Multicenter clinical trials on a novel polyherbal formulation in allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis is the most frequently occurring immunological disorder. It affects men, women and children and represents significant cost in terms of suffering and loss of productivity. Allergy is termed as an excessive reaction to an environmental allergen. Pollen, mold, dust, mite and animal allergens that contact the nasal or eye lining cause sneezing, nasal congestion and itchy, watery, swollen, red eyes. Although a broad spectrum of therapeutic options is available, the treatment of allergic rhinitis appears to be far from satisfactory. A novel polyherbal formulation (PF; Aller-7/NR-A2) comprising seven medicinal herbal extracts was assessed in a multicenter clinical trial involving 545 patients (321 males and 224 females) aged 18-59 years for 12 weeks to evaluate its clinical efficacy in patients suffering from allergic rhinitis. A total of 171 patients participated in double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled studies in three centers, while 374 patients were included in the open-label studies in 11 centers. The three major symptoms (sneezing, rhinorrhea and nasal congestion) of allergic rhinitis were significantly reduced. Significant improvement was also observed in absolute eosinophil count, mucociliary clearance time, peak expiratory flow rate and peak nasal flow rate. No serious adverse events that warranted cessation of treatment were observed. Minor adverse effects were noted in both the treatment and placebo groups. Thus, this study demonstrates that Aller-7/NR-A2 is well tolerated and efficacious in patients with allergic rhinitis.

The effect of tubocurarine and suxamethonium on directly and indirectly elicited contractions of skeletal muscle in unanaesthetized man using single and train of four impulses

1 Contractions of adductor pollicis in unanaesthetized man were elicited by direct and indirect stimulation. Single twitch responses as well as those by a train of four impulses at 2 Hz for 2 s were elicited for indirect stimulation. 2 After a suitable control period, tubocurarine (0.05 mg/kg) or suxamethonium (0.08 mg/kg) was administered intravenously. 3 A stepwise diminution in the train of four impulses was noticed after tubocurarine. Indirectly elicited contractions due to single stimulus and direct muscle stimulation remained unaltered. 4 Partial blockade of transient duration occured after suxamethonium for single as well as train of four stimuli. Directly elicited contractions remained unchanged. The intensity of blockade depended on the rate of injection of suxamethonium. 5 Indirectly elicited contractions by train of four impulses is a reliable and sensitive method for testing neuromuscular blocking drugs in unanaesthetized man.