Information Literacy Skills and Impact of COVID-19 on Rural Students of Tamil Nadu, South India

Information Literacy is an effective tool to analyze the current knowledge and education quality of students who is pursuing school and college education. Most of the studies on information literacy have been conducted in rural and urban areas students. Although rural students are facing several problems for studying school and higher education levels revealed by information literacy assessment is necessary for rural students due to online education and economic impact with COVID-19 issue. Therefore, the proposed study is aimed to concentrate the present knowledge to the information literacy skill, and impact with COVID-19 student’s education level in the rural students of Tamil Nadu State, South India. In each village, about 25 to 50 students will be chosen by questionnaire method. The question were raised their demography, Information literacy skill and impact with covid-19 of the rural students education level. The result of the study central and state government should facilitate rural students by providing them with all kinds of facilities like laptops and smart phones and going to the slums to improve the quality of education of rural students and promote access to their higher education and intellectual information

Rational Use of Methylene Blue in COVID-19 Treatment

Methylene blue entered the medical field when Robert Koch and Paul Ehrlich introduced the staining of tuberculosis microorganisms using methylene blue. It is used as an anesthetic agent for its sensory nerve ending blocking property, and its antimicrobial activity was useful as an antimalarial therapy in the 1890s. In the modern medical field, methylene blue was majorly used for investigational purposes as contrast in many radiological diagnostic techniques. Further applications of methylene blue in various clinical indications like Alzheimer's disease, depression, and psychosis are under investigation. Human Coronavirus invasion through the ACE 2 receptor causes the immune system's activation and induces apoptosis in human cells like monocytes, macrophages, T lymphocytes, and dendritic cells, which results in the activation of the innate and acquired immune system. This process results in the massive elimination of the infected cells. Methylene blue can play a significant role in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection by inhibiting viral replication and preventing sepsis due to covid illness. Theoretically, anti-inflammatory activity, oxidative stress, and tissue damage caused by covid infection can be minimized, and thereby it can also be beneficial for the patients suffering from cytokine storm. From this review article, we conclude that methylene blue should be evaluated for its role in covid treatment at a clinical level. Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, Antiviral activity, Cytokine storm, Nitric oxide, Antidote activity

Management of Severe Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis Using Mechanical Balloon Assisted Thrombectomy

Background Cerebral venous thrombosis is a devastating condition with, despite optimal medical management, a significant proportion deteriorating due to involvement of the deep venous system, worsening intracranial pressures, and hemorrhage. In this study, we report the characteristics, immediate and long‐term outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) using a Forgarty balloon catheter among patients with cerebral venous thrombosis. Methods A prospective study conducted at the Christian Medical College, Vellore over 5 years (February 2017–February 2022), wherein patients with cerebral venous thrombosis who had clinical deterioration despite best medical management and requiring MT were included. MT was performed through retrograde venous access through internal jugular veins using a Fogarty balloon. The primary outcome was composite end point of mortality and proportion of patients with favorable clinical response at last follow‐up, defined as a disability score in modified Rankin scale 0–2. Results Among 546 patients treated in our center during the study period, 57(10%), patients required MT. The median age of the study population was 33 years (interquartile range: 17–70 years) with equal gender predilection. Hemorrhagic venous infarction was seen in 28/57 (50%) patients. The mean duration between starting medical treatment and to MT was 43 hours (interquartile range: 5–260 hours) with the most common indication being clinical deterioration (70%). Five patients (9%) required decompressive hemicraniectomy. The mortality at discharge was 5% (n=3), and at last follow‐up visit was 7% (n=4). Younger patients without hemorrhagic venous infarction and non‐involvement of the frontoparietal lobes seem to benefit the most. Favorable functional outcome at discharge (modified Rankin scale 0–2) was seen in 65% which further improved to 77% at 1‐year follow‐up. Conclusion Balloon‐assisted MT is safe and effective in a subset of patients with severe cerebral venous thrombosis, with clinical deterioration despite optimal medical management