Rare Presentations of Takayasu Arteritis: A Case Series.

Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a form of large vessel vasculitis that may lead to fibrosis, stenosis, or aneurysm formation of vessels. Its presentation varies depending on the arterial beds involved. We report 3 cases out of around 150 cases of TA with rare initial presentations of brachial plexopathy caused by an axillary artery aneurysm, complicated type A intramural hematoma, and renal artery aneurysms along with abdominothoracic TA presenting as a pulsatile abdominal mass.

Risk of Bleed During Pregnancy in Women with Epilepsy Due to Cerebral Vascular Malformations.

Background: Cerebral vascular malformations are rare but important causes of epilepsy in young women. The risk of bleed during pregnancy and delivery as well as the fetal outcomes are important concerns for women with epilepsy (WWE) due to cerebral vascular malformations (EVM).

Objectives: We compared the maternal and fetal outcomes of a cohort of EVM with women with focal epilepsy due to other causes (ENVM).

Efficacy of Cognitive Interventions in Mild Cognitive Impairment due to Alzheimer's Disease- An Open-Labelled Exploratory Analysis.

Background: Efficacy data on nonpharmacotherapy-based interventions such as cognitive retraining and mindfulness meditation on improving neuropsychological functioning in early Alzheimer's disease (AD) are sparse in Indian literature.

Objective: The objective of the study was to quantify the effect of cognitive retraining (CR) versus mindfulness training (MT) on neuropsychological test performance in patients with early AD.

Methods And Materials: We administered CR and MT strategies in two prospectively enrolled groups of individuals (N = 34) who met the criteria for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to AD.

Intraoperative thrombus formation in the artificial tube graft in a fenestrated extracardiac Fontan procedure-to trust our eyes or instincts?

Unlabelled: Appearance of a thrombus in the graft intraoperatively during Fontan surgery is not reported and warrants careful evaluation. Our patient was an 18-year-old lady who underwent fenestrated extracardiac Fontan surgery. Intraoperatively, transesophageal echocardiography revealed an echogenic structure inside the conduit.

Mapping cognitive dysfunction in relapsing multiple sclerosis with mild disability: A cross-sectional study from South India.

Background: Cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis (MS) occurs early. Locally adapted neuropsychological data from India in MS is scarce.

Objectives: We aimed to identify the pattern of cognitive impairment in relapsing MS (RMS) with mild disability using a regionally-adapted MS-specific cognitive battery.

Alkaline etching assisted polydopamine coating for enhanced cell-material interactions on 3D printed polylactic acid scaffolds.

The implant surface chemistry and topography are primary factors regulating the success and survival of bone scaffold. Surface modification is a promising alternative to enhance the biocompatibility and tissue response to augment the osteogenic functionalities of polyesters like PLA. The study employed the synergistic effect of alkaline hydrolysis and polydopamine (PDA) functionalization to enhance the cell-material interactions on 3D printed polylactic acid (PLA) scaffold.

World Stroke Organization and World Hypertension League position statement on hypertension control strategies in prevention and management of stroke.

Background And Purpose: The goal of this consensus is to provide a comprehensive set of recommendations in regard to hypertension control strategies for the prevention and management of stroke. This document is intended for prehospital care providers, physicians, allied health professionals, and hospital administrators and healthcare policymakers.

Methods: Members of the writing group were representatives of the World Stroke Organization and World Hypertension League.

Triple pacing spikes on QRST: What is the mechanism?

A septuagenarian man underwent dual chamber pacemaker (DDDR - Boston Scientific Massachusetts, U.S.) insertion for a complete heart block.

Advanced Glycation End Products in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have attracted interest as therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases. AGEs facilitate the onset and progression of various neurogenerative disorders due to their ability to promote cross-linking and aggregation of proteins. Further, the interaction between AGEs and receptor for AGEs (RAGE) activates neuroinflammatory, oxidative stress and excitotoxicity processes that contribute to neuronal cell death.

