EFFICACY OF NEUROMUSCULAR THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN

Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal problem that is often chronic or recurrent. Myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) cause low back pain and are prevalent in patients with LBP. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of multimodal treatment of MTrPs in patients with chronic low back pain. A single-assessor, blinded, randomized, controlled trial was conducted at Mannam Ayurveda Medical College, Pandalam. The intervention group received comprehensive treatment on alternate days consisting of trigger point releasing by manual compression of the MTrPs, stretching of the muscles and Dhanyamla dhara. Patients were instructed to perform muscle-stretching and relaxation exercises and maintain good posture. The control group was received only Dhanyamla dhara. The Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability questionnaire score (OLBPD) (primary outcome), Visual Analogue Scale for Pain (VAS-P), and the number of muscles with MTrPs were assessed at base line, 3 and 6 weeks in the intervention group and compared with those of a control group. As compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significant improvement (P < 0.05) on the OLBPD after 6 weeks. The results of this study show that 6-week comprehensive treatment of MTrPs in lower back muscles such as Piriformis, Quadratus lumborum, and iliopsoas muscles reduces the number of muscles with active MTrPs and is effective in reducing symptoms and improving Sciatica. IVDP can be prevented by early detection and deactivation of Myofascial trigger points. Combination therapy of trigger point releasing with Ayurvedic therapies shows highly beneficial in LBP

The Trichoptera of Panama. VI. Seven new species of microcaddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) from Mount Totumas Cloud Forest and Biological Reserve

There have been 136 species of microcaddisflies (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) recorded from the Republic of Panama. Herein we describe seven new species from the Mount Totumas Cloud Forest and Biological Reserve, in the upper reaches of the Río Chiriquí Viejo watershed (Costatrichia devestiva, C. dietrichi, Metrichia brocha, M. calla, Neotrichia atopa, Ochrotrichia anticheirion, and Rhyacopsyche totuma). These results are part of an ongoing effort to characterize the aquatic insect fauna of Panama, and to evaluate that country’s major watersheds

The Trichoptera of Panama XIII. Further new country records for caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Republic of Panama

The Republic of Panama currently includes 414 recorded species of Trichoptera. Herein we add two new genera (Hydroptilidae: Angrisanoia Ozdikmen, 2008 and Mayatrichia Mosely, 1937) and 17 new country records (Philopotamidae: Chimarra (C.) tapanti Blahnik, Wormaldia bolivari Muñoz-Quesada and Holzenthal, and Wormaldia zunigae Muñoz-Quesada and Holzenthal; Hydropsychidae: Centromacronema pygmaeum Botosaneanu; Hydroptilidae: Brysopteryx esparta Harris and Holzenthal, Byrsopteryx solisi Harris and Holzenthal, Costatrichia falsa Santos, Takiya, and Nessimian, Mayatrichia illobia Harris and Holzenthal, Metrichia amplitudinis Bueno-Soria and Holzenthal, Ochrotrichia boquillas Moulton and Harris, O. conformalis Bueno-Soria and Holzenthal, O. quinealensis Bueno-Soria and Holzenthal, and O. unica Bueno-Soria and Santiago; Leptoceridae: Triaenodes morai Holzenthal and Andersen; Odontoceridae: Marilia kingsolveri Bueno-Soria and Rojas-Ascencio; and, Helicopsychidae: Helicopsyche alajuela Johanson and Holzenthal and Helicopsyche breviterga Flint) to Panama’s caddisfly fauna. The newly recorded taxa increase Panama’s total known caddisfly fauna to 431 species, distributed among 15 families and 55 genera. These results are part of an ongoing effort to characterize the caddisfly fauna of Panama, and to evaluate the aquatic insect diversity of the country’s major watersheds (cuencas). La República de Panamá actualmente incluye 414 especies registradas de Trichoptera. Aquí agregamos dos nuevos géneros (Hydroptilidae: Angrisanoia Ozdikmen, 2008 y Mayatrichia Mosely, 1937) y 17 nuevos registros para el país (Philopotamidae: Chimarra (C.) tapanti Blahnik, Wormaldia bolivari Muñoz-Quesada y Holzenthal, y Wormaldia zunigae Muñoz-Quesada y Holzenthal; Hydropsychidae: Centromacronema pygmaeum Botosaneanu; Hydroptilidae: Brysopteryx esparta Harris y Holzenthal, Byrsopteryx solisi Harris y Holzenthal, Costatrichia falsa Santos, Takiya, y Nessimian, Mayatrichia illobia Harris y Holzenthal, Metrichia amplitudinis Bueno-Soria y Holzenthal, Ochrotrichia boquillas Moulton y Harris, Ochrotrichia conformalis Bueno-Soria y Holzenthal, Ochrotrichia quinealensis Bueno-Soria y Holzenthal, y Ochrotrichia unica Bueno-Soria y Santiago; Leptoceridae: Triaenodes morai Holzenthal y Andersen; Odontoceridae: Marilia kingsolveri Bueno-Soria y Rojas- Ascencio; y, Helicopsychidae: Helicopsyche alajuela Johanson y Holzenthal y Helicopsyche breviterga Flint) a la fauna de Trichoptera de Panamá. Los taxones recien reportados aumentan el total de la fauna de Trichoptera de Panamá a 431 especies, distribuidas en 15 familias y 55 géneros. Estos resultados son parte de un esfuerzo continuo para caracterizar la fauna de Trichoptera y para evaluar la diversidad de insectos acuáticos de las principales cuencas hidrográficas (cuencas) de Panamá

