Trends of humoral immune responses to heterologous antigenic exposure due to vaccination & omicron SARS-CoV-2 infection: Implications for boosting

Background & objectives: Vaccination and natural infection can both augment the immune responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but how omicron infection has affected the vaccine-induced and hybrid immunity is not well studied in Indian population. The present study was aimed to assess the durability and change in responses of humoral immunity with age, prior natural infection, vaccine type and duration with a minimum gap of six months post-two doses with either ChAdOx1 nCov-19 or BBV152 prior- and post-emergence of the omicron variant. Methods: A total of 1300 participants were included in this observational study between November 2021 and May 2022. Participants had completed at least six months after vaccination (2 doses) with either ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 or an inactivated whole virus vaccine BBV152. They were grouped according to their age (? or ?60 yr) and prior exposure of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Five hundred and sixteen of these participants were followed up after emergence of the Omicron variant. The main outcome was durability and augmentation of the humoral immune response as determined by anti-receptor-binding domain (RBD) immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations, anti-nucleocapsid antibodies and anti-omicron RBD antibodies. Live virus neutralization assay was conducted for neutralizing antibodies against four variants – ancestral, delta and omicron and omicron sublineage BA.5. Results: Before the omicron surge, serum anti-RBD IgG antibodies were detected in 87 per cent participants after a median gap of eight months from the second vaccine dose, with a median titre of 114 [interquartile range (IQR) 32, 302] BAU/ml. The levels increased to 594 (252, 1230) BAU/ml post- omicron surge (P<0.001) with 97 per cent participants having detectable antibodies, although only 40 had symptomatic infection during the omicron surge irrespective of vaccine type and previous history of infection. Those with prior natural infection and vaccination had higher anti-RBD IgG titre at baseline, which increased further [352 (IQR 131, 869) to 816 (IQR 383, 2001) BAU/ml] (P<0.001). The antibody levels remained elevated after a mean time gap of 10 months, although there was a decline of 41 per cent. The geometric mean titre was 452.54, 172.80, 83.1 and 76.99 against the ancestral, delta, omicron and omicron BA.5 variants in the live virus neutralization assay. Interpretation & conclusions: Anti-RBD IgG antibodies were detected in 85 per cent of participants after a median gap of eight months following the second vaccine dose. Omicron infection probably resulted in a substantial proportion of asymptomatic infection in the first four months in our study population and boosted the vaccine-induced humoral immune response, which declined but still remained durable over 10 months

Synthetic Hydroxyapatite Bone Graft Substitute In Sinus Augmentation - A Histological Analysis

Aim: Material And Method:To see the effect of synthetic Hydroxyapatite bone graft substitute in sinus augmentation. A lateral window was cut on the buccal aspect of the maxilla on the posterior region in the area of molar I/II and after carefully lifting the sinus membrane, bone graft was packed and a collagen membrane was placed on top of it. After a period of 8 months the site was re-entered to take bone sample for histological analysis using a trephine, at the same time, implant (Bioner Top DM, 4/10) was placed at the surgical site. The surgical site healed well. G-Bone hasResults: shown good bone growth histologically. The surgical site healed well. G-Bone has shown good bone growthConclusion: histologically.

A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY TO DETERMINE STRESS LEVEL AMONG POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN IN RURAL AREA OF BHAGALPUR (BIHAR)

Background: Menopause is a natural reproductive period that affects women's lives between the ages of 45 and 55 due to various physical and mental changes. It usually happens when a lady is in her late 40s to early 50s (Barkha D et al., 2018). Many women see the menopausal transition as distressing (The North American Menopause Society, 2016). Menopausal women in rural locations may experience higher physical, psychological, and social stress. They also have more medical issues and worse self-esteem than males. The objective of present is to measure the stress experienced by pos Objective: tmenopausal women living in rural areas of the Bhagalpur district of Bihar. A cross-sectional survey method is used to measure stre Method: ss level of postmenopausal women. total 100 postmenopausal women were selected using simple random sampling within the age range of 45-55 years. The level of stress was measured by using a structured self-administered schedule. The result of this study revealed that most pos Result: tmenopausal women (70%) reported severe stress levels, 28% had moderate stress levels, whereas only 2% reported low-stress levels. Alt Conclusion: hough this is a short study but it offers a beginning for the future mapping of stress levels on menopause timing. Researchers looking into the stress experienced by postmenopausal women can also use this knowledge.

