An Audit of Breast Conservation Surgery for Breast Cancer - a 7-Year Experience from Southern India.

To audit the use of breast conservation surgery for breast cancer treatment in a tertiary care centre over a 7-year period, and also to chart the clinical, demographic and pathological characteristics of breast cancer patients treated in the setting of a referral centre in a middle income (MDI) group country. A retrospective analysis of the case records of all patients of invasive breast cancer treated at our institute between January 2014 and December 2020 was done after obtaining approval from the Institute Ethics Committee (IEC). The number of patients seen, age, parity, menopausal status, family history of cancer, laterality, site of tumour in the breast, the symptomatology, clinical stage and presence or absence of metastases was the clinical parameters examined. The pathological stage and grade of the tumour, receptor status, treatment offered according to stage and the patterns of failure with respect to the surgery performed were recorded. Statistical analysis was a direct head to head comparison of the percentage proportions of the different variables. A total of 685 patients of breast cancer were treated between January 2014 and December 2020. A total of 53% of the cohort was more than 45 years old and 56.7% were post menopausal. A total of 58.8% of the patients presented with a cancer in the left breast and in the upper outer quadrant. Nearly 41% of the tumours were more than 4 cm in size. The most common receptor profile in our patient population was ER positive, PR positive and HER 2 negative. A total of 27.7% of the patients were offered neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and 63.06% underwent upfront surgery. A total of 19.7% of all surgeries performed (overall) were breast conservation surgeries (BCS). The use of BCS showed an increasing trend over the 7 years studied rising from 16.79 to 25% (annually). The local failure rate for BCS was 11.8% but the incidence of distant metastases was not significantly different compared to the patients who underwent a mastectomy. Breast conservation is safe and feasible in a referral setting even in a middle income nation with multi-disciplinary treatment planning and needs to be adopted widely to preserve the body image and self esteem of patients with breast cancer.

Randomized evaluation of fibrinogen vs placebo in complex cardiovascular surgery (REPLACE): a double-blind phase III study of haemostatic therapy.

BACKGROUND: Single-dose human fibrinogen concentrate (FCH) might have haemostatic benefits in complex cardiovascular surgery. METHODS: Patients undergoing elective aortic surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass were randomly assigned to receive FCH or placebo. Study medication was administered to patients with a 5 min bleeding mass of 60-250 g after separation from bypass and surgical haemostasis. A standardized algorithm for allogeneic blood product transfusion was followed if bleeding continued after study medication. RESULTS: 519 patients from 34 centres were randomized, of whom 152 (29%) met inclusion criteria for study medication. Median (IQR) pretreatment 5 min bleeding mass was 107 (76-138) and 91 (71-112) g in the FCH and placebo groups, respectively (P=0.13). More allogeneic blood product units were administered during the first 24 h after FCH, 5.0 (2.0-11.0), when compared with placebo, 3.0 (0.0-7.0), P=0.026. Fewer patients avoided transfusion in the FCH group (15.4%) compared with placebo (28.4%), P=0.047. The FCH immediately increased plasma fibrinogen concentration and fibrin-based clot strength. Adverse event rates were comparable in each group. CONCLUSIONS: Human fibrinogen concentrate was associated with increased allogeneic blood product transfusion, an unexpected finding contrary to previous studies. Human fibrinogen concentrate may not be effective in this setting when administered according to 5-minute bleeding mass. Low bleeding rates and normal-range plasma fibrinogen concentrations before study medication, and variability in adherence to the complex transfusion algorithm, may have contributed to these results. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier no. NCT01475669; EudraCT trial no. 2011-002685-20.

Low-dose Amisulpride for Debilitating Clozapine-induced Sialorrhea: Case Series and Review of Literature.

Clozapine-induced sialorrhea (CIS) affects about one-third of patients treated with clozapine, at times can be stigmatizing, socially embarrassing, disabling, affect quality-of-life, cause poor compliance and can be potentially life-threatening adverse effect. Prompt and effective treatment of CIS may assist treatment tolerability, adherence, and better outcomes in patients with treatment nonresponsive schizophrenia. The beneficial effect of amisulpride augmentation of clozapine therapy for such patients may be enhanced by its anti-salivatory effect on CIS. Current series of five subjects who developed CIS that responded poorly to anticholinergic drugs found drastic improvement in daytime and nocturnal CIS with very low-dose (50-100 mg/day) of amisulpride. Low-dose amisulpride augmentation may also provide strong ameliorating effect on CIS. Nevertheless, a long-term, large-scale study with a broader dose range is warranted to evaluate the stability of this effect across time.

