Background:The presence of phytochemical constitutes has been reported from species of the Compositae (Asteraceae). Hitherto no reports exist on the phytochemical components and biological activity of Lactuca runcinata DC.Objective:The present study was designed to determine the bioactive compounds in the whole plant methanol extract of Lactuca runcinata.Materials and Methods:Phytochemical screening of the entire herb of Lactuca runcinata DC revealed the presence of some bio-active components. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the whole plant methanol extract of Lactuca runcinata was performed on a GC-MS equipment (Thermo Scientific Co.) Thermo GC-TRACE ultra ver.: 5.0, Thermo MS DSQ II.Results:The phytochemical tests showed the presence of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, phenols, phlobatannin, reducing sugars, saponins, steroids, tannins, terpenoids, volatile oils, carbohydrates, and protein/amino acids in methanolic extract of L. runcinata. The GC-MS analysis has shown the presence of different phytochemical compounds in the methanolic extract of Lactuca runcinata. A total of 21 compounds were identified representing 84.49% of total methanolic extract composition.Conclusion:From the results, it is evident that Lactuca runcinata contains various phytocomponents and is recommended as a plant of phytopharmaceutical importance.

Abstract:The main objective of the present study to investigate the utilization pattern of antihypertensive drugs in hypertensive patients and to find out whether the prescription pattern is in adherence with the JNC7 guidelines for the management of hypertension. A prospective study was conducted and drug utilization data were collected from 137 hypertensive patients who were attended as Out Patient Department (OPD) of Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS), Patna, Bihar, India. The data was retrieved from patient's medical records as well as from the interview of patients and their legally acceptable representatives. The following classes of antihypertensive drugs were analyzed; Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEI), Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs), Beta Blockers (BBs), Calcium Channel Blockers (CCBs) and Diuretics. The inclusion criteria for the recruitment of study subjects were the patients suffering from hypertension with or without other comorbid conditions. The analysis of the prescription frequency, proportion of the different antihypertensive classes of drugs as monotherapy as well as combination therapy was done. The most frequently prescribed classes of antihypertensive medications were Diuretics (mainly thiazides followed by Loop category) followed by CCBs, BBs, ACEIs and ARBs. Antihypertensive drug combination therapy was given to 72.26% of the total population while monotherapy was received by 27.73% of the total hypertensive population, representing more utilization of combination therapy as compared to monotherapy. The prescription pattern of these classes of drugs was found to be considerately in adherence to JNC7 guidelines for the management of hypertension. It was evident from the study that hypertension is more pronounced in males with increasing age as compared to females. The diuretics were the first choice alone or in combination and pattern of prescription was adhered to JNC-7 Guidelines.

The present study was performed to investigate the efficacy of an ethanol extract of the roots of Tragia cannabina for antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effects in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Male Wistar rats were administered T. cannabina (250 mg/kg) orally for 21 days, and blood glucose level was measured weekly. At the end of 21 days, concentrations of serum lipids such as total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and protein markers such as total protein, albumin, globulin, and albumin:globulin ratio (A:G) were estimated. Also, levels of enzymes such as serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were determined. Antioxidant activity of the extract was evaluated by estimating lipid peroxides (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase in liver of normal control and STZ- and extract-treated rats. Histopathological changes of liver and kidney were also studied in STZ-induced diabetic animals and normal controls. All these effects produced by the extract were compared with glibenclamide, a standard antidiabetic drug. Oral administration of T. cannabina for 21 days resulted in a significant reduction in blood glucose level, lipid concentration, and SGOT, SGPT, ALP, and LPO levels accompanied by an increase in the levels of SOD and catalase in liver tissues of STZ-induced diabetic rats. Altered levels of protein markers also reverted back to normal. Histopathological changes of liver and kidney were returned to normal. The effects produced by the extract were comparable to that of glibenclamide. In conclusion, the T. cannabina showed significant antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effects in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Cervical cancer is the second most common gynecological malignancy worldwide. According to HPV Information Centre, Spain (Aug'2014), in India approximately 1,22,844 women are diagnosed with the disease every year and of them 67,477 die due to the disease. CaCx is said to be mediated by HPV but recent data published reveal the role of Oxidative Stress in different Cancers. Arsenic is also one of the agents for causing Oxidative Stress. Arsenic has been linked with different types of cancer. Arsenic is considered responsible for generation of free radicals and eventually for apoptosis. Early diagnosis of CaCx is presently a matter of concern and clinical presentation in advanced stages become difficult for complete clinical response. For determination of oxidative stress, Malondialdehyde (MDA) was taken as an identifier and arsenic estimation was performed with the help of Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS). RBC count and Haemoglobin levels were performed according to standard protocol. MDA was in direct proportion with arsenic concentration and inversely proportional to RBC and Haemoglobin in CaCx patients. Arsenic is one of the major causative agents for oxidative stress and hence may be a risk factor leading to cancer including CaCx.

No abstract

In the present study a simple, sensitive rapid and accurate HPLC method with UV detection for the analysis of cinitapride hydrogen tartarate was developed and validated in solid dosage forms. The method utilized gradient elution technique with C18 column (150×4.6 mm I.D, 5 μm particle size) with mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid in water and acetonitrile The detection wavelength was at 268 nm, with flow rate of 0.5 mL/min and injection volume of 10 μL for separation of cinitapride in bulk drugs and pharmaceutical formulations. The gradient elution was developed for better and optimized results. The developed method was validated for precision which includes system precision and method precision, accuracy and linearity studies in the concentration range of 5-100 μg/mL with correlation coefficient of 0.9987. The accuracy (recovery) was between 97.32 and 100.82%. The proposed method is simple, fast, accurate, precise and reproducible, hence can be applied for routine quality control analysis of cinitapride in pure and pharmaceutical dosage forms.

No abstract

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an independent risk factor for micro- and macrovascular complications such as nephropathy and atherosclerosis respectively, which are the major causes of premature morbidity and mortality in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic patients. Endothelial dysfunction is the critical first step of vascular disease and is characterized by reduced bioavailability of the essential endothelial vasodilator, nitric oxide (NO), coupled with an elevation in inflammation and oxidative stress. A novel pathway to bolster NO activity is to upregulate soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), an enzyme responsible for mediating the protective actions of NO. Two classes of sGC modulators exist, activators and stimulators, with differing sensitivity to oxidative stress. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of the sGC stimulator BAY 41-2272 (Bay 41) and the sGC activator BAY 60-2770 (Bay 60) on endpoints of atherosclerosis and renal disease as well as inflammation and oxidative stress in diabetic Apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE-/-) mice. We hypothesized that under oxidative conditions known to accompany diabetes, sGC activation might be more efficacious than sGC stimulation in limiting diabetic vascular complications. We demonstrate that Bay 60 not only significantly decreased nitrotyrosine staining (P < 0.01) and F4/80 positive cells by 75% (P < 0.05), but it also significantly reduced total plaque area (P < 0.05) and improved endothelial function (P < 0.01). Our data suggest an important anti-atherogenic role for Bay 60 accompanied by reduced oxidative stress and inflammation under diabetic settings. Treatment with the stimulator Bay 41, on the other hand, had minimal effects or caused no changes with respect to cardiovascular or renal pathology. In the kidneys, treatment with Bay 60 significantly lessened urinary albuminuria, mesangial expansion and nitrotyrosine staining under diabetic conditions. In summary, our head-to-head comparator is the first preclinical study to show that a sGC activator is more efficacious than a sGC stimulator for the treatment of diabetes-associated vascular and renal complications.