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Introduction: Combination of abiraterone with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has better survival outcomes than ADT alone in metastatic Hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) in the Western population. In this prospective (Clinical Trials Registry-India [CTRI] registered) observational study, we present the comparative oncological outcomes of ADT alone and ADT + abiraterone in Indian patients, which is not available currently. Methods: This study (CTRI-number-CTRI/2020/07/026545) included newly diagnosed mHSPC patients from January 2020 to June 2023 in a tertiary care hospital, urology department. Patients fulfilling inclusion criteria were advised ADT with abiraterone (A + ADT), and those not affording received ADT monotherapy (ADT). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Secondary outcomes included prostate-specific antigen (PSA) decline >90%, radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS), and PSA progression-free survival (pPFS). Results: Out of278 patients with mHSPC, 163 patients were excluded and 115 were analyzed (ADT = 40 vs. A + ADT = 75). After a median follow-up of 20.3 months, 11 of 40 (27.5%) in ADT-only arm and 15 of 75 (20%) in ADT + abiraterone arm had died (Hazard-ratio of death 0.72; 95% confidence interval 0.68-0.88; P < 0.001). A PSA decline of >90% was seen in 85% in the ADT alone group and 93.3% in the ADT + abiraterone group. Significantly better outcomes of the ADT + abiraterone were seen in the secondary endpoints of rPFS (P < 0.001) and pPFS (P < 0.001). The OS benefit was 28% reduction in risk of death in our study versus 37% and 38% in STAMPEDE and LATITUDE, respectively. pPFS and rPFS were also poorer in Indian subsets. Conclusions: Abiraterone with ADT improves OS, PSA response, rPFS, and pPFS in the Indian population akin to the Western data but with poorer OS, rPFS, and PSA progression-free survival on comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Srimanta Sankaradeva, founder of the Nava Vaishnava religion in Assam, is the father of the Sattriya Khol Vadya. He created the Khol Vadya suitable for the Sattriya Performing Arts. This tradition of Sattriya Khol Vadya has been passed down orally as a living tradition for 550 years ago through Sattra institution. Although there are many other unrestrained instruments similar to the Sattriya Khol Vadya in India, the method of manufacturing and playing style of the Sattriya Khol Vadya in Assam is to some extent different from other instruments of India. The Khol Vadya is a part of the Sattriya culture of Assam and has undergone various evolutions since its creation to accompany the Satriya dance, Ankia Bhaona, Bargeet etc. and has gained its place as a distinct Performing Art. There are three styles of Sattriya Khol Vadya: Bardowa, Barpeta and Kamalabari styles. The playing style, distinct rhythm, and style of performance distinguish it from other instruments prevalent in India. Traditionally, the Sattriya Khol Vadya performed only with Sattriya music and drama. However, this trend is now moving out of the Sattra and becoming an independent art form. Nowadays, the Khol is included in the education system as an academic subject and a subject of research. The purpose of this article is to discuss the physical identity of the Sattriya Khol Vadya, its history, evolution and its place in the present day. The term "Khol Vadya" mentioned in this research paper refers only to the Sattriya Khol Vadya of Assam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: It is unclear when pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) should be performed during laparoscopic radical cystectomy. Proponents of PLND performed before cystectomy claim that early PLND skeletonizes the urinary bladder's vascular pedicles, making cystectomy easy. Others contend that an early cystectomy provides space and flexibility during subsequent PLND. This first-of-its-kind study compared PLND before and after cystectomy for the ease of performing surgery (total operative time, cystectomy time, and PLND time) and the operative outcomes (number of lymph nodes removed, blood loss, and complication rates). Methods: This ambispective cohort study included a predetermined sample size of 44 patients. The first 22 patients underwent PLND after cystectomy (Group 1), and the following 22 underwent PLND before cystectomy (Group 2). The primary outcome was total operative time. Secondary outcomes included cystectomy time, PLND time, number of lymph nodes removed, blood loss, and complication rates. Results: The baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. The total operative time (344.23 ± 41.58 min vs. 326.95 ± 43.63 min, P = 0.19), cystectomy time (119.36 ± 34.44 min vs. 120.91 ± 35.16 min, P = 0.53), PLND time (126.82 ± 18.75 min vs. 119.36 ± 23.34 min, 0.25), number of dissected lymph nodes (13.27 ± 4.86 vs. 14.5 ± 4.76, P = 0.40), and blood loss (620.45 ± 96.23 ml vs. 642.27 ± 131.8 ml, P = 0.20) were similar in the two groups. The complication rates categorized by Clavien--Dindo grading were identical in the two groups. Conclusions: PLND done after cystectomy was comparable to PLND done before cystectomy regarding the ease of surgery and the operative outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The paper is based on an ethnographic inquiry into how the artists associated with Purulia Chhau, a traditional masked dance theatre form in the Purulia district of West Bengal, India, are innovating new ways of reaching out to a wider audience through online measures and how such a fusion of technology and tradition is transforming the art form itself. Based on an immersive inductive-iterative approach, in-depth interviews of performers and community elders were carried out intermittently over 127 days. The digital presence of the artists was also examined. The study reveals the role of small media technologies such as smart phones and the use of online platforms not just in the revival and transformation of their indigenous medium but also in the mediatization of their religion. Furthermore, given that the traditional role of Purulia Chhau as a ritualistic meaning-making conduit has been to disseminate mythological narratives, the study brings to fore how attempts in converging the traditional art form with new digital media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook over the past decade has effectuated a considerable alteration to the underlying rhetoric and message being conveyed. This, in turn has remoulded the traditional context of its primary intertwined ritual, the Shiv Gaajan, as identified. Apart from mediatization, the logic of the digital technologies and their audiences necessitating a drastic shift in both form and content of the traditional expression also underscores the theory of technological determinism at play. The paper argues that despite considerable compromise on the original narratives and associated rituals, accommodating new technologies has ensured the visibility, outreach, and economic sustenance of Purulia Chhau and its artists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Street traders have been rendering a significant role in the economy of Assam over the decades. The informal sector has been facing various challenges whereas government policies for the street traders are inadequate and insufficient. The magnitude of street vendors has been rising in urban and semiurban areas of Assam in the post globalisation era which poses an emerging threat to the district administrators, town planners and public. A sample of 400 street vendors of sample cities of Guwahati, Tezpur and Jorhat of Assam have been analysed with respect to rural-urban migration. This study attempts to explore certain aspects of street vendors of the state in relation to Covid-19. It endeavours to highlight the changes in the way of life of migrant street vendors, their economic habits and government’s measures to rehabilitate them in eking out their livelihood and reduce their economic crisis arising out of Covid-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]