A clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of Ashtanga Ghrita in Dementia

Dementia is defined as an acquired deterioration in cognitive abilities that impairs the performance of activities of daily living. In Ayurveda literatures this disease is explained under the concept of Jara Vyadhi. In elderly people there will be loss of cognitive abilities viz. Grahana, Dharana and Smarana because there is gradual diminution in the qualities of Dhatu and dominance of Vata. An individual can lead a normal happy life if one has a sound intellectual capacity with a good memory. Any impairments to his memory will has an effect on the quality of his living standards, thus this condition is chosen for the present study. Present study is a single group open clinical trial with pre and post-test design on 30 subjects. Subjects were administered with Ashtanga Ghrita for 60 days. The results were obtained on parameter viz. Impaired memory, Visuospatial disorientation, Apraxia, Impaired visuoconstructional drawing, Impaired judgement, Impaired language the result obtained statistically non-significant in the management of Dementia. However, it was observed the symptoms such as anger and irritability were reduced

Analytic philosophy for biomedical research: the imperative of applying yesterday's timeless messages to today's impasses

The mantra that "the best way to predict the future is to invent it" (attributed to the computer scientist Alan Kay) exemplifies some of the expectations from the technical and innovative sides of biomedical research at present. However, for technical advancements to make real impacts both on patient health and genuine scientific understanding, quite a number of lingering challenges facing the entire spectrum from protein biology all the way to randomized controlled trials should start to be overcome. The proposal in this chapter is that philosophy is essential in this process. By reviewing select examples from the history of science and philosophy, disciplines which were indistinguishable until the mid-nineteenth century, I argue that progress toward the many impasses in biomedicine can be achieved by emphasizing theoretical work (in the true sense of the word 'theory') as a vital foundation for experimental biology. Furthermore, a philosophical biology program that could provide a framework for theoretical investigations is outlined

Oral particle uptake and organ targeting drives the activity of amphotericin B nanoparticles

There are very few drug delivery systems that target key organs via the oral route, as oral delivery advances normally address gastrointestinal drug dissolution, permeation, and stability. Here we introduce a nanomedicine in which nanoparticles, while also protecting the drug from gastric degradation, are taken up by the gastrointestinal epithelia and transported to the lung, liver, and spleen, thus selectively enhancing drug bioavailability in these target organs and diminishing kidney exposure (relevant to nephrotoxic drugs). Our work demonstrates, for the first time, that oral particle uptake and translocation to specific organs may be used to achieve a beneficial therapeutic response. We have illustrated this using amphotericin B, a nephrotoxic drug encapsulated within <i>N</i>-palmitoyl-<i>N</i>-methyl-<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-dimethyl-<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-trimethyl-6-<i>O</i>-glycol chitosan (GCPQ) nanoparticles, and have evidenced our approach in three separate disease states (visceral leishmaniasis, candidiasis, and aspergillosis) using industry standard models of the disease in small animals. The oral bioavailability of AmB-GCPQ nanoparticles is 24%. In all disease models, AmB-GCPQ nanoparticles show comparable efficacy to parenteral liposomal AmB (AmBisome). Our work thus paves the way for others to use nanoparticles to achieve a specific targeted delivery of drug to key organs via the oral route. This is especially important for drugs with a narrow therapeutic index

The impact of Covid-19 on the English education teaching and learning environment and how this relates to sustaining and developing creativity, creative thinking and teaching for creativity - A literature review

The following literature review has been produced to inform and contribute to Arts Council England’s (ACE) interim report on the progress of the implementation of the recommendations made in the Durham Commission on Creativity and Education report. The review seeks to answer three research questions: Research Question 1: In what ways has Covid-19 impacted on the education environment and schooling context for children and young people between the age of 4 and 18 in England? Research Question 2: What does current research tell us about the educational priorities of education leaders (including policy makers and school leaders) since March 2020? Research Question 3: How have these changes impacted on factors which are important for fostering creativity and creative thinking, and on schools’ and other organisations’ ability to “teach for creativity”

Sustainable Dairy Farming: Introducing the COW DUNG REMOVER for Eco-Friendly Cleaning and Improved Livelihoods

This paper presents the implementation of a natural and renewable resource cleaning machine, also known as the cow dung remover, which was developed to solve the cleaning challenges faced by small-scale dairy farmers in the village. The proposed solution aims to simplify the work of the farmers, eliminate the physical strain associated with manual cleaning, and reduce the labour-intensive effort required to clean the dairy farm. The machine is operated using levers and has a scrapping plate connected to it, as well as a water tank. The device was designed to be economical, easy to operate, and environmentally friendly. The paper describes the methodology used to develop the machine, including experiments and simulations conducted. The hardware requirements, results, and findings of the project are presented, as well as the interpretation and discussion of the results in the context of the research area. The paper concludes by summarizing the main findings of the project and suggesting directions for future research. The cow dung remover project contributes to SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) 7 by providing a practical solution that enhances the sustainability and affordability of energy use in small-scale dairy farming, while also promoting a cleaner and more efficient approach to waste management and energy utilization

