Antiviral medicinal plants of India as a potential tool against COVID-19: A review with ethno scientific evidence

Indian traditional medicinal systems are one of the oldest therapeutic systems in the world. Medicinal and aromatic plants play a dominant role in Indian traditional medicinal systems. Traditionally, many medicinal plants are used in India for their therapeutic relevance so much so that they have acquired a significant role in Indian religion as well. Many of these plants have proven antiviral effects. This review documents up-to-date information about many such medicinal herbs used in India which have got pharmacological significance in fighting viral infections. These plants surely have the potential to provide protection against Covid-19. The review presents a list of such plants along with their chemical ingredients and possible modes of action against the respective viral diseases. All information has been obtained by consulting the databases of Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Elsevier, Springer and relevant research papers and reports on COVID-19. The cited medicinal plants are used extensively in India as herbal remedies. The use of these plants is validated in light of research papers citing their ethnobotanical uses, important active principles and modes of action of the of medicinally important natural products. The plants listed have great potential to fight COVID-19 and other viral infections. Many of these are immunity boosters providing strength to the body to control the onset of diseases

Burn Injury Management, Pathophysiology and Its Future Prospectives

For intensive care physicians, burns are a frequent and challenging patient complication. Specialist facilities prioritise patient stabilisation, infection prevention, and functional rehabilitation to the greatest extent possible. Researchers have been focusing on burns for decades, and thanks to their efforts, the mortality rate for burn patients, especially young patients and those with moderate burns, has been steadily declining. However, the intensivist often faces challenges that make it hard to provide care and stabilise patients. There may be unique complications associated with burn wounds that necessitate either delayed treatment or prolonged rehabilitation. Improvements in patient stabilisation and treatment have resulted from advances made in burn wound care thanks to research. This article discusses recent advances in the treatment of burn patients, focusing on the pathophysiology of burns and the management of burn wounds

Stack Contention-alleviated Precharge Keeper for Pseudo Domino Logic

The dynamic circuits are supposed to offer superior speed and low power dissipation over static CMOS circuits. The domino logic circuits are used for high system performance but suffer from the precharge pulse degradation. This article provides different design topologies on the domino circuits to overcome the charge sharing and charge leakage with reference to the power dissipation and delay. The precharge keeper circuit has been proposed such that the keeper transistors also work as the precharge transistors to realize multiple output function. The performance improvement of the circuit\u27s analysis have been done for adders and logic gates using HSPICE tool. The proposed keeper techniques reveal lower power dissipation and lesser delay over the standard keeper circuit with less transistor count for different process variation

Dental Practitioners’ Opinions and Methods in the Management of Oral Mucosal Lesions and TMJ Disorders in Dakshina Kannada District: A Questionnaire Based Survey

INTRODUCTION: Oral mucosal lesions and temperomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders are important areas of concern in the present dental practice due to their increasing prevalence. Timely management is important as it aids in maximal prognosis.AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine the awareness of dental practitioners in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, regarding various aspects of oral mucosal lesions and TMJ disorders. And also to know their interest in managing such disorders.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A self- administered questionnaire was constructed and given to dental practitioners, selected through multistage cluster random sampling method; from Dakshina Kannada district. Chi-square test was performed and the level of significance was set at p < 0.05.RESULTS: The majority of dental practitioners had a dental practice of duration five to ten years. Many of the respondents (72%) indicated that oral ulcers are the most common mucosal lesions and prescribed topical anaesthetics for these. The investigations suggested were blood investigations (24%) for various oral mucosal lesions and radiographs (20%) for TMJ disorders. Different pharmacological treatments provided by the majority of the respondents were topical anaesthetics and multi vitamin supplements. About 34% dental practitioners routinely refer the patients to specialty practitioners.CONCLUSION: The present study shows that there should be emphasis on workshops and various other awareness programs for general dental practitioners for better understanding of the subject and about the latest protocols regarding referral of the patients to specialists

