A Study on Kumbavatham

Based on Yugi Vaithiya Chinthamani, 40 cases of Kumbavatham were diagnosed Clinically. 20 cases were admitted and treated with the trial drugs in the inpatient ward and the rest of the patients treated in the outpatient department of Sirappu Maruthuvam at the Ayothidoss Pandithar Hospital attached to National Institute of Siddha, Tambaram Sanatorium, Chennai – 47. The various Siddha methods of examination of the disease were carried out and the data were recorded in the proforma. The trial medicines selected for both internal and external treatment were Vithurasa Mezhugu – 130 mg bid and Vatha Ennai – 30 ml respectively. Before starting treatment careful history was taken and recorded for the 40 selected cases. During treatment all the patients were put under patthiyam (a specific dietary regimen). Laboratory investigations were done periodically for all the cases before and after treatment. The observations made during the clinical study show that the internal drug Vithurasa Mezhugu and external application – Vatha Ennai are clinically effective. As per our Siddha Meteria Medica the ingredients of the trial medicines were found to have the property of controlling Vaatha diseases. CONCLUSION: The patients of Kumbavatham were treated with Vithurasa Mezhugu – 130 mg, twice a day with butter (internally) and Vatha Ennai (externally). The clinical evaluation of all the 40 cases of Kumbavatham under study has brought out the following results. Clinically relieved – 15%, Good improvement - 67.5% Moderate improvement – 12.5%l No improvement – 5%. The results of the clinical trial indicate the efficacy of the drugs. However there is recurrence of symptoms over months in some of the Kumbavatham patients who engage themselves in the same occupation again or go back to their fast and mechanical lifestyle. Most of the patients in whom the symptoms recurred were housewives who after their discharge from hospital continue to do their household works. Hence these drugs and methodology of the treatment will become one of the milestones in treating Kumbavatham successfully expecially in this era of fast and sophisticated lifestyle

A study on median nerve conduction velocity in different age groups

Background: Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCS) is a test to measure the speed and electrical activity in a nerve. Physiological factors like age, temperature, height, gender affect the nerve conduction velocity. There is paucity on the data regarding the age group at which these changes become significant. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the specific age group at which changes in nerve conduction velocity occurs.Methods: 103 individuals in the age group of 15-65 years participated in the study. They were grouped into, Group I in the age group of 15-30 (n=40) years, Group II 31-45 years (n=31), Group III 46-60 years (n=32). Median motor and sensory conduction velocity were determined.Results: There was a significant correlation between age and median motor (p=0) and sensory (p=0) conduction velocities. There was a significant decreasing trend observed in Group III.Conclusions: Age has definite correlation with the NCS in median motor and sensory nerves. It is essential to have reference values with relation to age

Sustainable land use planning in post war areas using geo- informatics as tools

Proper land use planning is indispensable for the sustainable economic development in the war affected areas. Impacts of war always result in drastic change in the present land use practices of a region. Migration of people is the major factor induced in the transformation of (and use. Geo informatics (Geographic Information System, Remote sensing and Global Positioning System) can be used as a powerful tool for sustainable land use planning in the post war regions. Sustainable land use planning in post war regions involves two stages a) Creation of database (Spatial and non-spatial) and b) Planning with the help of decision support systems. Creation of database involves identifying natural resources using satellite images, preparation of various thematic maps (soil map, geomorphology map, geology map, topographical map, vegetation map and present land use map), surveying using sophisticated instruments and collecting general information's! population, Climate and land ownership) from the local administration. Effective planning can be made using GIS and remote sensing which involves identifying disaster free sites for settlements, creating ecology conserved zones and building basic infrastructures. Occupation creation and restoration are also parts of sustainable land use planning. Restoring people to their own lands, providing basic infrastructures, natural resource management and creating income to the people are the major themes of sustainable land use planning. Land use planning in post war areas using GIS as a decision support systems are able to bring out a sustainable and more efficient land use pattern than in the pre war period

GENISTEIN ALLEVIATES HIGH GLUCOSE INDUCED TOXICITY AND ANGIOGENESIS IN CULTURED HUMAN RPE CELLS

Objective: Genistein, an iso flavonoid has been shown to possess many biological activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-angiogenic property. It has been shown to be protective in dampening diabetes induced retinal inflammation in vivo. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of genistein on glucose induced toxicity in cultured human RPE cells (ARPE-19).Methods: ARPE-19 cells were challenged with normal glucose (NG 5 mM) and high glucose (HG1 25 mM & HG2 50 mM) concentrations with or without genistein (20 µM) for 24 h. The mRNA expression of aldose reductase (ALR) and VEGF was measured by real-time PCR using SYBR green. Inhibitory effects upon ALR activity were performed. The VEGF levels of cell supernatant were estimated by sandwich ELISA. Cellular viability and mitochondrial function upon genistein treatment were assessed using dye exclusion method and MTT assay respectively.Results: Genistein at the studied concentration showed 93% of cell viability and no marked toxicity was observed on cell growth. ARPE-19 cells challenged with HG1 and HG2 showed (2.32) and (2.48) fold increase in ALR expression as compared to NG. Significant increase in VEGF165 expression was observed in ARPE-19 cells with HG1 and HG2 as compared to NG. The genistein treated cells significantly reduced the mRNA expression of both ALR and VEGF165. No significant increase in VEGF level was observed in ARPE-19 cell supernatant with HG1 and HG2 (220.68±5.24 and 228.96±7.19 pg/ml) as compared to NG (220.30±2.04 pg/ml), however, significant reduction was observed in response to treatment with genistein in HG1 and HG2 (155.51±9.33 and 122.85±4.76 pg/ml). Also ALR activity significantly reduced in genistein treated cells when compared with HG1 and HG2 concentrations.Conclusion: The results of the present study clearly demonstrate that genistein protects RPE cells from glucose toxicity. Genistein could be a prospective potent agent for treating complications linked with diabetes mellitus, such as diabetic retinopathy.Â

