Submited on: 04 Dec 2011 06:43:20 AM GMT
Published on: 04 Dec 2011 04:32:17 PM GMT
 
Review of EPs anti-convulsive effects in mice
Posted by Mr. Garrett Zinck on 07 Dec 2014 11:31:31 PM GMT Reviewed by Interested Peers

  • What are the main claims of the paper and how important are they?

    This paper claims that crude extracts from Euphorbia pulcherrima reduce the duration of and time till induced seizures in mice. These claims provide the foundation for the development of potential anti convulsive agents. This paper has been officially accepted and published by Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice in Oct 2012. doi:  10.4103/0976-3147.102612


  • Are these claims novel? If not, please specify papers that weaken the claims to the originality of this one.

    Yes, I have not found any papers in the literature which suggest the claims these authors are making is false. Albeit, there is more work to be done, this primilary data is promising for treating eplisey with extracts from the  Euphorbia pulcherrima plant.


  • Are the claims properly placed in the context of the previous literature?

    To my knowledge there is no research which focuses on using  Euphorbia pulcherrima extracts for its anti convulsive effects. Therefore, these authors are pioneering the field for the employment of  Euphorbia pulcherrima extracts as anti epileptic therupeutic agents. 


  • Do the results support the claims? If not, what other evidence is required?

    The results support the claims. The data shown in the MES model shows the average duration of the induced seizures significantly decreases with increasing drug concentration. In addition, in the PTZ model, the time till the seizures is significantly increased with increasing drug concentration. The groups values were compared against the vehicle control and not the standard of care control. 


  • If a protocol is provided, for example for a randomized controlled trial, are there any important deviations from it? If so, have the authors explained adequately why the deviations occurred?

    There is no deviations from the protocol by which these authors followed to my knowledge.


  • Is the methodology valid? Does the paper offer enough details of its methodology that its experiments or its analyses could be reproduced?

    There are  significant amounts of details in the methodology section to reproduce the experiments. However, the amount of testing conducted was severly lacking. These authors have continued their research and have published  a more comprehensive manuscript in the Journal of Nuerosciences in Rural Practice.  


  • Would any other experiments or additional information improve the paper? How much better would the paper be if this extra work was done, and how difficult would such work be to do, or to provide?

    Yes, as stated before, more experiments are needed to complete the initial findings of these authors. There is a significant amount of work needed to be done. These authors have continued on their research and have published this paper with more substantiating evidence. 


  • Is this paper outstanding in its discipline? (For example, would you like to see this work presented in a seminar at your hospital or university? Do you feel these results need to be incorporated in your next general lecture on the subject?) If yes, what makes it outstanding? If not, why not?

    No, this work is only preliminary data for future studies. I would not expect to see just this work presented at a university or hospital. 


  • Other Comments:

    N/A

  • Invited by the author to review this article? :
    No
  • Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?:
    No
  • References:

    .

  • Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:

    I am currently seeking my PhD from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Kentucky. I have a bachelors in biochemistry and two years worth of research in pain medication monitoring analytic methods. This review is part of a course in my graduate program.

  • How to cite:  Zinck G .Review of EPs anti-convulsive effects in mice [Review of the article 'Experimental Study of Anticonvulsive Effects of Euphorbia Pulcherrima in Mice ' by Sangraula H].WebmedCentral 2014;5(12):WMCRW003157
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Euphorbia pulcherrima and its Anticonvulsive Properties
Posted by Mr. Stuart Pursley on 04 Dec 2014 06:33:42 PM GMT Reviewed by Interested Peers

  • What are the main claims of the paper and how important are they?

    The main claim of this article is that extracts from Euphorbia pulcherrima exhibit anticonvulsant properties.  It demonstrated that a mouse model subjected to Maximal Electroshock Seizure tests exhibit a "protective effect" against convulsions upon administration of various doses of Euphorbia pulcherrima extracts.  The research presented in this paper also showed how mouse models subjected to pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures experienced a more prolonged latency period when administered Euphorbia pulcherrima extracts prior to the administration of pentylenetetrazole. 


  • Are these claims novel? If not, please specify papers that weaken the claims to the originality of this one.

    After searching the literature on this topic, it is apparent that the anticonvulsant properties of plants in the Euphorbia genus (i.e., Euphorbia hirta, Euphorbia fisheriana) have been shown.  However, this is the first study I found looking at the anticonvulsant effects using extracts of a poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). 


  • Are the claims properly placed in the context of the previous literature?

    While there are no papers from what I could find on the anticonvulsant properties of Euphorbia pulcherrima in specific, the claims presented by the author in the article seem reasonable due to the consistency with the properties studied among other species of plants from the genus Euphorbia.  Also, the literature cited in the paper is represented appropriately.  


  • Do the results support the claims? If not, what other evidence is required?

    Yes.   When compared to the control medications phenytoin and sodium valproate, the values reported for the duration of tonic hind limb extension in the Maximal Electroshock Seizure test and the latency to convulsion in the pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures test seemed to correspond with Euphorbia pulcherrima extracts having anticonvulsive properties.


