Diagnostic Utility of Swept-Source OCT-Based Biometry and Fundus Photographs Compared to Spectral Domain OCT in Center-Involving Diabetic Macular Edema.

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to evaluate the agreement between the swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT)-based biometry, fundus photographs, and their combination, in comparison to the gold standard spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) for the detection of center-involving diabetic macular edema (CI-DME). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study involving 55 subjects (78 eyes) diagnosed with diabetic macular edema (DME) detected clinically and on SD-OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG). Post-mydriatic 45-degree color fundus photograph (Crystal-Vue NFC-700), 1 mm macular scan obtained from SS-OCT-based biometry (IOL-Master 700), and macula cube scan obtained from SD-OCT was used to detect and grade DME into CI-DME and NCI-DME. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that SS-OCT-based biometry was noted to have a high sensitivity of 1 (0.94-1.00) and a specificity of 0.63 (0.31-0.89) in detecting CI-DME compared to the gold standard (SD-OCT). When combined with data from fundus photographs, specificity decreased to 0.32 (0.15-0.53). Fundus photographs alone exhibited a low sensitivity of 0.52 (0.38-0.64) and a specificity of 0.45 (0.16-0.76) in CI-DME detection. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, SS-OCT-based biometry can be used as an effective tool for the detection of CI-DME in diabetic patients undergoing cataract surgery and can serve as a screening tool in centers without SD-OCT facilities.

Diabetic Macular Edema (DME); Center Involving Diabetic Macular Edema (CI-DME); Non-Center Involving Diabetic Macular Edema (NCI-DME); Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography (SS-OCT); Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT); Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (Anti-VEGF); Central Retinal Thickness (CRT); Intra Retinal Fluid (IRF); Sub Retinal Fluid (SRF); Diabetic Retinopathy (DR); Non Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR); Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR); Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA); Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c); Mean Spherical Error (MSE); Standard Deviation (SD); Positive Predictive value (PPV); Predictive value (PPV); Negative predictive value (NPV); Area under the Curve (AUC).

Assessment of Sleep Quality Using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire in Undergraduate and Post Graduate Medical College Students in Bhopal.

In an attempt to deal with their workload and stressful atmosphere, medical students often cut down on their sleep. Sleep not only has an impact on cognitive functions, but it is also essential for stress recovery and tiredness removal. The study was done to determine the quality of sleep using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) among medical students in Bhopal. This cross-sectional descriptive questionnaire study of 408 medical (MBBS or MD) students from AIIMS and GMC, Bhopal, was undertaken from June 2020 to September 2020. They were presented with online self-administered questionnaire (Google forms). The Google forms were organized into four sections: student's information sheet, consent form, demographic data (gender, age, and year of education separately for PG and UG) and PSQI questionnaires. The mean age of all undergraduate and post graduate students (n=408) volunteered to participated in this study was 21.76±3.01 years of which 170 students (41.7%) had age less than: ≤20 years, 23(56.9%) between 21-30 years and 06(1.5%) of the participants had age between 31-40 years. The age (years) ranged from 18-38 years. The number of male and female students were 251(61.5%) and 157(38.5%) respectively. Out of the total number of participants, 335(82.1%) were MBBS students and 73(17.9%) were MD/MS students. N-parametric tests (Kruskal Wallis Test) were used to make group comparisons. The mean global score for MBBS and Post graduate students were 6.11±3.06 and 6.00±3.64 respectively which reflect poor quality of sleep. Variables of sleep latency, sleep duration and daytime dysfunction were variables were significantly associated (p<0.05). There should be more academic counseling facilities at medical schools that emphasize the need of getting enough sleep.

Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile Assessment among Medical and Nursing Students of Central India.

The Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II) is a western-developed questionnaire that assesses 52 health-promoting behaviours (HPB) over six subscales. The purpose of this research was to identify and assess all six components of the Health-Promoting lifestyle Profile among medical and nursing students in central India (AIIMS and Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal). A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted on 619 medical (MBBS/MD/MS) and nursing students of AIIMS and GMC, Bhopal. The online questionnaires were provided to them which consisted of questions from the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II. Health-promoting behaviors differed by gender in MBBS students particularly with respect to Health-Promoting Lifestyle (p=0.009), Health Responsibility (p=0.021), Nutrition (p=0.046) and Physical Activity (p=0.004). Males had significantly higher scores then females. But the difference between males and females was not significant in PG (MD and MS) students. Scores of five out of six scales (except spiritual growth) were found to be higher among nursing students in comparison with medical students (MBBS, MD and MS). These results will raise concerns about lifestyle behaviours and encourage medical and nursing students to evaluate their own health-promoting lifestyles. Physical exercise and diet should be prioritised, particularly for medical students.

