Effect of Garbh Sanskar (Yoga) on Maternal and Perinatal Outcome

Aims and Objectives: ‘Garbh’ implies embryo in the womb and ‘Sanskar’ implies instructing thepsyche. The objective of this prospective interventional study was to assess the effects of Garbhsanskar on maternal and fetal outcomes. Material and Methods: A total of 200 antenatal motherswere selected at Aarogya Hospital, Vaishali, Ghaziabad and Chitra Vihar, Delhi, and asked to attendthree sessions of Garbh sanskar for one 1year (Jan 2019 to Jan 2020). Information booklet andstructured questionnaires were provided to assess their performance and feedback during thisperiod. Result: Analysis of maternal and fetal outcome showed that out of 200 females, 20% hadLSCS, 6% had an instrumental vaginal delivery and 74% had a normal vaginal delivery. Only 7%developed some medical complications like PIH, GDM etc. Mean stress score decreased from 38 to12(by 46.4%) while mean anxiety score decreased from 40 to 8(by 64%) after Garbh Sanskar. Only16% of babies were LBW (< 2.5 kg), 88% had Apgar >7 and 6% of neonates required NICUadmission. Conclusion: Garbh Sanskar is highly effective in reducing maternal stress, anxiety,medical co-morbidities and incidence of operative deliveries and gives better neonatal outcomes interms of better growth, birth weight and Apgar, hence its practice must be encourage

The UK clinical eye research strategy: refreshing research priorities for clinical eye research in the UK

OBJECTIVES: To validate and update the 2013 James Lind Alliance (JLA) Sight Loss and Vision Priority Setting Partnership (PSP)'s research priorities for Ophthalmology, as part of the UK Clinical Eye Research Strategy. METHODS: Twelve ophthalmology research themes were identified from the JLA report. They were allocated to five Clinical Study Groups of diverse stakeholders who reviewed the top 10 research priorities for each theme. Using an online survey (April 2021-February 2023), respondents were invited to complete one or more of nine subspecialty surveys. Respondents indicated which of the research questions they considered important and subsequently ranked them. RESULTS: In total, 2240 people responded to the survey (mean age, 59.3 years), from across the UK. 68.1% were female. 68.2% were patients, 22.3% healthcare professionals or vision researchers, 7.1% carers, and 2.1% were charity support workers. Highest ranked questions by subspecialty: Cataract (prevention), Cornea (improving microbial keratitis treatment), Optometric (impact of integration of ophthalmic primary and secondary care via community optometric care pathways), Refractive (factors influencing development and/or progression of refractive error), Childhood onset (improving early detection of visual disorders), Glaucoma (effective and improved treatments), Neuro-ophthalmology (improvements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of neurodegeneration affecting vision), Retina (improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration), Uveitis (effective treatments for ocular and orbital inflammatory diseases). CONCLUSIONS: A decade after the initial PSP, the results refocus the most important research questions for each subspecialty, and prime targeted research proposals within Ophthalmology, a chronically underfunded specialty given the substantial burden of disability caused by eye disease

Ophthalmology research in the UK’s National Health Service: the structure and performance of the NIHR’s Ophthalmology research portfolio

Purpose- To report on the composition and performance of the portfolio of Ophthalmology research studies in the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (UK CRN). Methods- Ophthalmology studies open to recruitment between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2018 were classified by: sub-specialty, participant age, gender of Chief Investigator, involvement of genetic investigations, commercial/ non-commercial, interventional/observational design. Frequency distributions for each covariate and temporal variation in recruitment to time and target were analysed. Results- Over 8 years, 137,377 participants were recruited (average of 15,457 participants/year; range: 5485–32,573) with growth by year in proportion of commercial studies and hospital participation in England (76% in 2017/18). Fourteen percent of studies had a genetic component and most studies (82%) included only adults. The majority of studies (41%) enrolled patients with retinal diseases, followed by glaucoma (17%), anterior segment and cataract (13%), and ocular inflammation (6%). Overall, 68% of non-commercial studies and 55% of commercial studies recruited within the anticipated time set by the study and also recruited to or exceeded the target number of participants. Conclusions- High levels of clinical research activity, growth and improved performance have been observed in Ophthalmology in UK over the past 8 years. Some sub-specialties that carry substantial morbidity and a very high burden on NHS services are underrepresented and deserve more patient-centred research. Yet the NIHR and its CRN Ophthalmology National Specialty Group has enabled key steps in achieving the goal of embedding research into every day clinical care

