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The present study was performed to evaluate the anti-ulcerogenic activity of hydro-alcoholic extract of Ficus bengalensis Linn. bark against indomethacin-induced ulcers in rats and swimming stress induced ulcers in rats. Five groups of adult wistar rats were orally pre-treated respectively with carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) solution (ulcer control group), Omeprazole 20 mg/kg (reference group), and 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg F. bengalensis Linn. bark extract in CMC solution (experimental groups), one hour before oral administration of indomethacin to generate gastric mucosal injury. Rats were sacrificed and the ulcer index, gastric volume, gastric pH, free acidity, total acidity of the gastric content was determined. Grossly, the ulcer control group exhibited severe mucosal injury, whereas pre-treatment with F. bengalensis Linn. bark extract exhibited significant protection of gastric mucosal injury in both models. Histological studies revealed that ulcer control group exhibited severe damage of gastric mucosa, along with edema and leucocytes infiltration of submucosal layer compared to rats pre-treated with F. bengalensis Linn. bark extract which showed gastric mucosal protection, reduction or absence of edema and leucocytes infiltration of submucosal layer. Acute toxicity study did not manifest any toxicological signs in rats. The present finding suggests that F. bengalensis Linn. bark extract promotes ulcer protection as ascertained grossly and histologically compared to the ulcer control group. Key Words:  F. bengalensis Linn., Hydro-alcoholic, Gastric ulcer.

Prostate specific antigens occurs in serum in different molecular isoforms, and serum levels of these isoforms have been introduced as adjuncts for prostate disorder screening to reduce misdiagnosis. Little data exist on the use of these tests for screening patients with BPH . In the current study, serum level of total, free and complex  prostate specific antigen (tPSA,fPSAand cPSA) isoforms and serum sarcosine were evaluated in 200 BPH patients and 200 matched controls. tPSA level  was 15.13±1.15 ng/ml in BPH patients and 2.75±0.22 ng/ml in controls. fPSA was 2.81±0.16 ng/ml in BPH patients and 0.72±0.03 ng/ml in controls. cPSA was 12.31±1.05 ng/ml in BPH patients and 0.72±0.03 ng/ml in controls. Serum sarcosine was 118.70±1.80 nmol/dl in BPH patients and 64.94±0.81 nmol/dl in controls. The differences between patients and controls in all the analytes are significant (