Socio-cultural and Economic Impacts of Religious Festivals on Sustainable Local Community Livelihoods in Kerala: The Case of Palakkad

Festivals depict the heritage, culture, and traditions of a particular region. They create a state of exhilaration and enthusiasm. Kerala is a state in southwest India with its own distinct culture and traditions. The state is also known for its religious pluralism. This study attempts to understand the perceived impact of religious festivals on the local community livelihoods in Palakkad, a district in central Kerala. Twelve temples in which religious festivals are held annually, with attendance in the range of thousands, were selected. The selected temples are famous for hosting specific religious festivals which attract a large number of visitors, from within and beyond the region. Using a sample of 420 community members living around these temples, this study examined how the socio-cultural and economic impacts of these religious festivals are perceived by the community. The findings show that there is a statistically significant relationship between the perceived socio-cultural and economic impacts of festivals on local communities. The celebration of local values and distinctiveness were evident in these religious festivals. The local community considers these festivals as part of their community identity and as offering impetus for annual family and community reunions

CRYPTOSOMES: A REVOLUTIONARY BREAKTHROUGH IN NOVEL DRUG DELIVERY

The vesicular drug delivery systems are promising approaches to overthrown the problems of drugs having lesser bioavailability and rapid elimination from the body. The four type of lipid based drug delivery systems are: solid-lipid particulate system, emulsion based system, solid lipid tablet and vesicular system. Cryptosomes, a novel emerging vesicular drug delivery system which can overcome the disadvantages associated with conventional drug delivery systems like high stability, increased bioavailability, sustained release, decreased elimination of rapidly metabolizable drugs etc. The word Cryptosome was orginated from Greek word ‘’Crypto’’ means hidden and ‘’Soma’’ means body. It is formed from the mixture of phospholipids like distearoyl phosphatidyl ethanolamine-polyethylene glycol (DSPE-PEG) with distearoylphosphatidylcholine. These entire information regarding its origin and formation is explained in Dinesh Kumar et al. Vesicular systems symbolizes the use of vesicles in the different fields as carrier system or additives. This review disclose various vesicular drug delivery system and point out the advancement of cryptosome in the world of drug delivery. This review would help researchers involved in the field of vesicular drug delivery

FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF LORAZEPAM ENCAPSULATED COLLAGEN/PECTIN BUCCAL PATCH

Objective: To formulate and characterize Lorazepam loaded buccal patches using mucoadhesive, biodegradable, natural polymers-pectin (hydrophilic) and collagen (lipophilic) for treating epileptic seizures. Methods: Lorazepam loaded buccal patches were prepared by solvent casting method and were subjected to various Physico-chemical evaluation parameters to find the optimized buccal patch. The in vitro drug release study and ex vivo permeation study was carried out. The stability study and histopathological study of optimized Lorazepam loaded buccal patch was also carried out. Results: From in vitro drug release study, it was found that Lorazepam loaded buccal patch (B4) exhibited maximum drug release of 96.16 %±0.07 than other formulations at the end of 4 h, indicating an initial burst release followed by sustained release with release kinetics as Higuchi diffusion model. Based on the in vitro drug release, % drug content, % swelling index, folding endurance, B4 formulation was considered as optimised formulation and was further characterized. Ex vivo permeation study revealed that the cumulative amount of drug permeated from optimised Lorazepam loaded buccal patch (B4) was higher (3831.4±0.21µg/cm2) than marketed Midazolam buccal solution (1724±0.12 µg/cm2) and control drug solution (895.42±0.07 µg/cm2) with an enhancement ratio of 4.8. B4 formulation also showed a higher flux value (12.52±0.02µg/cm2/hr) compared to marketed formulation (5.732±0.01 µg/cm2) and control drug solution (2.563±0.03 µg/cm2) of P<0.05. The histopathological study using bovine buccal mucosa revealed that the B4 formulation is safe for buccal application. The stability study confirmed that B4 formulation is stable in both room and refrigeration conditions. Hence the formulated Lorazepam loaded buccal patch seems to be a promising carrier for the enhanced buccal delivery of Lorazepam in treating epileptic seizures. Conclusion: The formulated Lorazepam loaded collagen/pectin buccal patch was found to be an efficient and stable route for the buccal delivery of Lorazepam in treating acute epileptic seizures which could be further explored scientifically

PORPHYSOMES-A PARADIGM SHIFT IN TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY

A novel drug delivery system is the one that ensures optimum dose at the right time, at the right location. Porphysomes are among those drug delivery systems. Porphysomes are a means of vesicular drug delivery systems. They are liposome-like structures composed completely of porphyrin lipid. The porphysomes encapsulates the active medicament in vesicular structure. They are having an aqueous core which can be loaded with the medicament. They have the capacity to destroy the disease tissues. They absorb the heat in the near infrared region and release this heat to destroy the diseased tissues. Porphysomes are having immense applications in the field of positron-electron therapy (PET), photoacoustic imaging, photothermal therapy etc. This review article discusses regarding the Porphysome-the drug delivery system, its advantages and disadvantages, composition, method of preparation, applications and various aspects related to the porphysomal drug delivery

