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It was reported earlier from this laboratory that there was increased formation of ascorbic acid ( l o ) , thiamine (7), riboflavin (Il), carotene ( 4 ) , choline ( 5 ) , tocopherol (6), biotin and niacin ( 2 ) in pulses when they were germinated. While there was not much change in the pantothenic acid content of germinated pulses, folk acid content of germinated pulses diminished greatly during germination (2). Burkholder and McVeigh observed ( 3 ) a slight increase in the pyridoxine and inositol values in sprouted seeds of Pisum sativunz, Phaseolirs aureus and 7 varieties of Sojax nzax. Dam and Glavind (8) studied by the biological method the effect of light on the formation of vitamin K in germinated peas and observed that vitamin K content of peas germinated in the presence of light for 16 days was approximately treble the amount of vitamin K of seedlings kept in the darkness for the same duration. Erkama and Pettersson (9) determined colorimetrically by means of the redox method vitamin K formation in germinating peas both in the presence and absence of light. The present communication deals with the studies on the pyridoxine, inositol and vitamin K coiltents of pulses before and after germination for varying periods. EXPERIMENTALPyridoxine content of pulses. Germination of the Seeds. Nearly 1 g. of clean, dry, and healthy looking seeds were weighed and transferred to sterilized petri dishes. Two ml. of glass distilled water was added on the first day and subsequently 1 ml. of water was added daily to each dish. The dishes were kept away from direct sunlight and the seeds allowed to germinate at room temperature (30°C.) for 2 and 4 days.Estimation of pyridoxine. Powdered ungerminated seeds and seeds germinated for 2 days and 4 days were crushed in a mortar and suspended in 90 ml. of 0.44 N sulfuric acid. The samples were then autoclaved for 1 hour a t 20 pounds' pressure, p H was adjusted to 4.5 with 10 N sodium hydroxide using methyl red as external indicator, volume was made up to 250 ml. and filtered. The extract was then diluted i n such a way so that the diluted extract contained 20 mp pyridoxine per ml. Pyridoxine i n the extract was estimated microbiologically using saccharomyoes carlsbergensia (N.C.T.C. 1089) as the test organism according to the method of Atkin, Schultz, Williams, and Frey (1). After 18 hours' incubation a t 30°C. the response of the organism was determined turbidimetrically in a Klett-Summerson photoelectric colorimeter using red filter (050 mp wave length). Pyridoxine contents were calculated by interpolation from the standard curve and expressed in terms of the original weights of the seed before germination. Results are given in Table 1.Inositol contents of pulses. Seeds were germinated as described in the previous section. Ungerminated seeds were finely ground and seeds germinated for 2 and 4 days were crushed in a mortar, transferred to 100 ml. Erlenmeyer flask with 20 ml. of 1 N sulfuric acid and autoclaved a t 15 pounds' pressure for 2 hours, pH was adjusted t o 4.5, volume...

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Context:The available data concerning oxidant stress and antioxidant capacity in hypothyroidism are scanty and inconclusive. While some authors suggest that tissues may be protected from oxidant damage because of a hypometabolic state in hypothyroidism, others report increased oxidative stress in hypothyroidism. Selenium acts as a cofactor for the thyroid hormone (TH) deiodinases that activate and then deactivate various THs and their metabolites. Selenium may inhibit thyroid autoimmunity.Aims:The study was designed, first, to study the impact of oxidative stress in patients of primary hypothyroidism due to autoimmune thyroiditis, by estimation of serum malondialdehyde (MDA) as a biomarker of oxidative stress. Second, to study the change in MDA level pre- and post-L-thyroxine treatment. Finally, to look into the possible role of selenium supplementation on oxidative stress in autoimmune hypothyroidism.Subjects and Methods:Patients attending endocrine outpatient department (OPD) services of IPGMER and SSKM hospital were considered for the study. Sixty treatment-naive adult patients (age > 18 years) with hypothyroidism were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups, each comprised thirty patients. One group was treated with L-thyroxine and placebo (Group A). The other group received L-thyroxine replacement along with selenium (100 mcg twice a day) as antioxidant supplementation (Group B). The patients were blinded about selenium and placebo. The study duration for both groups was 6 months. The starting dose of L-thyroxine was 1.6 mcg/kg body weight free thyroxine (FT4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was repeated after 12 weeks. L-thyroxine dose adjustments were done if needed. MDA was assessed at the beginning and at the end of the study, i.e., after 6 months of treatment. The control cohort was composed of thirty healthy adults. Only overt hypothyroidism (OH) cases were included in the study.Statistical Analysis Used:Normality of data was determined using Anderson–Darling test, Shapiro–Wilk test, and QQ plot. P values were calculated using ANOVA and post hoc Bonferroni tests for normally distributed data. Correlation analysis was carried out using Pearson correlation test. P < 0.05 considered to be statistically significant.Results:After treatment in Group A patients, FT4 showed a significant increment while TSH value decreased. MDA level reduced after treatment, (P < 0.001). After treatment in Group B patients, FT4 showed increment while TSH value decreased (P < 0.05). After treatment, there was a drop in estimated MDA level (P < 0.001). MDA level shows a significant drop in both groups after treatment. In Group B, there is more decline in the MDA percentage but did not reach statistical significance. By performing repeated measure MANOVA, no significant difference was found in the MDA levels between the two groups. MDA reduction when expressed as percentage showed reduction of 39.5% in patients of Group A. Similarly, Group B patients showed a percentage reduction of 45.4%.Conclusio...