COVID-19 Infection among Patients Attending the Fever Clinic of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: The COVID-19 is caused by a coronavirus. COVID-19 patients present with lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, and elevated inflammatory markers. This study aims to find out the prevalence of COVID-19 infection among patients attending the fever clinic of a tertiary care centre. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from 15th July, 2020 to 15th January, 2021 in the Department of Pathology at a tertiary care centre. The ethical clearance was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee of a tertiary care centre (Reference number: 2007021388). The patients who attended the fever clinic during the study period were subjected to the COVID-19 reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction test. A total of 1431 samples were taken using the convenience sampling method. All data were filled into a predesigned proforma and entered into Microsoft Excel. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 24.0. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and proportion for binary data and mean and standard deviation for continuous data. Results: Among 1431 patients attending the fever clinic, the prevalence of COVID-19 was found in 277 (19.31%) (17.26-21.36 at 95% Confidence Interval). Most patients belonged to the age group of 20-29 years. There were 113 (40.79%) females and 164 (59.21%) males. Conclusions: The prevalence of COVID-19 infection in this study was higher than similar studies done in similar settings. Most cases had a low hematocrit with anemia. The total count, absolute neutrophil count, and absolute leukocyte count showed a wide range of variation. Keywords: blood cell count; COVID-19; hematology; lymphocytes; neutrophils.

Factors Influencing Lymph Node Retrieval in Colorectal Adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Retrieval and examination of an adequate number of lymph nodes is an essential part of the correct staging of colorectal adenocarcinoma. The surgeon, pathologist, and factors inherent to patient and tumor affect lymph node yield. This study aims to evaluate the influence of patient and tumor characteristics upon lymph node retrieval by analyzing the mean number of lymph nodes and to assess whether these variables are specifically associated with adequate lymph node sampling. METHODS: A retrospective study on colectomy specimens of colorectal adenocarcinoma was performed in the Department of Pathology, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Nepal from April 2011 to October 2019. Variables including age, gender, anatomical location, tumor size, grade, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, length of the surgical specimen, T stage, N stage, and AJCC stage were analyzed to determine their impact on the number of lymph nodes retrieved. The variables were also analyzed to determine their influence on adequate lymph node retrieval. RESULTS: Gender, age, maximum tumor size, grade, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, T stage, N stage, and AJCC stage showed no statistically significant association. Right-sided adenocarcinoma yielded a notably greater number of lymph nodes with a higher probability of adequate lymph node sampling. Significantly more lymph nodes were retrieved in longer surgical specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Right-sided location and longer surgical specimens were associated with higher lymph node retrieval in colorectal adenocarcinoma.