Association of psycho-wellness with various blood types in young medical students

Background: There are many stressors that affect student’s mental health. Many evidences indicate that individuals of different blood group have different response to same stressor, suggesting that the genetics of blood type also appear to alter susceptibility to develop neuropsychiatric disease. This study aimed to find out association of blood group with depression so early detection of depression and stress by blood types helps to reduce the overall burden of illness of young students thus improve their academic performance and social life.  Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 226 medical students. They are interrogated as per MMS scale to assess the psycho-wellbeing of students. ABO and Rh blood groups were determined by Anti sera A, Anti sera B and Anti sera D. Data were analysed with Primer version 6 and Chi-square.Results: In the present study it was observed that majority of students belong to blood group B (39.38%), followed by blood group 'O' (27.88%), 'A' (27.66%) and 'AB' (7.08%) respectively. Blood type A was more in red zone and more prone to PTSD (post traumatic syndrome disorders). Whereas blood type B was more prone to suicidal tendency. Proportion of psychomorbidity was found more in Rh+ than Rh (28.16% verse 15%). But these variations were statistically insignificant.  Conclusions: Blood type 'A' and 'Rh+' were more prone to psycho morbidity and ‘B’ for suicidal tendency, while 'O' had least suicidal tendency but this variation was not found significant. So it can be concluded that there is no association between blood type and psycho wellness of individual.

Clinicopathological Study of Salivary Gland Tumors in Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Background: The study “Preoperative predictors of ossicular status in chronic suppurative otitis media” was undertaken in Swami Rama Himalayan University, Dehradun. A total number of 124 patients who underwent “tympanomastoidcetomy” for CSOM were evaluated to correlate the preoperative predictors with intraoperative ossicular status. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out for 12 months period in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, SRHU, Swami Ram Nagar, Dehradun. Subjects were recruited from Inpatient Department planned for surgery. Each of the patients selected for the study was subjected to a detailed history and complete ear, nose and throat examination. Site and size of perforation, status of attic, middle ear mucosa status, presence of myringosclerosis, tympanosclerosis, granulations and cholesteatoma were noted in each patient. Degree and type of hearing loss was evaluated via pure tone audiometry. Results: Most of the patients belonged to the age group of less than 40 years, with maximum patients falling in the age group of 21-30 years i.e.,39 (31.45%) patients. The average age of patients was 29.39±10.79 years. Female predominance was seen with male to female ratio being 1:1.33. More cases were from rural areas comprising of 81 (65.3%) cases while 43 (34.6%) resided in urban areas. Ear discharge was the most common presenting complaint seen in 109 cases (87.90%) followed by hearing loss which was present in 100 cases (80.64%). Unilateral ear discharge present in 89 (81.65%) and 20 (18.34%) had bilateral ear discharge. Conclusion: Blood-stained discharge was present in 40 (36.66%) patients out of which 28 (70%) patients had ossicular necrosis. On assessing the amount of ear discharge, highest number of patients had scanty discharge i.e., in 75 (68.80%), out of which 30 (40%) patients had ossicular necrosis. Mucopurulent discharge was seen in highest number of patients i.e., in 68 (62.38%) out of which 30 (44.1%) had ossicular necrosis. Associated symptoms of vertigo were present in 28 patients (22.5%) out of which 16 patients (57.1%) had ossicles necrosed. On findings of otoscopy and otoendoscopy, perforation in pars tensa was seen in 82 patients (66.12%) out of which ossicular necrosis was present in 14 patients (17%). Highest incidence of ossicular necrosis was seen in 4 (4.83%) patients who had perforation involving both pars tensa and pars flaccida

Implications of Corona Virus Disease-19 pandemic on cytopathology laboratory—Challenges and solutions in resource-limited settings

Background: Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) disease which is still showing peaks and plateau with emerging new mutational viral variants has led to the modification of working of hospitals and medical institutes. Cytopathology laboratories geared up with the changing situation to cope up with not only the COVID-19 patients but also patients of other diseases, particularly oncology patients. It was also important to adopt changes in the cytopathology residency program so as to cope up with the changing scenario. Aim: The present study was conducted to study the various measures adopted and the changes made in the cytopathology laboratory during COVID-19 infection in a resource-limited setting while catering to a large population of COVID-19-positive patients in the north Himalayan region of India. It was also intended to study the methods adopted for effective cytopathology residency training during corona times. Setting and Design: The study was conducted from March 2020 to December 2021 in the cytopathology lab, and all the samples were analyzed and compared with the samples received in pre-corona times from March 2018 to December 2019. The different methods adopted during corona times for effective cytopathology residency training were also analyzed. Results: The total number of samples received in the cytopathology laboratory in pre-corona times from March 2018 to December 2019 were 6822, and samples received from March 2020 to December 2021 were 6567 with decrease of 1.9% of cases. There was increase in 17.4% for the samples of the respiratory tract received in the lab with an increase in cases of infections including aspergillosis, mucormycosis, and tuberculosis. There was 10.3% increase in cytological diagnosis of malignant cases during corona times. Use of 90% alcohol for fixation rather than air drying of smears, avoiding of pneumatic tubes, judicious use of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits along with access to the digital cytology slide database were included in the changes made in the lab. Conclusions: There was a marginal decrease in cytopathological diagnosis during COVID-19 with substantial increase in the malignancy rate of 10.3% in cytological diagnosis of different organs. Diagnosis of mucormycosis, aspergillosis, and tuberculosis infections of respiratory tract cytology increased during this period. Judicious use of limited available resources led not only to smooth functioning of the cytopathology lab but also prevented any infection in the working health personals. Newer online resources were explored and modified for continuous training of the cytopathology residents. Emotional support with effective communication was the key to alleviate any psychological stress among all health professionals in the cytopathology laboratory

