Asian Pacific Journal of Health Sciences
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Microsponges Loaded Topical Drug Delivery System for the Effective Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Get PDFRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease associated with severe joint pain. Herein, we report aceclofenac (ACF)-loaded cellulosic microsponge gel formulation with sustained anti-inflammatory effects that are required to manage arthritic pain. The microsponges were formulated using quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method. The optimized formulation was dispersed into Carbopol gel. Further, the optimized formulation was evaluated for pH, viscosity and spreadability, drug content, and kinetic drug release profile. The optimized microsponges loaded topical gel showed R2 value of 0.9930 which was nearest to one which revealed that formulation obeyed Higuchi kinetic model and n value was found to be 0.48 which depicts Fickian transport of drug diffusion. The prepared optimized formulation showed no signs of irritation when applied on hairless skin of rats along with inhibitory effect on inflammation was observed in in vivo studies in animals, hence, ACF-loaded topical drug delivery is considered as a potential platform for the management of RA
A Study to Observe Autonomic Parameters, Sleeping, and Eating Behavior in Patients with Vertigo
Get PDFThere are various diseases associated with the malfunctioning of vestibular system. One such disease is vertigo which is the most common peripheral vestibular disorder. There is a need to understand the links between sleeping and eating behavior in patients with vertigo. The present study was undertaken to observe the autonomic parameters, sleeping, and eating behavior in patients with vertigo. The present observational study was conducted at Little Flower Hospital and Research Centre, Angamaly, Kerala, India. The study includes thirty cases of vertigo and thirty age- and gender-matched controls. The age group of the selected participants is 30–50 years. The study results strongly support earlier studies linking the autonomic parameters, sleeping, and eating behavior with vertigo. The study recommends further detailed studies in this area to understand vertigo still better way so that effective treatment protocols can be prepared
PATIENT COMPLIANCE - KEY TO SUCCESSFUL DENTAL TREATMENT
Get PDFDespite revolutionary advances in all fields of dentistry, a critical factor in the success of any treatment program is patient compliance. A number of factors are involved in encouraging and ensuring cooperative patients including effective communication which is vital in motivating and educating patient. Dentist must consider many factors to gain a true assessment of his patient. Throughout this article we will explore what influences patient compliance and review methods used in dental literature
A Quick, Deployable, Online Health Survey in Public Health Research: Emerging Horizons of mHealth during Disasters
Get PDFBackground: A nationwide lockdown in response to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has disrupted various health surveys. Limited movements due to restricted public-transports, and the need to maintain social-distancing, make data collection at the field site through conventional methods such as face-to-face interviews challenging. Objectives: The objective of the study was to overcome such issues, we document a complete online survey, using mobile technologies, for public health research, and deployable during disasters. Methods: The survey form was uploaded online, and for the 1st time in India, the participant information page, consent, and assent forms were also deployed online. Informed consent forms from participants were captured electronically as hand-drawn signatures. A structured, electronic-questionnaire was shared to the participants’ smartphones, and the collected data were stored in a server using Research Electronic Data Capture, real-time. Results: Within a short span of 10 days, 1985 participants from 31 states and union territories took part in the survey. Among those, 79% had completed the survey, and the rest quit the survey mostly during the “consenting” phase, especially when they were asked to sign the consent/assent forms (16%). About 62.5% of the participant graded the online survey as “much better” followed by 19.5% suggesting “somewhat better,” indicating a positive public perception regarding the online survey. Conclusion: The real-time online survey in health research was perceived to be better than the conventional method. In the digital era, employing mHealth technologies in health research will be a cost-effective methodological approach to obtain the expected research outcome, in a resource and time-limited setting
Stability-Indicating Reverse-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Method Development and Validation of Lamotrigine in Bulk and Pharmaceutical Dosage Form
Get PDFIn the current study, analytical method has been validated by system suitability parameters, linearity, accuracy and percent recovery, precision, ruggedness, robustness, limit of detection, and limit of quantification. The present study of lamotrigine was achieved using Cosmosil C18 (250 nm×4.6 ID, particle size: 5 Micron) Column with mobile phase methanol: water (60:40) pH: 3 at a flow rate 0.8 ml/min with UV detection at 308 nm. The retention time for lamotrigine was found to be 4.979 min. In linearity, the correlation coefficient (R2) for lamotrigine was found to be 0.999, slope is 39,801, and intercept was found to be 51,862 which are well within the acceptance criteria. The mean percent recovery for lamotrigine at three different levels for 50%, 100%, and 150% was found to be 99.28%, 99.30%, and 100.40%. The % RSD should not more than 2%. In precision study, interday (RSD is 0.41%) and intraday (RSD is 0.26%) are found. Forced degradation experiments were carried out by exposing standard form of lamotrigine for acid-base, oxidative, photolytic, and thermal stress conditions. Hence, the developed method is accurate, precise, repeatable, and reproducible and can be used for routine analysis of lamotrigine
miRNA: An Alternative Therapy for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Get PDFChronic myeloid leukemia is a myeloproliferative neoplasm that results due to the expression of BCR/ABL P210 oncoprotein in hematopoietic stem cells. This oncoprotein causes constitutive expression of tyrosine kinase and disrupts normal signaling pathways of cell cycle progression and differentiation. The use of targeted therapy, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), although proved to be useful, poor drug response, drug resistance, adverse side effects, high cost has posed a severe threat to CML patients. This has shifted the attention of the scientific community to search for a more viable alternative that can tackle not only TKI related problems but also modulate the leukemogenic signaling pathways by silencing Bcr/Abl expression at the transcript level. MicroRNAs provide a beautiful avenue of therapeutic research in haematological malignancies including CML. They are promising prognostic as well diagnostic molecules, and with rapid advancement in miRNA based research and underlying signaling network in CML, the use of miRNA as prognostic, diagnostic biomarker or as a therapeutic agent alone, or in combination with TKIs is sure to see the light of the day. This paper is an endeavour to synthesize our present knowledge about CML, the signaling pathways involved in the disease and importance of microRNA in CML emphasizing on why microRNA is a better alternative than the currently available TKIs
