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The article discusses various scientific aspects of Indian Vedic Agnihotra Vijnan and Mantra therapy. It has been scientifically proven in many recent experiments and literature that Homa therapy is effective in diseases control through inhaling therapy, generates negative ions responsible for happiness, organic homa krishi (farming) is best for humans, and it is a boon for mental and physical fitness. The authors present a series of small experiments in support of few of the above results and confident enough that gradually this therapy will be popular and accepted globally by one and all. Indian culture and science is scientific and full of components to uplift the human consciousness and ease life. The present study supports this fact by visualizations and sensor-based experiments. In the 21st century, it is crucial to accept with open minded the good features this alternate therapy in view of the multiple waves of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 and other global threats. Copyright © 2022, IGI Global.
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The World Health Organization has unanimously accepted the four dimensions of complete human health: mental, physical, social, and spiritual. Due to the present pandemic of COVID-19, the mental and spiritual health of an individual is completely disturbed. The article is a trial enough to establish the effect of Sanskrit Vedic Mantra and Yajna, an ancient Hindu science of upliftment of consciousness and to heal self by sound science and heat and light. The article demonstrates the effect of mantra chanting on different ages and genders, rural and urban, and different age groups on human consciousness and mental peace and spiritual wellbeing. It presents the effect of sound science and mantra science over the human mind and body to relax after the stress of COVID-19, a nightmare for the world of the 21st century. Copyright © 2022, IGI Global.
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Background and aims Liver transplant recipients (LTR) are threatened by a lower immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines. However, the interplay between the different branches of the adaptive immune system especially after a third (and fourth) vaccine dose is still poorly understood. Methods Our study longitudinally compares the humoral as well as the cellular response between age-matched LTR (n = 24) and healthy controls (HC, n = 19) after three to four vaccine doses. Therefore, we assessed antibody titers, analyzed the spike-specific T cell epitope repertoire, performed an in-depth characterization of spike-specific CD8 + T cells on a single-epitope level and examined the distribution of different virus-specific CD4 + T cell subpopulations. Results Compared to HC, the development of high antibody titers depended on a third vaccine dose in most LTR. In contrast, spike-specific CD8 + T cells reached a stable level already after the second vaccine dose, albeit with a lower frequency and a narrower epitope repertoire compared to HC. Concerning the CD4 + T cells, the total number of detectable responses as well as the repertoire of targeted epitopes within the spike protein did not signifcantly difer in both cohorts. However, we observed a link between the overall attenuated vaccine response and a reduced frequency of spike-reactive follicular T helper cells (TFH) in LTR. Conclusion Three doses of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine induce an overall robust humoral and cellular memory response in most LTR. Evaluations of additional booster doses may thus consider the individual vaccine responsiveness as well as the evolution of novel variants of concern.
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This research paper is an initiative to provide insight into the health and quality of life (QoL) benefits of yoga. The investigation aims to study the ancient therapy for de-stressing occupational stress and improving employees' quality of life by examining the intervention of yoga exercise on physiological health and quality of life (QoL). To find the impact of yoga and light aerobic exercise on the flexibility of the body muscles and quality of life intervention of yoga, light aerobic exercise was conducted on employees of PPS International at Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh), India, a manufacturer of high-tech equipment for Indian railway and metro trains and related industries. After seeking permission for the study from the founder and promoter, the research team randomly selected 120 subjects of age group 35-45 years, all males. To establish the result, a computational analysis of the recorded data was done. The t-test was applied to analyse descriptive statistics, pre-test, post-test, mean scores, and standard deviation of three different groups with N=40 in each group. © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.
