Temporal Trends in SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Levels Among COVID-19 Patients in Kerala During the First Wave and Pre-vaccination Period.

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 virus interacts with host cells through the S1 domain of its spike protein. This study measures the IgG immune response to this domain in COVID-19 patients from Kerala, India, and explores its association with various health factors. METHODS: A cohort of 258 COVID-19 patients was analyzed for IgG antibodies targeting the S1 spike protein domain. The temporal pattern of the IgG response and its correlation with hospitalization needs, intensive care, and pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease were assessed. RESULTS: A significant IgG response (76.4%) was detected, indicating robust immune activation post-infection. The IgG levels peaked between two to four and four to eight weeks post-infection, with a notable increase at 12 weeks, hinting at possible secondary exposure or an immune memory response. No correlation was found between IgG levels and the presence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or coronary artery disease. However, higher IgG responses correlated with the severity of the infection, as seen in patients requiring hospitalization or intensive care. CONCLUSIONS: The IgG response to the S1 spike protein domain serves as a potential marker of immune activation in COVID-19. It reflects the body's defense mechanism against the virus and may predict disease severity and outcomes. The findings suggest that IgG levels could be indicative of the viral load, inflammatory response, and possibly the likelihood of protection against reinfection.

Correlation of periodontal inflamed surface area with glycated hemoglobin, interleukin-6 and lipoprotein(a) in type 2 diabetes with retinopathy.

BACKGROUND: The two-way relationship between periodontitis and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is well established. Prolonged hyperglycemia contributes to increased periodontal destruction and severe periodontitis, accentuating diabetic complications. An inflammatory link exists between diabetic retinopathy (DR) and periodontitis, but the studies regarding this association and the role of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in these conditions are scarce in the literature. AIM: To determine the correlation of periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) with glycated Hb (HbA1c), serum IL-6 and Lp(a) in T2DM subjects with retinopathy. METHODS: This cross-sectional study comprised 40 T2DM subjects with DR and 40 T2DM subjects without DR. All subjects were assessed for periodontal parameters [bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth, clinical attachment loss (CAL), oral hygiene index-simplified, plaque index (PI) and PISA], and systemic parameters [HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose and postprandial plasma glucose, fasting lipid profile, serum IL-6 and serum Lp(a)]. RESULTS: The proportion of periodontitis in T2DM with and without DR was 47.5% and 27.5% respectively. Severity of periodontitis, CAL, PISA, IL-6 and Lp(a) were higher in T2DM with DR group compared to T2DM without DR group. Sig-nificant difference was observed in the mean percentage of sites with BOP between T2DM with DR (69%) and T2DM without DR (41%), but there was no significant difference in PI (P > 0.05). HbA1c was positively correlated with CAL (r = 0.351, P = 0.001), and PISA (r = 0.393, P ≤ 0.001) in study subjects. A positive correlation was found between PISA and IL-6 (r = 0.651, P < 0.0001); PISA and Lp(a) (r = 0.59, P < 0.001); CAL and IL-6 (r = 0.527, P < 0.0001) and CAL and Lp(a) (r = 0.631, P < 0.001) among study subjects. CONCLUSION: Despite both groups having poor glycemic control and comparable plaque scores, the periodontal parameters were higher in DR as compared to T2DM without DR. Since a bidirectional link exists between periodontitis and DM, the presence of DR may have contributed to the severity of periodontal destruction and periodontitis may have influenced the progression of DR.

Clinico-epidemiological presentations and management of Nipah virus infection during the outbreak in Kozhikode district, Kerala state, India 2023.

India experienced its sixth Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak in September 2023 in the Kozhikode district of Kerala state. The NiV is primarily transmitted by spillover events from infected bats followed by human-to-human transmission. The clinical specimens were screened using real-time RT-PCR, and positive specimens were further characterized using next-generation sequencing. We describe here an in-depth clinical presentation and management of NiV-confirmed cases and outbreak containment activities. The current outbreak reported a total of six cases with two deaths, with a case fatality ratio of 33.33%. The cases had a mixed presentation of acute respiratory distress syndrome and encephalitis syndrome. Fever was a persistent presentation in all the cases. The Nipah viral RNA was detected in clinical specimens until the post-onset day of illness (POD) 14, with viral load in the range of 1.7-3.3 × 104 viral RNA copies/mL. The genomic analysis showed that the sequences from the current outbreak clustered into the Indian clade similar to the 2018 and 2019 outbreaks. This study highlights the vigilance of the health system to detect and effectively manage the clustering of cases with clinical presentations similar to NiV, which led to early detection and containment activities.

