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It was in 2019 that the world experienced the devastation caused by SARS-COV-2, contributing to a large number of deaths. This contagious virus not only challenged the health care system but has also hit the economy very badly. There has been a lot of research on effective vaccine development, and there has been some success in the same, but no effective antiviral drugs are available in the market. No doubt vaccination can prevent the disease, but it doesn't have the potential to cure an infected person, for which there is a dire need to develop some effective drug. Angiotensin convertase enzyme 2 (ACE2) played a substantial role in SARS-COV2 pathogenesis and thus has gained much attention during the pandemic. Moreover, it has opened up new avenues for the cure of COVID-19.
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Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has become the gold standard for the management of symptomatic gallstone disease. The complications related to different pressure ranges of pneumoperitoneum have been studied widely with no definite conclusion till date. The current study was planned to determine the effect of standard versus low pressure laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LPLC) on postoperative abdominal and shoulder tip pain (STP). Methods: The present randomised clinical trial included 84 patients divided into two groups: standard pressure laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SPLC) (13 mmHg) and LPLC (9 mmHg). The variables tested were abdominal pain at 3, 6, 12 and 24 h (by verbal rating scale), the incidence and intensity of STP, post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and surgeon's comfort for the two techniques. Results: The demographic characteristics of patients were similar in both groups. In LPP group, the postoperative abdominal pain at 6, 12 and 24 h was significantly less than SPLC; p = 0.02. Incidence of shoulder pain was significantly less in low pressure group (7.14%) compared with standard pressure (28.57%). Conclusions: Low-pressure pneumoperitoneum (LPP) is safe and feasible surgery with reduced abdominal and STP.
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Objective: There is a paucity of evidence for external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in patients with non-metastatic prostate adenocarcinoma with regional lymph nodes (cN1) as primary treatment in addition to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). We present the retrospective outcomes of cN1 patients treated with prostate and pelvic nodal (PPLN) EBRT and ADT. Methods: The clinical records of cN1 patients given PPLN EBRT from January 2012 to January 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Primary outcomes of overall survival, prostate cancer-specific survival, and failure-free survival were analysed. Secondary outcomes of biochemical relapse-free survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, and distant metastases-free survival were also reviewed. The prognostic values of clinicopathological parameters were investigated. Treatment toxicity was also reviewed. Results: We identified 121 cN1 patients treated with PPLN EBRT and ADT. Treatment was well tolerated, with only a minority (1.7%) having Grade 3 toxicities. 5-year overall survival and prostate cancer-specific survival were 74.4 and 89.1% respectively. 5-year failure-free survival was 55.4%; with 5-year biochemical relapse-free survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, and distant metastases-free survival at 56.2%, 85.2%, and 65.4% respectively. The benefits of PPLN EBRT were seen in most patients, with prolonged failure-free period and good loco-regional control. Conclusion: Patients with cN1 disease should be considered for PPLN EBRT, in addition to ADT. Treatment is well tolerated with low toxicity, good locoregional control, and prolonged time to disease progression. Advances in knowledge: We report real-world experience of cN1 patients treated with PPLN EBRT in addition to ADT, with good outcomes following treatment and low toxicity.