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Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection through the modulation of viral host receptors, such as ACE21, could represent a new chemoprophylactic approach for COVID-19 complementing vaccination2,3. However, the mechanisms controlling ACE2 expression remain elusive. Here, we identify the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) as a direct regulator of ACE2 transcription in multiple COVID19-affected tissues, including the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems. We then use the over-the-counter compound z-guggulsterone (ZGG) and the off-patent drug ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) to reduce FXR signalling and downregulate ACE2 in human lung, cholangiocyte and intestinal organoids and in the corresponding tissues in mice and hamsters. We demonstrate that UDCA-mediated ACE2 downregulation reduces susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro, in vivo and in human lungs and livers perfused ex situ. Furthermore, we illustrate that UDCA reduces ACE2 expression in the nasal epithelium in humans. Finally, we identify a correlation between UDCA treatment and positive clinical outcomes following SARS-CoV-2 infection using retrospective registry data, and confirm these findings in an independent validation cohort of liver transplant recipients. In conclusion, we identify a novel function of FXR in controlling ACE2 expression and provide evidence that modulation of this pathway could be beneficial for reducing SARS-CoV-2 infection, paving the road for future clinical trials.
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This research paper is an initiative to provide insight associated with the physiological health of employees by examining the interventions of yogic exercise on physiological health. The investigation was done to study the impact of Yoga and Pranayama on functioning of lungs (vital capacity) and functioning of heart (resting heart rate) as an ancient therapy. The study found the effect of aerobic exercise and yogic practices on resting pulse rate and vital capacity among employees of a private organization engaged in production of technical equipment for Indian railway and metro trains and other related industries. After taking due consent from the promoter and founder of PPS International, the researchers randomly selected 120 subjects, all males of age group 25-35 years. Yoga helps to improve the lives of all age groups irrespective of gender. It can be adopted at any stage of life or started at any age;yoga has shown excellent results on the physiological health-related variable of stressed working professionals. Copyright © 2022, IGI Global.
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Background: Diabetes mellitus has been established as a contributory factor for comorbidity in subjects with COVID-19 owing to diabetics being at high infection susceptibility from different bacteria and viruses including those of the respiratory tract. CURB 65 scores are an easier system among the various scoring systems developed to assess CAP risk. Aim: To record and comparatively analyze the CURB-65 scores in non-diabetic and diabetic subjects hospitalized for COVID-19 infection in an Indian health care center. Methods: In 280 subjects admitted for COVID-19 infection, glycemic state and CURB-65 scores were evaluated. The subjects were grouped as having mild, moderate, or severe illnesses based on the CURB-65 scoring. Also, ICU admission, the requirement of a ventilator, hospitalization duration, and mortality rates were assessed. All subjects were followed till discharge or death, whichever was early. Results: Mild CURB-65 was seen for 65.21% (n=90) diabetic subjects and 97.18% (n=138) non-diabetic subjects. 30.43% (n=42) diabetic subjects and 2.81% (n=4) non-diabetic subjects had CURB-65 scores as moderate. ICU admission was needed in 24.63% (n=34) diabetic subjects and in 5.63% (n=8) non-diabetic subjects (p=0.002). Ventilatory support was needed in 18.84% (n=26) diabetic subjects in the study and in 4.22% (n=6) non-diabetic subjects. This difference was statistically significant with p=0.007. 24.63% (n=34) diabetic subjects died and in non-diabetic (p<0.0001). The mean duration of hospital stay was 9.23±5.2 days in diabetic subjects and 7.03±4.28 days in nondiabetic subjects (p=0.005). Conclusion: Increased and higher values of CURB-65 scores were seen for subjects having diabetes mellitus and COVID-19 infection compared to non-diabetic subjects with COVID-19 infection. Also, the disease severity was more in subjects with diabetes mellitus and COVID-19 compared to non-diabetics. [ FROM AUTHOR]
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The pandemic of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is matter of concern. Social stigma in the situation of health is the negative association between a person or group of people who share certain characteristics and a specific disease. The present article highlighted impact of social stigma on health and way to prevent it.