A prospective study of pulmonary hypertension in patients with chronic kidney disease: A new and pernicious complication

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a recently recognized complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD), especially in end-stage renal disease. It has prevalence estimates of 30%–50% and is an independent predictor of increased mortality in CKD patients. The aim of this study is to analyze the prevalence of PH in patients with CKD, its severity in different stages of CKD, and risk factors for it. One hundred and eight patients with CKD treated at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli, Karnataka, between January 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015, were selected. Clinical evaluation and relevant investigations including echocardiography were done. Follow-up echocardiography was done at 3 and 6 months and assessed. The mean age of studied population was 43.53 ± 14.63 years. Sex ratio was 2.72:1 (male:female). PH was present in 47 of 108 (43.5%) cases at beginning, 41 of 83 (491.4%) at 3 months, and 32 of 64 (50%) at 6 months. The prevalence and severity of PH increased with progression of CKD stage, although not statistically significant. Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and heart failure with preserved EF were significantly higher among PH group compared to non-PH group (P < 0.01). Mean hemoglobin in PH group was significantly lower, compared to non-PH group (P < 0.01). Mean interdialytic weight gain and central venous pressure were higher among PH group than non-PH group. Higher calcium phosphate product ≥50 was more prevalent in PH group than in non-PH group. The majority of them had moderate PH at the beginning of the study which remained same, despite being on hemodialysis. PH is a common complication in CKD patients with prevalence of 43.5%–50%. Left-sided heart failure, anemia, fluid retention, and increased calcium phosphate product are the risk factors for developing PH

Combined effects of exposure to engineered silver nanoparticles and the water-soluble fraction of crude oil in the marine copepod Calanus finmarchicus

While it is likely that ENPs may occur together with other contaminants in nature, the combined effects of exposure to both ENPs and environmental contaminants are not studied sufficiently. In this study, we investigated the acute and sublethal toxicity of PVP coated silver nanoparticles (AgNP) and ionic silver (Ag+; administered as AgNO3) to the marine copepod Calanus finmarchicus. We further studied effects of single exposures to AgNPs (nominal concentrations: low 15 μg L−1 NPL, high 150 μg L−1 NPH) or Ag+ (60 μg L−1), and effects of co-exposure to AgNPs, Ag+ and the water-soluble fraction (WSF; 100 μg L−1) of a crude oil (AgNP + WSF; Ag++WSF). The gene expression and the activity of antioxidant defense enzymes SOD, CAT and GST, as well as the gene expression of HSP90 and CYP330A1 were determined as sublethal endpoints. Results show that Ag+ was more acutely toxic compared to AgNPs, with 96 h LC50 concentrations of 403 μg L−1 for AgNPs, and 147 μg L−1 for Ag+. Organismal uptake of Ag following exposure was similar for AgNP and Ag+, and was not significantly different when co-exposed to WSF. Exposure to AgNPs alone caused increases in gene expressions of GST and SOD, whereas WSF exposure caused an induction in SOD. Responses in enzyme activities were generally low, with significant effects observed only on SOD activity in NPL and WSF exposures and on GST activity in NPL and NPH exposures. Combined AgNP and WSF exposures caused slightly altered responses in expression of SOD, GST and CYP330A1 genes compared to the single exposures of either AgNPs or WSF. However, there was no clear pattern of cumulative effects caused by co-exposures of AgNPs and WSF. The present study indicates that the exposure to AgNPs, Ag+, and to a lesser degree WSF cause an oxidative stress response in C. finmarchicus, which was slightly, but mostly not significantly altered in combined exposures. This indicated that the combined effects between Ag and WSF are relatively limited, at least with regard to oxidative stress.publishedVersio

Biomechanical analysis of Instrumented decompression and Interbody fusion procedures in Lumbar spine: a finite element analysis study

Interbody fusions have become increasingly popular to achieve good fusion rates. Also, unilateral instrumentation is favored to minimize soft tissue injury with limited hardware. Limited finite element studies are available in the literature to validate these clinical implications. A three-dimensional, non-linear ligamentous attachment finite element model of L3-L4 was created and validated. The intact L3-L4 model was modified to simulate procedures like laminectomy with bilateral pedicle screw Instrumentation, transforaminal, and posterior lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF and PLIF, respectively) with unilateral and bilateral pedicle screw instrumentation. Compared to instrumented laminectomy, interbody procedures showed a considerable reduction in range of motion (RoM) in extension and torsion (6% and 12% difference, respectively). Both TLIF and PLIF showed comparable RoM in all movements with 5% difference) in the entire range of motion except in torsion when compared to unilateral instrumentation. The maximum difference in reduction in RoM was noted in lateral bending (24% and 26% for PLIF and TLIF, respectively), while the least difference in Left torsion (0.6% and 3.6% for PLIF and TLIF, respectively) in comparing bilateral with unilateral instrumentation. Interbody fusion procedures were found to be biomechanically more stable in extension and torsion than the instrumented laminectomy. Single-level TLIF and PLIF achieved a similar reduction in RoM with a < 5% difference. Bilateral screw fixation proved biomechanically superior to unilateral fixation in the entire range of motion except in torsion. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]