  • If a protocol is provided, for example for a randomized controlled trial, are there any important deviations from it? If so, have the authors explained adequately why the deviations occurred?

    The author presented no deviations from the methodologies/protocols set forth in the experiment. 


  • Is the methodology valid? Does the paper offer enough details of its methodology that its experiments or its analyses could be reproduced?

    The methodology of the paper does seem to be valid.  Despite some grammar issues, making a few parts of the paper difficult to understand, I feel the experimentation methodologies are straightforward and could be reproducible.


  • Would any other experiments or additional information improve the paper? How much better would the paper be if this extra work was done, and how difficult would such work be to do, or to provide?

    Considering the scope of this paper and the objectives set forth, the experiments and information presented were sufficient to meet those objectives.  Further study could be done to perhaps isolate and characterize the compound in Euphorbia pulcherrima extracts that have these anticonvulsive properties. 


  • Is this paper outstanding in its discipline? (For example, would you like to see this work presented in a seminar at your hospital or university? Do you feel these results need to be incorporated in your next general lecture on the subject?) If yes, what makes it outstanding? If not, why not?

    It is a very interesting paper pertaining to a novel study showing the anticonvulsive properties of Euphorbia pulcherrima in mice and serves as a promising starting point to future research with Euphorbia pulcherrima extracts.  As for demonstrating the anticonvulsive properties of Euphorbia pulcherrima extracts, it does a good job; however, the paper needs improvement in how it was written (i.e., grammar, composition) in order to be considered outstanding.


  • Other Comments:

    The material of the paper is very interesting and the results provide promise for future research into the potential therapeutic use of Euphorbia pulcherrima extracts.  My major criticism is the abundance of grammatical errors and redundancy of statements made within the paper.  Throughout the paper, I came across instances where two separate words were not separated by a space, subject-verb discrepancies existed, the species of the plant Euphorbia pulcherrima was capitalized in couple places instead of lower case, and the wording tended to be confusing in places.  Also, there were three instances where the author wrote a sentence and essentially restated that information in the following sentence (e.g., "The present study demonstrates the anticonvulsive effect of crude dried latex of Euphorbia pulcherrima (EP) in mice by using convulsive experimental models.  The outcome of the present study demonstrates that EP produced anticonvulsive effect in convulsive experimental models.").

    While the study conducted seemed straightforward and sound, I feel my rating of the paper is justifiable because its composition (i.e., grammar, redundancy) requires improvement to afford a rating greater than 5, which according to the criteria would be a publishable article in a traditional journal. 

  • Invited by the author to review this article? :
    No
  • Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?:
    No
  • References:
    None
  • Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:

    I am currently pursuing my doctorate of pharmacy degree at the University of Kentucky and have previously studied epilepsy and and the use of anticonvulsive therapeutic agents in the Neuropharmacology course of our curriculum.

  • How to cite:  Pursley S .Euphorbia pulcherrima and its Anticonvulsive Properties[Review of the article 'Experimental Study of Anticonvulsive Effects of Euphorbia Pulcherrima in Mice ' by Sangraula H].WebmedCentral 2014;5(12):WMCRW003152
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alternative remedies for epilepsia
Posted by Dr. Matteo Conti on 16 Jan 2012 09:35:25 AM GMT

1 Is the subject of the article within the scope of the subject category? Yes
2 Are the interpretations / conclusions sound and justified by the data? Yes
3 Is this a new and original contribution? Yes
4 Does this paper exemplify an awareness of other research on the topic? Yes
5 Are structure and length satisfactory? Yes
6 Can you suggest brief additions or amendments or an introductory statement that will increase the value of this paper for an international audience? Yes
7 Can you suggest any reductions in the paper, or deletions of parts? No
8 Is the quality of the diction satisfactory? Yes
9 Are the illustrations and tables necessary and acceptable? Yes
10 Are the references adequate and are they all necessary? Yes
11 Are the keywords and abstract or summary informative? Yes
  • Other Comments:

    Euphorbia extracts are known to have anti-convulsive properties, even if research is needed to assess usefulness, efficacy and toxicity in scientifically sound experimental settings. This is a short albeit interesting paper on the natural product's anti-convulsive properties. Results show that these plant extracts are efficient in reducing symptoms in two very common animal models for artificially induced epilepsy. Despite these models are not deprive of bias and limitations as predictors of real human pathology, results are indeed inspiring for further research.  

  • Invited by the author to review this article? :
    No
  • Have you previously published on this or a similar topic?:
    Yes
  • References:
    None
  • Experience and credentials in the specific area of science:

    therapeutic drug monitoring of antiepileptics

  • How to cite:  Conti M .alternative remedies for epilepsia[Review of the article 'Experimental Study of Anticonvulsive Effects of Euphorbia Pulcherrima in Mice ' by Sangraula H].WebmedCentral 2014;3(1):WMCRW001395
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