Molecular characterization of infecting a primate in South India.

spp. is a mite-borne cestode parasite that inhabits the small intestine of wide range of mammals, including non-human primates. In the present study, the morphological and molecular analysis of recovered from the small intestine of a bonnet macaque () from Wayanad, Kerala (South India) was performed.

Molecular characterisation of Amblyomma integrum circulating in southern India.

Amblyomma integrum is a large gooseberry sized longirostrate tick (when fully repleted) found in India and Sri Lanka. In Kerala (India), this tick is commonly found in the forest and its fringe areas frequently infesting deer and hence it is locally known as "maan chellu / maanunny" (deer tick). In the present study, molecular characterisation and phylogenetic analysis of A.

Prevalence of Hypocortisolemia in Patients with Sepsis or Septic Shock (The HIS Study) Presenting to the Emergency Department.

Background: Cortisol response to stressors (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, autonomic nervous system, and immune system) plays a vital role in maintaining stable metabolic homeostasis. This study was done to assess the prevalence of hypocortisolemia in patients presenting to ED with sepsis and/or septic shock.

Methods: This prospective observational study was done from July 2020 to April 2021.

Prospective review of 188 cases of epistaxis presenting to the emergency department: Etiology and outcome.

Background: Due to a myriad of risk factors, epistaxis is a very frequent presentation to the emergency room (ER). This study aims to ascertain the prevalence of epistaxis in our population, risk factors, effectiveness of ER treatment, complications, and ER outcome.

Materials And Methods: This was a prospective observational study performed in the ER of a referral tertiary care center in south India.

Surgical Outcome of Basal Ganglia Hemorrhage: A Retrospective Analysis of Nearly 3,000 Cases over 10 Years.

 Basal ganglia hemorrhage (BGH) is a severe neurologic condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and its optimal management remains a topic of debate. Our study assessed the surgical outcomes of BGH patients at the 3-month mark using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS).  This retrospective observational study was conducted over 10 years at an advanced neuro-specialty hospital in Eastern India, including patients who underwent decompressive craniotomy and hematoma evacuation.

Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease: A Boon or Bane - A Single Centre Retrospective Observational Study from India.

 Subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) for refractory Parkinson's disease (PD) is more of a modality of treatment that is empirical, for which a physiological explanation is being sought. This study was done to determine the outcome and complications of patients undergoing STN-DBS for PD.  This retrospective observational cohort study was conducted in an advanced neuromedicine facility in eastern India for 9 years (August 2013-August 2022), which included all patients undergoing STN-DBS.

A clinico-epidemiological profile, coinfections and outcome of patients with Influenza Like Illnesses (ILI) presenting to the emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many patients presented to the emergency department (ED) with features of Influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and with other atypical presentations. This study was done to determine the etiology, co-infections, and clinical profile of patients with ILI.

Methods: This prospective observational study included all patients presenting to the ED with fever and/or cough, breathing difficulty, sore throat, myalgia, gastrointestinal complaints (abdominal pain/vomiting/diarrhea), loss of taste and altered sensorium or asymptomatic patients who resided in or travelled from containment zones, or those who had contact with COVID-19 positive patients during the first wave of the pandemic between April and August 2020.

Evaluation of Lung Glucose Uptake with Fluorine-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/CT in Patients with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and Pulmonary Hypertension Due to Left Heart Disease.

: Previous studies have demonstrated increased glucose uptake by F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in lung parenchyma in animal models or small pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) cohorts. However, it is not well known whether increased FDG uptake in the lung is a unique phenomenon in PAH or whether elevated pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) induces FDG uptake. : Nineteen patients with PAH, 8 patients with pulmonary hypertension due to left heart disease (PH-LHD), and 14 age matched control subjects were included.

The Predictive Score for Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 in Resource-Limited Settings.

Background and aims The second wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been devastating in India and many developing countries. The mortality reported has been 40% higher than in the first wave, overwhelming the nation's health infrastructure. Despite a better understanding of the disease and established treatment protocols including steroids and heparin, the second wave was disastrous.

COVID-19 Vaccines Portray the Bright Side of Human Creativity, But It Means Nothing until They Prove Their Worth: A Study on Seroconversion after the first Dose of Covishield Vaccine in Central Kerala.

Background: COVID-19 vaccines, we believe, have come to rescue us from the clutches of the dreaded severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). With rapid ongoing mutations, it is difficult to predict the effectiveness of seroconversion following vaccination. This study aims to find out the proportion of people with seroconversion following first dose of Covishield vaccine.

