Effects of nonpharmacological interventions on disruptive vocalisation in nursing home patients with dementia-A systematic review

Background: Vocally disruptive behaviour is a common and difficult to treat condition in older residents with dementia. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the efficacy of nonpharmacological interventions in its management in persons with dementia residing in a nursing home.Methodology: A systematic search was conducted using Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases and reference lists from relevant publications on various nonpharmacological approaches to manage vocally disruptive behaviour in nursing home residents. The method of appraisal was through the National Institutes of Health scoring for the Quality Assessment of controlled intervention studies. Inclusion criteria included residents of nursing homes over the age of 65 with dementia and disruptive vocalisation. Only randomised controlled trials published in English were included.Results: A total of 5,606 articles were identified, which cover 501 trials, of which 23 were selected. There were fourteen studies observed to have an impact of clinical and statistical significance with interventions including (i) a multidimensional approach with different nonpharmacological interventions, (ii) multisensory stimulation, (iii) staff education and training, (iv) personalised bathing, and (v) pain recognition and appropriate management. Seven studies demonstrated no observable effect whereas two showed worsening in vocally disruptive behaviour.Conclusions: Many aspects of vocally disruptive behaviour management are poorly understood. Limited empirical evidence supports the use of several nonpharmacological interventions to reduce it. There is more robust evidence to support the use of a tailored approach to management over the universal approach

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampus Sclerosis: Prevalence, Etiology, And Treatment Options with Herbal Medicines

ABSTRACT Background and objectives: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which the patient suffers with two or more unprovoked seizures. It is one of the most common neurological disorders worldwide, affecting more than 70 million people. Currently various modes of effective treatments are available, but still there are many cases that remain drug resistant. Hence, there is a need to explore herbal medications for the treatment of drug resistant epilepsy. Methods: Recent reviews and research articles (2000-2022) from PubMed and Google Scholar have been explored. Review: Based on etiology, there are six categories of epilepsy: Genetic, Structural, Metabolic, Immune, Infectious, and Unknown epilepsy. Temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampus sclerosis (TLE-HS) is one of the most common forms of structural epilepsy. Even though several new anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) have been discovered, but the treatment of some cases, especially TLE-HS remain resistant to them. Surgery is one of the most effective treatment options for TLE-HS; however, this usually results in memory deficits, and occasionally, intracranial hematoma, delayed hydrocephalus, subdural empyema, and visual field defects in patients. Conclusion: Hence, to overcome drug resistance, new pharmacological and herbal therapies are required. Animal trials are first step in the development of new drugs, to study toxicity and efficacy of proposed drugs. Many herbs have anticonvulsant activity but remain an under-explored treatment option for epilepsy. Further research on herbal extracts as a possible treatment for epilepsy needs to be conducted

Naringenin protects AlCl3/D-galactose induced neurotoxicity in rat model of AD via attenuation of acetylcholinesterase levels and inhibition of oxidative stress

Currently prescribed medications for the treatment of Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) that are based on acetylcholinesterase inhibition only offer symptomatic relief but do not provide protection against neurodegeneration. There appear to be an intense need for the development of therapeutic strategies that not only improve brain functions but also prevent neurodegeneration. The oxidative stress is one of the main causative factors of AD. Various antioxidants are being investigated to prevent neurodegeneration in AD. The objective of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of naringenin (NAR) against AlCl3+D-gal induced AD-like symptoms in an animal model. Rats were orally pre-treated with NAR (50 mg/kg) for two weeks and then exposed to AlCl3+D-gal (150 mg/kg + 300 mg/kg) intraperitoneally for one week to develop AD-like symptoms. The standard drug, donepezil (DPZ) was used as a stimulator of cholinergic activity. Our results showed that NAR pre-treatment significantly protected AD-like behavioral disturbances in rats. In DPZ group, rats showed improved cognitive and cholinergic functions but the neuropsychiatric functions were not completely improved and showed marked histopathological alterations. However, NAR not only prevented AlCl3+D-gal induced AD-like symptoms but also significantly prevented neuropsychiatric dysfunctions in rats. Results of present study suggest that NAR may play a role in enhancing neuroprotective and cognition functions and it can potentially be considered as a neuroprotective compound for therapeutic management of AD in the future