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM

Role of gastric brush cytology in the diagnosis of giardiasis

<b>Background:</b> Giardiasis, common in developing countries, has mostly nonspecific clinical symptoms, resulting in a limited role for preliminary tests. <b> Aims:</b> The present study aims to highlight the utility of endoscopic brush cytology (EBC) in the diagnosis of giardiasis in clinically unsuspected cases. <b> Materials and Methods:</b> Endoscopic brush smears (EBS) are routinely obtained in all patients presenting with gastric symptoms.<b> </b> The present study is a retrospective analysis of EBS, consisting of 12 cases whose smears had revealed trophozoites of <i> Giardia lamblia</i> . Biopsy correlation was available in five cases. <b> Results:</b> The patients ranged in age from 15 to 78 years (mean age: 34.08 years) with a 1:1 sex ratio. Stool examination in all 12 cases yielded negative results for giardiasis. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was normal in all these cases. EBS from these cases revealed <i> Giardia</i> trophozoites, which were identified by their typical morphology. <b> Conclusions:</b> Endoscopic brush cytology can be used as a reliable screening tool in the diagnosis of gastro-duodenal giardiasis in clinically unsuspected cases, especially in developing countries where parasitic infections are common

Tocolytic plant Tectona grandis Linn. extended study on other systemic effect.

Introduction: Tectona grandis Linn. (T.G) is one of the well-known Indian herbs. In Ayurveda, T.G stem extract has tocolytic effect. Our previous study conformed the tocolytic activity of the T.G stem extract on rat uterine contraction. Conventional tocolytic drugs are known to have cardiovascular, skeletal muscle toxicity. This study is undertaken to observe possible adverse effects of T.G stem extract especially on cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system. Materials and Methods: Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus) and frogs (Rana tigrina) were used for this study. Animals were divided into six groups. Each group contains six animals. To study the effect on the blood vessels and skeletal muscles, frogs were used and for direct cardiac effects, Wistar rats were used. The results were compared with standard drugs such as sodium nitrate (2%), nifedipine, and magnesium sulfate. Results: After analysis by t-test, it was observed that T.G causes vasodilatation same as that of the sodium nitrate, without causing any cardiac toxicity seen with nifedipine and no neuromuscular blockade as seen with magnesium sulfate. Conclusion: T.G causes uterine tocolytic effect without causing any cardiac toxicity or neuromuscular blockage; however, further human studies are desirable

Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema pathways and management: UK Consensus Working Group

The management of diabetic retinopathy (DR) has evolved considerably over the past decade, with the availability of new technologies (diagnostic and therapeutic). As such, the existing Royal College of Ophthalmologists DR Guidelines (2013) are outdated, and to the best of our knowledge are not under revision at present. Furthermore, there are no other UK guidelines covering all available treatments, and there seems to be significant variation around the UK in the management of diabetic macular oedema (DMO). This manuscript provides a summary of reviews the pathogenesis of DR and DMO, including role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and non-VEGF cytokines, clinical grading/classification of DMO vis a vis current terminology (of centre-involving [CI-DMO], or non-centre involving [nCI-DMO], systemic risks and their management). The excellent UK DR Screening (DRS) service has continued to evolve and remains world-leading. However, challenges remain, as there are significant variations in equipment used, and reproducible standards of DMO screening nationally. The interphase between DRS and the hospital eye service can only be strengthened with further improvements. The role of modern technology including optical coherence tomography (OCT) and wide-field imaging, and working practices including virtual clinics and their potential in increasing clinic capacity and improving patient experiences and outcomes are discussed. Similarly, potential roles of home monitoring in diabetic eyes in the future are explored. The role of pharmacological (intravitreal injections [IVT] of anti-VEGFs and steroids) and laser therapies are summarised. Generally, IVT anti-VEGF are offered as first line pharmacologic therapy. As requirements of diabetic patients in particular patient groups may vary, including pregnant women, children, and persons with learning difficulties, it is important that DR management is personalised in such particular patient groups. First choice therapy needs to be individualised in these cases and may be intravitreal steroids rather than the standard choice of anti-VEGF agents. Some of these, but not all, are discussed in this document