Evaluation of the diagnostic utility of MCAM-1 (CD146) in a group of common gynecological cancers: A case-control study.

Objective: MCAM-1 (CD146) is an endothelial cell adhesion molecule belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily. Recent studies have identified CD146 expression as a critical marker for tumor progression, migration, and metastasis in various malignancies. This study aimed to evaluate CD146 immunohistochemical expression in various gynecological cancers. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in a tertiary medical center in central India. A total of 49 gynecological cancer cases and 16 site-matched controls were included. The cases comprised 27 cervical, 10 endometrial, 10 ovarian, and two miscellaneous cancers. CD146 immunohistochemistry was performed and assessed for immunoreactivity score (IRS), microvascular density (MVD), and microvascular caliber (MVC). An IRS of 5 or more was considered CD146 positive. Results: The p-values for CD146 positivity for cases vs. control were 0.0531, 0.0580, and 0.007 for cervical, endometrial, and ovarian sites, respectively. The mean MVD was found to be significantly higher in cases compared with benign tissues (p-value <0.00001), and the mean MVC of cases was found to be smaller when compared with the controls (p-value <0.0001). Conclusion: MVD by CD146 was found to be higher in gynecological malignancies, highlighting its role in cancer neo-angiogenesis and its potential therapeutic role. CD146 epithelial expression was also significantly higher in ovarian cancers. Further studies with a larger sample size are required to confirm that this protein may be a potential theognostic target in gynecological cancers.

An Unusual Case of Peritoneovaginal Fistula With Fimbrial Prolapse in a Post-hysterectomy Woman.

A fairly uncommon differential diagnosis for chronic vaginal discharge and sexual dysfunction in post-hysterectomy women is peritoneo-vaginal fistula. It can present with or without fimbrial end prolapse. It is also a rare differential of genito urinary fistula due to its comparable presentation in post-hysterectomy women. Patients' morbidity and a number of unneeded conservative treatments, including the use of antibiotics and superfluous tests, can be brought on by surgeons' uncertainties related to its diagnosis. Prophylactic salpingectomy and proper surgical technique are essential for avoiding these problems as summarised from previous literature. Hereby, we are presenting a case of a 30-year-old woman who underwent abdominal hysterectomy and has been complaining of persistent watery vaginal discharge for a year after the procedure. As genito-urinary fistula is a common relative differential of the presenting case scenario, hence workup was done to rule it out but there were no noteworthy discoveries found from the workup. Due to the diagnostic conundrum, we scheduled the patient for a diagnostic laparoscopy that was followed by the detection of the peritoneo-vaginal fistulous tract with prolapsed fimbrial end, repair of tract followed by bilateral salpingectomy.

Study to Determine Concordance between High-Risk Human Papilloma Virus DNA Detection in Self Collected First Voided Urine Samples and Health-Care Worker Collected Cervical Samples in a Subset of Women with Proven Histopathological Precancerous and Cancerous Lesions of the Cervix.

Objective: The objective of our study was to assess whether urinary samples for human papilloma virus (HPV) detection are a good predictive marker of cervical cancerous and precancerous lesions, by comparing against results from cervical scrapings as the gold standard test. Materials and Methods: The study is a hospital-based cross-sectional study wherein symptomatic women were screened at the colposcopy clinic. Paired samples-cervical scrapings/washings and urine samples were tested for hr-HPV for women who were found to harbor premalignant and malignant lesions of the cervix in histopathological lesions, by multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction and HPV genotyping. Diagnostic accuracy was tested by calculating concordance with Cohen's kappa with hr-HPV detection in cervical samples as the gold standard. Results: A total of 295 patients undergoing colposcopy were recruited in the study, out of which 54 had histopathological-proven premalignant and malignant lesions of the cervix. Overall, positivity rate in urinary samples for both HPV 16 and 18 combined is 64.81%, whereas for cervical samples is 68.51%. HPV 16 was seen in 30 (55.5%) and 32 (59.3%) cervical and urinary samples, respectively, whereas HPV 18 was seen in 7 (12.9%) and 6 (11.1%) samples, respectively. There was substantial concordance between the cervical samples and first-void urinary samples results with Cohen's k: 0.6988 (95% confidence interval: From 0.507 to 0.891). There was 85.96% agreement among all the tests that were performed with only 14.04% disagreement. Conclusions: The study showed that HPV DNA detection from the urine and cervical samples showed significant agreeability for the detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions of the cervix among women with abnormal histology results. Thus, urinary sampling can be done as a potential replacement for cervical sampling methods with the added benefit as it can be used in females reluctant to provide cervical samples, if there is no availability of skilled workforce for collecting samples, for mass screening, and for the follow-up of vaccination programs.

