Asif H. Sofi

Pathomorphological effects of Alloxan induced acute hypoglycaemia in rabbits

Abstract Alloxan is one of the frequently used beta-cytotoxic agents for the induction of Type-1 diabetes mellitus in animal models and is the drug of choice in rabbits. Its beta-cytotoxic action results in a sudden release of insulin leading to severe hypoglycaemia and even mortality if glucose therapy is not given. In the present investigation the pathological effects of alloxan induced acute hypoglycaemia were studied in rabbits. New Zealand White rabbits, 1–1.5 kg body weight, were administered alloxan @100 mg/kg b.w., as a single intravenous dose. Blood glucose levels were monitored (0 h, 20 min, 1 h, and then hourly up to 5 h) and clinical signs noted. Rabbits dead due to hypoglycaemia were necropsied and histopathology performed. Severe histopathological changes were observed especially in the brain (neuronal degeneration and necrosis), kidneys (nephrosis, nephritis) and liver (hepatosis, hepatitis) and also, other organs. Histopathological observation of beta-cytolysis was suggestive that the drug induced hypoglycaemia is insulin mediated. It was concluded that acute hypoglycaemia causes severe pathological changes and the alloxan induced immediate hypoglycaemia if not managed in time, might exacerbate the pathological effects of hyperglycaemia in the induced diabetic models.

Fabrication of innovative charkha for pashmina spinning and its impact assessment

Pashmina, a finest natural animal fiber is utilized for preparation of world famous Kashmiri pashmina shawls by traditional practices. Hand spinning is one of the important processing step, wherein fibers are converted into a fine yarn on a traditional spinning wheel (yander). The task is usually carried out by women folk. It is a laborious process resulting in a lot of physical stress affecting the efficiency of artisans. An innovative charkha has been fabricated to reduce the physical stress and its effect on the spinning efficiency and remuneration of artisans over traditional one was evaluated. The study revealed that innovative charkha was efficient in terms of time consumed for spinning by 73.50% over traditional one besides decreasing physical drudgery. In terms of income, there was an increase of 146% over traditional one for same period of time without deteriorating the quality of yarn.

A Novel Chemical Finishing Process for Cashmere/PVA-Blended Yarn-Made Cashmere Fabric

Cashmere fiber has to be blended with either nylon or water-soluble Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a carrier fiber for spinning on worsted spinning system. The spun yarn is used for producing high-end fashion fabrics. The nylon or PVA portion is then removed from the fabric by treating with hydrochloric acid or hot water. The PVA based process is considered eco-friendly as compared to nylon-based process. However, the whiteness and handle of such fabric is inferior as compared to cashmere fabric produced from nylon-based process. This study attempts to improve the whiteness and handle of the fabric by using dilute sulfuric acid in place of hot water to remove PVA. The fabric produced from newly developed process shows improvement in whiteness index (28%) and handle (20%) than fabric of hot water-based process. It exhibits similar handle like that of cashmere fabric produced from nylon-based process. The new process uses only mild concentration of acid and can be considered as eco-friendly as hot water-based process. The sulfuric acid facilitates easy dissolution of PVA from the fabric and prevents the redeposition of the same.