Abstract Silver nanoparticles are opted to have various applications in different fields ranging from traditional medicines to culinary items. It is toxic and most effective against bacteria, fungi viruses, parasites, parasite carrying vectors such as mosquitoes and their larvae and other eukaryotic microorganisms at low concentration without any side effects and toxicity to humans. In view of these data, the present research has been investigated by synthesizing silver nanoparticles using 1mM silver nitrate and aqueous extract of Passiflora foetida. The variation of nanoparticles in size and shape concerning the concentration of extract prepared were analysed. The formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by colour changing from yellowish green to reddish-brown implicating the surface plasmon resonance. Further, it was concluded by obtaining an absorbance peak at 420 nm using UV-Visible spectrophotometer analysis. FTIR analysis was used to identify the capping ligands, which included alkanes, aromatic groups and nitro compounds. The average grain size of ~12 nm to 14 nm with crystalline phase was revealed by X-ray Diffraction studies. The SEM images depicted the surface morphology with agglomeration; TEM studies showed the shape of nanoparticles as spherical and hexagonal with sizes ranging from 40 nm to 100 nm and EDAX analysis confirmed the presence of elemental silver as the principal constituent. The characterized silver nanoparticles were then tested for synergistic antibacterial effects with tetracycline, and the results show that they are more active against E. coli and S. aureus, but moderately effective against B. cereus and K. pneumoniae . It also had a strong larval and pupal toxic effects on the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti with the highest mortality. As a result, silver nanoparticles could be a viable alternative for a variety of applications.

Resumo Os nanopartículos de prata são optados por ter várias aplicações em diferentes áreas que variam de medicamentos tradicionais a itens culinários. É tóxico e mais eficaz contra bactérias, vírus de fungos, parasitas, parasitas que transportam vetores como mosquitos e suas larvas e outros microorganismos eucarióticos em baixa concentração, sem efeitos colaterais e toxicidade para os seres humanos. Em vista desses dados, a presente pesquisa foi investigada sintetizando nanopartículas de prata usando nitrato de prata de 1 mm e extrato aquoso de Passiflora foetida. Foi analisada a variação de nanopartículas em tamanho e forma relativa à concentração de extrato preparado. A formação de nanopartículas de prata foi confirmada pela mudança de cor de verde amarelado para marrom-avermelhado, implicando a ressonância plasmônica da superfície. Além disso, foi concluído pela obtenção de um pico de absorvância a 420 nm usando análise do espectrofotômetro visível por UV. A análise do FTIR foi usada para identificar os ligantes de captura, que incluíam alcanes, grupos aromáticos e compostos nitro. O tamanho médio dos grãos de ~ 12 nm a 14 nm com fase cristalina foi revelado por estudos de difração de raios-X. As imagens SEM retratavam a morfologia da superfície com aglomeração; Os estudos de TEM mostraram a forma das nanopartículas como esféricas e hexagonais, com tamanhos variando de 40 nm a 100 nm e a análise EDAX confirmou a presença de prata elementar como constituinte principal. As nanopartículas de prata caracterizadas foram então testadas quanto a efeitos antibacterianos sinérgicos com tetraciclina, e os resultados mostram que são mais ativos contra E. coli e S. aureus, mas moderadamente eficazes contra B. cereus e K. pneumoniae. Ele também teve um forte efeito tóxico larval e pupal no vetor de dengue, Aedes aegypti com a maior mortalidade. Como resultado, as nanopartículas de prata podem ser uma alternativa viável para uma variedade de aplicações.

Abstract MS effective corrosion inhibition by SVLE has been investigated using electrochemical methods. Tafel polarization measurements suggested that the reaction at the anode occurred with MS dissolution, due to the strong medium aggressiveness, but SVLE addition led to a corrosion IE(%) of 93.6%, at 298 K. SVLE IE(%) still was 86% at an elevated T of 328 K, which was also confirmed by SEM observations that revealed a protective adsorbed film formed by the inhibitor onto the MS surface.