Utilizing Midwifery-Led Care Units (MLCU) for Enhanced Maternal and Newborn Health in India: An Evidence-Based Review.

The allocation of the midwife-led care unit (MLCU), a midwifery-led care model in which midwives carry out eminent roles to enrich maternal and newborn outcomes with minimal standard interventions, has appeared to be productive in furthering the quality of care and positive childbirth experiences. In the present article, we review the investments needed in MLCUs for their inclusion into the public health system by describing their advantages, the latest trends in maternal mortality, the roles of midwives, the relevant background, and the current advances in midwifery practices in India. Midwifery-led care is directed by a philosophy that considers pregnancy and childbirth as normal physiological events for women. Making use of a midwife, especially in low-risk pregnancies, extends satisfactory and cost-effective care. The Government of India has begun to introduce midwifery services to the country to improve the quality, righteousness, and worthiness in the provision of care and to offload higher-level hospitals. The year 2020 was designated as the "Year of the Nurse and the Midwife" by the WHO, highlighting the importance of nurses' and midwives' roles in sustaining quality health care. Further, the acceptability among clinicians and the public is crucial for the future advancement and implementation of MLCUs in India.

OHVIRA syndrome: hysteroscopy and intraoperative sonography - a value addition in the management.

We report a postpubertal case of obstructed hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis syndrome who presented with dysmenorrhoea and light menstrual flow. Imaging modalities confirmed the diagnosis after which vaginal septal incision and drainage was performed. In addition, we also performed vaginoscopy using hysteroscope, both preincision and postincision and drainage, to visualise the vagina and to exclude any communication between two hemivaginas. Completeness of drainage was ensured by performing intraoperative sonography. In a few instances, communication (fistula or microperforation) between the two hemivaginas would result in spontaneous haematocolpos decompression, mimicking normal menstrual flow and often delaying diagnosis. The role of direct visualisation under hysteroscopy should be emphasised in such cases. We postulate that hysteroscopy and intraoperative sonography may aid in better diagnostic and therapeutic management in such cases.

A Rare Case of Concurrent Ovarian Lesions: Ovarian Fibroma and Serous Cystadenoma in Contralateral Ovaries.

Ovarian stroma and surface epithelium develop from two different embryological primordia and give rise to tumors of distinct characteristics. The simultaneous presence of two kinds of ovarian tumors in one patient is rare. Concurrent presence of a large ovarian fibroma in one ovary, and a serous cystadenoma in the seemingly normal-looking contralateral ovary was found in a 55-year-old woman. The unusual coexistence of these tumors warrants a closer and longer follow-up of the patient. To the best of our knowledge, this is the fourth case to be reported in the literature. All surgically isolated tissues should undergo detailed histopathological examination, including normal-looking tissues which are excised as a part of the procedure.

