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Introduction: India has the highest burden of animal bite cases globally, with a large proportion of the population affected by dog bites. India is endemic for rabies and accounts for 36% of the world’s rabies deaths. Mortality can be prevented by Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) with effective vaccines that are available. Vaccines are provided free of charge in Government hospitals. Aim: To estimate the compliance rate of Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV) regimen managed by the intradermal route. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional record-based study from the ARV Register of Government Hospital, Gummidipoondi, Tamil Nadu, India. The victims of animal bite cases attending the hospital for the ARV regimen for a month were selected from the register to assess adherence to the full course updated Thai Red Cross regimen and identify any constraint factors hindering them from completing the course. Results: Out of 108 patients, 79 completed the full course ARV regimen, resulting in a compliance rate of 73.1%. Factors such as the distance of the hospital, timings, and forgotten dates were identified as major constraints. Conclusion: The compliance rate was found to be moderate, with constraint factors like forgotten dates and the distance of the hospital being significant hindrances to compliance. This highlights the importance of strengthening awareness through sensitisation programs and health education in both urban and rural areas to achieve a rabies-free India.

Introduction: Epilepsy is a serious psychological condition associated with social stigma, psychiatric co-morbidity, and a high economic burden. It is pertinent to develop novel treatment methods given the ever-evolving nature of the disease. Recently, various newer Antiepileptic Drugs (AEDs) have been under study, among which a newer targeted modality consists of SV2A receptors. Aim: To compare the antioxidant properties or free radical scavenging activity of the newer heterogeneous AEDs acting on the SV2A receptors, namely Levetiracetam (LEV) and Brivaracetam (BRV). Materials and Methods: This in-vitro study was conducted at Department of Pharmacology, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India from July 2021 to August 2021. The study evaluated the antioxidant properties of LEV and BRV using various assays such as the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) test, DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) assay, Nitric Oxide (NO) radical scavenging assay, Superoxide Dismutase activity (SOD), and catalase activity. The obtained results were expressed using specific formulas related to the absorbance of the respective chemicals, along with the percentage of inhibition, and have been tabulated in Microsoft excel Sheet Version 16.16.27. Half-maximal Inhibitory Concentration (IC50) values were calculated using scatter plot graphs. Results: The FRAP values for LEV were reported to be significantly higher compared to BRV at concentrations of 20, 40, 60, 80 μg/mL, while at 100 μg/mL, BRV showed better ferric reducing activity. Although both drugs exhibited antioxidant activity, the results clearly identified LEV as a better NO radical scavenger, with a percentage of inhibition reaching up to 80.52%. During the SOD assay, the percentage inhibition of superoxide generation by LEV was found to be 99.02%, while that of BRV was 97.07% at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. LEV (0.573) also showed a higher degradation of H2O2 per minute than BRV (0.065) at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. Conclusion: The results showed that both drugs, BRV and LEV, exhibited significant antioxidant capacity. However, LEV demonstrated increased antioxidant potency and efficacy compared to BRV.

Introduction: Neuroblastoma is the most common and earliest childhood tumour with complicated biological and clinical characteristics. The treatment includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgical resection, stem cell therapy and many other modes, making the management difficult to tolerate and unacceptable. Thereby increasing the need to develop novel therapies or repurpose already existing ones with anticancer potential. Many studies have shown that vitamin D3 has anticancer properties. Vitamin D3 receptors have been found in neuroblastoma cell lines, according to research. Anticancer property of vitamin D3 hasn’t been studied much in neuroblastoma cell lines. Aim: To evaluate the antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects of vitamin D3 on human neuroblastoma cell lines-SH-SY5Y. Materials and Methods: The present study was an in-vitro study in which human neuroblastoma cell lines SY5Y (a total of 2 cell lines) were obtained from National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, Maharashtra, India, and control cells are cells from the cell lines that were left untreated. The antiproliferative effect of vitamin D3 in human neuroblastoma cell lines evaluated using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. After 48 hours of incubation and treatment with six different (0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 ng/mL) concentrations of vitamin D3, the percentage of viable cells was determined using spectrophotometry and compared with control cells (untreated cells from cell lines). Different vitamin D3 (250 ng/mL, 500 ng/mL, 1000 ng/mL) doses were applied to cells and they were then incubated for 24 hours, Cell death and malformations were then observed using a phase contrast microscope, and Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) fragmentation was investigated using gel chromatography. The obtained results were expressed as percentage of inhibition and tabulated in Microsoft Excel Sheet Version 16.16.27 and scatter plot graph was used to calculate IC50 (Half maximal inhibitory concentration). Results: The vitamin D3 showed antiproliferative property in SH-SY5Y cells at an IC50 of 164 ng/mL when tested against human neuroblastoma cells using the MTT assay. Phase contrast microscope demonstrated that vitamin D3 treated cells showed condensation of nuclei, shrinkage of the cytoplasm, convolution of outline and cell peeling demonstrating apoptosis. DNA fragmentation also showed typical DNA ladder formation confirming apoptosis in vitamin D3 treated cells, which showed that the treated cells’ DNA was more damaged than the control cells’ DNA. Conclusion: Vitamin D3 exhibited both proapoptotic and antiproliferative properties, as demonstrated by the MTT assay, Phase Contrast, and DNA fragmentation.