ORIENTATION: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused the loss of jobs of more than 340 million individuals worldwide in the middle of 2020. At the same time, COVID-19 pandemic sparked increased usage of digital products, Internet resources, online media technology and e-learning practices RESEARCH PURPOSE: The research strives to explore the moderating role of job insecurity caused by the coronavirus towards the usage of e-learning MOTIVATION FOR STUDY: This study aimed to assess the behavioural effects of employees working in the most damaged sectors related to rental and business services of Indian businesses RESEARCH APPROACH/DESIGN AND METHOD: The investigation used a structured questionnaire for the survey data obtained from 307 employees from the most affected sectors in major cities of India. The research utilised the conservation of resources (COR) theories and the General Extended Technology Acceptance Model for e-learning (GETAMEL) framework for the investigation. To probe the evidence, the researchers used Structural Equation Modelling techniques MAIN FINDINGS: The findings revealed a substantial impact of 'job uncertainty' as a moderator in employees' acceptability towards e-learning PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: The study provides a deep insight to experts, educators, top management, policymakers, team managers and human resource (HR) practitioners about the moderation effect of job insecurity created by pandemics on technology acceptance CONTRIBUTION/VALUE ADD: This study is unique as no researcher investigated the moderating influence of job instability on e-learning acceptability

Abstract The state of Uttarakhand in India lies in a highly seismically active zone, therefore earthquake resistant design criteria have been followed for major construction practice in this region. One of the major inputs for earthquake-resistant design is average shear wave velocity (V S ) at 30 m depth. In the present work, at twenty-six different sites, the Horizontal to vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) technique and multichannel analysis of surface wave (MASW) is used for joint analysis to obtain a one-dimensional velocity model that supports both the HV spectrum and dispersion curve obtained from HVSR and MASW methods, respectively. Shear wave profiles obtained at various sites are compared with the bore log data obtained from drilling and it clearly shows that the (V S ) for the same formation have a strong dependence on the depth at which it occurred. Data from twenty-four shear wave profiles have been used to prepare a linear regression relation of (V S ) for different lithological formations with respect to their depth of occurrence. Root mean square error obtained from the developed relationship for various lithologies clearly shows that the results are fairly well within the range of acceptance. The developed relations have been further validated by calculating Vs profile from bore log data obtained at two new location sites that are not included in the data set used for the preparation of regression relations. A comparison of two velocity sections clearly shows that the velocity profile computed from regression relation matches closely with that obtained from the seismic survey and thereby establishing the efficacy of developed regression relationship for its practical implementation. This developed relation allows soil type classification for zoning purposes.

Resumen El estado de Uttarakhand en la India se encuentra en una zona de alta actividad sísmica, por lo que se han seguido criterios de diseño resistentes a los terremotos para las principales prácticas de construcción en esta región. Una de las principales entradas para el diseño resistente a los terremotos es la velocidad media de la onda de corte (V S ) a 30 m de profundidad. En el presente trabajo, en veintiséis sitios diferentes, la técnica de la relación espectral horizontal a vertical (HVSR) y el análisis multicanal de onda de superficie (MASW) se utiliza para el análisis conjunto para obtener un modelo de velocidad unidimensional que soporta tanto la curva de espectro de HV como la curva de dispersión obtenida de los métodos HVSR y MASW, respectivamente. Los perfiles de onda de corte obtenidos en varios sitios se comparan con los datos de registro de perforación obtenidos de la perforación y muestra claramente que los Vs para la misma formación tienen una fuerte dependencia de la profundidad en la que ocurrió. Se han utilizado datos de veinticuatro perfiles de onda de corte para preparar una relación de regresión lineal de Vs para diferentes formaciones litológicas con respecto a su profundidad de ocurrencia. El error cuadrático medio obtenido a partir de la relación desarrollada para varias litologías muestra claramente que los resultados están bastante bien dentro del rango de aceptación. Las relaciones desarrolladas han sido validadas adicionalmente por el cálculo de perfil Vs de los datos de registro de perforación obtenidos en dos nuevos sitios de ubicación que no están incluidos en el conjunto de datos utilizado para la preparación de relaciones de regresión. Una comparación de dos secciones de velocidad muestra claramente que el perfil de velocidad calculado a partir de la relación de regresión coincide estrechamente con el obtenido de la encuesta sísmica y por lo tanto se establece la eficacia de la relación de regresión desarrollada para su implementación práctica. Esta relación desarrollada permite la clasificación del tipo de suelo para fines de zonificación.

Abstract The corrosion inhibition property of Gymneme Sylvestre on aluminum in an acidic medium has been investigated. The experimental techniques include potentiodynamic polarization studies, electrochemical studies, quantum chemical calculation and weight loss method. The results revealed that Gymneme Sylvestre acts as a potential corrosion inhibitor of aluminum in an acidic medium, showing 82% inhibition efficiency at 800 ppm concentration of it. Furthermore, the different thermodynamic parameters, including activation energy, Gibbs free energy and enthalpy have been calculated. The results showed that adsorption of the Gymneme Sylvestre molecule onto the aluminum coupon surface obeys Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The quantum chemical parameters were also calculated for major constituents of Gymneme Sylvestre.

