Term, live abdominal pregnancy secondary to rupture of a uterine rudimentary horn is a rare condition. Pregnancies conceived in the rudimentary horn of the uterus usually rupture during early gestation and present as a catastrophic event. However, rarely, after rupture of the uterine horn the foetus may continue to grow in the abdominal cavity and reach term gestation. A primigravida with a term pregnancy was referred to our centre for caesarean section with ultrasonography findings of transverse lie and placenta previa. During surgery, a live baby was extracted from the abdominal cavity, revealing a bicornuate uterus with rupture of the rudimentary horn. The early peroperative diagnosis and prompt control of the bleeding with excision of the rudimentary horn and transfusion of multiple blood products saved the patient’s life. The case is presented for its rarity and to highlight the importance of a high index of suspicion in cases presenting with abnormal foetal presentation.

Objective: Social Networking Sites (SNS) are gaining popularity across different cultures and age groups with its increasing role in the day-to-day life of its users. Objective of the present investigation is to study the SNS use and its relationship with online and real-life social capital, self-esteem and interpersonal relationships in normal and clinical population. Methods: The sample consisted of 93 participants of the age range 17-37 years, 63 participants from the general population and 30 from the clinical population with a diagnosis of any depressive or anxiety spectrum disorder. The tools used for this study are Basic Data Sheet, the Facebook Intensity Scale, Internet addiction Test, Internet Social Capital Scale. Results: The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Sentence Completion Test Results show that Facebook use has a positive correlation with online bonding and bridging capital. A significantly higher percentage of participants from the clinical group met the criteria for problem use of the Internet. Compared to average users, problem users of the Internet are found to have higher mean scores for online bridging capital and conflicts in inter-personal relationships and lower mean scores for real life bonding capital and self-esteem. Conclusions: It necessitates an exploration of Facebook's use patterns in routine evaluation and management of clinical conditions and implies the need for further research to develop explanatory models and management strategies for problematic use of the Internet.

Background: Unsafe injection practice can transmit various blood borne infections. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and practice of injection safety among injection providers, to obtain information about disposal of injectable devices, and to compare the knowledge and practices of urban and rural injection providers. Methods: The study was conducted with injection providers working at primary health care facilities within Kaski district, Nepal. Ninety-six health care workers from 69 primary health care facilities were studied and 132 injection events observed. A semi-structured checklist was used for observing injection practice and a questionnaire for the survey. Respondents were interviewed to complete the questionnaire and obtain possible explanations for certain observed behaviors. Results: All injection providers knew of at least one pathogen transmitted through use/re-use of unsterile syringes. Proportion of injection providers naming hepatitis/jaundice as one of the diseases transmitted by unsafe injection practice was significantly higher in urban (75.6%) than in rural (39.2%) area. However, compared to urban respondents (13.3%), a significantly higher proportion of rural respondents (37.3%) named Hepatitis B specifically as one of the diseases transmitted. Median (inter-quartile range) number of therapeutic injection and injectable vaccine administered per day by the injection providers were 2 (1) and 1 (1), respectively. Two handed recapping by injection providers was significantly higher in urban area (33.3%) than in rural areas (21.6%). Most providers were not aware of the post exposure prophylaxis guideline. Conclusion: The knowledge of the injection providers about safe injection practice was acceptable. The use of safe injection practice by providers in urban and rural health care facilities was almost similar. The deficiencies noted in the practice must be addressed.
Health Personnel ; Injections

Freeze-thaw cycles impact the amount of aggregation observed in antibodies and Fc-fusion proteins. Various formulation strategies are used to mitigate the amount of aggregation that occurs upon putting a protein solution through a freeze-thaw cycle. Additionally, low pH solutions cause native antibodies to unfold, which are prone to aggregate upon pH neutralization. There is great interest in the mechanism that causes therapeutic proteins to aggregate since aggregate species can cause unwanted im-munogenicity in patients. Herein, an increase in aggregation is reported when the pH is adjusted from pH 3 up to a pH ranging from pH 4 to pH 7 during the thaw process of a frozen antibody solution. Raising the pH during the thaw process caused a significant increase in the percent aggregation observed. Two antibodies and one Fc-fusion protein were evaluated during the pH jump thaw process and similar ef-fects were observed. The results provide a new tool to study the kinetics of therapeutic protein ag-gregation upon pH increase.

A selective, sensitive and high throughput liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectro-metry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method has been developed for separation and quantification of metoprolol enantiomers on a chiral Lux Amylose-2 (250 mm×4.6 mm, 5 mm) column. Solid phase extraction of (S)-(-)- and (R)-(t)-metoprolol and rac-metoprolol-d6 as an internal standard (IS) was achieved on Lichrosep DVB HL cartridges employing 200 mL human plasma. Both the analytes were chromatographically separated with a resolution factor of 2.24 using 15 mM ammonium acetate in water, pH 5.0 and 0.1% (v/v) diethyl amine in acetonitrile (50:50, v/v) as the mobile phase within 7.0 min. The precursor-product ion transitions for the enantiomers and IS were monitored in the multiple reaction monitoring and positive ionization mode. The method was validated over the concentration range of 0.500-500 ng/mL for both the enantiomers. Matrix effect was assessed by post-column analyte infusion experiment and the mean extraction recovery was greater than 94.0% for both the enantiomers at all quality control levels. The stability of analytes was evaluated in plasma and whole blood under different storage conditions. The method was successfully applied to a clinical study in 14 healthy volunteers after oral administration of 200 mg metoprolol tablet under fasting conditions. The assay reproducibility is shown by reanalysis of 68 incurred samples. The suitability of the developed method was assessed in comparison with different chromatographic methods developed for stereoselective analysis of metoprolol in biological matrices.

