Changes in bone marrow in malaria-a prospective study of 47 cases

Background: Bone marrow aspiration done in cases of repeated fever, fever of unknown origin, pancytopenia to detect Malaria parasite in bone marrow.  The study was undertaken to evaluate the role of bone marrow aspiration in establishing the etiology of Plasmodium vivax in cases of pancytopenia or thrombocytopenia in recurrent fever or fever of unknown origin.Methods: Patients of different age groups presenting with recurrent fever or fever of unknown origin with pancytopenia or thrombocytopenia from Jan 2015 to Oct 2017. Out of the 108 bone marrow aspirations abiding the above criteria 47 showed presence of Plasmodium vivax trophozoites in bone marrow.Results: The age of patients varied from 8 months to 65 years. 47 cases showed presence of Plasmodium vivax trophozoites, mainly with hyperplastic marrow showing normoblastic and megaloblastic hyperplasia, presence of hemophagocytosis in 6 cases and also 2 cases showing increase in plasma cells.Conclusions: Bone marrow aspiration studies are of vital importance in diagnosing malarial infection in endemic areas as being one of the cause of pancytopenia or thrombocytopenia

Study of maternal outcome in emergency peripartum hysterectomy at a tertiary hospital

Background: Emergency peripartum hysterectomy is an indispensable part of the obstetricians' armamentarium. In no other gynecological or obstetrical surgery, is the surgeon in as much a dilemma as when deciding to resort to an emergency hysterectomy. On one hand, it is the last resort to save a woman's life and on the other hand, her reproductive capability is sacrificed. Many times, it is a very difficult decision and requires good clinical judgment. Objective of present study was to study the cases of emergency peripartum hysterectomy performed in tertiary care center to estimate the incidence, indications, and maternal outcome following the procedure.Methods: All cases of peripartum emergency hysterectomy that were performed in our hospital from January 2015 to June 2016 were reviewed and evaluated in terms of the incidence, indications, and the associated complications.Results: During the study period there were 28 emergency peripartum hysterectomies out of 28215 deliveries giving an incidence of 0.10%. rupture uterus was the Commonest indication contributing to 13 cases. Septicemia was the common post operative complication associated. There were 4 maternal deaths in our study.Conclusions: Emergency peripartum hysterectomy though a rare operation, still remains a life‑saving procedure with which every obstetrician must be conversant. regular antenatal care, identification of high‑risk cases, and prompt referral can reduce the incidence of this operation. Peripartum hysterectomy will always remain an essential life saving surgery for the mother at cost of their uterus and when performed in indicated cases at right time will help in bringing down maternal mortality

Role of hysterolaparoscopy in evaluation and management of infertility

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the role of hysteron-laparoscopy in evaluation and management of infertility.Methods: Prospective observational study was conducted in department of obstetrics and gynaecology, LLRM medical college, SVBP hospital Meerut from May 2019 to June 2020. It included 58 women aged 22-40 years with primary and secondary infertility with normal hormone profile without male factor infertility.Results: Out of total 58 cases for infertility evaluated, primary infertility were 42 (72.41%) and secondary infertility were 67 (27.59%). In hysteroscopy deep seated ostium (12.06%), followed by endometrial polyp (6.89%) ,intrauterine synechiae (6.89%) were the most common pathologies while common abnormalities in laparoscopy were tubal pathology (20.68%), endometriosis (15.51%), and PCOD (12.06%) .Some of the diagnosed pathologies were dealt surgically in same sitting.Conclusions: Hystero-laparoscopy is a feasible and acceptable procedure and it can be used as “one time approach” in the assessment of female infertility caused due to pelvic and uterine pathology. It helps in diagnosis of certain factors causing infertility, which cannot be diagnosed by any other method such as by USG, HSG and reveals whether surgery is possible and if so the nature of surgery most suited for patient which can be performed in the same sitting

