Factors associated with the knowledge about breastfeeding among antenatal and postnatal women in selected rural villages of Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu: A community-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Addressing good breastfeeding practices among antenatal and postnatal mothers is important as it helps in bringing about a positive change in the behavior, attitude, and practice with appropriate health education. Hence, this study was done to determine the awareness level of antenatal and postnatal mothers about the breastfeeding practices and benefits and identify the factors associated with it in rural Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India.

Materials And Methods: We conducted this community-based cross-sectional study among 377 antenatal and postnatal mothers in the selected rural villages of Chengalpattu between October 2019 and September 2020.

An Interesting and Rare Case of Hemoglobin D-Punjab Variant in Tamil Nadu.

Hemoglobin D (Hb D), a variant of hemoglobin appears in a few Asian individuals belonging to India, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, and other parts of the world. In India, it is mainly reported in the North-Western states. Hb D disease causes subclinical jaundice, or it may be asymptomatic with pallor in its heterozygous form.

Pharmacological consideration of COVID-19 infection and vaccines in pregnancy.

COVID-19 is a pandemic of the 21st century that recorded 234 809 103 confirmed cases and more than 4 800 375 deaths. Many studies report the effect of COVID-19 in the overall population; nevertheless, there is information scarceness related to pharmacological management and pregnancy and fetal outcomes during the epidemic. Pregnancy is a state of change in immune physiology and anatomy modulation in preference to immune suppression.

Development and validation of scale assessing the knowledge about breast feeding benefits and practices among antenatal and postnatal mothers in South India.

Background: Developing a scale to address the breastfeeding benefits and practices among antenatal and postnatal mothers is important as it helps in evaluating the change in the behavior, attitude, and practice with appropriate health education.

Aim: This study was done to develop and validate a scale to assess the knowledge about the breastfeeding benefits and practices in Tamil language among antenatal and postnatal mothers belonging to rural areas of Chengalpattu, South India.

Methods: We developed a scale to assess the knowledge about the benefits and practices of breastfeeding through literature review and expert opinion.

Incidence and severity of SARS-CoV-2 virus post COVID-19 vaccination: A cross-sectional study in India.

Introduction: Several sociodemographic variables, including ethnic inequality, have been identified as potentially influencing the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations. To develop herd immunity against COVID-19, at least 70-85% of the population must be vaccinated. As the situation with COVID-19 changes, the public's perception keeps fluctuating.

Safety and Efficacy of Saroglitazar in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Patients With Diabetic Dyslipidemia-A Prospective, Interventional, Pilot Study.

Background: Saroglitazar-a unique dual peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor agonist was approved marketing authorization in India in 2013 for diabetic dyslipidemia. Postmarketing studies have additionally shown improvement in liver parameters in diabetic dyslipidemia patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) who received saroglitazar.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of saroglitazar on liver function test, liver fibrosis score by FibroScan, lipid profiles, HbA1c in NAFLD patients with diabetic dyslipidemia in southern India.

Fight or Flee: An Interesting Case of Snakebite With Delayed Recovery.

Snakebite is a neglected tropical disease, which is very common in the Indian subcontinent. The severity of respiratory muscle paralysis and the delay in recovery depend upon the dose of the venom injected, the severity of the venom, the species of the snake, the duration of presentation to the hospital, and the time and dose of administration of anti-snake venom (ASV). The reasons for this delayed neuromuscular recovery still remain an enigma.

A Non-Invasive IR Sensor Technique to Differentiate Parkinson's Disease from Other Neurological Disorders Using Autonomic Dysfunction as Diagnostic Criterion.

Early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) plays a critical role in effective disease management and delayed disease progression. This study reports a technique that could diagnose and differentiate PD from essential tremor (ET) in its earlier stage using a non-motor phenotype. Autonomic dysfunction, an early symptom in PD patients, is caused by α-synuclein pathogenesis in the central nervous system and can be diagnosed using skin vasomotor response to cold stimuli.

Is the use of high-intensity atorvastatin associated with memory impairment?

High-intensity statins are the cornerstone of medical management in Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS). However, their effect on neurocognition are less clear. In this prospective observational study, we gave guideline-directed high-intensity atorvastatin 40 mg to middle-aged statin-naïve ACS patients.

Dynamic diffusion lung capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO) as a predictor of pulmonary microangiopathy and its association with extra pulmonary microangiopathy in patients with type II diabetes mellitus.

Background And Aim: Lung as a target end organ for microvascular disease often remains underdiagnosed. This study aims to assess occurrence of pulmonary microangiopathy among Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using dynamic diffusion lung capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO).

Methods: A total of 120 participants aged >18 years were enrolled in this study.

Treatment of Morgellons disease with doxycycline.

Morgellons disease (MD) is a rare dermatopathy characterized by nonspecific symptoms and the production of multicolored fibers and granular tissue from diffuse skin ulcerations which are described as being either pruritic or painful. The etiology of MD is currently unknown; previous studies have suggested both psychiatric and infectious causes, with increasing interest over the previous decade in elaborating a possible pathogenesis for the disease secondary to infection by Borrelia species. We report a middle-aged Caucasian female who developed symptoms of MD in the days following exposure to a tick bite after spending an afternoon hiking through a wooded area.

