manjeet singh

Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) of the talus is an extremely rare lesion; less than 20 cases have been reported in PubMed till 2012. We report a primary ABC of the talus in a 20-year-old male that was managed by extended intralesional curettage with phenol as an adjuvant and autologous cancellous iliac crest bone grafting. The patient had excellent functional outcome and there was no recurrence at 2 years of follow-up.

Several plant extracts and phytoconstituents, despite having excellent bioactivity in vitro, demonstrate less or no in vivo actions due to their poor lipid solubility or improper molecular size or destruction in gut. Drug delivery system for polyphenolic phytoconstituents (phytosomes) was prepared by complexing polyphenolic phytoconstituents with phospholipid mainly phosphatidylcholine which bind components to each other on a molecular level. Bioavailability is enhanced due to their capacity to cross the lipid rich bio-membranes and to protect the valuable components of the herbal extract from destruction by digestive secretions and gut bacteria. Phytosomes have the capacity to deliver the standardized plant extracts and phytoconstituents through several routes of drug administration. Only a few natural drugs have been formulated and are available in the market as phytosomes. With wide range of applications of phytosomes numerous studies are undergoing and lots more is expected in the forthcoming years. The techniques used for such formulations are patentable and highly profitable.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the beneficial effects of widely-prescribed lipid lowering drugs, pitavastatin, atorvastatin and simvastatin 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors in cognitive dysfunctions of mice. Intra-cerebroventricular (ICV)-Streptozocin-(STZ)- and high-fat diet (HFD)-induced amnesia served as interoceptive memory models where as, Morris water-maze served as an exteroceptive model in the present study. A total of 13 groups, comprising seven mice in each group were used in this investigation. Day 4 Escape latency time (ELT) recorded during acquisition trials conducted from day 1 to day 4, in water-maze was taken as an index of acquisition, where as mean time spent in target quadrant during retrieval trial on day 5, was taken as an index of retrieval (memory). ICV-STZ-(3 mg kg -1 i.p.), and HFD-treated (for 90 days) mice showed an impairment of acquisition as well as retention on water maze task as reflected by significant increase in ELT on day 4 and decrease in time spent in target quadrant on day 5. Pitavastatin (5 mg kg -1), atorvastatin (5 mg kg -1) and simvastatin (5 mg kg -1) significantly attenuated ICV-STZ- and HFD-induced amnesia. These results highlight the ameliorative role of statins in experimental amnesia with possible involvement of their cholesterol-dependent as well as cholesterol independent actions.

Heart failure is associated with high morbidity and mortality and is proving to be an economic burden in developing countries. A number of therapeutic agents are presently employed in heart failure; but they are not sufficient to control symptoms of heart failure. Moreover, the prevalence of chronic heart failure is progressively increasing and thus there is a continuing need to develop effective therapies for the management of this disease. The present review has discussed various potential therapeutic agents which may open new vistas for the management of heart failure

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy was produced by partial abdominal aortic constriction (PAAC) for 4 wk, while physiological cardiac hypertrophy was produced by chronic swimming training (CST) for 8 wk in rats. Pentoxifylline (30 mg/kg, 300 mg/kg i.p., day-1) treatment was started three days before PAAC and CST and it was continued for 4 wk in PAAC and 8 wk in CST experimental model. The left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy was assessed by measuring ratio of LV weight to body weight, LV wall thickness, LV protein content and LV RNA concentration. Further venous pressure (VP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) were recorded. Moreover, DNA gel electrophoresis was employed to assess the myocardial cell death. The PAAC and CST were noted to increase the ratio of LV weight to body weight, LV wall thickness, LV protein content and LV RNA concentration. Further PAAC but not CST significantly increased VP, MABP and LV necrotic cell death. Pentoxifylline, a TNF-alpha inhibitor markedly attenuated PAAC induced increase in LV hypertrophy, VP, MABP and LV necrotic cell death; but it did not modulate CST induced LV hypertrophy. These results implicate TNF-alpha in PAAC induced cell death and pathological cardiac hypertrophy. However, TNF-alpha may not be involved in CST induced physiological cardiac hypertrophy.