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Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a natural product from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa is a yellow colored polyphenolic phytochemical which has been in use for a long time for the treatment of swelling, twisting and wounds. The Indian system of medicine uses curcumin, present in its raw form in the plant extract, as a wound healer and inhibitor of swelling. As a pure compound also, it has been found to possess antitumor, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Several studies have clearly indicated that curcumin possesses a variety of pharmacological effects such as in wound-healing, 1) anti-oxidant 2-4) and anti-inflammatory activities. 5) Certain recent studies indicated that curcumin may exert its anti-inflammatory properties by: a) suppressing the activation of NF-kappaB through inhibition of IKK activity, 6) b) significantly inhibiting the LPS induced proinflammatory cytokines IL-1beta and IL-8 7) and c) inhibiting iNOS production and by scavenging NO radicals. 8) There is some evidence that curcumin has anti-spasmodic effect on smooth muscle of dogs' intestine in-vivo and vas-defrens of guinea pig in-vitro. 9)Based on these inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties of curcumin, we hypothesized that it could have anti-asthmatic activity as well because asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disorder.Asthma pathogenesis involves airway inflammation coupled with airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to a variety of physical and pharmacological stimuli. The incidence of asthma is on the rise globally and is reaching epidemic proportions.10) The already existing remedies for asthma are known to possess detrimental side effects on prolonged use. Therefore, there is a need to explore for new anti-asthmatic agents, preferably a plant-based drug that has negligible side effects.For our study, we selected a guinea pig model because of its marked airway reactivity and a good similarity to the airways of asthmatic human subjects. 11) To test the effect of curcumin, we sensitized the animals with ovalbumin (OVA) to develop the characteristic features of asthma: antigen induced airway constriction and airway hyperreactivity to histamine. We report here for the first time that curcumin inhibits allergen induced airway constriction and airway hyperreactivity to histamine in guinea pigs. MATERIALS AND METHODSAnimals Male guinea pigs of Dunkin-Hartley strain (National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India), 8-10 weeks old, weighing 300-350 g were used and acclimatized at least one week under laboratory conditions before conducting the experiment. Animals were allowed free access to food and water throughout the experiment. Experimental protocols were approved by the institutional ethical committee. Six groups of animals (nϭ6) were used for the study.Sensitization Animals were sensitized with 3 intra-peritoneal (i.p.) injections of 20 mg OVA (Sigma Chemical, Grade V, St. Louis, MO, U.S.A.) adsorbed on 10 mg alum, Al 2 (OH) 3 in 0.5 ml 0.9% saline on alternate days. After 3 weeks of last i.p. injection, the animals were che...

BackgroundEmpirical evidence shows that the relationship between health-seeking behaviour and diverse gender elements, such as gendered social status, social control, ideology, gender process, marital status and procreative status, changes across settings. Given the high relevance of social settings, this paper intends to explore how gender elements interact with health-seeking practices among men and women residing in an Indian urban slum, in consideration of the unique socio-cultural context that characterises India’s slums.MethodsThe study was conducted in Sahid Smriti Colony, a peri-urban slum of Kolkata, India. The referral technique was used for selecting participants, as people in the study area were not very comfortable in discussing their health issues and health-seeking behaviours. The final sample included 66 participants, 34 men and 32 women. Data was collected through individual face-to-face in-depth interviews with a semi-structured questionnaire.ResultsThe data analysis shows six categories of reasons underlying women’s preferences for informal healers, which are presented in the form of the following themes: cultural competency of care, easy communication, gender-induced affordability, avoidance of social stigma and labelling, living with the burden of cultural expectations and geographical and cognitive distance of formal health care. In case of men ease of access, quality of treatment and expected outcome of therapies are the three themes that emerged as the reasons behind their preferences for formal care.ConclusionOur results suggest that both men and women utilise formal and informal care, but with different motives and expectations, leading to contrasting health-seeking outcomes. These gender-induced contrasts relate to a preference for socio-cultural (women) versus technological (men) therapies and long (women) versus fast (men) treatment, and are linked to their different societal and familial roles. The role of women in following and maintaining socio-cultural norms leads them to focus on care that involves long discussions mixed with socio-cultural traits that help avoid economic and social sanctions, while the role of men as bread earners requires them to look for care that ensures a fast and complete recovery so as to avoid financial pressures.