Introduction: Hyperlipidaemia is a well known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Lifestyle modification can be the initial step to reduce cholesterol levels. There are various drugs which are used to control dyslipidaemia. Treatment of lipid abnormalities is a lifelong battle. Moreover, the safety and effectiveness of long term lipid lowering treatment are questionable. Gymnema Sylvestre (GS) is a well known herb with various medicinal properties. Aim:To explore the hypolipidaemic activity of GS leaves extract. Materials and Methods:Adult healthy female wistar rats, 30 in number, divided into five groups, weighing 150-200 g were used. Dyslipidaemia was induced in rats by feeding them on high fat diet for four weeks. For the next four weeks GS extract was used as test drug while Atorvastatin was used as standard drug. Blood sample was collected for estimation of lipid profile on day 0, week 4 and week 8.Data was recorded as mean±SEM (Standard error of mean). Paired t-test and one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by Dunnett's post hoc test was used for comparison. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. SPSS Statistics 20 (IBM software) was used for the analysis.Results: Feeding rats with high fat diet for four weeks led to obesity and dyslipidaemia in rats. GS at both the doses (100mg/ kg and 200mg/kg) significantly improved the lipid profile. Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG), Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) values reduced significantly while that of High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) increased significantly. GS 200 mg/kg was found more effective than GS 100 mg/kg. GS improved the value of lipid profile significantly but the effect was found inferior to Atorvastatin. Conclusion:From the present study it can be concluded that GS possess an effective hypolipidaemic effect. Hence it can be included as an add on therapy in dyslipidaemia after further confirmatory studies.

Gonadoblastomas are known to develop in dysgenetic gonads, especially so, if Y chromosome material is present. A 20-years- old girl who noticed breast development since the age of 12 years presented with primary amenorhoea, distension of lower abdomen and intermittent pain for two months. She had breakthrough bleeding with six months of estrogen replacement. Tanner breast stage was fi ve and pubic hair stage was also fi ve. Examination revealed a mass in the lower abdomen extending into hypogastrium, umbilical and lumbar regions. Her gonadotropin levels were grossly elevated. Karyotyping showed 46XY. CT scan of abdomen showed a 17X11 cm mass in the pelvis without visible gonads. Surgical excision of the mass along with bilateral salpingophorectomy was performed. Histopathology revealed the mass to be a dysgerminoma, while the right gonad lodged gonadoblastoma. She was diagnosed as a rare case of Swyer syndrome. Keywords: Dysgerminoma, gonadoblastoma, Swyer syndrome, XY gonadal dysgenesis.

Objectives: The current study was designed to evaluate protective role of the ethanolic fenugreek seed extract (FSE) and potentiating its effects with nitric oxide (NO) modulators in experimental arthritis and its comparison with the standard drug methotrexate. Materials and Methods: The FSE was prepared using standard procedures. Fifty-four male Wistar rats were equally distributed into nine groups of six animals in each group. Rheumatoid arthritis was induced by administration of complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) in sub-plantar region of rt. hind paw. FSE alone and with L-arginine or Nω-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) were administered on day 10 of CFA inoculation, i.p. Animals were evaluated for arthritic parameters, cytokines and oxidative stress markers estimation. Statistics: The data were analysed by two-way ANOVA followed by Newman Keul’s post hoc test for inter group analysis by GraphPad Prism 6.0 and P < 0.05 was taken as significant. Results: Adjuvant inoculated rat shows significant increase in arthritic and inflammatory parameters as well as oxidative stress biomarkers in serum, paw homogenates and joint synovial fluid. CFA inoculation significantly decreased anti-inflammatory cytokine-10 and SOD activity. These adjuvant-induced arthritic changes were significantly attenuated by ethanolic FSE administration from 10 to 28 days. These results are comparable to standard drug methotrexate. NO modulators further potentiated protective effects of FSE when given in combination. These results were more prominent when ethanolic seed extract was given with iNOS inhibitor, L-NAME. Conclusion: These findings suggest that FSE shows protective effects in CFA induced arthritic changes that may be mediated through pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory cytokines imbalance and it is associated with modulation of oxidative stress and NO-signalling.

