Comparison of hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in Intensive care units and wards of COVID-19: A large scale multicentric study in India.

Background: Hand hygiene is a significant component involved in preventing transmission of health care associated infections including COVID-19. Compliance to hand hygiene among the health care workers (HCWs) requires evaluation and timely feedback. "You can't improve what you can't measure" is a famous saying and this multicentric study was designed to measure hand hygiene compliance and have birds eye view on hand hygiene compliance in COVID Intensive care units (ICUs) and wards across India.

Focused Cardiac Ultrasound to Guide the Diagnosis of Heart Failure in Pregnant Women in India.

Background: Cardiac complications are a leading cause of maternal death. Cardiac imaging with echocardiography is important for prompt diagnosis, but it is not available in many low-resource settings. The aim of this study was to determine whether focused cardiac ultrasound performed by trained obstetricians and interpreted remotely by experts can identify cardiac abnormalities in pregnant women in low-resource settings.

Stages of Concern of Medical Faculty toward Adoption of Competency-based Medical Education in India: A Multicentric Survey.

Context: Currently, a major curricular reform in the form of competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum is being rolled out across all medical colleges in India. However, it is important to find out and address the concerns of faculty regarding various aspects of this new curriculum.

Aim: To analyze the concerns of the faculty members of medical colleges in India in response to the changes emerging from the adoption and implementation of the new curriculum through the concerns-based adoption model by applying the stages of concern (SoC) questionnaire.

Evaluation and comparison of the efficacy of coconut oil as a clearing agent with xylene.

Background: Xylene is a routinely used clearing agent in histopathology. It is potentially toxic and flammable in nature. Histotechnicians are routinely exposed to this hazardous chemical.

An Incidental Finding of Congenital Complete Heart Block Presenting in Active Labor: A Multidisciplinary Approach.

Congenital complete heart block is a rare occurrence. In some cases, it remains asymptomatic until adulthood or in the case of women until pregnancy. It is usually secondary to placental transfer of maternal antibodies and is associated with high mortality and morbidity.

Addition of Clonidine or Dexmedetomidine With Bupivacaine to Prolong Caudal Analgesia in Children Undergoing Infraumbilical Surgery.

Introduction Clonidine, a selective α2 adrenergic receptor agonist, combined with caudally administered bupivacaine, is frequently used in children to prolong the duration of postoperative analgesia following infraumbilical surgery. On the other hand, dexmedetomidine is highly selective and has a greater affinity toward α2 adrenergic receptors, especially toward its α2a subtype, accountable for more analgesic and hypnotic effects than clonidine. Aims and objectives We designed a prospective, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial to compare the analgesic efficacy and adverse effects of clonidine and dexmedetomidine when combined with bupivacaine for caudal analgesia in children undergoing infraumbilical surgeries.

Identification of Putative Vaccine and Drug Targets against the Methicillin-Resistant by Reverse Vaccinology and Subtractive Genomics Approaches.

Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is an opportunistic pathogen and responsible for causing life-threatening infections. The emergence of hypervirulent and multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains led to challenging issues in antibiotic therapy. Consequently, the morbidity and mortality rates caused by infections have a substantial impact on health concerns.

Study on morbidity pattern among elderly in urban area of Barpeta, Assam, India.

Background: Degenerative diseases most commonly affect the elderly. The management of these chronic diseases is also very expensive, thereby making it out-of-pocket expenditure for elderly persons. As the elderly population is likely to increase in the future, the concept of active and healthy aging needs to be promoted among the elderly.

Bioremediation of motor oil-contaminated soil and water by a novel indigenous strain DU13 and characterization of its biosurfactant.

Production of biosurfactant by a novel indigenous isolate strain DU13 and its role in bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon is reported. The identity of the isolate was confirmed by 16S rDNA gene sequencing analysis (Genbank accession: MK177190). The biosurfactant produced by the isolate could reduce the surface tension of petroleum supplemented medium by 46% just after 7 days of treatment.

A Rare Case of Urachal Cyst in a Patient With Uterine Fibroids.

A 41-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with pain in her abdomen during menstruation. On examination, we detected a cystic lump in the midline, just below the umbilicus. Ultrasonography of the whole abdomen was suggestive of uterine fibroids with a probable mesenteric cyst.

A Rare Case of Partial Volvulus of the Gall Bladder Detected Preoperatively.

A middle-aged woman with uterine fibroids presented with menorrhagia and diffuse abdominal pain. The patient was anemic, afebrile, anicteric, and had a palpable tender gall bladder. Initial whole abdomen ultrasonography was inconclusive, and computed tomography of her abdomen revealed partial volvulus of the gall bladder.

A case of primary and secondary syphilis presenting together as immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome.

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) is a condition during the clinical course of HIV infection in which there is paradoxical worsening and/or new onset of opportunistic infections in a HIV-positive patient who has recently been started on anti-retroviral therapy (ART). We present a case of AIDS with CD4 count of 20 cells/μl who presented within 6 weeks of starting ART with a CD4 count of 160 cells/μl and a painless solitary genital ulcer along with annular dark-colored plaques over soles. His screening test for syphilis was negative both during baseline evaluation, prior to initiation of ART, and during his clinical presentation.

Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in South Asian Women with History of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represent two different components of the spectrum of diabetes mellitus (DM). Women with GDM have a high chance of developing T2DM in later life and this relative risk depends on a number of factors including ethnicity.

Aim: To compare and estimate the risk of developing T2DM in South Asian women with a history of GDM compared to those without a history of GDM.

Unusual Spurts of Rosacea Like Dermatoses, Posing a Diagnostic Dilemma During Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional, Observational Study From a Tertiary Care Centre.

Background: The gradual opening of healthcare system since second week of May 2020 following lockdown imposed due to corona virus pandemic saw spurts of cases of unexplained central facial dermatoses in subset of previously healthy people. The aim of the study was to find out the cause and establish the definitive diagnosis of unusual occurrence of facial dermatoses on previously healthy people so that an appropriate management can be offered to the patients.

Materials And Methods: It was a cross-sectional, observational study carried during May 15 to July 15, 2020 at a tertiary dermatology center.

Relationship between anaemia, coagulation parameters during pregnancy and postpartum haemorrhage at childbirth: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: To investigate the association between coagulation parameters and severity of anaemia (moderate anaemia: haemoglobin (Hb) 7-9.9 g/dL and severe anaemia: Hb <7 g/dL) during pregnancy and relate these to postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) at childbirth.

Design: A prospective cohort study of pregnant women recruited in the third trimester and followed-up after childbirth.

Evaluation of Electrolyte Imbalance in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury Admitted in the Central ICU of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Prospective Observational Study.

Introduction Electrolyte imbalance is a salient finding in traumatic brain injury which can derail their clinical course of recovery in physical and cognitive health while prolonging the hospital stay. Objective This study aims to understand the variation in electrolyte profile that occurs in traumatic brain injury patients which can help in better patient management. Materials and method 50 trauma patients with head injury (Group A) and 50 patients without head injury (Group B) admitted in Central ICU (CICU) under the Department of Anaesthesiology, Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) were selected and analysed with regard to their electrolyte variability.

Clinical Characterization and Genomic Analysis of Samples from COVID-19 Breakthrough Infections during the Second Wave among the Various States of India.

From March to June 2021, India experienced a deadly second wave of COVID-19, with an increased number of post-vaccination breakthrough infections reported across the country. To understand the possible reason for these breakthroughs, we collected 677 clinical samples (throat swab/nasal swabs) of individuals from 17 states/Union Territories of the country who had received two doses ( = 592) and one dose ( = 85) of vaccines and tested positive for COVID-19. These cases were telephonically interviewed and clinical data were analyzed.

Identification of Arg32Ser, His92Tyr and Leu147Phe novel mutations in chromosomally mediated β-lactamase SHV and characterization to understand their substrate activity imparting resistance.

The emergence of β-lactam resistance is yearning for clinical significance in , which are categorized under global priority pathogen lists by the World Health Organization. Likewise, the prevalence of numerous β-lactamase enzymes, mutational propensity in such bacteria, and their role in accelerating resistance is still a major concern. Thus, the present work intends to characterize the β-lactamase producing bacteria isolated from acute diarrheal patients to understand their chromosomally acquired resistance pattern through molecular characterization and approaches.

Comparative analysis of prophages carried by human and animal-associated Staphylococcus aureus strains spreading across the European regions.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human and animal pathogen although the animal-associated S. aureus can be a potential risk of human zoonoses. Acquisition of phage-related genomic islands determines the S.

Lasiodiplodia theobromae onychomycosis among agricultural workers: A case series.

Lasiodiplodia theobromae is a dematiaceous non-dermatophyte mold (NDM), rarely reported to cause onychomycosis. Here, we report three cases of toenail onychomycosis caused by L. theobromae in agricultural workers.

Profiles of institutional ethics committees and status of standard operating procedures in North East India.

Limited data are available regarding institutional ethics committees (IECs) and their standard operating procedures (SOPs) in North East (NE) India. An attempt was made to study the profiles of IECs and the status of their SOPs in health research institutes of NE India. Fourteen biomedical and health research institutes of NE India were reviewed.

Assessment of the Clinical Interpreter of Death in Life-Threatening Infective Cases Admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of a North-Eastern State of India.

Objectives The clinical factors affecting a patient's condition monitored over time could be useful not only to decide on an intervention that may increase the patients' possibilities of survival but also to predict the treatment outcome. Therefore, this study evaluates the clinical factors as predictors of mortality among severe sepsis patients admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a tertiary care center. Method We did a prospective study on over 50 life-threatening infective cases with different causes admitted in the ICU.

Clinico-epidemiological characteristics of hospitalized acute encephalitis syndrome children and their correlation with case fatality rate.

Background: Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in children contributes considerable morbidity and mortality in endemic region. A study was conducted to see the clinico-epidemiological characteristics of hospitalized AES children and to find out if there is any correlation of clinico-epidemiological factors with case fatality rate (CFR).

Methods: This hospital-based observational prospective study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital of Assam, India from 16 May, 2019 to 15 May, 2020.