EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF MOORVA AS A NON ABSORBABLE MONO FILAMENT SUTURE

Suturing material plays a very important role in surgical procedures. The purpose of suturing (Seevankarma as called in the Ayurvedic terminology) is to approximate the wound edge for faster healing. This study was an attempt to assess Moorva mono filament fiber for the suturing purpose. An attempt to compare it with ethilon3-0 as non-absorbable suture in rats was done. Fully grown Moorva leaves were taken. Its fibers were separated under running water and subjected to autoclave. Moorva fiber tensile strength and thickness was measure before and after autoclave. Ethilon 3-0 tensile strength and thickness was measured. Rats were Anesthetized intramuscularly using 1ml syringe, after that suturing was done on prepared area. Redness, Discharge, Temperature, Approximation, Odema were observed for eight days and biopsy was taken on day eight. Temperature was measured on infrared thermometer. 12 rats were used for this study Trial group and control group skin closures were done on the same rat on different sites. Both the groups shows equivalent results for Redness, Odema, Discharge, Approximation, Temperature. Histopathological changes for inflammatory infiltrate, vascularity, fibrosis were same in both the groups. Moorva fibers tensile strength and thickness was less than ethilon 3-0 and this tensile strength and thickness was sufficient to hold the wound edges. The study proves that the Moorva fiber can be made and acceptable suturing material and it can be used for skin closures. Scope for further study Along term study on tissue absorbability property of Moorva fiber suturing material and detail chemical study of Moorva fiber

EVALUATION OF USE OF ANALGESICS IN PAIN MANAGEMENT AMONG SURGEONS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate pain and to assess if analgesic prescriptions are according to the World Health Organization guidelines. Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Surgery in a tertiary care hospital. Patients with age >18 years, of either sex, admitted to surgery ward were included in the study. Pain assessment was done using a visual analog scale and McGill questionnaire. Information obtained from case paper sheets was recorded, such as name of analgesics, the generic name of prescribed analgesics, dosage, route of administration, frequency, number of analgesics per prescription, and non-pharmacological techniques. Data generated from the questionnaire were entered into an Excel sheet, and percentages were calculated. Results: A total of eight different analgesics were prescribed in the study group. Paracetamol was the maximally prescribed drug (40%). In 48% of cases, antacids were given along with analgesics. A majority of analgesics were prescribed in generic names (52%). No drug was prescribed to almost 18% cases even though the pain intensity was of mild-to-moderate intensity. Conclusion: Commonly prescribed drugs were paracetamol + tramadol. Prescription pattern of analgesics is partially deviating from standard guidelines. Generic names were written in the majority of prescriptions, which is in accordance with standard prescription writing

Correlations of Social Support, Religiosity, Spirituality and Life Satisfaction in Indian Geriatrics

ABSTRACT Ageing is a nerve-racking phenomenon in a developing country like India with approximately 7% elderly population. Thus, stress management is a very important aspect of caring in the old age. Various studies have shown that practice of spirituality and religiosity as well as supportive social resources reduces stress. In India, most persons are brought up with divine ideology and religious practices. With this background, we thought, it would be interesting to study the effect of spirituality and religiosity on Life Satisfaction (L.S.) 120 subjects of either sex, above 60 years from middle class families were included in the present study. A standardized questionnaire was prepared and translated into the vernacular language; Marathi. Field work was done by trained interviewers and collected data were analyzed using SPSS. Initially internal consistency of spiritual scale of BMMRS (Brief Multidimensional Measurement of Religiosity and Spirituality) and RFQ (Royal Free Questionnaire) were checked. It was observed that no significant inconsistency was seen with the reported data. A moderate correlation was found between RFQ and BMMRS. There appears to be little effect of age and sex on L.S. Using multiple regression analyses with L.S. and well-being as separate dependent variables, the predictive value of different domains was evaluated. Besides, the influence of social support resources on L.S. was also analyzed. This study underscores that the religious values, daily spiritual experiences and social support resources were found to positively intervene with life satisfaction of elderly

