A Randomized Controlled Trial on Pranayama and Yoga Nidra for Anxiety and Depression in Patients With Cervical Cancer Undergoing Standard of Care.

Introduction Cervical cancer might intensify the psychological distress among patients with cervical cancer and the distress caused by the diagnosis and treatment. So, depression and anxiety are at higher levels in patients with cervical cancer. Yoga Nidra and Pranayama are thought to reduce the aftereffects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy potentially. So, in this study, we used the techniques of Yoga Nidra and Pranayama to evaluate their effect on patients with cervical cancer undergoing standard care. Methodology Seventy women with cervical cancer were randomized into experimental and control groups. The experimental group of patients with cervical cancer received 30 minutes of yoga intervention twice daily five days a week, for six weeks. The control group was given only the standard of care. The outcome measures were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire. The assessment was done at baseline, second, fourth, and sixth weeks. Results The results of within­group comparisons in both groups showed that there was a significant improvement in depression and anxiety scores, with P ≤ 0.05 being considered statistically significant. Between groups, analysis shows that in the preintervention, there was no difference between the yoga and control group as P > 0.05. After the yoga intervention, there was an enhancement in depression and anxiety scores.  Conclusions The results of the study concluded that the Yoga Nidra and Pranayama module can be given as adjuvant therapy to the standard of care in patients with cervical cancer for treating the disease and treatment-related anxiety and depression.

Oral Cavity Cancers: Ethnic Differences in Radiotherapy Outcomes in a Majority South Asian Leicester Community.

AIMS: Squamous cell carcinoma oral cavity cancers (SCCOCCs) have a higher reported incidence in South Asian countries. We sought to compare presenting stage and outcome by ethnicity in patients with SCCOCC treated with radical radiotherapy in a single centre in the UK. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients with SCCOCC treated with radical radiotherapy at an oncology department in Leicester (UK) between 2011 and 2017 were identified. Baseline demographic, clinical data and 2-year treatment outcomes were reported. RESULTS: Of the 109 patients included, 40 were South Asian and 59 were non-South Asian. South Asians had significantly poorer 2-year disease-free survival compared with non-South Asians (54.6% versus 73%, P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Our analysis suggests that South Asians with SCCOCC have poorer outcomes despite a younger age and similar disease characteristics. Environmental, social factors and differing biology of disease may be responsible and further research is required to inform targeted interventions.

Efficacy of tDCS on craving in patients of alcohol dependence syndrome: A single-blind, sham-controlled trial.

Background: Craving is attributed as one of the main reasons for relapse in alcohol dependence syndrome. Neurostimulation techniques targeting craving in substance use disorders are being researched. Neuroimaging has shown dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as one of the potential targets responsible for craving, with frontal dysfunction being quintessential in alcohol use disorder. Evidence suggests that stimulation of DLPFC with low-dose current can help in reducing craving. Objectives: To study the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on craving in patients with alcohol dependence syndrome. Materials and Methods: We performed a single-blind, sham-controlled study involving 76 patients with alcohol dependence syndrome (according to ICD-10 DCR). Participants with Clinical Institute of Withdrawal Assessment in Alcohol Withdrawal (CIWA-Ar) scores less than 10, not on any anti-craving medications were included in the study. Patients were allocated to active and sham tDCS groups in a ratio of 1:1. Such that 38 patients received active, and 38 patients sham tDCS stimulations; with anode as right DLPFC and cathode as left DLPFC receiving 2 mA current (twice daily session, total of 10 sessions). The Alcohol Craving Questionnaire (ACQ-NOW) was administered to measure the severity of alcohol craving at baseline and after the last tDCS session. Results: Our study showed a significant reduction in craving in the Post-tDCS, ACQ-NOW scores as compared to sham tDCS. There was a significant reduction in the compulsivity and emotionality domain of craving after tDCS. The effect size for treatment with time interaction was (0.58). Conclusions: tDCS was superior to sham in reducing caving in patients with alcohol dependence syndrome.

Usefulness of Yoga in the management of tinnitus during COVID-19: A narrative review.

