Agriculture and Allied Sciences
Jul 28, 2016
Goniothalamus species are used in widespread medicines for abortion, anti-aging, body pains, rheumatism, skin complaints, typhoid fever, tympanites, stomach ache and fever. The present study reviews the distribution of species along with their synonyms, their traditional usage, and correlated chemical compounds of Goniothalamus species with stress on the authentication of their ethnobotanical uses. The findings in some Goniothalamus species suggest that the chemical nature of their derivatives, such as acetogenins and styryl-lactones, may justify the use of these species against cancer in Asian traditional medicines due to their cytotoxic potential.
Original Research Article
May 28, 2016
New-onset pancytopenia is a common diagnostic challenge. Pancytopenia is an indication for bone marrow examination. The present study has been carried out to determine the frequencies of various etiologies of pancytopenia based on bone marrow morphology in a defined geographical location. All cases of new-onset pancytopenia, diagnosed on peripheral smear and seen over a four-year period from January 2012 to December 2015 in the department of pathology, were analysed. Patients lacking representative bone marrow in the aspirate or receiving chemotherapy were excluded. Out of 69 cases, 29 were males and 40 were females. Most of the patients were in the age group of 19-60 years (52.2%). Nineteen (26.1%) of them were less than 18 years old. The three major causes of pancytopenia were: megaloblastic anemia (hypercellular marrow with megaloblastic erythropoiesis) in 25 (36.2%) cases, hypercellular marrow with dimorphic erythropoiesis in 13 (18.8%) cases, and haematological malignancies in 12 (17.4%) cases of the study. Bone marrow examination along with laboratory evaluation helps to establish specific diagnosis in cases of new-onset pancytopenia.
10.18639/RABM.2016.02.282945
Diabetes
Apr 07, 2016
Diabetes mellitus type 2 and metabolic syndrome are conditions associated with insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. Metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for diabetes mellitus type 2. Plasma glucose (fasting/postprandial) and serum ceruloplasmin levels and their relationship were studied. Study population consisted of 150 individuals—50 individuals with diabetes mellitus type 2, 50 individuals with metabolic syndrome, and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Plasma levels of fasting and postprandial glucose were measured along with serum ceruloplasmin. Data was analyzed by ANOVA and Pearson correlation. The fasting and postprandial plasma glucose levels in metabolic syndrome and diabetes mellitus type 2 were increased when compared to control. Serum ceruloplasmin level was 327.8 68.9 in control, 227.3 46.8 in metabolic syndrome, and 194.0 49.6 in diabetes mellitus type 2 individuals. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between the fasting, postprandial plasma glucose, and serum ceruloplasmin in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Toxicology and Pharmacology
Apr 07, 2016
The present study was conducted to evaluate the toxic potential of tartrazine, a food color, in different tissues in adult rat: blood, liver, kidneys, and spleen. Tartrazine was administered orally at a dose of 300 mg/kg of body weight to adult male Wistar rats during a period of 30 days. Tartrazine treatment led to an increase in platelets count, a reduction in peripheral lymphocytes and in spleen T CD8-lymphocytes. Furthermore, tartrazine increased the activities of hepatocellular enzymes and promoted changes in kidney biomarkers. In order to explore the possible mechanism involved, oxidative-stress assessment was performed. Results identified critical oxidative alterations in all tested organs, as shown by the promotion of lipid peroxidation and the modification of endogenous antioxidant-defense enzymes. Thus, tartrazine is able to induce in adult rats’ hematotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and liver and kidney injuries by changing the whole balance between oxidants and antioxidants.
10.18639/RABM.2016.02.271146
Diabetes
Mar 23, 2016
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether smeathxanthone A isolated from Garcinia smeathmanii improves incisional wound healing in diabetic mice. Male albino alloxan-induced diabetic mice (n 20) were divided into five groups: normal control, diabetic control, 2.5 mg/kg glibenclamide given orally, 0.05 and 0.1 mg/kg smeathxanthone A given subcutaneously. Animals were euthanized on postoperative day 10 after wounding; body weight, blood glucose, breaking strength, and histologic examination were reviewed. Smeathxanthone A significantly increased skin tensile strength (24% higher than diabetic control group when given at 0.1 mg/kg), stimulated hair growth, and reduced signs of inflammation in the scar sections. Smeathxanthone A also reduced blood glucose levels in diabetic mice (45% higher than diabetic control group when given at 0.1 mg/kg). The present study demonstrates that administration of smeathxanthone A after laparotomy expedites wound healing in mice. We suggest that it could confer benefits to tissue healing by significantly enhancing tissue collagen deposition and controlling blood glucose levels.
