The pentacyclic triterpenic acids isolated from the oleo gum resin of various Boswellia species are collectively called as Boswellic acids (BA). The oleo gum resin obtained from Indian variety i.e. Boswellia serrata (Family–Burseraceae) is commonly known as Salai guggal. The resin fraction of Salai guggal is rich in Boswellic acids and its essential oil is composed of a mixture of mono, di and sesquiterpenes while gum fraction chiefly con-tains pentose and hexose sugars. This oleo-gum resin is quite popular among traditional practitioners of traditional Chinese and Indian Systems of medicine owing to their wide range of useful biological properties such as anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-rheumatic, anti-diarrheal, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-asthmatic, anti-cancer, anti-microbial anti-fungal, anti-complementary and analgesic activity, etc. It has been used as a herbal medicine since the prehistoric time to cure acute and chronic ailments including in-flammatory diseases. Phytochemical investigation of this herbal medicine lead to iden-tification of Boswellic acids which are found to be novel, potent, specific anti-inflammatory agents due to non-redox inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) enzyme. However, the other important targets of Boswellic acids also include topoisomerases, angiogenesis, and cytochrome p450 enzymes. This review is a sincere attempt to discuss and present the current status of therapeutic potential, phytochemical as well as phar-macological profile of Boswellic acids primarily obtained from B. serrata.

Introduction: Allergic rhinitis is common in otorhinolaryngology practice. According to ‘Allergy Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA), Clinical and Experimental Allergy Reviews’ guidelines, the management of allergic rhinitis includes allergen avoidance. Therefore, it is important to know the allergens to which the patient is sensitised. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of sensitisation to common allergens among children with allergic rhinitis seen in a tertiary referral centre in Malaysia. Materials and Methods: All children aged five to 12 years who had been referred to Otorhinolaryngology clinic Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center (UKMMC) from 2005 to 2010 with symptoms consistent with allergic rhinitis and had a skin prick test (SPT) were included in the study. The common allergens that had been used in the SPT were aeroallergens, food allergens and contact allergens. The database of SPT results was collected and reviewed. Results: A total number of 580 children were included in this study with 69.3% showing positive SPT. From the positive SPT results, a total of 1,515 sensitisations were observed with 60.9% sensitised to aeroallergens, 38.6% sensitised to food allergens and 0.6% sensitised to contact allergens. Among the aeroallergens, the house dust mite accounted for more than half of the sensitisations: Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (27.9%), Dermatophagoides farinae (26.4%), Blomia tropicalis (26.0%). The most common food allergen sensitisation was seafood – crab (18.5%), prawn (18.0%) and squid (8.7%). Each of the other food allergens tested accounted for less than five percent of the positive SPT result. The contact allergen tested in this study was latex. Conclusion: This data represents a common allergen sensitisation in children with rhinitis symptoms residing in urban areas with house dust mites being the most common allergen sensitised in these children.

Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is a standard treatment forrhinosinusitis, which failed optimum medical therapy.Iatrogenic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhoea can occurduring ESS warrants early repair of the leakage. Thecommon sites for CSF leakage are cribriform plate, foveaethmoidalis, and anterior ethmoid sinuses. We present fivecases of iatrogenic CSF rhinorrhoea due to ESS and itsmanagement.

PURPOSE: Vertical sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) are currently the most common bariatric procedures. Although the safety of these operations has markedly improved, there continues to be a certain rate of complications. Such adverse events can have a significant deleterious effect on the outcome of these procedures and represent a costly burden on patients and society at large. A better understanding of these complications and their predictive factors may help ameliorate and optimize outcomes. METHODS: Seven hundred seventy-two consecutive patients who underwent SG or RYGB for morbid obesity between January 2011 and October 2015, in the Division of Bariatric Surgery at a tertiary institution, were included through retrospective review of the medical database. The complications were categorized and evaluated according to severity using the Clavien-Dindo classification system. Significant risk factors were evaluated by binary logistic regression to identify independent predictors and analyzed to identify their relationship with the type of complication. RESULTS: Independent predictors of severe complication after these procedures included male gender, open and revisional surgery, hypertension, and hypoalbuminemia. Hypoalbuminemia had significant associations with occurrence of deep surgical site infection and leak. Open surgery had significant associations with occurrence of superficial and deep surgical site infection and respiratory complications. Independent predictors of severe complication after laparoscopic primary RYGB included previous abdominal surgery. Previous abdominal surgery had significant associations with deep surgical site infection and leak. CONCLUSION: Recognition and optimization of these risk factors would be valuable in operative risk prediction before bariatric surgery.
Bariatric Surgery* ; Classification ; Gastrectomy ; Gastric Bypass ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Obesity, Morbid ; Postoperative Complications* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Surgical Wound Infection

The pentacyclic triterpenic acids isolated from the oleo gum resin of various Boswellia species are collectively called as Boswellic acids (BA). The oleo gum resin obtained from Indian variety i.e. Boswellia serrata (Family – Burseraceae) is commonly known as Salai guggal. The resin fraction of Salai guggal is rich in Boswellic acids and its essential oil is composed of a mixture of mono, di and sesquiterpenes while gum fraction chiefly contains pentose and hexose sugars. This oleo-gum resin is quite popular among traditional practitioners of traditional Chinese and Indian Systems of medicine owing to their wide range of useful biological properties such as anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-rheumatic, anti-diarrheal, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-asthmatic, anti-cancer, anti-microbial anti-fungal, anti-complementary and analgesic activity, etc. It has been used as a herbal medicine since the prehistoric time to cure acute and chronic ailments including inflammatory diseases. Phytochemical investigation of this herbal medicine lead to identification of Boswellic acids which are found to be novel, potent, specific anti-inflammatory agents due to non-redox inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) enzyme. However, the other important targets of Boswellic acids also include topoisomerases, angiogenesis, and cytochrome p450 enzymes. This review is a sincere attempt to discuss and present the current status of therapeutic potential, phytochemical as well as pharmacological profile of Boswellic acids primarily obtained from B. serrata.