The Media in India and the Indian Nuclear Weapons Policy 1998–2018: An Abdication of Responsibility

The media in India did not critically examine India’s decision in 1998 to openly go nuclear. Its coverage reflected the general celebratory mood in society at the time. It has not changed its approach in the decades since 1998; the changes in the media since then and the growth of an aggressive nationalism in Indian politics in the intervening decades have put a value on nuclear weapons which the media has uncritically endorsed. An examination of the coverage by the daily The Hindu over a decade (2000–2009) illustrates the imbalance in coverage and comment. On the whole the media failed to provide a forum for public education on nuclear weapons, or for analysis and comment, or to build an agenda against nuclear weapons

Phytochemical Analysis and Cellular Uptake Study of an Ayurvedic Formulation, Vyaghryadi Kashayam Used in the Clinical Management of COVID-19.

Repurposing of drugs is one of the ways to combat COVID-19 and Traditional Chinese Medicine set a precedence for such an approach at the outset of the pandemic. In India, the Ministry of AYUSH has recommended a number of formulations in clinical management of COVID-19. Vyaghryadi Kashayam (VK) is a classical formulation indicated in the management of Vatakaphajvara (a type of fever) which is amongst the medicines recommended for management of COVID-19. The constituents of VK are Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Tinospora cordifolia (Thunb.) Miers and Solanum xanthocarpum Schrad & Wendl. A chemical profile of VK was generated using HPTLC and LC-MS/MS QTOF. Out of the 31 identified phytochemicals in VK, it was found that seven have been reported to have activity against SARS-CoV-2 in prior docking studies. Cellular uptake studies of VK in Caco2 cells showed that all these seven phytochemicals were absorbed by the cells. These findings provide preliminary hints about the potential of VK in clinical management of COVID-19. Further confirmatory in-vitro studies are warranted before large scale clinical studies are initiated

Ayurveda research: Emerging trends and mapping to sustainable development goals

Ayurveda is India's prominent traditional medical system. The World Health Organization has stated the need for more evidence and data from conventional medicine methods to inform policymakers, regulatory bodies, healthcare stakeholders, and the public about its safe, effective, and equitable use. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the emerging trends in Ayurveda research, mapping research to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and examining the impact of COVID-19. Using bibliometric methods, the researchers analyzed a total of 11,773 publications between 1993 and 2022 to understand the temporal evolution of publications, open-access publications, patterns of author collaboration, top-performing countries, and co-citation networks. The keyword co-occurrence analysis identifies networks of concentrated studies on Ayurveda research themes relating to the four clusters, Alternative and Traditional Medicine, Bioactive Compounds and Biological Activities, Analytical Techniques and Herbal Standardization, and Herbal Medicines and Immunomodulation, reflecting the diverse research areas within Ayurveda. The last cluster included research related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, suggesting research on herbal approaches to immune modulation in the context of COVID-19. The most prominent SDG among these research themes was Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3), emphasizing the potential of natural products and traditional medicine in promoting holistic health and combating antibiotic resistance

A first census of skin cancer specialist nurses across UK secondary care trusts.

Acknowledgements: We would like to thank all colleagues who took the time to complete this census. Thanks specifically to Emma Cargill, Caroline Hough and Vicky McMorran who helped to test the Census before going live. Thank you also to Delia Sworm for valuable feedback regarding the Census findings. Tim Dean (BASCNS) and Virginia Melesi (Transformation Lead, Eastern Region Cancer Alliance) assisted in disseminating the Census e-survey. JR was awarded a 2021 British Association of Dermatology elective prize for this project.BACKGROUND: Skin cancer specialist nurses (SCSNs) support patients and work alongside healthcare professionals throughout the care pathway. Skin cancer management is rapidly evolving, with increasing and more complex treatment options now available, so the need for patient support is growing. While SCSNs are a major source of that support, the provision of SCSN resource across the UK has never previously been assessed. We therefore undertook a first SCSN census on 1st June 2021. METHODS: An electronic survey was disseminated to UK hospital trusts and registered skin cancer healthcare professionals. Responses were identifiable only by the respective trust name. RESULTS: 112 responses from 87 different secondary care trusts were received; 92% of trusts reporting having at least 1 established SCSN post. Average SCSN staffing per trust was 2.4 (range 0-7) whole time equivalents, managing an average caseload of 83 (range 6-400) patients per week. SCSN workload had increased in 82% hospitals in the previous year and 30% of trusts reported being under-resourced. Most SCSN time was spent managing melanoma (as opposed to non-melanoma skin cancer) patients linked to surgical services. Regional variations existed, particularly associated with provision of lymphoedema services, nurse prescribing skills and patient access to clinical trials. The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a marked increase in SCSN-led telemedicine clinics, but loss of training and education opportunities. CONCLUSIONS: SCSNs based in secondary care hospitals play a major role supporting both clinicians and patients throughout the care pathway. This first UK census confirmed that SCSN workload is increasing and in one third of hospital trusts, the work was reported to outstrip the staffing available to manage the volume of work. Regional variations in SCSN resource, workload and job role, as well as availability of certain skin cancer services were identified, providing valuable information to healthcare commissioners concerned with service improvement

