Vividha Dhapte

Cupping therapy: A prudent remedy for a plethora of medical ailments

Since ancient times, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM; 補充與替代醫學 bǔ chōng yǔ tì dài yī xué) have played an important role in human health and welfare. Many therapeutic approaches in healthcare outside the realm of conventional medicine persist in various parts of the world. There is considerable scientific and commercial potential in CAM, which needs to be explored precisely. Cupping therapy (拔罐療法 bá guàn liáo fǎ), one of the CAM, is practiced across the world. This therapy is believed to act by correcting imbalances in the internal bio field, such as by restoring the flow of “Qi (氣qì)”. Cupping involves applying a heated cup to generate a partial vacuum that mobilizes the blood flow and promotes effective healing. This review outlines various tools and techniques of cupping therapy.

Versatile SiO2 Nanoparticles@Polymer Composites with Pragmatic Properties

In the present work, we report the fabrication of silica nanoparticles embedded polymeric (SiO2 nanoparticles@polymer) composite films for numerous traits like texture, folding endurance, crystallinity, size, thermal behavior, spectral analysis, and bioactivity. Significant facets of bulky, inert, inorganic materials are known to burgeon out due to the high surface area of nanosized particles. Nature and proportion of silica nanoparticles as well as polymers exhibited remarkable impact on the fabrication and quality of casted films. Hydrophilic silica nanoparticulate-PVA films depicted better mechanical properties like thermal plus photo stability. Hydrophobic silica nanoparticulate-PMMA films showed qualities of a robust, active, thermostable, antimicrobial material that could resist extreme storage and processing conditions. Overall, these metal oxide nanoparticle-polymer composite films possess qualities reflecting their potential in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industry.

Contemporary acupressure therapy: Adroit cure for painless recovery of therapeutic ailments

Since time immemorial, complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) have played a significant role in human health care. CAM is known to have a strong reputation and reliability within every culture to provide basic health care treatment for patients. CAM acts as a better therapeutic option in human being for treating various diseases and improving quality of life with apt consideration to the economic aspects. Acupressure, one of the known CAM, originated in ancient China is based on the principal of acupoints activation across the meridians which correct the imbalance between Qi. Activation of specific points on the meridians is known to facilitate reduction of pain at the local sites. It also reduces the pain from other body parts. This review outlines various types, devices and mechanisms involved in the acupressure treatment.

A Comprehensive Review on Pharmacokinetic Profile of Some Traditional Chinese Medicines

Herbal medicines are the oldest and most widely used form of treatment for welfare of mankind. Herbal medicines possess strong reputation as complementary treatment across the globe due to their easy accessibility and safety. Particularly traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) are very popular due to their desirable therapeutic effects. They already have been proven for their remarkable potential in treatment of wide range of disease ailments. The major drawback in using herbal medicines is lack of standardisation aspects due to the complexity of chemical constituents. Pharmacokinetics study of such medicines helps forecast a range of events related to efficacy, safety, and toxicity profile of them. Apart from this, pharmacokinetics studies also recommended by various regulatory agencies during diverse stages of herbal drug development. Thus it is highly essential to have knowledge about the pharmacokinetic properties of any herbal drug. Thus it was thought that it will be worthwhile to compile the pharmacokinetic data of TCM which will be helpful for the researchers involved in further research on TCM. To portray entire picture about absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of some TCM, this well-designed scientific review covers the pharmacokinetic profile of 50 TCM available from 2003 and onwards.

DETERMINATION OF PYRIMETHAMINE IN RAT PLASMA BY LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY AND ITS APPLICATION TO PHARMACOKINETICS

Pyrimethamine is a dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor which has been used for therapy and prophylaxis of parasitic diseases. A simple method is described for the quantification of pyrimethamine in plasma by liquid chromatography. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a reversed phase C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, particle size 5μm, Vydac®) using mobile phase containing 0.05 M sodium phosphate buffer (pH 2): methanol (50:50, v/v). Pyrimethamine and internal standard carbamazepine were measured using UV detection at 212 nm. Retention times for drug and internal standard from rat plasma samples were found to be 8.7 and 13.5 min, respectively. The lower limit of quantification was 13 ng/ml. Mean recoveries from plasma were 96–98%. Intra- and inter-day precision (%RSD) was 4.2 and 7.4%, respectively whereas intra- and inter-day accuracy (%RSD) was 5.6 and 6.3%, respectively. Short-term stability studies at room temperature and freeze-thaw conditions indicated absence of degradation in pyrimethamine. The method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of pyrimethamine after oral administration of 1.25 mg/kg dose in healthy Wister rats. All pharmacokinetic parameters derived were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.0001). The method was sensitive, specific, precise and suitable for pharmacokinetic studies of pyrimethamine in rats.