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Ex situ experimental models have become a main stay in pulmonary research. Organoids and explant systems have uncovered novel stem cell subsets, served as disease models, delineated cell fate transitions, and aided high throughput pre-clinical drug screening. Integration of gene-editing and bioengineering approaches have further generated novel avenues for regenerative medicine and transplantation strategies. In this article, we highlight recent studies, aided by ex situ systems, which have contributed to significant advances in our understanding of the human lower respiratory tract. We present key observations from these studies to gain improved insights into human disease. We conclude this article with a summary of existing challenges and potential technological advances to successfully mirror human tissue physiology.
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Organoids , Regenerative Medicine , Cell Differentiation , Humans , Models, Theoretical , Stem CellsABSTRACT
This research paper is a step towards the study to see how Vedic Homa Therapy is an effective natural approach for treatment of any pollution, heavy PM 2.5 and PM 10 particles and the use of mango wood, cow dung and bargad wood in the cure of ailment, depression, pollution control by just focusing on its lyrics, sound, diction when done continuously. By performing Yagya, two energies are produced. Heat energy from fire of Yagya and the sound energy from vibration of the Vedic mantras;both the energies are combined to give self-healing results on any disease and its ionisation produces a vital role in curbing polluting particles. The study has done comparative analysis on emission of gaseous particles after Yagya post-second wave of COVID-19 and also through ML algorithms and statistical analysis;it demonstrates the auto correlation and high correlation on different parameters responsible for pollution measurement and for AQI.
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Introduction:Vector-borne diseases are infections caused by parasites, viruses and bacteria and transmitted by vectors, which are usually insects. A greater risk of diseases such as dengue, malaria, seasonal influenza, leptospirosis, chikungunya, enteric fever, etc co-exist in COVID-19 cases. This poses challenges in clinical and laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19, which may affect clinical management and patient outcomes. Methodology: Several databases, including PubMed, Scopus, DOAJ, and EMBASE, were reviewed using the keywords vector-borne infections in India amidst COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 23 articles and WHO and National website for vector-borne diseases was found. Review:For many decades, vector-borne diseases have been a major health burden for both underdeveloped and developing countries, including India. With better preparedness, the threat of climate change on vector-borne diseases may be negated. Rains during monsoon increase not only the risk of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya but also that of food- and water-borne diseases as well as other skin infections. A greater risk of diseases such as dengue, malaria, seasonal influenza, leptospirosis, chikungunya, enteric fever, etc co-exists in COVID-19 cases. This poses challenges in clinical and laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19, which may affect clinical management and patient outcomes (3). Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a sudden outbreak of Zika virus infection was reported at the beginning of July 2021 in the districts of Kerala, from where it started, spreading to the neighboring states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, India. Conclusions:With better preparedness, the threat of climate change on vector-borne diseases may be negated. Designing and strengthening an intervention strategy for environmental sanitation, regular cleaning of living houses, and keeping personal hygiene shall be considered. Risk assessment is crucial to optimize surveillance, preventative measures (vector control), and resource allocation (medical supplies).
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Children account for 1% to 5% of diagnosed COVID-19 infection with relatively mild presentation compared to adults. The frequency of neurological involvement in acute COVID-19 infection in children is unclear. COVID-19 is also considered to be a neurotropic virus, but so far, in the pediatric age group, very few cases with involvement of basal ganglia and no case of dentate nucleus involvement have been reported in the literature. The present paper reports two cases of acute encephalopathy with COVID-19, the first case with basal ganglia involvement and the second with dentate nucleus involvement. Both cases required aggressive management and had complete neurological recovery on follow-up. Hence, these cases are reported to make everyone aware of the neurological presentation with atypical neuroimaging finding of acute COVID-19 infection in the pediatric age group; timely management improves the outcome.
