The objective ofthis study was to assess, in a developing country setting, the effect of dexamethasone therapy on bacterial meningitis outcomes. A prospective double blind placebo controlled trial was conducted in 89 children aged from 2 months to 12 years suffering from bacterial meningitis. Neurological, developmental, and hearing assessments were conducted at one, four, and 12 months after discharge. Forty eight patients received dexamethasone and 41 placebo. Initial antimicrobial drugs used were ampicillin and chloramphenicol. For all patients at the time of admission the mean duration of illness was 5.7 days; 47% had had seizures and 56% had impaired consciousness. Seventeen of 89 (19%) patients died. The mortality for the dexamethasone group was 25% as compared with 12% in the group receiving placebo. Presentation to the hospital after four days of symptoms and with impaired conscious state were independent predictors of death. Of the dexamethasone group survivors, 26.5% had neurological sequelae and 42.3% had hearing impairment, whereas in the placebo group it was 24% and 30% respectively. Altered state of consciousness was a predictor of neurological sequelae. The presence of neurological sequelae and high cerebrospinal fluid protein independently predicted hearing loss. No beneficial effect of dexamethasone was observed on morbidity or mortality of this group of patients with bacterial meningitis. Dexamethasone is therefore not useful in developing countries as adjunctive treatment in patients seriously ill with bacterial meningitis, who present late for treatment and have been partially treated. (Arch Dis Child 1996;75:482-488)

Traditional knowledge and ethno-botanical use of plants have been widely acknowledged all over the world. Certain people of India, using whole plant of Euphorbia hirta L. as an effective remedy for varities of diseasese. The documentation of traditional knowledge from eastern Uttar pardesh area reveals that it is highly widely used in Ayurveda. Pharmacological and physico-chemical details of E.hirta not available in authentic litrature including API (Ayurvedic Pharmacopea of India) So the validation and standardisation of whole plant of Euphorbia hirta. was carried out to establish its macro-and microscopical standards, physicochemical parameters, preliminary phytochemical investigation and TLC profiles to evaluate the characters of the plant. Macroscopic characters of E. hirta leaves shows composition of leaf is simple with dark green color about 2-6cm. long in size, T.S. of the leaf revealed the presence of stomata, upper and lower epidermis, vascular bundle. Powder characteristics revealed the presence of starch gran-ules, covering trichomes. The various diagnostic characteristic of leaf powder was coarse, dark green, which revealed the presence of lignified xylem vessel,anomocytic type of sto-mata, Physicochemical parameters were also evaluated. Preliminary phytochemical analysis indicated a high percentage of quercetine and flavonoids and this may be one of the reasons behind the anti diabatic and hepatoprotective activity of this plant. The above parameters, which are being reported for the first time in this plant, are significant towards establishing the pharmacognostic standards for future identification and authentication of genuine plant material used Ayurveda for various diaeases in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

of the extract to determine cell viability, cell proliferation, apoptosis using Trypan blue exclusion assay, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay and fluorescent activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis, respectively. Results: Trypan blue exclusion assay and MTS assay results indicate that the ethanol extract decreased the number of living cells in a concentration-dependent fashion. The results of FACS analysis showed that the lowest concentration of the extract (10 µg/mL) was most effective for the induction of apoptosis as it induced maximum apoptosis (85.34 %) and the highest concentration (100 µg/mL) was less effective as it induced less apoptosis (53.70 %) in Jurkat cells (p < 0.05). Conclusion:The ethanol extract of C. arvensis has significant cytotoxic activity against the selected cancer cell line. Furthermore, apoptotic effect was more prominent at lower doses and necrosis at higher doses of the extract.

: Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary domain that involves overlapping of areas such as nonanomaterials, nanoelectronics, and nanobiotechnology. Herbal medicine is a significant component of traditional medicine and has been a treatment part of many diseases. Asian peoples are using these herbal medicines for decades. Still, herbal extracts' therapeutic efficacy and pharmaceutical application are associated with many factors such as poor bioavailability, low solubility, permeability, and lack of targeting potential. In the present work, we have reviewed thriving strategies for the targeted drug delivery of phytoconstituents and critically explain the most recent progressions on emerging novel nanophytomedicine-based materials as herbal medicines carriers. Nanotechnology-based clinical trial studies targeting herbal bioactive compounds were discussed. Advancements in nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems intended to enhance cellular uptake, improved pharmacokinetics and effectiveness of herbal drugs have facilitated the powerful targeting of specific agents against diseases. This review provides insight into current progress and future opportunities for nanomedicines as potential curative targets for the delivery of herbal bioactive compounds. This information could be used as platforms for the future expansion of multi-functional nano constructs for the advanced detection of diseases and functional drug delivery of phytoconstituents.

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