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Medicinal plants are being widely used, either as a single drug or in combination in health care delivery system. Abrus precatorius Linn., is commonly known as Gunja or Jequirity and abundantly found all throughout the plains of India. It characterized under the Upavisha (semipoisonous drugs) and used extensively in various Ayurvedic formulations with great therapeutic significance. Ayurveda recommended the administration of Gunja only after proper Shodhana (purification procedures). In presented review article, an attempt has been made to compile critically its information related to therapeutic uses of Gunja from samhitas, nine samgraha granthas, seven nighantus and other published texts. It is observed that seed, root, fruit & leaves of Gunja are used as an ingredient in 109 formulations, which are effective in more than 30 disease conditions. The main indications include Netra roga (Diseases of Eye), Khalitya (Alopecia), Sarpa Visha (Snake Poison), Jwar (Fever), Indralupta (Alopecia), Keshya (Hair Tonic), Prameha (Urinary Disorder), etc. Different parts of Gunja are used in about 18 dosage forms; such as svarasa (juice), kvatha (decoction), lepa (paste), Anjan (application in eye), avaleha (semi-solid preparations), taila (oil), rasa (mineral preparation), vati (pills), modaka (solid dosage form), ghrita (fat soluble preparations), churna (powder), Panak (syrup), etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is limited data available in the literature describing the utility of acellular dermal matrix (AlloDerm©) in the replacement of the temporomandibular joint disc. Few reports of clinicians using implantable AlloDerm to replace the disc do exist, however, this has been described for reconstruction after surgical resection of the entire temporomandibular joint complex to treat pathology, as opposed to isolated articular disc disorders. Moreover, there is a lack of description in the literature regarding associated perioperative outcomes after such a procedure. We sought to assess the immediate perioperative outcomes in the form of a pilot study, to determine whether this technique warrants further investigation in the form of prospective clinical studies., Methods: The study team conducted a retrospective review of medical records for patients who underwent temporomandibular joint discectomy and replacement with AlloDerm© at a single tertiary care center, from 2011 to 2016. Perioperative outcomes of interest including pain levels and range of motion were recorded and descriptive statistics were utilized for statistical analysis., Results: 15 patients met the inclusion criteria, of which 87% were females and 13% males. The mean age was 47.27±15.93 years. Preoperatively, 74% of the patients reported severe pain (VAS scores of 7-10); in contrast, 73% of the patients reported only mild pain (VAS scores of 1-3) during the postoperative visits, suggesting an overall reduction in pain intensity. Range of motion also improved from an average of 27.73±13.04mm, to an average of 38.60±6.08mm (P<0.01)., Conclusions: Based on our preliminary data, patients with advanced TMJ articular disc disorders showed clinical improvement from discectomy and replacement with acellular dermal matrix (AlloDerm©). Further longitudinal studies evaluating long-term outcomes need to be conducted to validate this technique, in the form of larger sample sizes with a control group, as well as radiographic assessment of long-term clinical outcomes., (Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)