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Brain Diseases , COVID-19 , Adult , Basal Ganglia/diagnostic imaging , Brain Diseases/etiology , COVID-19/complications , Cerebellar Nuclei , Child , Humans , NeuroimagingABSTRACT
Background: With the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic across the world, people have suffered an unexpected setback to their mental health. As psychological support is being provided to patients and healthcare workers, the general population and university students go unnoticed. This review aims to present existing literature that reports the effects of COVID-19 on psychological outcomes of the general population and university students in different countries. Methods: A manual search was conducted on PubMed, Google Scholar and Mendeley from inception to 31st January 2021. Articles were selected based on the predetermined eligibility criteria. Results: During COVID-19 pandemic, relatively high rates of depression (4.5% to 72.3%), anxiety (12.7% to 85.7%) and stress (5% to 90.1%) were reported in the general population as well as in university students, depression (3% to 70.5%), anxiety (9% to 63.3%) and stress (61.5% to 25%) in India, Nepal, Pakistan, China, Spain, US, UK, France, Egypt, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. Risk factors associated include female gender, younger age group (<40 years), unemployment, student status, and frequent exposure to social media/news concerning COVID-19. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with highly significant levels of psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety and stress. Alleviating the hazardous effects of COVID-19 on mental health should be given due attention internationally. © 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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COVID-19 , Child , Humans , Immunoglobulins, Intravenous , SARS-CoV-2 , Systemic Inflammatory Response SyndromeABSTRACT
Viral diseases are very hazardous for humanity because in the case of most viral diseases, drugs are not effective. At present, the whole world is living with the fear of COVID-19. From time to time, several viral diseases have been troubling human life. In this article, we have tried to capture the progression dynamics of Zika Virus (ZIKV) infection in the Indian scenario. A constructed model is based on compartment modelling. In the model, Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) structure is used for the human population and Susceptible-Infected (SI) structure is used for mosquito population. The value of the basic reproduction number (R0) is computed 0.36 at baseline values of parameters involved in the model. The lower value of R0 suggests that infection was unable to spread in the human population. Sensitive analysis for R0 revealed that the most accountable parameter in the spread of infection was mosquito biting rate. The modelling technique might be useful for other diseases also.
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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been responsible for the cause of global pandemic Covid-19 and to date, there is no effective treatment available. The spike 'S' protein of SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2 of the host cell are being targeted to design new drugs to control Covid-19. Similarly, a transmembrane serine protease, TMPRSS2 of the host cell plays a significant role in the proteolytic cleavage of viral 'S' protein helpful for the priming of ACE2 receptors and viral entry into human cells. However, three-dimensional structural information and the inhibition mechanism of TMPRSS2 is yet to be explored experimentally. Hence, we have used a molecular dynamics (MD) simulated homology model of TMPRSS2 to study the inhibition mechanism of experimentally known inhibitors Camostat mesylate, Nafamostat and Bromhexine hydrochloride (BHH) using molecular modeling techniques. Prior to docking, all three inhibitors were geometry optimized by semi-empirical quantum chemical RM1 method. Molecular docking analysis revealed that Camostat mesylate and its structural analogue Nafamostat interact strongly with residues His296 and Ser441 present in the catalytic triad of TMPRSS2, whereas BHH binds with Ala386 along with other residues. Comparative molecular dynamics simulations revealed the stable behavior of all the docked complexes. MM-PBSA calculations also revealed the stronger binding of Camostat mesylate to TMPRSS2 active site residues as compared to Nafamostat and BHH. Thus, this structural information could be useful to understand the mechanistic approach of TMPRSS2 inhibition, which may be helpful to design new lead compounds to prevent the entry of SARS-Coronavirus 2 in human cells.