A Comparative Genome-Wide Transcriptome Analysis of Glucocorticoid Responder and Non-Responder Primary Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells

Aim: To investigate genes and pathways involved in differential glucocorticoid (GC) responsiveness in human trabecular meshwork (HTM) cells using RNA sequencing. Methods: Using paired human donor eyes, human organ-cultured anterior segment (HOCAS) was established in one eye to characterize GC responsiveness based on intra ocular pressure (IOP) change and, in the other eye, primary HTM cell culture was established. For RNA sequencing, total RNA extracted from GC-responder (GC-R) and non-responder (GC-NR) cells after dexamethasone (DEX) or ethanol (ETH) treatment for 7d was used. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were compared among five groups and validated. Results: In total, 616 and 216 genes were identified as significantly dysregulated in Group #1 and #2 (#1: ETH vs. DEX-treated GC-R; #2: ETH vs. DEX-treated GC-NR), respectively. Around 80 genes were commonly dysregulated in Group #3 (overlapping DEGs between #1 and #2), whereas 536 and 136 genes were uniquely expressed in GC-R (#4) and GC-NR HTM (#5) cells, respectively. Pathway analysis revealed that WNT signaling, drug metabolism cytochrome p450, cell adhesion, TGF-β signaling, and MAPK signaling were associated with GC responsiveness. Conclusion: This is the first study reporting distinct gene signatures and their associated pathways for GC-R and GC-NR HTM cells. WNT and MAPK signaling are potential therapeutic targets for the management of GC-induced glaucoma

Short and long-term effect of dexamethasone on the transcriptome profile of primary human trabecular meshwork cells in vitro

In the quest of identifying newer molecular targets for the management of glucocorticoid-induced ocular hypertension (GC-OHT) and glaucoma (GCG), several microarray studies have attempted to investigate the genome-wide transcriptome profiling of primary human trabecular meshwork (TM) cells in response to dexamethasone (DEX). However, no studies are reported so far to demonstrate the temporal changes in the expression of genes in the cultured human TM cells in response to DEX treatment. Therefore, in the present study, the time-dependent changes in the genome-wide expression of genes in primary human TM cells after short (16 hours: 16 h) and long exposure (7 days: 7 d) of DEX was investigated using RNA sequencing. There were 199 (118 up-regulated; 81 down-regulated) and 525 (119 up-regulated; 406 down-regulated) DEGs in 16 h and 7 d treatment groups respectively. The unique genes identified in 16 h and 7 d treatment groups were 152 and 478 respectively. This study found a distinct gene signature and pathways between two treatment regimes. Longer exposure of DEX treatment showed a dys-regulation of Wnt and Rap1 signaling and so highlighted potential therapeutic targets for pharmacological management of GC-OHT/glaucoma

Pharmacokinetic aspects of retinal drug delivery

Drug delivery to the posterior eye segment is an important challenge in ophthalmology, because many diseases affect the retina and choroid leading to impaired vision or blindness. Currently, intravitreal injections are the method of choice to administer drugs to the retina, but this approach is applicable only in selected cases (e.g. anti-VEGF antibodies and soluble receptors). There are two basic approaches that can be adopted to improve retinal drug delivery: prolonged and/or retina targeted delivery of intravitreal drugs and use of other routes of drug administration, such as periocular, suprachoroidal, sub-retinal, systemic, or topical. Properties of the administration route, drug and delivery system determine the efficacy and safety of these approaches. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic factors determine the required dosing rates and doses that are needed for drug action. In addition, tolerability factors limit the use of many materials in ocular drug delivery. This review article provides a critical discussion of retinal drug delivery, particularly from the pharmacokinetic point of view. This article does not include an extensive review of drug delivery technologies, because they have already been reviewed several times recently. Instead, we aim to provide a systematic and quantitative view on the pharmacokinetic factors in drug delivery to the posterior eye segment. This review is based on the literature and unpublished data from the authors' laboratory.Peer reviewe

Ocular hypotensives and neuroprotectans in glaucoma

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors.International audienceGlaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the world. It is an optic neuropathy disease associated with elevated intraocular pressure. Glaucoma encompass a group of various clinical presentations that share the same anatomical feature, a progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) superior to the age-related loss. This chapter deals about the pharmacology of conventional antiglaucoma drugs and newer drugs/pathways which are under investigation. Medical management of glaucoma has been discussed with the concept of reaching target intraocular pressure (“Target IOP”) using pharmacological agents. Newer concept of neuro-protectants for the management of glaucoma has also been included in the deliberations