MORPHOLOGICAL, CONTROVERSIAL AND LITERARY REVIEW OF SHANKHPUSHPI

India is enriched in diversity of flora since ages. The ancient professionals have kept records of their work related to the plants and their works are a source of research today. Shankhpushpi is a well known herb since the most primitive works on Ayurveda have its therapeutic uses well elaborated and its morphological features well described. Later on, controversies erupt as locals in different parts of India used different plant species in the name of Shankhpushpi. Mainly four different plant species are considered in the name Shankhpushpi across India. These are Convolvulus pluricaulis, Clitorea ternatea, Evolvulus alsenoides and Canscora decussata. Shankhpushpi is a widely used herbal drug in the management of cognitive disorders from the times of Acharya Charak (200 BC) till today. Shankhpushpi has been categorized as a Medhya drug i.e. an efficient brain tonic by all ancient texts with no exceptions. Modern researches have established Shankhpushpi as an effective drug to be used either single or in combination, in the treatment of central nervous system disorders and boosting intellect. This article is an attempt to review the morphological features of the plant taken as Shankhpushpi along with the review of literature regarding the therapeutic values described from 200 BC to 20th century.

COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE REVIEW OF MANDUKPARNI (CENTELLA ASIATICA) W.S.R. TO ITS MEDICINAL PROPERTIES

Ayurveda practitioners have managed and cured physical as well as mental health related disorders when there was no other stream of medicine evolved. The science of Ayurveda has evolved and emerged from ancient times to contemporary era as one of the most significant approach in medicine to treat various diseases. Ayurveda scholars from ancient times have invented and documented various medicinal herbs and their preparation and formulations to be used for the treatment. All Samhita Granths, Chikitsa Granths and Nighantus have quoted many such drugs with their specific uses and indications in particular diseases. Various Nighantus are rich source of knowledge regarding identification, place of origin and indications of various medicinal plants. Later on, with the evolution of technology, more researches were done on the medicinal plants and their utilities in specific disorders were re-evaluated. Mandukparni is one such drug which has been quoted many times in ancient texts as well as in various Nighantus and then more research work was done regarding the medicinal properties of the plants in different ailments. The herb is indicated as Medhya and Rasayana primarily by nearly all Ayurvedic texts including Nighantus. Mandukparni is named Centella asiatica in binomial system of nomenclature. Modern researches have also signified the use of this herb as a potent cognitive drug and having anti-oxidant properties. Alongside, the herb is indicated in many other diseases in ancient and modern texts. This article is an attempt to throw a light on the mentions, formulations and indications of this herb as described in all available texts and research works.

Acute stroke as the initial presentation of Takayasu arteritis: Rare but not infrequent…

Takayasu arteritis is an idiopathic, autoimmune, large vessel vasculitis, mainly affecting the young adults. Its exact etiopathogenesis is not known and it has varied clinical presentations. Acute stroke as initial presentation of Takayasu arteritis is uncommonly reported. Herein we present a case of a 24-year-old female who came to our hospital emergency with sudden onset of weakness of left half of the body of one-day duration. Takayasu arteritis complicated with acute ischemic stroke was diagnosed on the basis of CT angiography findings. The patient was managed accordingly and discharged in a stable condition. Relevant literature is also reviewed. Although considered to be a rare disease, Takayasu arteritis is not infrequent. A high index of suspicion is required for early diagnosis, so as to reduce the significant morbidity associated with the disease

Delayed diagnosis of Scrub Typhus in Dengue epidemic: A Case Report

We report a case of scrub typhus presenting with fever and thrombocytopenia highlighting the wide variation in clinical presentations leading to delayed diagnosis in dengue epidemic. Fever and thrombocytopenia are the most common clinical presentation in viral haemorrhagic fever but others diseases like malaria, typhoid, leptospira, rickettsial and other arboviral diseases, should also be considered in the differential diagnosis. A high clinical suspicion of scrub typhus and early differentiation from other diseases is important as lethal complications can occur because of delay in diagnosis and treatment

Impact of elevated carbon dioxide and temperature on wheat production under sub temperate climate in north western Himalayas, India

Wheat is the second most important cereal crop and plays a key role in food and nutritional security. The study examines the impact of elevated carbon dioxide and temperature under limited irrigations on wheat crop using crop growth simulation models under sub temperate climate. The Info Crop model was validated using the historical data generated by the research trials of All India Coordinated Research Improvement Project at Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. The model was run for 20 years from 1991 to 2010 for Palampur weather station. The results revealed 3.6 to 4.0 percent and 1.7 to 7.5 percent increase in simulated crop yield with 420 and 470 ppm CO2 respectively. The elevated maximum and minimum temperature by 1 and 20C with 370 ppm carbon dioxide reduced the anthesis period by 5-7 and 9-11 days respectively over the sowing window of November 15th to December 30th. Similarly, days to maturity also reduced by 4-5 and 7-8 days with 1 and 20C rise in temperature respectively. The simulated crop yield showed increase by 17.9 to 63.0 and 33.2 to 133.4 percent with 1 and 20C rise in temperature at 370 ppm CO2 under limited irrigations. The simulated grain yield at 420 ppm CO2 showed an increase of 23 to 69.7 percent with 10C and 39.5 to 123.5 percent with 20C whereas at 470 ppm CO2 level the increase was 27.9 to 76.1 at 10C and 46.4 to 133.0 percent with 20C rise in maximum and minimum temperatures respectively. Hence, simulated results of elevated temperature and CO2 levels proved to be beneficial in rabi wheat with adaptations strategy of limited irrigations under sub temperate climate of North Western Himalaya