The emergence of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) has resulted in an unprecedented global health crisis. Tinnitus is the most commonly reported symptom when the COVID-19 impacts the auditory-vestibular system. There are a variety of management strategies for amelioration of tinnitus including Yoga. The present review deals with three issues: one, occurrence of tinnitus in persons affected by COVID-19; two, the impact of COVID-19 situation on tinnitus severity; and three, the potential of Yoga as an intervention strategy. Literature search was carried out through search engines like PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science and Google scholar using keywords like 'tinnitus', 'COVID-19' and 'Yoga'. The relevant studies were identified and the findings summarized in a narrative manner. Based on the evidence obtained in the present review, the authors propose that yoga can be used as an effective strategy in overcoming the psychosocial factors associated with COVID-19 particularly in this pandemic and related lockdown situation. It is also proposed here that teleyoga can serve as a practical, feasible and safe mode for providing therapeutic services for tinnitus-related issues particularly in the present pandemic situation.

Exploration of spectroscopic, computational, fluorescence turn-off mechanism, molecular docking and in silico studies of pyridine derivative.

The present work reports pyridine-based chalones using spectroscopic techniques to use pyridine derivative analysis. The solvatochromic behavior of 3DPP in non-polar, polar protic and aprotic solvents has been investigated experimentally. The photophysical property of the compound in diverse solvents is attributed to the intra-molecular charge transfer interactions. The dipole moment of 3DPP is estimated theoretically and experimentally using various solvatochromic methods. It is observed that there is a bathochromic shift in the emission spectra of 3DPP, which confirms the π → π* transition. Fluorescence quenching of 3DPP is studied. The type of fluorescence quenching mechanism is found to be collisional quenching. A study of FRET theory on 3DPP was carried out with metal ions. There is a considerable energy transfer between 3DPP and metal ions. NLO behaviors of the compound have been revealed with the help of Kurtz-Perry powder technique. Additionally, the title molecule is docked, carried ADMET studies and drug-like activity using in silico tools. It is probed for antifungal activity through bioinformatics kit which showed potential information.

Computed tomography analysis of the anterior ethmoid genu of the frontal recess in non-diseased sinuses.

OBJECTIVE: Knowledge of anatomical variations of the frontal recess and frontal sinus and recognition of endoscopic landmarks are vital for safe and effective endoscopic sinus surgery. This study revisited an anatomical landmark in the frontal recess that could serve as a guide to the frontal sinus. METHOD: Prevalence of the anterior ethmoid genu, its morphology and its relationship with the frontal sinus drainage pathway was assessed. Computed tomography scans with multiplanar reconstruction were used to study non-diseased sinonasal complexes. RESULTS: The anterior ethmoidal genu was present in all 102 anatomical sides studied, independent of age, gender and race. Its position was within the frontal sinus drainage pathway, and the drainage pathway was medial to it in 98 of 102 cases. The anterior ethmoidal genu sometimes extended laterally and formed a recess bounded by the lamina papyracea laterally, by the uncinate process anteriorly and by the bulla ethmoidalis posteriorly. Distance of the anterior ethmoidal genu to frontal ostia can be determined by the height of the posterior wall of the agger nasi cell rather than its volume or other dimensions. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that the anterior ethmoidal genu is a constant anatomical structure positioned within frontal sinus drainage pathway. The description of anterior ethmoidal genu found in this study explained the anatomical connection between the agger nasi cell, uncinate process and bulla ethmoidalis and its structural organisation.

Differentially expressed microRNAs in biochemically characterized FrieswalTM crossbred bull semen.

In addition to the transmission of paternal genome, spermatozoa also carry coding as well as noncoding microRNAs (miRNAs) into the female oocyte during the process of biological fertilization. Based on RNA deep sequencing, a total 28 number of differentially expressed miRNAs were cataloged in categorized FrieswalTM crossbred (Holstein Friesian X Sahiwal) bull semen on the basis of conception rate (CR) in field progeny testing program. Validation of selected miRNAs viz. bta-mir-182, bta-let-7b, bta-mir-34c and bta-mir-20a revealed that, superior bull semen having comparatively (p < .05) lower level of all the miRNAs in contrast to inferior bull semen. Additionally, it was illustrated that, bta-mir-20a and bta-mir-34c miRNAs are negatively (p < .01) correlated with seminal plasma catalase (CAT) activity and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) level. Interactome studies identified that bta-mir-140, bta-mir-342, bta-mir-1306 and bta-mir-217 can target few of the important solute carrier (SLC) proteins viz. SLC30A3, SLC39A9, SLC31A1 and SLC38A2, respectively. Interestingly, it was noticed that all the SLCs were significantly (p < .05) expressed at higher level in superior quality bull semen and they are negatively correlated (p < .01) with their corresponding miRNAs as mentioned. This study may reflect the role of miRNAs in regulating few of the candidate genes and thus may influence the bull semen quality traits.

Effect of Yoga on Quality of Life in Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Randomized Control Trial.

