Ova Retrieval for IVF in the Light of Islamic Shari'ah Laws in Pakistan.

The technique of in vitro fertilization is the cornerstone of all assisted reproductive techniques. Other sophisticated procedures springing from it can differ in the method of assisted fertilization; for example, the site of deposition of gametes or embryos in the uterus or Fallopian tube, the use of fresh or frozen gametes and embryos, assistance from donor sperms or oocytes, and whether gestation is carried out in the same woman or another woman. IVF itself depends on the retrieval of ova from a woman's ovaries. This pivotal stage of IVF has not been deliberated upon by Muslim jurists, who largely focus on the overall legal status of IVF, whereas the legal position of this particular step in IVF impacts the whole procedure. This research paper focuses specifically on the retrieval of ova for IVF in the light of Islamic Shari'ah.

Elemental Analysis of Basella alba, Spinacia oleracea, Abelmoschus esculentus (L.), Ipomoea aquatica, Colocasia esculenta, Amaranthus dubius, and Raphanus sativus Vegetables Using the PIXE Technique in a Saline Region of Bangladesh, Rampal Area.

Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) method was used in this present research to identify the elements present in selected vegetable samples to show the possible influence in the metal absorption by the vegetables grown in a saline region of Rampal area of Munshiganj District, Bangladesh. The data acquisition setup is calibrated using a 2.5-MeV proton beam in the current ranges of 5nA to 15nA. The detector was used to measure the X-rays emitted during the irradiation. Data acquisition system MAESTRO-32 was used to measure the spectrum picks, and concentration calculation has been done by GUPIX/DAN-32 software. The purpose of this study is to determine the concentration of heavy and trace elements in these samples and to give current information on their safety for consumption. The result shows that K, Ca, and Fe have the highest concentrations, while lead exhibits the lowest but alarming rates compared to reference materials. The findings were likened to IAEA-V-10, IAEA-359, SRM 1515 (apple leaf), and SRM 1573a (tomato leaf). The outcomes of the present investigation demonstrate that these samples are not devoid of health risks in intake.

Validated spectrofluorimetric method for determination of sulpiride in commercial formulations using Hantzsch condensation reaction.

A simple, sensitive, selective and cost effective spectrofluorimetric method has been established for the quantification of sulpiride after their complete alkaline hydrolysis. The method is based on the condensation of the primary amino group of alkaline hydrolytic product of sulpiride with acetyl acetone and formaldehyde in acidic medium (0.25 M HCl) to form a fluorescent product. The reaction product formed shows maximum fluorescence intensity at 483 nm after excitation at 431 nm. The different reaction conditions influencing the condensation reaction were carefully optimized and a linear range of 0.1-3.5 µg mL-1 with good correlation coefficient between flourescent intensity and concentration of sulpiride was found at optimum parameters. The LOD and LOQ were found to be 11 and 39 ng mL-1 respectively. The proposed method was successfully used for the quantification of sulpiride in bulk powder and commercial formulations. The effect of common pharmaceutical excipients and co-administered drug was also studied and no interferences were observed. The validity of the method was tested by analyzing sulpiride in bulk powder, and pharmaceutical formulations through recovery studies. Recoveries (%) were obtained from 98.62 to 100.24% for bulk powder, and 97.09 to 100.57 % for commercial formulations. The results were validated statistically with those obtained by reference literature high performance liquid chromatographic method.

Development and validation of a spectrofluorimetric method for the quantification of ceftriaxone in pharmaceutical formulations and plasma.

We describe the development and validation of a new, simple, sensitive and cost-effective method for the determination of ceftriaxone in commercial formulations and spiked human plasma. The method proposes the conversion of ceftriaxone into a fluorescent product by reacting with ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA) in the presence of sulfite at room temperature. The reaction medium is buffered to pH 10 using borate buffer. The derivatized reaction product is highly fluorescent and exhibits maximum fluorescence intensity at λ(em) = 386 nm after excitation at λ(ex) = 324 nm. The experimental parameters affecting progress of the derivatization reaction were carefully studied and optimized. Under optimum experimental conditions, the method has an excellent correlation coefficient of 0.9984 with a broad linear range of 0.4-20 µg/mL. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were found to be 1.30 × 10(-3) and 3.90 × 10(-3) µg/mL, respectively. The interference effects of common excipients on the quantification of drug were investigated and no interference effect was observed. The proposed method has been successfully applied to the determination of ceftriaxone in pharmaceutical formulations and spiked human plasma samples. The method has been validated statistically through percent recovery studies using standard addition and by comparison with a reference HPLC method. The developed method exhibits excellent inter- and intraday precision.

Spectrofluorimetric method for the determination of sulpiride in pharmaceutical preparations and human plasma through derivatization with 2-cyanoacetamide.

