Moringa oleifera L. is a medicinal plant with potential antioxidant property. This study was aimed at investigating the chemoprotective effect of Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MOE) on cyclophosphamide (CP)-induced testicular toxicity. Two-week-old male Swiss albino mice were intraperitoneally injected with phosphate-buffered saline, 50 mg kg(-1) of CP and 25 mg kg(-1) of MOE. In combination treatment, mice were injected with 25 mg kg(-1) of MOE 24 h prior to CP injection, 24 h prior and post-CP injection and 24 h post-CP injection for 5 consecutive days (10 mg kg(-1) ). Six weeks later, mice were sacrificed to assess epididymal sperm parameters. MOE alone did not have any significant effect on sperm parameters. However, acute injection of CP resulted in significant decline in motility (P < 0.001), increase in head abnormality (P < 0.01) and DNA damage (P < 0.05). Combining MOE with CP increased the sperm density, motility and reduced head defect and DNA damage, irrespective of the schedule and dosage of MOE. Administration of MOE prior to CP significantly elevated the level of superoxide dismutase and catalase with concomitant decrease in lipid peroxidation in the testicular tissue. In conclusion, MOE may have potential benefit in reducing the loss of male gonadal function following chemotherapy.

A total of 106 children below 5 years of age admitted to the Kasturba Medical College Hospital Manipal Karnataka (South India) were investigated over a period of 6 months to determine the aetiological role of viruses in acute diarrhoea. Viral aetiological agents isolated were Rotaviruses in 12 (11 per cent) cases, Adenoviruses in 3 (3 per cent) cases, coronavirus and astroviruses in two (2 per cent) cases each. Non-viral isolates were Cryptosporidium and Salmonella typhimurium in two cases each, and Entamoeba histolytica and Shigella flexneri in one case each.

Background:The effects and benefits of Acacia auriculiformis on health are not well established. This study was planned to evaluate the effect of ethanolic extract of Acacia auriculiformis leaves on learning and memory in rats.Materials and Methods:Learning and memory were evaluated using passive avoidance paradigm and rewarded alternation test (T-maze) after the oral administration of two doses (200mg/kg and 400mg/kg) of ethanolic extract of Acacia auriculiformis with rivastigmine as positive control. Forty eight rats were divided into 4 groups in each study model. Estimation of brain cholinesterase activity was done to substantiate the results of the above mentioned tests. Data was analyzed using one way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey's post-hoc test using GraphPad InStat software, version 3.06.Results:The extract produced a dose-dependent improvement in the memory score namely the step through latency in passive avoidance model (P < 0.001) and the percentage of correct responses in rewarded alternation test (P < 0.05). Dose-dependent inhibition of brain cholinesterase activity (P < 0.001) was also noted.Conclusion:The acetylcholinesterase inhibiting property of Acacia auriculiformis contributes to its memory enhancing potential. Further large scale studies are required to elucidate its benefits on cognitive function. This may offer a promising new option for the treatment of dementia and other cognitive deficits.

AIMTo assess the outcomes of drug therapy (DT) followed by pancreatic endotherapy for continuing painful episodes in recurrent acute pancreatitis.METHODSDT comprised of pancreatic enzymes and anti-oxidants failing which, endotherapy (ET; pancreatic sphincterotomy and stent placement) was done. The frequency of pain, its visual analogue score (VAS), quality of life (QoL), serum C peptide and faecal elastase were compared between baseline and after 1 year of follow up in all patients and in the two subgroups on DT and ET. Response was defined as at least 50% reduction in the severity of pain to below a score of 5.RESULTSOf the thirty nine patients analysed, 21 (53.9%) responded to DT and 18 (46.1%) underwent ET. The VAS for pain (7.0 ± 2.0 vs 1.3 ± 2.5, P < 0.001) and the number of days with pain per month decreased [1.0 (1.0, 2.0) vs 1.0 (0.0, 1.0), P < 0.001], and the QoL scores [55.0 (44.0, 66.0) vs 38.0 (32.00, 51.00), P < 0.01] improved significantly during follow up. Similar significant improvements were seen in patients in the subgroups of DT and ET except for QoL in ET. The serum C-peptide (P = 0.001) and FE (P < 0.001) levels improved significantly in the entire group and in the two subgroups of patients except for the C peptide levels in patients on DT.CONCLUSIONA standardised protocol of DT, followed by ET decreased the intensity and frequency of pain in recurrent acute pancreatitis, enhanced QoL and improved pancreatic function.