Study to determine efficacy of urinary HPV 16 & HPV 18 detection in predicting premalignant and malignant lesions of uterine cervix.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate clinical performance and diagnostic accuracy of urinary HPV for non-invasive screening of high-grade precancerous and cancerous cervical lesions in a visual inspection under acetic acid (VIA) -positive cohort. METHOD: The study included 180 women aged 35-65 years, who were VIA positive in a colposcopy clinic. All participants had the initial stream of a random urine sample tested for the presence of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) types 16 and 18 and acetowhite lesions were biopsied per protocol. Concordance analysis was conducted to assess agreement between detection of hrHPV in urine and the presence of premalignant and malignant lesions in cervix on histopathology. Measures of diagnostic accuracy were estimated to evaluate the performance of urinary HPV against histopathology (reference standard). RESULTS: Substantial agreement between urinary HPV detection and histopathology was found (Cohen's κ is 0.696, P ≤ 0.001), with an agreement in 88.9% of the cases and disagreement in 11.1%. The diagnostic performance of urinary HPV in predicting the presence of a high-grade precancerous or cancerous lesion was as follows: sensitivity 67%, specificity 97%, positive predictive value 89%, and negative predictive value 88.8%. CONCLUSION: HPV DNA detection from urine has good concordance with the histopathology for detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions of the cervix. Further studies on optimization of urine sampling and processing techniques are warranted.

Abdominoperineal Approach to Uterovaginal Anastomosis in Cervical Dysgenesis: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Genital outflow tract obstruction due to cervical agenesis is an uncommon Mullerian duct anomaly, increasingly being treated with conservative surgery by creation of an outflow tract by drilling or coring into the cervical remnant or by uterovaginal anastomosis. A 19-year-old woman with cervical dysgenesis in the present case underwent a successful uterovaginal anastomosis to relieve the obstructive menstrual symptoms and preserve the future reproductive function. The neouterovaginal canal was created over a mold of Foley's catheter by anastomosis anterior surface of the uterine corpus to the vaginal vault, bypassing the dysgenetic cervix and using the fibrous band of cervix as support. Normal cyclical menses were restored. Steps of the procedure are detailed in this case report.

Burden and Associated Genotype Patterns of High-Risk Human Papilloma Virus Infection and Cervical Cytology Abnormalities among Women in Central India.

Background: The epidemiology of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and the pattern of HPV genotype distribution are much-needed parameters to assess the risk of cervical cancer among females. However, due to less availability of data on HPV burden and its genotypes from various geographical regions in India makes cervical cancer screening modalities and vaccination strategies difficult to implement. Objective: The present study was conducted to identify the various genotypes particularly high-risk HPV types in premalignant or malignant cervical lesions. Methods: The study was a hospital-based cross-sectional study wherein 295 symptomatic women were screened by Pap smear and multiplex real-time PCR was performed for HPV genotypes identification in women with abnormal cervical cytology. Results: Out of 295 women, 237 (80.3%), 45 (15.3%), and 13 (4.4%) women had normal Pap smear, squamous cell carcinoma and precancerous cytology, respectively. Among these 58 women having abnormal cervical cytology, HPV was detected in 48 (81.0%) participants. Most common HPV genotypes in our study were HPV 16 (n = 29; 60.4%) followed by mixed infections; i.e., more than one type of HPV was detected (n = 10, 20.8%). HPV 18 was detected only in 6.25%, whereas other high-risk HPV genotypes were found to be 12.5%. Conclusion: HPV positivity was >80% in women having abnormal Pap smear. The prevalence of HPV 18 was found to be much less in Central India, compared to other parts of country. HPV 16 was the most common genotype followed by mixed HPV genotype infections. It is evident from our study that symptomatic women even if having normal Pap smear should be screened for HPV and followed up with periodic Pap smears for detecting any change in cervical cytology, thus preventing cervical cancer in women.

Remote assessment and reinforcement of patient awareness of role of lifestyle modification and treatment adherence in polycystic ovary syndrome using an online video based educational module

Objective: To evaluate the role of an online, video-based, structured, educational module in increasing awareness in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Material and Methods: Patients with PCOS were assessed for baseline awareness about PCOS, quantified as "awareness score", using a validated questionnaire. Topics assessed included factual and conceptual knowledge of the disease and awareness of behaviour-related lifestyle modification and therapy compliance in PCOS. An educational video module was shown to the participants which covered normal menstrual physiology, symptomatology, pathophysiology and natural history of PCOS, a comparative animation of healthy versus unhealthy lifestyle, indications of pharmacological intervention, and role of treatment adherence. The questionnaire was re-administered after exposure to the educational module, and effectiveness of the teaching method was evaluated by comparing pre and post test scores. Results: The total number of subjects was 41. Baseline knowledge was "fair" in 17.1%, "moderate" in 48.8% and "good" in 34.1%. Significant increase in awareness scores was noted among participants regarding PCOS after exposure to the learning module from 15.09±4.31 to 18.60±3.85 (p<0.00001) with a large effect size (Cohen's d=0.85). Most (48.8%) of the respondents had baseline awareness in the "moderate" range (scores between; 11-17) whereas post intervention scores improved to the "good" category for 63.4% of the women. Conclusion: The educational module was effective in significantly increasing knowledge about PCOS. Patient education is likely to help reinforce the message about lifestyle modification and continued compliance and may aid in promoting a patient-driven healthcare model in PCOS.