SPEECH RECOGNITION SYSTEMS – A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF CONCEPTS AND MECHANISM

Speech Recognition Systems now-a-days use many interdisciplinary technologies ranging from Pattern Recognition, Signal Processing, Natural Language Processing implementing to unified statistical framework. Such systems find a wide area of applications in areas like signal processing problems and many more. The objective of this paper is to present the concepts about Speech Recognition Systems starting from the evolution to the advancements that have now been adapted to the Speech Recognition Systems to make them more robust and accurate. This paper has the detailed study of the mechanism, the challenges and the tools to overcome those challenges with a concluding note that would ensure that with the advancements of the technologies, this world is surely going to experience revolutionary changes in the near future

Cross-Sectional Study to Find Out the Prevalence of Cardiovascular Diseases Through Detection of ECG Abnormalities in Undiagnosed Population Using a Handheld ECG Device, SanketLife Pro Plus

: In India, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are now the main cause of sudden death. Statistics on prevalence or nationally representative surveillance statistics, however, are lacking. Aim: The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess the ECG findings in general OPD patients not yet diagnosed with any CVD using SanketLife Pro Plus handheld ECG device. Materials and methods: The study data was extracted from a free ECG test camp, which was organized in the common OPD waiting area at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi. Of the 100 persons screened, 78% had sinus rhythm and 13% had tachycardia. Apart from these, no other major findings were detected in the study population. One percent ST depression and 4% T-wave inversions were the significant findings of concern, suggestive of myocardial ischemia or infarction, especially in the undiagnosed population. Conclusion: Considering the sample size, even at a 1% incidence of major ECG abnormalities, the outcome is indicative of a possible underlying danger, which is avoidable with early detection and thorough awareness. A mass ECG screening along with collection of relevant data and appropriate research design may help to identify the population at risk. Besides the ECG screening, a stroke risk assessment should be done and prophylaxis must be given to the individuals who have been diagnosed with CVDs

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF MUCOADHESIVE MICROSPHERES OF LEVOFLOXACIN HYDROCHLORIDE

Levofloxacin microspheres with  mucoadhesive polymers like Sodium Alginate, Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose and Carbopol-940 were prepared by w/o emulsification solvent evaporation method and evaluated. The resulting microspheres were small, discrete, spherical and free flowing. The microspheres showed significant mucoadhesive property in the in-vitro wash-off test. The drug release from the mucoadhesive microspheres followed the controlled release profile. and first order kinetics. Drug release was controlled by the diffusion mechanism. Stability studies were performed at three different temperatures for six weeks. All the formulation showed satisfactory stability profile

Fungal carriage on healthcare workers’ hands, clothing, stethoscopes and electronic devices during routine patient care: a study from a tertiary care center

Background – Invasive fungal infections are a constant threat to immunocompromised and critically ill patients. Healthcare workers caring for such patients act as conduits of transmission through their contaminated hands and belongings. Although bacterial contamination of healthcare workers is known, our knowledge about fungal carriage is sparse. Aim– To study the prevalence and type of fungal carriage on healthcare workers hands, aprons/hospital scrubs, electronic devices and stethoscopes. Methods– Healthcare workers working in Medicine ward and ICU during November and December 2019 were sampled. Hand washes were collected in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth with gentamycin. Direct impression smears on blood agar were taken from aprons/hospital scrubs. Electronic devices and stethoscopes were sampled using moist cotton swabs. Subculture and plating was done on Sabarouds Dextrose Agar (SDA). Yeasts were identified using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Time of Flight (MALDI TOF) and moulds were identified using microscopy. Findings – Out of 60 health care workers, 20 (33.3%) had fungal carriage. Aprons/hospital scrubs and hands were contaminated in 17 (28.3%) and 3 (5%) respectively. Aprons/hospital scrubs mainly constituted moulds belonging to species of Aspergillus. Hands were contaminated with Candida tropicalis, Candida parapsilosis and Candida auris. Electronic devices and stethoscopes had no fungal contamination. Sex (p=0.77), designation (p=0.32) and unit of surveillance (p=0.06) were not significantly associated with fungal isolation from health care workers. Conclusion – Active fungal surveillance provides prevalent carriage rates and serve as a feedback to improve our disinfection and hand hygiene practices. It also aids in identification of potential source of hospital outbreaks

Correlation between hematological parameters, blood urea level and mortality of COVID-19 patients.

