Use of face mask in COVID-19 pandemic-a review

The current novel corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease of the respiratory tract and rapidly spreading all over the world in short span of time. In current COVID-19 pandemic, use of the face mask is becoming usual and ubiquitous for both health care workers and public individuals. Wearing face mask is one of the non-pharmaceutical interventions which need minimum cost and provide dramatic response for preventing the COVID-19 infection. Limited availability of the vaccine and inadequate supply of therapeutic options, face mask use is an important part for public health measures for restricting the COVID-19 spread. Regardless of the debate among medical community regarding global face mask production shortage, a greater number of countries in the world are moving ahead with recommendations or mandates for using face mask in public. As currently global shortage of N95/FFP2 respirators and surgical masks for use by health care workers in the hospitals, simple cloth masks will act as a pragmatic solution for the use of the public. General public often use the surgical mask or even filtering facepiece (FFP) masks irrespective of their need, resulting unnecessary shortage for needy individuals those are exposed to the patients or those are health care workers. So, this review article will clarify the indication of the different types of masks and their rational use in the current COVID-19 pandemic

A CASE REPORT ON CHARMADAL THROUGH PANCHAKARMA W.S.R. TO ECZEMA

Charmadal is a type of Kshudrakushta characterized with symptoms such as redness, itching, pustules, pain and cracks in the skin and tenderness. Most of the symptoms of Eczema can be correlated with Charmadal as mentioned in Ayurvedic classics. A diagnosed case of Eczema came with chief complaints of red patches on skin associated with severe itching, burning and dryness over different body parts (on face, neck, upper arm) since 4 years with complaint of oozing of blood from the patches after itching. No satisfactory treatment is present except topical steroids, but in Ayurveda text line of treatment for Charmadal is present i.e., Virechana Karma”. Before giving Virechana treatment SCORAD (Scoring atopic dermatitis) was 26.55% and after follow up SCORAD 86.05%. Before Virechana treatment DLQI was 25% (extremely large effect on patient’s life) and after follow up DLQI was 4% (small effect on patient life). The results of the study showed that when Virechana Karma was performed, it increased the efficacy of oral Ayurveda medicines in the patient of Charmadal. Virechana improved the condition of patient to very much extent

Evaluation of wound healing and antimicrobial potentials of Ixora coccinea root extract

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the wound healing and antimicrobial activity of root extracts of Ixora coccinea (I. coccinea).MethodsTo investigate the wound healing efficacy of root extract of I. coccinea Linn, five groups of animals were divided each containing six animals. Two wound models including incision and excision wound models were used in this study. The parameters studied were tensile strength on incision wound model and in terms of wound contraction for excision wound model were compared with standard Nitrofurazone (NFZ) ointment (0.2% w/w). Six extracts (ethanol, aqueous, petroleum ether, benzene, chloroform and ethyl acetate) of I. coccinea were screened for in vitro growth inhibiting activity against different bacterial strains viz, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus pumilius, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and fungi Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger were compared with the standard drugs ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol for antibacterial and griseofulvin for antifungal screening. The serial dilution and cup (or) well plate methods were used for the antimicrobial study and MIC was determined.ResultsThe ethanolic extract showed significant (P<0.001) wound healing activity when compared to standard drug NFZ with respect to normal control group. Amongst all, ethanolic extract showed highly significant antibacterial activity against all bacterial strains used in this study when compared to standard. The aqueous extract showed moderate significant inhibition against all bacterial strains when compared to standard. All the extracts were shown negligible activity against the fungal strains used in this study.ConclusionsThe ethanolic root extract of I. coccinea showed pronounced wound healing and antibacterial activity. The probable reason to heal the wound was that the external application of the extract prevented the microbes to invade through the wound thus the protection of wound occurs against the infection of the various organisms

Brucella melitensis Lurking Threat in Eastern Part of Odisha - A Case Report

Brucellosis is a rising veterinary and human health problem in India. It may manifest with a varied multisystem clinical presentation. In our case patient was of 72 years male with a complaint of abdominal pain for 2 months following COVID-19 infection. He was a known case of CAD (coronary artery disease) post PTCA status, on regular follow up & treatment. Patient had post COVID pulmonary fibrosis. When the patient admitted in our hospital with above mentioned complaints, necessary investigations along with blood culture by automated method was sent and patient was started on empirical doxycycline along with other symptomatic treatment. As the patient was not very sick and was reluctant to stay in hospital during the COVID-19 situation, he was discharged on request with a treatment and follow up plan. Blood culture was found to be positive for Brucella melitensis. When we got the blood culture report the patient was contacted telephonically and started Rifampicin along with Doxycycline for 6 weeks