Postplacental Intrauterine Contraceptive Device Transmigration - Rare but the Real Concern for Service Providers.

Uterine perforation following postplacental intrauterine contraceptive device (PPIUCD) insertion is a rare event with a potential for serious injuries. In the present case, a young lady with a history of PPIUCD insertion presented with a mass having ill-defined margins and restricted mobility palpable in her right iliac region. Examination reported a conglomerated mass in right adnexa with an IUCD surrounded by a heterogeneous inflammatory collection to which omentum and bowel loops adherent to it. Additional imaging reported involvement of right iliac vessels and right ureter with upstream hydroureteronephrosis. Intraoperatively, ureter was found intact and away from the IUCD which was removed with a gentle pull, and a rent in the right posterolateral surface of uterus was repaired with delayed absorbable sutures. With PPIUCD services being provided on an unprecedented scale, it becomes prudent and ethically crucial to create a national repository to document post insertion outcomes and complications. Case report aims to inform and sensitize stakeholders about possible post insertion complications to help improve expansion of the PPIUCD programs.

Synchronous Breast Carcinoma, Uterine Myoma, and Ovarian Teratoma in a Single Woman.

Multiple primary tumors in a patient diagnosed with invasive ductal breast cancer are rarely reported in the literature. Here we present a case of invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast in a 42-year-old lady, with synchronous uterine leiomyoma (UL), ovarian teratoma and with prior history of follicular adenoma of thyroid in the same patient. The clinical presentation and management plan is discussed with a review of the literature. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women where the concomitant occurrence of multiple primary tumors is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. In low- and middle-income countries, where facilities of genetic screening in all patients of synchronous neoplasia are limited due to scarcity of resources, strong clinical suspicion, multidisciplinary management, and follow-up remain important.

COVID-19 pandemic and safety of taxi services: Looking beyond primary care.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a lifetime experience of 'Living within a pandemic' for the vast majority world over. Public health principles based on equity should be at the core of world's response to it. Service professionals such as taxi/cab drivers are no exception. It is a challenge for them to establish mechanisms for making taxi services safer with regards to SARS COV2 spread, and thereby regain the confidence of stakeholders in this necessary public service. This requires a comprehensive planning taking into account the socio-economic stresses, psychosomatic health and other determinants, and yet being able to adapt and innovate for safer services. These considerations and decisions have to be based on available as well as emerging research evidence about this infection both in the lab and in the community. Targeted safety interventions that translate and apply research findings hold promise. While the course of the pandemic remains uncertain, life must find a 'new normal' and people need to get back to the business of regular living. The purpose of this review is to study the various risks to the stakeholders in taxi/cab services, and draft strategies for mitigating these risks from a theoretical and practical perspective.

Rapid, Economic, Acetic Acid Papanicolaou Stain (REAP): An Economical, Rapid, and Appropriate Substitute to Conventional Pap Stain for Staining Cervical Smears.

