Background: Several phyto-chemicals have been identified and suggested as potential therapeutic options for hepatotoxicity management. Objective: To assess the hepatoprotective effect of scopoletin, a pure phyto-chemical, in carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-induced hepatotoxicity model in Wistar rats. Methods: Thirty-six rats in total, six in each group, were utilized in this study. Animals in group 1 received normal saline; those in group 2 received carbon tetrachloride in olive oil (0.5 ml/kg, i.p. in ratio 1:1); those in groups 3, 4, and 5 received oral scopoletin (1 mg/kg, 5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg dose-wise groups); and those in group 6 received N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) 150 mg/kg. Blood sampling was performed on day -3, day 1, and day 7 of the CCl 4 administration. Rats were sacrificed on day 7 of the experiment for histological examination and oxidative stress measurement of the liver. Results: The 5 mg/kg scopoletin group showed a maximum reduction in AST levels [727.33 ± 29.15 in medium dose (MD) group vs 1526.66 ± 60.72 in the experimental control (EC) group ( P < 0.001) and ALT levels of 532.66 ± 24.23 in MD group vs 894.83 ± 52.47 in EC ( P < 0.01)]. The dose-dependent action was not observed with scopoletin doses. The protective effect of scopoletin was confirmed by MDA and GSH levels ( P < 0.05) coupled with histo-pathological findings. In the present study, a reversible model of CCl 4 -induced hepatotoxicity was observed to get normalized in a week's time. Conclusion: The study confirms the hepatoprotective action of scopoletin in an acute model of hepatic injury with the putative anti-oxidant mechanism.

A BSTRACT Background and Aim: There has been a lack of uniformity on how to triage coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients visiting the emergency units of hospitals. Triage tools are themselves spreading the pandemic in hospital areas. The present study compared a master two-step (M2ST) exercise stress test versus a 6-min walk test (6MWT) in COVID-19–positive patients visiting the emergency unit of a hospital. Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine patients underwent 6MWT followed by M2ST, while another set of 38 patients underwent M2ST followed by 6MWT in this randomized, crossover, open-label, and noninferiority study. The exercise tests assessed the change from baseline in SpO 2 , heart rate (HR), respiratory rate, blood pressure, exertion, and dyspnea on the modified-Borg scale. Results: Noninferiority was established for SpO 2 ( P < 0.05), systolic blood pressure (SBP; P < 0.001), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP; P < 0.05), but not for HR ( P = 0.3) and respiratory rate ( P = 0.6). The difference between the pretest and posttest (delta change) values for the parameters SpO 2 , respiratory rate, HR, SBP, and DBP correlated significantly ( P < 0.001) with Pearson correlation coefficient ( r = 0.764, 0.783, 0.473, 0.838, and 0.783, respectively). The delta change values of modified-Borg scale for dyspnea ( P = 0.291) and exertion ( P = 0.208) were statistically insignificant between the two exercise tests. However, the correlation between the tests was statistically significant ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: M2ST, a timesaving, cost-effective, and easy to perform exercise stress test, has been identified as a reliable alternative for 6MWT.

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