Effect of "365 Breathing Technique" on Intraocular Pressure and Autonomic Functions in Patients With Glaucoma: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PRCIS: Patients with primary open angle glaucoma were advised to follow the "365 breathing technique" for 6 weeks in addition to their pharmacological glaucoma treatment. It helped to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP), stress biomarker-cortisol, and improve autonomic dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of the "365 breathing technique" on IOP, autonomic functions, and stress biomarkers in patients with primary open angle glaucoma. METHODS: In this randomized, controlled, interventional trial, after randomization, 40 patients in the intervention group followed "365 breathing" (three times a day, breathing rate: 6 cycles/min for 5 min) in addition to their pharmacological glaucoma treatment and 40 patients in the control group continued only with their pharmacological glaucoma treatment. IOP, serum cortisol, heart rate variability (HRV), and heart rate response to deep breathing test (DBT) were recorded at preintervention and 6 weeks postintervention. RESULTS: The mean IOP, serum cortisol, parameters of the HRV test, and DBT were comparable between the two groups at baseline. At the 6-week follow-up, in the intervention group, mean IOP was significantly lower (16.09 ± 2.24 vs 18.38 ± 1.58 mm Hg, P = 0.03) and serum cortisol were significantly lower (13.20 ± 3.11 vs 14.95 ± 2.60 mcg/dL, P = 0.038) compared with the control group. In the HRV test, time domain analysis showed a significant difference in the root mean square of the successive difference between RR interval values between both groups at 6 weeks ( P = 0.015) pointing towards higher postintervention parasympathetic activation in the intervention group. In frequency domain analysis (HRV test), the ratio of the low-frequency component to the high-frequency component was significantly lower in the intervention group at 6 weeks (1.65 vs 1.79, P = 0.019) indicating a shift in sympathovagal balance towards greater vagal modulation.There was a significant increase in delta heart rate ( P = 0.019) and expiratory:inspiratory ratio ( P = 0.011) in the intervention group at 6 weeks when compared with baseline values, indicating improved parasympathetic reactivity to DBT. CONCLUSION: "365 breathing" technique can reduce IOP and serum cortisol, and improve autonomic dysfunction in patients with glaucoma.

Effect of Yoga-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program on Endothelial Function, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammatory Markers in Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of yoga-based cardiac rehabilitation (Yoga-CaRe) on the endothelial system, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). Methods: A sub-study was conducted in two clinical sites of the Yoga-CaRe trial (a multicenter randomized controlled trial). Participants with acute MI were randomized and allocated to either the Yoga-CaRe program (13 sessions with encouragement to home practice) or enhanced standard care (three educational sessions). Endothelial function, oxidative stress, and inflammatory biomarkers were assessed using biomarkers such as asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), endothelin-1 (ET-1), E-selectin, P-selectin, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM), intercellular cell-adhesion molecule-1, total nitric oxide concentration (NOx), oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Oxd-LDL), superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant capacity (TAOC), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), and C-reactive protein (CRP) at baseline and 12 weeks. Laboratory and statistical analysis were done by staff blinded to group allocation. Results: Eighty-two patients (of the 110 patients recruited) completed the study. The mean age was 53.1 ± 10.6 and 51.9 ± 10.7 years in enhanced standard care and Yoga-CaRe group, respectively. At 12 weeks, Yoga-CaRe significantly reduced ADMA, ET-1, and ICMA-1 than the enhanced standard care group. Although E-selectin and VCAM at 12 weeks were reduced in both groups, enhanced standard care had a significantly higher reduction than the Yoga-CaRe group. Among markers of oxidative stress, TAOC increased in the Yoga-CaRe group. We found no difference in eNOS, NOx, P-selectin, TNFα, CRP, and Oxd-LDL between the two groups. Conclusion: Yoga-CaRe improved the endothelial function (through a reduction in ET-1 and modulating adhesion molecules) and enhanced antioxidant capacity.

Randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of oral gabapentin for prevention of neuropathy in patients receiving paclitaxel.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral neuropathy is a common dose-limiting side effect of paclitaxel. To date, there is no effective strategy to prevent paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy. A recent small phase II study demonstrated the potential role of oral gabapentin in this setting. This phase III study is aimed to assess the efficacy of oral gabapentin in preventing paclitaxel-induced neuropathy. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of oral gabapentin with placebo in preventing clinically significant peripheral neuropathy (NCI CTCAEv5.0 grade 2 or higher) in patients receiving paclitaxel. METHODS: This is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group superiority trial. The primary outcome is the development of grade 2 or higher chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Secondary outcomes include any grade neuropathy, the percentage change in sensory nerve conduction velocities in peripheral nerves, time to development of any grade neuropathy, paclitaxel dose reductions and delays due to peripheral neuropathy, patient-reported outcomes, adverse events, and adherence to oral therapy. A total of 136 patients receiving paclitaxel will be randomly allocated (stratified by weekly vs. non-weekly administration) to receive either oral gabapentin or placebo till three weeks after the last dose of chemotherapy or occurrence of the primary outcome. CONCLUSION: This study aims to find if oral gabapentin reduces the incidence of grade 2 or higher chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients receiving paclitaxel. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial is registered prospectively with the Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI/2022/02/040030) on April 4, 2022.