LIFE, DEATH, AND PHARMA IN INDIA: A CASE STUDY

The health of the people is really the foundation on which all their happiness and all their powers as a state depend.†- Benjamin Disraeli.A healthy society is obviously a healthy nation. Being healthy is a result of various factors such as lifestyle, income, choices, society, access to medical facilities, culture, and family. The life expectancy (LE) (i.e., average years a person is anticipated to live has almost doubled) in the past century and medical breakthroughs had a profoundly positive impact on human LE. The average LE of the people in India was 49.7 years during 1970-1975 gradually increased to the level of 68.45 years in 2016 according to the world LE reports. The objective here is to understand the factors determining LE and whether there are any possibilities for considerable improvements in LE in India due to various economic policies by the government. Statistical reports from various organizations are analyzed, and the conclusion is that the government spending on health care and awareness is to be enhanced.Keywords: Life expectancy, Health care, Mortality, Birth rate, Death rate, etc.Â

Stages of Action in Mullai Songs from a Rhetorical Point of View

Mullai songs is the fifth song in Pattupattu. It contains 103 beats, composed by Asiriyappa and authored by Napothanar. Mullai songs are about the lifestyle of Mullai regional people. It is also about the separation of husband from his wife and she waits for him patiently.  In Mullai region the white flower is seen as a symbol of chastity while the mulberry flower symbolizes chastity. The location of Mullai land is forest and forested area. Motifs belonging to Mullai land are thirumal, kannai flower, mullai flower, and deer etc, and takes place in the Mullai songs

Lichens: a novel and potential source as antimicrobials for human use

The use of lichens in medicine is based on the fact that they contain unique and varied biologically active substances, as antimicrobials.  Since they are natural antibiotics, their metabolites exert a wide variety of biological actions including antimycotic, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antiproliferative, and cytotoxic effects, they are considered as potential drugs. They contain a variety of secondary metabolites with strong antioxidant activity. These are substances which have high ability to scavenge toxic free radicals due their phenolic groups. These manifold activities of lichen metabolites have now been recognized, and therefore their therapeutic potential have great impact in pharma industries. The present article discusses the importance of lichens in inhibiting various types of human pathogens in addition to their chemical composition and pharmacological activities

FAST DISSOLVING SUBLINGUAL PATCH OF PHENOBARBITAL SODIUM: FORMULATION AND IN VITRO EVALUATION

Objective: To formulate and characterize. Phenobarbital sodium loaded sublingual patch using biodegradable, mucoadhesive, fast-dissolving natural polymer pullulan for immediate management of epileptic seizures. Methods: Phenobarbital sodium loaded sublingual patches were prepared by the solvent casting method and were subjected to various physicochemical evaluation parameters to find the optimized sublingual patch. The in vitro drug release study and kinetic model of the optimized formulation was also carried out. The stability study of the optimized Phenobarbital sodium loaded sublingual patch was also done. Results: From in vitro drug release study, it was found that Phenobarbital sodium loaded sublingual patch (S4) exhibited a maximum drug release of 96.24±1.27% at the end of 60 min compared to other formulations indicating a faster drug release from the formulation with release kinetics as Higuchi diffusion model. In fact, a notable release data was obtained between 0.5 to 8 min by all formulations, specifically S4 formulation (20.84±1.97% and 77.22±2.41% drug release at the end of 0.5 min and 8 min respectively) showed a better percentage release profile in comparison with other formulations. Such a trend is vital to deliver the drug at a faster rate to promote immediate effect for managing the fatal and complicated seizure. Considering the physicochemical property and in vitro drug release data, S4 formulation was regarded as an optimized one. The stability study also confirmed that S4 formulation is stable at refrigeration conditions. Conclusion: The formulated Phenobarbital sodium loaded sublingual patch is an effective drug delivery carrier which enables faster drug release to manage epileptic seizure