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INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has overloaded the healthcare system beyond its functional capacity. Late referral to higher levels of care may be one of the factors associated with higher mortality. Therefore, we aimed to find simple demographic and laboratory parameters which predict the requirement of admission to a critical care unit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A case-control study was undertaken in adult age population >18 years, admitted in a dedicated COVID hospital in South India. A total of 50 patients with severe disease (cases) were compared with 143 mild or asymptomatic cases (controls). Those demographic and laboratory parameters that were found to be significant on univariate analysis were used for multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Univariate analysis of demographic and laboratory data showed higher age, male sex, presence of diabetes mellitus, higher values of C-reactive protein, ferritin, D-dimer, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and lactate dehydrogenase to be significantly associated with cases. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of these significant variables showed NLR and ferritin to be the independent predictors of the requirement of admission to a critical care unit. The receiver-operating characteristic curve showed an NLR value of 5.2 and a ferritin value of 462 µg/L that were able to predict the requirement of admission in critical care units. CONCLUSION: High ferritin and NLR were independent predictors of the requirement of admission in critical care units. NLR is a simple tool that can be used in resource-limited settings for triage and early referral to higher levels of care. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Maddani SS, Gupta N, Umakanth S, Joylin S, Saravu K. Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients with COVID-19 as a Simple Tool to Predict Requirement of Admission to a Critical Care Unit. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(5):535-539.
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Aims & Objectives: - Select appropriate donors - Ensure availability of Convalescent Plasma for Covid19 positive patients admitted in our hospital with moderate symptoms Patients/Materials & Methods: -Total Quality Management Approach All the data of positive recovered patient from COVID 19 were retrieved and analysed for potent donors. Donor selection criteria were as per guidelines laid by ICMR. All potent donors were contacted through telephonic conversation and were counselled for plasma donation. Results: We have successfully conducted 143 plasma apheresis donation in our blood bank and have issued 104 units of convalescent plasma to patients admitted in CCU in our hospital till date as per categorisation on severity of symptoms. Discussion & Conclusion: It was a challenging job to council healthy donors for donation during peak time of this pandemic of COVID19. Initially there was 5% of donation in month of August which rose to 59.28% in month of September with changes in criteria and increased participation through creating awareness among the COVID 19 positive patients. 40% of patients on Plasma therapy in critical care turned RTPCR negative.
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INTRODUCTION: The pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is on the rise in our country and there is no specific treatment modality available presently. The treatment of the disease largely remains symptomatic but repurposed drugs used to treat other disease conditions are being used to treat moderate to severe form of the disease. As the clinical trials for these drugs are ongoing, we conducted this survey to know the physicians' medical treatment plan for COVID-19 patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It was a web-based questionnaire study. Institutional ethical committee clearance was taken before the commencement of the study. There were a total of 17 questions, the first 6 being about the demographics, place of work, and whether the clinician was involved in the care of COVID-19 patients. Subsequent 11 questions were to assess physician's awareness and plan of the medical management of the COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: The majority of the clinicians were aware of the various treatment modalities available for the treatment of COVID-19. Regarding the plan for use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), 55% of the total respondents intended to use the drug in combination with azithromycin, even as 62% agreed that there was no clear evidence yet. About 90% of all clinicians, from junior residents to consultants, were monitoring electrocardiogram (ECG) during HCQ therapy; however, there were 10% of physicians who were not practicing ECG monitoring. About 68% of clinicians were aware of the various therapeutic options being tested, like convalescent plasma, lopinavir-ritonavir, and 64% knew about remdesivir. There was divergence regarding the use of steroids in a cytokine storm among the physicians, with only 39% of consultants planning to use steroids whereas about 50% of junior residents and 79% of junior consultants were planning to use the drug. CONCLUSION: The majority of the clinicians involved in the management of COVID-19 were aware of the various drug modalities available for treatment. However, more emphasis on the adverse effects and possible drug interactions is required. There is disaccord regarding the use of steroids in cytokine storm in COVID-19 and further guidelines and educational programs should address these issues. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Clinicians have to be made more aware of the possible adverse effects and drug interactions of the medications used for the treatment of COVID-19. The treatment of the serious, cytokine storm syndrome and the role of steroids must be elucidated as soon as it is feasible. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Maddani SS, Chaudhuri S, Deepa HC, Amara V. A Multicenter Questionnaire-based Study to Know the Awareness and Medical Treatment Plan of Physicians Involved in the Management of COVID-19 Patients. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(10):919-925.