Aqueous deficiency dry eye in post conjunctivitis cicatrization - Effect of deep thermal punctal cautery

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of deep thermal punctal cautery in eyes with post?conjunctivitis cicatrization. Methods: This retrospective study consisted of patients who underwent deep thermal punctal cautery for post?conjunctivitis dry eye (PCDE). The diagnosis was based on a history suggestive of viral conjunctivitis in past followed by the onset of present clinical features of aqueous deficiency dry eye (ATD). All patients underwent a rheumatological evaluation to rule out underlying systemic collagen vascular disease as a cause for dry eye. The extent of cicatricial changes was noted. Best?corrected visual acuity (BCVA), Schirmer’s test, and fluorescein staining score (FSS; total score of 9) were analyzed pre? and post?cautery. Results: Out of 65 patients (117 eyes), 42 were males. The mean age at presentation was 25.769 ± 12.03 years. Thirteen patients presented with unilateral dry eye. Pre?cautery BCVA (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]) and Schirmer’s test (mm) improved from 0.5251 ± 0.662 to 0.372 ± 0.595 (P value = 0.000, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.09–0.22), and 1.952 ± 2.763 to 4.929 ± 4.338 (P value = 0.000, 95% CI: ?3.79–?2.17); post?cautery, respectively. The pre?cautery FSS of 5.9 ± 2.82 reduced to 1.58 ± 2.38 (P value = 0.000, 95% CI: 3.46–5.17) post?cautery. The mean follow?up was 11.22 ± 13.32 months. No progression in cicatricial changes was noted in any eye during the follow?up. Re?canalization rate was 10.64%, and repeat cautery was performed with successful closure of puncta. Conclusion: Symptoms and clinical signs of ATD in PCDE patients improve with punctal cautery

Dry eye disease in head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy

Purpose: To study the incidence of dry eye disease (DED) in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients undergoing external beam radiotherapy (EBRT), to find a correlation between tumor location and total radiation dose with DED, and to report various radiotherapy (RT) induced acute toxic effects on ocular and adnexal structures. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary eye?care center on 90 patients of HNC undergoing EBRT from March 2021 to May 2022. All underwent a thorough clinical history and complete ophthalmological examination including an ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire, visual acuity, anterior segment, angle and posterior segment examination, dry eye workup including the Schirmer test, tear meniscus height, tear break?up time, corneal fluorescein staining and grading, and meibography by auto?refractometer and its scoring at each visit. Patients were evaluated before the start of RT and then at 1 week, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks post?RT. Radiation records of all patients were noted. Data were analyzed using percentage and Microsoft Excel. Results: Of the 90 patients, 66 were male and 24 female (M: F ratio of 2.75) with a median age of 52.5 years (range 24 to 80 years). The most common HNC was the carcinoma oral cavity and lip. Most patients received a total radiation dose between 46 to 55 Gy. DED developed in 48 (53.3%) patients. The incidence of DED increased with the increase in total radiation dose (r = 0.987). DED was also found to be correlated with tumor location (r = 0.983). Conclusion: The incidence of DED positively correlated with the total radiation dose and tumor location.

Dry eye module – An application intelligence platform for diagnosing and monitoring dry eye disease

Dry Eye Module (DEM), a software application, was developed to facilitate the streamlining of dry eye evaluation and documentation, to unify diagnostic jargon, and to analyze data input to generate a dry eye diagnostic report. This diagnostic report generated is based on the current understanding of dry eye diagnostic algorithms (Dry Eye Workshop 2 [DEWS2]/Asia Dry Eye Society [ADES]). Apart from its plausible role in aiding unprecedented multicentric dry eye demographic data collection, the application software can generate a customized referral letter to the rheumatologist, highlighting the salient ophthalmic features to be shared. DEM uses schematic illustrations to depict eyelid, conjunctival, and corneal parameters that impact the ocular surface in dry eyes that can be captured and compared during serial visits. Furthermore, DEM displays a symptom sign trend chart that graphically represents improvement/stability or worsening of the subjective and objective dry eye status. DEM can generate a curated prescription using preloaded advice templates. DEM includes facility for state-of-the-art advanced dry eye diagnostic reporting for super specialty use. The addition of DEM to the dry eye diagnostic armamentarium would help bridge the current unmet needs of dry eye evaluation. These are lack of uniform reporting, lack of multicentric data on a unified platform, the inability to ensure complete evaluation, inability to avoid lacunae during follow-up visits, and the lack of a simple patient-ophthalmologist and an ophthalmologist–rheumatologist interface.

