The diagnostic and prognostic utility of insulin growth factor of squamous cell carcinoma in oral cavity.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was conducted to find the utility of insulin growth factors (IGFs) as diagnostic and prognostic biochemical parameters in patients suffering from squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 360 male and female patients diagnosed with precancerous conditions (PCC) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) of Stage I to IV were selected for the present study. Patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to ascertain their demographic and medical history. After completing the history and physical examination, patients were subjected to routine blood investigations along with determining insulin growth factor (IGF-1, IGFBP-3) levels. The data obtained were then subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS 20.0 version. RESULTS: The mean values of IGF-1, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), and ratio of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were obtained. The intergroup comparison was done between PCC and all the stages of OSCC for all the IGFs. The result obtained was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that a positive correlation was observed for various insulin growth factors (IGF-1, IGFBP-3; and ratio of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3) between OSCC and PCC such as erythroplakia and oral submucous fibrosis. Thus, the study highlighted the use of IGFs as diagnostic and prognostic parameters in patients suffering from cancerous conditions.

A preliminary clinico-epidemiological portrayal of COVID-19 pandemic at a premier medical institution of North India.

CONTEXT: The outbreak and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has led to a global exigency of colossal and monstrous proportions in terms of public health and economic crisis. Till date, no pharmaceutical agent is known to manage in terms of prevention and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by a novel virus. AIMS: The aim of the present work was to understand the underlying disease profile and dynamics that could provide relevant inputs and insight into pathophysiology and prevent further spread and evolve management strategies of COVID-19 patients from data-driven techniques. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A retrospective observational descriptive study was conducted on 29 COVID-19 patients admitted at a premier medical institution of North India in the months of February and March 2020. METHODS: The patients were diagnosed with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected. RESULTS: The mean age of population was 38.8 years with male preponderance, of which two patients were residents of Italy, and others hailed from semi-arid and Western sandy arid regions of Rajasthan (urban population). The major presenting symptom complex of said COVID-19 sample population included fever (48%), cough (31%), and shortness of breath (17%). Most of the patients (83%) had no comorbidity. No clinical correlation (r) could be appreciated between the duration of test positivity and age of afflicted COVID-19 patients (r = -0.0976). CONCLUSIONS: The present evaluation of various facets of the ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19 is an attempt to portray early clinical and epidemiological parameters of the menace of COVID-19 patients admitted at SMS Medical College and Attached Hospitals, Jaipur.

Open-label Placebos for Wound Healing: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Open-label placebos are a novel treatment option, in which participants take placebos with full knowledge that they do not contain active medicine. Open-label placebo treatments have been shown to result in patient-reported symptom improvements, but they have not been tested on objectively measurable physiological outcomes such as wound healing. Purpose: The current study aimed to determine whether open-label placebos improved wound healing in punch biopsy wounds compared with no treatment. Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, 70 participants (mean age 27.6 ± 10.1, 58 female) were provided with information about the beneficial effects of placebos and given a 4 mm punch biopsy wound. Participants were then randomized to either an open-label placebo intervention (two placebo tablets twice a day for 10 days) or a no-treatment control group. Wounds were photographed at 7 days and 10 days to determine reepithelialization of the wound surface. Results: No significant differences were observed between the open-label placebo and control conditions in the percentage of wound area healed or for the number of participants with fully reepithelialized wounds at 7 days (placebo 7/32 wounds healed, control 10/33 wounds healed, (χ2[1, N = 65] = 0.60, p = .440, φ = 0.10) and 10 days after wounding (placebo 17/32, control 25/33 wounds healed (χ2[1, N = 65] = 3.64, p = .056, φ = 0.24). Conclusions: Open-label placebo treatment does not improve the healing rate of wounds. Open-label placebos may be beneficial for subjective patient-reported outcomes but do not influence wound healing. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registration: ACTRN12616000411448.

Behavioural and electrophysiological effects related to semantic violations during braille reading.

This study investigated the potential to detect event related potentials (ERPs) occurring in response to a specific task in braille reading. This would expand current methodologies for studying the cognitive processes underlying braille reading. An N400 effect paradigm was utilised, whereby proficient blind braille readers read congruent- and incongruent-ending braille sentences. Kinematic and electroencephalography (EEG) data were obtained simultaneously and synchronised. The ERPs differed between the incongruent and congruent sentences in a manner consistent with the N400 effect found with a previous sighted reading paradigm, demonstrating that ERPs can be obtained during braille reading. The frequency of finger reversals and the degree of intermittency in the finger velocity were significantly higher when reading incongruent versus congruent sentence endings. Both reversals and the potential N400 effect may reflect processes involved in semantic unification. These findings have significant implications for the modelling of braille reading. The refinement of the technique will enable other ERPs to be identified and related to behavioural responses, to further our understanding of the braille reading process.