Outcomes with optimal treatment in geriatric head and neck cancers - Tertiary cancer centre experience.

Aim: Older patients with locally advanced head and neck cancers (LA-HNC) are under-represented in clinical trials and denied standard treatment with concurrent chemo-radiation. Most are treated with radiotherapy (RT) alone. However, with the use of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and good supportive care, even this cohort of patients can be considered for chemo-radiation.

Assessment of the Dosimetric Index from IMRT and Rapid arc Plan for Oropharyngeal Cancer with Simultaneous Integrated Boost (SIB) Technique in Combination with EUD-based NTCP and TCP Radiobiological Models.

Purpose: The current research compared radiobiological and dosimetric results for simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) plans employing RapidArc and IMRT planning procedures in oropharyngeal cancer from head-and-neck cancer (HNC) patients.

Materials And Methods: The indigenously developed Python-based software was used in this study for generation and analysis. Twelve patients with forty-eight total plans with SIB were planned using Rapid arc (2 and 3 arcs) and IMRT (7 and 9 fields) and compared with radiobiological models Lyman, Kutcher, Burman (LKB) and EUD (Equivalent Uniform Dose) along with physical index such as homogeneity index(HI), conformity index(CI) of target volumes.

ALL induction outcome: Real-world data from a pediatric oncology center in an LMIC setup with rural predominance.

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has survival rates of greater than 90% in developed nations. However, various sociodemographic factors adversely affect outcome rates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Objective: To study induction outcome of ALL and various factors affecting it.

Primary orbital squamous cell carcinoma treated with definitive radiotherapy.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) arising from the orbit is a rare entity. Only a dozen of such cases are reported in the literature. Owing to its rarity, standard treatment is not defined, but most are treated with surgery.

Concurrent Weekly Cisplatin and Simultaneous Integrated Boost-IMRT in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma-An Institutional Experience.

 Concurrent chemoradiation with weekly cisplatin in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC) is widely practiced in India. Radiation with simultaneous integrated boost intensity-modulated radiotherapy (SIB-IMRT) has the advantage of executing IMRT in single phase with better dose distribution.  150 patients with LA-HNSCC treated between April 2015 and December 2019 were retrospectively evaluated.

Changing trends in assessment: Effectiveness of Direct observation of procedural skills (DOPS) as an assessment tool in anesthesiology postgraduate students.

Background And Aims: National Medical commission of India (NMC) has introduced Competency based Medical Education (CBME) following the international trend. Competency based assessment differs from traditional assessment and we need to adopt to newer work place-based assessments (WPBA). Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS) is one such assessment tool, which assesses procedural skills of a student.

Lot-to-lot consistency of a hexavalent DTwP-IPV-HB-PRP∼T vaccine and non-inferiority to separate DTwP-HB-PRP∼T and IPV antigen-matching vaccines at 6-8, 10-12, and 14-16 weeks of age co-administered with oral rotavirus vaccine in healthy infants in India: A multi-center, randomized, controlled study.

Background: Combination vaccines reduce the number of pediatric injections but must be as safe, immunogenic, and effective as each of the individual vaccines given separately. Additionally, consistency in manufacturing lots is essential for WHO prequalification. This study aimed to establish the lot-to-lot consistency of a fully liquid, hexavalent diphtheria (D)-tetanus (T)-whole-cell pertussis (wP)-inactivated poliovirus (IPV)-hepatitis B (HB)- b (PRP-T) (DTwP-IPV-HB-PRP∼T) vaccine and to demonstrate non-inferiority to licensed DTwP-HB-PRP∼T and IPV vaccines.

The dogma of Cetuximab and Radiotherapy in head and neck cancer - A dawn to dusk journey.

Since the introduction of Cetuximab as a biological molecule against Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), its use in the cancers of head and neck region is widely explored. With the recognition that EGFR expression is associated with radioresistance and poor prognosis, incorporation of an anti-EGFR agent along with Radiotherapy (RT) is a logical and attractive option. Cetuximab in combination with RT as Bio-Radiotherapy (BRT) is considered one of the standard treatment modalities in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancers (LA-HNSCC).

Sodium Glucose Co-transporter-2 Inhibitor: Benefits beyond Glycemic Control.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a family of metabolic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia as a consequence of abnormalities in insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity. It affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and leads to increased morbidity, compromised quality of life, higher mortality sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, a new class of oral antidiabetic drugs, have garnered considerable attention in the recent past and are considered potential first-line candidates for the management of T2DM. This review outlines the evidence-based therapeutic efficacy, safety, limitations, and advantages of SGLT2 inhibitors in the management of T2DM.

Prospective Hospital-Based Clinical and Electrophysiological Evaluation of Acute Organophosphate Poisoning.

Introduction: Acute organophosphate (OP) poisoning is one of the most common poisoning causing significant morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Acute cholinergic manifestations predominate with many patients requiring intensive care management and ventilator support. Nerve conduction studies including repetitive nerve stimulation can evaluate the altered neuromuscular transmission and peripheral nerve function by OPs.

Efficacy and Safety of Combination of NSAIDs and Muscle Relaxants in the Management of Acute Low Back Pain.

Introduction: Low back pain is a common problem worldwide causing deterioration of health and quality of life. Low back pain is often associated with muscle spasm. We investigated the combined effect of muscle relaxants and pain killers for low back pain.

Nocturnal Enuresis in India: Are We Diagnosing and Managing Correctly?

