Pneumonitis and Pulmonary Mucormycosis in a Covid-19 Positive Patient-A Case Report.

In the wake of second wave of coronavirus disease (Covid-19), an increased number of mucormycosis cases were reported by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India. A total of 45 432 cases of mucormycosis were reported till mid-July 2021, with 4252 fatalities. Mucormycosis and other fungal infections are most commonly seen as an opportunistic infection. They are found in those with low underlying immunity either due to a diabetes, cancers particularly hematological malignancies, and so on, or as a side effect of prolonged/irrational use of certain drugs like steroids, immunosuppressive drugs for management of other disorders including Covid-19. The Health Authorities in India stated that although it is not a new disease, its true incidence during the beginning of the second wave was unknown as it was not a notifiable disease. As per reports, the most common presentations of mucormycosis included rhinocerebral (77.6%), cutaneous (4.3%), and pulmonary (3.0%). We present a case of pulmonary mucormycosis and pneumonitis in a Covid-19 positive patient brought for autopsy. The patient was an under trial prisoner sent for treatment to our facility who was reported Covid positive.

Examining the financial and quality performance effects of group purchasing organizations.

BACKGROUND: Hospitals frequently enter into group purchasing organizations (GPOs) to manage supply costs, yet there is mixed evidence regarding the benefit for hospitals to participate in a GPO. However, the role of GPOs on hospital operations has expanded into dimensions of quality that have not been previously examined. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of hospital participation in a GPO, as well as GPO network characteristics, on both financial and quality performance outcomes. APPROACH: Data from multiple secondary sources regarding hospital and GPO characteristics were used to create an unbalanced panel of hospitals from 2012 to 2015. This data set was then aggregated to the GPO network level to address questions related to network characteristics, including concentration, bed size, geographic scope, and focus. We evaluated three hospital-level outcomes: supply expense, clinical processes of care score, and patient experience score. The mean of each outcome among all hospitals in a GPO in a given year was used for analyses at the network level. We used fixed and random effect models to assess the effect of hospital characteristics and network characteristics on three measures of financial and quality performance. RESULTS: We found no difference between GPO and non-GPO hospitals for any of the outcomes. However, analyses at the network level revealed network characteristics, including concentration, size, and scope, that affected both supply expense and patient experience scores, but not clinical processes of care. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that GPO participation may be motivated for reasons beyond cost and quality performance impacts. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Hospitals and GPOs should consider network characteristics, such as the concentration and geographical dispersion of the GPO network. Alternatively, GPOs may seek to develop homogeneously sized networks dispersed locally in order to best deliver both financial and quality benefits to their members.

Microstructural Influences on Fracture at Prior Austenite Grain Boundaries in Dual-Phase Steels.

Dual phase (DP) steels provide good strength and ductility properties. Nevertheless, their forming capability is limited due to the damage characteristics of their constituting microstructural phases and interfaces. In this work, a specific type of interface is analysed, i.e., prior austenite grain boundaries (PAGBs). In the literature, prior austenite grain boundary fracture has been reported as an important damage mechanism of DP-steels. The influence of the morphology of phase boundaries near the PAGB and the role of the martensite substructure in the vicinity of a PAGB on damage initiation is analysed. The experimentally observed preferred sites of crack nucleation along the PAGB are assessed and clarified. A finite strain rate dependent crystal plasticity model accounting for the anisotropic elasto-plasticity of martensite (and also ferrite) was applied to an idealized volume element approximating a typical small-scale PAGB microstructure. The boundary value problem is solved using a fast Fourier transform (FFT) based spectral solver. The role of crystallography and geometrical features within the volume element is studied using simulations. Results are discussed considering possibly dominant regimes of elasticity and plasticity.

The effect of a hybrid training program.

Improving nursing communication skills and HCAHPS scores.

Role of in-hospital care quality in reducing anxiety and readmissions of kidney transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: A total of 17,000 patients receive kidney transplants each year in the United States. The 30-day readmission rate for kidney transplant recipients is over 30%. Our research focuses on the relationship between the quality of care delivered during the patient's hospital stay for a kidney transplant, and the patient health outcomes and readmissions related to the transplant. METHODS: We interviewed 20 kidney transplant recipients at a major transplant center in the United States. Findings from these interviews were used to inform the data collection using structured surveys, which were administered to an additional 77 kidney transplant recipients. We used ordinary least squares regression to predict the effects of two dimensions of in-hospital care quality-information consistency and empathetic care delivery-on level of patient anxiety 1 week following discharge. Further, we estimated a logistic regression to predict the effect of anxiety, combined with the two dimensions of in-hospital care quality, on occurrence of 30-day readmissions. RESULTS: Patient anxiety levels 1 wk after discharge are significantly associated with information consistency and empathetic delivery of care. Patient anxiety 1 wk after discharge is associated with occurrence of 30-d readmissions. The logistic regression model indicates that the risk of getting readmitted is 110% higher for a one unit increase in patient anxiety level 1 wk after discharge. Finally, patient anxiety fully mediates the effects of consistency of information and empathetic care delivery on occurrence of 30-d readmissions (50.96% of the effect is mediated). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests two ways of preventing readmissions through reduction of postdischarge anxiety: (1) standardizing in-hospital care, so that information received by patients is consistent, and (2) by training caregivers to be more empathetic toward patients during the delivery of this information.