Chemokine-cytokine networks in the head and neck tumor microenvironment

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) are aggressive diseases with a dismal patient prognosis. Despite significant advances in treatment modalities, the five-year survival rate in patients with HNSCC has improved marginally and therefore warrants a comprehensive understanding of the HNSCC biology. Alterations in the cellular and non-cellular components of the HNSCC tumor micro-environment (TME) play a critical role in regulating many hallmarks of cancer development including evasion of apoptosis, activation of invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, response to therapy, immune escape mechanisms, deregulation of energetics, and therefore the development of an overall aggressive HNSCC phenotype. Cytokines and chemokines are small secretory proteins produced by neoplastic or stromal cells, controlling complex and dynamic cell–cell interactions in the TME to regulate many cancer hallmarks. This review summarizes the current understanding of the complex cytokine/chemokine networks in the HNSCC TME, their role in activating diverse signaling pathways and promoting tumor progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance development.This study was supported by Ramalingaswami Fellowship (Grant number: D.O.NO.BT/HRD/35/02/2006) from the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, New Delhi to Muzafar A. Macha. Sidra Medicine Precision Program funded this research to Mohammad Haris (5081012001, 5081012001) and Ajaz A. Bhat (5081012003)

Use of Integrative, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine in Children With Epilepsy: A Global Scoping Review

(1) Background: Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorders in childhood. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is highly prevalent in patients with epilepsy. Despite CAM’s widespread and increasing popularity, its prevalence, forms, perceived benefits, and potential risks in pediatric epilepsy are rarely explored. (2) Methods: We performed a scoping review of the available literature on the use of CAM in pediatric epilepsy. (3) Results: Overall, global cross-sectional studies showed a variable degree of CAM usage among children with epilepsy, ranging from 13 to 44% in prevalence. Popular types of CAMs reported were supplements, cannabis products, aromatherapy, herbal remedies, dietary therapy, massage therapy, and prayer. Families often report that CAM is effective, although there are limited objective measures of this. Potential risks lie in the use of CAM, such as herbal remedies, and/or unregulated, contaminated, or unpurified products. Studies also underscored inadequate patient–physician discussions regarding CAM. (4) Conclusions: A better understanding of this topic would aid clinicians in guiding patients/families on the use of CAM. Further studies on the efficacy of the different types of CAM used, as well as potential side effects and drug interactions are needed

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

Background Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide.Methods A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study-a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital.Findings Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3.85 [95% CI 2.58-5.75]; p<0.0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63.0% vs 82.7%; OR 0.35 [0.23-0.53]; p<0.0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer.Interpretation Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised

Hearing loss prevalence and years lived with disability, 1990–2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Hearing loss affects access to spoken language, which can affect cognition and development, and can negatively affect social wellbeing. We present updated estimates from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study on the prevalence of hearing loss in 2019, as well as the condition's associated disability. Methods We did systematic reviews of population-representative surveys on hearing loss prevalence from 1990 to 2019. We fitted nested meta-regression models for severity-specific prevalence, accounting for hearing aid coverage, cause, and the presence of tinnitus. We also forecasted the prevalence of hearing loss until 2050. Findings An estimated 1·57 billion (95% uncertainty interval 1·51–1·64) people globally had hearing loss in 2019, accounting for one in five people (20·3% [19·5–21·1]). Of these, 403·3 million (357·3–449·5) people had hearing loss that was moderate or higher in severity after adjusting for hearing aid use, and 430·4 million (381·7–479·6) without adjustment. The largest number of people with moderate-to-complete hearing loss resided in the Western Pacific region (127·1 million people [112·3–142·6]). Of all people with a hearing impairment, 62·1% (60·2–63·9) were older than 50 years. The Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index explained 65·8% of the variation in national age-standardised rates of years lived with disability, because countries with a low HAQ Index had higher rates of years lived with disability. By 2050, a projected 2·45 billion (2·35–2·56) people will have hearing loss, a 56·1% (47·3–65·2) increase from 2019, despite stable age-standardised prevalence. Interpretation As populations age, the number of people with hearing loss will increase. Interventions such as childhood screening, hearing aids, effective management of otitis media and meningitis, and cochlear implants have the potential to ameliorate this burden. Because the burden of moderate-to-complete hearing loss is concentrated in countries with low health-care quality and access, stronger health-care provision mechanisms are needed to reduce the burden of unaddressed hearing loss in these settings