Introduction: Yoga is emerging as one of the holistic approaches to respiratory diseases. The scope of yoga is expanding in communicable diseases with physical, mental, and societal benefits. Aim and Objective: The present study aims to evaluate the effect of integrated yoga as an adjuvant therapy to the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) on assessing health-related Quality of Life (QoL) in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Setting and Design: A randomized controlled trail study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Methodology: The study screened 826 PTB patients; 72 patients were found suitable and agreed to participate. The PTB patients were randomly assigned to either a yoga group (n = 36) or a control group (n = 36) using the sequentially numbered opaque sealed envelope technique. The control group received standard-of-care treatment as per NTEP, and the yoga group practiced 45 min of integrated yoga for 8 weeks along with standard of care. The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire was used to collect the data at baseline and after 8 weeks of intervention. Results: The results of within-group comparisons in both the groups showed that there was a significant improvement in physical (P < 0.01), psychological (P < 0.01), and social (P < 0.01), with P ≤ 0.05 being considered statistically significant except environmental domain. Between groups, analysis shows that in the preintervention, there was no difference between the yoga and control group as P > 0.05. After the yoga intervention, there was an enhancement in QoL scores with three domains except the environmental domain (P = 0.28). Conclusion: The study evidence supports the use of yoga as a complementary therapy for the NTEP in patients with PTB may improve their QoL.

Eco-friendly MA3Bi2I9perovskite thin films based ammonia sensor.

Organic-inorganic perovskite halides (OIPH) have emerged as a wonder material with growing interest in sensors detecting various toxic gases. However, lead toxicity represents a potential obstacle, and therefore finding lead-free cost-effective compatible materials for gas sensing applications is essential. In this work, methylammonium bismuth iodide i.e. (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9(MABI) perovskite thin films-based ammonia (NH3) sensor was synthesized using an antisolvent-assisted one-step spin coating method. The MABI sensor shows a linear relationship between the responsivity and concentration of NH3with excellent reversibility, high gas responsivity, and humidity stability. The MABI thin-film sensor exhibits a maximum gas response of 24%, a short response/recovery time i.e. 0.14 s /8.15 s and good reversibility at 6 ppm of NH3. It was observed that MABI thin films based sensors have excellent ambient stability over a couple of months. This work reveals that it is feasible to design high-performance gas sensors based on environmentally-friendly Bi-based OIPH materials.

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Model of Psychiatry Day Care Center in India: Its Challenges and Opportunities-A 2-Year Experience.

Background Most patients admitted in day care center are suffering from schizophrenia who do not recover fully due to nagging negative symptoms and cognitive deficits which linger and persist making the patients unfit and unacceptable for employment. But regular employment can help in recovery. In this way, day care centers would help in recovery of patients and hence the need for these kinds of centers. In India, day care centers are in infancy stage and to a larger extent are inadequately used. There is no data available from psychiatry day care center run as public-private partnership (PPP) project in a tertiary care general hospital psychiatry unit (GHPU). This model is first of its kind in India. Here, we narrate experiences gained in last 2 years. Objectives This article narrates the challenges and opportunities in a psychiatry day care center in PPP model. Materials and Methodology It a cross-sectional study. Description of day care center: Day care center was started as PPP model called Manasadhara model in the state of Karnataka, first of its kind in India. Recruitment Patients currently asymptomatic are recruited into the center after initial interview/assessment of patients and family members from the in-charge psychiatrist after obtaining informed consent. Statistical Analysis Data are analyzed using mean and median mode. A p -value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Appropriate statistical methods were applied. Results Total number of patients recruited in the study were 33 ( n = 33). Mean age of the patients was 34.5 (7.4) years. Majority (51.52%) of patients were in the age group of between 26 and 35 years. Majority (51.52%) of patients' age of onset of illness fell between 21 and 30 years, and 63.64% of patients' duration of illness ranged between 11 and 15 years. Conclusion Running a day care center in PPP model that too in a GHPU set up is difficult. Skills in which patients need to be trained should be decided based on patients' profile and cultural basis of the place. Common problems faced were poor placements, transportation, financial difficulties, and poor funding.

The Great Imitator - Disseminated Tuberculosis Presenting as Baker's Cyst: A Case Report.

