Parwaiz Khalid

Insulin like activity in (-) epicatechin.

SummaryWater extract of the bark of plant ofPterocarpus marsupium Roxb is used as an antidiabetic drug in indigenous medicine in India. (−) Epicatechin, its active principle, has been found to be insulinogenic. The presentin vitro study reports some insulin like activities of (−) epicatechin. Like insulin, (−) epicatechin stimulates oxygen uptake in fat cells and tissue slices of various organs, increases glycogen content of rat diaphragm in dose-dependent manner with corresponding increase in U14-C glucose uptake, and inhibits theophylline induced lipolysis in isolated fat pads in dose-dependent manner. Experiments on competitive binding of125I-insulin and (−) epicatechin to liver cell plasma membrane indicate that insulin does not share binding site with (−) epicatechin. (−) Epicatechin at a concentration of up to 1 mM does not effect the release of glucagon from the isletsin vitro. Thus, (−) epicatechin has insulinogenic as well as insulin like properties.

Hypoglycemie activity of Pterocarpus marsupium wood

Abstract Feeding of the ethyl acetate-soluble fraction of an absolute ethanol extract of Pterocarpus marsupium wood for 5 days significantly lowered blood sugar levels with a corresponding increase in the blood insulin level in alloxan-diabetic rats.

Synthetic analogs of cholecystokinin terminal tetrapeptide that stimulate insulin but not glucagon release from pancreatic islets

SummaryTwo synthetic analogs of CCK-4, Glp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH2 (I) and Pro-Met-Asp-Phe-NH2 (II) reported earlier to stimulate insulin release from the isolated rat pancreatic isletsin vitro at concentrations as low as 10−10 M, have now been found to be totally ineffective as glucagon releasers at concentrations as high as 10−6 M or higher. It is evident that the replacement of Trp in CCK- 4 by Glp and Pro residues leads to peptides which exhibit insulin releasing activity without stimulating the release of glucagon.

Effect of some novel synthetic analogues of CCK-4 on insulin and glucagon secretion

SummaryThe biologic activities of three synthetic analogues of CCK-4 (Trp-Met-Asp-Phe-NH2) in which (i) the C-terminal residue Phe was N-methylated (peptide I); (ii) the C-terminal Phe residue was N-methylated and Ser is substituted for Met in position 2 (peptide II); (iii) Pro was substituted for Trp in position 1 and the C-terminal amino nitrogen was methylated (peptide III), have been described. Peptides I and II have been found to inhibit the release of both insulin and glucagon, while peptide III was found to be a potent releasing agent for insulin and an inhibitor for glucagon.

Effect of age on the binding of lectin 125I-PHA-B to pancreatic islets of rat in vitro and stimulation of some cellular events.

SummaryAgaricus bisporus lectin (PHA-B) stimulates insulin releasein vitro. The stimulation is associated with increased conversion of proinsulin to insulin in the isolated islets of Langerhans of rats. Both these functions are directly proportional to the binding of I125 PHA-B, which is more marked in the islets from younger rats. The lectin binding to islets is not affected by glucose concentration in the medium.

Improving Reports Turnaround Time: An Essential Healthcare Quality Dimension.

Turnaround time is one of the most important healthcare performance indicators. King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia worked on reducing the reports turnaround time of the neurophysiology lab from more than two weeks to only five working days for 90% of cases. The main quality improvement methodology used was the FOCUS PDCA. Using root cause analysis, Pareto analysis and qualitative survey methods, the main factors contributing to the delay of turnaround time and the suggested improvement strategies were identified and implemented, through restructuring transcriptionists daily tasks, rescheduling physicians time and alerting for new reports, engaging consultants, consistent coordination and prioritizing critical reports. After implementation; 92% of reports are verified within 5 days compared to only 6% before implementation. 7% of reports were verified in 5 days to 2 weeks and only 1% of reports needed more than 2 weeks compared to 76% before implementation.

Improving Timeliness of Diagnostic Healthcare Services: Effective Strategies and Recommendations.

Timeliness and accessibility of healthcare services reflect systems capacity to provide care quickly after a need is recognized. King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia worked on improving timeliness of diagnostic electromyography and nerve conduction study for carpel tunnel syndrome and peripheral neuropathy patients to avoid significant treatment delay and potential complications. We identified causes of delayed appointments and implemented strategies to reduce it from 12 to 2 weeks. FOCUS PDCA approach as well as Pareto analysis were used to identify and target core issues then suggest effective strategies including improving staff productivity, enhancing teamwork coordination and motivating healthcare team stakeholders. The results show that 93% of appointments were made available in less than 2 weeks, compared to only 8% pre-improvement, no show rate reduced to 2% compared to 13% and total procedure volume was increased to 99 compared to 52 per month.

Exploring Lab Tests Over Utilization Patterns Using Health Analytics Methods.

Healthcare resources are over utilized contributing more to the growing costs of care. Although laboratory testing is essential, yet it can be expensive and excessive. King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Saudi Arabia studied lab tests utilization patterns using health analytics methods. The objective was to identify patterns of utilizing lab tests and to develop recommendations to control over utilization. Three over utilization patterns were identified; using expensive tests for many patients as routine, unnecessarily repeating lab test and a combined one. Two recommendations were suggested; a user approach, modifying user behavior through orientation about the impact of over utilization on the cost effectiveness of healthcare, and a system approach, implementing system alerts to help physicians check the results and identify the date of the last lab tests done with information about appropriate frequency of ordering such lab test and medically significant intervals at which such test should be repeated.