Nocturnal enuresis is a common problem affecting school-aged children worldwide. Although it has significant impact on child's psychology, it is always under-recognized in India and considered as a condition which will outgrow with advancing age. Nocturnal enuresis classified as primary or secondary and monosymptomatic or nonmonosymptomatic.

Hospital-based Retrospective Study of Cryptococcal Meningitis in a Large Cohort from India.

Background: Cryptococcal meningitis is an important and a fatal neuroinfection. Early diagnosis and treatment is of utmost importance in reducing morbidity and mortality.

Materials And Methods: Data of patients with laboratory-confirmed cryptococcal meningitis seen in tertiary care hospital were reviewed.

Umbilical only access laparoscopic pyeloplasty in children: Preliminary report.

Background: Over the past three decades, laparoscopic surgery has become a well-established alternative to open surgery in the management of ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction. Currently, several efforts are being made, aimed at further reducing the morbidity associated with conventional laparoscopy. We report our experience with modified umbilical port laparoscopic pyeloplasty in children.

Forgotten/retained double J ureteric stents: A source of severe morbidity in children.

Background: The increase in the usage of double J (DJ) ureteral stents in the management of a variety of urinary tract disease processes mandates familiarity with these devices, their consequences and their potential complications, which at times can be devastating. We retrospectively reviewed our series of children with forgotten/retained DJ ureteric stents.

Materials And Methods: Hospital records of all patients' <18 years old who underwent removal of forgotten/retained DJ ureteral stent at our hospital were reviewed for age, gender, indication for insertion of DJ stent, duration of stent insertion, radiological images and surgical procedures performed.

Primary intracranial malignant melanoma: A rare casewith review of literature.

We present a rare case of the primary intracranial melanoma in the right parafalcine frontal region in a 65-year-old male. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a Space occupying lesion in the right parafalcine frontal region with necrosis, vasogenic edema and mass effect. A rather well-defined, dark brown-black tumor was totally removed and histologically diagnosed as malignant melanoma.

The laparoscopic pyeloplasty: is there a role in the age of robotics?

Ureteropelvic junction (UPJ) obstruction is a common anomaly, and presents clinically in all pediatric age groups. The past 3 decades have witnessed an evolution in the surgical correction of UPJ obstruction on several fronts, with open surgical techniques yielding way to endoscopic, laparoscopic, and robotic-assisted approaches. Robotic-assisted surgery has several advantages in complex laparoscopic reconstructive procedures such as pyeloplasty.

Solid pseudo papillary tumor of pancreas: Presenting as acute abdomen in a female child.

Solid pseudo papillary tumor (SPT) or Frantz's tumor is a slow-growing low-grade malignant tumor, commonly seen in young patients with a female predominance, which is commonly located in the body and tail of the pancreas. We report a case of SPT arising from the body of the pancreas in a 12-year-old girl who presented with acute abdomen and was treated successfully by local excision of the tumor with preservation of head of pancreas and spleen.

Tumor doubling time of renal cell carcinoma measured by CT.

Introduction: Increasing numbers of patients are now being incidentally detected with small-sized renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The natural history of small renal masses is not completely understood. Currently, there are no specific tumor markers to determine initial risk or progression to metastatic disease.

Bethlem myopathy: An autosomal dominant myopathy with flexion contractures, keloids, and follicular hyperkeratosis.

Bethlem myopathy and Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy form a spectrum of collagenopathies caused by genetic mutations encoding for any of the three subunits of collagen VI. Bethlem phenotype is relatively benign and is characterized by proximal dominant myopathy, keloids, contractures, distal hyperextensibility, and follicular hyperkeratosis. Three patients from a single family were diagnosed to have Bethlem myopathy based on European Neuromuscular Centre Bethlem Consortium criteria.

Electromyographic and histological features of postpartum hypernatremic rhabdomyolysis.

Introduction: Rhabdomyolysis results from many causes including hypernatremia. Postpartum hypernatremia with osmotic cerebral demyelination is a rare cause of reversible rhabdomyolysis. Electromyographic studies in postpartum hypernatremia have not been reported.

Penile growth in response to hormone treatment in children with micropenis.

Introduction: Micropenis is defined as a stretched penile length 2.5 standard deviations less than the mean for age without the presence of any other penile anomalies, such as hypospadias. The term refers to a specific disorder that has a known set of causative factors and defined treatment modalities.

'Wine Glass' sign in recurrent postpartum hypernatremic osmotic cerebral demyelination.

Osmotic demyelination syndrome resulting from postpartum hypernatremia is a recently described entity wherein young women present with hypernatremic encephalopathy and white matter hyperintensities along with quadriparesis from rhabdomyolysis. It is an acute monophasic condition with acute hypernatremia occurring during puerperium with good recovery in majority of the patients with treatment. To the best of our knowledge, recurrent postpartum hypernatremia with encephalopathy, osmotic demyelination, and rhabdomyolysis has not been described.

Reversible electrophysiological abnormalities in acute secondary hyperkalemic paralysis.

Hyperkalemia manifests clinically with acute neuromuscular paralysis, which can simulate Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS) and other causes of acute flaccid paralysis. Primary hyperkalemic paralysis occurs from genetic defects in the sodium channel, and secondary hyperkalemic paralysis (SHP) from diverse causes including renal dysfunction, potassium retaining drugs, Addison's disease, etc. Clinical characteristics of SHP have been addressed in a number of publications.