Kinetic study of batch and fed-batch enzymatic saccharification of pretreated substrate and subsequent fermentation to ethanol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Enzymatic hydrolysis, the rate limiting step in the process development for biofuel, is always hampered by its low sugar concentration. High solid enzymatic saccharification could solve this problem but has several other drawbacks such as low rate of reaction. In the present study we have attempted to enhance the concentration of sugars in enzymatic hydrolysate of delignified <it>Prosopis juliflora</it>, using a fed-batch enzymatic hydrolysis approach.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out at elevated solid loading up to 20% (w/v) and a comparison kinetics of batch and fed-batch enzymatic hydrolysis was carried out using kinetic regimes. Under batch mode, the actual sugar concentration values at 20% initial substrate consistency were found deviated from the predicted values and the maximum sugar concentration obtained was 80.78 g/L. Fed-batch strategy was implemented to enhance the final sugar concentration to 127 g/L. The batch and fed-batch enzymatic hydrolysates were fermented with <it>Saccharomyces cerevisiae </it>and ethanol production of 34.78 g/L and 52.83 g/L, respectively, were achieved. Furthermore, model simulations showed that higher insoluble solids in the feed resulted in both smaller reactor volume and shorter residence time.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Fed-batch enzymatic hydrolysis is an efficient procedure for enhancing the sugar concentration in the hydrolysate. Restricting the process to suitable kinetic regimes could result in higher conversion rates.</p

Comparison of capillary based microflurometric assay for CD4+ T cell count estimation with dual platform Flow cytometry

The CD4+ T cell count estimation is an important monitoring tool for HIV disease progression and efficacy of anti-retroviral treatment (ART). Due to availability of ART at low cost in developing countries, quest for reliable cost effective alternative methods for CD4+ T cell count estimation has gained importance. A simple capillary-based microflurometric assay (EasyCD4 System, Guava Technology) was compared with the conventional flow cytometric assay for estimation of CD4+ T cell counts in 79 HIV infected individuals. CD4+ T cell count estimation by both the assays showed strong correlation (r = 0.938, p < 0.001, 95% CI 0.90 to 0.96). The Bland Altman plot analysis showed that the limits of variation were within agreeable limits of ± 2SD (-161 to 129 cells/mm(3)). The Easy CD4 assay showed 100% sensitivity for estimating the CD4+ T cell counts < 200 cells/mm(3 )and < 350 cells/mm(3 )and 97% sensitivity to estimate CD4+ T cell count < 500 cells/mm(3). The specificity ranged from 82 to 100%. The Kappa factor ranged from 0.735 for the CD4+ T cell counts < 350 cells/mm(3 )to 0.771 for < 500 cells/mm(3 )CD4+ T cell counts. The system works with a simple protocol, is easy to maintain and has low running cost. The system is compact and generates minimum amount of waste. Hence the EasyCD4 System could be applied for estimation of CD4+ T cell counts in resource poor settings

Placental damages from ultrasonic changes to histopathological findings in maturing placenta in pregnancy complicated with hypertension: an observational clinical study

Background: The development of mild hypertension or preeclampsia at or near term is associated with minimal maternal and neonatal morbidities. Obstetric ultrasound provides a cornerstone to other modalities used for assessing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Placental architecture is modified in PE and eclampsia. This study was designed to detect the placental changes in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and correlation with ultrasonic and histopathological changes.Methods: The study group comprised of 42 patients with pregnancy complicated with hypertension with period of gestation above 20 weeks and B.P. more than 140/90 mm of Hg measured on two occasions 6 hours or more apart. The control group consists of 42 normotensive patients matched with age and parity. One ultrasonic examination was performed between 28 weeks and 34 weeks and another after 34 weeks till term. Apart from routine parameters i.e. BPD, AC, FL, Amniotic fluid index, EBW and gestational age routine placental grading were performed according to the classification proposed by Grannum and associates. To evaluate perinatal outcome following measurement were studied birth weight immediately after delivery, mode of delivery, perinatal morbidity and mortality, APGAR score, presence of fetal distress.Results: In 97.62% cases (41 out of 42) of control group showed Grade–II changes as opposed to 57.14% of cases (24 out of 42) in study group before 34 weeks. All 21 cases in study group showing Grade ‘III’ changes before 34 weeks had infarction, calcification, increased syncytial knots, fibrinoid necrosis from 95.23 to 100% of these cases showed all these changes. Only 2 cases (9.52%) showed perivascular hemorrhage having Grade ‘III’ before 34 weeks.Conclusions: Accelerated maturation of placenta in pregnancy complicated with hypertension are more common in the hypertensive group. Increased histopathological degenerative changes e.g. calcification, fibrinoid necrosis etc., are more marked even before 34 weeks of gestation in hypertensive group