Effect of Pranayama Techniques with as Yogic Relaxation on Biopsychosocial Parameters Prior to Endodontic Therapy: A Cross Sectional Study Design.

Background: The root canal treatment is one of the common dental or endodontic therapies associated with high levels of patient anxiety. Yoga therapy (YT) is reported in medical literature as an effective modality in bringing down anxiety in clinical scenarios; however, the reports of the same for dental settings are fewer. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of YT on biopsychosocial parameters in patients undergoing root canal therapy.

COVID-19 Pandemic-Frontline Experiences and Lessons Learned From a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital at a Suburban Location of Southeastern India.

The key challenges to any health care setup during emergency situations, such as that of the COVID-19 pandemic would be to rapidly address hospital preparedness and response tailored to the local population, societal influences, political factors within the existing infrastructure, and workforce. Second, to adopt and moderate policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued by national and international agencies, such as WHO, CDC, and the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) were tailor-made to the local conditions of the hospital and community. In this publication, we have discussed the challenges and experiences in preparation and responses to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at a tertiary teaching hospital situated at a suburban locale in a small union territory.

Potential biomarkers for the early prediction of SARS-COV-2 disease outcome.

The current pandemic due to the fast spreading of SARS-CoV-2 infection has caused severe impairment in health, social, economic, scientific, and medical sectors across the globe. Owing to the not so well understood mechanism of disease pathogenesis in terms of variations in immune responses, there remains obscure why some of the patients who are infected by the novel SARS-CoV-2 develop an unpredictable clinical course that rapidly causes severe and deadly complications/manifestations. Currently, several assays are available for the confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection at the point of care.

The relationship between physical performance and quality of life and the level of physical activity among the elderly.

Background: Loss of physical function during the process of aging might affect the quality of life. Physical function assessment tests predicts outcomes such as falls, institutionalization, and death. Studies assessing the association of physical function with quality of life and physical activity level of elderly population in India is scarce.

Retinoschisis and Norrie disease: a missing link.

Objective: Retinoschisis and Norrie disease are X-linked recessive retinal disorders caused by mutations in RS1 and NDP genes respectively. Both are likely to be monogenic and no locus heterogeneity has been reported. However, there are reports showing overlapping features of Norrie disease and retinoschisis in a NDP knock-out mouse model and also the involvement of both the genes in retinoschisis patients.

Wnt/β-catenin Antagonists: Exploring New Avenues to Trigger Old Drugs in Alleviating Glioblastoma Multiforme.

Background: Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is one of the most heterogeneous primary brain tumors with high mortality. In spite of the current therapeutic approaches, the survival rate remains poor, with death occurring within 12 to 15 months after the preliminary diagnosis. This warrants the need for an effective treatment modality.

Can artificial intelligence overtake human intelligence on the bumpy road towards glioma therapy?

Gliomas are one of the most devastating primary brain tumors which impose significant management challenges to the clinicians. The aggressive behaviour of gliomas is mainly attributed to their rapid proliferation, unravelled genomics and the blood-brain barrier which protects the tumor cells from chemotherapeutic regimens. Suspects of brain tumors are usually assessed by magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography.

The Genotoxic and Cytotoxic Effects of CT Scan on Buccal Epithelial Cells.

Background: Diagnostic radiation is reported to cause significant damage in buccal cells, while the same effects after natural cell turn over cycle were not checked for in previous studies. The buccal cells were studied in patients exposed to computed tomography (CT) scans for evaluating the cells with micronuclei and cytotoxic changes, namely, pyknotic cells, karyorrhectic cells and karyolytic cells. The pre-exposure counts were compared with postexposure counts on 10 and 20 days corresponding to first and second cell turnover cycles.

Coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: Maintaining an adequate and safe supply of blood and blood products.

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has influenced all the dimensions of human lives and the functional pattern of the health care establishments as the caseload continues to rise at an alarming speed. Even though, the possibility of transmission of infection through blood is negligible, it is important to take into account that the ongoing pandemic is going to impact the supply of blood and blood products via reduction in the practice of voluntary blood donation, and the entire range of activities pertaining to the blood system. This calls for the need to assess the situation, plan for remedial measures and respond adequately to the existing problem.

SARS-CoV-2: The Road Less Traveled-From the Respiratory Mucosa to the Brain.

Neurological manifestations have been reported in COVID-19; however, the route used by SARS-CoV-2 to enter the brain is still under debate. Recent studies have focused on the olfactory route. SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins were also detected in the glossopharyngeal and vagal nerves originating from the lower brainstem and in isolated cells of the brainstem.