The Trichoptera of Panama IV. New records for caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Republic of Panama

The Republic of Panama currently has 300 recorded species of Trichoptera distributed among 14 families. Herein we add 42 new country records for Panama, including one new family (Anomalopsychidae) and three new genera (Anomalopsychidae: Contulma; Hydroptilidae: Byrsopteryx and Cerasmatrichia). The newly recorded caddisfly taxa increase Panama’s total known fauna to 342 species, distributed among 15 families and 50 genera. These results are part of an ongoing effort to characterize the caddisfly fauna of Panama, and to evaluate that country’s major watersheds (cuencas)

The Trichoptera of Panama IV. New records for caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Republic of Panama

The Republic of Panama currently has 300 recorded species of Trichoptera distributed among 14 families. Herein we add 42 new country records for Panama, including one new family (Anomalopsychidae) and three new genera (Anomalopsychidae: Contulma; Hydroptilidae: Byrsopteryx and Cerasmatrichia). The newly recorded caddisfly taxa increase Panama’s total known fauna to 342 species, distributed among 15 families and 50 genera. These results are part of an ongoing effort to characterize the caddisfly fauna of Panama, and to evaluate that country’s major watersheds (cuencas)

Evaluation of the anti-diabetic potential of aqueous extract of Clerodendrum infortunatum L. in vivo in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats

Diabetes Mellitus, the metabolic syndrome where the body either fails to produce or effectively utilize insulin, is associated with chronic morbidity. While a definitive cure for the disease is lacking, with the modern medicine offering mainly the means to control the extent of the disease, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAMs) offers additional/alternate means to tackle the disease. On the other hand, the lack of evidenced medical practices is a lacuna in most of the traditional medical applications. Clerodendrum infortunatum.L (Lamiaceae family), a perennial shrub found in the tropics, has been known for its numerous pharmacological properties and is found as a constituent in many Ayurvedic and Siddha drugs, especially for skin and respiratory ailments. The plant has a noted potential as anti-hyperglycemic and has been found to be used in traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes. However, evidence based evaluations have not been conducted on the anti-hyperglycemic effect of the plant, especially with respect to the general mode of intake, i.e, the aqueous form. In the current study, the aqueous extract of C. infortunatum (CI), was scientifically assessed for its effect on streptozotocin induced diabetes in Wistar albino rats. The diabetic rats were divided into 5 groups of 6 animals each. For testing the efficacy of extracts, two groups were intra-orally provided with dosages of 200 mg/Kg and 400 mg/Kg of body weight of animals, respectively, of aqueous extracts of CI. Control groups were maintained for evaluation, which included vehicle control as well as with Glibenclamide, a standard anti-diabetic drug. The extracts at a dose of 400 mg/Kg body weight was found to be associated with significant amelioration of many of the diabetes induced conditions, suggesting that the plant extract could be a strong potential CAM candidate for therapeutic management of diabetes