BACKGROUND: The unanimous method of screening cervical cancer is a cervical smear stained with Papanicolaou stain. However, in spite of the various modifications, the staining procedure takes 20 min and uses substantial amount of alcohol which is highly priced. The aim of the study was to assess and analyze the quality of staining of cervical smears stained with Rapid Economical Acetic acid Papanicolaou (REAP) as compared to conventional pap stain in order to establish REAP as an alternative to conventional pap stain. METHODS AND MATERIAL: In this prospective study, a total of two smears each were collected from 50 females who visited the gynecology outpatient department. One of the smears was stained with conventional pap and the other with REAP. The conventional pap and REAP smears were evaluated and compared for the quality of staining. RESULTS: The cervical smears stained with REAP showed optimal cytoplasmic and nuclear staining in 86% and 90% cases, respectively. The cytological findings and diagnosis of REAP stained smears correlated with their corresponding smears stained with conventional pap in 96% of cases. The turnaround time and cost per smear was much low for REAP as compared to conventional pap stain. CONCLUSION: The present study was able to establish REAP as an appropriate alternative to conventional pap stain. The staining by REAP was comparable to conventional pap stain.

Setting Objectives for a Competency-based Undergraduate Obstetrics and Gynecology Curriculum.

INTRODUCTION: Little emphasis on standardization, less stringent outcome measurement and resource constrains can result in deteriorating competencies among medical graduates in a country with rapidly increasing number of medical institutions like India. A competency-based curriculum is where we carefully design curricular experiences to achieve pre-identified outcomes. In this study, we aimed to define the outcome objectives of a competency-based undergraduate Obstetrics and Gynaecology curriculum which is comprehensive, and is based on the present day need of our society. These objectives can serve as the basis for designing a suitable curriculum with aligned teaching learning and assessment methods. METHODS: This is an observational study in which a Delphi technique was used to identify the outcome objectives representing competencies specific to the subject of obstetrics and gynaecology at graduate level. The six core competencies identified by Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Council formed the framework to identify these competencies. Then, a cross-sectional countrywide survey was conducted among purposively sampled teachers and clinical experts through a postal questionnaire to know the relative importance of the identified outcome measures and need for their inclusion in a contemporary outcome-based curriculum. RESULT: Ninety four medical teachers and clinical experts, belonging to institutes across the county, with demonstrable interest and expertise in the field of medical education identified 38 outcome objectives for the curriculum. There were twenty one "vital", fourteen "essential", two "desirable" and one "optional" outcome objectives identified. There were eighteen outcome objectives for "patient care" domain, nine for "medical knowledge", four for "Practice based learning and improvement", three for "professionalism", two for "system based practice", and two for "interpersonal and communication skills". CONCLUSION: The outcome objectives for a competency-based obstetrics and gynaecology curriculum in an Indian context were defined.

A randomized controlled double blind trial comparing the effects of the prophylactic antibiotic, Cefazolin, administered at caesarean delivery at two different timings (before skin incision and after cord clamping) on both the mother and newborn.

BACKGROUND: Caesarean delivery (CD) increases the risk of postpartum infection by 5 to 20 fold. Prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) is the goal of antibiotic prophylaxis. This study was carried out to assess the optimum timing for prophylactic antibiotic administration and to assess the amount of the antibiotic crossing the placental barrier. METHODS: Eligible mothers were recruited, after informed consent, once the decision for CD was made. Each mother received two injections, one prior to skin incision and one after cord clamping, (one being the study drug Cefazolin, and the other, a placebo) based on the randomization code. Demographic, maternal and neonatal monitoring data until discharge from hospital, and at the 6 weeks postpartum visit were collected. Levels of the prophylactic antibiotic were measured from the cord blood in every 8th neonate. The objective of the study was to compare the effects of the prophylactic antibiotic, intravenous Cefazolin 1 g, administered at Caesarean delivery (CD) at two different timings (before skin incision and after cord clamping) on both the mother and newborn. The secondary outcomes that were followed up were the number of maternal and neonatal readmissions. An appropriate test for significance, Fisher's exact test was used to find the association between risk variables and outcome. RESULTS: The total numbers of mothers enrolled were 1106, of whom 553 mothers received antibiotic prior to skin incision (pre-incision) and 543 mothers received antibiotic after cord clamping (post-incision). The pre-incision group had significantly less febrile illness (RR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.29 - 0.80) and SSI (RR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.04 - 0.53) when compared with the post- incision group. The post-incision group significantly had >7 days hospital stay when compared to the 4-7 days stay of the pre-incision group (p = 0.005).There were no differences in any of the neonatal outcomes. The quantity of the antibiotic in the cord blood was only 2-3%. CONCLUSIONS: Pre incision prophylactic antibiotic protected the mother from SSI and febrile illness and decreased the hospital stay significantly. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Clinical Trials Registry India (CTRI) was [ CTRI/2016/03/006710 dated, 04/03/2016].

