Aedes: What Do We Know about Them and What Can They Transmit?

Mosquitoes thrive mostly in the tropics and act as the vectors of some of the most debilitating human diseases caused by bioagents. Among the plethora of mosquitoes, Aedes transmit arboviruses, which have caused large-scale outbreaks throughout the world. Stegomyia is the most important subgenus of Aedes, which includes Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus vectors that are widespread and transmit a wide variety of arbovirus belonging to Togaviridae with the genus Alphavirus (Sindbis virus, equine encephalitis viruses, chikungunya virus), Flaviviridae with the genus Flavivirus (yellow fever virus, dengue 1–4 viruses, West Nile virus, Japanese and St. Louis encephalitis/SLE-viruses) and the Bunyaviridae with the genera Bunyavirus (California Group), and Phlebovirus (Rift Valley fever). In India, dengue and chikungunya are the most important arboviral diseases transmitted by Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in recent time. Chikungunya and dengue are acute debilitating arthritogenic and hemorrhagic (dengue) disease, caused by enveloped single-stranded RNA virus belonging to Alphavirus and Flavivirus, respectively. In this chapter, we will comprehensively delineate the taxonomy of Aedes mosquitoes, their geographical distribution, evolutionary biology of chikungunya and dengue viruses, mechanism of transmission, and proposed vector control strategies against Aedes mosquitoes

Deprescription: a global need to rationalize drug prescribing

Appropriate prescribing and deprescription of unwanted medicines are a global concern. Polypharmacy is common in old age due to multiple comorbidities. This poses many risks that can be prevented by deprescription as a measure of planned reduction in number of medicines no longer needed. For articles to be included in this narrative review, a non-systematic search of deprescription and related term was conducted at PubMed and Google Scholar database. Articles detailing deprescription in general were included whereas those about deprescription in a particular disease or of particular drug groups were excluded. The review discusses about related terms, process of deprescription, when it is to be planned, which patients need deprescription, tools available for appropriate prescription, importance of patient oriented deprescription, actual steps involved in deprescription, present scenario, future scope of trials and formulation of guidelines for deprescription, and finally current state of deprescription in India and actions needed.

GENERIC DRUG: PRESCRIBER’S PERSPECTIVE

Objective: Knowledge of doctors and their understanding of generic drugs could facilitate in recognizing potential barriers to larger generic medicine prescriptions. Hence, the primary objective of this study was focused to explore knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of doctors toward generic medicines. Methods: It is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. The study participants are the doctors working in the hospital during the study period (2016–2017). The questionnaire designed for this study comprised of thirty-five questions related to the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of generic medicine and about demographic details of the participants. Results: A total of 86 questionnaires were distributed among the health care professionals and the response rate is 37%. The majority of doctors who participated in this survey perceived that generic medicine is effective, safe and need to have the same active component, dose and bioequivalent as the brand name medicines. Most of the doctors (72%) were of the view that generic drugs were manufactured in poor quality than branded medicines. More than three-quarters of doctors (78%) prescribed generic drugs. Conclusion: Majority of the participants had an honest angle about the efficaciousness and safety of generic and though they sometimes prescribe generic medicine, however a high range of doctors (72%) were of the opinion that generic was of poorer quality than brand medicine. To have a better understanding of the generic drug, the doctor must be well informed about the generics during their academic career resulting in savings to healthcare budgets

A preliminary study on perioperative hemostatic effect of spray dried powder of <i>Chromolaena odorata</i> leaf extract

547-555Accidents or surgery often cause internal haemorrhage in liver and arteries which may lead to patient morbidity and mortality. The current hemostatic agents used for treatment like collagen, oxidized cellulose, and chitosan suffer from side effects which include infection, inflammation and even sepsis. In the present study, we studied the spray dried powder (SDP) of the aqueous extract of the leaves of Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M.King & H.Rob., commonly known as Siam weed or Common floss flower and also Christmas bush, for its hemostatic efficacy in two experimental models of surgery. Firstly, the SDP was screened through standard pharmacognostical parameters, and a part of the liver was lacerated in rats and femoral artery was transected in rabbits to assess the blood loss in pre-weighed gauze with and without treatment. In the liver laceration model, an effective blood loss reduction of 54.30 % was observed with oral administration of SDP 7 days prior to surgery. Similarly, application of SDP at the site of artery transection caused 70.36% reduction in blood loss as compared to the control rabbit artery. The results suggest that oral delivery and/or application of SDP of C. odorata by formulating it in a suitable drug delivery tool could minimize perioperative bleeding in hepatic and arterial tissue and improve recovery

Place of Neuroscience in Indian Juvenile Justice

Youths are important assets of a country. To realise the full potential of youth, the law is an instrument. Youth delinquency impedes his development. The response of the law is both a carrot and stick approach so far. While a host of disciplines try to understand youths, their behaviours, science, more particularly neuroscience, has its relevance. This paper makes an exploration of normative position and recent scientific advancement to understand a juvenile and his delinquency. The paper adopts the exploratory method on the status of values on juvenile justice in Constitutional and legislative norms in India and cognitive and developmental neuroscience. The paper concludes with a perspective on the scientific orientation of juvenile's responsibility and reform