A first census of skin cancer specialist nurses across UK secondary care trusts

Abstract Background Skin cancer specialist nurses (SCSNs) support patients and work alongside healthcare professionals throughout the care pathway. Skin cancer management is rapidly evolving, with increasing and more complex treatment options now available, so the need for patient support is growing. While SCSNs are a major source of that support, the provision of SCSN resource across the UK has never previously been assessed. We therefore undertook a first SCSN census on 1st June 2021. Methods An electronic survey was disseminated to UK hospital trusts and registered skin cancer healthcare professionals. Responses were identifiable only by the respective trust name. Results 112 responses from 87 different secondary care trusts were received; 92% of trusts reporting having at least 1 established SCSN post. Average SCSN staffing per trust was 2.4 (range 0–7) whole time equivalents, managing an average caseload of 83 (range 6–400) patients per week. SCSN workload had increased in 82% hospitals in the previous year and 30% of trusts reported being under-resourced. Most SCSN time was spent managing melanoma (as opposed to non-melanoma skin cancer) patients linked to surgical services. Regional variations existed, particularly associated with provision of lymphoedema services, nurse prescribing skills and patient access to clinical trials. The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a marked increase in SCSN-led telemedicine clinics, but loss of training and education opportunities. Conclusions SCSNs based in secondary care hospitals play a major role supporting both clinicians and patients throughout the care pathway. This first UK census confirmed that SCSN workload is increasing and in one third of hospital trusts, the work was reported to outstrip the staffing available to manage the volume of work. Regional variations in SCSN resource, workload and job role, as well as availability of certain skin cancer services were identified, providing valuable information to healthcare commissioners concerned with service improvement

Structure-Based Bioactive Phytochemical Design from Ayurvedic Formulations Towards Spike and Mpro Druggable Targets of SARS-CoV-2

The present COVID-19 global crisis invoked different disciplines of the biomedical research community to address the contagious human to human viral transmission and infection severity. Traditional or de novo drug discovery approach is a very time consuming process and will conflict with the urgency to discover new anti-viral drugs for combating the present global pandemic. Modern anti-viral drugs are not very effective and show resistance with serious adverse effects. Thus, identifying bioactive natural ingredients (phytochemical) from different medicinal plants or Ayurvedic formulations provides an effective alternative therapy for SARS-CoV-2 viral infections. We performed structure-based phytochemical design studies involving bioactive phytochemicals from medicinal plants towards two key druggable targets, spike glycoprotein and main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2. Phyllaemblicin class of phytocompounds showed better binding affinity towards both these SARS-CoV-2 targets and its binding mode revealed interactions with critical amino acid residues at its active sites. Also, we have successfully shown that the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein interaction towards human ACE2 receptor as its port of human cellular entry was blocked due to conformational variations in ACE2 receptor recognition by the binding of the phytocompound, Phyllaemblicin C at the ACE2 binding domain of spike protein. Our study shows that the Phyllaemblicin class of phytochemicals can be a potential dual inhibitor of spike and Mpro proteins of SARS-CoV-2 and could be promising for the treatment of COVID-19. </p

Improving Imaging Modalities in Early Psoriatic Arthritis: The Role of Ultrasound in Early Diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthritis.

