Computational Model for the Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy in 2-D Color Fundus Retina Scan.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a growing problem in Asian countries. DR accounts for 5% to 7% of all blindness in the entire area. In India, the record of DR-affected patients will reach around 79.4 million by 2030. AIMS: The main objective of the investigation is to utilize 2-D colored fundus retina scans to determine if an individual possesses DR or not. In this regard, Engineering-based techniques such as deep learning and neural networks play a methodical role in fighting against this fatal disease. METHODS: In this research work, a Computational Model for detecting DR using Convolutional Neural Network (DRCNN) is proposed. This method contrasts the fundus retina scans of the DR-afflicted eye with the usual human eyes. Using CNN and layers like Conv2D, Pooling, Dense, Flatten, and Dropout, the model aids in comprehending the scan's curve and color-based features. For training and error reduction, the Visual Geometry Group (VGG-16) model and Adaptive Moment Estimation Optimizer are utilized. RESULTS: The variations in a dataset like 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, and 90% images are reserved for the training phase, and the rest images are reserved for the testing phase. In the proposed model, the VGG-16 model comprises 138M parameters. The accuracy is achieved maximum rate of 90% when the training dataset is reserved at 80%. The model was validated using other datasets. CONCLUSION: The suggested contribution to research determines conclusively whether the provided OCT scan utilizes an effective method for detecting DRaffected individuals within just a few moments.

Management of Postoperative Discitis with Debridement and Novel Technique of Local Antibiotic Instillation: Functional Outcomes from a Resource-Limited Setting.

BACKGROUND: Patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have substantial treatment abandonment and non-adherence with outpatient oral medications. This work sought to investigate outcomes of postoperative discitis treated with debridement and a novel technique focused on reducing outpatient antibiotic requirement in an LMIC setting. METHODS: This study, conducted and reported following STROBE guidelines, reviewed outcomes of all patients with postoperative discitis who had been debrided by 1 neurosurgeon in a resource-limited setting during 2008-2020. Patients had undergone single-level L4-L5 or L5-S1 discectomy elsewhere, later developing magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed discitis. After non-response or deterioration following intravenous antibiotics, patients underwent early debridement, followed by in-patient antibiotic instillation into disc space for 2 weeks via drain. Study outcomes were modified Kirkaldy-Willis Grade, Japan Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, and visual analog scale (VAS) score, all assessed at 1 year. RESULTS: Twelve patients were included, 10 male and 2 female, with median age of 46 (IQR 3.5) years. Debridement was done after median 82.5 (IQR 35) days and took median time of 105 (IQR 17.5) minutes. VAS scores (mean ± SD) decreased from 9.25 ± 0.75 preoperatively to 0.67 ± 0.89 1 year postoperatively (mean difference 8.58, 95% CI 8.01-9.15, P < 0.001). JOA scores (mean ± SD) improved from 4.5 ± 2.94 to 26.42 ± 1.31 1 year postoperatively (mean difference 21.92, 95% CI 20.57-23.26, P < 0.001). Kirkaldy-Willis grade was excellent in 6 (50%) patients, good in 5 (41.7%), and fair in 1 (8.3%). Patients became ambulatory within 2 weeks, with no major complications during 4.15 (IQR 3.45) years of median follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: In LMICs, patients with medically refractory postoperative discitis potentially have good outcomes after debridement plus 2-week local antibiotic instillation.

A Case of Sheehan Syndrome Six Years Postpartum Presented With Adrenal Crisis and Complicated by Hypothyroidism and Massive Pericardial Effusion.

Sheehan syndrome is often a sequela of massive postpartum hemorrhage in resource-poor healthcare settings where blood loss during delivery is often neglected. The diagnosis of this rare but fatal disease is often delayed because the symptoms are vague and the pituitary dysfunction is insidious in nature. We report the case of a 35-year-old multiparous female with anhedonia and raised serum transaminases. She presented with constitutional symptoms. Her last vaginal delivery, six years back, was the last obstetric event that yielded a stillbirth child. She had had amenorrhea since then. Upon further evaluation, she was found to have a massive pericardial effusion, hypopituitarism, and a partially empty sella. This case report highlights the uncharacteristic symptoms that a patient presents with which ultimately lead to delayed diagnosis. Early diagnosis can go miles in improving the quality of life of the patient besides saving the patient from an adrenal crisis.

The 2021 Zika outbreak in Uttar Pradesh state of India: Tackling the emerging public health threat.

Zika virus is an RNA virus belonging to the Flavivirus family that is chiefly transmitted by the female Aedes mosquito. The Zika virus first infected humans in Uganda and Tanzania in 1952. Since, it has spread to several parts of the world causing outbreaks of variable extent. In India, these outbreaks have been reported from Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Maharashtra. The most recent outbreak is from the most populous state of India, Uttar Pradesh, where the climate is conducive to the breeding and transmission of other arboviral infections such as Dengue, Chikungunya, and Malaria. These infections also happen to share similar incubation periods and overlapping clinical manifestations with Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, leading to misdiagnoses or delayed diagnosis. We aim to provide an account of the outbreak, its repercussions, errors made in attempting to contain the spread of the disease, and, measures to be taken in the future.

