Browsing by Author "Nagarajan, M"
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Item Abhava pratinidhi dravya: A comparative phytochemistry of Ativisha, Musta and related species.(2015-01) Nagarajan, M; Kuruvilla, Gina R; Kumar, K Subrahmanya; Venkatasubramanian, PadmaAuthentic Ativisha (Aconitum heterophyllum) is a rare, endangered Himalayan species. Ayurveda classical texts of c. 15th–16th century, introduced “abhava‑pratinidhi dravya” concept, wherein Ativisha was categorized as an abhava dravya (unavailable drug) and Musta (Cyperus rotundus) was suggested as a pratinidhi dravya (substitute) for it. C. rotundus is a weed, abundantly available pan‑India. Cryptocoryne spiralis (Naattu Athividayam) and Cyperus scariosus (Nagarmotha) are also traded as Ativisha and Musta, respectively. Yet, there are no scientific studies to validate the use of substitutes. A. heterophyllum bears no similarity in terms of botanical classification with the other candidates. This article reviews published literature with an emphasis to look for similar phytochemicals or groups of phytochemicals in the species that could contribute to similar pharmacological activities, thereby supporting the drug substitution from a bio‑medical perspective. Alkaloids like atisine were found to be the main focus of studies on A. heterophyllum, whereas for the Cyperus spp., it was terpenoids like cyperene. Although alkaloids and terpenoids were reported from both species, alkaloids in C. rotundus and terpenoids in A. heterophyllum were minor constituents. Reports on phytochemicals on Cryptocoryne spiralis and C. scariosus were very limited. Despite no significant similarities in chemical profiles reported, the dravyaguna (Ayurvedic drug classification) of Ativisha and Musta was quite similar warranting further exploration into the bio‑functional aspects of the drug materials.Item Aetiology of the 1978 outbreak of encephalitis in Tirunelveli and other districts of Tamil Nadu.(1982-07-01) Rao, G L; Rodrigues, F M; Nambiapan, M; Nagarajan, M; Ghalsasi, G R; Rodrigues, J J; Pinto, B D; Rao, C V; Gupta, N PItem Carbohydrate repression & effect of cyclic AMP on the synthesis of catechol oxygenase in Pseudomonas tabaci.(1979-08-01) Nagarajan, M; Mahadevan, AItem Carcinoma prostate with penile metastases. A case report.(2002-06-07) Geetha, G; Nagarajan, V; Tulasi, N R; Nagarajan, MProstatic carcinoma metastasizing to the penis is rare. The prognosis is also poor. A case of carcinoma prostate with penile metastases where successful palliation was achieved with external radiation therapy is reported.Item A double-blind controlled clinical trial to assess the role of anti-histamines in the treatment of multi-bacillary leprosy.(1988-10-01) Thomas, A; Nagarajan, M; Chandrasekaran, V; Hari, L; Somasundaram, P R; Prabhakar, R; Kumar, A; Bhatia, V N; Roy, R GA double blind controlled clinical trial to assess the role of anti-histamines as a supplement in the treatment of leprosy was conducted in multi-bacillary cases of leprosy. In all, 120 patients with lepromatous or borderline leprosy were randomly allocated to a regimen of clofazimine and dapsone for 12 months with or without a supplement of pheniramine maleate for the first 3 months. During the 12-month period, 92% of the patients who received the supplement and 86% of the patients who had not received it had moderate or marked clinical improvement. The BI values decreased from 4.1 to 3.4 and 4.2 to 3.3, respectively. The results over the 12-month period showed that the addition of the antihistamine had not enhanced the efficacy of the regimen as evidenced by clinical and bacteriological findings.Item Pharmacology of Ativisha, Musta and their substitutes.(2015-04) Nagarajan, M; Kuruvilla, Gina R; Kumar, K. Subrahmanya; Venkatasubramanian, PadmaThe Ayurvedic literature during the medieval period suggests the use of Musta (Cyperus rotundus), a common weed, as a pratinidhi dravya (substitute) for Ativisha (Aconitum heterophyllum), an endangered species. Contemporary Ayurvedic practice also uses Cryptocoryne spiralis, (known as Naattu Atividayam in South India) and Nagaramusta (Cyperus scariosus) as substitutes for Ativisha and Musta, respectively. This article reviews published literature on the pharmacology of the above four species. Both A. heterophyllum and C. rotundus are reported to possess antiinflammatory, antipyretic, antibacterial and antidiarrhoeal properties, while antiinflammatory and antibacterial activities are attributed to C. scariosus. No reports exist on the bioactivity of Cryptocoryne spiralis. It is interesting to note that other than the veerya which is different, the biological properties of Ativisha and Musta are similar according to Ayurvedic classification of dravyaguna. This is also supported by modern pharmacological studies, which show that, both A. heterophyllum and C. rotundus have antidiarrheal, antipyretic, antiinflammatory, antihyperlipidemic and hypoglycemic activities. However, the similarities between the discussed species cannot be attributed to their phytochemical composition or taxonomical classification as these are quite distinct. The dravyaguna method of classifying materials, which we are calling as “pharmaco‑taxonomy”, offers a unique way of classifying those plant materials which lack similarity at the botanical or chemical level, but are similar at the level of biological functions.Item Radiation therapy in carcinoma esophagus - a ten year experience.(2004-11-04) Tulasi, N R; Nagarajan, V; Nagarajan, M; Balaji, TItem Status of long absentees among multibacillary leprosy patients admitted to a controlled clinical study.(2000-10-24) Jaggarajamma, K; Thomas, A; Nagarajan, MOf 210 multibacillary leprosy patients who were admitted to a trial of two drug regimens, fifty-seven were excluded from efficacy analysis at 120 months for various reasons. Thirty-three of these patients were identified as long absentees. Efforts were made to contact these patients through letters and home visits to assess their clinical and bacteriological status and to find out the reasons for default. Twenty-one patients were thus retrieved. Only one patient was found to be having active disease requiring treatment; the rest were clinically inactive and bacteriologically negative.