Incidental diagnosis of medullary thyroid carcinoma due to persistently elevated procalcitonin in a patient with COVID-19 pneumonia: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Procalcitonin (Pct) is a common biomarker in clinical practice, especially in the era of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Although it is frequently used for the diagnosis and prognostication of bacterial infections or sepsis, it is also elevated in a few other conditions, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). CASE SUMMARY: A 43-year-old female presented with moderately severe COVID-19 pneumonia in April 2021. She gradually recovered clinically; however, despite normalization of other inflammatory markers, Pct levels remained persistently elevated. Further workup identified the cause as left lobe MTC with locoregional metastasis. Calcitonin levels were high, and carcinoembryonic antigen levels were normal. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy and neck dissection, which was followed by another radical neck dissection due to residual disease. Currently, she is doing well, nearly having completed her course of external beam radiotherapy with no recurrence. Pct is well documented as a screening tool for MTC, especially because of its stable nature compared to calcitonin in the community settings. It is important to keep in mind the differential diagnosis of MTC in patients with persistently elevated Pct levels despite normal levels of other acute phase reactants. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report from Asia of such an incidental diagnosis of MTC due to persistently elevated Pct levels in a patient with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. CONCLUSION: Persistently elevated Pct levels can occur in any pro-inflammatory state including infections, sepsis, or acute respiratory distress syndrome. In the current setting, SARS-CoV-2 infection is one such clinical scenario, and in rare situations of persistent elevation, MTC may need to be ruled out.

Online educational resources for orthopaedic residency-a narrative review.

PURPOSE: Residency programs in the medical education field are considered the keystone in the development of aptitude and skills required for practice. With the worldwide current scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a shift in the paradigm especially in the teaching of the residents from face-to-face classes to more and more online sessions. The purpose of this study is to present a compendium of knowledge-providing sites, smartphone applications (apps), YouTube channels, and podcasts that can provide better online resource management for students in the field of orthopaedics. METHODS: Search terms were used for making a list of various online resources which can be of help during orthopaedic residency. An initial list of the selected websites, smartphone apps, podcasts, and YouTube channels was made. The corresponding author with years of teaching experience and faculty for post-graduate and fellowship training programs then selected the final list. RESULTS: A list of 16 websites with brief points on their content and online address along with the availability of free or paid content was identified as being appropriate. A total of 39 apps available for android/apple smartphones, nine podcasts, and 11 YouTube channels were also identified as being extremely useful and have been discussed elaborately in this article. CONCLUSION: Online educational tools are of immense importance in imparting adequate knowledge to an orthopaedic resident and act as an adjunct to conventional teaching methods. This article focuses on presenting various online educational resources in a simple yet concise way, which may be beneficial for the current generation of residents especially in this current time of unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

Insight into the changing patterns in clinical and academic activities of the orthopedic residents during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional survey.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an unprecedented challenge to the orthopedic residency training programs to adapt to a form of a web-based learning process and simulation-based training. This study focusses on the viewpoint of the orthopedic residents to the paradigm shift in clinical care as well as the academic activities. METHODS: An anonymous questionnaire was created in an online survey generator and was sent through e-mail to 227 orthopedic residents of seven tertiary care centres in North India. The questionnaire was divided into three sections, academic activity section, mental health section, and clinical activity section. There were a total of 44 single answer questions with answers according to the increasing difficulty at present situation compared to a previous time before the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: A total of 158 questionnaires were filled by 107 junior residents (67.7%) and 51 senior residents (32.3%). 49 residents (31%) were quarantined and three became positive for COVID-19. Although all of them knew about necessary precautions, personal protective equipment was difficult to avail at times. Increased difficulty in recruiting new patients for research (48.9%) and conducting prospective research (48.7%) was observed. The online-based learning process was reported to be easier (44.2%) by most of the residents. Routine clinical work in the operating room, out-patient department, and inpatient department was found to be difficult according to the majority of the residents along with the anxiety of contracting the infection. CONCLUSION: There are unique opportunities for improvement of residency programs during these times of uncertainty and the findings of this study can help the universities as well as program chairs to develop a robust program that can outlive this pandemic. The web-based learning process might prove to be useful and can be incorporated into the resident training program in the long term. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V.