Ayurveda: A Boon in Pandemics
Get PDFPopulation around the world is dealing with an unrivalled pandemic of viral disease severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 leading to severe acute respiratory syndrome. The novel coronavirus has affected people worldwide with more than 1.43 million confirmed cases and 82,100 deaths as per data recorded on April 8, 2020. The pandemic has elevated the distress in common people including the psychological conditions with symptoms such as depression and anxiety. The psychological distress is linked with variation in the functioning of immunological responses including high level risk for viral infections of the upper respiratory tract. The extent of pandemic requires exploration of traditional as well as modern knowledge systems obtainable worldwide. Use of traditional Chinese Medicinal system in Wuhan for the treatment of patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has set an example illustrating the efficiency of traditional ways of healthcare as an addition in treatment of patients of COVID-19. In India, Ayurveda is medicine system with historical roots encouraged by Government of India as “immune booster regime.” Implementation of Ayurvedic knowledge and administration of Ayurvedic dosages with the present scientific studies on related clinical settings is an efficient plan for intervention in India for the treatment of patients suffering from COVID-19. In accordance to severity of symptoms and stage of infection among the patients, Ayurvedic dose regime can be administered in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Implementation of Ayurvedic medicinal system will ease learning and develop evidence as we cannot combat the reality that there is no evidence-based treatment for COVID-19. Therefore, Ayurvedic system of medicine should be implemented immediately to abate the impact of pandemic in terms of diminishing both psychological distress and risk of infection. Development of such elucidatory models will shed the light on the effectiveness of traditional medicines and medical practices during disease surges and could aid the symbiosis between traditional and modern medicinal system
Disease Monitoring Parameters for Autoimmune Diseases
Get PDFAutoimmune diseases are complex chronic multisystem disorders that are potentially life threatening. The etiology of autoimmune diseases is not known but genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors are found to be involved in their pathogenesis. The clinical course is usually very long and patients have circulating autoantibodies in their serum before the appearance of clinical signs and symptoms. Seventy-five percent of the autoimmune diseases occur in women and it is one of the top ten causes of death in women below the age of 65 years. Many women may possess irregular non-specific symptoms such fatigue, muscle pain, and joint pain because of the genes and may or may not progress to one or the other symptomatic autoimmune diseases leading to severe complications including organ failure and death. Increased death rates in women because of autoimmune diseases have been recently reported in the US and UK. Researchers have also reported a steep rise in economic burden due to autoimmune diseases. Early diagnosis of the autoimmune diseases may play an important role in modifying the course of disease progression. Following up of patients with autoimmune diseases on a regular basis with available prognostic tests will greatly reduce morbidity and possibly mortality in these patients. In this comprehensive review article, we have summarized available prognostic strategies and recommendations for common autoimmune disorders
Determinants of Low Birth Weight in India: An Investigation from a Single Hospital Survey in Madhya Pradesh
Get PDFBackground: Birth weight is one of the most important criteria for determining the neonatal and infant survival. Low birth weight (LBW) is a major public health concern, especially in developing countries, and is frequently related to child morbidity and mortality. LBW is a major public health concern and one of the strongest single risk factors for early neonatal mortality and morbidity. Materials and Methods: About 1000 live newborns on the 1st day of birth and their mothers were studied from the department of obstetrics and gynecology and intensive neonatal care, department of pediatrics of a tertiary care teaching hospital between January 2016 and December 2019. Examinations of mother and newborns were carefully carried out in all cases recorded on a pretested and predesigned pro forma. Results: Mothers weighing <45 kg delivered significantly higher number of LBW babies than normal birth babies. This is statistically very highly significant. It appears that mothers with mid-arm circumference (MAC) 22 cm or less had given birth to much higher number of LBW babies (74.8%), while mothers with MAC >26 cm gave birth to higher number of LBW babies than normal BW babies. This is very highly significant (P < 0.001). Mothers who had taken iron plus folic acid tablets only for few days in any of the trimesters had given birth to higher number of LBW babies while mothers who have taken hematinics throughout pregnancy or taken irregularly had given birth to most of normal birth weight babies. The incidence of LBW was almost 2 ½ times more in joint family (72.6%) than nuclear family. Mothers with moderate to severe anemia have given birth to higher number of LBW babies. Mothers with Hb >10 g% gave birth to higher number of normal BW babies. Conclusion: LBW and premature babies were more prevalent in joint families, with low socioeconomic status, maternal illiteracy, and housewives. With increase in income, both LBW and prematurity decreased reflecting a better distribution of nutrition and care for pregnant and the newborn. Mothers educated till primary school and unskilled workers had higher prevalence of LBW babies
Effect of Social Distancing on Coronavirus Disease 2019 Spread Controlling: A Mathematical Modeling
Get PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19), the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, has posed an unprecedented public health threat to China and many other countries in the world at present, with a significant effect on health and public health systems, individual lives and national and world economic. COVID-19 has been declared by the WHO as a pandemic. The structures of public contact significantly determine spread of this infection and, in the absence of vaccines, the control of these structures through extensive social distancing measures have appeared to be the most effective means of mitigation. In this paper, to examine the impact of social distancing in COVID 19 distribution, we propose mathematical model using direct correlation between social exposure and reproduction number. We show that the calculation of social distance is an efficient way of monitoring the spread of COVID-19 in the absence of vaccines. In India, we have also calculated that the basic reproduction number is 2.5