Impact of Covid-19 on the urology service in United States: perspectives and strategies to face a pandemic

ABSTRACT Over the course of several weeks following the first diagnosed case of COVID-19 In the U.S., the virus rapidly spread across our communities. It became evident that the pandemic was going to place a severe strain on all components of the U.S. healthcare system, and we needed to adapt our daily practices, training and education. In the present paper we discuss four pillars to face a pandemic: surgical and outpatients service, tele-medicine and tele-education. In the face of unprecedented risks in providing adequate health care to our patients during this current, evolving public health crisis of COVID-19, alternative patient management tools such as telemedicine services, allow clinicians to maintain necessary patient rapport with their healthcare provider when required. As a subspecialty, urology should take full advantage of telehealth and teleeducation at this juncture. As tele-urology and tele-education can obviate the potential drawbacks of "social distancing" as it pertains to healthcare, the platform can also reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread, without compromising quality urological care and educational efforts. Telehealth can bring urologists and their patients together, perhaps closer than ever.

Tobacco Control in India: A Dentist's Perspective.

The legalization of tobacco was an accidental event in the history. It would be a fallacy to assume that a product which kills half its consumers was given a legal status by way of logic. Portuguese introduced tobacco to India 400 years ago. Ever since, Indians have used tobacco in various forms. Addictive nature of nicotine leads to tobacco dependence. Tobacco causes over 20 categories of fatal and disabling diseases including oral cancer. In the future it is imperative to impose a ban on oral tobacco products, strengthen enforcement of existing regulations, establish coordinating mechanisms at the levels of central and state and mobilize people to combat the problem. Taxes on tobacco products should be raised and the generated revenue could be spent for the strengthening of the tobacco control program. This article reviews the tobacco use in India, tobacco dependence among people, laws to stub the tobacco inflow in the society and role of dental professionals in tobacco use cessation.

Open appendicectomy stump: invaginate or not to invaginate.

Acute appendicitis remains the most common abdominal surgical emergency. Appendicectomy is the standard treatment of acute appendicitis, which performed by open or laparoscopic approach. During open method, after removal of appendix, stump simple ligation or simple ligation and invagination. A prospective randomized study conducted at Smt SCL General Hospital, Smt NHL municipal Medical College, Ahmedabad between October 2009 to September 2011 to evaluate the necessity of appendicular stump invagination during appendicectomy. A total 110 patients were studied and randomized into two group, Group I stump simple ligation, transfixation and invagination and Group II stump simple ligation and transfixation only. There was no statically significant difference in the rate of postoperative complication and post operative hospital stay between the two groups. The mean operating time was significantly shorter in group without invagination. The rate of postoperative paralytic ileus was more in group I. We conclude that simple ligation of the appendicular stump during appendicectomy is safe, simple and shortens operating time.