Clinical profile of patients infected with suspected SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant of concern, Tamil Nadu, India, December 2021-January 2022

Background & objectives: COVID-19 cases have been rising rapidly in countries where the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC), Omicron (B.1.1.529) has been reported. We conducted a study to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients with ‘S’ gene target failure (SGTF, suspected Omicron). Furthermore, their clinical outcomes with COVID-19 patients with non-SGTF (non-Omicron) were also compared. Methods: This study was conducted in Tamil Nadu, India, between December 14, 2021 and January 7, 2022 among patients who underwent reverse transcription-PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2 in four laboratories with facilities for S gene screening. Consecutively selected COVID-19 patients with SGTF were telephonically contacted, seven and 14 days respectively after their date of positive result to collect information on the socio-demographic characteristics, previous history of COVID-19, vaccination status and clinical course of illness along with treatment details. To compare their outcomes with non-SGTF patients, one randomly suspected non-Omicron case for every two suspected Omicron cases from the line-list were selected, matching for the date of sample collection and the testing laboratory. Results: A total of 1175 SGTF COVID-19 patients were enrolled for this study. Almost 6 per cent (n=72) reported a history of previous infection. 141 (13.5%) suspected Omicron cases were non-vaccinated, while 148 (14.2%) and 703 (67.4%) had received valid one and two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, respectively. Predominant symptoms reported included fever (n=508, 43.2%), body pain (n=275, 23.4%), running nose (n=261, 22.2%) and cough (n=249, 21.2%). Five (0.4%) of the 1175 suspected Omicron cases required oxygen supplementation as compared to ten (1.6%) of the 634 suspected non-Omicron cases. No deaths were reported among omicron suspects, whereas there were four deaths among suspected non-Omicron cases. Interpretation & conclusions: Majority of the suspected Omicron cases had a mild course of illness. The overall severity of these cases was less compared to the suspected non-Omicron cases.

Ulcerative post-kala azar mucosal leishmaniasis masquerading as a carcinoma--a case report.

Post kala-azar mucosal leishmaniasis (PKML) is relatively rare in the Indian subcontinent. We describe an ulcerative variant of PKML with nasal involvement in a Nepalese adult male. He had ulcerated plaque over the upper lip with extensive involvement of nasal columella and septum. He came from endemic area for kala-azar and had a previous history of kala-azar. There were plenty of LD bodies in microsections and FNA of submandibular lymph node.

Pure red cell aplasia--report of 11 cases from eastern Nepal.

There were eleven cases of pure red cell aplasia diagnosed over a period of 2 years (January 2000-December 2001). All the patients had anemia with pallor and weakness being the presenting complaints. Hematological profile depicted normocytic normochromic anemia, reticulocytopenia and marked paucity of erythroid precursors on bone marrow aspiration and biopsy studies. In the present study, one case was of congenital pure red cell aplasia, in one other case of pyrexia of unknown origin, no definitive diagnosis could be made. Other associated diseases seen with pure red cell aplasia were thymoma, septicemia, protein energy malnutrition, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, acute myeloid leukemia, tuberculosis and hepatitis C. The association of pure red cell aplasia with haematologic malignancies is rare. There are very few case reports on pure red cell aplasia with hepatitis C.

Acute appendicitis: a quality assurance study.

The parameters that indicate the quality of patient care in acute appendicits (AA) were evaluated. One hundred sixty-four patients, who underwent emergency appendectomy (EA) at the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal were studied prospectively. The mean duration of the symptoms was 42.2 +/- 69.5 hours (range 2-720 hours, median 24 hours). The mean waiting period in the hospital was as 12.7 +/- 21.8 hours (range 1-188 hours, median 7 hours). Special investigations' such ultrasonography, computed tomography or laparoscopy, were not used for diagnosis. The perforation rate was 39%. The histopathology report of 79% of the patients was available. Diagnostic accuracy in histologically evaluated patients was 91.5%. One patient (0.6%) died. The mean hospital stay was 3.2 +/- 2.0 days (range 1-17 days). Patients who had to wait in hospital for < 24 hours before surgery had a longer duration of symptoms, underwent exploratory laparotomy through a mid-line incision more frequently, had a higher incidence of perforated/gangrenous appendix and longer hospital stay. The mean medical expenditure for patients treated in the general ward was Nepali Rupees (NR) 2485 +/- 504 (range NR 1372-4500). The majority of patients/guardians (88%-97%) were satisfied with the medical expenditure incurred, promptness of service, behaviour of the hospital staff and the facilities available in the hospital. The diagnostic accuracy and cost of treatment were favourable. The longer duration of symptoms, non-utilization of special investigations for diagnosis, high perforation rate and less than cent-per cent biopsy rate are the aspects that require attention to improve the quality of surgical care.

Massive ovarian edema with contralateral mature cystic teratoma--a case report of an uncommon combination.

A case with massive ovarian edema (MOE) of left ovary--a rare pseudotumour and mature cystic teratoma of right ovary is described in a young unmarried girl of 16 years. The etiopathological concepts, morphological changes and differential diagnosis are described. Knowledge about the entity and its existence are important for correct treatment. This is the first reported case from Nepal.

Primary squamous cell carcinoma of the endometrium: a case report.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the endometrium is extremely rare female genital malignancy. Only 64 cases have been reported in the literature. A case of primary squamous cell carcinoma of endometrium in a 55-year old-woman is reported. Examination revealed pyometra and cervical stenosis. A total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis.

Massive cystic degeneration of a uterine leiomyoma presenting as an ovarian cyst: a case report.

An unusual case of massive cystic degeneration in an uterine leiomyoma measuring 21 cm in diameter, in a 40 year old female is being presented. It was diagnosed as a cystic adnexal tumor on ultrasonogram. Interlacing bundles of smooth muscle were identified in the cyst wall, which was confirmed on special stains. The differential diagnoses considered in this case are discussed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest cystic degeneration in an uterine leiomyoma reported in the literature.

Nasal cerebral heterotopia: a case report.

Nasal cerebral heterotopia (nasal glioma) are rare congenital benign masses of neurogenic origin with intranasal location, or both. An extranasal case is reported in a 2-year-old-boy without any bony defect or connection with brain. Histology and immunohistochemistry confirmed the diagnosis.

Visceral leishmaniasis in two cases of leukemia.

Two cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), one in a 51-year-old man with accelerated-phase chronic myeloid leukemia and another in a 35-year-old woman with acute myeloblastic leukemia, are reported. Incidental finding of Leishman-Donovan (LD) bodies in patients with leukemia highlights VL as a potent opportunistic infection in immunosuppressed patients.

Mucinous carcinoma of rectosigmoid in a 15-year-old child: a case report.

A 15-year-old girl with Duke's B mucinous carcinoma of the rectosigmoid was treated with surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy. The patient is alive and has been disease-free for 15 months. Colorectal carcinoma is extremely rare in children and adolescents. Adenocarcinoma of colon is a virulent disease in children and has a poor prognosis. This is because of the poor histological characteristics and difficulty in diagnosis.

Inflammatory fibroid polyp of the jejunum presenting as intussusception.

Inflammatory fibroid polyp (IFP) of jejunnum is a rare nonneoplastic lesion of gastrointestinal tract. We report a case of a 45-year-old man presenting with small bowel obstruction due to jejuno-jejunal intussusception of an inflammatory fibroid polyp. To the best of our knowledges, this is the eighth reported case with such a presentation in English medical literature. Segmental resection of the jejunum was performed and histopathology confirmed the diagnosis.