E-Business Transformation at the Crossroads: Sears\u27 Dilemma

It was December 2002, and Garry Kelly, the newly appointed CIO of Sears, Roebuck & Company, looked out of his office window and contemplated the issues he needed to discuss in the management committee meeting the following day. Garry had arrived at Sears only a few weeks ago when the company was at a critical juncture. Sears’ net income in 2001 had fallen to $735 million on a revenue level of$41.1 billion. These figures reflected only half of the profits it had recorded two years earlier, on a similar level of sales. Sears also faced intense competition from rival retailers across the nation, new dot-com e-tailers as well as from the specialty stores that had been eroding the profit base for the last couple of years. Investors, stakeholders, and employees were anxiously looking for signs of turnaround at the giant in the U.S. retailing industry

Utilizing the protected learning calculation method to forestall the Black Hole Attacks in Mobile ad-hoc networks

Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs) are a gathering of portable hosts which speak with each other with no focal system power or altered foundation. Because of its attributes like portability furthermore, heterogeneity ad-hoc networks are more defenseless to assaults. Black hole is an assault where every one of the bundles sent to assailant hub, by neighboring hubs, are dropped purposefully. In this thesis, we propose a secure learning calculation method which intends to identify and securing the black hole by considering the bundle drop reasons in needless mode. Presented AODV direction convention is adjusted to distinguish and securing the black hole assault. The investigation results demonstrate that our proposed calculation secure the AODV against black hole assault in MANETs

An interesting case of Phocomelia

Authors present a very rare case of tetra-phocomelia evaluated by antenatal ultrasonography. It is a condition seen in 0.62 per 100,000 live births. This is a congenital chromosomal abnormality involving the musculoskeletal system. Primi gravida with spontaneous conception after a long period of infertility underwent early anomaly scan. Patient was not aware of the last menstrual period hence; NT scan was missed. Routine early anomaly scan done between 16-18 weeks of pregnancy diagnosed a fetus with Tetra-Phocomelia. Due to the lack of associated symptoms or significant history, our case did not fit into any specific syndrome and appears to be the result of a sporadic, non-hereditary limb deficiency involving all four limb buds.  Second opinion obtained from a fetal medicine consultant who confirmed the diagnosis. Hence, decided for mid trimester termination and fetus was expelled after 8 hours. Fetus was not sent for pathological analysis. Tetra-phocomelia is a rare congenital anomaly and it may be associated with other deformity also. 1st case of phocomelia was described after the intake of thalidomide. In this condition hands and feet are seen as small flippers of a seal. The differential diagnosis includes sporadic phocomelia, Holt-Oram syndrome, thrombocytopenia-absent radius syndrome (TAR syndrome), Robert’s syndrome, and thalidomide-induced phocomelia. Here authors are presenting a rare case of Phocomelia where there is no history of drug intake or family history. This has to differentiate from thrombocytopenia-absent radius syndrome (TAR syndrome), sporadic phocomelia, Holt-Oram syndrome, Robert’s syndrome, and thalidomide-induced phocomelia

IN VITRO GLUCOSE BINDING ACTIVITY OF TERMINALIA BELLIRICA

Herbal medicine has become an integral part of standard healthcares based on a combination of time honored traditional usage and ongoing scientificscrutiny of their therapeutic potential and safety. The petroleum ether, chloroform, ethanol, and aqueous extracts of leaves, fruits, and bark ofTerminalia bellirica were evaluated for their effects on glucose adsorption, diffusion, and glucose transport across yeast cell. All the extracts could bindthe glucose effectively, and the glucose binding capacity was directly proportional to the molar concentration of glucose. The rate of glucose diffusionacross the membrane was found to increase from 30 to 180 minutes. The rate of uptake of glucose into the yeast cells was linear in all the five glucoseconcentration used in the study. Among the four extracts, ethanolic extract of leaves, fruits, and bark of T. bellirica show higher hypoglycemic activitywhile compared to other extracts. The hypoglycemic effect exhibited by the ethanol extracts of leaves, fruits, and bark is mediated by increasingglucose adsorption, glucose diffusion and glucose transport across the cell membrane as revealed by simple in vitro model of yeast cells.Keywords: Glucose adsorption, Glucose diffusion, Terminalia bellirica, Yeast cells.Â