Effect of differential heat treatments on antibacterial activity of fermented goat milk

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of three different temperatures on the antibacterial potential of fermented goat milk.Goat milk is one of the naturalfoods to complete perfection.Bioactive peptides, the specific protein fragments that have a positive impact on body functions, can be produced during milk fermentation. Thanks to the starter cultures’ proteolytic activity.Fresh pooled goat milk sample collected was divided into four lots. One set was used for raw milk analysis and the remaining three were subjected to heat treatment at three different timetemperature combinations namely;72°C for 15 sec, 85°C for 10 min, and 121° C for 15 min. These samples were cooled immediately to 42ºC, inoculated with 0.04 % DVS yogurt culture,incubated at 42º C for 4 hrs, and then stored at 5±2°C for 21 days for storage studies. The analysis was carried out at 7-day intervals. An agar well diffusion assay was performed to assess the inhibitory activity ofWater-soluble peptide extracts (WSPE) of these samples against Bacillus cereus ATCC 10876, Escherichia coli NCIM 2685, Salmonella enterica ATCC 6017, and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. The milk that was heated to 85°C for 10 min before fermentation showed the highest antibacterial activity against E.coli during the 7th and 14th day of storage, withthe zone of inhibition measuredat 17±0.433mm and 21±0.55mm respectively.Thus, it can be concluded that milk heated at 85°C for 10 min had better antibacterial activity than the other two treatments

Surgical Techniques in Ayurveda (Shalakya Tantra-Ent) Mentioned by Acharya Sushruta

In this article, we've covered the ENT surgery methods and techniques that Acharya Sushruta detailed in his famous book, the Sushruta Samhita. The founder of the Sushruta Samhita, Acharya Sushruta, is hailed as the "Father of Surgery" and "Father of Plastic Surgery." An essential component of Ayurveda is Shalakya Tantra, which focuses on the analysis and treatment of conditions affecting the mouth, nose, ears, teeth, throat, head, and eyes. Shalakya Tantra is described as "Shalakayah Yatkarma Shalakyam, Tat Pradhanam Tantram Shalakyam" by Acharya Dalhana. It denotes a location where Shalakas (instruments resembling rods) are utilised for therapeutic purposes. The Shalakya Tantra branch of Ayurveda deals with these instruments and how to employ them for therapeutic purposes. It can be found in numerous Ayurvedic treatises today. Sushruta Samhita contains the majority of the Shalakya Tantra, but it is also found here in fragmented form. Detailed discussions of surgical tools (yantras), various incision kinds, various suturing and bandaging techniques (bandha), fracture reductions, foreign body extraction techniques, etc. are contained in the Sushruta Samhita (about 600 BC). He also brought up the utilisation of reconstructive (Sandhana) surgery by Vaidyas even during the colonial era. Acharya gave a comprehensive explanation of ENT surgery procedures that are largely applicable and actual. Acharya Sushruta noticed that a number of fractures and dislocations connected to ENT can be treated. Today, many of the foreign body removal techniques he described are virtually same to those utilised then. Many conventional surgical techniques are still useful today.These interventions can be a tremendous help in learning new and cutting-edge practises with the help of contemporary advances. Our simple goal in writing this paper is to shed light on all the Shalakya Tantra subjects that are mentioned throughout Sushruta in various places

Corneal foreign bodies- Management the Ayurvedic way- A Case series

Corneal foreign bodies are one of the most common and serious eye trauma cases reaching an ophthalmologist. Traditional medical systems like Ayurveda are imagined to have a very limited and obsolete role in managing acute traumatic presentations like corneal foreign bodies. Four cases of corneal bodies which were treated by ayurvedic medicines and procedures are being reported here as a case series. Each case had a type of foreign body embedded in their cornea and after removal of the foreign body by suitable methods, they were given ayurvedic topical as well as internal medicines and followed up at regular intervals. All cases healed without any complications. This case series shows that ayuveda can be effectively used to manage many corneal injuries and this area need to be explored on a clinical trial route to reach more valid conclusions

Familial relationship and its impact on the psyche of transgenders: A study of The Truth About Me by Revathi

Modern society is evolving each day, technologically, socially, and economically. Nevertheless, society marginalizes people based on their gender, caste, sex, etc., and transgenders stand on the gruesome end of this line. Even though transgenders have become part of the active phase of contemporary society, they are often segregated by the name ‘transgender.’ Gender identity is always a major issue in the thick and thin of society. They are also termed as people of the third gender. Still, people believe that transgenders are sex workers or they were born cursed. So, they disappear from the active phase of society. The public’s attitude toward transgenders is like untouchables and they taunt them without any humanity, putting them to the status of animals living in the streets. They earn a livelihood through sex work and begging. This is portrayed by Revathi in her autobiography, The Truth About Me: A Hijra Life Story. The paper attempts an analysis of how family plays a significant role in their acceptance in society. Almost all of them face issues emanating from the childhood traumas they experience.&nbsp