Tuberculosis is known to be a great mimicker, and it can present in a myriad of ways, which often result in an incorrect diagnosis. In a country that is endemic to tuberculosis, the presentation can take many forms ranging from tumour to trauma. We present a case of Baker's cyst that was provisionally diagnosed as pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) of the knee and eventually turned out to be tuberculous arthritis. A 46-year-old male presented with an insidious swelling on the posterior aspect of his knee for one year. Magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of PVNS as the likely diagnosis. The patient presented 21 days later with a foot drop. On following-up with further investigations, he was found to have a lesion at the level of the L4-L5 spine. Chest radiograph changes were suggestive of tuberculosis. A synovial biopsy of the knee was done, and the tuberculosis culture report was positive. The patient was started on anti-tubercular treatment and then operated on, with arthroscopic synovectomy and posterior open cyst excision. The histology report was positive for tuberculous synovitis. The patient completed the course of antitubercular drugs and had physiotherapy. He demonstrated a clinically and radiologically healed disease at the final follow-up with a good functional outcome. Clinicians must have a high index of suspicion for tuberculosis, especially in endemic areas. Getting a chest radiograph is recommended in every case. Early diagnosis with the appropriate treatment will give a good functional outcome for the patient.

Effect of fluorescence quenching model on quinoline derivative with cobalt chloride metal ion using steady state and time resolved spectroscopic methods.

Quinoline derivative, i.e. quinilone yellow with the scientific name [sodium 2-(2,3-dihydro-1,3-dioxo-1H-inden-2-yl)quinoline-6,8-disulphonate] (SQDS) is analysed for fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Fluorescence quenching mechanism is studied by employing steady state and transient state spectroscopic measurements. Cobalt chloride is used as quencher in the present study. Linearity was observed in Stern-Volmer plots for transient state as well as steady state. This was further attributed to a mechanism of collisional quenching. Efficiency in fluorescence quenching is observed as there is a correlation between quenching constants of both transient and steady state. A significant energy transfer is reported between metal ions and SQDS molecule, according to FRET theory. Characterization results are studied and analysed. Application in the field of non-linear optics are predicted for SQDS. With Kurtz and Perry powder technique, SHG (second harmonic generation) efficiency was measured using Q-switched mode locked Nd:YAG laser emitting 1064 nm the first time with this compound.

An awareness and prevalence study of Irish cold-water athletes and external auditory canal exostoses.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the awareness, otological symptoms and prevalence of external auditory canal exostoses in Irish cold-water athletes. METHOD: An online and in person cross-sectional survey was undertaken with Irish cold-water athletes to explore athletes' awareness, known prevalence of external auditory canal exostoses and attitudes towards preventive measures. RESULTS: Of the 926 participants surveyed, 67.5 per cent were aware of external auditory canal exostoses. Triathletes reported the lowest awareness (39.9 per cent) among water athletes. A total of 9.7 per cent (n = 90) had previously been diagnosed with external auditory canal exostoses and 46.7 per cent (n = 42) were non-surfers. Ear symptoms were reported in 76 per cent of athletes. Otoscopic examinations showed that 23.7 per cent had external auditory canal exostoses, 3.6 per cent of whom were aware of their diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The majority of Irish surfing athletes are aware of external auditory canal exostoses. There is less awareness with regard to Ireland's newly emerging sports such as open water swimming and triathlons. Over 90 per cent of athletes surveyed had no idea they had external auditory canal exostoses, which highlights the need to increase public awareness.

The Great Imitator - Disseminated Tuberculosis Presenting as Baker’s Cyst: A Case Report

@#Tuberculosis is known to be a great mimicker, and it can present in a myriad of ways, which often result in an incorrect diagnosis. In a country that is endemic to tuberculosis, the presentation can take many forms ranging from tumour to trauma. We present a case of Baker’s cyst that was provisionally diagnosed as pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) of the knee and eventually turned out to be tuberculous arthritis. A 46-year-old male presented with an insidious swelling on the posterior aspect of his knee for one year. Magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of PVNS as the likely diagnosis. The patient presented 21 days later with a foot drop. On following-up with further investigations, he was found to have a lesion at the level of the L4-L5 spine. Chest radiograph changes were suggestive of tuberculosis. A synovial biopsy of the knee was done, and the tuberculosis culture report was positive. The patient was started on anti-tubercular treatment and then operated on, with arthroscopic synovectomy and posterior open cyst excision. The histology report was positive for tuberculous synovitis. The patient completed the course of antitubercular drugs and had physiotherapy. He demonstrated a clinically and radiologically healed disease at the final follow-up with a good functional outcome. Clinicians must have a high index of suspicion for tuberculosis, especially in endemic areas. Getting a chest radiograph is recommended in every case. Early diagnosis with the appropriate treatment will give a good functional outcome for the patient.

