KATHMANDU: The Singha Durbar Baidhyakhana Development Committee (SDBDC) is preparing to publish a rare manuscript on Ayurvedic medicine, ChandranighantuThe SDBDC has allocated the budget necessary for publishing the Ayurvedic manuscript written during the Rana regime. It describes about the ayurvedic treatment system and the use of medicinal herbs for the treatment of different diseases.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Mercury and Autism Revisited
For many years now scientists have been searching for the root cause of autism. Recent studies conducted over the span of the past three years may have found a link between autism and mercury. Is it possible for mercury to affect the rates of autism in a specific area? Do the emissions of mercury affect pregnant women and the unborn fetus, and does it matter just how far away the mercury emitting source is? It is easy to see that people are now questioning the possible relationship between exposure to mercury and the degenerative condition of autism.
One of the most recent studies in regard to the mercury and autism relationship was conducted in Texas. The University of Texas Health Science Center, located in San Antonio, provided sufficient and statistically significant information which linked the release of industrial mercury and a noticeable increase in the rates of autism. Amazingly for the first time ever in the literature of science, this study has brought forth and shown the association between not only the risk of autism but the association of severity and the distance from the source of mercury. While the study is not definitive, the new information surfaces with a whole new perspective on how to approach autism studies.
The study had shown that the autism prevalence reduced between 1 and 2 percent for each ten miles the individual was away from the mercury source. Further investigation and study showed that there is a direct link between the sources of mercury pollution added with the consumption of fish which deserve great amounts of attention. Not only will this help possibly prevent autism, but will also aid in assessing the risks based on other genetic susceptibilities in a wide variety of different areas and patients alike.
Some of the highlights of the study include that the mercury release data that was examined came from 39 coal-fired plants as well as 56 different industrial facilities within the state of Texas. In order to properly gauge the accuracy of the information, the autism rates were examined from 1,040 different school districts within Texas. For every 1,000 pounds of mercury that was released by the sources throughout Texas into the environment, there was an autism rate which corresponded with the number. The average infliction of autism for this figure was a 2.6 percent increase overall. As the years progressed the autism rate increased to 3.7 percent.
The relation between air exposure, ground water, and food sources of mercury has still yet to be thoroughly tested. It is known that there is much evidence in way of children and other organisms that are developing to be far more susceptible to the neurobiological effects that mercury has.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Human resources for health in India
India has a severe shortage of human resources for health. It has a shortage of qualified health workers and the workforce is concentrated in urban areas. Bringing qualified health workers to rural, remote, and underserved areas is very challenging. Many Indians, especially those living in rural areas, receive care from unqualified providers. The migration of qualified allopathic doctors and nurses is substantial and further strains the system. Nurses do not have much authority or say within the health system, and the resources to train them are still inadequate. Little attention is paid during medical education to the medical and public health needs of the population, and the rapid privatisation of medical and nursing education has implications for its quality and governance. Such issues are a result of underinvestment in and poor governance of the health sector—two issues that the government urgently needs to address. A comprehensive national policy for human resources is needed to achieve universal health care in India. The public sector will need to redesign appropriate packages of monetary and non-monetary incentives to encourage qualified health workers to work in rural and remote areas. Such a policy might also encourage task-shifting and mainstreaming doctors and practitioners who practice traditional Indian medicine (ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, and siddha) and homoeopathy to work in these areas while adopting other innovative ways of augmenting human resources for health. At the same time, additional investments will be needed to improve the relevance, quantity, and quality of nursing, medical, and public health education in the country.