A sensitive and accurate spectrofluorimetric method has been developed for the determination of sulpiride in pharmaceutical preparations and human plasma. The developed method is based on the derivatization reaction of 2-cyanoacetamide with sulpiride in 30% ammonical solution. The fluorescent derivatized reaction product exhibited maximum fluorescence intensity at 379 nm after excitation at 330 nm. The optimum conditions for derivatization reactions were studied and the fluorescence intensity versus concentration plot was found to be linear over the concentration range 0.2-20.0 µg/mL with a correlation coefficient of 0.9985. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were found to be 0.82 and 2.73 ng/mL, respectively. The proposed method was validated according to ICH guidelines. The effects of common excipients and co-administered drugs were also studied. The accuracy of the method was checked using the standard addition method and percent recoveries were found to be in the range of 99.00-101.25% for pharmaceutical preparations and 97.00-97.80% for spiked human plasma. The method was successfully applied to commercial formulations and the results obtained for the proposed method were compared with a high-performance liquid chromatography reference method and statistically evaluated using the Student's t-test for accuracy and the variance ratio F-test for precision. A reaction pathway was also proposed.

Spectrofluorimetric protocol for ceftriaxone in commercial formulation and human plasma after condensation with formaldehyde and ethyl acetoacetate.

A new spectrofluorimetric method has been developed and validated for the quantification of ceftriaxone in bulk powder, pharmaceutical formulations and spiked human plasma. The developed method is reproducible, accurate, sensitive and cost effective. In this method, ceftriaxone was converted into a fluorescent compound by reacting with 0.8 M ethyl acetoacetate and 25% formaldehyde in a buffered medium (pH = 4.2) at 90 °C. The excitation and emission wavelengths of the fluorescent reaction product are 316 nm and 388 nm respectively. Optimization of the experimental conditions affecting the condensation reaction were carefully carried out and the optimum experimental conditions were incorporated in the procedure. The developed method has a broad linear range (0.2-20 µg mL(-1)) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9992. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) was found to be 1.94 × 10(-2) µg mL(-1) and 6.47 × 10(-2) µg mL(-1) respectively. The common excipients and co-administered drugs were investigated for their interferences effect in the assay. The developed method was validated statistically through recovery studies and successfully applied to ceftriaxone determination in bulk powder, pharmaceutical formulations and spiked human plasma samples. The percent recoveries were found to be in the range of 99.04-100.26% for bulk powder, 98.88-99.92% for pharmaceutical formulations and 94.22-98.48% for spiked human plasma. The results were verified by comparing with reference literature HPLC method and were found in good agreement.

Spectrofluorimetric method for determination and validation of cefixime in pharmaceutical preparations through derivatization with 2-cyanoacetamide.

A simple, sensitive and accurate method has been developed for spectrofluorimetric determination of cefixime in pure form and pharmaceutical preparations. The method is based on the reaction of cefixime with 2-cyanoacetamide in the presence of 21% ammonia at 100 °C. The fluorescent reaction product showed maximum fluorescence intensity at λ 378 nm after excitation at λ 330 nm. The factors affecting the derivatization reaction were carefully studied and optimized. The fluorescence intensity versus concentration plot was rectilinear over the range of 0.02 to 4 µg mL(-1) with correlation coefficient of 0.99036. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) was found to be 2.95 ng mL(-1) and 9.84 ng mL(-1), respectively. The proposed method was validated statistically and through recovery studies. The method was successfully applied for the determination of cefixime in pure and dosage form with percent recoveries from 98.117% to 100.38%. The results obtained from the proposed method have been compared with the official HPLC method and good agreement was found between them.

Aldosterone modifies hemostasis via upregulation of the protein-C receptor in human vascular endothelium.

In human bone marrow endothelial cell (HBMEC) exposed for 8 h to aldosterone, the microarray screening revealed an upregulation of the mRNAs for six genes and downregulation of mRNAs for four genes, all implicated in hemostasis. In HBMEC, immunocytochemistry revealed the presence of the membrane-bound endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) whereas the mineralocorticoid receptor (MCR) was present as a nucleo-cytoplasmic. In HBMEC treated with aldosterone the induction of EPCR protein was evident by both FACS analysis and dot blot procedure. When aldosterone-treated HBMEC were incubated with the activated protein C (APC), the partial thromboplastin clotting time (aPTT) increased 2.5-fold over control, from 10 to 25 s. The MCR antagonists aldactone and eplerenone reduced the basal coagulation time in untreated cells to 33.5% and 42% of the control, respectively. These data add an entirely new dimension to delineating the receptor-mediated action of mineralocorticoid hormones.

Pattern of perfusion defects seen in ischemic heart disease patients on technetium (Tc99m) tetrofosmin scanning.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is common cause of death in developed as well as developing countries. The most common cause of Ischemic Heart disease is narrowing of coronary arteries, a process called as atherosclerosis. The objective of the present study is to determine the pattern of ischemic changes detected by technetium tetrofosmin (Tc99m). METHODS: Sixty five patients presenting as known or suspected ischemic heart disease over a period of two years (December 1995 to December 1998) at Ziauddin Hospital were included in the study. Each patient underwent Tc99m tetrofosmin stress and rest studies. Tetrofosmin study was performed according to one day protocol. RESULTS: By segmental analysis (five segment per patient), 35 patients had perfusion defects by SPECT Tc99m tetrofosmin imaging. Out of 95 perfusion defects, reversible ischemia and mixed defects were more common in inferior wall and fixed defect in left ventricular apex. CONCLUSION: Reversible ischemia and mixed defects were more common in inferior wall and fixed defect in left ventricular apex.