Assessment of safety and efficacy of a dietary supplement KaraLiv™ in supporting liver health: a double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial

Background: The liver is responsible for many critical functions within the body. If the liver becomes diseased or injured, loss of those critical functions can cause significant damage to the body. KaraLivTM is a novel herbal formulation which contains a blend of different herbal extract ingredients. The current study tested the safety and efficacy of KaraLivTM versus a placebo control in supporting liver function.Methods: The study is a randomized, double-blind, parallel, and placebo-controlled study. A total of 60 patients were divided into 2 groups of 30 each. One group was given KaraLivTM and the other group was given a placebo for a period of 56 days. Treatment results were assessed by evaluating the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in both groups.Results: The herbal supplement KaraLivTM significantly supported healthy liver function compared to the placebo following the 56 days of treatment. The treatment (KaraLivTM) group showed a statistically significant improvement in assessed liver enzyme levels compared to the placebo group.Conclusions: The all-natural herbal supplement KaraLivTM is a safe and effective product that can significantly help support healthy liver function

A randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled study to evaluate efficacy and safety of a synergistic multi-herbal extract blend KaraHeart™ in supporting healthy cholesterol levels

Background: Hyperlipidemia is a condition involving abnormally high levels of lipids in the blood. Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and refers to either high levels of triglycerides (TGL) or cholesterol. Herbal supplements have been used in the management of cholesterol levels in Ayurveda, a complete medical system originating in India. KaraHeart™ is a multi-herbal extract synergistic blend that may help in the management of healthy cholesterol levels. The current study tested the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of KaraHeart™ versus a placebo in the management of cholesterol levels of patients with mild hyperlipidemia.Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, parallel, and placebo-controlled study. A total of 100 patients were divided into two groups. One group was given KaraHeart™ and the other group was given a placebo for 120 days. Treatment results were assessed by checking the lipid profile parameters such as total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and TGL.Results: The study found that the herbal supplement KaraHeart™ significantly reduced levels of LDL, VLDL, TGL, and total cholesterol, while increasing the levels of HDL in the blood. Additionally, the study concluded that KaraHeart™ was safe to use.Conclusions: KaraHeart™ was shown to be safe and effective in the management of cholesterol levels

Comparative fishing ability and economic efficiency of mechanised trawlers operating along the Kerala coast

This study was undertaken with a view to finding out the comparative fishing ability and economic performance of different fishing vessel sizes 9.15m (30'), 9.76m (32') and 10.97m (36') designed by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology and operating along the Kerala coast. Data were collected from selected vessels of these sizes for four consecutive fishing seasons from 1964-65 to 1967-68. The catch/unit effort and total effort per year for the 10.97m (36') vessels were much better than those for the 9.76m (32') vessels. The yearly landings and the crew remuneration for the former were about twice those of the 9.76m (32') vessels. The economic efficiency of the 10.97m (36') vessels was also much better. The decline in landings per year in both size groups was more due to the reduction in the effort per year than the decline in catch/unit effort

Assessment of safety and efficacy of Karallief® Easy ClimbTM, an herbal extract blend for supporting joint health: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial

Background: Osteoarthritis is common among the aging population worldwide. The current techniques to manage osteoarthritis focus on relieving pain and slowing the progression of the disease. Herbal or natural supplements have shown promise in achieving both these treatment goals. Two new proprietary herbal extract blends, Karallief® Easy ClimbTM (KEC) and herbal extracts with glucosamine (HEG), are combinations of several natural products shown to be effective in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. The current study tested the efficacy and safety of KEC and HEG versus a placebo control.Methods: This is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study. A total of 120 patients were divided into 3 groups and were given KEC, HEG and Placebo in the ratio 1:1:1. Treatment results were assessed using the 30 second chair stand test, WOMAC test, knee flexion test and joint space measurement using X-rays of the knee joint.Results: The study found that the herbal supplements HEG and KEC significantly reduced osteoarthritis-related knee pain and increased joint mobility and were safe to use during 120 days of treatment. Both supplements resulted in an improvement in the 30 second chair stand test results, WOMAC pain scores, knee flexion, and joint space width as measured by X-ray, as compared to the placebo.Conclusions: Natural supplements such as HEG and KEC improve knee osteoarthritis symptoms and can be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with osteoarthritis

Imaging mechanisms analysis of compact digital holographic microscope for microparticles measurement