Carotid-cavernous fistula due to contralateral orbital trauma.

Direct carotid cavernous fistula is an abnormal arterio-venous connection from the carotid artery to the cavernous sinus (CS), resulting in high-pressure arterial blood entering the low-pressure venous CS. Most often, it occurs posttrauma and presents with ipsilateral orbital signs. In this report, we describe the case of a 54-year-old man, who presented with a late-onset right-sided red eye and diplopia following contralateral (left sided) orbital trauma (road traffic accident 7 months ago).

Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire - Translation and Validation in a South Indian Language.

Background And Objectives: Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP) refers to specific behaviors or minor deficits in social/communication skills not meeting the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The BAP Questionnaire (BAPQ) measures aloof personality (AP), rigid personality (RP), and pragmatic language (PL) deficits of BAP. The study objective is to translate and validate BAPQ into Malayalam, a South Indian language, and to establish new cut-off scores for detecting BAP in the Indian population.

Angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor in chronic heart failure and comorbidity management: Indian consensus statement.

Heart failure (HF) is a significant public health concern characterized by notable rates of morbidity and mortality. Multimorbidity, ranging from 43% to 98% among HF patients, significantly impacts prognosis and treatment response. HF management requires a holistic approach, including guideline-directed medical therapy.

Indian Trial of Tranexamic acid in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage study protocol.

Rationale: Early mortality in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is due to hematoma volume (HV) expansion, and there are no effective treatments available other than reduction in blood pressure. Tranexamic acid (TXA) a hemostatic drug that is widely available and safe can be a cost-effective treatment for ICH, if proven efficacious.

Hypothesis: Administration of TXA in ICH patients when given within 4.

Development and Validation of a Novel Tool to Measure Medication Adherence for Noncommunicable Diseases in India: Protocol for an Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Multicentric Study.

Background: In high-income countries, only 50% of patients treated for chronic diseases adhere to the prescribed treatment. This issue is even more pronounced in resource-limited countries. Medication adherence scales are simple, low-cost approaches to identify nonadherence in clinical practice.

Phenotypes of South Asian patients with atrial fibrillation and holistic integrated care management: cluster analysis of data from KERALA-AF Registry.

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently experience multimorbidity. Cluster analysis, a machine learning method for classifying patients with similar phenotypes, has not yet been used in South Asian AF patients.

Methods: The Kerala Atrial Fibrillation Registry is a prospective multicentre cohort study in Kerala, India, and the largest prospective AF registry in South Asia.

Rituximab in Refractory Myasthenia Gravis - Challenges and Lessons Learnt.

Nearly 10%-15% patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (MG) have refractory disease and are candidates for newer nonconventional immunotherapies. Rituximab has emerged as an attractive option in them. We describe the efficacy and safety of rituximab in 12 patients with refractory MG treated over a period of 4 years in a tertiary care center.

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy in India: Past, Present, and Future.

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) has emerged as a key area of interest among researchers worldwide, including those in India, who have actively studied the disorder over the past several decades. This review meticulously explores the extensive range of Indian research on PSP up to the present and offers insights into both current initiatives and potential future directions for managing PSP within the region. Historical research contributions have spanned 80 publications from 1974 to 2023, encompassing diverse themes from clinical phenotyping and historical analysis to isolated investigative studies and therapeutic trials.

Evaluation of Cardiac Function in Patients with Supratentorial Tumors and Raised Intracranial Pressure: HABIT-ICP, a Prospective Observational Study Using Transthoracic Echocardiography.

 An acute increase in intracranial pressure (ICP) has been shown to affect cardiac function due to brain ischemia and the associated increased sympathetic activity. However, there is limited literature on the changes in cardiac function in clinical scenarios where there is a gradual and progressive increase in ICP, such as in brain tumors. We aimed to assess and compare the cardiac function in patients with primary supratentorial brain tumors presenting with and without raised ICP for neurosurgery.