Objective: Despite recent advances, early diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) remains a challenge in clinical practice. Ultrasound (US) could be a useful tool for the diagnosis and management of PsA. The objective of this review was to determine the role of US in early diagnosis of PsA. Methods: We have performed a literature review aiming to evaluate studies on US findings in psoriasis and their predictive value of progression to PsA, as well as studies on US features specific for PsA in comparison with other conditions. Results: A total of 40 studies were included. Sixteen studies assessed US findings in psoriasis, of which only 3 prospectively evaluated the role of US in predicting progression to PsA. Patients with PsA had a greater frequency of US abnormalities, in particular enthesitis and Power Doppler(PD) signal compared to patients with psoriasis only. In the longitudinal studies, psoriatic patients with higher enthesopathy scores at baseline were more likely to progress to PsA. Twenty-four studies evaluated US abnormalities in PsA and compared them to other conditions. Most specific US features that distinguish PsA from psoriasis were PD signal and erosions in joints and entheses. Extra-synovial changes, including peri-tendinous dermal soft tissue oedema with associated PD signal and flexor tendon enthesopathy, as well as thickening of the pulleys in the flexor tendons were highly characteristic for PsA, as they were frequently found in PsA patients, but in none of the RA patients. US-detected entheseal abnormalities in particular erosions and PD signal were more frequent in patients with PsA compared to fibromyalgia. Conclusion: Despite the wide use of US in PsA, more research is needed to identify predictive factors of progression to PsA in patients with psoriasis, as well as to determine most specific US features that differentiate PsA from other conditions

A scoping review of Ayurvedic rasayana adaptogens in oncology.

INTRODUCTION: Rasayanas are Ayurvedic natural products that have adaptogenic effects. The extensive research on rasayanas in oncology is not currently well summarized. The aim of this review is to investigate the range and nature of the current body of research, identify gaps in knowledge, and to summarize the existing literature as it relates to Ayurvedic rasayanas and oncology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of fifteen Ayurvedic adaptogen rasayanas was conducted using three main concepts: Ayurvedic herbal terms, neoplasm terms, and oncological pathways. After screening was performed, key variables were extracted (tagged) including type of adaptogen, cancer type, type of study design, constituent type, and mechanisms of action (MOA). The results were synthesized and summarized using descriptive statistics and narrative summaries. RESULTS: Five hundred and eighty-four articles were reviewed and tagged. The two most tagged adaptogens were Glycyrrhiza glabra (Yashthimadhu/licorice) (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;166 (28.4&nbsp;%)) and Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;151 (25.9&nbsp;%)). The most frequently tagged cancer diagnostic categories were gastrointestinal (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;175 (30&nbsp;%)), and breast (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;126 (21&nbsp;%)). Most of the articles focused on in vitro studies (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;470 (80.3&nbsp;%)). Of the 12 MOA tags, the most frequently tagged was apoptosis (n&nbsp;=&nbsp;298 (29.2&nbsp;%)). CONCLUSION: A large body of pre-clinical literature exists on adaptogen rasayanas in oncology, indicating this field of research is still in its early phase. Comparatively few studies focused on the effects on the immune system. Given the growing interest in immuno-oncology therapeutics and the potential impact of adaptogen rasayanas on the immune system, future research may focus more in this area, along with work that is more directly linked to future clinical studies

A scoping review of Ayurvedic rasayana adaptogens in oncology

Introduction: Rasayanas are Ayurvedic natural products that have adaptogenic effects. The extensive research on rasayanas in oncology is not currently well summarized. The aim of this review is to investigate the range and nature of the current body of research, identify gaps in knowledge, and to summarize the existing literature as it relates to Ayurvedic rasayanas and oncology. Materials and methods: A comprehensive literature search of fifteen Ayurvedic adaptogen rasayanas was conducted using three main concepts: Ayurvedic herbal terms, neoplasm terms, and oncological pathways. After screening was performed, key variables were extracted (tagged) including type of adaptogen, cancer type, type of study design, constituent type, and mechanisms of action (MOA). The results were synthesized and summarized using descriptive statistics and narrative summaries. Results: Five hundred and eighty-four articles were reviewed and tagged. The two most tagged adaptogens were Glycyrrhiza glabra (Yashthimadhu/licorice) (n = 166 (28.4 %)) and Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) (n = 151 (25.9 %)). The most frequently tagged cancer diagnostic categories were gastrointestinal (n = 175 (30 %)), and breast (n = 126 (21 %)). Most of the articles focused on in vitro studies (n = 470 (80.3 %)). Of the 12 MOA tags, the most frequently tagged was apoptosis (n = 298 (29.2 %)). Conclusion: A large body of pre-clinical literature exists on adaptogen rasayanas in oncology, indicating this field of research is still in its early phase. Comparatively few studies focused on the effects on the immune system. Given the growing interest in immuno-oncology therapeutics and the potential impact of adaptogen rasayanas on the immune system, future research may focus more in this area, along with work that is more directly linked to future clinical studies