Psychological autopsy and necropsy of an unusual case of suicide by intravenous toluene.

Toluene (methylbenzene; volatile hydrocarbon) is an industrial solvent that causes major injury to the lungs; the organ being the first capillary bed encountered. We report an unusual case of suicide by a 24-year-old male, paramedical professional, with fatal outcome within 16 h of intentional, intravenous self-administration of toluene, with clinical presentation of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Psychological autopsy revealed severe depressive disorder and solvent (inhalant) abuse, with marital disharmony as the precipitating stressor for suicide. Necropsy revealed diffuse congestion of internal organs like lungs and liver, epicardial petechial hemorrhages, and gastric hemorrhages. Treatment of toluene poisoning includes supportive care as no specific antidote is available. Early and aggressive management may be conducive to a favorable outcome with minimal residual pulmonary sequelae. Relevant literature of toluene poisoning was identified via PubMed, PubChem, ToxNet, Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), Embase, and PsycINFO. To our knowledge, this is the first case of suicide by intravenous administration of toluene in the literature.

Disulfiram-induced reversible hypertension: a prospective case series and review of the literature.

Disulfiram (DSF) is one of the recommended aids in the management of selected patients with alcohol dependence. Hypertension (HTN) as an adverse effect of DSF therapy is less understood. In our prospective case series of 7 subjects with co-morbid alcohol and nicotine dependence, a temporal, dose-dependent, and reversible grade 1-3 HTN within 1-6 weeks of initiation of DSF therapy (125-500 mg/day) with no other detectable causes of HTN was noted. Challenges and strategies surrounding diagnosis and treatment along with mean change and percentage rise in blood pressure are described. Literature review and clinical description of case series may suggest neurobiological role in its causation. HTN may be a clinically significant, dose-dependent, and reversible adverse effect of DSF therapy, especially in co-morbid alcohol and nicotine-dependent patients. Awareness amongst clinicians may render better health care delivery to subjects with alcohol dependence.

Organic Depression and Terson's Syndrome in Adult Polycystic Kidney Disease: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Depressive symptoms are common in neurological diseases, at times posing dilemma in organic or functional origin. Cerebrovascular disease may predispose, precipitate, or perpetuate some geriatric depressive syndromes that resemble primary depressions both clinically and therapeutically in about half of the patients following acute stroke. Terson's syndrome is the direct occurrence of vitreous hemorrhage following subarachnoid/subdural hemorrhage, often overlooked in the acute setting. Autosomal dominant (adult) polycystic kidney disease may be associated with berry aneurysms and hypertension, and may lead to intracranial bleeds. We report an unusual case of organic depression and Terson's syndrome in a 50-year-old female with polycystic kidney disease and hypertension, following anterior communicating artery aneurysmal subarachnoid bleed with bilateral subdural extension. Management included anti-hypertensives, antiepileptics, neodymium: YAG laser photocoagulation, and aneurysmal clipping.

Disulfiram-induced combined irreversible anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and reversible peripheral neuropathy: a prospective case report and review of the literature.

Disulfiram is an alcohol-deterring agent with few rare serious adverse effects, usually dose-related, reversible, and more frequent with comorbid alcohol and nicotine dependence. We report a prospective follow-up of such a case with reversible peripheral neuropathy and irreversible optic neuropathy.

Disulfiram induced reversible hypertension: a prospective case study and brief review.

Disulfiram (DSF) is one of the recommended aids in the management of alcohol dependence. Hypertension may be a clinically significant, dose-dependent, and usually reversible adverse event of DSF therapy. We report 6 month prospective study of normotensive case of comorbid alcohol and tobacco dependence that developed reversible stage-II hypertension within 2-4 weeks of DSF therapy. We suggest that regular monitoring of blood pressure at least fortnightly for 1(st) 3 months, followed by monthly for next 3 months, and later once in 3 months, may possibly detect "silent" adverse event of DSF - hypertension.

