Anil Kumar

ABSTRACT Among the most common infections of digestive system in human beings are helminth infections. In developing countries they pose a large threat to the society. Such parasitic diseases cause severe morbidity, including lymphatic Filariasis, onchoserciasis and schistosomiasis. The present paper deals with anthelmintic activity of leaves of Streblus asper belonging to family Moraceae, a potential medicinal plant. The plant is used in traditional medicine for folk medicine for the treatment of different ailments such as Filariasis, Leprosy, Tooth ache, Diarrhea, Dysentery, and Cancer. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts were evaluated for its anthelmintic activity against adult Indian earth Worms (Pheretima posthuma). Three concentrations (25, 50 and 100 mg/ml) of each extract were studied, which involved for the determination of time of paralysis and time of death of the test worms. It was found that ethanolic extracts exhibited significant anthelmintic activity while aqueous extract show least activity. The bioassay involved determination of the time of paralysis and time of death control. Piperazine citrate (10 mg/mL) was used as standard reference drug Keywords: Anthelmintic activity, Pheretima posthuma, Piperazine citrate, Streblus asper,

It is important for surgeons and anatomists to have an understanding of thickness, diameter and variability of the brachial artery in the upper limb. As the variability of the brachial artery presents, the possibility of frequent vascular injury needs to be considered during a number of surgical and invasive procedures. Objective: The present study aims to perform a morphometric assessment of brachial artery with respect to clinical implication of its high termination and correlate it with its embryological basis. Methods: Routine dissections of the right and left upper limbs of 36 adult cadavers were done and observed for variations in the branching pattern of brachial artery. The measurement of brachial artery and its level of termination were taken at two levels. The internal and external diameters of the brachial artery along with the thickness of the brachial artery were measured at three different levels. Results: The higher division of termination of brachial artery into ulnar and radial artery was found at mid-arm level. The average length of brachial artery on right and left side was side was 23.39 cm and 22.36 cm respectively. The internal and external diameter of brachial artery was significantly larger on right side than left. In addition, the thickness of the middle part of brachial artery on left side was significantly (P<0.05) larger than the right side. Conclusions: The present study will enhance clinician’s awareness of potential arterial variations and morphometric assessment of brachial artery will help clinicians and surgeons for more accurate diagnostic evaluation and surgical management of vascular injuries and diseases.

Learning style preferences are the manner and conditions under which learners most efficiently and effectively perceive process, store, and recall what they are attempting to learn. Lectures have been the most common form of teaching and learning since ancient times. The most common ways of lecture delivery include the lectures using PowerPoint (PPT) presentations, lectures utilizing the transparency and overhead projector (TOHP) besides the traditional ‘chalk and talk’ method. Didactic lectures are still the most commonly used methodology of teaching. The objective of the study is to compare PowerPoint presentations versus chalk and talk in material understanding, effectiveness and attitude among medical students. A cross sectional questionnaire based study was conducted on 3rd year medical students of College of Medicine and Health Science, NUST, Sohar. The study participant was divided into two groups. The first groups of students were taught on the black board (chalk and talk) and the second groups of students were taught on PPT presentation. The same biochemistry topics were taught to both groups by the same instructor and on the scheduled time and day. A questionnaire was designed to assess the opinion of students regarding black board and PPT presentation. A predesigned and pretested questionnaire containing 12 questions was given to the students at the end of the lecture. The participation in the present study was on voluntary basis. In this study, PPT teaching was the most preferred teaching aid (60.23%) compared to black board teaching method (46.38%). Majority of the students reported well prepared and organized lectures, more subject coverage, and better demonstrations of clinical conditions is seen in PPT teaching then black board teaching. PPT presentation teaching is the best preferred teaching aid, which can be supplemented by Blackboard for better understanding.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. The number of breast cancer survivors has increased due to screening and improved treatment methods, which makes it important to increase knowledge on their health and well-being. Physical activity has been reported to improve quality of life, decrease fatigue and reduce all-cause and breast cancer-specific mortality in breast cancer survivors. In physically active subjects, the risk reduction averaged 25–30%. Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer in women. Its pathogenesis involves genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors6. A large body of evidence indicates that physical activity has positive effects on every aspect of breast cancer evolution, including prevention, medical treatment, and aftercare clinical settings. Thus, different types of exercise can influence the prevention and progression of the disease through several common mechanisms, such as reduction of insulin resistance and improvement of immunity and cardiovascular function. Furthermore, acute and chronic symptoms of breast cancer, such as cachexia, muscle mass loss, fatigue, cardiotoxicity, weight gain, hormone alterations, bone loss, and psychological adverse effects, may all be favorably influenced by regular exercise.7 The potential role of exercise in reducing the intensity of the adverse effects that result from breast cancer and anticancer treatment is also discussed1. According to published data, 30–60 min of exercise per day at a moderate intensity is regarded as the optimal duration. Furthermore, physical activity plays an important role in the therapy of breast cancer, not only after finishing but already during treatment. The beneficial effects of physical activity may manifest themselves in circulating levels of insulin, insulin-growth factors (IGFs) I and II and their binding proteins (IGFBPs), or inflammatory biomarkers. The aim of this report was to review available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on the effects of physical activity on biomarkers in breast cancer survivors. Five RCTs reported statistically significant effects of physical activity on insulin, IGF-I, IGF-II and IGFBP-3 in breast cancer survivors, but the results were not consistent. None of four RCTs found any evidence for a role of investigated interleukins. One trial reported some evidence that exercise may decrease C-reactive protein levels. In conclusion, available RCTs have produced some evidence that physical activity may result in beneficial changes in levels of insulin, IGFs, IGFBPs, and inflammatory biomarkers in breast cancer survivors. However, further larger RCTs on physical activity and biomarkers in breast cancer survivors are warranted.