Cardiovascular adverse events are associated with usage of immune checkpoint inhibitors in real-world clinical data across the United States.

BACKGROUND: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can cause life-threatening cardiovascular adverse events (CVAEs) that may not be attributed to therapy. The outcomes of clinical trials may underestimate treatment-related adverse events due to restrictive eligibility, limited sample size, and failure to anticipate selected toxicities. We evaluated the incidence and clinical determinants of CVAEs in real-world population on ICI therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Among 2 687 301 patients diagnosed with cancer from 2011 to 2018, 16 574 received ICIs for any cancer. Patients in the ICI and non-ICI cohorts were matched in a 1 : 1 ratio according to age, sex, National Cancer Institute comorbidity score, and primary cancer. The non-ICI cohort was stratified into patients who received chemotherapy (N = 2875) or targeted agents (N = 4611). All CVAEs, non-cardiac immune-related adverse events occurring after treatment initiation, baseline comorbidities, and treatment details were identified and analyzed using diagnosis and billing codes. RESULTS: Median age was 61 and 65 years in the ICI and non-ICI cohorts, respectively (P < 0.001). ICI patients were predominantly male (P < 0.001). Lung cancer (43.1%), melanoma (30.4%), and renal cell carcinoma (9.9%) were the most common cancer types. CVAE diagnoses in our dataset by incidence proportion (ICI cohort) were stroke (4.6%), heart failure (3.5%), atrial fibrillation (2.1%), conduction disorders (1.5%), myocardial infarction (0.9%), myocarditis (0.05%), vasculitis (0.05%), and pericarditis (0.2%). Anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 increased the risk of heart failure [versus anti-programmed cell death protein 1; hazard ratio (HR), 1.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.27-2.84] and stroke (HR, 1.7; 95% CI 1.3-2.22). Pneumonitis was associated with heart failure (HR, 2.61; 95% CI 1.23-5.52) and encephalitis with conduction disorders (HR, 4.35; 95% CI 1.6-11.87) in patients on ICIs. Advanced age, primary cancer, nephritis, and anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 therapy were commonly associated with CVAEs in the adjusted Cox proportional hazards model. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore the importance of risk stratification and cardiovascular monitoring for patients on ICI therapy.

High stretch induces endothelial dysfunction accompanied by oxidative stress and actin remodeling in human saphenous vein endothelial cells.

The rate of the remodeling of the arterialized saphenous vein conduit limits the outcomes of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG), which may be influenced by endothelial dysfunction. We tested the hypothesis that high stretch (HS) induces human saphenous vein endothelial cell (hSVEC) dysfunction and examined candidate underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that in vitro HS reduces NO bioavailability, increases inflammatory adhesion molecule expression (E-selectin and VCAM1) and THP-1 cell adhesion. HS decreases F-actin in hSVECs, but not in human arterial endothelial cells, and is accompanied by G-actin and cofilin's nuclear shuttling and increased reactive oxidative species (ROS). Pre-treatment with the broad-acting antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) supported this observation and diminished stretch-induced actin remodeling and inflammatory adhesive molecule expression. Altogether, we provide evidence that increased oxidative stress and actin cytoskeleton remodeling play a role in HS-induced saphenous vein endothelial cell dysfunction, which may contribute to predisposing saphenous vein graft to failure.

Analysis of Fluorescence Quenching of Coumarin Derivative under Steady State and Transient State Methods.

Nature has gifted us many organic molecules which have remarkable influence in our daily life. Amongst many organic molecules, heterocyclic organic molecules have gained potential applications in the advanced field of biomedicine, pharmaceutical, electronics and many more. In the present work fluorescence quenching of biologically active fluorescent probe 8EMOHCC by aniline in different solvents have been studied at room temperature. To understand the molecular behaviour in different media, solvents of different refractive index and dielectric constant have been used. Spectroscopic measurement techniques such as UV/Vis spectroscopy and time related single photon counting are employed to characterise the molecule at room temperature. The fluorescence quenching study shows linear dependence of SV-plot in solvents of different dielectric constants. It reveals that quenching reactions are dynamic in nature. Various parameters of quenching have been determined and identified the type of quenching involved in the quenching reaction. Further, kq is found to be greater than [Formula: see text] in ACN, methanol, propanol and dioxane. Activation energy of quenching (Ea) is found to be greater than energy of diffusion (Ed) in ACN, methanol, propanol, THF solvents and Ed > Ea in dioxane, indicating that quenching reaction is not solely controlled by material diffusion but also activation process.