Idiopathic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: a review of literature with clinical update on current management practices.

Purpose: Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy is a major cause of visual disability in a vast majority of Asian population due to exudative maculopathy. Although it is a distinctive disease entity with characteristic pathophysiology, genetics, immunology and clinical features, but it is still misdiagnosed as neovascular age related macular degeneration as both the diseases are a part of pachychoroid spectrum and have some similar features. Also, there are varied options for the management of this disease, but there are no clear recommendations.

Unexplained repeated pregnancy loss and T helper cells.

Objective: To know the prevalence of immunology as a cause of unexplained repeated pregnancy loss (RPL) by comparing T helper cell 1(Th1) and T helper cell 2 (Th2) in the decidua of women with RPL, at the time of miscarriage with the decidua of women, at the time of induced abortion.

Study Design: case control study SETTING: Academic medical centre SUBJECTS: 36 Women requiring surgical evacuation, with history of previous one or more spontaneous abortions enrolled as cases. 37 patients undergoing surgically induced termination of pregnancy taken as control.

Colistin-induced Acquired Bartter-like Syndrome: A Rare Cause of Difficult Weaning.

Mahendran AJ, Gupta N, Agrawal S, Ish P. Colistin-induced Acquired Bartter-like Syndrome: A Rare Cause of Difficult Weaning. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(8):739-740.

A Prospective Study of Clinical Characteristics and Interventions Required in Critically Ill Obstetric Patients.

Introduction: Obstetric patients are a special group of patients whose management is challenged by concerns for fetal viability, altered maternal physiology, and diseases specific to pregnancy.

Materials And Methods: A prospective analysis of all obstetric patients admitted to the critical care department was done to assess reasons for transfer to the critical care unit (CCU) and the interventions required for management of these patients.

Results: Between June 2013 and September 2017, obstetric admission comprised 95 women (5.

Chest percussion, a common yet underutilized art.

Dear Editor Long years of respiratory medicine practice lets one develop a clinical instinct which certainly aids in diagnostic acumen...

The Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdown on Plastic Surgery Training and Practice in India.

 A nationwide lockdown due to the outbreak of COVID-19 has posed unforeseen challenges. Lockdown, physical distancing, and restrictions on medical practice have affected the training of residents and the professional and personal life of plastic surgeons. An online survey was conducted to assess this impact.

Mediastinal germ cell tumour masquerading as loculated pleural effusion.

Benign mediastinal teratomas often discovered while patients are still asymptomatic. Almost all arise in the anterosuperior mediastinal compartment. Most symptoms result from compression of adjacent structures.

Obstetric Early Warning Score for Prognostication of Critically Ill Obstetric Patient.

Introduction: Obstetric early warning score (OEWS) has been used conventionally for early identification of deteriorating obstetric patients in the labor room and ward settings. This study was conducted to determine if this simple clinical score could be used for prognosticating a critically ill patient in the ICU setting instead of sequential organ failure assessment score (SOFA) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) score.

Materials And Methods: A cohort study was conducted at Obstetrics Critical Care Unit, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.

Comparison of gustatory function between mucosal and squamous disease: a randomised controlled study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the gustatory function between patients with chronic mucosal and squamous diseases before and after the surgery.

Method: A total of 33 patients with mucosal diseases and 34 patients with squamous diseases were evaluated for gustatory function both in the pre-operative and post-operative periods. The taste scores were compared between the two groups.

Recommendations for Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgeries during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, dermatologists must be prepared to restructure their practice of procedural dermatology and cutaneous aesthetic surgeries. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented several challenges and has ushered in several changes in practice such as teledermatology, with many physicians adopting virtual consultations and treatments. Performing procedures in the times of COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges such as risk of transmission to doctors and staff due to potential aerosolization, release of virus droplets during the procedures, and risk of virus transfer through the instruments both in the peri- and postoperative period.

Re-defining Prognosis of Hematological Malignancies by Dynamic Response Assessment Methods: Lessons Learnt in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Hodgkin Lymphoma, Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma.

