Clinical correlates of regional gray matter volumes in schizophrenia: A structural magnetic resonance imaging study.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate the correlation between the regional gray matter volumes and length of Para Cingulate Sulcus (PCS) with the clinical profile of patients with schizophrenia.

Materials And Methods: In this hospital-based, cross-sectional study, thirty consecutive in-patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and equal number of healthy volunteers matched for age- and sex- were recruited as controls. Detailed clinical assessment and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain were carried out within 2 days for controls and within 2 weeks of hospitalization for patients.

Weaved around COVID-19: Case series of coronavirus thematic delusions.

Stressful situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic can serve as a niche for developing pathological mental state or influence the symptomatology of patients with psychiatric disorders. Here, we present four such cases. Three cases highlight the onset of psychosis precipitated by the immense stress posed by the pandemic.

Induced delusional disorder: A case series.

Phenomenon of induced delusional disorder has a relatively long, controversial history of conceptualization. It is a rare entity and goes undiagnosed mostly as only the primary partner is brought to clinical attention. We present a case series of induced delusional disorder with different presentations.

Prevalence of smartphone addiction and its relation with sleep disturbance and low self- esteem among medical college students.

Background: Use of smartphone is on the increase worldwide. They have revolutionized our lives to an extent that was unimaginable before the pandemic. Excessive use of smartphones reaching the levels of potential addiction among medical students and its relation to individual's sleep quality and self-esteem led us to study this prevalence.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health of health-care workers in a tertiary care teaching and dedicated COVID-19 hospital.

Aim: We aimed to assess the consequences of dealing with patients during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period on the mental state of health-care workers.

Materials And Methods: An anonymous online survey was conducted with 353 participants using a self-made questionnaire comparing the prevalence of low mood, apprehension, tension, and coping skills used and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21. The data were analyzed to compare the mental health of male and female doctors.

Exploring cyberchondria and its associations in dental students amid COVID-19 infodemic.

Background: Adverse psychological effect of pandemic includes not only increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression but also cyberchondria - the problematic online health research behavior. It is thought that the distress and uncertainty of pandemic clubbed with information overload and its ambiguity have paved the way for cyberchondria. Students being the vulnerable population, the present study was an effort at understanding cyberchondria in students.

COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath: Knowledge, attitude, behavior, and mental health-care needs of medical undergraduates.

Background: The undeniable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the educational sector has left the students perplexed and uncertain. Infection-related fears, inevitable loneliness, disturbed routine making way for adverse lifestyle habits, stressors such as financial crisis faced by their families, and many more further accentuate their vulnerability to mental health issues.

Aim: The aim was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of medical undergraduate students about the COVID-19 outbreak, and to assess their stress, anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QOL).

A fourteen gene GBM prognostic signature identifies association of immune response pathway and mesenchymal subtype with high risk group.

Background: Recent research on glioblastoma (GBM) has focused on deducing gene signatures predicting prognosis. The present study evaluated the mRNA expression of selected genes and correlated with outcome to arrive at a prognostic gene signature.

Methods: Patients with GBM (n = 123) were prospectively recruited, treated with a uniform protocol and followed up.

Homozygous 10q23/PTEN deletion and its impact on outcome in glioblastoma: a prospective translational study on a uniformly treated cohort of adult patients.

Tumors from a prospective cohort of adult patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma (n=73), treated uniformly with radiochemotherapy, were examined for 10q23/PTEN deletion by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Statistical methods were employed to evaluate the degree of association between 10q23/PTEN deletion status and patient age. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier log-rank test and multivariable Cox models to assess the prognostic value of 10q23/PTEN deletion.

Grade-specific expression of insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins-2, -3, and -5 in astrocytomas: IGFBP-3 emerges as a strong predictor of survival in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma.

Background: Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-binding protein (IGFBP) isoforms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of human neoplasms including glioma. In view of this, we evaluated the expression of IGFBP isoforms (IGFBP-2, -3, and -5) during malignant progression of astrocytoma and their prognostic significance in glioblastoma.

Methods: The expression of IGFBP isoforms was analyzed in diffusely infiltrating astrocytomas by real-time quantitative PCR (n = 203) and immunohistochemistry (n = 256).

Importance of monitoring calcium & calcium related properties in carrier detection for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Calcium and calcium dependent enzymes viz., calcium ATPase, protein kinase C and calcium activated neutral protease (milli CANP mCANP) were studied in the erythrocytes, platelets and lymphocytes of obligate carriers, in order to assess the usefulness of these indices for detection of carriers for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). With the exception of mCANP and lymphocyte calcium ATPase, other calcium dependent enzyme activities showed considerable overlap between carriers and control.

Calcium activated neutral protease in blood cells from patients & carriers of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

As blood cells such as platelets, lymphocytes and erythrocytes from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy show evidence of membrane alterations and elevation of intra-cellular calcium, one of the calcium related changes i.e., the activity of calcium activated neutral protease (CANP) was monitored and found to be elevated in erythrocytes, lymphocytes and platelets.