Knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 among Indian medical undergraduates: a questionnaire-based study.

Background: The Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-Cov-2) has emerged as a recent pandemic, increasing the need for epidemiological studies and studies on public health. Only some studies have evaluated the awareness of medical undergraduates in India and other countries, leading to a lack of literature. Methods: This study is a descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study conducted in Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, India, between June to August 2020. An online survey using Google Forms was circulated among undergraduate medical students in India by a convenient sampling method for data collection. Descriptive analysis was derived based on frequencies and percentages, and the association with age, gender, and year of undergraduate training medical course was derived using the chi-square test. Results: Altogether, 630 students from India responded to the survey, with a maximum response from students studying in the second year (38.7%). Nearly 63.85% of responders identified themselves as females. Knowledge regarding the human-to-human transmission of the virus, symptoms, complications, definition of "close contact, quarantine, and its indications was adequate among the students, with more than 70% correct responses. However, one-fourth of the students needed to gain more knowledge about masks. Respiratory hygiene was poor among 24.8%. Nearly 40% of students were unaware of the management of patients with COVID-19. Conclusion: There is a need for regular quality training and institutional programs on infection control of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases across all Indian medical colleges to educate undergraduate medical students, who are future healthcare professionals, thus minimizing the risk of transmission and providing standardized care for patients.

Cysts that Still Persist: A Case Series of Cysticercosis on Histopathological Evaluation.

Cysticercus is the infective larval form of the cystode T. solium that causes cysticercosis. It is has been declared as one of the neglected endemic zoonoses by the WHO. Poor sanitation, and consumption of undercooked infected pork and raw vegetables contaminated by human feces are the potential sources. Cysticercosis can affect various organs. India is one of the endemic countries where the parasite is prevalent in many states. This study aimed to analyze and report cases of cysticercosis based on the histopathological diagnosis. This is a retrospective study that included cases which had been reported as cysticercosis on histopathology from 2010 to 2018 at a tertiary care hospital. The clinical presentation of these cases along with macroscopic and microscopic features were reviewed. There were six cases of cysticercosis that were diagnosed on histopathology during the study period. Among them, two cases were intramuscular lesions, three were subcutaneous, and one case was an intraventricular lesion in the brain. Three of the cases presented as cystic lesions. On histopathological evaluation, cysts were identified in four cases on macroscopy. Microscopically, the cross section of the cysticercus was seen in all six cases with associated inflammatory change. To conclude, cysticercosis can clinically present as a benign neoplastic or an inflammatory lesion. Microscopic findings dictate the diagnosis of cysticercosis, although histopathological evaluation is not common.