Alternate Biochemical Markers in Organophosphate Poisoning.

In India, organophosphates are the most widely used pesticides for suicide by poisoning. Early recognition of the diagnosis and its severity will help in achieving a better outcome. In poisoning by organophosphorus compounds, serum acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and pseudocholinesterase are currently widely accepted as biochemical markers for estimating the severity. A wide array of alternate, cheap, and easily available markers are explored in this review and using a combination of these markers may be better in terms of early identification of severe poisoning. In peripheral centers without access to costly investigations, these cheap markers may help in guiding an early referral to higher centers for severely poisoned patients. A comprehensive study comparing all these different markers has not been done so far, thereby emphasizing the need for the same. This review identified various new, cheaper, and easily available biochemical markers as having the potential to act as surrogates for assessing the severity of organophosphate poisoning, and there is a scope for future studies to understand its utility.

Need for social work interventions in the emergency department.

This paper reports findings from a qualitative study conducted on the Need for Social work interventions in the Emergency Department (ED) at a large tertiary care center in India. The emergency department is an important social work intervention point for individuals with various psychiatric, medical, and social needs who have little or no additional interaction with social services. Social workers are specially trained to understand the impact of social factors on health outcomes and provide interventions that address social barriers to improving health and accessing community resources; social workers are well prepared to provide services in the emergency department. However, limited research is available to understand the impact of psychosocial services in the emergency department. We aimed to identify areas which require integrated social work services and coordination to address the psychosocial issues within the ED. Interviews with 10 healthcare workers are analyzed thematically. Recurring themes throughout the interviews confirm the need for providing social work interventions to ensure the medical, psychological, and social care needs in the emergency department.

Proportional relationship between periodontal inflamed surface area, clinical attachment loss, and glycated hemoglobin level in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus on insulin therapy and on oral antidiabetic therapy.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of diabetes includes oral antidiabetic drugs (OAD), insulin, or their combinations. Insulin can achieve faster glycemic control and have anabolic action on bone. This study was undertaken to assess the prevalence and severity of periodontitis, and to estimate the proportional relationship between periodontal inflamed surface area, clinical attachment loss, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) on OAD therapy and on insulin therapy. METHODS: This cross-sectional study comprised 130 patients with T2DM on OAD therapy (OAD group) and 130 patients with T2DM on insulin therapy (INSULIN group). All patients were assessed for sociodemographic, behavioral characteristics, clinical history, periodontal parameters (bleeding on probing, probing depth, clinical attachment loss [Clinical AL], Oral Hygiene Index-simplified, plaque index, and periodontal inflamed surface area [PISA]), and biochemical variables (HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose, postprandial plasma glucose). RESULTS: Prevalence, extent, and severity of periodontitis and PISA were lower in the INSULIN group as compared with the OAD group. A proportional relationship was observed between HbA1c and PISA and between HbA1c and Clinical AL. A unit increase in HbA1c is associated with an increase in PISA of 130.47 mm2 and an increase in Clinical AL of 0.182 mm. CONCLUSION: A proportional relationship was observed between PISA, clinical attachment loss, and HbA1c level in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus on insulin therapy and OAD therapy. Despite comparable oral hygiene status and glycemic control between the two groups, the periodontal parameters were lesser in the INSULIN group as compared with the OAD group.

Performance & clinical utility of oropharyngeal versus nasopharyngeal swabs in COVID-19.

Background & objectives: The oropharyngeal (OP) and nasopharyngeal (NP) swab samples are the most recommended clinical specimens for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in an individual through the quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) method. The primary objective of this study was to compare the performance of NP and OP swabs for the diagnosis of COVID-19 among 2250 concomitant samples (1125 NP + 1125 OP) using rRT-PCR test. Methods: This study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in southern India. The study compared the specificity and efficacy of the two samples (NP & OP swabs) in 1125 individuals suspected having COVID-19 infection. The rRT-PCR values from all the samples were compared based on gender, age group and viral load. The differences between unmatched proportion and matched proportion were analysed. Agreement between the two methods was assessed using Kappa statistic. Absolute sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) for OP and NP swabs were analysed. Results: The study identified a fair degree of agreement between OP and NP swabs in diagnosis of COVID-19 (kappa = 0.275, P <0.001). There was also a fair degree of agreement between NP and OP swabs irrespective of gender, age or duration of symptoms. NP swabs had better sensitivity and NPV as compared to OP swabs, however, specificity and PPV were 100 per cent for both. Interpretation & conclusions: The present study showed that both OP and NP swabs had similar sensitivity and specificity for predicting the presence of SARS-CoV-2.

Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 by sequencing the RBD region using Sanger sequencing from North Kerala.

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is the gold standard for the detection of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 including those which have immune escape properties, high infectivity, and variable severity. This test is helpful in genomic surveillance, for planning appropriate and timely public health interventions. But labs with NGS facilities are not available in small or medium research settings due to the high cost of setting up such a facility. Transportation of samples from many places to few centers for NGS testing also produces delays due to transportation and sample overload leading in turn to delays in patient management and community interventions. This becomes more important for patients traveling from hotspot regions or those suspected of harboring a new variant. Another major issue is the high cost of NGS-based tests. Thus, it may not be a good option for an economically viable surveillance program requiring immediate result generation and patient follow-up. The current study used a cost-effective facility which can be set up in a common research lab and which is replicable in similar centers with expertise in Sanger nucleotide sequencing. More samples can be processed at a time and can generate the results in a maximum of 2 days (1 day for a 24 h working lab). We analyzed the nucleotide sequence of the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) region of SARS-CoV-2 by the Sanger sequencing using in-house developed methods. The SARS-CoV-2 variant surveillance was done during the period of March 2021 to May 2022 in the Northern region of Kerala, a state in India with a population of 36.4 million, for implementing appropriate timely interventions. Our findings broadly agree with those from elsewhere in India and other countries during the period.

A fulminant pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae - Case report and literature review.

Fulminant pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae [MP] is quite rare even though there is a high prevalence of Mycoplasma species infection in the general population. We report a case of an atypical pneumonia with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae in a young female and the clinical challenges encountered along with the current literature review.

Nipah Virus Outbreak in Kerala State, India Amidst of COVID-19 Pandemic.

We report here a Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak in Kozhikode district of Kerala state, India, which had caused fatal encephalitis in a 12-year-old boy and the outbreak response, which led to the successful containment of the disease and the related investigations. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, ELISA-based antibody detection, and whole genome sequencing (WGS) were performed to confirm the NiV infection. Contacts of the index case were traced and isolated based on risk categorization. Bats from the areas near the epicenter of the outbreak were sampled for throat swabs, rectal swabs, and blood samples for NiV screening by real-time RT-PCR and anti-NiV bat immunoglobulin G (IgG) ELISA. A plaque reduction neutralization test was performed for the detection of neutralizing antibodies. Nipah viral RNA could be detected from blood, bronchial wash, endotracheal (ET) secretion, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and anti-NiV immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies from the serum sample of the index case. Rapid establishment of an onsite NiV diagnostic facility and contact tracing helped in quick containment of the outbreak. NiV sequences retrieved from the clinical specimen of the index case formed a sub-cluster with the earlier reported Nipah I genotype sequences from India with more than 95% similarity. Anti-NiV IgG positivity could be detected in 21% of Pteropus medius (P. medius) and 37.73% of Rousettus leschenaultia (R. leschenaultia). Neutralizing antibodies against NiV could be detected in P. medius. Stringent surveillance and awareness campaigns need to be implemented in the area to reduce human-bat interactions and minimize spillover events, which can lead to sporadic outbreaks of NiV.

Proportion and severity of periodontitis and correlation of periodontal inflamed surface area with glycemic status in patients with type 2 diabetic neuropathy with and without diabetic foot.