Risk-stratification is an essential management tool in defining prognosis of haematological neoplasms, both from patient and physician perspective. We define a new prognostic term "Dynamic Response Assessment Method(s) (DRAM)" as "method(s) used for re-stratifying disease prognosis at fixed intervals during the treatment course". The risk stratification is done after a fixed duration of treatment or chemotherapy cycles using sensitive techniques.

Randomised controlled study to compare radiofrequency ablation with minimally invasive ultrasound-guided non-flush ligation and stripping of great saphenous vein in the treatment of varicose veins.

Introduction: Flush ligation at the saphenofemoral junction and stripping of the great saphenous vein is being increasingly replaced by endovenous methods such as radiofrequency or endovenous laser ablation for the treatment of varicose veins. These modalities are expensive and not widely available. A minimally invasive ultrasound-guided surgery with non-flush ligation and stripping under local anaesthesia is a cost-effective alternative with similar postoperative outcomes.

Biomass Fuel Exposure and Lungs: Unraveling the Imaging Conundrum.

Prolonged exposure to biomass fuel smoke is a proven irritant, known to aggravate chronic lung diseases. Of the myriad spectrum of thoracic manifestations associated with inhalation of biomass fuel smoke, bronchial anthracofibrosis is a recently described entity characterized by bronchial narrowing and visible anthracotic pigmentation on bronchoscopy. Common imaging features include bronchostenosis, peribronchial soft tissue with or without calcification along with peribronchial lymph nodes.

Hepatocellular carcinoma in non-cirrhotic versus cirrhotic liver: a clinico-radiological comparative analysis.

Aim: To compare clinico-radiological pattern of non-cirrhotic versus cirrhotic HCC and correlate them with histopathological tumor grade.

Materials And Methods: This prospective study was carried out on 94 patients enrolled following ultrasound diagnosis of a liver mass measuring > 3 cm. Multiphasic MDCT was performed on all treatment-naïve cases and 56 cases with imaging pattern consistent with unifocal HCC were selected.

Effects of stage-matched repeated individual behavioural counselling session (RIBCS) as an intervention for decreased and stopping smoking.

We aimed to evaluate the effects of stage-matched repeated individual behavioural counselling (RIBCS) on the basis of the transtheoretical model (TTM) as an intervention to reduce and stop smoking. This study was conducted over a period of one year where all smokers presenting to a chest clinic in a tertiary centre were enrolled, each was classified on the basis of stage of readiness to change and underwent repeated counselling for a period of six months and each session was preceded and succeeded with filling of Fagerstorm test for nicotine dependence. Over the period of a year, 207 patients participated in this study, the mean age was 50.

Emerging prophylaxis strategies against COVID-19.

The Novel corona virus 2019 which started as an outbreak in China in December 2019 has rapidly spread all over the world, such that on 11th March 2020 WHO declared this disease as pandemic. The emergency that the world faces today demands that we develop urgent and effective measures to protect people at high risk of transmission. WHO has accelerated research in diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics for this novel coronavirus.

Does tumour necrosis factor alpha-induced cyclooxygenase-2 expression lead to spontaneous abortion in Chlamydia trachomatis-infected women.

Cytokines might be involved in spontaneous abortion by triggering inflammatory mediators (Cyclooxygenases (Cox)) leading to spontaneous abortion in Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct)-infected women. Study aimed to quantitate the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-8) and Cox-2 in endometrial curettage tissue (ECT) of Spontaneous Aborters (SA). SA (n = 135) and 120 age-matched controls were enrolled from SJH, New Delhi, India.

Effect of Uncomplicated Cataract Surgery on Central Macular Thickness in Diabetic and Non-diabetic Subjects.

Purpose: To assess the quantitative changes of macula in diabetic and non-diabetic eyes after uncomplicated cataract surgery.

Methods: In this prospective interventional study being performed in a tertiary healthcare hospital, a total of 660 eyes were divided into two groups. Group 1 included 330 eyes from healthy subjects and group 2 included 330 eyes from well-controlled diabetic subjects with no diabetic retinopathy planned for phacoemulsification with foldable IOL implantation by the same surgeon under similar settings.