MANAGEMENT OF QUADRIPLEGIA INDUCED BY SPINAL CORD INJURY WITH PANCHAKARMA - A CASE STUDY

A 30 year old male patient with quadriplegia induced by spinal cord injury was treated with ayurvedic medicine and Panchkarma therapies. Patient presented with quadriplegia and inability to sit/stand even with support and having no bladder/bowel control. Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) was 16 showing high dependence and also muscle wasting was present. Patient had history of swimming pool accident causing fracture C4-C5 spine and fixation through surgery in 2011. Ayurveda explains this disease as Vatavyadhi. Snehana and Svedana formed the first line of treatment to pacify the vitiated Vata while Shalishashtikapindasveda and Matravasti worked as Balya for Mansa and Asthi dhatu and also Anulomana. Snehadhara improves motor and sensory system resulting in improved function of all limbs. Management was done with repeated admissions for Panchakarma therapy during which overall strength and reflexes improved with Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) score reaching 47 from original 16 indicating improvement in independence of patient from complete dependence to partial independence in six months time

Dapsone induced photosensitivity in Indian women: a rare case

Dapsone, a potent antileprotic anti-inflammatory drug is used in treatment and prophylaxis of many dermatological and non dermatological conditions. Cutaneous adverse reactions to dapsone are uncommon ranging from mild maculopapular rash to fatal toxic epidermal necrolysis. We report here a case of 40-year-old, housewife treated for leprosy with paucibacillary multi drug therapy who presented with red itchy skin lesions over exposed areas of skin which worsened on exposure to sunlight. The patient was diagnosed as a case of dapsone-induced photosensitive dermatitis which was confirmed by improvement of symptoms on withdrawal of dapsone and recurrence of similar lesions on rechallenge with dapsone in reduced dose. Photosensitivity as adverse drug reaction to dapsone is rare and very few reports are available in the literature.

PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS (PCM) FOR THERMAL CONTROL DURING SPACECRAFT TRANSPORTATION

Phase Change materials (PCMs) absorb and release latent heat during their phase transition nearly at constant temperature. The latent heat storage phenomena using PCMs provides much higher storage density, with a smaller or zero temperature difference while storing and releasing of heat. PCMs have 5-14 times more heat capacity per unit volume than sensible storage materials that merits their usage as passive thermal control systems. They are effectively complemented with active thermal control systems in order to minimize their duty cycles and optimize the capacity. This paper discusses a passive thermal control system using PCMs to maintain the temperature within the limits inside the enclosures used for transportation of spacecrafts. Further, various applications of PCMs in the thermal control architecture as applied to spacecrafts are also discussed. The paper also discusses about the technologies such as Onboard power generation, Universal Spacecraft thermal control architecture and other significant spacecraft applications

Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS): An effective tool to screen undiagnosed diabetes

Background: Diabetes is an insidious public health problem. India has the second largest number of adults living with diabetes worldwide (77 million). Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS) is a simple, cost-effective and feasible tool for mass screening programme at community level. Aim & Objective: To assess diabetes risk in adults aged 30 years and above and to identify high risk subjects for screening undiagnosed diabetes in an urban population of Meerut. Settings and Design: Community based cross-sectional study. Methods and Material: All adults who were ?30 years of age and non-diabetic were interviewed using pre-designed, pre-tested questionnaire for their socio-demographic profile and lifestyle. Fasting Blood glucose of all study subjects were done to screen undiagnosed diabetics. Statistical analysis used: Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Epi Info TM 7.2.3.1 was used. Pearson’s Chi Square were applied. Results: 33.4% were found to have high diabetes risk. Risk of diabetes increases with age. 7.6% of the study subjects were found to be diabetic and were unaware of their diabetic status. Physical inactivity and increasing waist circumference were found to be significantly associated with risk of diabetes. Diabetes risk was also significantly associated with positive family history. Conclusions: Screening and early identification of high risk individuals would help in early diagnosis and treatment to prevent or to delay the onset of diabetes mellitus and its complications

Posterior Corneal Lamellar Detachment after Phacoemulsification in a Case of Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty

The abstract of this research was presented as a poster presentation at XXXV Congress of the EuropeanSociety of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ESCRS), Lisbon, Portugal, 7th–11th October, 2017

PHARMACOLOGICAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE OF CASSIA OCCIDENTALIS L: A REVIEW

Cassia occidentalis L. is an Ayurvedic medicinal plant used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. These plants extracts are known to have several activities like anti-inflammatory activity, antibacterial activity, antioxidant, hepatoprotective and Immunosuppression activity. Phytochemical constituents include achrosin, aloeemodin, emodin, anthraquinones, anthrones, apigenin, aurantiobtusin, campesterol, cassiollin, chryso-obtusin, chrysophanic acid, chrysarobin, chrysophanol, chrysoeriol etc. have been investigated in Cassia occidentalis. This review summarizes the ethnopharmacological, phytochemical, bioactivity studies of C. occidentalis plant. Keywords: Cassia occidentalis, Phytochemical, Pharmacological studies

Evaluation of Anticonvulsant and Antioxidant Activity of Senna occidentalis Seeds Extracts

Aim: The aim of present work was to determine the anticonvulsant and antioxidant activity of Senna occidentalis L. ethanolic seed extract by different mod­els. Methods: For evaluation of anticonvulsant activity, Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) seizure model and Maximal electroshock (MES) seizure model were used. For antioxidant activity, (1, 1-diphenyl - 2-picryl hydrazine (DPPH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) method were used. Results: The finding suggested that the ethanolic extract (EAE) of Senna occidentalis in the dose 400 mg/kg body weight posses potent anticonvulsant activity. The EAE showed anticonvulsant action in dose dependent fashion. It was observed that upon increasing the concentration of extract, it showed reduced absorbance and increased free radical inhibition, and when comparison was made with Ascorbic acid, it showed marked antioxidant property in DPPH as well as H2O2 method. The IC50 of Ascorbic acid and EAE by DPPH method were found to be 14.56 and 14.8 respectively whereas the IC50 of Ascorbic acid and EAE by H2O2 method were found that 14.3and 14.8 respectively. Conclusion: The results of the present study concluded hat the EAE of Senna occidentalis L. possesses significant antioxidant and anticonvulsant activity. The activity was in dose dependent fashion. This study will assist in future research associated with formulation development of seeds of Senna occidentalis L. Keyword: Senna occidentalis L., Anticonvulsant, Antioxidant, DPPH mode

RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY STUDY OF HEALTHYAND CANCEROUS HUMAN BREAST TISSUE FOR CANCER DETECTION

The present study focuses on identifying the features and parameters of Raman spectroscopy for the diagnosis of cancer in human breast surgical samples. Thirty-five clinically unprocessed, fresh human breast tissue specimens (20 cancerous and 15 normal tissues) were obtained under a bioethical protocol approved by the institution’s ethical committee. Confocal spontaneous Raman spectroscopy in reflection mode was performed using an incident excitation laser monochromatic beam of 532 nm. The differences observed among Raman profiles of cancerous tissues are more prominent compared with normal breast tissues. Notable spectral differences were present in both the absolute and relative intensities of the Raman peaks in the spectral profile. In the present study, three ratios of Raman intensities 1587 cm-1/ 1637 cm-1, 1587 cm-1/ 1000 cm-1 and 1587 cm-1/ 1375 cm-1 with statistically reliable differences are reported in the present study. It is found to be sensitive enough to differentiate between normal and cancerous breast tissues