Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) Injection in Sports Injuries

BackgroundSports injuries are very common, and the management demands high degrees of skills and best techniques for an early return to play. The use of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections in the treatment of tendon, muscle and ligament injuries has become popular. This study observes the outcomes of PRP injections in sports injuries.MethodsForty-eight athletes (mean age 29.93 ± 8.48, Male: 37, Female: 11) presenting to a sports medicine centre with different sports injuries with symptom duration (2.81 ± 1.94) months were given PRP injections (single or multiple) four weeks apart with maximum number of injections up to three depending upon the clinical condition, Pre and Post VAS scores. Specific rehabilitation program was administered and compliance was graded by Sports Injury Rehabilitation Adherence Scale (SIRAS). A 1 year follow-up of cases was done for assessing player satisfaction and return to play.ResultsPre-procedure (7.25 ± 0.70) and post-procedure (2.42 ± 0.74) VAS score for all athletes showed significant difference with a p value at 0.0001. The average number of injections was 1.35 ± 1.41 with 72.91% requiring only one injection while 18.75% and 8.33% required two and three injections, respectively.ConclusionAthletes who required a single injection for acute injuries of lower grade returned to sports activity earlier than those who required multiple injections for chronic injuries. PRP injection has optimal effects on sports injuries not responding to conservative management     

Immunological unresponsiveness characterized by increased expression of CD5 on peripheral T cells induced by dendritic cells in vivo

In the steady state, interaction between T cells and antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) leads to T cell tolerance. To examine the role of DC regulated peripheral tolerance in a model autoimmune disease, we delivered an encephalitogenic oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) peptide to DCs in vivo. We found that targeting MOG peptide to DCs resulted in a novel form of peripheral T cell tolerance that was sufficiently profound to prevent autoimmune experimental acute encephalomyelitis (EAE). The tolerized T cells were severely impaired in specific secondary responses to antigen in vivo but they were not intrinsically anergic since they remained highly responsive to T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation in vitro. The mechanism that mediates this dynamic antigen-specific T cell unresponsiveness differs from previously described forms of tolerance in that it requires that DCs induce CD5 expression on activated T cells.     

The case of the missing girls: distribution of gender roles in Indian children’s television programming

Children’s programming is booming in India with children having increased access to television. Given that television is a powerful socializing agent, this study seeks to identify how gender is being represented in it using content analysis. The gender and role of 826 major characters across 89 programmes, which were telecast on 11 channels during the evenings, was analysed. The results show that 91.01% of all the programmes were animated. There was a gender bias in the programme titles, as the majority contained only male or gender-neutral names. Males (74.94%) outnumber females (25.06%) across all channels, irrespective of their target audience. More males than females were cast in all the character roles except in the role of the protagonist’s family member, where both genders were cast equally. The underrepresentation of females in some character roles also veered towards 100% on certain channels. Overall, most programmes seem oriented towards boys than girls.     

Mental health of postgraduate orthodontic students in India: a multi-institution survey

The aim of this study was to evaluate the mental health of postgraduate orthodontic students in India by assessing the extent of three common negative affective states: depression, anxiety, and stress. Three hundred and thirty postgraduate students from thirty-two dental colleges across India anonymously completed the short version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS21). The statistical analysis included summary statistics, nonparametric tests for intergroup comparisons, and logistic regressions to evaluate the influence of age, gender, year of study, and marital status on these mental states. In comparison to the general population, the students experienced mildly elevated levels of depression and anxiety (11±5.1 and 8.2±4.1, respectively) and a moderately elevated level of psychological stress (22±5.2). A moderate or higher level of coexisting symptoms of all three affective states was seen in 15.8 percent of the students. Female students reported a higher level of depression than males and were two and half times more likely to experience depression to a moderate or higher level. First-year students exhibited lower levels in all three states than those in the second and third years and had lower odds than third-year students of developing a moderate or higher level of any of the three affective states. Marriage had a significant buffering potential against all these states. The results clearly indicate a suboptimal level of mental health in these postgraduate students of the specialty and the need to improve their mental resilience and the academic climate.     

Dental students' regard for patients from often-stigmatized populations: findings from an Indian dental school

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare a group of Indian dental students' attitudes toward HIV-positive status, substance misuse, intellectual disability, acute mental illness, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) orientation. Two hundred and twelve students at various stages in the dental curriculum anonymously completed the Medical Condition Regard Scale (MCRS) for these conditions. Friedman and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used, respectively, to analyze the intrastage and interstage differences in MCRS scores. The results revealed that the regard of dental students was considerably positive for all the conditions except LGBT, for which it was just borderline positive. Intellectual disability received the highest regard among all the conditions and LGBT the least. An intermediary and comparable regard was noted for acute mental illness and HIV-positive status followed by substance misuse. While the regard for LGBT remained consistent throughout the curriculum, those for other conditions showed a marginal decrease at the completion of the clinical training. Active curricular reforms are required to ensure a more inclusive and nondiscriminatory dental care environment for patients from such often-stigmatized populations, especially those with LGBT orientation and substance misuse.