E-PIX: An enhanced grading for acute ocular burns

An enhanced online and manual grading system, based on the I’s and E’s, for acute ocular chemical injuries is being proposed. E-PIX is designed to be an online/manual grading system that includes all the parameters that adversely affect the outcome of acute chemical injuries. The importance of addressing the I’s and E’s in chemical burns cannot be underestimated. These include the need for the documentation and management of epithelial defect (E), intraocular pressure (P) (IOP), ischemia (scleral) (I), and exposure (X) (acronym - E-PIX). Epithelial defect includes that involving the limbus (L), along with conjunctival (C), corneal (K), and tarsal (T). These additional parameters are graded and represented as an annotation along with the limbal grade providing a comprehensive grading for the injury. A manual entry sheet and a freely accessible online grade generator are a part of the system. The proposed enhanced grading offers a final annotation that provides a clear understanding of all factors that can lead to vision-threatening complications ensuring their assessment and hence subsequently their addressal to improve outcomes, if abnormal. The prognostication continues to be based on the grade of limbal involvement. The additional annotations impact prognosis and outcome if not addressed. Including the laterality of injury provides, in addition, a futuristic understanding of available options. The grade generator retains the flexibility to be dynamic with changes reflecting upon the healing process in the acute stage. The proposed system aims to provide primary and tertiary caregivers alike with a uniform grading system.

Study of Central Nervous System Malformations of Perinatal Autopsies

Background: Congenital malformations remain a common cause of perinatal deaths accounting for 10-15% in developing countries like India. They are the most severe disorders of the central nervous system. Although antenatal screening for congenital anomalies has been improved over the years, fetal autopsy remains the gold standard for the iden?fica?on and confirma?on of congenital malforma?ons. The present study emphasizes the importance of perinatal autopsy for understanding the cause of death and also conforma?on of the antenatal diagnosis of the spectrum of various congenital CNS malforma?ons. Methods: We studied 644 perinatal autopsies conducted in our hospital. The dura?on of the study was 5 years, from 1st August 2015 to 31st July 2020 that included all perinatal autopsies with gesta?onal age of 22 weeks to less than 7 days. Results: Out of 644 perinatal autopsies 125 cases (19.4%) had congenital anomalies, of which 62 cases (9.6%) showed CNS malforma?ons. The most common CNS anomalies encountered were anencephaly 14 cases (22.6%) followed by 10 cases (16.1%) each of spina bifida and meningocele, and 8 cases (12.9%) of meningomyelocele. In the present study, 6 (9.7%) cases of CNS malforma?ons were associated with known syndromes namely Edward syndrome, Potter’s syndrome, and KlippelFeil syndrome. Along with CNS in 21 (33.9%) cases we observed associated malforma?ons of other systems with 7 cases involving the musculoskeletal system, 3 cases involving the genitourinary system, and 5 (8.1%) cases showing mul?system involvement. Conclusion: Antenatal screening for congenital anomalies has been improved over the years. Even then fetal autopsy remains the gold standard for the iden?fica?on and confirma?on of congenital malforma?ons. Understanding this gives valuable informa?on that can be further helpful in the gene?c counseling of the parents.

Bladder endometriosis-A great masquerader

The bladder is the most common site affected in urinary tract endometriosis. There is a controversy regarding the pathogenesis, clinical management (diagnosis and treatment), impact on fertility, and the risk of malignant transformation of bladder endometriosis. Patients presenting with symptoms typically attributed to endometriosis might go unnoticed because of its infrequent occurrence. We, hereby, report a case of a young female who had complaints of burning micturition and dysmenorrhea. After a thorough evaluation, she was found to have a urinary bladder mass which was subjected to a biopsy. The initial histopathology report came as bladder malignancy but immunohistochemistry proved otherwise and it turned out to be urinary bladder endometriosis.

