SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF VITAP MARMA

Marma is a vital point of the body where trauma or injury may cause a various range of signs and symptoms from Ruja (pain) to even death. Ayurvedic Acharya’s has explained 107 Marma” that are present in the anterior and posterior aspect of the human body. Depending upon the effect of injury on Marma is five types like Sadhyo pranhara, Kalantara pranhara, Vishlyaghna, Vaikalykara & Rujakara Marma. Out of them, Vaikalykar Marma are the points where an injury causes structural or functional deformity. Another type of classification of Marma has also been made as Mamsa (muscle) marma, Sira (artery/vein) marma, Snayu (ligament) marma, Asthi (bone) marma and Sandhi (joint) marma. The Vitap Marma is placed under the Snayu Marma by Acharya Sushrut and Sira Marma by Acharya Vaghbhata. Vitap Marma is situated between Vankshan (Groin) and Vrishna (Testes) and the Viddha lakshan (symptoms of trauma) is Shandata (impotency) and Alpashukrata (oligospermia). The struc- ture present at this point is the inguinal canal. The clinical importance of the inguinal canal is related to the inguinal hernia. Direct or indirect Injury at this particular point affects the physiology of the reproductive system and may cause sterility, which is similar to Viddha lakshan of Vitap marma as described by Sushrut. Keywords: Vitap marma, Vaikalyakar marma, Inguinal canal, Spermatic cord, round ligament

Injury Causes and Recovery Management Strategies among Singapore CrossFitters

CrossFit is a combination of movements from various sport disciplines such as Olympic Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Gymnastics executed at high intensity. It has shown to bring about physiological and psycho-social benefits to members, increasing exercise adherence. Established in 2005, CrossFit has seen an exponential growth since, with 13,991 CrossFit affiliates worldwide. The popularity of the program despite its disposition to injury requires greater attention to its safety. This research aims to understand (1) reasons of injury among CrossFitters; (2) Injury management techniques among CrossFitters. In-depth interviews were conducted with nine CrossFitters from five Singapore CrossFit affiliates. Data was transcribed and thematically analyzed. Findings revealed that causes of injury include poor workout program designs, insufficient physiological knowledge passed down from coaches to athletes, athlete’s impatience when learning new skills as well as athletes conforming to performance and peer pressures. Further, Crossfitters manage their injuries through self-care physiological means and with professional guidance. The study concludes that coaches play a vital role in both the prevention and management of injuries. Therefore, they should design their programs with the athlete’s safety in mind and foster an environment that values patience, strength building discipline and safety. Athletes should also pay extra attention to their movement technique and be self-reflective in their physical capabilities. All athletes should regularly practice conservative physiological recovery methods and seek treatment or diagnosis from medical practitioners when necessary.

Nanchangmycin regulates FYN, FAK and ERK to control the fibrotic activity of hepatic stellate cells

Chronic liver injury causes fibrosis, characterized by the formation of scar tissue resulting from excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) myofibroblasts are the primary cell type responsible for liver fibrosis, yet there are currently no therapies directed at inhibiting the activity of HSC myofibroblasts. To search for potential anti-fibrotic drugs, we performed a high-throughput compound screen in primary human HSC myofibroblasts and identified 19 small molecules that induce HSC inactivation, including the polyether ionophore nanchangmycin (NCMC). NCMC induces lipid re-accumulation while reducing collagen expression, deposition of collagen in the extracellular matrix, cell proliferation, and migration. We find that NCMC increases cytosolic Ca2+ and reduces the phosphorylated protein levels of FYN, FAK, ERK1/2, HSP27 and STAT5B. Further, depletion of each of these kinases suppress COL1A1 expression. These studies reveal a signaling network triggered by NCMC to inactivate HSC myofibroblasts and reduce expression of proteins that compose the fibrotic scar. The identification of the antifibrotic effects of NCMC and the pathways by which NCMC inhibits fibrosis provides new tools and therapeutic targets to combat the development and progression of liver fibrosis.