Effect of Slow and Deep Breathing on Brain Waves in Regular Yoga Practitioners.

Various yogic practices focus on breathing. Breathing may affect brain waves. This cross-sectional study was conducted to see the effect slow and deep respiration on EEG activity in experienced Yoga practitioners at the Department of Physiology at AIIMS, Bhopal, India. The duration of the study was about one year. EEG was taken and was analyzed by Dinamika - Advanced Test System, Moscow, Russia. Paired t-test using graph pad software was used for statistical analysis. The Delta percentage decreased and the other wave's percentages theta, alpha, and beta increased significantly. The person becomes deeply relaxed and more focussed on slow and deep breathing.

The sensitivity of different environments to radioactive contamination.

This paper describes modelling calculations carried out to determine the sensitivity of various rural and semi-natural environments to radionuclide contamination by (137)Cs, (90)Sr, and (131)I released during a major nuclear accident. Depositions of 1000 Bq/m(3) were assumed for each radionuclide. Four broad types of environments were considered: agricultural, forest or tundra, freshwater aquatic, and coastal marine. A number of different models were applied to each environment. The annual dose to a human population receiving most or all of its food and drinking water from a given environment was taken as a broad measure of sensitivity. The results demonstrated that environmental sensitivity was highly radionuclide specific, with (137)Cs generally giving the highest doses during the first year, especially for adults, in terrestrial and freshwater pathways. However, in coastal marine environments, (131)I and (239)Pu were more significant. Sensitivity was time dependent with doses for the first year dominating those for the 2nd and 10th years after deposition. In agricultural environments the ingestion dose from (137)Cs was higher for adults than other age groups, whereas for (90)Sr and (131)I, the ingestion dose was highest for infants. The dependence of sensitivity on social and economic factors such as individual living habits, food consumption preferences, and agricultural practices is discussed.

Isolation, identification and characterization of fluoride resistant bacteria: possible role in bioremediation.

Microorganisms found in industrial effluents and near the sites of the contamination can be used to indicate pollution and detoxify the contaminated water resources. Emergence of xenobiotic resistant bacteria among them might be potential application in bioremediation. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize fluoride resistant bacteria from soil and water samples of different regions of India. Five isolates were recovered from different samples which were found to be fluoride resistant. Two of them effectively reduced the fluoride from their media. Through the current study it can be predicted that fluoride pollution results in selective pressure that leads to the development of fluoride resistant among bacterial populations, probably through the mechanism which involved high affinity anion binding compounds called ionophores. Resistant microbes may play a bioremediative role by transforming and concentrating these anions so that they are less available and less dangerous.

Delayed presentation of post traumatic diaphragmatic hernia.

Blunt traumatic diaphragmatic rupture is an uncommon but severe problem that is usually seen in polytraumatized patients including blunt abdomino-thoracic trauma due to road traffic accidents, fall from height and penetrating injuries. Regardless of the mechanism, diagnosis is often missed and high index of suspicion is vital. Late presentations are associated with increased morbidity. We report an interesting case of blunt traumatic diaphragmatic hernia in a 32-year-old man presenting 4 years after the initial abdomino-thoracic injury due to fall from height. He had herniation of the spleen and stomach. Through a left sub costal incision, the herniated organs were reduced and diaphragmatic defect closed with interrupted prolene suture.

Impact of single round of indoor residual spray with lambda-cyhalotrin 10% WP on Plasmodium falciparum infection in Akola district, Maharashtra State.

Lambda-cyhalothrin 10% WP (ICON 10WP) was sprayed from 5th November 1997 at a dose of 25 mg/m2 as indoor residual spray in 74 high risk villages. The spray was completed within 10 days in most of the villages. The monthly entomological monitoring showed nil density of Anopheles culicifacies and Aedes and very low density of non-vector Anopheles and Culex. The impact of Lambda-cyhalothrin spray was discernible right in the month of November 1997 showing 52% reduction in P. falciparum cases as compared to the same month of preceding year. The reduction of P. falciparum cases in three months post-spray period was 77% (from 47 cases to 11 cases) as compared to similar months of preceding year and overall reduction of total malaria cases was 50% during the same period. Since the major part of transmission of P. vivax infection was over by the time Lambda-cyhalothrin spray was taken up, obviously the impact on P. vivax infection was not markedly high as compared to P. falciparum infection. Neither cerebral malaria cases nor deaths due to malaria were recorded in the sprayed villages.