AbstractConventional optical microscopy suffers from small depth of focus due to its high numerical aperture and magnification of the microscope objective. In comparison, digital in-line holographic microscopy (DIHM) provides information about the entire 3D volume through numerical reconstruction of the single hologram at several depths. This advantage makes DIHM an effective tool for the measurement of microparticles in suspension. Recently, our group has demonstrated the potential of DIHM for accurate measurement of particles with sizes ranging from 40 microns to a few millimetres. In this paper, the applicability of DIHM is extended for measurement of near-micron sized particles. A compact digital holographic microscope with a single microscope objective is presented. The system imaging mechanisms of the microscope is analyzed first and the recording distance of digital hologram is calculated using spatial frequency analysis. Then the system magnification, lateral resolution and depth resolution are analyzed in terms of the hologram recording distance. Finally, the characterization of microparticles with a diameter of 1 micron and 10 microns is demonstrated with the compact setup. The experimental results show the efficiency and accuracy of this method with a measured error less than 1.55% in the diameter of certified particles

Assessment of KaraShieldTM properties in supporting the immune health of healthy subjects: a randomized, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study

Background: This study aims to investigate whether a novel herbal extract blend, KaraShieldTM could be used to help build a healthy immune system that could reduce the number of incidences or severity of common upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). Methods: A randomized, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study of 60 days was done on 120 healthy subjects allocated to a treatment arm (500 mg/day, KaraShieldTM) or placebo arm (500 mg/day). Results: A 500 mg daily dosage of KaraShieldTM significantly improved the subjects' immune health as measured by parameters such as the frequency and severity of upper respiratory tract conditions, the serum IgG level, mean ISQ raw score, WURSS scale score, CRP level in the serum and WHOQOL-BREF score at the end of the study period of sixty days from the baseline compared to that of the placebo. The investigated product was found to be safe and well tolerated by the subjects. Conclusions: KaraShieldTM may represent a promising safe and effective formulation for building a healthy immune system that could then counteract URTIs

Transmembrane solute transport in the apicomplexan parasite Plasmodium

Apicomplexa are a large group of eukaryotic, single-celled parasites, with complex life cycles that occur within a wide range of different microenvironments. They include important human pathogens such as Plasmodium, the causal agent of malaria, and Toxoplasma, which causes toxoplasmosis most often in immunocompromised individuals. Despite environmental differences in their life cycles, these parasites retain the ability to obtain nutrients, remove waste products, and control ion balances. They achieve this flexibility by relying on proteins that can deliver and remove solutes. This reliance on transport proteins for essential functions makes these pathways excellent potential targets for drug development programmes. Transport proteins are frequently key mediators of drug resistance by their ability to remove drugs from their sites of action. The study of transport processes mediated by integral membrane proteins and, in particular, identification of their physiological functions and localisation, and differentiation from host orthologues has already established new validated drug targets. Our understanding of how apicomplexan parasites have adapted to changing environmental challenges has also increased through the study of their transporters. This brief introduction to membrane transporters of apicomplexans highlights recent discoveries focusing on Plasmodium and emphasises future directions

Predictors of mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and risk score formulation for prioritizing tertiary care—An experience from South India

BACKGROUND: We retrospectively data-mined the case records of Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized to a tertiary care centre to derive mortality predictors and formulate a risk score, for prioritizing admission. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Data on clinical manifestations, comorbidities, vital signs, and basic lab investigations collected as part of routine medical management at admission to a COVID-19 tertiary care centre in Chengalpattu, South India between May and November 2020 were retrospectively analysed to ascertain predictors of mortality in the univariate analysis using their relative difference in distribution among ‘survivors’ and ‘non-survivors’. The regression coefficients of those factors remaining significant in the multivariable logistic regression were utilised for risk score formulation and validated in 1000 bootstrap datasets. Among 746 COVID-19 patients hospitalised [487 “survivors” and 259 “non-survivors” (deaths)], there was a slight male predilection [62.5%, (466/746)], with a higher mortality rate observed among 40–70 years age group [59.1%, (441/746)] and highest among diabetic patients with elevated urea levels [65.4% (68/104)]. The adjusted odds ratios of factors [OR (95% CI)] significant in the multivariable logistic regression were SaO(2)3; 3.01 (1.61–5.83), Age ≥50 years;2.52 (1.45–4.43), Pulse Rate ≥100/min: 2.02 (1.19–3.47) and coexisting Diabetes Mellitus; 1.73 (1.02–2.95) with hypertension and gender not retaining their significance. The individual risk scores for SaO(2)3–11, Age ≥50 years-9, Pulse Rate ≥100/min-7 and coexisting diabetes mellitus-6, acronymed collectively as ‘OUR-ARDs score’ showed that the sum of scores ≥ 25 predicted mortality with a sensitivity-90%, specificity-64% and AUC of 0.85. CONCLUSIONS: The ‘OUR ARDs’ risk score, derived from easily assessable factors predicting mortality, offered a tangible solution for prioritizing admission to COVID-19 tertiary care centre, that enhanced patient care but without unduly straining the health system