NEW INTERVENTIONS IN FUMIGATING WITH APARAJITHA DHOOMA CHOORNAM

Aparajitha dhooma choornam is a traditional Ayurvedic medicine used to disinfect the environment. The microbicidal properties of Ayurvedic Dhoopana have been previously documented. The safety and efficacy of herbal products can be improved by incorporating modern technology while fumigating. The present study aims to show the efficacy of fumigation with Aparajitha dhooma choornam sticks in reducing microbial flora of work spaces so that it can be used conveniently on a regular basis to improve air quality and reduce the incidence of spread of airborne diseases. Bioassay studies were also carried out to check the insecticidal activity of Dhoopana against both larvae and adult mosquitoes found at site. Thus fumigation with Aparajitha dhooma choornam sticks and powder form was found to be effective in not only reducing microbial load but also in possessing insecticidal activity

STUDY ON THE ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY OF HAND SANITIZERS DEVELOPED BY THE PHARMACEUTICAL CORPORATION (I.M) KERALA LTD (OUSHADHI)

Hand sanitizers are used to ensure hygiene in the absence of hand washing facilities or where frequent sanitizing is required especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Handsanitizers using different combinations were prepared at Oushadhi using WHO recommendations and also to promote Kerala Government’s initiative of break the chain campaign. The campaign was launched on 15th March 2020 and it aims to cut down the progress of disease transmission. The efficacy of the batches of sanitizers prepared was tested against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. They were also tested against common air and water contaminants found in the premises which would be of more significance to the general workforce. The susceptibility test was performed by agar well diffusion method and it revealed that the antimicrobial efficacy of the prepared hand sanitizer Batch III with Cymbopogon citratus oil was the most effective among the three combinations. A hedonic sensory evaluation was carried out for better consumer acceptability

Vitamin C supplementation as adjuvant analgesic therapy in post-operative pain management in patients undergoing surgical decompression in a case of prolapsed intervertebral disc

Background: The management of postoperative pain has been a major challenge for the operating surgeons. Vitamin C has shown analgesic effects in specific clinical conditions, reducing patient suffering and improving the quality of life. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin C as an adjuvant in postoperative pain management and its effect on analgesia requirements in patients undergoing spinal decompression surgery.Methods: The present study was a prospective study of 50 patients aged 30-60 years with low back pain due to prolapsed intervertebral disc requiring surgical decompression, conducted in a tertiary care institute from 2018 to 2020. All patients underwent open discectomy. 25 patients each were randomized into two groups, those that were given vitamin c supplementation (group A) and those that weren't (group B). The patients were then followed up 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th week and the pain was graded at each follow-up according to the NRS scale. The total amount of diclofenac sodium consumed in the 6 weeks was calculated.Results: The mean NRS (A vs B) at 2 (2.68 vs 3.56) and 4 (0.88 vs 1.48) weeks follow-up showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups, but the difference was not significant at 6 (0.16 vs 0.36) weeks follow up. The difference in the consumption of analgesic (3.56 vs 5.46) at 6 weeks was statistically significant.Conclusions: In this clinical outcome-based study, we suggest that for postoperative pain management, vitamin C acts as an efficacious adjuvant with a dose-sparing effect on the consumption of analgesics

Evaluation of talus fractures treated with fixation- correlation of functional outcome with the fracture type and wound condition

Background: Fractures of talus are one of the most difficult ones to treat owing to the problems of complicated fracture patterns, wound problems, risk of osteonecrosis etc. This study aims to evaluate the relation of the fracture type and wound with the functional outcome after open reduction and fixation.Methods: The study was conducted in Sir J. J. Group of Hospitals from June 2014 to March 2018. A consecutive series of 28 patients with displaced fractures of talus were selected after approval from ethical committee. All patients were operated and evaluated at average of 6 months after surgery.Results: The Hawkins score was used to evaluate the functional outcome. 60% of patients of type II gained good to very good score as compared to 40% of patients of type III and 30% of type IV. With increase in severity of the fracture, percentage of score decreased.Conclusions: Most precise method of restoring and maintaining the anatomy of talus fracture is open reduction and internal fixation to allow early motion. Surgery for displaced fractures consists of anatomically correct reconstruction to avoid articular surface incongruence and angular deformity as well as preservation and rapid restoration of talar blood supply. This will ensure early mobilization and satisfactory outcome. Open fractures have worse functional outcome than closed fractures owing to lower union rates, higher osteonecrosis rates and higher re-operation and infection rates.

