Objective: The present study was aimed to find out the anticyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibody level and expression level Th2 cytokine-like tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from South India. Methods:The patients attending the Arthritis and Rheumatism Care Centre, Vadapalani, Chennai and healthy individuals from the Presidency College, Chennai, were enrolled for this study. The study group included 74 patients with RA and 50 healthy individuals without history of RA. 3-5 ml of blood samples was aseptically collected using Vacutainer, and the separated serum samples were transported to the Department of Microbiology, Presidency College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in cold chain. Anti-CCP antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum concentrations of TNF-α were studied in patients with RA and in healthy controls, using an ELISA method. Results:The results of anti-CCP enzyme immunoassay revealed that out of 74 patients, all were anti-CCP positive, which included 65 females and 9 males. Higher levels of anti-CCP (456 IU/ml) were present in the age group between 41 and 50 followed by 21-30 years age group which shows 335.28 IU/ml of anti-CCP antibody level. The level of serum TNF-α was measured in the range of 4.6-1082.84 pg/ml for RA patients and 6.630-459.74 pg/ml for the healthy control group.Conclusion: TNF-α levels were significantly increased in RA patients compared to healthy individuals. A negative correlation was found between anti-CCP antibody and TNF-α level in RA patients.

A new steroidal triterpenoid was isolated from hexane washed ethanolic extract of flowers of Leucas cephalotes. Its structure was elucidated as (Z)-17-(4,4-dimethylhept-2en-2-yl)-8,10,14-trimethyl- 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,10,12,13,14,15,16,17-tetradecahydro-1H-cyclopent[a]phenanthren-3-ol (1). The structure of the new compound was determined by 1D and 2D NMR and MS and DEPT experiments as well as by comparison of their data with the reported values.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is an immune mediated chronic intestinal condition. UC is a mucosal disease that usually involves the rectum, and extends proximally to involve all or part of the colon. The major symptoms of UC are diarrhea, rectal bleeding, tenasmus, passage of mucus and crampy abdominal pain. There are many tools avilable for the diagnosis of disease but no satisfactory treatment is available for the disease. so to develop protocol for treatment of Ulcerative colitis with Ayurvedic management is a need of today`s era and present study. Here, an effort was made to treat a 34-year-old male patient diagnosed as ulcerative colitis by using multiple Ayurvedic treatment modalities on the basis of involvement of Doshas, Dushya of the disease. At the end of 1 month of Ayurvedic treatment we got a significant result in all sign and symptoms of the disease.

From the flowers of Leucas cephalotes, pyridine-3-carboxylic acid ester was isolated. Its structure was established as 2′,5′-dihydroxy-3′pyridyl-(2,5-dihydroxy)pyridinyl-3-carboxylate on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. To out best of knowledge, this is the first report from Leucas cephalotes in particular and Labiatae family in general.