Background: The recent hype in yoga practice is concomitant with the fact that it helps the practitioner to achieve radiant health and serene mind. The science of yoga has also become a powerful stream of knowledge. It has increased the number of scientific studies on different yogic interventions, but has also been performed to evaluate its effects on brain wave activity, particularly in neural oscillations. Objectives: In this systematic analysis, we reviewed studies investigating the effect of integrated yoga, meditation, and pranayama on brain wave activity that affects overall cognitive functions. Methods: Broad search strategy was practiced using several online databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, Europe PMC, Scopus, and IndMED. Studies were included in integrated yoga, meditation, and pranayama with brain wave activity, and the entire relevant articles were critically analyzed according to the nature of this study. Results: Several studies examined yogic interventions for restoring brain functions, nerve diseases, and cognitive impairment and suggested that integrated yoga, meditation, and pranayama practices improve verbal skills, reaction time, hand–eye coordination, speed accuracy, and neural activity. Yogic intervention increases overall brain wave (delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma) activity, which increases overall cognitive functions with greater perceived cognition, working memory, attention, better switching ability, focusing ability, positive mind, and perception. It has also been reported that yogic intervention activates dormant areas of brain while downgrading memories not of interest and upgrading useful ones.Conclusions: There is emerging evidence from randomized controlled trials to support yoga practice, which significantly improves brain wave activity resulting in better cognitive functions.

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Self-management support (SMS) interventions help stroke survivors achieve behavior changes to control stroke risk factors. Goal-setting is a fundamental skill widely recognized as integral to SMS. Theories related to goal-setting describe a mediating effect between the quality of a goal and successful goal attainment. However, direct measurement of goal attainment and its mediated effect on sustained behavior change is not well quantified. We report findings from an updated systematic review of peer-reviewed systematic reviews to identify current valid, reliable measures of goal attainment, with specific focus on goal-attainment measurement used in SMS interventions for stroke risk factors. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were used to ensure transparent reporting. Databases used were Medline (Ovid), PubMed (National Library of Medicine), Embase (Ovid), and PsycINFO (Ovid). A priori eligibility criteria included outcome measures for goal attainment and publication in English (2006–2017), following last major review. Of 1363 citations found, 808 titles and abstracts were screened; 52 articles were included in the full review and nine in the final analysis. No measures of goal attainment in the context of SMS for stroke risk factors were identified. The only published measures of goal attainment related to stroke were in the stroke-rehabilitation context. The effect of goal attainment on effective SMS of stroke risks factors could not be determined. We conclude there remains an absence of outcome measures for goal attainment in the context of SMS and SMS interventions that target stroke risk factors.

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Scorpion sting is common in India; usually, these are harmless and follow a benign clinical course but sometimes have serious life-threatening complications including death. Cardiovascular side effects are among the most important life-threatening complications of scorpion sting. We report herein a case of scorpion sting-induced myocarditis with left atrial appendage clot leading to thromboembolic complications.

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Delirium is a familiar neuropsychological syndrome confronted after cardiac surgery associated with a significant morbidity and mortality. Although several therapeutic options including dexamethasone, rivastigmine, risperidone, ketamine, dexmedetomidine, propofol, and clonidine have been used for delirium prevention, there is still lack of certainty regarding the most effective drug. In the current era of evidence-based medicine, the systematic review (with homogeneity) of randomized controlled trials is regarded as the most precise tool for determining the benefit of a therapeutic intervention. This review article aims to assess the current best available evidence to determine the most effective pharmacologic agent for prevention of delirium post cardiac surgery.

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