Abstract The dynamics of rising bubbles in a liquid sodium pool plays a significant role in the estimation of the radiological source term during anticipated transients and normal operation of a fast reactor. Sodium is chemically reactive with air and water. Therefore, carrying out experiments using sodium on a reactor scale level requires extra precautions. We report an in-house experimental technique to depict the bubble dynamics along with numerical support to establish similarity behavior between water and liquid sodium, to reduce the number of experiments in sodium systems for in-depth knowledge of bubble dynamics in the case of the fast breeder reactor. In the present work, 3-D bubble dynamics is studied in the OpenFOAM platform and the validated numerical model is used to study bubble dynamics in sodium to establish similitude between the water and sodium systems. The bubble aspect ratio of 0.9 cm diameter bubbles in the sodium system is found to be in close agreement with that of 0.5 cm bubbles in the water system. Experimental and numerical findings suggest similarity of the aspect ratio between water and scaled-up sodium systems. The similarity criteria established between water and sodium are found to be very useful in conducting water-based experiments to study bubble dynamics in sodium systems.

Abstract In the present work we have synthesised Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotubes using hydrothermal method, and studied the effect of annealing temperature on the crystallinity of the nanotubes. The nanotubes obtained were annealed at 400 ° C and 600 ° C. In order to elucidate the changes caused by the annealing temperature transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used. The composites of titania nanotubes and CdSe quantum dots were prepared using bifunctional linker, mercaptopropionic acid. The nanocomposites were characterized using TEM and XRD. The optical properties of the modified TiO2 nanotubes and their composites with CdSe (for potential solar cell applications) were characterized by LJV-Vis absorption spectra and photoluminescence (PL) spectra.

Resumen Las transacciones sociológicas cumplen un papel importante en el comportamiento humano y la posición social. El Titanic era la paradoja perfecta ya que los pasajeros pertenecían a grupos de altos ingresos, de ingresos medios y de bajos ingresos. Es interesante ver cómo los patrones en el sentido sociológico decidieron cómo iba a sobrevivir. Los datos fueron recolectados del sitio web “Kaggle.com” y se aplicaron algoritmos de aprendizaje automático después de un análisis visual y exploratorio. La hipótesis, las mujeres y los niños se salvaron y se hicieron famosos después de que la película Titanic de Steven Spielberg (1975) se pusiera a prueba mediante un algoritmo forestal aleatorio junto con la hipótesis de que la densidad familiar desempeñaba un papel importante en la supervivencia. El resultado enumeró ese título y el sexo fue el factor más importante que decidió la tasa de supervivencia de los pasajeros.

ABSTRACT Sociological transactions play an important role in human behaviour and social standing. The Titanic was the perfect example as the passengers belonged to high income, middle-income, and low-income groups. It is interesting to see how social factors influenced who was going to survive. The data was collected from the website “Kaggle.com”, and machine learning algorithms were applied after carrying out an exploratory and visual analysis. The hypothesis that women and children were saved (which became famous after Steven Spielberg’s Titanic (1975)) was tested by random forest algorithm as well as the hypothesis that family density played a major role in survival. The results showed that title and sex were the most important factors influencing if the passenger was to survive.

O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar comparativamente a atividade antibacteriana de seis plantas indianas contra linhagens clínicas de Streptococcus mutans, que foram isoladas das amostras de biofilme dental de 45 pacientes pediátricos, com 0,2% de clorexidina. Seis extratos vegetais foram preparados em três formas diferentes, a saber, extratos aquosos, extratos à base de solventes orgânicos e extratos brutos. Os testes de sensibilidade antimicrobiana foram realizados por método de difusão em agar. A atividade antimicrobiana dos extratos foi determinada através da medição da zona de inibição, em milímetros, produzida contra os isolados bacterianos. Os resultados mostraram que o extrato de alho cru apresentou maior atividade antibacteriana do que a clorexidina. O extrato aquoso de amla e o extrato à base de solventes orgânicos de gengibre mostraram a máxima atividade antibacteriana contra S. mutans, enquanto o extrato aquoso de tulsi (manjericão) e o extrato à base de solventes orgânicos de amla mostraram mínima atividades antibacteriana. Este estudo sugere que extratos de plantas como o alho em forma bruta, amla como infusão aquosa e gengibre como tintura alcoólica tem um potencial para o controle de S. mutans. Estes extratos podem ser utilizados como uma via alternativa para a prevenção de cáries dentárias ou sob a forma de bochechos, que são seguros e econômicos.