Study Mechanism Of Action Of Krishnavajrabhraka Bhasma In Asthma

Objective: To evaluate the mechanism of action of Krishnavajrabhraka Bhasma(KVB) in chronic asthma.
Methodology: 30 animals divided into 5 groups: 1)vehicle(water) 2)vehicle(honey) 3)Low dose KVB 4)High dose KVB 5)Standard drug.
Expt I:- Mast cell stabilization-
On day 1, animals were sensitized with egg albumin. Treatment started from day 22 in two ways: a)Single dose b)14days. Egg albumin challenge was given at the end of the treatment. Rats were sacrificed, mesentery collected & observed for mast cell degranulation. 
Expt II:- Anti-inflammatory action-
Croton oil was injected in the back in all rats to make a pouch. After 7 days of drug treatment, animals were sacrificed, pouch removed & weighed. Exudate was measured.
Results:
Expt.I – KVB was found to have mast cell stabilizing action in both experiments. High dose of KVB was equally effective as sodium-cromoglycate.
Expt.II – High dose of KVB showed significant reduction of inflammation comparable to diclofenac.
Conclusion: KVB has mast cell stabilizing & anti-inflammatory activity

Experimental evaluation of Hiṅgvādi Ghṛta in behavioral despair using animal models

Context: Depression, a sustained mood disorder caused by selective diminution of specialized cells in brain is increasing at an alarming rate. It will be the second largest morbid illness by next decade and is the leading cause of suicidal deaths. The available antidepressant medications benefit only a third of its recipients and have many side effects. Hence, it is imperative to search in Ayurveda for leads. Aim: To evaluate Anti- depressant activity of Hiṅgvādi Ghṛta in vivo. Settings and Design: Comparative preclinical study. Materials and Methods: Hiṅgvādi Ghṛta (HG) was prepared using standard operating procedure, physicochemically analyzed and assessed. Tail Suspension Test (TST) model with Swiss albino mice and Forced Swim Test (FST) model with Wistar albino rats were used to assess anti-depressant activity. Imipramine hydrochloride in dose of 15 mg/kg for TST and 10 mg/kg for FST, was the standard drug and Ghee as vehicle control in dose of 0.1g/20g for TST and 0.72g/200g for FST orally. Hiṅgvādi Ghṛta in doses of 0.05g/20g (x/2), 0.1g/20g (x) and 0.2 g/20g (2x) for TST and 0.36g/200g (x/2), 0.72g/200g (x) and 1.44g/200g (2x) for FST was administered to 3 test groups for 21 days orally except Plain control group which received only distilled water. Duration of immobility in seconds for TST and number of rotations for FST were noted for assessment. Statistical Analysis Used: One way ANOVA followed by Dunnets test and Paired t test. Results: HG was significantly effective at dose of 0.1gm/20gm for TST (P = 0.0037; P < 0.01) and 0.72g/200g for FST (P = 0.0055, P < 0.01) comparable to Imipramine hydrochloride. Conclusions: HG displayed potent anti depressant activity comparable to standard drug Imipramine Hydrochloride

Exceptional anoxia resistance in larval tiger beetle, Phaeoxantha klugii (Coleoptera : Cicindelidae)

The tiger beetle Phaeoxantha klugii inhabits Central Amazonian floodplains, where it survives the annual inundation period in the third-instar larval stage submerged in the soil at approximately 29 degreesC for up to 3.5 months. Because flooded soils quickly become anoxic, these larvae should be highly resistant to anoxia. The survival of adult and larval P. klugii was therefore tested during exposure to a pure nitrogen atmosphere in the laboratory at 29 degreesC. Adult beetles were not resistant (< 6 h). Survival of larvae decreased over time, maximum survival was 15 days, whereas time to 50% mortality was 5.7 days (95% confidence interval 3.8-7.9). Anoxia resistance was additionally tested in third-instar larvae submerged within sediment for 40 days before anoxia exposure in the laboratory. Anoxia resistance was greatly enhanced in these larvae, showing a survival rate of 50% after 26 days of anoxia exposure. It appears that the gradual flooding process and/or the submersion phase induced a physiological alteration, most probably a strong depression in metabolic rate, which requires some days for induction. The degree of anoxia resistance in larval P. klugii is remarkable among terrestrial arthropods worldwide, even more so considering the high ambient temperatures. The species is well-suited to serve as a model organism for studying the physiological mechanisms of anoxia and submersion resistance in terrestrial arthropods inhabiting tropical floodplains