Comorbidity of psychiatric and personality disorders in first suicide attempters: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVES: Comorbid psychiatric and personality disorders in suicide attempters pose greater estimated risk of suicide than psychiatric disorders alone. The current study aimed to evaluate prevalence and pattern of psychiatric and/or personality morbidity and comorbidity in first-time suicide attempters in comparison to the age and sex matched community sample. METHODS: Socio-demographic variables, family background, psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity in survivors of first suicide attempt were compared to age and sex matched community controls. Structured (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview plus) and semi-structured (International Personality Disorder Examination) clinical interviews were utilized to evaluate for axis-I and axis-II (personality) diagnosis. Risk-rescue rating was administered to assess medical seriousness of suicide attempt. RESULTS: Individuals who made a first suicide attempt showed significantly lower educational achievement (P<0.0001; OR 1.56; 95% CI 0.89-2.74), but no significant difference in other socio-demographic variables compared to the controls. Cases had high family history of psychiatric illnesses (31% vs. 7%; P<0.0001; OR 5.97; 95% CI 2.48-14.35); high prevalence of psychiatric disorders (89% vs. 25%; P<0.0001; OR 24.27 95% CI 11.21-52.57), personality disorders (52% vs. 24%; P<0.0001; OR 3.43; 95% CI 1.88-6.28), comorbidity of psychiatric and personality disorders (51.6% vs. 19.5%; P=0.022; OR 3.01; 95% CI 1.14-7.92), and high overall prevalence of any axis-I and/or axis-II (personality) morbidity (93% vs. 41%; P<0.0001; OR 19.12; 95% CI 8.05-45.43), compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Survivors of first suicide attempt are at nineteen times increased odds of having psychiatric morbidity and/or comorbidity, especially with personality disorders. Personality evaluation and management in such individuals may result in better comprehensive approach to health care.

Comorbidity of psychiatric and personality disorders in first suicide attempters.

BACKGROUND: Attempted suicide is a common clinical problem in a general hospital setting. It has a serious clinical and socio-economical impact too. AIMS: To study the psychosocial, psychiatric, and personality profile of the first suicide attempters in a general hospital. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Cross-sectional, hospital-based, descriptive study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All the consecutive cases of first suicide attempt (n=100) treated in a general hospital were studied to know the clinical profile. Variables related to socio-demographic characteristics, family background, suicide characteristics, psychiatric morbidity, and comorbidity were analyzed. Risk-Rescue rating was applied to know the medical seriousness of the suicide attempt. Presumptive stressful life event scale was utilized to calculate life events score. Structured clinical interview (MINI Plus) and semi-structured clinical interview (IPDE) were used for axis-I and axis-II (personality) diagnoses. The results were analyzed using appropriate statistical measures. RESULTS: Family history of psychiatric illnesses (31%) and suicide (11%) were noted. Insecticides and pesticides were the most common agents (71%) employed to attempt suicide. Interpersonal difficulties (46%) were the most frequent stressor. Overall medical seriousness of the suicide attempt was of moderate lethality. 93% of the suicide attempters had at least one axis-I and/or axis-II psychiatric disorder. Most common diagnostic categories were mood disorders, adjustment disorders, and substance-related disorders, with axis-I disorders (89%), personality disorders (52%), and comorbidity of psychiatric disorders (51.6%). CONCLUSION: Individuals who made first suicide attempt were young adults, had lower educational achievement; overall seriousness of the suicide attempt was of moderate lethality, high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity, personality disorders, and comorbidity, and had sought medical help from general practitioners.

Linezolid-induced near-fatal serotonin syndrome during escitalopram therapy: case report and review of literature.

Linezolid is a synthetic antimicrobial agent of the oxazolidinone class with weak, nonspecific inhibitor of monoamine oxidase enzymes. Concomitant therapy with an adrenergic or serotonergic agent or consuming tyramine (>100 mg/day) may induce serotonin syndrome (SS). We present a case report of near-fatal adverse interaction between linezolid and escitalopram inducing SS in a 65-year-old woman with sepsis, under empirical antibiotic treatment. This report also summarizes the current relevant literature as identified via PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO, supplemented with a manual search of cross references.

