Background Specific treatment for COVID-19 is still an unmet need. Outcomes of clinical trials on repurposed drugs have not been yielding success. Therefore, it is necessary to include complementary approaches of medicine against COVID-19. Purpose This study was designed to evaluate the impact of traditional Indian Ayurvedic treatment regime on asymptomatic patients with COVID-19 infection. Study design It is a placebo controlled randomized double-blind pilot clinical trial. Methods The study was registered with Clinical Trial Registry-India (vide Registration No. CTRI/2020/05/025273) and conducted at the Department of Medicine in National Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Jaipur, India. 1 g of Giloy Ghanvati ( Tinospora cordifolia ) and 2 g of Swasari Ras (traditional herbo-mineral formulation) and 0.5 g each of Ashwagandha ( Withania somnifera ) and Tulsi Ghanvati ( Ocimum sanctum ) were given orally to the patients in treatment group twice per day for 7 days. Medicines were given in the form of tablets and each tablet weighed 500 mg. While, Swasari Ras was administered in powdered form, 30 min before breakfasts and dinners, rest were scheduled for 30 min post-meals. Patients in the treatment group also received 4 drops of Anu taila (traditional nasal drop) in each nostril every day 1 h before breakfast. Patients in the placebo group received identical-looking tablets and drops, post randomization and double blinded assortments. RT-qPCR test was used for the detection of viral load in the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab samples of study participants during the study. Chemiluminescent immunometric assay was used to quantify serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) on day 1 and day 7 of the study. Results By day 3, 71.1 % and 50.0 % patients recovered in the treatment and placebo groups, respectively. Treatment group witnessed 100% recovery by day 7, while it was 60.0 % in the placebo group. Average fold changes in serum levels of hs-CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α in treatment group were respectively, 12.4, 2.5 and 20 times lesser than those in the placebo group at day 7. There was 40% absolute reduction in the risk of delayed recovery from infection in the treatment group. Conclusions Ayurvedic treatment can expedite virological clearance, help in faster recovery and concomitantly reduce the risk of viral dissemination. Reduced inflammation markers suggested less severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the treatment group. Moreover, there was no adverse effect observed to be associated with this treatment.

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Invasion of the human erythrocytes by the malarial parasite brings about considerable metabolic changes in the host cell. In this study we compared acid phosphatase (ACP) levels in 45 cases of malaria with 45 cases of non-malarial fever and 45 normal individuals. In our study the serum ACP levels are highly increased in malaria patients when compared to non-malarial fever patients and it was highly significant (p<.001). The serum ACP levels are significantly increased in PF and Mixed groups compared to PV group. The level of Hb was decreased in all malaria patients whoindicate that malarial parasite uses host erythrocytes Hb as major nutrient source. There is negative correlation between ACP and Hb in malaria patients(r=-0.924) which is statistically highly significant. Increase in serum ACP levels in malaria patients may be used as an additional investigation in the diagnosis of malaria.

Autonomic nervous system abnormalities are major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) on hemodialysis and are generally considered a part of polyneuropathy. Postural hypotension, impotency, gastrointestinal disturbance, gastrointestinal motility, and sweating abnormalities are common symptoms. The most frequent complication in patients with CRF on hemodialysis is intradialytic hypotension, and it has been suggested that intradialytic hypotension is mostly related to autonomic neuropathy. The pathogenesis of autonomic neuropathy is unclear, but a reduced response to norepinephrine by the end organ and the toxic effect of metabolic toxins are considered to be some of the causes. Five cardiovascular reflex tests are generally used to determine autonomic neuropathy: the heart rate reaction to the Valsalva Maneuver, the heart rate variability during deep breathing, the heart rate response to standing up, the blood pressure response to standing up, and the blood pressure response to hand grip exercise.

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