Effectiveness of virtual reality-supported exercise therapy in improving upper extremity function and activities of daily living among patients after stroke: a systematic review of randomized control trials

This systematic review describes the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR)-supported exercise therapy on upper limb motor function and activities of daily living after stroke. Studies published through January 24, 2022, were identified using CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, and Web of Science. Randomized control trials comparing VR treatment with conventional therapy (CT) for upper extremity rehabilitation after stroke were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Of 9 included studies, 5 concluded that the VR group outperformed control participants, 1 indicated the superiority of VR-supported exercises alone over CT, and 3 found VR comparable to CT in promoting upper limb motor function. Five studies analyzed independence in daily living, with 4 reporting no significant difference between VR and CT groups. No strong evidence indicated long-term benefits of VR-assisted exercise. All included studies demonstrated low risk of bias concerning random sequence generation, allocation concealment, outcome assessment blinding, incomplete outcome data, and selective reporting bias. However, a high risk of bias was observed regarding participant blinding due to the nature of the intervention. Most studies suggested that VR, used alongside CT, can improve motor function following stroke. However, the evidence was insufficient to conclude that VR outperforms conventional approaches.

Overweight and obesity among school-going children of Lucknow city

Childhood obesity is increasingly being observed with changing lifestyles of families. The magnitude of overweight ranges from 9% to 27.5% and obesity ranges from 1% to 12.9% among Indian children. The present study was undertaken to study the magnitude of overweight/obesity and its determinants among children in Lucknow city. A list of government and private school was procured from Office of Basic Shiksha Adhikari. Three government and three private schools were selected by Simple Random Sampling. Students of 5th to 12th grades available at the time of study were included as study unit. Predesigned and pretested questionnaire was used to elicit the information on family characteristics and individual characteristics. Height and weight were measured and BMI was calculated. Children with BMI of 25 and above were considered overweight and children with BMI more than 30 were considered obese. Overweight and obesity was found to be 4.17% and 0.73%, respectively; they together constitute 4.91% for overweight/obesity. The study revealed that the important correlates of overweight/obesity were father's education, father's occupation, class, children playing outdoor games for less than 30 min, and those consuming fast foods. Children of higher classes [above 8th standard] belonging to higher socioeconomic group with less outdoor activities and consuming fast foods were more predisposed to overweight/obesity. As a preventive strategy, there is a need to apply health and nutritional education programs for inculcating healthy life styles, and incorporating more outdoor activities in Physical Education Department of school curriculum

Isolated tuberculous epididymitis: a case report and literature review

We present a case of isolated tuberculous epididymitis [TBE] in an 18-year-old male with normal fertility profile. The importance of high-resolution scrotal ultrasonography and fine needle aspiration cytology [FNAC] of the epididymis for early detection of tuberculous infection, particularly in underprivileged and developing countries, is discussed. The utility of high-resolution scrotal ultrasonography to observe the course of the disease and efficacy of treatment is also evaluated

Potential antithyroid agents: V Synthetic and pharmacological studies on some N-arylN- benzoythiocarbamides

THE ANTITHYROID agents are of great therapeutic interest as they offer a method for correcting a hyperfunctioning gland without resort to surgery. They lower the metabolic rate by interfering with the synthesis, release or peripheral action of the thyroid hormone. The highly active antithyroid substances contain thiourea moieties, NHCSNH, capable of being easily oxidized. The suggestion has been made that the interference with thyroxine synthesis is by a direct reaction between I[2] and SH [formed by enolization] to form a disulphide [1-4]. The present communication deals with the synthesis and pharmacological studies of some N-aryl-N[']-benzoylthiocarbamides. The interest in the synthesis and pharmacological studies of these compounds as antithyroid drugs is due to the fact that acylisothiocyanates possess enhanced reactivity on account 0f the electron withdrawing acyl groups attached to the thioureidolinkage and the acylisothiocyanates on reaction with amino compounds usually give acylderivatives of thiocarbamides. The synthesis has been affected by the condensation of benzoylisothiocyanate [I] with different amines [II]