Promjene srčanih biomarkera i ublažavanje simptoma trovanja arsenom u bijelih pataka pasmine pekinška patka nakon upotrebe đumbira

Cardiotoxicity is an imperative issue in the assessment of heavy metal consumption and inorganic arsenic (As). These have a cardiotoxic effect which is evaluated by biochemical, and oxidative-antioxidant tests, and by the Nrf2- HO-1 pathway. Dried ginger powder is recognized for its efficient antioxidant activities and as a protector of the cardiovascular system from toxic damage caused by heavy metals. However, the possible function of ginger against As in heart via heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) is unclear. A total of 120 White Pekin ducks were randomly distributed into groups comprising 24 birds in each. Each group comprised 3 replicates having 8 birds in each replicate. The time period of this study was 90 days. The groups were the control [Group I] whereas groups II to IV were fed a basal diet including arsenic at 28 mg/L. Dried ginger powder as an ameliorative agent was mixed with the basal diet and fed at 0.1, 0.3 and 1 g/kg feed to groups III, IV and V, respectively. In the current experiment, dried ginger powder decreased As-induced reactive oxygen species (ROSs) production, oxidative injury and pathological modifications. In addition, cardiac dysfunction factors, intracellular calcium (Ca2+), As accumulation and cAMP deficiency levels were noticed in ducks; these alternations were attenuated by ginger. Furthermore, ginger significantly altered the down regulation of both HO-1 and Nrf2 gene expressions caused by As. Thus, the proven protective role of ginger against As-induced cardiotoxicity may be a consequence of the maintenance of redox homeostasis, i.e. the Nrf2-HO-1 pathway and by enabling As efflux.Kardiotoksičnost je vrlo važna u procjeni problema koji nastaju konzumacijom teških metala. Anorganski arsen (As) ima kardiotoksičan učinak koji se procjenjuje na temelju biokemijskih, oksidacijsko-antioksidacijskih nalaza te na temelju puta Nrf2-HO-1. Sušeni đumbirov prah poznat je po svojoj učinkovitoj antioksidacijskoj aktivnosti i zaštitnom djelovanju u slučaju intoksikacije kardiovaskularnog sustava teškim metalima. Nejasna je međutim uloga đumbira u odnosu na arsen u srčanom mišiću putem hem-oksigenaze 1 (HO-1) i faktora 2 povezanog s nuklearnim eritroidnim faktorom. Ukupno je 120 bijelih pataka pasmine pekinška patka nasumično podijeljeno u skupine koje su sadržavale po 24 jedinke. U svakoj skupini provedena su 3 ponovljena postupka (replikacije) na po 8 jedinki. Ukupno je vrijeme istraživanja bilo 90 dana. Skupina I bila je kontrolna skupina koja nije primila ni arsen ni đumbir. Pokusnim skupinama od II do V je, uz osnovnu prehranu, u različitim kombinacijama dodavan arsen u dozi od 28mg/L i sušeni đumbirov prah u dozama od 0,1g/kg 0,3g/kg i 1 g/kg. Rezultati su pokazali da je sušeni đumbirov prah smanjio prisutnost reaktivnih vrsta kisika (ROS) uzrokovanu arsenom, oksidacijsko oštećenje i patološke promjene. Osim toga uočene promjene, kao što su su faktori srčane disfunkcije, unutarstanični kalcij (Ca2+), nakupljanje arsena i deficijencija razine cAMP-a, ublažene su đumbirovim prahom. Đumbir je, nadalje, znakovito utjecao na smanjenje genske ekspresije i HO-1 i Nrf2 uzrokovane arsenom. Zaključeno je da bi zaštitna uloga đumbira u slučaju kardiotoksičnosti uzrokovane arsenom mogla biti posljedica održavanja redoks homeostaze, odnosno puta Nrf2-HO-1 i omogućavanja eliminacije arsena

TRIM16 employs NRF2, ubiquitin system and aggrephagy for safe disposal of stress-induced misfolded proteins

The cellular stresses, genetic mutations, and environmental factors can critically affect the protein quality control checkpoints resulting in protein misfolding. Molecular chaperones play a crucial role in maintaining the healthy proteome by refolding the misfolded proteins into the native functional conformations. However, if they fail to refold the misfolded proteins into the native state, they are targeted by proteolytic systems for degradation. If the misfolded protein numbers increase more than what a cell can resolve, they get converted protein aggregates/inclusion bodies. The inclusion bodies are less cytotoxic than misfolded proteins. The enhanced production of misfolded proteins and protein aggregates are linked to several diseases collectively termed proteinopathies, which includes several neurodegenerative disorders. The understanding of molecular mechanisms that regulate the turnover of protein aggregates will pave path for therapeutic interventions of proteinopathies. In a recent report, we showed that a tripartite motif (TRIM) family protein, TRIM16 streamlines the process of protein aggregates turnover by regulating the NRF2-p62 axis and autophagy