Effects of Timing of Nerve Injury and Repair in Neonatal and Adult Brachial Plexus Injury Models

Brachial plexus Injury causes severe and long-term upper limb deficits at any age. The outcome from current reconstructive options depends on the severity of nerve injury and timing of intervention. This chapter summarises the differing biological responses to nerve injury that occur during neonatal, young adult and mature adult life. The central and peripheral reactions to nerve injury, the effects of timing of repair on both motor and sensory neuronal survival and basic science evidence to support early intervention are discussed.

Hamstring Injury Recurrence and Prevention: A Review

Football stands to be the most favorite sport with approximately four billion fans worldwide. Injuries in thegame can often be frustrating to the fans, athletes and the club, affecting performance and financialoperations. An avoidance curriculum to help cut down risks of such injuries seems obligatory, concerning thesocioeconomic and financial repercussions. An issue that is frequently discussed in sports medicine isHamstring Strain Injuries (HSI) that is widely seen amongst players which could prevent them from engaging inimportant games. HSI are one of the most frequently occurring injuries in sport representing approximately 12-24% of all athletic injuries. There is a high prevalence of hamstring strain injuries in many sports, includingsoccer.This review consists of summary of hamstring injury causes, prevention and current practices of treatment . Italso evaluates a contemporary method that uses whole-body vibration and its benefits to neuromuscularinvigoration and defiance exercises.

Spinal Cord Injury Causes Reduction of Galanin and Gastrin Releasing Peptide mRNA Expression in the Spinal Ejaculation Generator of Male Rats

Spinal cord injury (SCI) in men is commonly associated with sexual dysfunction, including anejaculation, and chronic mid-thoracic contusion injury in male rats also impairs ejaculatory reflexes. Ejaculation is controlled by a spinal ejaculation generator consisting of a population of lumbar spinothalamic (LSt) neurons that control ejaculation through release of four neuropeptides including galanin and gastrin releasing peptide (GRP) onto lumbar and sacral autonomic and motor nuclei. It was recently demonstrated that spinal contusion injury in male rats caused reduction of GRP-immunoreactivity, but not galanin-immunoreactivity in LSt cells, indicative of reduced GRP peptide levels, but inconclusive results for galanin. The current study further tests the hypothesis that contusion injury causes a disruption of GRP and galanin mRNA in LSt cells. Male rats received mid-thoracic contusion injury and galanin and GRP mRNA were visualized 8 weeks later in the lumbar spinal cord using fluorescent in situ hybridization. Spinal cord injury significantly reduced GRP and galanin mRNA in LSt cells. Galanin expression was higher in LSt cells compared to GRP. However, expression of the two transcripts were positively correlated in LSt cells in both sham and SCI animals, suggesting that expression for the two neuropeptides may be co-regulated. Immunofluorescent visualization of galanin and GRP peptides demonstrated a significant reduction in GRP-immunoreactivity, but not galanin in LSt cells, confirming the previous observations. In conclusion, SCI reduced GRP and galanin expression in LSt cells with an apparent greater impact on GRP peptide levels. GRP and galanin are both essential for triggering ejaculation and thus such reduction may contribute to ejaculatory dysfunction following SCI in rats.

Hypoxic–ischemic injury causes functional and structural neurovascular degeneration in the juvenile mouse retina

Ischemic stroke is a major cause of long-term disabilities, including vision loss. Neuronal and blood vessel maturation can affect the susceptibility of and outcome after ischemic stroke. Although we recently reported that exposure of neonatal mice to hypoxia–ischemia (HI) severely compromises the integrity of the retinal neurovasculature, it is not known whether juvenile mice are similarly impacted. Here we examined the effect of HI injury in juvenile mice on retinal structure and function, in particular the susceptibility of retinal neurons and blood vessels to HI damage. Our studies demonstrated that the retina suffered from functional and structural injuries, including reduced b-wave, thinning of the inner retinal layers, macroglial remodeling, and deterioration of the vasculature. The degeneration of the retinal vasculature associated with HI resulted in a significant decrease in the numbers of pericytes and endothelial cells as well as an increase in capillary loss. Taken together, these findings suggest a need for juveniles suffering from ischemic stroke to be monitored for changes in retinal functional and structural integrity. Thus, there is an emergent need for developing therapeutic approaches to prevent and reverse retinal neurovascular dysfunction with exposure to ischemic stroke.