Prognostic accuracy of lactate and procalcitonin in addition to national early warning score in patients with suspected sepsis - A cross-sectional study in a tertiary care center.

Background: Sepsis, a major global health concern, leads to millions of deaths annually, hence the need for early and reliable prognostic tools to assess patient risk and guide clinical decision making becomes crucial. This cross-sectional study evaluated the prognostic accuracy of integrating blood lactate and serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels with the National Early Warning Score (NEWS) for predicting mortality in sepsis patients. The objective was to assess whether this lactate and procalcitonin integrated with NEWS score (LP NEWS) could serve as a more effective early prognostic tool compared to established severity scores.

A Descriptive Study of Patients Presenting With Topical Steroid Damaged/Dependent Face (TSDF) to a Tertiary Care Center in Northern India.

Introduction Topical steroid damaged/dependent face (TSDF) is defined as the semi-permanent or permanent damage to the skin of the face precipitated by the irrational, indiscriminate, or prolonged use of topical corticosteroids (TCs), resulting in various cutaneous signs and symptoms and psychological dependence on the drug. The objective was to determine the clinical spectrum of TSDF. Methods This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted between May 2021 and April 2022, comprising 100 consecutive patients of TC-induced facial dermatoses who visited the skin and venereal disease OPD of a tertiary care hospital in northern India.

Long-term Prospective Comparative Analysis of Ototoxic and Survival Outcomes of Sequential Boost and Simultaneous Integrated Boost of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy for Head-Neck Carcinomas.

Objective: To compare the ototoxicity and survival in head and neck carcinoma patients treated with sequential (SEQ) and simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT).

Methods: This long-term prospective study enrolled patients with histologically confirmed head and neck carcinoma, all receiving VMAT treatment. Audiological assessments were done using various tests at baseline, two weeks, treatment completion, six months, and 12 months.