In the past, polypharmacy was referred to the mixing of many drugs in one prescription. Today polypharmacy implies to the prescription of too many medications for an individual patient, with an associated higher risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and interactions. Situations certainly exist where the combination therapy or polytherapy is the used for single disease condition. Polypharmacy is a problem of substantial importance, in terms of both direct medication costs and indirect medication costs resulting from drug-related morbidity. Polypharmacy increases the risk of side effects and interactions. Moreover it is a preventable problem. A retrospective study was carried out at Bhopal district (Capital of Madhya Pradesh, India) in the year of September-November 2009 by collecting prescriptions of consultants at various levels of health care. The tendency of polypharmacy was studied and analyzed under the various heads in the survey. Available data suggests that polypharmacy is a widespread problem, and physician, clinical pharmacists and patients are all responsible. These risks can be minimized through identifying the prevalence of this potential problem in a high-risk population and by increasing awareness among patients and healthcare professionals. Physicians and clinical pharmacists have the potential to combating this problem through a variety of interventions such as reducing the number of medications taken, reducing the number of doses taken, increasing patient adherence, preventing ADRs, improving patient quality of life and decreasing facility and drug costs.

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Objective:To evaluate the hypoglycemic activity of various extracts, petroleum ether, chloroform and aqueous extract of Cassia occidentalis in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats.Materials and Methods:Petroleum ether, chloroform and aqueous extract of whole plant of Cassia occidentalis were orally tested at the dose of 200 mg/kg for hypoglycemic effect in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. In addition, changes in body weight, serum cholesterol, triglyceride and total protein levels, assessed in the ethanol extract-treated diabetic rats, were compared with diabetic control and normal animals. Histopathological observations during 21 days treatment were also evaluated.Results:Aqueous extract of C. occidentalis produced a significant reduction in fasting blood glucose levels in the normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Apart from aqueous extract, petroleum ether extract showed activity from day 14 and chloroform extract showed activity from 7 days. Significant differences were observed in serum lipid profiles (cholesterol and triglyceride), serum protein, and changes in body weight by aqueous extract treated-diabetic animals, when compared with the diabetic control and normal animals. Concurrent histopathological studies of the pancreas of these animals showed comparable regeneration by extract which were earlier necrosed by alloxan.Conclusion:Aqueous extract of C. occidentalis exhibited significant antihyperglycemic activity in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats. They also showed improvement in parameters like body weight and serum lipid profiles as well as histopathological studies showed regeneration of β-cells of pancreas and so might be of value in diabetes treatment.

Nanotechnology holds an emerging domain of medical science as it can be utilized virtually in all areas. Phyto-constituents are valuable and encouraging candidates for synthesizing green silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) which possess great potentials toward chronic diseases. This review gives an overview of the Green approach of AgNPs synthesis and its characterization. The present review further explores the potentials of Phyto-based AgNPs toward anticancer and antiviral activity including its probable mechanism of action. Green synthesized AgNPs prepared by numerous medicinal plants extract are critically reviewed for cancer and viral infection. Thus, this article mainly highlights green synthesized Phyto-based AgNPs with their potential applications for cancer and viral infection including mechanism of action and therapeutic future prospective in a single window.

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The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of Convulvulus pluricaulis (CP), considered as Shankhpushpi on learning and memory in rodents. Nootropic activity using Cook and Weidley's Pole Climbing Apparatus, passive avoidance paradigms and active avoidance tests were used to test learning and memory. The ethanolic extract of CP and its ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions were evaluated for their memory enhancing properties. Two doses (100 and 200 mg kg(-1) p.o.) of the ethanolic extract and ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions were administered in separate groups of animals. Both the doses of all the extracts of CP significantly improved learning and memory in rats. Furthermore, these doses significantly reversed the amnesia induced by scopolamine (0.3 mg kg(-1) i.p.). Nootropic activity was compared using piracetam as the standard. Moreover, CP has exhibited potent memory-enhancing effects in the step-down and shuttle-box avoidance paradigms. Further studies are necessitated to identify the exact mechanism of action.

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Permeation enhancers are defined as substances that are capable of promoting penetration of drugs into skin and transdermal therapeutic systems offers a more reliable mean of administering drug through the skin. Skin is a natural barrier so it is necessary to employ enhancement strategies to improve topical bioavailability. This review explores that natural products have got potential to enhance the permeation of the drug through skin by reversibly reducing the skin barrier resistance. The use of natural products is the most reliable means of permeation enhancement of transdermally administered drugs and permits the delivery of broader classes of drugs through the stratum corneum. They are safe, non-toxic, pharmacologically inert, non-irritating, and non-allergenic to use as permeation enhancers. The present review initially highlights the current status of natural products on the basis of SAR studies which have shown significant enhancer activities.