Expression dynamics of vascular endothelial markers: endoglin and syndecan-1 in predicting dengue disease outcome.

Plasma leakage is a hallmark process in dengue viral (DENV) infection that occurs due to the loss of vascular integrity in endothelial cells. Endoglin (ENG) and Syndecan-1 (SDC-1) are released by activated endothelial cells; however, the complete dynamics of its expression at the gene and protein levels during the course of DENV infection remains unknown. In the present study, we quantified the mRNA and soluble protein levels of ENG and SDC-1 in dengue cases during febrile, defervescence, and convalescence stages in Dengue without Warning Sign (DWOW-15), Dengue with Warning Sign (DWW-22), and Severe Dengue cases (SD-10) compared to nondengue Other Febrile Illness (OFI-10) and healthy control (HC-8).

Will CRISPR-Cas9 Have Cards to Play Against Cancer? An Update on its Applications.

Genome editing employs targeted nucleases as powerful tools to precisely alter the genome of target cells and regulate functional genes. Various strategies have been risen so far as the molecular scissors-mediated genome editing that includes zinc finger nuclease, transcription activator-like effector nucleases, and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR-related protein 9. These tools allow researchers to understand the basics of manipulating the genome, create animal models to study human diseases, understand host-pathogen interactions and design disease targets.

Effectiveness of Visual Distraction with and without Virtual Reality Glasses in Reducing Dental Anxiety among Children with Hearing and Speech Disability: A Pilot Study.

Aim And Objective: To assess the effectiveness of visual distraction with and without virtual reality glasses in reducing dental anxiety among children with hearing and speech disabilities undergoing dental treatment.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-four children with hearing and speech disabilities aged 6-12 years were selected and were randomly divided into three groups (N = 8). Children in group A received no distraction, group B received visual distraction using virtual reality (VR) glasses and group C received visual distraction without VR glasses during dental treatment.

Circulating Secretory Phospholipase A2 Activity following Snakebites and Its Relationship with Envenomation Status and Progression of Local Swelling.

We studied whether circulating secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) activity reliably distinguished patients with snakebite envenomation from those with nonvenomous/dry snakebites, and whether patients with progressive local swelling had persistence of circulating sPLA2 activity despite antivenom treatment. We prospectively enrolled adults presenting to the emergency with a history of snakebite in the past 24 hours. We estimated circulating sPLA2 activity at baseline before antivenom administration and after 48 hours in those with envenomation.

Efficacy of Pooled Serum Internal Quality Control in Comparison with Commercial Internal Quality Control in Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory.

 With increasing automation in clinical laboratories, the requirements for quality control (QC) material have greatly increased in order to monitor performance. The constant use of commercial control material is not economically feasible for many countries because of nonavailability or the high-cost of those materials. Therefore, preparation and use of in-house QC serum will be a very cost-effective measure with respect to laboratory needs.

A study on the preference of teaching methods among medical undergraduate students in a tertiary care teaching hospital, India.

Background: In medical education, the learning-teaching method is an active process in which both students and teachers have to work mutually to enlighten the knowledge. Currently, in India, there is an increase in the enrollment of students in medical fields and thus medical educators face the challenge of teaching larger classes in a short period. Furthermore, it is observed that there is a lack of consensus about the best teaching and learning methods for medical students.

Cardioprotective potential of polyphenols rich Thraatchathi Chooranam against isoproterenol induced myocardial necrosis in experimental rats.

Background: The present study establishes the cardioprotective role of Thraatchathi Chooranam (TC), a polyherbal traditional Siddha medicine, in terms of membrane stabilizing and antioxidant properties in isoproterenol (ISO) induced myocardial necrosis model in rats.

Methods: Animals were divided into six groups (n = 6), normal (received vehicle 0.5% CMC, p.

Comparative Evaluation of the Remineralizing Efficacy of Fluoride Varnish and its Combination Varnishes on White Spot Lesions in Children with ECC: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the remineralizing efficacy of fluoride and its combination varnishes on white spot lesion (WSL) in children with early childhood caries (ECC).

Materials And Methods: Sixty children with active WSL on primary maxillary anterior teeth were randomly selected. At baseline, the WSL activity was evaluated using ICDAS II [lesion activity assessment (LAA)] and its dimensions through photographic method.

The Putative Role of Thyroid Hormones and Vitamin D on Severity and Quality of Life in Psoriasis.

Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease. The thyroid hormone receptors are expressed in human skin and the hormones exert their effects on epidermal proliferation and differentiation; they have been hypothesized to play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Vitamin D is involved in the maintenance of cutaneous barrier homeostasis.