Aim: Present study was aimed to analyze difference of hematological parameters and blood urea level between Recovered and Dead cases of COVID-19. Material & Methods: A hospital based study was undertaken wherein hematological parameters and blood urea level of 65 cases were analyzed. Results: Recovered patients, 16 (42.1%) showed higher levels of neutrophils with corresponding 22 (57.9%) patients showing normal level of lymphocytes, 25 (65.7%) with normal hemoglobin and 35 (92%) with normal blood urea. On other hand, among 27 Died cases, 26 (96.2%) showed higher counts of neutrophils, 1 patient showed normal lymphocytes (3.8%) and 26 (96.2%) with low count of lymphocytes. Conclusion: In majority of cases, recovered patients showed normal range of lymphocytes (20-45%), hemoglobin and blood urea levels, whereas mortality was observed associated with deficiency of lymphocytes (except one patient all belo

Role of imaging in the management of thyroglossal duct cyst carcinomas (TGC-TIRADS): a single centre retrospective study over 16 years

IntroductionThyroglossal duct cyst (TGDC) is the most frequently encountered developmental anomaly in thyroid genesis with a reported incidence of 7% in the adult population. The cyst is known to develop anywhere along the pathway of thyroid descent but is more frequently seen in the infrahyoid neck in the midline. The incidence of malignancy in a TGDC is approximately 1%; a majority of these are papillary carcinomas. This study was conducted at a single tertiary care centre which spanned over a decade which adds practice changing evidence-based knowledge to existing literature on this rare entity. A comprehensive study which conclusively establishes the imaging features predictive of malignancy in TGDC carcinomas (TGDCa), the protocol for optimal management, clinical outcome and long-term survival of these patients is not available. Although TGDC carcinoma is thought to have an excellent prognosis, there is not enough data available on the long-term survival of these patients. The aim of this study was to identify whether neck ultrasound (US) can serve as an accurate imaging tool for the preoperative diagnosis of TGDC carcinomas.MethodsWe accessed the electronic medical records of 86 patients with TGDC between January 2005 to December 2021. Of these, 22 patients were detected with TGDC papillary carcinoma on histopathologic examination. Relevant imaging, treatment and follow up information for all cases of TGDC carcinoma were retrospectively reviewed. We compared US characteristics predictive of malignancy across outcomes groups; malignant vs benign using the Chi-square test. Based on the results, a TGC-TIRADS classification was proposed with calculation of the percentage likelihood of malignancy for each category.ResultsCompared to benign TGDCs, malignant TGDCs were more likely to present with following US characteristics: irregular or lobulated margins (90.40 vs. 38.10%), solid-cystic composition (61.90 vs. 17.07%), internal vascularity (47.62 vs. 4.88 %), internal calcification (76.19 vs. 7.32 %) (each p value < 0.005). Calcifications and internal vascularity were the most specific while irregular/lobulated margins were the most sensitive feature for malignancy. AUC under the ROC curve was 0.88. Allpatients were operated and were disease free at the end of 5 years or till the recent follow up.DiscussionUS is the imaging modality of choice for pre-operative diagnosis of TGDC carcinoma. Thepre-operative diagnosis and risk stratification of thyroglossal lesions will be aided by the application of the proposed TGC-TIRADS classification, for which the percentage likelihood of malignancy correlated well with the results in our study. Sistrunk procedure is adequate for isolated TGDC carcinoma; suspicious neck nodes on imaging also necessitates selective nodal dissection. Papillary carcinomas have an excellent prognosis with low incidence of disease recurrence