The aim of the study was to comparatively evaluate the antibacterial activity of six Indian plant extracts and 0.2% chlorhexidine against clinical strains of Streptococcus mutans, which were isolated from the plaque samples of 45 pediatric patients. Six plant extracts were prepared in three different forms, namely aqueous extracts, organic solvent-based extracts and crude (raw) extracts. The antimicrobial sensitivity testing was done by agar well diffusion method. Antimicrobial activity of the extracts was determined by measuring the mean zones of inhibition (mm) produced against the bacterial isolates. Results showed that crude garlic extract exhibited greater antibacterial activity than chlorhexidine. Aqueous extract of amla and organic solvent-based extract of ginger showed the maximum antibacterial activity against S. mutans, whereas aqueous extract of tulsi and organic solvent based extract of amla showed the minimum antibacterial activity. This study suggests that plant extracts like garlic in crude form, amla as aqueous infusion and ginger as alcoholic tincture have potential for the control of S. mutans. These extracts can be used as an alternative remedy for dental caries prevention or in the form of mouthwash, which is safe and economical.

We have established methodology for the isolation and characterization of a novel endophytic fungus from the inner bark of medicinal plant Nothapodytes foetida, which produced camptothecin in Sabouraud broth (SB) under shake flask conditions. Camptothecin and its related compounds are at present obtained by extraction from intact plants, but fungal endopytes may be an alternative source of production. In present study we have observed the effect of different nutrient combinations and precursors (tryptophan, tryptamine, geraniol, citral, mevalonic acid and leucine) on the accumulation of camptothecin by endophytic fungus Entrophospora infrequens. The precursors were fed either alone or in combinations (tryptophan and geraniol, tryptophan and citral, tryptophan and mevalonic acid, tryptophan and leucine). The highest camptothecin content was observed in the range of 503 ± 25µg/100g dry cell mass in Sabouraud medium. Camptothecin content in the medium was increased by 2.5 folds by the presence of tryptophan and leucine whereas the production with trytophan was also significantly different from other treatments. Furthermore, the effect of fungal camptothecin on the morphology of human cancer cell lines was also studied. The treated cells showed reduction in size, condensation of nucleus and the protoplasmic extensions were reduced. All these characteristics are found in apoptotic cells.

The effects of blockage ratio on the combined free and forced convection from a long heated square obstacle confined in a horizontal channel are investigated in this work. The numerical computations are performed in the steady regime for Reynolds number = 1 - 30, Richardson number = 0 - 1 for blockage ratios of 0.125 and 0.25 for the fixed Prandtl number of 0.7 (air). The governing equations, along with appropriate boundary conditions, are solved by using a semi-explicit finite volume method implemented on the collocated grid arrangement. The total drag and lift coefficients, local and average Nusselt numbers and the representative streamline, vorticity and isotherm patterns are presented to elucidate the role of blockage ratio on the cross-buoyancy across a confined square cylinder. The asymmetry in the flow and temperature fields decreases with increasing value of the blockage ratio. Similar to forced convection, the total drag coefficient increases with increasing value of the blockage ratio for the fixed values of the Reynolds and Richardson numbers.

Several naphthalene and anthracene degrading bacteria were isolated from rhizosphere of Populus deltoides, which were growing in non-contaminated soil. Among these, four isolates, i.e. Kurthia sp., Micrococcus varians, Deinococcus radiodurans and Bacillus circulans utilized chrysene, benzene, toluene and xylene, in addition to anthracene and naphthalene. Kurthia sp and B. circulans showed positive chemotactic response for naphthalene and anthracene. The mean growth rate constant (K) of isolates were found to increase with successive increase in substrate concentration (0.5 to 1.0 mg/50ml). B. circulans SBA12 and Kurthia SBA4 degraded 87.5% and 86.6% of anthracene while, Kurthia sp. SBA4, B. circulans SBA12, and M. varians SBA8 degraded 85.3 %, 95.8 % and 86.8 % of naphthalene respectively after 6 days of incubation as determined by HPLC analysis.