Subdural hematoma: an adverse event of electroconvulsive therapy-case report and literature review.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is commonly used in the management of medication nonresponsive depressive disorder, with proven efficacy in psychiatric practice since many decades. A rare complication of intracranial bleed following this therapeutic procedure has been reported in sporadic case reports in the English literature. We report a case of such a complication in a 42-year-old male, a known case of nonorganic medication nonresponsive depressive disorder for the last two years who required ECT application. Presenting symptoms included altered mental state, urinary incontinence, and repeated episodes of vomiting; following ECT procedure with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain suggestive of bilateral acute subdural hematoma. Despite the view that it may be used in neurological conditions without raised intracranial tension, it will be worthwhile to be vigilant during post-ECT recovery for any emergent complications.

Thrombotic microangiopathy as a complication of recurrent pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis as a cause of thrombotic microangiopathy is very rare. We report a case of 40-year-old woman with idiopathic recurrent pancreatitis, who presented with acute pancreatitis complicated by thrombotic microangiopathy. Although thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura/hemolytic uremic syndrome (TTP/HUS) has been reported as causing acute pancreatitis, the induction of TTP/HUS by pancreatitis is rare. As far as we are aware this is the first reported case of TTP/HUS in association with pancreatitis in India. Our patient had a complete recovery of her thrombotic microangiopathy following plasma exchange therapy.

Effective use of polymyxin B hemoperfusion in septic shock complicated by urosepsis.

Direct hemoperfusion using polymyxin B-immobilized fiber (PMX-DHP) is an established treatment method for septic shock caused by Gram-negative infections. Here we report one instance in which PMX-DHP therapy has been used successfully in a patient with septic shock from urosepsis. After antibiotic therapy, direct hemoperfusion using polymyxin B helped in cardiovascular stability. The patient recovered from the shock within a few days after treatment with polymyxin-B hemoperfusion. As far as we are aware, this is the first reported case of effective treatment of urosepsis complicated by septic shock using PMX-DHP therapy in India.

Current drug targets for antihyperlipidemic therapy.

Elevated lipid level is supposed to be one of the main risk factors of atherosclerosis and related cardiovascular diseases and stroke (and is connected to mortality and morbidity). Therefore, lipid lowering is one of the major approaches in prevention of coronary heart diseases and stroke. Though drugs of various categories acting through different mechanisms are available in the antihyperlipidemic therapy, there are still a few problems associated with the currently available lipid lowering drugs. Therefore, medicinal chemists worldwide are designing, synthesizing and evaluating a variety of new molecules for antihyperlipidemic activity to address these problems. One of the important approaches to this is identifying new drug targets for antihyperlipidemic activity. This review summarizes nineteen recently identified and currently being exploited targets for the ongoing research by researchers world over to discover novel leads as potential drugs for antihyperlipidemic therapy.

Clinical and pathologic prognostic factors in adult granulosa cell tumors of the ovary.

The objective of this study was to determine the clinicopathologic prognostic factors in adult granulosa cell tumors of the ovary. A retrospective review of the records of patients of granulosa tumors who were treated at our institute over a period of 10 years (1995-2005) was done. Clinical, pathologic, and follow-up data were collected. A total of 34 patients who were treated during this period were subjected to analysis. Cox univariate analysis and Wilcoxon's test for multivariate analysis were used as part of the SPSS software for examining the data. It was found that optimal cytoreduction (P = 0.02), presence of nuclear atypia (P < 0.001), and increased mitoses (P = 0.03) were the three factors that impacted significantly on survival. Age, stage of the tumor, parity, and size of the tumor had no significant effect on survival. Patients who received chemotherapy had a better median disease-free survival than those who did not (60 vs 48 months), but this did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.08). Optimal cytoreduction, nuclear atypia, and increased mitoses are the statistically significant prognostic factors and may be used for selecting patients for adjuvant therapy.

Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the penis: Clinicopathologic features.

Sarcomatoid carcinomas are biphasic tumors, which can occur at any site in the human body. Very few cases have been reported in the literature as arising from the penis. A few studies consider these tumors as a variant of squamous cell carcinoma or a metaplastic differentiation of the mesenchyme. Their clinical behavior is aggressive with both blood borne and lymphatic metastases. Treatment is by surgical excision, and dissected lymph nodes have shown both epithelial and sarcomatous components. We report a 50-year-old gentleman, with a sarcomatoid carcinoma of the penis, which was confirmed immunopathologically. The rarity of this entity makes it a clinicopathologic curiosity.