

An outbreak of multidrug resistant. Salmonella typhimurium in a nursery.

A nursery epidemic caused by multidrug resistant Salmonella typhimurium is reported. In total, 21 infants developed symptomatic illness; of these, 17 had septicemia (7 blood culture positive) and 4 had diarrhea alone. Asymptomatic carrier state was identified in 13 infants. Male sex and birth asphyxia increased the risk for symptomatic illness. Fever, lethargy, and diarrhea were the most common clinical features. Amongst the septicemic infants there was no difference in clinical profile whether the blood culture was positive or negative for S. typhimurium. In the symptomatic group, S. typhimurium was isolated from feces in 19 cases and from blood in 7 cases. In both symptomatic and asymptomatic infants, all isolates of S. typhimurium, whether obtained from feces and/or from blood, were resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim, and a significant number (almost one-fifth) of them also showed resistance to third generation cephalosporins. More than 90% of isolates were sensitive to aminoglycosides and ciprofloxacin. On a combination of third generation cephalosporin (cefotaxime or ceftriaxone) and amikacin, 17 (81%) infants recovered, 2 succumbed to their illness, and 2 failed to improve and required ciprofloxacin. The origin of epidemic was traced to a carrier staff nurse working in nursery.

Infrared contact coagulation: a new approach for local hyperthermic therapy of solid animal tumors.

Infrared contact coagulation (ICC) was evaluated in 3 different tumor models. 56-94% of all tumor-bearing rats, hamsters or mice were cured by ICC, whereas 100% of the controls died. The possibility that long-lasting immunological resistance might develop against the tumor after ICC was investigated by repeated tumor challenge. Cytotoxicity against tumor cells of host thymocytes and splenocytes following ICC was demonstrated in a Winn assay. The production of a mainly T-cell-dependent immune response could be due to ICC-induced antigenic changes in the tumor cells.