The Lancet, Volume 377, Issue 9765, Pages 587 - 598, 12 February 2011doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61888-0
Cite or Link Using DOI
Cite or Link Using DOI
Published Online: 11 January 2011
Prof Mohan Rao PhD a, Dr Krishna D Rao PhD b , AK Shiva Kumar PhD c, Mirai Chatterjee MPH d, Thiagarajan SundararamanMD e
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Alzheimer's disease & metals: therapeutic opportunities
Vijaya B Kenche1,2,3, Kevin J Barnham1,2,3,*
Article first published online: 18 APR 2011
DOI: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.2011.01221.x
© 2011 The Authors. British Journal of Pharmacology © 2011 The British Pharmacological Society
Keywords:
copper;zinc;amyloid;synaptic toxicity;homeostasis;oxidative stress;chelator;bioinorganic chemistry;drug
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common age related neurodegenerative disease. Currently, there are no disease modifying drugs, existing therapies only offer short-term symptomatic relief. Two of the pathognomonic indicators of AD are the presence of extracellular protein aggregates consisting primarily of the Aβ peptide and oxidative stress. Both of these phenomena can potentially be explained by the interactions of Aβ with metal ions. In addition, metal ions play a pivotal role in synaptic function and their homeostasis is tightly regulated. A breakdown in this metal homeostasis and the generation of toxic Aβ oligomers are likely to be responsible for the synaptic dysfunction associated with AD. Therefore, approaches that are designed to prevent Aβ metal interactions, inhibiting the formation of toxic Aβ species as well as restoring metal homeostasis may have potential as disease modifying strategies for treating AD. This review summarizes the physiological and pathological interactions that metal ions play in synaptic function with particular emphasis placed on interactions with Aβ. A variety of therapeutic strategies designed to address these pathological processes are also described. The most advanced of these strategies is the so-called ‘metal protein attenuating compound’ approach, with the lead molecule PBT2 having successfully completed early phase clinical trials. The success of these various strategies suggests that manipulating metal ion interactions offers multiple opportunities to develop disease modifying therapies for AD.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Physicochemical characterization of an Indian traditional medicine, Jasada Bhasma : detection of nanoparticles containing non-stoichiometric zinc oxid
Tridib Kumar Bhowmick, Akkihebbal K. Suresh, Shantaram G. Kane, Ajit C. Joshi and Jayesh R. Bellare
Abstract
Herbs and minerals are the integral parts of traditional systems of medicine in many countries. Herbo-Mineral medicinal preparations called Bhasma are unique to the Ayurvedic and Siddha systems of Indian Traditional Medicine. These preparations have been used since long and are claimed to be the very effective and potent dosage form. However, there is dearth of scientific analytical studies carried out on these products, and even the existing ones suffer from incomplete analysis. Jasada Bhasma is a unique preparation of zinc belonging to this class. This particular preparation has been successfully used by traditional practitioners for the treatment of diabetes and age-related eye diseases. This work presents a first comprehensive physicochemical characterization of Jasada Bhasma using modern state-of-the-art techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), elemental analysis with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Our analysis shows that the Jasada Bhasma particles are in oxygen deficient state and a clearly identifiable fraction of particles are in the nanometer size range. These properties like oxygen deficiency and nanosize particles in Jasada Bhasma might impart the therapeutic property of this particular type of medicine.
Keywords Electron microscopy - Nanoparticle - X-ray diffraction (XRD) - X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy (XPS) - Dynamic light scattering (DLS) - Nanomedicine
Thursday, April 7, 2011
IMPORTANCE OF ANANDA KANDA IN THE HISTORY OF INDIAN ALCHEMY
IMPORTANCE OF Ananda Kanda IN THE HISTORY OF INDIAN ALCHEMY
Author *K.L.Virupaksha Gupta
virupakshgupta@gmail.com
Published in IIHM Bullitin
Abstract:Rasa Shastra is an important branch of Ayurvedadeveloped for achieving therapeutic benefits from mineral materials. Ananda Kanda is one of this subject text which gives an elaborate description of this subject. Dehavada concept of Rasa Shastra has been described elaborately along with Loha vada in this text. This book serves an important reference text. This book serves an important reference text for students and scholars of Rasa Shastra for teaching and training practical purposes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)