10.18639/RABM.2016.02.222222
Case Report
Mar 23, 2016
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare, transmissible, neurodegenerative disease caused by conformationally changed abnormal prion protein. Most patients present with cognitive impairment, myoclonus, ataxia, visual impairment alone or in combination. Patients who present with ataxia only at the onset are said to have Brownell-Oppenheimer variant of the disease. However, here we present a case where visual symptoms preceded the clinical presentation and hallucinations accompanied the ataxia at the onset of the disease.
10.18639/RABM.2016.02.238456
Cancer and Oncology
Mar 05, 2016
For breast cancer, chemotherapy is the most common treatment in the world. In breast cancer patients, oxidative stress leads to accumulation of free radicals, which generate more oxidative stress during chemotherapy. This chemotherapeutic approach also leads to enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species and increased oxidative stress as a result. Blood samples were collected from 30 subjects (15 patients who received wheat grass juice (WGJ) and 15 patients who were only on chemotherapy) in the age range 25-60. The goal of the present investigation was to study the relationship between oxidative stress and breast cancer by measuring the non-enzymatic antioxidant levels of Glutathione reductase (GSH) and Malondialdehyde (MDA), which are the markers of lipid peroxidation in breast cancer patients and effect of wheat grass juice on these markers. From the results obtained, it was clear that MDA levels were higher whereas GSH levels decreased in breast cancer patients compared with normal controls. Significant changes in the MDA and GSH values were observed between the group receiving WGJ and the group receiving only chemotherapy. The administration of WGJ along with the treatment reduces the extent of oxidative damage and related complications in breast cancer patients.
10.18639/RABM.2015.01.200317
Agriculture and Allied Sciences
Dec 25, 2015
Mushrooms are cosmopolitan heterotrophic organisms that are quite specific in their nutritional and ecological requirements. They are among the most relished food commodities among a number of nonconventional foodstuffs primarily because of their unique flavor and texture. Wild edible mushrooms have been collected and consumed by people since thousands of years. Mushrooms have been exploited commercially the world over. In India due to its diverse climatic conditions, many types of mushrooms are found in the wild. The knowledge of their historical uses as food, medicine, a source of income, and for small-scale businesses and the sociological impacts (myth, culture, and spirituality) are apparently threatened due to slow ethnomycology-research drive.
10.18639/RABM.2015.01.196308
Agriculture and Allied Sciences
Dec 15, 2015
Mercury is one of the most toxic heavy metals present in the earth’s crust. It has been considered as environmental pollutant because of its potent toxicity to plants and humans. In this review, we discuss mercury toxicity responses on plant metabolism and its detoxification mechanism by phytochelatins and antioxidant enzymes. Some light is also shed on selenium antagonistic study with mercury. Due to its potential toxicity, it has attracted attention in fields of soil science and plant nutrition. Mercury has harmful toxic effects on the molecular and physiobiochemical behavior of plants. Mostly research work has been done on seed germination, and shoot, root, and leaf morphology. Enzyme responses with respect to mercury as a result Hg accumulated in food chain is also reviewed here. Hence, this review may provide a compiled data for other researches in this direction, to provide a better mechanism or details about mercury’s noxious effect in the ecosystem.
Original Research Article
Nov 19, 2015
Imidacloprid (IMI) is known to target the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in insects, and potentially in mammals. However, IMI toxicity on mammalian tissues has not been adequately evaluated. The aim of the present study was to examine whether IMI induced functional impairment in hypthalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis tissues. An oral exposure of 40 mg IMI/kg for 28 days in male rats caused a significant increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) level. The antioxidant catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione S-transferase showed various alterations following administration, but a significantly depleted thiol (SH) groups was only recorded in hypothalamic tissues. The increase in the relative weight of adrenal glands and the increased adrenal cholesterol and plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels are indicative of general adaptation syndrome. The hypothalamic and pituitary acetylcholinesterase activity and calcium level were significantly increased, highlighting the alteration of cholinergic transmission. In conclusion, the findings obtained show that chronic exposure to IMI may alter biochemical processes of HPA axis.