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a simple, sensitive, precise and cost-effective one-level agar diffusion (5t1) bioassay for estimation of potency and bioactivity of Levofloxacin in pharmaceutical preparation which has not yet been reported in any pharmacopoeia. Among 16 microbial strains, Bacillus pumilus ATCC-14884 was selected as the most significant strain against Levofloxacin. Bioassay was optimized by investigating several factors such as buffer pH, inoculums concentration and reference standard concentration. Identification of Levofloxacin in commercial sample Levoflox tablet was done by FTIR spectroscopy. Mean potency recovery value for Levofloxacin in Levoflox tablet was estimated as 100.90%. A validated bioassay method showed linearity (r2 ? 0.988), precision (Interday RSD ? 1.05%, between analyst RSD ? 1.02%) and accuracy (101.23%, RSD ? 0.72%). Bioassay was correlated with HPLC using same sample and estimated potencies were 100.90%and 99.37%, respectively. Results show that bioassay is a suitable method for estimation of potency and bioactivity of Levofloxacin pharmaceutical preparations.

A simple, rapid and sensitive ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass cilostazol and its pharmacologically active metabolite 3,4-dehydro cilostazol in human plasma using deuterated analogs as internal standards (ISs). Plasma samples were prepared using solid phase extraction 18 (50 mm ? 2.1 mm, 1.7 mm) column. The method was established over a concentration range of 0.5–1000 ng/mL for cilostazol and 0.5–mL for 3,4-dehydro cilostazol. Intra-and inter-batch precision (%CV) and accuracy for the analytes were found within 0.93–1.88 and 98.8–101.7% for cilostazol and 0.91–2.79 and 98.0–102.7% for the metabolite respectively. The assay recovery was within 95–97% for both the analytes and internal standards. The method was successfully applied to support a bioequivalence study of 100 mg cilostazol in 30 healthy subjects.

<p>AIMTo evaluate the possible antifertility activity of Sarcostemma acidum (Roxb) Voigt. stem extract in male rats.p><p>METHODMale rats were given 70% methanol extract of S. acidum stem orally at dose levels of 50 and 100 mg/kg/day for 60 days. Fertility was evaluated with mating test. Sperm motility and sperm density in cauda epididymides were also assessed. Biochemical and histological analyses were performed on blood samples and on the reproductive organs.p><p>RESULTSS. acidum stem extract resulted in an arrest of spermatogenesis without any systemic side effect. Sperm motility as well as sperm density was reduced significantly. Treatment caused a 80% reduction in fertility at the 50 mg dose and complete suppression of fertility at the 100 mg dose. There was no significant change in RBC and WBC count, hemoglobin, haematocrit, sugar and urea in the whole blood and cholesterol, protein and phospholipid in the serum. The protein and glycogen content of the testes, fructose in the seminal vesicle and protein in epididymides were significantly decreased. Cholesterol in the testes was elevated. Treatment at both of the doses caused a marked reduction in the number of primary spermatocytes (preleptotene and pachytene), secondary spermatocytes and spermatids. The number of mature Leydig cells was decreased, and degenerating Leydig cells was increased proportionately.p><p>CONCLUSIONS. acidum stem extract arrests spermatogenesis in male rats without noticable side effects.p>
Animals ; Blood Cell Count ; Body Weight ; drug effects ; Cholesterol ; metabolism ; Contraceptive Agents, Male ; pharmacology ; Glycogen ; metabolism ; Leydig Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Phospholipids ; blood ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spermatids ; drug effects ; Spermatocytes ; drug effects ; Spermatogenesis ; drug effects

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has developed as a pandemic, and it created an outrageous effect on the current healthcare and economic system throughout the globe. To date, there is no appropriate therapeutics or vaccines against the disease. The entire human race is eagerly waiting for the development of new therapeutics or vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Efforts are being taken to develop vaccines at a rapid rate for fighting against the ongoing pandemic situation. Amongst the various vaccines under consideration, some are either in the preclinical stage or in the clinical stages of development (phase-I, -II, and -III). Even, phase-III trials are being conducted for some repurposed vaccines like Bacillus Calmette–Guérin, polio vaccine, and measlesmumps-rubella. We have highlighted the ongoing clinical trial landscape of the COVID-19 as well as repurposed vaccines. An insight into the current status of the available antigenic epitopes for SARS-CoV-2 and different types of vaccine platforms of COVID-19 vaccines has been discussed. These vaccines are highlighted throughout the world by different news agencies. Moreover, ongoing clinical trials for repurposed vaccines for COVID-19 and critical factors associated with the development of COVID-19 vaccines have also been described.

Mosquitoes are the vectors of several life threatening diseases like dengue, malaria, Japanese encephalitis and lymphatic filariasis, which are widely present in the north-eastern states of India. Investigations on five local plants of north-east India, selected on the basis of their use by indigenous communities as fish poison, were carried out to study their mosquito larvicidal potential against Anopheles stephensi (malaria vector), Stegomyia aegypti (dengue vector) and Culex quinquefasciatus (lymphatic filariasis vector) mosquitoes. Crude Petroleum ether extracts of the roots of three plants viz. Derris elliptica, Linostoma decandrum and Croton tiglium were found to have remarkable larvicidal activity; D. elliptica extract was the most effective and with LC50 value of 0.307 μg/ml its activity was superior to propoxur, the standard synthetic larvicide. Half-life of larvicidal activity of D. elliptica and L. decandrum extracts ranged from 2-4 days.