Empirical analysis of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) towards COVID-19 among residents of Jaipur district, Rajasthan, India: an online cross-sectional community based study

Background Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has become a pandemic crisis. Good Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) can prevent the spread of the virus. The present study aimed to identify the current status of KAP associated with COVID-19 characteristics, prevention, control and treatment options within the study population

Establishing a regional rare blood donor registry in Uttarakhand, India

Background and Objectives: Uttarakhand, a state in northern India, is home to various local communities, including the Garhwali, Kumaoni, and Jaunsari. In addition, individuals from neighboring countries such as Nepal and Tibet reside in Uttarakhand for many years, resulting in a diverse population. However, currently, there is no regional registry for rare blood donors in this state. The aim of this study was to develop a rare donor registry in Uttarakhand which could in future become a part of the national rare blood donor registry. Methods: During the routine donation process, samples were taken from randomly selected O-typed blood donors who are residents of Uttarakhand. Seventeen monoclonal antisera included Rh (anti-D, anti-C, anti-c, anti-E, and anti-e), Duffy (anti-Fya and anti-Fyb), Kell (anti-K and anti-k), Kidd (anti-Jka and anti-Jkb), Lewis (anti-Lea and anti-Leb), M, N, S, and s (Ortho Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, India). Furthermore, four polyclonal antisera from our serum repository, Diego (anti-Dia), Indian (anti-Ina), Rh (anti-Cw), and anti-Gp-Mur were used for phenotyping. The study was financially aided by the Uttarakhand State Council of Science and Technology (UCOST), Dehradun, Uttarakhand, Government of India. Results: Over a period of 16 months (November 2021–February 2023), out of a total of 17,004 blood donations, O blood type donors accounted for 29.9% (5085/17,004) of the donors screened. Among these, 7.3% (374/5085) of the donors were from the interior and plain areas of Uttarakhand. Our study revealed a high prevalence of k and e antigens, with 96.7% and 92.5%, respectively. The least prevalent antigen was Rh (Cw), observed in only 0.5% of cases. We also identified rare blood antigens such as Diego, Indian, and Gp-Mur and compared our findings with other studies. Furthermore, we identified a donor with an H-deficient phenotype, specifically the Bombay blood group (Oho). Conclusion: We have successfully established a regional registry for rare blood donors in Uttarakhand, which will be valuable for managing complex transfusion scenarios in the future. Further, given Uttarakhand's proximity to China and Nepal, the presence of individuals from these countries aptly connects the fields of anthropology and transfusion medicine

A Cross-Sectional Comparative Characterization of Hematological Changes in Patients with COVID-19 Infection, Non-COVID Influenza-like Illnesses and Healthy Controls

Introduction: Studies have documented the role of the “neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio” (NLR) in influenza virus infection. In addition, morphometric parameters derived from automated analyzers on the volume, scatter and conductivity of monocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes in many viral etiologies have helped with their early differentiation. With this background, we aimed to characterize the hematological changes of coronavirus-positive cases and also compare them with the healthy controls and patients affected by non-COVID Influenza-like illnesses so that early isolation could be considered. Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional analytical study carried out in the years 2020–2022. All cases with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 Influenza-like illnesses and healthy controls above 18 years were included. Cases were diagnosed according to the WHO guidelines. All samples were processed on a Unicel DxH 800 (Beckman Coulter, California, USA) automated hematology analyzer. The demographic, clinical and regular hematological parameters along with additional parameters such as volume, conductivity and scatter (VCS) of the three groups were compared. Results: The 169 COVID-19 cases were in the moderate to severe category. Compared with 140 healthy controls, the majority of the routine hematological values including the NLR (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio) and PLR (platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio) showed statistically significant differences. A cutoff of an absolute neutrophil count of 4350 cell/cumm was found to have a sensitivity of 76% and specificity of 70% in differentiating moderate and severe COVID-19 cases from healthy controls. COVID-19 and the non-COVID-19 Influenza-like illnesses were similar statistically in all parameters except the PLR, mean neutrophilic and monocytic volume, scatter parameters in neutrophils, axial light loss in monocytes and NLR. Interestingly, there was a trend of higher mean volumes and scatter in neutrophils and monocytes in COVID-19 cases as compared to non-COVID-19 Influenza-like illnesses. Conclusion: We demonstrated morphological changes in neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes in COVID-19 infection and also non-COVID-19 Influenza-like illnesses with the help of VCS parameters. A cutoff for the absolute neutrophils count was able to differentiate COVID-19 infection requiring hospitalization from healthy controls and eosinopenia was a characteristic finding in cases with COVID-19 infection

Quality of life of care giver of chronic psychiatric patients with its associates

Introduction- Chronically ill psychiatric patients require assistance from their family members for their supervision and even in daily activity of life. Often this impose a major burden on caregivers, placing them at a great risk of mental and physical problems leading to impaired quality of life. Methodology- A cross-sectional study was conducted on 60 care givers of patients with chronic psychiatric illness. WHO-QOL BREF scale was used to assess quality of life. Chi-square test was use to find out associations. Result- Mean age of caregivers was 36.8 years with mean care giving years 22.3 years. Majority of care givers were mails with M:F ratio 5. The mean total score of QOL care givers was found excellent (87.8%) i.e. 98.37 with standard deviation 6.97. Maximum QOL score was found in physical domains followed by environmental, psychological and social domain of Qol. Social domain was most affected domain. These variation of score as per various scores was found with significant variation. On further analysis in this study no association was found between QOL scores and characteristics of care givers. Conclusion: Although in many studies quality of life of care givers was found badly affected but surprisingly in this study it was not found much affected. Social domain was most affected domain As most affected domain was found social which may be because of social stigma attached to it, so awareness in community is needed