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Purpose: To compare the clinical outcomes of endonucleation chop (EC) versus conventional crater (CC) chop techniques in phacoemulsification of hard nuclear cataracts. Methods: In this Prospective, longitudinal, randomized controlled study with double?blinding. Hundred consecutive eyes with uncomplicated cataracts (nucleus grades 3 and 4) were equally divided into Group A (EC) and Group B (CC). Intraoperative effective phacoemulsification time (EPT) and balanced salt solution (BSS) volume used was noted. Postoperative central corneal thickness (CCT), endothelial cell density (ECD), uncorrected Visual Acuity (UCVA), best?corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and IOP were recorded at days 1, 7, 30, and 90 postoperatively. The Chi?square test (categorical data), Mann–Whitney U test, and t?tests for other parameters were done. Results: The mean EPT in Groups A and B were 6.6 and 14.25 s, respectively (P < 0.001). The BSS volume used was 105.9 and 221.7 mL, respectively (P < 0.001). At 3 months, the ECD loss was 4.35 and 8.6%, respectively (P = 0.025). The?first day CCT was significantly increased in Group B but was the same in both groups at 3 months. A significant improvement in BCVA was noted in both groups. This new technique significantly reduces EPT, the BSS used, and ECD loss. Conclusion: Compared with the CC chop technique, the EC technique for phacoemulsification of hard nuclear cataracts conserved phacoemulsification energy and minimized exposure to the intraocular irrigating solution, provided a significant reduction in corneal endothelial damage, and led to faster visual rehabilitation
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Purpose: To study the clinical profile and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features in patients of COVID?19?associated rhino?orbital?cerebral mucormycosis (CA?ROCM) with orbital involvement and perform a clinicoradiological correlation. Methods: A cross?sectional study was performed at a tertiary care center in north India from May 2021 to June 2021. Consecutive patients with clinical, nasal endoscopic, and/or microbiological evidence of CA?ROCM underwent MRI of paranasal sinuses, orbit, and brain as per the study protocol. Orbital MRI findings were studied in detail and were correlated with clinical signs. Results: Two hundred and seventy patients were studied. The mean age was 48.4 (± 16.82) years. A male predilection was noted (male:female = 1.77). Orbital involvement was seen in 146 (54%) patients on clinical evaluation and in 184 (68%) patients on MRI. Unilateral orbital involvement was more common (134; 92%). The most common presenting symptom was periorbital and/or facial pain (141; 52.2%) and the most common clinical sign was periorbital edema (116; 43%). The most common MRI finding was suggestive of orbital cellulitis (160; 59%). Orbital compartment syndrome was found in 17 (6.3%) patients. The inter?rater agreement between clinical and radiological assessments to detect the involvement of infraorbital nerve and frontal nerve was found to be 85.56%, (? 0.621) and 93.70% (? 0.776), respectively. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of MRI to detect medial orbital wall defect were found to be 87.9%, 65%, and 97%, respectively. Conclusion: Orbital imaging features of a cohort of ROCM patients have been presented with clinicoradiological correlation.
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Objectives@#During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, countries around the world framed specific laws and imposed varying degrees of lockdowns to ensure the maintenance of physical distancing. Understanding changes in temporal and spatial mobility patterns may provide insights into the dynamics of this infectious disease. Therefore, we assessed the efficacy of lockdown measures in 16 countries worldwide by analyzing the relationship between community mobility patterns and the doubling time of COVID-19. @*Methods@#We performed a retrospective record-based analysis of population-level data on the doubling time for COVID-19 and community mobility. The doubling time for COVID-19 was calculated based on the laboratory-confirmed cases reported daily over the study period (from February 15 to May 2, 2020). Principal component analysis (PCA) of six mobility pattern-related variables was conducted. To explain the magnitude of the effect of mobility on the doubling time, a finite linear distributed lag model was fitted. The k-means clustering approach was employed to identify countries with similar patterns in the significant co-efficient of the mobility index, with the optimal number of clusters derived using Elbow’s method. @*Results@#The countries analyzed had reduced mobility in commercial and social places. Reduced mobility had a significant and favorable association with the doubling time of COVID-19—specifically, the greater the mobility reduction, the longer the time taken for the COVID-19 cases to double. @*Conclusions@#COVID-19 lockdowns achieved the immediate objective of mobility reduction in countries with a high burden of cases.
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Supportive supervision is one of the most important tasks in health systems management. A baseline assessment conducted by the primary health care transformation initiative had shown that the Gurage Zone health department had been conducting regular supportive supervision every quarter for the last five years in Gurage Zone. The study proposed establishing a feedback auditing system as an intervention to routinely assess the progress of previous visit actions included in the written feedback. The finding showed the culture of working on previous supportive supervision action items by woreda (district) health offices were significantly improved
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Background: The benefits of breastfeeding for the health and wellbeing of the mother and babies are well documented. A recent trial has shown that early initiation of breastfeeding could reduce neonatal mortality, which would contribute to the achievement of the Millennium development goals. The positive effects of breastfeeding on the new-born’s health can be attributed to the components of breast milk, as well as the contact between mother and baby.Methods: This is a hospital based, cross sectional study conducted in the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at a tertiary care hospital in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh. Study period was one year between March 2018 to February 2019. 310 healthy term new-born babies of singleton pregnancy were included.Results: The prevalence of initiation of breast breastfeeding within one hour in this study is 48.7% (151 neonates). Hindu religion, literacy, urban residence, vaginal delivery, male child, breast feeding advice during antenatal period, birth spacing <2 years, not giving prelacteal feeds, absence of breast-feeding problems and maternal illness were found to have a significant association with initiation of breast feeding within 1 hour after delivery (p value <0.05).Conclusions: Innovative strategies like provision of breastfeeding counsellors in the hospital setup; constant counselling to mothers and their immediate relatives who take care of baby and mothers can increase early initiation of breast feeding.
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BACKGROUND- The most common cause of urinary tract infection is Escherichia coli, though other bacteria or fungi may rarely be the cause. Recurrent UTI's that are predominantly caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli's forms biofilm. OBJECTIVES1. To determine the biofilm formation by E.coli. 2. To evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility testing. MATERIAL AND METHODS- The present prospective study was carried out from December 2014 to May 2015 in the Department of Microbiology of SMS medical college, Jaipur. A total of 100 consecutive, nonrepetitive E. coli isolates were subjected to biofilm formation study by Christensen's tube adherence method. All the isolates were also subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method in accordance with the Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute 2013) guidelines and followed inclusion and exclusion criteria. Epi-info software was used for data analysis. RESULTS- Out of the 100 E. coli isolates studied, 62 (62%) were positive for biofilm formation. Overall drug resistance was found to be very high among both biofilm as well as non-biofilm forming isolates indicating excessive drug resistance among both community and hospital organisms. CONCLUSION- The results of present study indicated a need for continued surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and greater understanding of the nature of biofilm producing uropathogens causing UTI, so as to increase positive outcomes of clinical interventions and the development of novel and more effective treatments for the problematic diseases.