A B S T R A C T Background:The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide. Obesity has a direct correlation with insulin resistance and various cardiovascular diseases like hypertension, dyslipidaemia etc. Hypertension is considered as a major independent risk factor for coronary disease and stroke for all age, race & sex groups. Gymnema sylvestre and Acorus calamus are two well known herbs of traditional system of medicine effective in various diseases. Aims and Objectives: The present study was designed to explore the antihypertensive effects of Gymnema sylvestre (GS) and Acorus calamus (AC), individually as well as in combination, in wistar rats. Materials and Methods: Female wistar rats, weighing between 150-200 g, were included in the study. They were divided into eight groups with six rats in each group. High Fat diet (HFD) was used to induce hypertension in all the groups except group 1 which was fed with normal rodent diet. Drugs were given to the rats by oral feeding cannula. Results: Feeding rats with HFD for 4 weeks lead to significant increase in the mean systolic blood pressure. Both Gymnema sylvestre and Acorus calamus significantly reduced the systolic blood pressure. Combination of both these (Gymnema sylvestre 200mg/kg and Acorus calamus 200mg/kg) as well as Gymnema sylvestre (200mg/kg) individually has an effect comparable to Amlodipine. Individual drugs had no significant effect on heart rate while the combination of these two drugs significantly reduced the heart rate. Conclusions: The present study concludes that extracts of Gymnema sylvestre and Acorus calamus has a significant antihypertensive action in rodent model of hypertension. Combination is found superior to the individual drugs.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the foremost cause of viral encephalitis in Southeast Asia and Australia leading to approximately 68 000 clinical cases and about 13 600−20 400 deaths annually. Vaccination is not completely sure and safe. Despite this, no specific antiviral has been available or approved for JEV infection yet and treatment is generally symptomatic. Therefore, this study aims to examine the antiviral activity of natural compounds against JEV proteins. The antiviral activity of natural compounds was investigated via molecular docking, cytopathic effect (CPE) inhibition assay, western blotting, and indirect immunofluorescence assay. Physiochemical, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity analysis were evaluated for the safety and efficacy of natural compounds. Network pharmacology‐based approaches have been used to study the molecular mechanisms of drug‐target interactions. Molecular docking results suggested that the NS5 protein of JEV is the major target for natural compounds. Network pharmacology‐based analysis revealed that these drugs majorly target IL6, AKT1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and PTGS2 to regulate key immune and inflammatory pathways such as nuclear factor kappa B, PI3K‐Akt, and TNF signaling, during JEV infection. Our in vitro results show that among the natural compounds, curcumin provides the highest protection against JEV infection via reducing the JEV‐induced CPE (IC50 = 5.90 ± 0.44 µM/mL), and reduces the expression of NS5 protein, IL6, AKT1, TNF‐α, and PTGS2. However, other natural compounds also provide protection to some extent but their efficacy is lower compared to curcumin. Therefore, this study shows that natural compounds, mainly curcumin, may offer novel therapeutic avenues for the treatment of JEV via inhibiting key viral proteins and regulating crucial host pathways involved in JEV replication.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the world due to factors like old age, family history, ethnicity, diet and some elements exposure, with lot of controversies regarding prevention of prostate cancer. Though the exact pathogenesis is not clear, epidemiological evidence supports a relationship between prostate cancer and hormone levels. In this review article we are focusing on the advances in different pharmacotherapeutic modalities i.e. Chemoprevention, Prostate-Specific Antigen, Hormone Therapy, Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, SERM, Vaccines, Cryotherapy, Watchful Waiting, Radiotherapy and Androgen Deprivation Therapy etc. and new possibilities with strategies to provide maximal benefits while effectively balancing risks for the prostate cancer treatment. [Int J Basic Clin Pharmacol 2013; 2(3.000): 247-251

Background: Multimodality treatment is required for the management of head and neck cancer. Functional impairment and toxicities associated with surgery and radiation accentuate the need to develop innovative therapeutic strategies in the management of these patients to improve survival and reduce toxicity. In this study, we have compared treatment effects in patients of advanced head and neck squamous cell cancer treated by open field and 3DCRT treatment planning techniques.Objective: This study aims to evaluate open field and 3DCRT treatment planning techniques in advanced head and neck squamous cell cancer patients managed by chemoradiation in the scenario of limited resources. Material and Methods:In this analytical study, 40 histologically proven unresectable advanced squamous cell carcinoma patients of oropharynx and larynx were allocated in two groups to receive 70 Gy in 35 fractions in 7 weeks with concurrent cisplatinum35 mg/m 2 weekly either with open-field technique or three dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) by ElektaSynergy linear accelerator. Target volume coverage and dose received by organ at risk (OARs) were compared. Clinical outcome in terms of response and toxicities is also evaluated in this study. Results:Plans with best possible coverage of the target volume were obtained.No significant difference was found in the dose received by the spinal cord; however, it was possible to prevent higher dose to brain stem with 3DCRTin node negative patients of oropharynx cancer and larynx cancer. Skin toxicities were significantly lower in 3DCRT arm. Conclusion:In low resource settings with increased burden of locally advanced disease, both open-field and 3DCRT treatment techniques are comparable in terms of target coverage, OARs preservation, toxicity and treatment response.

In this modern age, people are moving towards nature to treat the diseases to avoid the side effects of the allopathic drugs. Diabetes Mellitus is one such important disease, constituently increasing prevalence globally and is one of the most challenging health problems in the 21 st century. The Present study has been conducted to evaluate the antihyperglycaemic effect of an indigenous plant Eclipta alba against the diabetes mellitus on patients.