We explored the relationships between various socio-economic variables and the prevalence and density of invasive alien species (IAS) on a global scale using country-level data sets. We did this by testing the hypothesis that the abundance and distribution of populations of IAS are correlated with various socio-economic indicators, with the direction of causality being that the state of IAS is determined by socio-economic conditions. We found a positive and statistically significant relationship between the prevalence and density of IAS and the human development index (HDI), the satisfaction with life index and the gross domestic product (GDP) among all the countries tested. Additionally, the density of IAS increased significantly with human-population density, total geographic area, GDP and HDI. We also found a positive relationship between the density of IAS and the top 10 road networks of the world. This provides some insight into the development of renewed policies and management strategies for invasive species across both continents and countries. We do caution, however, that the results are likely to be influenced by the sampling factor, whereby affluent countries have more resources to measure and monitor IAS than poorer countries and hence have better records of such, which then indicates a stronger relationship with the level of development.

Etoricoxib, a second generation selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor had been studied for the chemopreventive response at its therapeutic anti-inflammatory dose in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) induced colon carcinogenesis in rat model. Eight to ten weeks old male rats of Sprague-Dawley strain were divided into four groups. While group 1 served as control and received the vehicle of the drugs, group 2 and 3 were administered freshly prepared DMH in 1mM EDTA-saline (pH 7.0) (30 mg/kg body wt/week, subcutaneously). Group 3 was also given a daily treatment of etoricoxib (0.6 mg/kg body wt orally) while the group 4 received the same amount of etoricoxib only, prepared in 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose. Animals were sacrificed at the end of 6 weeks, body weight recorded and the colons were subjected to macroscopic and histopathological studies. The maximum number of raised mucosal lesions called the multiple plaque lesions (MPL) were found in the DMH group which significantly reverted back in the DMH + etoricoxib group, while very few MPLs were recorded in the control and etoricoxib only group. Similarly, the number of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), the point of future carcinogenic growth, was recorded more in the DMH group and significantly less in the DMH + etoricoxib group. The histopathological analysis showed the presence of severe hyperplasia, occasional dysplasia and aggregates of lymphoid cells in the localized regions. Etoricoxib group showed near normal histological features with the crypt architecture and the surrounding stromal tissue remaining intact. To ascertain the molecular mechanism of such anti-carcinogenic features the colonocytes were isolated and studied in primary culture for the evidence of apoptosis by fluorescent staining and genotoxic changes by single cell gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay) which shows that the DMH treated animals produced much less apoptotic nuclei but more comet producing cell, while these features were reverted back with the etoricoxib treatment. The cytoplasmic expression of COX-2 protein was studied in paraffin sections of the colon by immunohistochemistry with COX-2 specific antibody which showed a very high presence of this inducible enzyme with the DMH group while in all other groups of animals it was not visible or weekly expressed. The anti-inflammatory effect of the drug, etoricoxib was also validated by a carrageenan-induced inflammation in rat model which showed an extremely high anti-inflammatory response within the dose range used in the present study. Also the growth profile of all the animals remained the same throughout the six week period of the investigation as there was no change in the body weight. It appears that apoptosis remains the dominant anti-proliferative end effect of this drug, mediated by an inhibition of the proinflammatory COX-2 isoform although further molecular probings are needed to arrive at a conclusive agreement in favor of the chemoprotective use of such drugs in colon cancers.