Missed Case of Pancreatogenic Diabetes Diagnosed Using Ultrasound.

Nonalcoholic pancreatogenic diabetes mellitus (type 3c DM) is an often-misdiagnosed entity usually seen in young men of tropical countries. Although most of the patients present with abdominal pain and symptoms of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, there is still a subset that does not present with these classical symptoms, which emphasizes the need for special diagnostic considerations. The significance of identifying this subset of diabetic lies not only in the change in management of the disease but also in early detection for pancreatic carcinoma that is more common among those patients.

Beneficial Primary Outcomes of Metabolic Surgery with Changes in Telomere Length and Mitochondrial DNA in Obese Asian Indians with Dysglycemia.

Introduction: Although metabolic surgery has been shown to offer beneficial primary outcome results in obese individuals / obese Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, there is paucity of information on the underlying mechanisms. In the recent years, estimations of non-invasive molecular parameters viz., telomere length and mtDNA copy number (mtDNAcn) assume significance as robust biomarkers.

Successful Treatment of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in an Immunocompromised Patient With Ribavirin.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a frequent cause of respiratory tract infections in children. Still, it can also cause seasonal outbreaks affecting persons of all ages, especially those with comorbidities or immunocompromised states. Ribavirin is one of the two approved therapies for the treatment of RSV respiratory tract infections.

Challenging Case of Balloon Mitral Valvuloplasty: Coronary Balloon to the Rescue.

Owing to the demonstrated safety and cost-effectiveness, balloon mitral valvuloplasty is frequently performed using reused hardware. However, chances of hardware malfunction are higher in such settings, making it pertinent for operators to be adept at recognition and management of such complications. This case illustrates that when the rent is small, a coronary balloon may be used to tackle the inflation failure.

The Efficacy of Digital Hearing Aids in the Management of Tinnitus in Individuals with Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

Tinnitus is a condition which is often seen coexisting with hearing loss. In many persons with tinnitus, the use of amplification devices has been reported to show improvement in difficulties due to tinnitus. Though the underlying physiological mechanism is not clearly understood, hearing aids have proven beneficial.

Restless leg syndrome presenting as chronic severe limb pain in a dialysis patient.

"Chronic pain" is a commonly reported symptom among hemodialysis patients. Despite its high prevalence and the poor health-related quality of life associated with it, chronic pain remains an ineffectively assessed and managed entity in dialysis patients. We report a case of a 55-year-old gentleman on maintenance hemodialysis who presented with 3 months history of "excruciating flitting and fleeting type" of pain largely involving both lower limbs and occasionally neck, shoulder, chest, and upper limbs.

Comparison of the time taken for subarachnoid block using ultrasound-guided method versus landmark technique for cesarean section - A randomized controlled study.

Background And Aims: Spinal anesthesia is the regional technique preferred for cesarean section and is usually administered using the traditional landmark technique. Ultrasonography of the spine appears to be helpful in locating the puncture site and increasing the success rate. The primary objective of this study was to assess the use of ultrasonogram in locating the lumbar interspinous space for spinal anesthesia in laboring parturients brought for elective cesarean section.

The Association Between Gaming Practices and Scholastic Performance Among Medical Students in India: Case-Control Study.

Background: Gaming is a billion-dollar industry that is expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 9% to 14.3%, with the biggest market in Southeast Asian countries. The availability of low-cost smartphones and the ease at which the internet can be accessed have made gaming popular among youth, who enjoy it as a leisure activity.

Pharmacist led intervention towards management of type 2 diabetes mellitus and assessment of patient satisfaction of care - A prospective, randomized controlled study.

Background: Diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia is due to impaired insulin secretion and deficiency. Though effective current drug therapies are available for diabetes, yet glycaemic maintenance remains a challenge without medication adherence. This necessitates a holistic approach to improve clinical outcomes for a better patient health care.

Role of fluoxetine in pharmacological enhancement of motor functions in stroke patients: A randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind trial.

Background: Stroke is the primary cause of disability worldwide, the second most common cause of dementia and the third leading cause of death. Only few studies were conducted to study the role of fluoxetine in motor recovery in either ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke patients with probably less severe paresis. However, the current study evaluates both the effectiveness and safety of fluoxetine in the stroke population with a more severe motor deficit.

Comparison of Ultrasound-Guided Modified BRILMA Block with Subcostal Transversus Abdominis Plane Block for Postoperative Analgesia in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy - A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background And Aims: Subcostal Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) block is the standard practice for postoperative analgesia following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of modified BRILMA Block (blocking the BRanches of Intercostal nerves at the Level of Mid-Axillary line) with Subcostal TAP block for pain relief following laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Methods: Sixty cases scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly divided into two groups: modified BRILMA block (Group B) and Subcostal TAP block (Group T).