BACKGROUND: The association between diabetic neuropathy with and without diabetic foot and periodontitis remains unaddressed in the literature. The present study was conducted to evaluate the frequency of patients with periodontitis and its severity, and to correlate clinical attachment loss (AL) and periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) with HbA1c in Type 2 Diabetic Neuropathy (T2DN) patients with and without diabetic foot. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study 310 patients with type 2 diabetic neuropathy (T2DN) were randomly selected, and the study comprised of 120 patients with T2DN with diabetic foot and 155 patients with T2DN without diabetic foot. All patients were assessed for periodontal parameters (bleeding on probing, probing depth, clinical AL, oral hygiene index-simplified), plaque index, and PISA) and systemic parameters (HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, post prandial blood glucose, urinary albumin creatine ratio, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein).Unpaired t-test and Chi-Square test were used to analyze quantitative data and qualitative data, respectively. RESULTS: The frequency of patients with periodontitis in patients with T2DN with and without diabetic foot was 91.7% and 88.4%, respectively. The severity of periodontitis, PISA, and clinical AL were higher in the diabetic foot group. Clinical AL and PISA were significantly related with HbA1c in patients with T2DN with and without diabetic foot. CONCLUSIONS: Percentage of patients with periodontitis and the severity of periodontal destruction were high in type 2 diabetic neuropathy with diabetic foot. A significant correlation of PISA, clinical AL with glycemic status was found in patients with T2DN with and without diabetic foot.

Psychosocial Effects of Isolation on Nipah Virus Infection Suspects during an Outbreak.

BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY: Nipah Virus (NiV) belonging to the genus Henipavirus is a biosafety level 4 pathogen with high human to human transmission. Nipah Virus outbreak of 2018 in Kozhikode, Kerala has evoked immense panic and fear in the system. Other viral infections with similar transmission pattern (Ebola, SARS, MERS or COVID 19) also identified with the negative impacts of isolation. This retrospective observational study was planned during November -December 2018 to understand the psychosocial effects among the subjects in Nipah isolation facility. The symptoms of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were assessed using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised version (IES-R). RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Of the 81 subjects, 73 could be contacted with a response rate of 90.12%. The mean age was 38 years (SD = 15.43) and 13.7% were health care workers. 63% of the subjects experienced fear of death during isolation stay and 12.3% of the subjects had lost their relatives or friends to Nipah infection. The mean IES score obtained was 10.78 (SD: 9.679, range 0-49) and 5 subjects had above the cut off 22. Nipah outbreak had evoked significant psychological disturbances in subjects who remained in isolation with its negative impacts.

Initial Insights Into the Genetic Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 Isolates From Kerala Suggest Local Spread From Limited Introductions.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly spread from a city in China to almost every country in the world, affecting millions of individuals. The rapid increase in the COVID-19 cases in the state of Kerala in India has necessitated the understanding of SARS-CoV-2 genetic epidemiology. We sequenced 200 samples from patients in Kerala using COVIDSeq protocol amplicon-based sequencing. The analysis identified 166 high-quality single-nucleotide variants encompassing four novel variants and 89 new variants in the Indian isolated SARS-CoV-2. Phylogenetic and haplotype analysis revealed that the virus was dominated by three distinct introductions followed by local spread suggesting recent outbreaks and that it belongs to the A2a clade. Further analysis of the functional variants revealed that two variants in the S gene associated with increased infectivity and five variants mapped in primer binding sites affect the efficacy of RT-PCR. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first and most comprehensive report of SARS-CoV-2 genetic epidemiology from Kerala.

Correlation of periodontal inflamed surface area with glycemic status in controlled and uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: The bidirectional link between periodontitis and diabetes mellitus (DM) has been established. Periodontitis causes systemic inflammatory burden through inflammatory mediators. The currently utilized tools [clinical attachment loss (CAL) and probing pocket depth (PPD)] are linear measurements, that do not exactly quantify the inflammatory burden of periodontitis. Periodontal inflamed surface area (PISA) quantifies the surface area of bleeding pocket epithelium and estimates the inflammatory burden. Studies relating to the periodontal status of diabetic patients with and without microvascular complications are scarce. This study assessed the proportion of periodontitis and correlation of PISA with glycemic status in controlled, uncontrolled type 2 DM (T2DM) with and without microvascular complications. AIM: To assess the proportion of periodontitis and correlation of PISA with glycemic status in controlled, and uncontrolled T2DM with and without microvascular complications. METHODS: This study comprised 180 T2DM patients. Based on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, they were grouped into: (1) Controlled T2DMgroup: (HbA1c ≤ 7%); (2) Uncontrolled T2DM group: (HbA1c > 7%) without microvascular complications; and (3) Uncontrolled T2DM group: (HbA1c > 7%) with microvascular complications. Each group comprised 60 patients. All patients were assessed for periodontal parameters (Bleeding on Probing, PPD, CAL, Oral hygiene index simplified and PISA), and systemic parameters (HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose and post prandial plasma glucose). RESULTS: The proportion of periodontitis among controlled T2DM group, uncontrolled T2DM group without microvascular complications, uncontrolled T2DM group with microvascular complications was 75%, 93.4% and 96.6% respectively. Extent and severity of periodontitis were high in the uncontrolled T2DM group. A significant positive correlation was found between PISA and HbA1c among all patients (r = 0.393, P < 0.001). The dose-response relationship between PISA and HbA1c was observed. An increase of PISA with 168 mm2 was associated with a 1.0% increase of HbA1c. CONCLUSION: High proportion and severity of periodontitis, and increased inflamed surface area in uncontrolled T2DM may have contributed to the poor glycemic control and microvascular complications.

