Background.-Numerous studies have explored the effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of migraine but there is no documented investigation of the effectiveness of yoga therapy for migraine management.Objectives.-To investigate the effectiveness of holistic approach of yoga therapy for migraine treatment compared to self-care.Design.-A randomized controlled trial. Methods.-Seventy-two patients with migraine without aura were randomly assigned to yoga therapy or selfcare group for 3 months. Primary outcomes were headache frequency (headache diary), severity of migraine (0-10 numerical scale) and pain component (McGill pain questionnaire). Secondary outcomes were anxiety and depression (Hospital anxiety depression scale), medication score.Results.-After adjustment for baseline values, the subjects' complaints related to headache intensity (P < .001), frequency (P < .001), pain rating index (P < .001), affective pain rating index (P < .001), total pain rating index (P < .001), anxiety and depression scores (P < .001), symptomatic medication use (P < .001) were significantly lower in the yoga group compared to the self-care group.Conclusion.-The study demonstrated a significant reduction in migraine headache frequency and associated clinical features, in patients treated with yoga over a period of 3 months. Further study of this therapeutic intervention appears to be warranted.

This paper presents a critical review on different application of Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) in electric power system networks incorporated with FACTS controllers for advanced power system monitoring, protection, and control. Also this paper presents the current status of the research and developments in the field of the applications of PMUs in electric power system networks incorporated with FACTS controllers. Authors strongly believe that this survey article will be very much useful to the researchers for finding out the relevant references in the field of the applications of PMUs in electric power system networks incorporated with FACTS controllers.

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Stauffer syndrome is a rare paraneoplastic syndrome classically associated with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This association gave it the historical name of nonmetastatic nephrogenic hepatic dysfunction syndrome without jaundice. It is a syndrome of unclear pathophysiology characterized by a reversible anicteric elevation of liver enzymes, alkaline phosphatase, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), thrombocytosis, prolongation of prothrombin time, and hepatosplenomegaly in the absence of direct hepatobiliary obstruction or jaundice. A rare atypical variant of this syndrome with jaundice has been recently described in the literature. Thus, it is important to consider both these variants of Stauffer syndrome in the differential diagnosis of unexplained cholestasis in the absence of hepatic metastasis. This may allow early recognition and treatment of an occult malignancy. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of the literature available on the icteric variant of the Stauffer syndrome, outlining its association with various malignancies and the diagnostic challenges it poses. The objective of this review is to help clinicians in its early diagnosis and management.

Despite significant technical advances in radiation delivery, conventional whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) has not materially changed in the past 50 years. We hypothesized that IMRT can selectively spare uninvolved brain and scalp with the goal of reducing acute and late toxicity. MRI/CT simulation image registration was performed. We performed IMRT planning to simultaneously treat the brain tumor(s) on MRI + 5 mm margin to 37.5 Gy in 15 fractions while limiting the uninvolved brain + 2 mm margin to 30 Gy in 15 fractions and the mean scalp dose to #18 Gy. Three field IMRT plans were compared to conventional WBRT plans. Symptomatic patients were started on conventional WBRT for 2 to 3 fractions while IMRT planning was performed. Seventeen consecutive patients with brain metastases with RPA class I and II disease with no leptomeningeal spread were treated with IMRT WBRT. Compared to conventional WBRT, IMRT reduced the mean scalp dose (26.2 Gy vs. 16.4 Gy, p < 0.001) and the mean PTV30 dose (38.4 Gy vs. 32.0 Gy, p < 0.001) while achieving similar mean PTV37.5 doses (38.3 Gy vs. 38.0 Gy, p = 0.26). Using Olsen hair loss score criteria, 4 of 15 assessable patients preserved at least 50% of hair coverage at 1 to 3 months after treatment while 6 patients preserved between 25 and 50% hair coverage. At a median follow-up of 6.8 months (range: 5 to 15 months), the median overall survival was 5.4 months. Four patients relapsed within the brain, one within the PTV37.5 and three outside the PTV37.5. Tumor directed, scalp sparing IMRT is feasible, achieves rational dose distributions and preserves partial hair coverage in the majority of patients. Further studies are warranted to determine whether the increased utilization of resources needed for IMRT are appropriate in this setting.

This study proposes that a novel developmental hierarchy of breast cancer (BC) cells (BCCs) could predict treatment response and outcome. The continued challenge to treat BC requires stratification of BCCs into distinct subsets. This would provide insights on how BCCs evade treatment and adapt dormancy for decades. We selected three subsets, based on the relative expression of octamer-binding transcription factor 4 A (Oct4A) and then analysed each with Affymetrix gene chip. Oct4A is a stem cell gene and would separate subsets based on maturation. Data analyses and gene validation identified three membrane proteins, TMEM98, GPR64 and FAT4. BCCs from cell lines and blood from BC patients were analysed for these three membrane proteins by flow cytometry, along with known markers of cancer stem cells (CSCs), CD44, CD24 and Oct4, aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) activity and telomere length. A novel working hierarchy of BCCs was established with the most immature subset as CSCs. This group was further subdivided into long- and short-term CSCs. Analyses of 20 post-treatment blood indicated that circulating CSCs and early BC progenitors may be associated with recurrence or early death. These results suggest that the novel hierarchy may predict treatment response and prognosis.

In India, the oral cancers are usually presented in advanced stage of malignancy. It is critical to ascertain the diagnosis in order to initiate most advantageous treatment of the suspicious lesions. The main hurdle in appropriate treatment and control of oral cancer is identification and risk assessment of early disease in the community in a cost-effective fashion. The objective of this research is to design a data mining model using probabilistic neural network and general regression neural network (PNN/GRNN) for early detection and prevention of oral malignancy. The model is built using the oral cancer database which has 35 attributes and 1025 records. All the attributes pertaining to clinical symptoms and history are considered to classify malignant and non-malignant cases. Subsequently, the model attempts to predict particular type of cancer, its stage and extent with the help of attributes pertaining to symptoms, gross examination and investigations. Also, the model envisages anticipating the survivability of a patient on the basis of treatment and follow-up details. Finally, the performance of the PNN/GRNN model is compared with that of other classification models. The classification accuracy of PNN/GRNN model is 80% and hence is better for early detection and prevention of the oral cancer.

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