Background: To assess the effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) as an adjunct to standard treatment in early-stage oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), focusing on mouth opening, burning sensation, pain, and systemic inflammation. Methods: A randomized comparative study was conducted on early-stage OSMF patients divided into two groups. Group 1 received HBOT along with intralesional triamcinolone, hyaluronidase, and oral antioxidants. Group 2 received only the standard intralesional therapy with antioxidants. Clinical parameters—interincisal distance, burning sensation, and pain—were recorded at baseline, first, and second followup. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured pre- and post-treatment. Statistical analysis included unpaired t-tests and chisquare tests. Results: Both groups improved clinically, but Group 1 showed significantly greater reductions in burning sensation (p= 0.020), pain, and CRP levels (p= 0.033). Although intergroup differences in mouth opening were not statistically significant, Group 1 showed greater improvement over time. Fibrotic band distribution remained unchanged in both groups. No complications were reported with HBOT. Conclusion HBOT provides enhanced symptomatic relief and anti-inflammatory effects in early-stage OSMF when used alongside conventional therapy. While it may not reverse fibrosis, its safety and noninvasive nature support its role in multimodal OSMF management.

Background: Remimazolam is an ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine characterized by rapid onset and recovery with minimal accumulation after continuous infusion. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate whether remimazolam use results in better postoperative recovery as compared to inhalational anesthetics. Methods: Databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus were searched up to August 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in adult patients comparing remimazolam with volatile agents were included. The primary outcome was incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) at 24 h. Secondary outcomes included use of rescue antiemetics and analgesics, pain scores, intraoperative hypotension, and other postoperative recovery parameters. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was performed to validate the robustness of the primary outcome. Results: Twelve RCTs involving 853 patients were analyzed. Remimazolam significantly reduced the incidence of PONV (relative risk [RR] 0.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.27–0.96; I² = 43%; P = 0.04) and need for rescue antiemetics (RR 0.30; 95% CI 0.10–0.89; I² = 0%; P = 0.03) compared to inhalational agents. No significant differences were found in postoperative pain scores (standardized mean difference –0.17; P = 0.11) or analgesic requirement (RR 0.95; P = 0.82). Remimazolam was associated with a significantly lower incidence of intraoperative hypotension (RR 0.58; P = 0.01). Time to extubation, sedation scores, and post-anesthesia care unit stay were comparable. TSA confirmed that the required information size for the primary outcome was reached, indicating statistical conclusiveness. Conclusions Remimazolam use is associated with significantly reduced PONV, rescue antiemetic use, and intraoperative hypotension compared to inhalational agents. TSA confirms the robustness of these findings.

Yoga is a therapeutic practice renowned for its multifaceted benefits across the body's systems. Its positive impact spans the physical, mental and emotional realms, fostering harmony and well-being. Through a combination of postures, breathing techniques and meditation, yoga offers profound effects, enhancing flexibility, strength and balance while simultaneously promoting relaxation and reducing stress. This integrative approach not only cultivates physical resilience but also supports mental clarity, emotional balance and overall vitality, showcasing yoga as a comprehensive and impactful system for holistic health. The review delved into the multifaceted ways in which yoga exerts a positive influence on the body's various systems. It highlights how yoga serves as a beneficial tool in addressing and counteracting the underlying factors associated with different diseases. By examining yoga's effects on these systems and its potential in combating illness, the paper sheds light on the comprehensive therapeutic benefits that yoga offers. Please cite this article as: Pandey S, Pandey AC, Kotecha VR. Yoga-A complementary and traditional medicine for human health. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(2): 93-105.
Yoga ; Humans ; Meditation ; Complementary Therapies ; Medicine, Traditional ; Holistic Health

Objective: The duration of progesterone exposure is critical for establishing and maintaining a pregnancy in hormone replacement treatment (HRT)–frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles. This study compared the live birth rates (LBRs) of patients undergoing day-6 warmed blastocyst transfer on either the 6th or 7th day of progesterone administration in HRT-FET cycles. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the central registry of Indira IVF Hospital Private Limited. In total, 2,633 patients who underwent day-6 blastocyst transfer cycles with HRT-FET were identified. The cycles were categorized based on the timing of the day-6 blastocysts transfer: P+6 vs. P+7 (initiation date: P+1). Propensity scores were calculated. The primary outcome measure was the LBR. Results: Following propensity score matching, a total of 1,401 patients were included in the final analysis (P+6: n=1,212; P+7: n=189). The number of previous attempts was significantly higher in the P+6 group, whereas the rate of preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy was significantly higher in the P+7 group. The LBRs were 59.2% and 54.5% in the P+6 and P+7 groups, respectively (p=0.21). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that the number of previous in vitro fertilization attempts (odds ratio [OR], 3.246; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.429 to 4.337; p<0.001), the number of blastocysts transferred (OR, 2.011; 95% CI, 1.461 to 2.768; p<0.01), and endometrial thickness on the day of progesterone initiation (OR, 1.143; 95% CI, 1.022 to 1.28; p=0.02) were independent predictors of live birth. Conclusions The LBRs were comparable in patients who underwent day-6 warmed blastocyst transfer on day 6 or 7 post-progesterone initiation in HRT-FET cycles.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a nonspecific chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Despite recent advances in therapeutics and newer management strategies, IBD largely remains untreatable. Helminth therapy is a promising alternative therapeutic for IBD that has gained some attention in the last two decades. Helminths have immunomodulatory effects and can alter the gut microbiota. The immunomodulatory effects include a strong Th2 immune response, T-regulatory cell response, and the production of regulatory cytokines. Although concrete evidence regarding the efficacy of helminth therapy in IBD is lacking, clinical studies and studies done in animal models have shown some promise. Most clinical studies have shown that helminth therapy is safe and easily tolerable. Extensive work has been done on the whipworm Trichuris, but other helminths, including Schistosoma, Trichinella, Heligmosomoides, and Ancylostoma, have also been explored for pre-clinical and animal studies. This review article summarizes the potential of helminth therapy as an alternative therapeutic or an adjuvant to the existing therapeutic procedures for IBD treatment.

Background: and Purpose Neurocysticercosis is a parasitic infection caused by Taenia solium larvae that leads to various neurological symptoms, including vision loss. This systematic review analyzed cases of vision loss associated with neurocysticercosis to assess its etiology and vision outcomes. Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, the review included reports on human subjects with vision loss due to neurocysticercosis and is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024556278).The PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar databases were searched. Results: This review included 149 records from 176 patients with a mean age of 27.5 years, comprising 40.3% females, 59.1% males, and 0.6% subjects of unknown sex. Most cases were from Asia, predominantly India. The illness duration varied, but was mostly between 1 and 6 months.In addition to vision loss, common symptoms were headache or orbital pain (30.7%), seizures (12.5%), and altered consciousness (5.7%). Vision loss was mainly unilateral (72.7%). Imaging abnormalities included multiple cystic brain lesions (16.5%), enhanced lesions (4.0%), and calcified lesions (2.3%). Intravitreal and retinal regions were most affected (52.3%), followed by the anterior chamber (6.2%), orbital apex (5.1%), and optic nerve (6.2%). Anticysticercal drugs were the primary treatment, with 57.4% of cases showing improvement. Surgical excision was performed in 40.9% of cases with intravitreal or retinal cysts. Conclusions Vision loss in neurocysticercosis is mainly due to intravitreal and retinal involvement, and is frequently associated with multiple cystic brain lesions. Anticysticercal drugs can produce improvements, though surgical intervention is often needed for intravitreal or retinal cysts. Most of the patients in this review improved, though severe outcomes such as eye loss were reported.