Inhibition of IRGM establishes a robust antiviral immune state to restrict pathogenic viruses

The type I interferon (IFN) response is the major host arsenal against invading viruses. IRGM is a negative regulator of IFN responses under basal conditions. However, the role of human IRGM during viral infection has remained unclear. In this study, we show that IRGM expression is increased upon viral infection. IFN responses induced by viral PAMPs are negatively regulated by IRGM. Conversely, IRGM depletion results in a robust induction of key viral restriction factors including IFITMs, APOBECs, SAMHD1, tetherin, viperin, and HERC5/6. Additionally, antiviral processes such as MHC-I antigen presentation and stress granule signaling are enhanced in IRGM-deficient cells, indicating a robust cell-intrinsic antiviral immune state. Consistently, IRGM-depleted cells are resistant to the infection with seven viruses from five different families, including Togaviridae, Herpesviridae, Flaviviverdae, Rhabdoviridae, and Coronaviridae. Moreover, we show that Irgm1 knockout mice are highly resistant to chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection. Altogether, our work highlights IRGM as a broad therapeutic target to promote defense against a large number of human viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, CHIKV, and Zika virus

Analysis of atmospheric ammonia over South and East Asia based on the MOZART-4 model and its comparison with satellite and surface observations

Limited availability of atmospheric ammonia (NH3) observations limits our understanding of controls on its spatial and temporal variability and its interactions with the ecosystem. Here we used the Model for Ozone and Related chemical Tracers version 4 (MOZART-4) global chemistry transport model and the Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution version 2 (HTAP-v2) emission inventory to simulate global NH3 distribution for the year 2010. We presented a first comparison of the model with monthly averaged satellite distributions and limited ground-based observations available across South Asia. The MOZART-4 simulations over South Asia and East Asia were evaluated with the NH3 retrievals obtained from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) satellite and 69 ground-based monitoring stations for air quality across South Asia and 32 ground-based monitoring stations from the Nationwide Nitrogen Deposition Monitoring Network (NNDMN) of China. We identified the northern region of India (Indo-Gangetic Plain, IGP) as a hotspot for NH3 in Asia, both using the model and satellite observations. In general, a close agreement was found between yearly averaged NH3 total columns simulated by the model and IASI satellite measurements over the IGP, South Asia (r=0.81), and the North China Plain (NCP), East Asia (r=0.90). However, the MOZART-4-simulated NH3 column was substantially higher over South Asia than East Asia, as compared with the IASI retrievals, which show smaller differences. Model-simulated surface NH3 concentrations indicated smaller concentrations in all seasons than surface NH3 measured by the ground-based observations over South and East Asia, although uncertainties remain in the available surface NH3 measurements. Overall, the comparison of East Asia and South Asia using both MOZART-4 model and satellite observations showed smaller NH3 columns in East Asia compared with South Asia for comparable emissions, indicating rapid dissipation of NH3 due to secondary aerosol formation, which can be explained by larger emissions of acidic precursor gases in East Asia

Dynamics of Hot QCD Matter -- Current Status and Developments

The discovery and characterization of hot and dense QCD matter, known as Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP), remains the most international collaborative effort and synergy between theorists and experimentalists in modern nuclear physics to date. The experimentalists around the world not only collect an unprecedented amount of data in heavy-ion collisions, at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in New York, USA, and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland but also analyze these data to unravel the mystery of this new phase of matter that filled a few microseconds old universe, just after the Big Bang. In the meantime, advancements in theoretical works and computing capability extend our wisdom about the hot-dense QCD matter and its dynamics through mathematical equations. The exchange of ideas between experimentalists and theoreticians is crucial for the progress of our knowledge. The motivation of this first conference named "HOT QCD Matter 2022" is to bring the community together to have a discourse on this topic. In this article, there are 36 sections discussing various topics in the field of relativistic heavy-ion collisions and related phenomena that cover a snapshot of the current experimental observations and theoretical progress. This article begins with the theoretical overview of relativistic spin-hydrodynamics in the presence of the external magnetic field, followed by the Lattice QCD results on heavy quarks in QGP, and finally, it ends with an overview of experiment results.Comment: Compilation of the contributions (148 pages) as presented in the `Hot QCD Matter 2022 conference', held from May 12 to 14, 2022, jointly organized by IIT Goa & Goa University, Goa, Indi