The psychosomatic impact of Yoga in medical education: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Non-clinical approaches such as meditation, yoga, and mindfulness are popular traditional therapeutical interventions adopted by many educational institutions to improve the physical and mental well-being of learners. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of yoga intervention in improving cardiopulmonary parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, pulmonary function tests and psychosomatic symptoms such as depression, anxiety and stress in medical and dental students. Using the PRISMA protocol, a search from databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Embase resulted in 304 relevant articles. After screening the title and abstracts, 47 papers were analyzed thoroughly and included in the qualitative analysis. 18 articles with homogenous statistical data on physiology and psychological parameters were included for meta-analysis. In comparison to the control group, the study showed a significant reduction of systolic blood pressure (SBP: 6.82 mmHg, z = -3.06, p = 0.002), diastolic blood pressure (DBP: 2.92 mmHg, z = -2.22, p = 0.03), and heart rate (HR: 2.55 beats/min, z = -2.77, p = 0.006). Additionally, data from 4 studies yielded a significant overall effect of a stress reduction of 0.77 on standardized assessments due to the yoga intervention (z = 5.29, p < 0.0001). Lastly, the results also showed a significant (z = -2.52, p = 0.01) reduction of 1.2 in standardized anxiety tests in intervention group compared to the control. The findings offer promising prospects for medical educators globally, encouraging them to consider reformation and policymaking in medical curricula to enhance academic success and improve the overall quality of life for medical students worldwide.

Polymelia (thoracomelia), an extremely rare appearance of congenital anomalic limb in a Nepalese child and its embryological basis.

Polymelia is an extremely rare congenital anomaly where an individual is born with an abnormally developed extra or supernumerary limb which is generally shrunken and functionless. A case of thoracomelia (a type of polymelia) was observed macroscopically and confirmed radiologically in 1.5 years old boy born in Nepal with an abnormal supernumerary upper limb attached to his back in the thoracic region. The limb was successfully amputated, and the boy had a favorable outcome after surgical treatment, without any adverse effects or impairment. Understanding the embryogenesis of thoracomelia is essential for unraveling the complex mechanisms underlying this condition and potentially aiding in early diagnosis and intervention. This case report and review aims to shed light on the intricate processes governing forelimb formation and their perturbations leading to thoracomelia.

Composite Anatomical Variations between the Sciatic Nerve and the Piriformis Muscle: A Nepalese Cadaveric Study.

Piriformis syndrome is a rare syndrome which is one of the main causes of nondiscogenic sciatica causing severe low back pain due to entrapment of sciatic nerve either by the hypertrophy or by inflammation of the piriformis muscle. We have carried out dissection in 20 Nepalese cadavers. Out of 40 dissected gluteal regions, 37 exhibited typical appearance of sciatic nerve, piriformis muscle, and their relations resembling type-a, whereas 3 gluteal regions showed composite structural variations resembling type-b and type-c based on Beaton and Anson's classification. Knowledge pertaining to such variations will be helpful during a surgical intervention in the gluteal region and in turn reduces the risk of injuring these nerves which are more susceptible to damage. Our study reports such variations in Nepalese population which will be helpful during evaluation of the pain induction in various test positions and also useful for analysis of the range of the neurological deficiency in sciatic nerve neuropathies. The present study also explains the basis of the unsuccessful attempt of the sciatic nerve block during popliteal block anaesthesia.