Hering's Law Assessment Tool revisited: introducing a modified novel version--Patients' Response Assessment Tool after Homeopathic Treatment (PRATHoT) in chronic cases.

Hering's Law Assessment Tool emerged as a systematic outcome assessment tool following homeopathic intervention. The authors intend to modify it and develop a new tool-Patient Response Assessment Tool after Homeopathic Treatment (PRATHoT)-in chronic cases through Delphi technique for systematic categorization of probable outcomes following individualized homeopathic treatment in chronic cases. The PRATHoT was drafted after literature review and iterative Delphi rounds with multidisciplinary expert panel, setting Fleiss κ of 0.41 to 1.00 a priori as the desired level of multirater agreement. Following pilot testing, the tool was implemented on 37 patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis over 6 months. Logistic regression analysis confirmed that higher PRATHoT score was significantly associated with achieving pain visual analogue scale responses from the second follow-up visit onwards (B = 0.037-0.066; SE = 0.021-0.036; P = .003-.048). The tool appeared to have acceptable psychometric properties; hence, it may be considered as a promising tool, amendable for further development.

Effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Hibiscus rosa sinensis Linn. leaves in experimental colitis in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the ameliorative effect of hydroalcoholic extract of leaves of Hibiscus rosa sinensis (HRS) in acetic acid induced experimental colitis in male wistar rats. METHODS: The animals were administered with 2 mL acetic acid (4%) via intra rectal. The animals were divided into various treatment groups (n=6). Prednisolone was used as standard drug and HRS was administered at a dose of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg p.o. The control group of animals received 1 mL of vehicle (distilled water). Ulcer area, ulcer index, spleen weight, colon weight to length ratio, macroscopic score, haematological parameters, colonic superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), myeloperoxidase (MPO), malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), nitric oxide (NO) and histological changes were recorded after the treatment regimen of 11 days. RESULTS: Intrarectal instillation of acetic acid caused enhanced ulcer area, ulcer index, spleen weight, colon weight to length ratio, colonic MPO, MDA, NO and TNF-α It caused significant decreased level of SOD and GSH. Pretreatment with HRS for 7 days exhibited significant effect in lowering of oxidative stress, colonic NO, TNF-α and elevation of SOD and GSH at a dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg in acetic acid induced colitis. CONCLUSIONS: The present investigation demonstrates HRS is of potent therapeutic value in the amelioration of experimental colitis in laboratory animals by inhibiting the proinflammatory mediator like NO and TNF-α.