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Yoga as a holistic principle, not only practice of asanas or poses, integrates all aspects of the self, with biological, mental, intellectual, and spiritual elements. Yoga encompasses the biopsychosocial medical perspective, which regards pain as a dynamic interaction between physiological, psychological, and social factors. The purpose of this perspective article is to compare and contrast psychological practices such as mindfulness meditation, relaxation response (RR), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with Yoga in their management of chronic pain. The use of these practices is explored through history, literature, and research studies. Results from scientific studies on Yoga show changes in health-related pain outcomes for patients with chronic pain. The key aspects of Yoga, notably relaxation, positive thinking, and mindfulness, are discussed in relation to mindfulness meditation, RR, and CBT.

We undertook a systematic review of the diagnostic accuracy of artificial intelligence-based software for identification of radiologic abnormalities (computer-aided detection, or CAD) compatible with pulmonary tuberculosis on chest x-rays (CXRs). We searched four databases for articles published between January 2005-February 2019. We summarized data on CAD type, study design, and diagnostic accuracy. We assessed risk of bias with QUADAS-2. We included 53 of the 4712 articles reviewed: 40 focused on CAD design methods (“Development” studies) and 13 focused on evaluation of CAD (“Clinical” studies). Meta-analyses were not performed due to methodological differences. Development studies were more likely to use CXR databases with greater potential for bias as compared to Clinical studies. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (median AUC [IQR]) were significantly higher: in Development studies AUC: 0.88 [0.82–0.90]) versus Clinical studies (0.75 [0.66–0.87]; p-value 0.004); and with deep-learning (0.91 [0.88–0.99]) versus machine-learning (0.82 [0.75–0.89]; p = 0.001). We conclude that CAD programs are promising, but the majority of work thus far has been on development rather than clinical evaluation. We provide concrete suggestions on what study design elements should be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To combat stigma and the associated discrimination against HIV-positive people, understanding the knowledge, beliefs and attitudes among groups in a country is vital. A recent national opinion survey in China included questions on knowledge of HIV and AIDS and stigma and discrimination towards HIV-positive co-workers and family members. The paper shows remarkable consistency of views. Fully 60 per cent of respondents said that an HIV-positive co-worker should not be allowed to continue working. Regarding family members, 50 per cent of respondents said they would be willing to care for a sick family member. At the same time, 44 per cent of the respondents said they would want the HIV status of the family member to remain secret. Multivariate models related to stigma and discrimination against a co-worker and a family member showed little variation by background characteristics. The findings also reveal ambivalence among a substantial minority of Chinese about people living with HIV. These findings are important for the Chinese HIV and AIDS Programme. This study reinforces views that HIV-related stigma and discrimination are pervasive and that interventions to reduce stigma and discrimination need to reach all Chinese people, particularly those who live in rural areas, who constitute the majority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yoga as a holistic principle, not only practice of asanas or poses, integrates all aspects of the self, with biological, mental, intellectual, and spiritual elements. Yoga encompasses the biopsychosocial medical perspective, which regards pain as a dynamic interaction between physiological, psychological, and social factors. The purpose of this perspective article is to compare and contrast psychological practices such as mindfulness meditation, relaxation response (RR), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with Yoga in their management of chronic pain. The use of these practices is explored through history, literature, and research studies. Results from scientific studies on Yoga show changes in health-related pain outcomes for patients with chronic pain. The key aspects of Yoga, notably relaxation, positive thinking, and mindfulness, are discussed in relation to mindfulness meditation, RR, and CBT., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 International Journal of Yoga.)

A rapid method, using PCR-restriction fragment length and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), was applied to screen for mutations of the fluoroquinolone resistance determinants in Streptococcus pneumoniae. One hundred nonduplicate Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates with ciprofloxacin MICs of > or = 4.0 microg/ml from the Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong, years 2000 to 2003, were examined. For each isolate, PCR amplicons of quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of gyrA, gyrB, parC, and parE genes were digested with AluI, HinfI, Sau3AI, and MspI, respectively, and analyzed by SSCP. Each SSCP pattern was given a number, and each isolate obtained a four-digit code, e.g., 1111, that represented the SSCP profile. The SSCP patterns were correlated to mutations characterized from sequence analyses of PCR amplicons. The most common SSCP profile obtained was no. 5232 (40%), which included strains with two amino acid substitutions in the ParC (Lys-137-Asn) and ParE (Ile-460-Val) genes, followed by the SSCP profile 5223 (17%), which included strains with amino acid substitutions in the ParE (Ile-460-Val) gene only. Ten isolates (10%) with amino acid substitutions at GyrA and ParE (+/-ParC) genes were resistant to levofloxacin with a MIC of > or = 16 microg/ml. Other SSCP profiles were unique in distinguishing the common amino acid substitutions in GyrA (Ser-81-Phe) and ParC (Lys-137-Asn, Ser-79-Phe plus Lys-137-Asn, Asp-83-Asn plus Lys-137-Asn, Ser-79-Phe, and Glu-96-Asp). SSCP analysis of restricted fragments generated patterns that were highly discriminative for mutations present in the QRDRs of gyrA, gyrB, parC, and parE. This method provides a database of high resolution profiles on these mutations and allows rapid screening for new mutations of the fluoroquinolone resistance genes.