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Dysmenorrhea is known as a painful period during menstruation. It is the widely prevalent and common complaint among young women, which affects their quality of life. The aim is to assess the prevalence of menstrual symptoms and primary dysmenorrhea during menstruation among medical undergraduates and its effects on the quality of their life. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 60 Medical undergraduates atSaveetha Medical college. The participants were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire on menstrual symptoms and primary dysmenorrhea. Primary dysmenorrhea was reported in 43.9% (27) of participants. Abdominal pain was reported in 78% (46), and 52% (31) of girls felt weak and tired during menses. In 40% (24) of girls, there has been a family history of primary dysmenorrhea. Abdominal pain was found to be highly prevalent among adolescent girls. Family history, bleeding duration, tiredness are some of the risk factors associated with primary dysmenorrhea.

Aim: The contagious disease COVID 19 is a recently out-broken pandemic situation which threatens humankind all over the world. Siddha system of medicine is one of the traditional medical systems of India, which has provided a novel remedy for many epidemics like Dengue, Chicken guinea earlier. On evaluating the literature evidence and considering the mortality and severity of the disease, we have attempted to identify the possible inhibition of viral replication by "Karisalai Chooranam" - a polyherbal Siddha formulation which contains herbs like Karisalai (Wedelia chinensis), Thoodhuvelai (Solanum trilobatum), Musumusukai (Melothria maderaspatana) and Seeragam (Cuminum cyminum). The aim of this study was to identify the bioactive components present in Karisalai chooranam and pin down the components that inhibit COVID 19 protease by In Silico molecular docking analysis. Material and methods: The study was performed for the active compounds present in the herbs (Wedelia chinensis - Benzoic acid, Solanum trilobatum- Disogenin, Melothria maderaspatana- β–sitosterol, Cuminum cyminum L- Coumaric acid and Limonene) with three potential targets, PDB id: 6LU7 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro), PDB id: 6-NUR RNA dependent RNA polymerase and PDB id: 2AJF Angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptor using Autodock Vina. Key findings: The active phytocomponents present in “Karisalai chooranam” was found to inhibit the target 3CL proenzyme and hereby halt the formation of 16 non-structural proteins (nsp1-nsp16) that are highly essential for viral replication and there by prevents viral survival in the host environment. The phytocomponents also inhibited the target RNA dependent RNA polymerase (PDB)-6NUR RdRp which possess versatile action in mediating nonstructural protein (nsp 12) essential for viral replication. A significant binding against the target Angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptors - PDB- 2AJF was found which was recognized as a binding site for novel coronavirus to cause its pathogenesis. Among the five active components present in the herb, the binding ability of Disogenin and β–sitosterol with COVID19 protease suggests a possible mechanism of protease inhibition and thus preventing viral replication. Significance: The results strongly suggest that phytocomponents of “Karisalai chooranam” may act as a potential therapeutic agent for the management of COVID-19 and related symptoms. Further, the efficacy of the active compounds should be tested in vitro before being recommended as a drug.

ObjectiveParkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. In order to explore a noninvasive treatment of PD, in the current study the authors evaluated the neuroprotective efficacy of caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS) using the rotenone-induced rat model of PD. The rotenone models of PD are gaining attention due to high reproducibility. It is also considered to be an improved model to exhibit the pathogenesis of PD and test the neuroprotective effect of various therapeutic interventions.Materials and methodsRotenone was i.p. injected (3 mg/kg body weight) to male Wistar albino rats for 21 days to induce PD. As PD is chronic and progressive in nature, the efficacy of chronic CVS intervention was evaluated for 30 days after inducing PD in rats. Motor symptoms were evaluated by assessing locomotor activity in actophotometer, whereas movement analysis was done using Ludolph test and motor coordination was evaluated using rotarod apparatus. The neurochemical and neuropathological changes were also observed in the corpus striatum of rats.ResultsRotenone administration showed decreased locomotor activity, motor coordination and general movement associated with significant (P < 0.05) reduction in dopamine content in the corpus striatum. The immunohistochemical analysis revealed a marked decrease in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity in striatal neurons indicating the significant loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra (SN) following rotenone injection. However, chronic treatment with CVS restored the nerve terminals in the striatum from rotenone damage. CVS treatment improved the dopaminergic system function by restoring dopamine content in the striatum. CVS also improved the motor deformities clearly suggesting the neuroprotective function.ConclusionThe results of the present study suggested CVS to be a safe and simple neuroprotective measure against neurodegenerative changes in PD and a promising noninvasive technique to overcome the motor symptoms associated with it. The findings could be useful for further investigations and clinical applications of CVS in the treatment of PD.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused due to deficiency of Dopamine in the Substantia nigra. The existing pharmaceutical treatments are not meeting the need, whereas deep brain stimulation is not suitable for patients with co-morbidities. Therefore, a need for non-invasive and conventional treatment with fewer side effects is required. So we have tried a simple method of Caloric Vestibular Stimulation (CVS) for the long term and assessed its neuroprotective effect in PD induced rats. In the present study, 30 adult male Wistar albino rats (250 - 300g) were randomly assigned into five groups. Group 1 control, Group 2 was induced with Parkinson’s disease using rotenone, Group 3 was PD induced and CVS gave for 45 days, Group 4 was PD induced for 21 days and left untreated to study for its recovery, Group 5 was given CVS only for 45 days. The behavioral activity was recorded using an actophotometer and to assess the function of the nigrostriatal pathway. Dopamine produced in the striatum was measured using reverse-phase HPLC. Results showed significant (P< 0.05) alteration in dopamine and locomotor activity in PD, which was significantly (P< 0.05) improved by warm water CVS administration in Parkinson's disease-induced rat. In this aspect, CVS can be utilized as a conventional treatment method for PD and thus recommended for further investigations towards translational treatment in humans for Parkinson’s disease.