Antioxidants are substances that prevent oxidation of other compounds or neutralize free radicals. Spices and herbs are rich sources of antioxidants. Spices are rich in antioxidants, and scientific studies suggest that they are also potent inhibitors of tissue damage and inflammation caused by high levels of blood sugar and circulating lipids. They have been used in food and beverages to enhance flavor, aroma and color. Due to their excellent antioxidant activity, spices and herbs have also been used to treat some diseases. In this review article, the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of spices and culinary herbs are presented. Lipid oxidation has been identified as the major deterioration process of vegetable oils. Undesirable effects are even more profound when food processing involves high temperatures in the presence of oxygen. Natural ground herbs (black pepper, ginger, turmeric, rosemary, and oregano) were assessed for their antioxidant capacity, phenolic content and ability to improve the oxidative stability of vegetable oils. In the current set-up, the anti-proliferative, anti-hypercholesterolemic, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory effects of spices have overriding importance is discussed. Spices have very low-calorie content and are relatively inexpensive; they are reliable sources of antioxidants and other potential bioactive compounds in the diet.

Flaxseed is emerging as an important functional food ingredient because of its rich contents of α-linolenic acid (ALA, omega-3 fatty acid), lignans, and fiber. Flaxseed oil, fibers, and flax lignans have potential health benefits such as in the reduction of cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, and osteoporosis, autoimmune and neurological disorders. Flax protein helps in the prevention and treatment of heart disease and in supporting the immune system. As a functional food ingredient, flax or flaxseed oil has been incorporated into baked foods, juices, milk and dairy products, muffins, dry pasta products, macaroni and meat products. The present review focuses on the evidences of the potential health benefits of flaxseed through human and animals’ recent studies and commercial use in various food products. There is currently much interest in phytochemicals as bioactive molecules of food. Functional foods are an emerging field in food science due to their increasing popularity among health-conscious consumers. Flaxseed is cultivated in many parts of the world for fiber, oil as well as for medicinal purposes and also as a nutritional product. In this review, nutrients, anti-nutrients, functional properties, processing, metabolism and health benefits of bioactive molecules viz., essential fatty acids, lignans and dietary fiber of flaxseed are discussed.

Abstract- Overlap myositis are the group of conditions characterized by varying degree of muscle weakness in an underlying connective tissue disorder like Systemic lupus erythematosis, Systemic sclerosis and Rheumatoid arthritis . Overlap myositis presents subacutely and muscle weakness may not be present at the time of presentation of the underlying connective tissue disease. Many cases tend to have vague clinical features which causes the diagnosis more difficult. The myositis tends to be diagnosed during follow up of these diseases. Here we present three cases in which patients developed muscle weakness later then the initial presentation of the primary disease. Hence we emphasize the importance of regular follow up of the patients having connective tissue disorder and to specifically enquire regarding muscle pain and weakness. This will help in the early diagnosis of overlap myositis.

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) is a major diagnostic challenge worldwide. Causes of FUO range from infectious diseases to malignancies and sometimes inflammatory disorders. There have been major advances made in various diagnostic fields which help in diagnosis of FUO. FDG-PET (Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron emission tomography) scans are being found helpful in diagnosing many rare causes of FUO. Here we present a rare case of FUO in which we could arrive at the diagnosis after the PET scan which showed Aorto-arteritis. Hence we concluded that PET scans may be used in diagnosing non-infectious and inflammatory causes of FUO where the preliminary investigations could not help in the diagnosis.