Unexpected locations of sentinel lymph nodes in endometrial cancer.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate the anatomical location of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) following intra-operative cervical injection in endometrial cancer. METHODS: All consecutive patients with endometrial cancer undergoing sentinel lymph node mapping were included in this prospective study following intra-operative cervical injection of tracers. Areas of SLN detection distribution were mapped. RESULTS: Among 436 patients undergoing SLN mapping, there were 1095 SLNs removed, and 7.9% of these SLNs found in 13.1% of patients, were detected in areas not routinely harvested during a standard lymph node dissection. These included the internal iliac vein, parametrial, and pre-sacral areas. The SLN was the only positive node in 46.1% (15/36) of cases with successful mapping and completion lymphadenectomy, including 3 cases where the sentinel node in the atypical location was the only node with metastatic disease. CONCLUSION: SLN mapping using intra-operative cervical injection is capable to map out areas not typically included in a standard lymphadenectomy. The sentinel node is the most relevant lymph node to analyze and may enable to discover metastatic disease in unusual areas.

A Mixed Method Research to Identify Perceived Reasons and Solutions for Low Uptake of Cervical Cancer Screening in Urban Families of Bhopal Region.

Low uptake of cervical cancer screening is not a matter of poor coverage of health care facilities only. We wish to identify the perceived reasons behind low uptake of screening in Bhopal region and also possible solutions for an urban setting. In a mixed research, through a series of focused group discussions, we wished to do thematic interpretation of the perceptions towards cervical cancer screening by deductive content analysis of FGD and also to obtain a free list of perceived causes and solutions with Smith's saliency score and perform cluster analysis by pile sorting. We found that the perceived reasons could be grouped into three themes which were (1) information gap leading to fear of unknown, (2) casual attitude, and (3) resource constrains and affordability issues. For the perceived solutions there were 11 codes which could be grouped into two groups; these were increasing awareness and vaccination. Free list of perceived reasons and solutions has also been generated. No single solution can be suggested but a comprehensive approach with awareness campaigns, personalized encouragements, affordable and friendly health care with subsidized vaccination, and screening facilities are expected to increase awareness and acceptability and thus reduce burden of disease in the long run.

Changing perspectives of infectious causes of maternal mortality.

OBJECTIVE: Infections significantly contribute to maternal mortality. There is a perceived change in the spectrum of such infections. This study aims to estimate the contribution of various types of infections to maternal mortality. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed records of maternal death cases that took place between 2003 and 2012 in the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India. The International Classification of Diseases-Maternal Mortality was used to classify the causes of deaths and World Health Organization near-miss criteria were used to identify organ dysfunction that occurred before death. Infections during pregnancy were divided into three groups, i.e., pregnancy-related infections, pregnancy-unrelated infections, and nosocomial infections. RESULTS: In this study, 32.53% of maternal deaths were because of some type of infection as the primary cause. The contribution of pregnancy-related infections was comparable with that of pregnancy-unrelated infections (16.03% vs. 16.50%). Metritis with pelvic cellulitis, septic abortions, tuberculosis, malaria, scrub typhus, and H1N1 influenza (influenza A virus subtype) were among the most commonly encountered causes of maternal death due to infections. Another 7.07% of cases developed severe systemic infection during the course of illness as nosocomial infection. A significant majority of mothers were below 30 years of age, were primiparae, had advanced gestational age, and had operative delivery. Cardiovascular and respiratory system dysfunctions were the most common organ dysfunctions encountered. CONCLUSION: The contribution of pregnancy-unrelated infections to maternal deaths is significant. Control of these diverse community-acquired infections holds the key to a reduction in maternal mortality along with the promotion of clean birthing practices. Nosocomial infections should not be underestimated as a contributor to maternal mortality.