Role of polymerase chain reaction–based viral detection in pterygia

Purpose: Pterygium is a fibrovascular disease that originates in the conjunctiva and commonly spreads to the corneal surface, thereby posing a threat to eyesight. Despite intensive research, the pathophysiology of this disease remains unclear. Recent research suggests that oncogenic viruses, such as human papillomavirus (HPV), cytomegalovirus, and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), may play a role in pterygia development. Although there are questions concerning the function of oncogenic viruses in pterygium pathogenesis, existing research shows a lack of consensus on the subject, demonstrating the heterogeneity of pterygium pathophysiology. Therefore, we aimed to simultaneously detect the three common viral pathogens that have been reported in pterygium tissue obtained after excision. Methods: Thirty?five tissue specimens of pterygium from patients undergoing pterygium surgery (as cases) were analyzed for evidence of viral infection with multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and virus?specific real?time quantitative PCR was used for the samples that were detected positive by multiplex PCR. Results: Of the 35 patients, one sample was positive for EBV and two samples were positive for HPV. Further PCR?based DNA sequencing of the HPV PCR?positive product showed identity with HPV?16. Real?time quantitative PCR on samples that showed EBV or HPV positivity did not yield any detectable copy number. Conclusion: Our study results confirmed that PCR positivity could be due to transient flora, but it was not quantitatively significant to conclude as the causative factor of pterygium pathogenesis. However, additional studies with larger sample populations are warranted to fully determine the role of the virus in pterygium.

Turnaround time for the issuing of packed red cells: A retrospective study in a tertiary care hospita

Introduction: Turnaround time (TAT) is one of the most crucial performance indicators for blood transfusion and laboratory services. It is especially crucial in transfusion services due to its seminal role as a determining factor in patient care outcomes. We examined our institution’s TAT for issuing blood units. Materials and Methods: The Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, MGM Medical College and Hospital in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, undertook this retrospective noninterventional study over 12 months from January 01, 2020 to December 31, 2020. TAT was determined using a random audit of 10% of all monthly requests at the blood center. All requests for packed red cells (PRCs) received in the blood center during the study period were included in the evaluation. All requests for other blood components such as fresh-frozen plasma, random donor platelets, and cryoprecipitates were excluded along with all reservations for PRCs. A team of investigators tracked 369 requests for packed red cells over the year, noting the turnaround time. The standard TAT was set depending on the nature of the clinical case. Any significant deviation from institutionally established TAT was investigated, and root cause analysis was done. Results: The majority of transfusion requests were routine (72%) followed by emergency (23%) and lifesaving (5%). For routine cases, the average TAT was observed at 104 minutes. For emergency cases, the average TAT was observed at 39 minutes. For lifesaving cases, the average TAT was observed at 12 minutes. The highest number of cases were categorized under routine, followed by emergency cases and lifesaving categories. Conclusion: It was observed that there were no significant variations in turnaround time in routine, emergency, or lifesaving cases. Overall, as per our blood center standards, TAT for the issue of packed red cells was observed to fall under the normal range for routine, emergency, and lifesaving. Any outliers observed during the duration of the study were mainly due to inadequate samples or patient details received at the blood center or the presence of irregular antibodies encountered during the crossmatch.

Executive function performance in middle-aged adults / Desempenho da função executiva em adultos de meia-idade