Development of AD like symptoms following co-administration of AlCl3 and D-gal in rats: A neurochemical, biochemical and behavioural study

Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder associated with neurochemical and neurobehavioural alterations. Aluminium (Al) is considered as a contributing factor in the etiology of several neurodegenerative disorders like AD. D-galactose (D-gal) is a physiological nutrient but over supply induces some neurochemical and biochemical changes that exacerbate natural aging process. In this study, we aimed to develop AD animal model by co-administration of Al and D-gal in rats. Male albino Wistar rats were intraperitoneally injected with AlCl3 and D-gal at a dose of 150mg/kg and 300mg/kg respectively for one week. After one week rats were subjected to behavioural analysis. After behavioural analysis rats were decapitated to remove their brain. Biochemical and neurochemical analysis were conducted in whole brain. AlCl3+D-gal significantly induced depressive and anxious behaviour in rats. Rats cognitive abilities were also significantly impaired following AlCl3 and D-gal co-administration. AlCl3+D-gal significantly altered antioxidant enzyme activities and biogenic amine levels in whole brain. A marked increase in brain lipid peroxidation and acetylcholinesterase activity was found in test rats. These findings suggest that co-administration of AlCl3 and D-gal for one week could induce AD like symptoms and may be used to develop AD animal model

Enhanced physical endurance and improved memory performance following taurine administration in rats

Energy drinks enhance physical endurance and cognitive ability. The ingredients present in these drinks are considered as ergogenic and have memory boosting effects. In the present study effects of taurine administration for one week was monitored on physical exercise and memory performance in rats. Animals were divided into two groups namely control and test. Taurine was injected intraperitoneally to the test group at the dose of 100mg/kg. After one week of treatment rats were subjected to physical exercise and memory task. Results of this study revealed that rats injected with taurine for one week exhibited improved muscular strength as well as enhanced memory performance in Morris water maze and elevated plus maze. Biomarker of lipid peroxidation was significantly reduced in brain and plasma of test animals. Taurine administration also resulted in higher levels of corticosterone in this study. The results highlight the significance of taurine ingestion in energy demanding and challenging situations in athletes and young subjects

Molecular biology

Molecular Biology is written to strengthen the links between molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry. The content is related to the composition, structure, and interaction of the various cellular molecules. A direct approach has been taken to clarify the importance of genes and preservation of the main code- the basis of every evolution since the beginning of the world. The book encompasses in-depth information about vital processing in organisms, starting from scratch and leading to the final arenas of genetic engineering, the formation of new biotechnologies, new feature complexes for treatment and cures for various disorders. Thus, it aims to cover the whole theory of molecular biology

Herbal smoke, aerosol and cologne may play a role as disinfectant against the COVID-9 battle

Its letter to the edito

Herbal extracts: the future treatment option for drug-resistant epilepsy

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterised by two or more unprovoked seizures. The high prevalence and incidence of epilepsy globally, especially in Asia, has remained a big concern over the course of centuries. Patients are usually prescribed the already known anti-epileptic drugs, but even after going through three different generations of anti-epileptic drugs, some people still suffer from drug-resistant form of epilepsy. These patients are usually prescribed a higher dose of anti-epileptic drugs, which results in more adverse effects. That is why new treatment options, like herbal extracts, should be explored for patients who do not respond to the classic anti-epileptic drugs. The current narrative review was planned to explore if herbal extracts can be the future for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. Key Words: Epilepsy, Herbal extracts, Drug-resistant epilepsy, Anti-epileptic drugs

A Narrative Review on manifestations of gluten free casein free diet in autism and autism spectrum disorders

Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are specific neurological disorders that affect the brain, frequently characterised by challenging paediatric behaviour. The current narrative review using PubMed and Google Scholar was conducted in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols, and comprised randomised controlled trials and clinical control trials with gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diets published till 2020. Of the 80 studies selected, 7(8.75%) were included in the review. It was observed that the gluten-free, casein-free diet was safe with therapeutic benefits in autistic children. Therefore, a tailored dietary approach can be a beneficial management regimen. The trials related to utility of gluten-free, casein-free diet among autistic children are sparse, with limited sampling size, and indication of bias in the findings. Therefore, larger cohort studies on gluten-free, casein-free trials are required to provide further insight into the therapeutic benefits of the diet