A LITERARY REVIEW OFTHE CONTENTS OF THULASI ENNAI (PEDIATRIC SIDDHA FORMULATION) IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PEDIATRIC BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

Objectives: The purpose of this review article is focused on the photochemical constituents and therapeutic potential of Thulasi Ennai to combat pediatric bronchial asthma. Methods: The electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Medline/PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct, Scopus and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and reference lists have been looked to identify publications pertinent to the individual herbs of Thulasi Ennai. Results: The pharmacological effects of the herbs found in Thulasi Ennai possess anti-asthmatic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, and other pharmacological effects relevant to the management of bronchial asthma. Conclusion: The present review concluded the safety of the Thulasi Ennai in preclinical studies. Further, clinical studies of Thulasi Ennai would need to be performed in humans to assess the efficacy of Thulasi Ennai

Screening of Influenza a (H1N1) Neuraminidase Inhibitor for Kabasura Kudineer, Nilavembu Kudineer and the Novel Formulation JACOM

Due to erratic climate change, vector-borne diseases started flaring up from the second half of the last decade. Siddha medicine has been used as a public health tool to effectively manage chikungunya and dengue in the epidemics that happened in 2008 and 2016. Tamil Nadu government has made enormous efforts to control vector-borne diseases. Due to which morbidity and mortality due to vector borne diseases came down compared with other states. Two official Siddha formulations, namely Kabasura Kudineer Chooranam and Nilavembu Kudineer Chooranam and novel herbal formulation – JACOM, are used to combat vector-borne diseases. These decoctions lack an evidence base as a formulation. Screening has been done to check the efficacy of the formulation in inhibiting neuraminidase. Neuraminidase inhibition assay was performed to determine the activity of Siddha formulations. The Kabasura Kudineer Chooranam, Nilavembu Kudineer Chooranam and JACOM showed excellent inhibitory activity. The Kabasura Kudineer and Nilavembu Kudineer and JACOM aqueous extract showed maximum neuraminidase inhibition of 80.35%, 91.78% and 87.97%, respectively.</p

Effectiveness of Siddha Topical Applications for Chronic Non-Healing Lower Extremity Ulcers- Case Series

A chronic ulcer is that, which does not heal within three months. Diabetic, arterial and venous ulcers are the common cause fornon-healing lower extremity ulcers. The prevalence of chronic leg ulcers is 0.6-3% in people over 60 years and 5% in those over 80years. Here, we report a case series of 6 patients with chronic non-healing ulcers. All the 6 patients received topical application ofSiddha medicine. ‘Leg Ulcer Measurement Tool (LUMT)’ scoring system was used to assess the severity, prognosis and for follow-uptreatment. After the 6 weeks of treatment, 33% (n=2) have ulcer size more than 5cm, 16% (n=1) have exudate in their ulcers, noneof them have necrotic tissues, leg edema and peri-ulcer affected skin in their ulcers. It was found that the patients treated with Siddhamedicine have satisfactory improvement in the non-healing lower extremity ulcers

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field