ABSTRACT. Executive functions have been widely studied in the extreme of ages, but studies in middle-aged adults remain largely neglected. Education and gender are known to influence cognitive performance; however, their effect on executive function in middle-aged adults remains unclear. Objective: The study aimed to observe the effect of hierarchy of educational qualifications (graduate, postgraduate, and PhD) and gender on various executive function tests across middle-aged adults with or without comorbidity. Methods: A total of 66 middle-aged individuals volunteered for the study (mean age=48.45±5.45 years; 20 graduates, 28 postgraduates, and 18 PhD; 36 males and 30 females; 38 healthy adults and 28 adults with comorbidities). Each subject performed a test assessing short-term memory, spatial working memory, and multitasking abilities on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery with rest periods in no specific order of tests. Key parameters of cognitive tests were analyzed for differences in educational qualifications (ANOVA), gender (t-test), and the effect of comorbidity as a covariate (ANCOVA). Results: PhDs performed significantly better (p<0.05) in multitasking than graduates and had superior visuospatial working memory (fewer errors). Differences in simultaneous matching abilities, lower incongruence cost and multitasking cost were statistically significant in healthy females than in males. Conclusion: On considering adults with comorbidity, those with higher educational attainment retained the ability to multitask compared to their healthy counterparts, which was not seen in the group with lower educational attainment. Thus, higher educational attainment attenuated the influence of comorbidities and deterioration of executive functions in general in middle-aged adults.

RESUMO. As funções executivas têm sido amplamente estudadas no extremo das idades, mas os estudos na meia-idade permanecem amplamente negligenciados. Educação e gênero são conhecidos por influenciar o desempenho cognitivo, no entanto, seu efeito na função executiva em adultos de meia-idade ainda não está claro. Objetivo: O estudo teve como objetivo observar o efeito da hierarquia de qualificações educacionais (graduação, pós-graduação e doutorado) e gênero em vários testes de função executiva em adultos de meia-idade com ou sem comorbidade. Métodos: Sessenta e seis indivíduos de meia idade se voluntariaram para participar do estudo (idade média=48,45±5,45 anos, 20 graduados, 28 pós-graduados e 18 doutores; 36 homens e 30 mulheres; 38 saudáveis e 28 adultos com comorbidades). Cada sujeito realizou um teste avaliando memória de curto prazo, memória de trabalho espacial e habilidades multitarefa na Bateria Automatizada de Testes Neuropsicológicos de Cambridge (Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery — CANTAB) com períodos de descanso em nenhuma ordem específica de testes. Os principais parâmetros dos testes cognitivos foram analisados quanto às diferenças nas qualificações educacionais (ANOVA), sexo (teste t) e efeito da comorbidade como uma covariável (ANCOVA). Resultados: Os doutores tiveram desempenho significativamente melhor (p<0,05) em multitarefa do que os graduados e tiveram memória de trabalho visual-espacial superior (menos erros). As diferenças nas habilidades de correspondência simultânea, menor custo de incongruência e custo de multitarefa foram estatisticamente significativas em mulheres saudáveis do que em homens. Conclusão: Ao considerar os adultos com comorbidade, aqueles com maior escolaridade mantiveram a capacidade de multitarefa como seus pares saudáveis, o que não foi observado no grupo com menor escolaridade. Assim, maior escolaridade atenuou a influência de comorbidades e deterioração das funções executivas em geral, em adultos de meia-idade.

Initiating or switching to insulin degludec/insulin aspart in adults with type 2 diabetes in Malaysia / Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies

Objectives@#Insulin degludec (IDeg)/insulin aspart (IAsp; IDegAsp) is a co-formulation of 70% IDeg and 30% IAsp. According to several randomized controlled trials, IDegAsp is effective and safe for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A subgroup analysis of the ARISE study was conducted to explore the safety and efficacy of IDegAsp among Malaysian patients with T2DM in real-world settings.@*Methodology@#ARISE, an open-label, multicenter, non-interventional, prospective study was conducted between August 2019 and December 2020. Adult Malaysian patients with T2DM who were enrolled from 14 sites received IDegAsp as per the local label for 26 weeks. The primary endpoint was change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels from baseline to end of study (EOS).@*Results@#Of the 182 patients included in the full analysis set, 159 (87.4%) completed the study. From baseline to EOS, HbA1c (estimated difference [ED]: –1.3% [95% CI: –1.61 to –0.90]) and fasting plasma glucose levels (ED: –1.8 mmol/L [95% CI: –2.49 to –1.13]) were significantly reduced (p<0.0001). The patient-reported reduced hypoglycemic episodes (overall and nocturnal) during treatment. Overall, 37 adverse events were observed in 23 (12.6%) patients.@*Conclusion@#Switching or initiating IDegAsp treatment resulted in significant improvements in glycemic control and a reduction in hypoglycemic episodes.

