Efficacy and safety of oral cyclophosphamide versus mycophenolate mofetil in childhood nephrotic syndrome: an open-label comparative study.

Introduction: There is a scarcity of research comparing the efficacy of cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil in childhood nephrotic syndrome. The aim was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral cyclophosphamide (CYC) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome in terms of the proportion of children who have been off steroids for at least 6 months without proteinuria (responders).

Methods: This open-label retrospective-prospective comparative study was conducted in a pediatric nephrology clinic of a referral center for children between 1 and 18 years of age with FR/SD nephrotic syndrome.

Contact Tracing of Healthcare Workers Exposed to COVID-19 Infection in a Tertiary-Care Hospital: Containing the Contagion.

Introduction: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at higher risk of getting infected with COVID-19 infection due to their close proximity to COVID-19-positive patients. We studied the risk stratification and positivity rate in HCWs at risk of getting COVID-19 infection as well as the possible factors responsible for their being at risk of COVID-19 infection during the study period.

Material And Methods: This prospective study was conducted after approval by the institutional ethics committee.

Clinical Profile and Outcome of Children Requiring Noninvasive Ventilation (NIV).

Objectives: To determine the clinical profile and outcome of children requiring noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in a PICU.

Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in the PICU at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Punjab. Children (1 mo-18 y) with moderate-to-severe respiratory distress who received NIV during one-year period were included.

Comparison of Noninvasive Oscillometric and Intra-Arterial Blood Pressure Measurements in Children Admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Intra-arterial blood pressure (IABP) measurement, although considered the gold standard in critically ill children, is associated with certain risks and lacks widespread availability. This study was conducted to determine the differences and agreements between oscillometric non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) and invasive IABP measurements in children. Inclusion criteria consisted of children (from 1 month to 18 years) admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a teaching hospital who required arterial catheter insertion for blood pressure (BP) monitoring.

Comparison of Clinical Features and Outcome of Dengue Fever and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Associated With COVID-19 (MIS-C).

Objective: To identify clinical and laboratory features that differentiate dengue fever patients from MIS-C patients and determine their outcomes.

Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was done at a tertiary care teaching institute. We enrolled all hospitalized children aged 1 month - 18 years and diagnosed with either MIS-C and/or dengue fever according to WHO criteria between June and December, 2020.

Role of Sildenafil in Management of Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has high mortality and multiple therapeutic strategies have been used to improve the outcome. Inhaled nitric oxide (INO), a pulmonary vasodilator, is used to improve oxygenation. This study was conducted to determine the role of sildenafil, an oral vasodilator, to improve oxygenation and mortality in pediatric ARDS (PARDS).

Role of montelukast in multitrigger wheezers attending chest clinic in Punjab, India.

Background: Wheeze is seen in 40% of preschool children, one-third of these may develop recurrent wheeze. Montelukast is an oral, once a day, easy to give therapy but there is no definite evidence to support its use in a recent meta-analysis. Present study was done to evaluate role of daily montelukast and various factors affecting the outcome after therapy in multitrigger wheeze (MTW).

Oral cyclophosphamide therapy in 100 children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome: experience from a developing country.

Background: Oral cyclophosphamide (CYP) is an important therapeutic agent in treatment of steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome having a steroid-dependent (SD) or frequent relapsing (FR) course. This retrospective observational study aimed to determine response to oral CYP and factors associated with positive response in these patients.

Methods: We studied 100 children (male; 75) with FR (19%) and SD (81%) NS treated with CYP in the Pediatric Nephrology clinic.

Online Learning and Residents' Acquisition of Mechanical Ventilation Knowledge: Sequencing Matters.

Objective: Rapid advancements in medicine and changing standards in medical education require new, efficient educational strategies. We investigated whether an online intervention could increase residents' knowledge and improve knowledge retention in mechanical ventilation when compared with a clinical rotation and whether the timing of intervention had an impact on overall knowledge gains.

Design: A prospective, interventional crossover study conducted from October 2015 to December 2017.

Utilization of the renal angina index in PICU of a developing country for prediction of subsequent severe acute kidney injury.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is independently associated with worsened morbidity and increased mortality in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). AKI risk score, termed renal angina index (RAI) is used in developed countries to predict subsequent severe AKI. Very few studies have investigated application of RAI in the PICU of a developing country.

Impact of malnutrition on pediatric risk of mortality score and outcome in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Objectives: This study was done to determine the effect of malnutrition on mortality in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and on the pediatric risk of mortality (PRISM) scoring.

Subjects And Methods: This was a prospective study done over 1 year. There were total 400 patients (1 month 14 years), who were divided into cases with weight for age <3(rd) centile and controls with ≥3(rd) centile of WHO charts.

Incidence, risk factors and outcome of acute kidney injury in critically ill children - a developing country perspective.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in critically ill children and is associated with poor outcome.

Objective: To study the incidence, risk factors and outcome of AKI in children admitted to paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a developing country.

Materials And Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care PICU over one-year period.

Parental stress in a paediatric intensive care unit in Punjab, India.

Aim: Paediatric intensive care is a fast-growing specialty in India. There are studies on parental stress in paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in developed countries, but limited data from developing countries, where many factors may be different, are available. This paper describes various stressors in Indian parents.

Pseudotumoral hemicerebellitis with hemorrhage.

Acute cerebellitis is an inflammatory syndrome occurring most commonly in young children. It is caused by a variety of insults and is usually bilateral. Pseudotumoral hemicerebellitis is an exceptionally rare unilateral presentation of acute cerebellitis mimicking a tumor.

Pulmonary functions in normal school children in the age group of 6-15 years in north India.

Objective: Lung function tests have become an integral part of assessment of pulmonary disease. As few studies on pulmonary function tests have been carried out in young children in India, the study was carried out in normal urban and rural school children in Ludhiana district of North India to determine pulmonary functions in the age group 6-15 years and to find its correlation with regards to age, sex, height and weight.

Methods: The study group included 600 normal children between 6-15 years age from different urban and rural schools in the region.

A clinical profile of shock in children in Punjab, India.

This prospective study was conducted to determine the frequency, etiology, type and outcome of shock in hospitalized children in the age group of 1 month to 15 years. There were 98 cases of shock, constituting 4.3% out of total admissions.

Clinical and anthropometric profile of children with celiac disease in Punjab (North India).

This prospective study was carried out to evaluate the clinical and anthropometric profile of 71 children confirmed to have celiac disease on the basis of clinical features, duodenal biopsy and unequivocal improvement on gluten-free diet. Serological tests were performed in 35 cases. The patients were divided into three age groups <5 years, 5-10 years, and >10 years as per the age of presentation to the hospital.

Impact of bed side communication with fathers on their anxiety about newborn.

This study assessed the impact of bedside communication with fathers (N = 100) on their anxiety about sick neonates admitted in SCNU. The control group consisted of fathers of 100 sick babies communicated outside the unit. Anxiety was measured in both the groups on day 1 (at admission) and day 7, by using 5 point Likert Scale.

Intracranial hemorrhage in late hemorrhagic disease of the newborn.

This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical profile and outcome in late hemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN) with particular reference to intracranial hemorrhage. Infants (n = 42) presenting with late HDN from January 1998 to December 2001 were studied. Majority (76%) were in the age group of 1-3 months.