A single - center retrospective observational study on patients undergoing Encephalo-Duro-Arterio -Myo-Synangiosis in patients with moyamoya disease.

Background: Many cases of moyamoya disease are refractory to conventional medical therapy, hence surgical revascularization techniques have emerged as one of the primary choices of treatment. In this study, we present the functional and angiographic outcomes of patients undergoing encephalo-duro-arterio-myo-synangiosis (EDAMS).

Methods: This is a retrospective observational cohort study, done over 8 years (2012-2020) in a neurological center in Eastern India.

Sweet Memories or Not? A Comparative Study on Cognitive Impairment in Diabetes Mellitus.

Introduction: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is a modern-day epidemic and dementia has been declared as a global challenge. It is, therefore, worthwhile to investigate the effect that Diabetes has on cognition. Although effective screening is routinely carried out for various complications of Diabetes, its effect on Higher Mental Functions is often overlooked.

Differentiating Cardiac and Pulmonary Causes of Dyspnea Using Ultrasonography and Dyspnea Discrimination Index.

Background: One of the most common reasons for emergency room (ER) visits is acute dyspnea. The challenge is in differentiating a cardiac and pulmonary cause of acute breathlessness. Hence, we have studied the effectiveness of the dyspnea discrimination index (DDI) used in conjunction with ultrasonography (USG) in distinguishing between cardiac and pulmonary causes of dyspnea.

Histone acetylome-wide associations in immune cells from individuals with active Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

Host cell chromatin changes are thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Here we describe a histone acetylome-wide association study (HAWAS) of an infectious disease, on the basis of genome-wide H3K27 acetylation profiling of peripheral blood granulocytes and monocytes from persons with active Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection and healthy controls. We detected >2,000 differentially acetylated loci in either cell type in a Singapore Chinese discovery cohort (n = 46), which were validated in a subsequent multi-ethnic Singapore cohort (n = 29), as well as a longitudinal cohort from South Africa (n = 26), thus demonstrating that HAWAS can be independently corroborated.

Mortality trends in pulmonary arterial hypertension in Canada: a temporal analysis of survival per ESC/ERS guideline era.

Background: The evolution in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) management has been summarised in three iterations of the European Society of Cardiology/European Respiratory Society (ESC/ERS) guidelines. No study has assessed whether changes in management, as reflected in the changing guidelines, has translated to improved long-term survival in PAH.

Methods: We performed a mixed retrospective/prospective analysis of treatment-naïve, incident PAH patients (n=392) diagnosed at three major centres in Canada from 2009 to 2021.

Evaluation of Carotid Flow Time to Assess Fluid Responsiveness in the Emergency Department.

Background: Assessing fluid responsiveness in critically ill patients is challenging. Objective, noninvasive tests that are easy to perform are needed. Doppler measurements of dynamic carotid artery parameters such as carotid blood flow (CBF) and carotid flow time (CFT) are being studied as the potential indicators of volume responsiveness, but the data supporting its use are sparse.

The adverse effects of Ketamine on Procedural Sedation and Analgesia (PSA) in the Emergency Department.

Background: Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) in the emergency department (ED) is mainly used for wound irrigation, reduction of fractures, and wound closure. Ketamine is one of the most commonly used drugs for PSA in the ED. The study was conducted in the ED of a large tertiary care hospital in southern India to evaluate the adverse effects of Ketamine on PSA.

Together let us confront it: An outbreak investigation of hepatitis B in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala.

Introduction: Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). The established routes of transmission are from mother to infant, sexual contact, and exposure to blood or body fluids. Though HBV is preventable by vaccine and robust infection control practices, outbreaks of HBV infection do occur in India.

Role of cerebrospinal fluid C-reactive protein in tuberculous meningitis.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is still a significant health problem worldwide. Central nervous system TB amounts to 10% of all cases of TB. Despite advances in the pharmacological management of TB, the overall outcomes remain poor with significant mortality and morbidity.

Secondary hospital rotation of postgraduate trainees: A pilot study.

Background: Postgraduate (PG) training in general medicine requires reorientation to meet the healthcare needs of India. In this pilot study, we designed a secondary hospital (SH) posting for medicine PGs to sensitize them to the practice of medicine and challenges in a rural SH setting.

Methods: PG trainees in general medicine were sent for a 2-week rotation to select SHs.