India's resurgence of COVID-19: urgent actions neededFor the Lancet Citizens' Commission on Reimagining India's Health System see www. citizenshealth.in

Background: COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 is one of the major health crisis that has affected the world in the past century. With the emergence of new strains of viruses and antimicrobial resistance, the world is looking for an alternate therapeutic option to fight infectious disease.Objective: The present study evaluated the efficacy of a novel polyherbal formulation, named NOQ19, against SARS-CoV-2 in an in vitro setting. NOQ 19 is an unique blend of 13 Ayurvedic herbs.Methodology: Vero E6 (CL1008), the African green monkey kidney epithelial cell, were infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus (isolate USA-WA1/2020) in a 96 well-plate. NOQ19 test material was diluted in different concentration as follows 0.05mg/ml, 0.1mg/ml, 0.2mg/ml, 0.3mg/ml, 0.4mg/ml, 0.5mg/ml, 0.6mg/ml, 0.7mg/ml, 0.8mg/ml and 0.9mg/ml. These different concentrations of NOQ19 were added to infected cells respectively and incubated for 3 days in 5% CO2 incubator. Remdesivir was used as a positive control.The cells were finally fixed with formaldehyde, stained with crystal violet and plaques were visualized. The number of plaques were counted to determine the PFU(plaque forming units)/mL.Results: Results demonstrated 100% antiviral efficacy of NOQ19 at 0.9mg/ml concentration with complete elimination of the virus. The IC50 of the drug was found to be 0.2mg/ml. The results of the present study demonstrated viral load reduction in SARS- CoV-2 infected Vero E6 cell lines.Conclusion: The result along with clinical trials could propose NOQ19 as a potential therapeutic option in the fighting the COVID-19 challenge.

Background Medical science is increasingly recognizing the role of gut health in achieving optimal wellbeing. A healthy gut improves digestion. Additionally, it has a positive impact on multiple physiological networks such as immune system, central nervous system and hepato-endocrine system, thus contributing to the overall quality of life. Functional gastrointestinal disorders: also known as disorders of gut-brain interaction, such as irritable bowel syndrome are increasing worldwide. Conditions like stress, anxiety and mental disorders are correlated with these disorders. Mind-body interventions have been shown to ameliorate stress, anxiety and related conditions that may aggravate functional gastrointestinal disorders. Objective The present study aims to investigate the benefits of a novel meditation technique called the Vaishvanara Agni meditation (VAM) on the gastrointestinal quality of life. Materials and methods 54 subjects participated in the study and practiced VAM for 50 days. During the Vaishvanara Agni meditation (VAM), attention is directed to the navel region and the digestive system. The effect of the meditation was evaluated using the gastrointestinal quality of life (GI-QoL) questionnaire, which was administered to subjects at three different time points i.e. day 0, day 24 and day 50. Results GI-QoL was significantly improved with the practice of VAM. Additionally, significant improvements were noticed in all sub domains especially core symptoms, physical strength and the psychological domain. Conclusion Meditation practices that focus on improving digestion can be an effective tool for improving gut health.

Background: Mental health problems are increasing at an alarming rate throughout the world, and teenagers are no exception. They experience high levels of stress in their formative years which often leads to poor social behavior. In the present study, we examine the effect of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY), a yogic breathing technique on perceived stress and social behavior of school going teenagers. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Teenagers who practiced SKY daily constituted the study group and teenagers who did not practice any form of yoga or meditation formed the control group. Child Perceived Stress scale (C-PSS) and Strength and Difficulty questionnaire (SDQ) were used to evaluate the mental health and social behavior of both groups. Results: Lower stress scores were observed among students who practiced SKY compared to their peers. A significant difference was observed between the groups with respect to emotional problems, conduct problems, peer problems, and pro-social behavior. Gender wise comparison highlighted that the females from the SKY group scored lower on emotional problems sub-scale compared to their counterparts from control group. Results also highlighted an improved peer to peer interaction among both boys and girls in the SKY group. Conclusion: The results indicate the practice of SKY is associated with reduced stress, improved self-awareness, and social behavior.

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected millions of people around the world and the resulting disease burden has challenged the already stressed healthcare systems globally. Amidst the increasing morbidity rate of SARS-CoV-2, the scientific community is vigorously researching possible remedies targeted against the virus. Natural herbs have a great potency to cure infectious diseases and are vastly unexplored. The present study aims to investigate Ayurvedic herbs in a unique polyherbal formulation, NOQ19, against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in an animal model. A total of 19 female Syrian hamsters were infected with the virus cell culture through intranasal route. 4 out of 19 animals were mock controls, 5 were infection controls, 4 were treated with remdesivir and acted as positive controls and remaining 6 were treated with NOQ19. The hamsters were observed to note body weight reduction and adverse events followed by sacrifice on day 4 after inoculation with the virus. The lung pathology and viral load was studied in each hamster. Results showed a significant reduction of 78.2% in the viral load for the NOQ19 arm, as compared to the infection control. Gross examination of the lung histology of the NOQ19 arm suggested an improvement in edema and congestion compared to the infection control. Also, no adverse events were noticed in NOQ19 hamster group. Therefore, the authors propose NOQ19 formulation as a potential option to be tested further for its efficacy and efficiency against COVID-19.