El Etoricoxib, un inhibidor selectivo de la ciclooxigenasa-2 (COX-2) de segunda generación, se ha estudiado por la respuesta quimiopreventiva a su dosis terapéutica antiinflamatoria en un modelo murino de carcinogénesis colónica inducida por 1,2-dimetilhidracina (DMH). Se dividió en cuatro grupos a ratas de la cepa Sprague-Dawley de ocho a diez semanas de vida. El grupo 1 sirvió de control y recibió el vehículo de los fármacos, y a los grupos 2 y 3 se les administró DMH recién preparada en EDTA-salino al 1 mM (pH 7,0) (30 mg/kg peso corporal/semana, subcutáneamente). El grupo 3 también recibió a diario tratamiento con etoricoxib (0,6 mg/kg peso corporal, por vía oral), mientras que el grupo 4 solamente recibió la misma cantidad de etoricoxib, preparado en 0,5% carboximetil celulosa. Se sacrificó a los animales al final de la sexta semana, se registró el peso corporal y se realizaron estudios macroscópicos e histopatológicos del colon. El número máximo de lesiones mucosas elevadas, denominadas lesiones en placa múltiples (LPM) se halló en el grupo DMH, y estaba significativamente normalizado en el grupo de DMH + etoricoxib, mientras que se hallaron muy pocas lesiones LPM en los grupos control y con sólo etoricoxib. De forma similar, el número de focos de criptas aberrantes (FCA), el punto del futuro crecimiento carcinogénico, se registró más abundantemente en el grupo DMH y menos significativamente en el grupo DMH + etoricoxib. El análisis histopatológico mostró la presencia de una hiperplasia marcada, displasia ocasional y agregados de células linfoides en las regiones localizadas. El grupo de etoricoxib mostró unas características histológicas casi normales, permaneciendo la arquitectura de las criptas y el tejido estromal vecino intacto. Para determinar el mecanismo molecular de tales hallazgos anticarcinogénicos, se aislaron los colonocitos y se estudiaron en un cultivo primario para evidencia de apoptosis mediante tinción fluorescente y cambios genotóxicos en un ensayo de electroforesis en gel de una única célula (ensayo comet), que mostró que los animales tratados con DMH produjeron muchos menos núcleos apoptóticos pero un mayor número de células productoras de comet, mientras que estos cambios revirtieron con el tratamiento con etoricoxib. Se estudió la expresión citoplásmica de la proteína COX-2 en las secciones en parafina del colon mediante inmunohistoquímica con un anticuerpo específico anti-COX-2 que mostró una presencia muy alta de esta enzima inducible en el grupo DMH mientras que en el resto de los grupos de animales apenas se expresó o no se visualizó. Efecto antiinflamatorio del fármaco: el etoricoxib también se validó en modelo murino de inflamación inducida por carragenina que mostró una respuesta antiinflamatoria extremadamente alta dentro del rango de dosis empleado en este estudio. El perfil de crecimiento de los animales permaneció inalterado durante las seis semanas que duró la investigación y no hubo cambios en el peso corporal. Parece que la apoptosis sigue siendo el efecto antiproliferativo final dominante de este fármaco mediado por la inhibición de la isoforma proinflamatoria de la COX-2, si bien se necesitan probandos moleculares adicionales para llegar a un acuerdo concluyente a favor del uso quimiopreventivo de tales fármacos en los cánceres de colon.

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of a selective COX-2 inhibitor, etoricoxib in rats on the hematological and toxicity parameters in colon and kidney at two different doses of the drug, one within the therapeutic anti-inflammatory range as based on the reported ED50 value (Eto-1) while the other at ten times higher (Eto-2), relative to the toxicity studies which have not been reported so far. The results showed that the control and the drug treated animals achieved similar linear growth rate and also showed no major alterations in the histological parameters in the liver and kidney tissue. The animals treated with lower dose of etoricoxib showed an overall decrease in total leukocytes counts as well as in the number of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophills while the higher dose of the drug produced a highly significant increase in all the cell counts. However, the drug treatment at both the dose level produced significant fall in the activities of alkaline phosphatase, sucrase, lactase and maltase in the kidney but increased the activity of alkaline phosphatase in colon. The treatment of etoricoxib did not produce any change in the nitric oxide and citrulline levels in kidney while an increase was noted in the colonic tissue. It was concluded that etoricoxib is a relatively safe drug at its anti-inflammatory ED50 dose in rats when the hematological parameters and the structural and functional characteristics of kidney and colonic tissues were studied.

El presente estudio se diseñó para investigar los efectos de un inhibidor selectivo de la COX-2, etoricoxib, sobre los parámetros hematológicos y de toxicidad en colon y riñón de rata, con dos dosis distintas del fármaco, una dentro del rango terapéutico sobre la base del valor ED50 notificado (Eto-1) mientras que la otra fue diez veces superior (Eto-2), relativa a los estudios de toxicidad que aún no han sido publicados. Los resultados mostraron que los animales control y los tratados consiguieron tasas de crecimiento linear similares y no mostraron alteraciones importantes en los parámetros histológicos del hígado o riñón. Los animales tratados con la dosis inferior de etoricoxib mostraron una disminución global del recuento de neutrófilos, linfocitos, monocitos y eosinófilos, mientras que la dosis superior del fármaco produjo un aumento significativo de todos los recuentos celulares. Sin embargo, el tratamiento con el fármaco a ambas dosis produjo una caída significativa de las actividades de la fosfatasa alcalina, sucrasa, lactasa y maltasa del riñón y una actividad aumentada de la fosfatasa alcalina del colon. El tratamiento con etoricoxib no produjo ningún cambio en las concentraciones de óxido nítrico ni de citrulina en el riñón pero sí se observó un aumento en el tejido colónico. Se concluyó que el etoricoxib es un fármaco relativamente seguro a su dosis ED50 antiinflamatoria en ratas cuando se estudiaron los parámetros hematológicos y las características estructurales y funcionales de los tejidos renal y colónico.