Socio-demographic profile of poisoning in children admitted to a tertiary hospital

Background: Childhood poisoning is a significant public health problem and is very important cause of mortality and morbidityin children. The offending substances used vary from place to place. The pattern of poisoning has been changing with new hazardsconstantly appearing due to the introduction of new drugs and chemicals. Childhood poisoning is usually accidental makingpoisoning a preventable problem. Objectives: To determine the socio-demographic and clinical profile and outcome of childhoodpoisoning in a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was done over a period of 2-year in a tertiarycare hospital. We studied children <15 years of age who were admitted to our hospital with a history of poisoning. Children withhistory of food poisoning, snake bite, scorpion sting, and insect bites were excluded from the study. The demographic profile ofpatients, various substances of poisoning, mode of poisoning, and outcome of admitted children with poisoning were studied.Results: Among 200 children admitted with the history of poisoning, 126 (63%) were boys and 74 (37%) were girls. The majorityof the poisoning were accidental in nature and found to be common in the age group of 1-5 years, children from rural areas, and areof lower socio-economic status. Kerosene poisoning was the most common (35%) agent followed by organophosphorus poisoning(11%). 4 children died due to various complications of poisoning. Conclusion: Common household products were found to be themain source of poisoning in younger age groups from rural background, and the majority was accidental in nature. Educationalprograms toward creating awareness among public are necessary to reduce the incidence of poisoning in children

Radiological correlation with functional outcome in displaced proximal humerus fractures treated with locking plates: a prospective study of 35 cases

Background: The objective of this prospective study is to investigate the relationship between the functional outcome and the radiographic results of two-, three- and four part proximal humeral fractures treated with open reduction and fixation with PHILOS locking plate.Methods: 35 patients (30 males and 5 females) with displaced proximal humerus fracture were treated with PHILOS plating and studied prospectively. According to Neer’s classification there were 16 two part fracture (45%), 15 three part fracture (42%) and 4 four part fracture (13%). The healing of fracture, head shaft angle (HSA) and complications were evaluated radiologically with plain radiographs whereas the functional outcome was assessed by the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after surgery.Results: In our study, patients treated with locking plates had mean forward flexion of 123°, abduction of 124°, mean external rotation of 30° and internal rotation 53° at 1 year follow-up. Maximum improvement in range of movement occurred between interval of 12 weeks to 24 weeks due to complete fracture union occurred approximately up to 12 weeks. The mean SPADI score at end of 1 year were 10.22, 10.38 and 10.20 for two, three and four part fractures respectively. Average postoperative and follow-up HSA's were 134.1±4.4 and 132.5±1.2 degrees, respectively. Varus progression was more prominent in patients with postoperative HSA <130 (p<0.001). Complications included impingement in 1 case, joint penetration by screw in 1 case, failure of fixation in 1 case and infection in 1 case.Conclusions: Fixed angle locked plate is an extremely useful implant for reconstruction and salvage of proximal humeral fractures. Precise surgical technique, stable fracture fixation and restoration of anatomical reduction are absolutely necessary for improved outcome

High biological productivity in the central Arabian Sea during the summer monsoon driven by Ekman pumping and lateral advection

Open oceans are generally oligotrophic and support less biological production. Results from the central Arabian Sea show that it may be an exception to this. We provide the observational evidence of fairly high biological production (up to 1700 mg C m-2 d-1) in the central Arabian Sea, along 64oE, during the summer monsoons of 1995 and 1996. The reasons for the observed high biological production, comparable to that from the traditionally well-known Somali upwelling region, were examined in light of the physical forcing and prevailing chemical fields. In the northern part of the central Arabian Sea, north of the axis of the Findlater Jet, upward Ekman pumping and entrainment driven by basin-wide winds along with advection of upwelled waters from the coastal region of Arabia supply nutrients to the upper layers. In the southern part, production is supported by nutrients advected from the Somali upwelling regio

Rice-Magnaporthe transcriptomics reveals host defense activation induced by red seaweed-biostimulant in rice plants

Red seaweed extracts have been shown to trigger the biotic stress tolerance in several crops. However, reports on transcriptional modifications in plants treated with seaweed biostimulant are limited. To understand the specific response of rice to blast disease in seaweed-biostimulant-primed and non-primed plants, transcriptomics of a susceptible rice cultivar IR-64 was carried out at zero and 48 h post inoculation with Magnaporthe oryzae (strain MG-01). A total of 3498 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified; 1116 DEGs were explicitly regulated in pathogen-inoculated treatments. Functional analysis showed that most DEGs were involved in metabolism, transport, signaling, and defense. In a glass house, artificial inoculation of MG-01 on seaweed-primed plants resulted in the restricted spread of the pathogen leading to the confined blast disease lesions, primarily attributed to reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. The DEGs in the primed plants were defense-related transcription factors, kinases, pathogenesis-related genes, peroxidases, and growth-related genes. The beta-D-xylosidase, a putative gene that helps in secondary cell wall reinforcement, was downregulated in non-primed plants, whereas it upregulated in the primed plants indicating its role in the host defense. Additionally, Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, pathogenesis-related Bet-v-I family protein, chalcone synthase, chitinases, WRKY, AP2/ERF, and MYB families were upregulated in seaweed and challenge inoculated rice plants. Thus, our study shows that priming rice plants with seaweed bio-stimulants resulted in the induction of the defense in rice against blast disease. This phenomenon is contributed to early protection through ROS, protein kinase, accumulation of secondary metabolites, and cell wall strengthening