Efficacy and Cardiovascular Safety of Insulins.

Insulin is a lifesaving drug for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Many type 2 diabetes mellitus patients will eventually require insulin. The rapid-acting and long-acting insulin analogues (RAIAs and LAIAs) have a pharmacological profile that closely mimics normal human physiology when compared to Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH) insulin and regular human insulin, respectively. Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) were found to have a proven cardiovascular safety. They are preferred over insulin in many recent guidelines. Fixed-ratio combinations of GLP-1RAs and insulin are also recommended when either of these molecules fail to achieve glycaemic control. Despite decades of experience in using insulin, there is a debate among the scientific community over the safety of exogenous insulin, especially regarding their cardiovascular safety and the risk of cancer. There is also an ongoing debate regarding the safety, even though two long-acting insulin analogues (glargine and degludec) have proven their cardiovascular non-inferiority. Drugs with proven safety are often preferred in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease or at high risk of cardiovascular disease. In this review we will critically analyse efficacy and safety issues related to insulin molecules to help in clinical decision making.

Central skull base osteomyelitis secondary to invasive aspergillus sphenoid sinusitis presenting with isolated 12th nerve palsy.

Skull base osteomyelitis is a potentially life-threatening infection, usually seen in elderly immunocompromised patients secondary to malignant otitis externa (MOE) caused by Pseudomonas. Central or atypical skull base osteomyelitis often poses a diagnostic challenge as they present as head-ache with or without cranial nerve palsy often without any obvious source of infection. Although the incidence of fungal skull base osteomyelitis is increasing central skull base osteomyelitis due to invasive fungal sinusitis presenting with isolated hypoglossal nerve palsy has not been reported in the literature, to our knowledge. We report a case of a 59-year-old diabetic patient on regular treatment including steroid for acetylcholine receptor binding antibody positive myasthenia gravis with thymoma who presented with persistent head-ache and on evaluation, was found to have 12th cranial nerve palsy on the right side. She was diagnosed to have invasive fungal sphenoid sinusitis and central skull base osteomyelitis involving the clivus and was successfully treated with endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal debridement followed by antifungal therapy.

COVID-19: Striking a Balance between Health Care Provider Safety and Patient Care in the Indian Hospital Settings.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the health care systems all over the world. The global shortage of resources has adversely affected the safety of healthcare personnel as well patients. This has forced the health care facilities to adopt various measures and improvisation in infection control practices, in addition to those in personnel protective equipments (PPEs) adapting to their need and their resources. OBJECTIVES: To review the literature on the infection control practices in health care facilities against COVID-19 and put forward practical solutions, in addition to personnel protective equipments that may be adopted for health care personnel and patient safety in the Indian setting. CONCLUSIONS: We are now amidst of COVID-19 pandemic and we need to focus on 'Risk reduction as much as possible'. The facilities and resources should transform to meet the challenges within the shortest time frame. The concept of patient care needs to balance with the safety of the healthcare, patient and society. This is achievable only by a combination of engineering controls, administrative controls and PPEs. It involves a lot of committed team work while managing an outbreak like COVID - 19 attached with a lot of social stigma.

Experiential learnings from the Nipah virus outbreaks in Kerala towards containment of infectious public health emergencies in India.

Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak occurred in Kozhikode district, Kerala, India in 2018 with a case fatality rate of 91% (21/23). In 2019, a single case with full recovery occurred in Ernakulam district. We described the response and control measures by the Indian Council of Medical Research and Kerala State Government for the 2019 NiV outbreak. The establishment of Point of Care assays and monoclonal antibodies administration facility for early diagnosis, response and treatment, intensified contact tracing activities, bio-risk management and hospital infection control training of healthcare workers contributed to effective control and containment of NiV outbreak in Ernakulam.