Movement Disorders Associated With Radiotherapy and Surgical Procedures

Occasionally, movement disorders can occur following interventional procedures including but not limited to radiotherapy, dental procedures, and cardiac, cerebral and spinal surgeries. The majority of these disorders tend to be unexpected sequelae with variable phenomenology and latency, and they can often be far more disabling than the primary disease for which the procedure was performed. Owing to poor knowledge and awareness of the problem, delays in diagnosing the condition are common, as are misdiagnoses as functional movement disorders. This narrative review discusses the phenomenology, pathophysiology, and potential treatments of various movement disorders caused by interventional procedures such as radiotherapy and neurological and non-neurological surgeries and procedures.

Third Molar Maturity Index as an Efficient Tool for Prediction of Age in a Sample Indian Population - A Retrospective Study

Introduction: The age of 18 years is an important milestone for legal matters, and developmental parameters of teeth are often used for estimation of this age. The aim of this study is to assess the efficiency of third molar maturity index (I3M) in establishing age of 18 years in Dakshina Kannada population. Methods: A total of 700 orthopantomograms were retrieved from the archives of the radiology department of Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore. The length and the width of the open apex of the mandibular left third molar was assessed using Image J software and the Third molar maturity Index (I3M) was calculated and correlated with the age of the individual. Results: Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed the Area under curve of 0.94 and 0.96 in females and males, respectively, for prediction of age of 18 years. The cut?off of 0.08 predicted the 18?year cut?off with 97% specificity and 90.2% negative predictive value. The percentage of the accuracy was 80.23% if the I3M was <0.08. Conclusion: The efficiency of the cut?off of 0.08 of I3M has been tested in various population including Kosovar, Peruvian, South Indian, Libyan, Montenegro, Croatian, African (Botswana), Albanian, and Serbian. Our study also shows the efficiency of the same in South Indian Dakshina Kannada population.

An institution-based study on Hematological profile of Dengue patients at a tertiary care hospital in Konkan region of Maharashtra

Background: Dengue is the most rapidly spreading mosquito-borne viral fever especially in coastal regions due to heavy rainfalls. It is important to understand the hemato-pathological changes associated with dengue infections to avoid dreaded hematological complications. These hematological changes can be used as diagnostic aid in remote rural set-ups wherein rapid dengue diagnostic kits are not available. Objective: This retrospective study was carried out from 1st January 2018 to 31st August 2021 with an objective to analyze the hematological profile of serologically diagnosed dengue patients. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional, observational, retrospective study was carried out at a tertiary care center at Dervan, Konkan region of Maharashtra over a period of three years and eight months. Commercially available ‘Dengue Day 1 test kit’ was used to detect NS1 antigen and IgM and IgG antibodies. Patients with positive NS1 antigen and/or IgM or IgG antibody were included while patients with other febrile illnesses like typhoid, malaria were excluded from this study. Patient’s venous blood was collected in plain bulb for serology and in EDTA bulb for hematological profile (CBC/blood smear). This profile included hemoglobin, hematocrit (HCT), RBC indices like MCV, MCH And MCHC, total leucocyte count (TLC), Differential leucocyte count (DLC) and platelet count (PC). Results: A total of 330 patients were diagnosed as dengue cases based on rapid card test. Majority of the patients were positive for NS1 antigen (60%) followed by IgM antibody (27.87%). Male: female ratio was 1.8:1. Age of the patients were in the range of 10-65 years whereas majority of NS1 positivity was seen in the age group of 21-30 years. Hemoglobin levels among these patients ranged from 3.1-19.9 g/dl. 27.47% cases had hemoglobin level of more than 15 g/dl and 16.96% patients had hemoglobin level <10 g/dl. 225 out of 330 patients showed hematocrit (HCT) >35% above the average reference value. HCT ranging from 20-35% was seen in 72/330 (21.82%) patients. 143/330 (43.34%) cases showed TLC <4000/cumm (leukopenia). 51.07% patients showed relative lymphocytosis with 15.15% of these cases showing reactive lymphocytosis. Maximum cases showed thrombocytopenia (69.32%). 31.21% showed grade 1 thrombocytopenia that is, platelets between 75000-150000/cumm. This grade was followed sequentially by Grade III, II and IV thrombocytopenia cases. Conclusion: This study highlights important hematological parameters on different serological dengue diagnosis made on rapid card test. This study will help diagnose dengue disease in remote, rural set-ups wherein rapid diagnostic kits are not available.