10.18639/RABM.2015.01.195226
Microbiology and Immunology
Sep 27, 2015
Brucellosis is a highly infectious zoonotic disease and an economically important infection of humans and livestock with a worldwide distribution. The main mode of transmission of this disease to humans is through the consumption of infected milk, milk products, and uncooked or raw meat. The present study was designed to prepare few native antigens, that is, sonicated antigen (SA), cell envelope (CE) antigen, and freeze and thaw (FT) antigen from Brucella abortus S99 culture and to test them in a highly sensitive and specific indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (I-ELISA) in both a microtiter plate and a dot-blot format for the development of field-based diagnosis. All 50 suspected bovine samples were tested by plate as well as in dot ELISA formats for all the three antigens prepared. The CE antigen was found to be more suitable as it had the maximum agreement with the Rose Bengal plate agglutination test results followed by the SA and the least agreement was found with that of the FT antigen. This detection system in microtiter plates and a dot-blot format will be useful for the rapid screening of samples for the disease surveillance and routine diagnosis.
10.18639/RABM.2015.01.156935
Original Research Article
Aug 21, 2015
The present study is designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory potential of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) against carbosulfan (CB)-induced hepatic dysfunction in rats. Rats exposed to CB and NAC were examined for toxicity by assessing various biochemical alteration, inflammation (interferon gamma and leucocyte counts), and peroxidation marker, including in liver. Significant increases of blood alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) were detected in CB-treated rats. In addition, the level of pro-oxidative marker, such as malondialdehyde (MDA), was also increased. According to the results, rats exposed to CB showed a significant alteration in hepatic enzymes and an increase in the accumulation of lipid peroxidation index; also, CB induced an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine in CB-treated rats when compared with their respective controls. Interestingly, administration of NAC to CB-treated rats attenuates the toxicity of CB, objectified by biochemical and oxidative improvement of liver. Thus, the present study reports for the first time that NAC could be a promising therapeutic agent against CB-induced liver impairment.
10.18639/RABM.2015.01.155696
Cancer and Oncology
Jun 06, 2015
Intestinal-type sinonasal adenocarcinoma accounts for about 3% of cancers of the upper aero-digestive tract. It is commonly seen in men in the age group of 55-60 years. We present the case of a 60-year-old woman having extensive disease in the right half of the nasal cavity extending to the dura of the anterior cranial fossa, and the right orbital contents. The patient was given induction chemotherapy to make the condition surgically amenable, but the regression was modest, and hence she has been put on concurrent chemo-radiotherapy.
10.18639/RABM.2015.01.95230
Toxicology and Pharmacology
Mar 13, 2015
The present study investigated the protective effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), is widely known as an antidote to acetaminophen overdose, on carbosulfan (CB)-induced hematotoxicity and oxidative stress in male rats. CB was administered at a dose of 25 mg/kg or simultaneously administered with NAC (2 g/l) for 30 days. Results of hematological examination showed that red blood cells, hematocrite, hemoglobin, and reticulocytes levels were significantly lower in CB-exposed rats compared with those in the control. Administration of CB caused a significant increase in the superoxide dismutase and catalase activities. However, the glutathione (GSH) and thiols group (TSH) levels were significantly increased as well as GSH S-transferase activity and levels of glutathione peroxidase on erythrocytes of males rats compared with those in the control. Also, CB-treated rats showed significant elevation in lipid peroxidation (LPO) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) on erythrocytes in comparison with the control. Co-administration with NAC exhibited chemoprotective effects against CB-mediated hematotoxicity, augmented erythrocyte antioxidant status, and prevented the induction of anemia.
10.18639/RABM.2015.01.94785
Original Research Article
Feb 05, 2015
This study aimed to investigate the effect of lead acetate on the fallopian tube of adult mice and the possible effect of garlic extract in a Laboratory Based Randomized Control Trial. In this study, 30 female BALBc mice were selected and randomly divided into three groups. Ten animals were placed in each group. Group A being the control received only the laboratory diet. Group B was given lead acetate at a dose of 30 mg/kg/day. Group C was given lead acetate at 30 mg/kg/day and garlic extract at 500 mg/kg/day. All treatments were given through oral gavage tube for 60 days. The mice were sacrificed and dissected at the end of 60 days. The fallopian tubes were carefully dissected out and fixed in 10% formalin for routine histological examination. The histological findings in experimental group B showed increase in epithelial height, whereas no such findings were observed in group A and there was slight increase in height in group C. The lead acetate affected the epithelial height in lead acetate treated group which improved when cotreated with garlic extract.