Anesthetic Management of a Patient With Common Carotid Artery Stenosis Undergoing Laryngeal Carcinoma Surgery: A Case Report.

Laryngectomy is a common surgery for an oncosurgeon, but underlying carotid compromise is a serious concern for anesthesiologists, making this routine procedure a high-risk one. The utmost vigilance of the anesthesiologist is demanded by the surgery to prevent morbidities such as hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or speech abnormalities that may occur due to perfusion insufficiency secondary to the mechanical blockage of the carotid arteries. Hence, an undiagnosed case of carotid artery block may result in disastrous consequences for the patient, surgeon, and anesthesiologist. Hence, it is imperative to perform all the pre-operative investigations with due diligence. We present the case of a 74-year-old male who was admitted to our set-up for laryngeal carcinoma surgery. The patient had received chemoradiotherapy (CRT) six months earlier. He complained of hoarseness in his voice and a painless neck mass. He was a known case of hypertension for 14 years, controlled by oral medication, and had a history of stroke five years ago, when he was also diagnosed with a completely blocked right common carotid artery (CCA) and a partially blocked left common carotid artery.

False-Negative RT-PCR Findings and Double Mutant Variant as Factors of an Overwhelming Second Wave of COVID-19 in India: an Emerging Global Health Disaster.

RT-PCR is considered to be the standard gold diagnostic test for detecting COVID-19 causing SARS-CoV-2. Recent reports and recent pieces of evidence from scientific literature, however, tell a different story. There have been speculations of SARS-CoV-2 escaping the RT-PCR because of the series of mutations it has gone through. It is possible that host-dependent RNA editing and high person-to-person transmission have equipped the virus with mutations enabling it to spread faster and even evade the RT-PCR. Added to this is burnout among healthcare workers and technicians handling the RT-PCR machines and sampling. All of these factors may be working in unison to result in the deluge of false-negative cases India is facing during the second COVID-19 wave. The mutant strains are spreading to other parts, posing challenges to the whole world. These circumstances warrant supplementary diagnostic tests such as serological and radiological findings to deal with cases of high clinical suspicion. Even one misdiagnosed COVID-19 patient poses a risk to hundreds of others in the vicinity. Healthcare workers' burnout also has to be dealt with. Erroneous staff should be re-trained.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus With Multi-Organ Involvement in a Young Female: Lymphadenopathy, Lupus Cerebritis, Lupus Nephritis, and Cardiac Manifestations.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystemic autoimmune disease that can affect almost every organ in the body. Its complications can often be fatal. The fatal complications include lupus cerebritis, lupus nephritis, and cardiac manifestations such as pericardial effusion. In this report, we discuss the case of a 23-year-old female who presented with complaints of high-grade fever, seizures, and altered mental state (AMS) and was found to have generalized lymphadenopathy (LAP). Various blood and urine analyses and radiological findings (chest X-ray, MRI of the head) were suggestive of lupus nephritis, lupus cerebritis, massive pericardial effusion, and thrombocytopenia. Her anti-double stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibody was positive, and her pericardial fluid was positive for anti-nuclear antibodies (ANAs). She was administered IV glucocorticoids and phenytoin. She reported improvements in her symptoms gradually for a few days but eventually succumbed to the disease. Although generalized LAP is a rare initial presentation of SLE, it should be included in the differential diagnosis of the disease.

A Clinical Case of Polymyositis Complicated by Antisynthetase Syndrome.

Antisynthetase syndrome is an autoimmune condition that manifests clinically through signs and symptoms, such as interstitial lung disease, myositis, Raynaud's phenomenon, fever, hyperkeratotic fingertips (mechanic's hands), and arthritis. It is associated with antibodies against aminoacyl tRNA synthetase enzyme, the most common autoantibody being the anti-Jo-1. An 18-year-old girl presented with weakness of both the upper and lower limb, swelling and generalized body pain, difficulty in swallowing. MRI of the thigh was highly suggestive of myositis with symmetrical bilateral involvement. Based on proximal muscle weakness, elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), strongly positive anti-nuclear antibodies human epithelial cell type-2 (ANA-HEp2), and a normal nerve conduction velocity test with precise MRI findings, a diagnosis of polymyositis was made. She was given bolus intravenous methylprednisolone for five days, followed by oral methylprednisolone with subcutaneous methotrexate weekly. She reported a 50% improvement in muscle weakness; however, partial bulbar weakness persisted at the time of discharge. On her next follow-up, her blood investigations for auto-antibodies were done. The autoantibodies anti-Jo-1 (3+), Ro-52 (2+), and Mi-2ß (2+) were found to be positive. These investigations, coupled with the clinical features she was presenting, finally led us to conclude that it was a case of polymyositis complicated by the antisynthetase syndrome.