Coagulation profile of covid patients : A single tertiary teaching hospital in Rajasthan

Background: The COVID-19 has taken the world by storm. It primarily affects the lungs causing respiratory distress and leading to ARDS. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the coagulation dysfunction in patients which predisposes the patients to venous and arterial thromboembolism due to excessive inflammation, hypoxia, immobilisation and diffuse intravascular coagulation (DIC). Material & Methods: We assessed 2281 COVID RT PCR positive patients who were admitted with moderate to severe disease in wards and ICU respectively. The coagulation profile was done for each of these patients and the tests included Prothrombin time (PT), Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (APTT) and D-Dimer. The PT and APTT were estimated on ACL elite pro (Fully automated coagulation analyser) which is based on nephelometry. D- Dimer was measured using ACL elite pro and latex agglutination (semi quantitative method). Results: Out of 2281 COVID RT PCR positive patients 1655 (72.5%) were males and 626 (27.5%) were females. It was observed that percentage of patients admitted in ICU had increased D dimer values and it was statistically significant. Our study showed that larger number of patients admitted in ICU had PT value more than 12.5 seconds and APTT more than 35.5 seconds, however it was not statistically significant. Our study also demonstrated that patients having higher D dimer required longer hospitalization with significant p value. Conclusion: We concluded that assessment of coagulation profile is necessary for patients infected with this virus so as to prevent any thrombotic complications and therefore preventing morbidity and mortality.

Expert Opinion on Novel Fixed Drug Combination of Metformin Sustained Release and Vildagliptin Immediate Release for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Management in India

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a highly prevalent cardiometabolic disorder in India and is further projected to rise (10.4% by 2030). In newly diagnosed patients, maintaining HbA1c 6.5-7.0% and minimizing glycaemic exposure, particularly during the first year following diagnosis, may be crucial for preventing complications. Early treatment initiation with a synergistic combination of vildagliptin and metformin is one of the many possible combinations to manage type 2 diabetes mellitus. In view of emerging clinical evidence on early initiation of combination therapy than monotherapy with metformin, there is a need for expert consensus on the use of the current approved Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) of Metformin SR + Vildagliptin IR in newly diagnosed diabetic patients. Experts framed final consensus statements based on available scientiûc evidence, experience and collective clinical judgment from practical experience this FDC.

Correction of pre-existing astigmatism by on-axis incision size modulation in manual small-incision cataract surgery

Purpose: To study the effect of wound size modulation on pre?existing astigmatism by on?axis placement of incision in manual small?incision cataract surgery (MSICS). Methods: In this prospective interventional study conducted at a tertiary care centre, 40 eyes of 40 consecutive senile cataract patients with 1.00�00 D corneal astigmatism were enrolled for the study. MSICS by modified Blumenthal抯 technique was performed through 6.0, 6.5, and 7.0 mm on?axis incision in 1.0�49 D (group A), 1.50�99 D (group B), and 2.00�00 D (group C) astigmatism, respectively. Surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) was calculated by vector analysis and double angle plots (DAP) at 12 weeks postoperatively. Results: There were 22 males and 18 females with mean age of 58.12 � 1.18 years. The mean SIA at 12 weeks was 0.85 � 0.28 D in group A (17 eyes), 1.32 � 0.65 D in group B (10 eyes), and 1.91 � 0.69 D in group C (13 eyes). The overall median uncorrected visual acuity was 0.18 (IQR = 0 to 0.2). The mean astigmatism decreased from 1.95 � 0.74 D to 1.04 + 0.57 D (P = 0.00) in superior incision and from 1.70 + 0.50 D to 0.92 � 0.45 D (P = 0.00) in temporal incision group with central shift of centroid in all cases. Conclusion: The customization of on?axis external incision size can be used to manage pre?existing corneal astigmatism of less than 3.00 D using both temporal and superior incisions effectively