Epidemiological Data of Postcricoid Cancers from a Tertiary Cancer Hospital: First Report from Northern Andhra Pradesh.

Postcricoid (PC) cancer is a global rarity, however, the burden of disease in India is little known. The data of PC cancers from Northern Andhra Pradesh (AP) are scarce due to poor reporting. This is an epidemiological study of PC cancer from a tertiary cancer hospital in Northern AP.

Assessment of listening effort, real-life outcome, auditory working memory and attention in school-going children with cochlear implant.

Purpose: To compare the listening effort using objective test (dual-task paradigm), parents report using abbreviated version of the Speech, Spatial and Quality questionnaire (SSQ-P10) and Teachers' Evaluation of Aural/Oral Performance of Children and Ease of Listening (TEACH), working memory and attention span between children using cochlear implants (CI) and age-matched peers with normal hearing sensitivity, and assess the relationship between listening effort and real-life benefit in children using CI.

Method: Group I included 25 children with normal hearing sensitivity. Group II included 25 children with bimodal cochlear implantation with bilateral severe to profound hearing loss.

Feasibility of Ultrasound-Guided Suprascapular Nerve Block in Improving Shoulder Motion and Pain Post-Surgery in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Randomized Control Trial.

Patients with locally advanced breast cancer post-mastectomy complain of shoulder pain and restricted shoulder movement. The role of suprascapular nerve block (SSNB) in such patients needs to be explained as it may help in improving their quality of life along with pain relief. This study aims to evaluate the effect of ultrasound-guided suprascapular nerve block (SSNB) in improving shoulder motion and pain following surgery and compare its effect with exercise group.

Mito-TEMPO Demonstrates Protective Effect Against Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced Skin Damage in Wistar Rats.

Background: Mitochondria could be an important target for ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced skin damage. Therefore, protecting mitochondria using mitochondria-targeted antioxidants may protect skin from UV-induced photodamage.

Methods: In the present study, UVR-induced skin damage model was developed by irradiating male Wistar rats with UVB at a dose of 120 mJ/cm, twice a week for a period of 5 weeks.

Development and validation of 3D printed anthropomorphic head phantom with eccentric holes for medical LINAC quality assurance testing in stereotactic radiosurgery.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) for brain tumors using Medical Linear Accelerator (LINAC) demands high precision and accuracy. A specific Quality Assurance (QA) is essential for every patient undergoing SRS to protect nearby non-cancerous cells by ensuring that the X-ray beams are targeted according to tumor position. In this work, a water-filled generic anthropomorphic head phantom consisting of two removable parts with eccentric holes was developed using Additive Manufacturing (AM) process for performing QA in SRS.

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).

Cardiovascular Autonomic Deficits in Different Types of Achalasia.

Background and objective Achalasia cardia is a primary esophageal motility disorder, and the etiopathology of this disease's progression is not known. Moreover, autonomic dysfunction has not been studied in different types of achalasia. In light of this, we aimed to address this lack of data in this study.

Mitophagy at the crossroads of cancer development: Exploring the role of mitophagy in tumor progression and therapy resistance.

Preserving a functional mitochondrial network is crucial for cellular well-being, considering the pivotal role of mitochondria in ensuring cellular survival, especially under stressful conditions. Mitophagy, the selective removal of damaged mitochondria through autophagy, plays a pivotal role in preserving cellular homeostasis by preventing the production of harmful reactive oxygen species from dysfunctional mitochondria. While the involvement of mitophagy in neurodegenerative diseases has been thoroughly investigated, it is becoming increasingly evident that mitophagy plays a significant role in cancer biology.

Comparative evaluation of intraoperative dexmedetomidine versus lidocaine for reducing postoperative cognitive decline in the elderly: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Neuroinflammation, neuronal cytotoxicity, and apoptosis due to exposure to anaesthetic agents are often implicated in postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). Lidocaine and dexmedetomidine have been shown to suppress the neuron-specific markers of inflammation, and we aimed to compare their neuroprotective efficacy in elderly patients.

Material And Methods: This prospective randomized control study compared the incidence of POCD in ASA I/II patients aged 60 to 80 years without any history of substance abuse or any disorder affecting cognition.

Long Sudarshan Kriya Yoga enhances cardiovascular and respiratory synchronization: An observational study.

Background: Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY - a rhythmic cyclic breathing) is known to produce several physiological changes in human body. Earlier it has been reported that SKY improves cardiovascular modulations, namely increase in heart rate variability.

Objective: To observe the synchronization in oscillatory modulations in cardiac autonomic tone and ventilatory exchange during Long Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (LSKY).

A novel methodology to demonstrate vestibulo-ocular reflex using caloric stimulation in undergraduate physiology laboratory.

The study aims to develop a novel methodology to demonstrate the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) and nystagmus by caloric stimulation in an undergraduate medical physiology laboratory. The experimental setup involved two sets of electrodes: one set positioned laterally to both eyes, and another set positioned vertically over either the right or left eye. The caloric method is used to stimulate ears, which involves irrigation of warm (44°C) and cold (30°C) water into the ears while maintaining a temperature difference of approximately ±7°C from the body temperature.

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.

The h-Index: Understanding its predictors, significance, and criticism.