Homicidal hanging.

Homicide by hanging is an extremely rare incident [1]. Very few cases have been reported in which a person is rendered senseless and then hanged to simulate suicidal death; though there are a lot of cases in wherein a homicide victim has been hung later. We report a case of homicidal hanging of a young Sikh individual found hanging in a well. It became evident from the results of forensic autopsy that the victim had first been given alcohol mixed with pesticides and then hanged by his turban from a well. The rare combination of lynching (homicidal hanging) and use of organo-phosporous pesticide poisoning as a means of homicide are discussed in this paper.

Informed consent in vaccination in India: medicolegal aspects.

The doctrine of informed consent forms an integral part of any doctor-patient relationship. It serves two-fold as it develops trust and confidence in the patient for the doctor after being told about the plan of action; conversely the doctor can carry out planned medical interventions in a more composed manner, being confident in the protection of this doctrine if anything untoward occurs. Informed consent gives a blanket shield against compensation and criminal negligence charges filed by patients if the doctor has not deviated from standard practices of treatment or intervention or if no evidence of mal intention is forthcoming. Informed consent is applicable in most of the treatment modalities in which any intervention/invasive procedure is to be done or if any risk of complication is well known or documented. Surprisingly, even when serious life threatening complications are not only reported but on a steady rise due to vaccines, informed consent in vaccination is neither in vogue nor practice. Even in the US, there is no federal requirement for informed consent before vaccination, even though National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act and the Vaccine Compensation Amendments are in place. This paper attempts to present an overall comment on the necessity of informed consent before any vaccination especially in the Indian context in the backdrop of the beginning of vaccine compensation claims and litigation against the complications of vaccination in India.

The threat of vaccine associated poliomyelitis in India: medicolegal issues involved.

India is among the world's large reservoirs of wild poliovirus (WPV) with 559 confirmed cases of poliomyelitis (wild virus) being reported in 2008. The World Health Organization's program for the eradication of poliomyelitis in third world countries like India is associated with major ethical and medico-legal implications. Two vaccines are available in India for poliomyelitis i.e. oral polio vaccine (OPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), of which OPV is used in the eradication campaign, the case count for 2009 being 36 out of a total of 384 reported cases globally, the case count for mid 2010 being 19 cases out of 84 reported globally. There are widespread reports of vaccine derived poliomyelitis as well as vaccine associated poliomyelitis (VAP) from different parts of the country, which can be linked to resurgence of polio in several states or to the failure of the polio drive (Polio Sundays). Though an extended comprehensive polio campaign is on and both money and manpower are being dumped for achieving the goal of polio eradication, the ground reality is entirely different. The argument that wild polio strains have surfaced to hamper the drive cannot account for all post vaccination cases. The Indian Academy of Paediatrics has forcefully suggested replacement of OPV by IPV, as the effectiveness of IPV far exceeds the cost benefit of OPV. IPV has by and large replaced OPV in many parts of the world. The second issue is the threat of litigation on the health department once the post vaccination cases rise even further. There are certain other socio-ethical issues discussed in this paper on a subject which has an important bearing on the health statistics of this country.

Telemedicine: socio-ethical considerations in the Indian milieu.

Telemedicine is the rapidly developing application of clinical medicine by telephone, the internet or other networks for the purpose of consulting, and on occasions carrying out examinations or medical procedures. Telemedicine may be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone, or as complex as using satellite technology and video-conferencing equipment to conduct a real-time consultation between medical specialists in two different countries. Telemedicine offers real benefits in a country as vast as India where the majority of the population lives in remote areas with no access to even the most basic healthcare. As the practice of telemedicine spreads, maintaining standards, security and privacy, will be a challenge especially with regard to legal and regulatory measures and who will be held responsible if telemedicine-assisted surgery fails due to failure in connectivity? Is it the surgeon, the satellite provider or the software/hardware engineer? What is the legal status of telemedicine-based diagnosis and treatment? Other legal issues involve conflicting national laws and information piracy, the dangers of prescription drugs that are banned in one country but not in another and quacks who offer medical advice and prescribe drugs over the internet. This paper discusses some of the legal, ethical and social considerations in the Indian context.