The h-index is an author-level scientometric index used to gauge the significance of a researcher's work. The index is determined by taking the number of publications and the number of times these publications have been cited by others. Although it is widely used in academia, many authors find its calculation confusing.

Effectiveness of Yoga Intervention in Reducing Felt Stigma in Adults With Epilepsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background And Objectives: Persons with epilepsy are afflicted with comorbidities such as stigma, anxiety, and depression which have a significant impact on their quality of life. These comorbidities remain largely unaddressed in resource-limited countries. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to investigate whether yoga and psychoeducation were effective in reducing felt stigma (primary outcome), neuropsychiatric outcomes, and seizure frequency, as compared with sham yoga and psychoeducation in persons with epilepsy.

Baroreflex sensitivity is impaired in survivors of mild COVID-19 at 3-6 months of clinical recovery; association with carotid artery stiffness.

The association between the stiffening of barosensitive regions of central arteries and the derangements in baroreflex functions remains unexplored in COVID-19 survivors. Fifty-seven survivors of mild COVID-19 (defined as presence of upper respiratory tract symptoms and/or fever without shortness of breath or hypoxia; SpO2 > 93%), with an age range of 22-66 years (27 females) participated at 3-6 months of recovering from the acute phase of RT-PCR positive COVID-19. Healthy volunteers whose baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and arterial stiffness data were acquired prior to the onset of the pandemic constituted the control group.

Effect of Yoga on Endothelial Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Endothelial dysfunction is the initial step in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis; and it plays a central role in the development of cardiovascular diseases and many types of human diseases (diabetes, kidney failure, cancer, and viral infections). Strategies that are effective in protecting vascular endothelial function and retard or reversing endothelial dysfunction in the early stage appear to be potential in the prevention of vascular, cardiac, and many human diseases. Several studies have been carried out on the effects of yoga on endothelial function, but the results of these studies have not been synthesized.

Role of Meditation in Ameliorating Examination Stress Induced Changes in Cardiovascular and Autonomic Functions.

Background: Examination stress is a very well-known model of psychological stress in students. It induces changes in systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), along with changes in heart rate variability (HRV) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), due to autonomic perturbations.

Purpose: To find out if Raj Yoga meditation (RYM) practice affects autonomic and cardiovascular function in healthy young subjects during periods of examination stress.

Isolate profiling and geographical distribution of COVID-19 associated mucormycosis cases presenting to a tertiary care hospital in Jodhpur, India.

Background And Purpose: COVID-associated mucormycosis (CAM) was as a dreadful complication in India. The state of Rajasthan, reported remarkably more patients than others but the cause for such geographical variation was unclear. The demography, clinical presentation and pathogens of CAM were studied.

Planning and implementation of participant-centric group activity on research methodology: perceptions of postgraduate medical students in physiology.

Knowledge about the key steps in "research methodology" is necessary for all postgraduate students who are enrolled in the medical profession. The objective of the present study was to plan, design, and implement a participant-centric postgraduate skill development activity to inculcate the key principles and components of research methodology. It included 3 goal-oriented component group exercises, namely, ) framing a research question, ) critiquing a research article, and ) writing a research protocol.

Personality construct as a biomarker in fibromyalgia: A narrative review from an autonomic rehabilitation perspective.

Background: The heterogeneity of symptoms and ineffective treatment raise questions about the current diagnostic criteria of fibromyalgia (FM). Misdiagnosis of FM often leads to less than efficacious treatment and poor quality of life.

Objective: This article reviews relevant evidence-based literature on personality traits in FM patients with an autonomic dysfunction perspective based on a hierarchical model to explain the utility of considering the personality trait in FM diagnosis.

Assessment of Lipid Profile in Patients With Pulmonary Tuberculosis: An Observational Study.

Background: causes tuberculosis (TB), an infectious lung disease. There is mounting evidence linking low lipid levels to a variety of human diseases, including TB. Cholesterol, mainly due to its involvement in heart disease, gets more attention in recent years.

CO uptake by activated hydrochar derived from orange peel (Citrus reticulata): Influence of carbonization temperature.

In this study, activated hydrochar was prepared from orange peel (OP) waste using KOH for the first time for potential environmental applications. The influence of hydrothermal carbonization temperature (180 °C, 200 °C, and 220 °C) on the CO adsorption capacity of OP-derived activated hydrochar (OP-180, OP-200, and OP-220) was investigated. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images revealed that the activated OP hydrochar has high microporosity, a desired attribute for effective adsorption.

Composite autonomic severity scoring in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 and 2.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the integrity of autonomic nervous system in spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) type 1 and 2 patients using battery of autonomic function tests and their comprehensive scoring using composite autonomic severity score (CASS).

Material And Methods: Battery of autonomic function test comprising of cardiovascular (baroreflex dependent and non-baroreflex dependent) and sudomotor functions were assessed in age and gender-matched SCA1 (n = 31), SCA2 (n = 40) patients along with healthy controls (n = 40). To assess the grade of autonomic abnormalities, the composite autonomic severity score (CASS) was computed using the results of the standard autonomic function tests.

Introducing virtual classrooms for undergraduate physiology teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic: acceptance by students and subjective impact on learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic and worldwide lockdowns brought major changes in education systems. There was a sudden obligatory shift toward utilization of digital resources for teaching and learning purposes. Medical education, specifically physiology teaching, comprises hands-on training in the laboratory.