Clinical Profile of Ascites Based on Presentation and Laboratory Findings: An institutional experience from Kathmandu, Nepal

Introduction: Ascites is the fluid collection in the potential space of the peritoneal cavity. Alcoholic liver disease and intra-abdominal malignancy are two major etiologies behind it. Also, diagnosis of tuberculous ascites should be thought of due to endemicity. Cirrhotic patients at any time during the course of disease, invariably present with ascites which is one of the marker of decompensation. In our context, etiology behind ascites and its correlation with symptoms and clinical findings not yet studied, so present study is conceptualized. Methods:This is a cross-sectional retrospective descriptive hospital based record review of patients presented with ascites in a tertiary center of Kathmandu. One hundred fourteen patients with ascites under regular follow up of Shree Birendra Hospital (SBH) were reviewed. Data regarding presenting complaints, examination findings, relevant investigations during first visit and final diagnosis were retrieved from our own record keeping and recorded information were then evaluated. Results: Patients having ascites have myriad of symptoms and signs, commonest clinical feature being icterus (74, 64.9%). Most of them were anemic at presentation. Forty-two (36.8%) had high blood urea and 36 (31.5%) with high creatinine suggesting approximately 30-40% cases presented with deranged renal function test. Ninety-three (81.5%) had raised total serum bilirubin. Similarly, PT/INR derangements were in 74 (64.9%) and 57 (50%) suggesting deranged liver function. Serum albumin was less than 3.5 gram/deciliter in 83(72.8%) cases. Among the patients studied, 80 (70.1%) had high Serum-Ascites Abumin Gradient (SAAG) suggesting transudative type of ascites and rest 34 had low SAAG suggesting exudative type of ascites. Overall assessment revealed, majority of patients (71.05%) had Chronic liver disease (CLD) as the cause of ascites. Conclusions: Ascites due to chronic liver disease was the main finding with etiology supported by laboratory findings. Significant numbers of the patients had deranged renal function on top of liver function derangement, so these parameters need to be properly taken care of. Key Words: Ascites, liver cirrhosis, serum ascetic albumin gradient

Aneurysmal Bone Cyst of Talus

Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) of talus is rare benign, expansile and osteolytic bone growth. Cyst contains bloody fluid lined with variable amount of osteolytic giant cells. This is common in epiphyseal ends of long bone and rare in small bones like talus. Here a 20 years’ male with aneurysmal bone cyst of talus managed with wide intralesional curettage with autologous bone graft mixed with synthetic bone graft been presented

COVID-19 Tackling in Yemen: An Overview of Scenario

COVID-19 has threatened the whole world with its devastating nature. It is first reported as pneumonia-like outbreak in Hubei province of China in late December 2019. The coronavirus, cause of COVID-19; spread so quickly that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in a very short period. Though, initially it has affected the developed countries, the countries in low and middle income category also are not spared. Yemen is a country with low-income economy and has been in ongoing civil war. First case of COVID-19 reported on 10th April with total 1619 cases and 447 total deaths as of 21st July 2020 in Yemen. The preventive measures such as lockdown, social distancing, and personal hygiene are practiced, however there is still lack of adequate resources for efficient healthcare facilities. Poverty, lack of sufficient health resources, proper hygiene and sanitation, and social stigmatization are the major problems in Yemen. No drugs and vaccines are now developed to rely on for the treatment of COVID-19, therefore a preventive measures should be focused for the proper management in countries like Yemen. The concept of “do not take the virus and do not give the virus” with different approaches of preventive aspects through hand-washing, social distancing, wearing masks and gloves, and making people aware in mass utilizing audio-visual media are helpful. The preparation of management guidelines by the government and mobilizing healthcare resources to different parts for proper containment of the COVID-19 cases is essential

Prevalence of migraine and tension‐type headache among undergraduate medical students of Kathmandu Valley: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract Background Headache is the most prevalent neurological symptom which can be of a serious condition, as in brain tumor, but mostly it is a benign condition that includes primary headache such as migraine or tension‐type headache (TTH). Migraine reoccurs frequently and is more severe but owing to the high prevalence of TTH, however, impaired quality of life due to TTH is greater than that of migraine at the population level. Medical students are constantly subjected to stress and in such a condition, it was necessary to find out the burden of headache among medical students. This cross‐sectional study done among medical students aims to generate some data and literature which will change the outlook of stakeholders towards headache disorders among medical students. Methods This cross‐sectional study is based upon Headache Screening Questionnaire—English Version questionnaire based upon the ICHD‐3 beta criteria. Medical students of Kathmandu valley were sampled by using convenient sampling and data were collected. Data were refined in Microsoft Excel and imported to SPSS 20 for analysis. Results A total of 352 individuals were part of this study, out of which 229 (65.1%) were males and 123 (34.9%) were females with a mean age of 21.72 ±  1.601 years (mean ± SD). Prevalence of migraine and TTH was found to be 15.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.7%–19.3%) and 40.3% (95% CI: 34.9–45.2), respectively. Through multivariate binomial regression, it was observed that the odds of being diagnosed with migraine increased with age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.266 [1.013–1.583], p = 0.038), females had twice the odds of experiencing migraine headaches compared to males (AOR = 2.119 [1.074–4.180], p = 0.03), and medical students who stayed at the hostel were at lesser odds of experiencing migraine headache (AOR = 2.772 [1.501–5.118], p = 0.01). Conclusion Prevalence of migraine and TTH among undergraduate medical students was found to be 15.3% and 40.3%, respectively

Hepatitis B vaccination status and knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding Hepatitis B among preclinical medical students of a medical college in Nepal.

BackgroundHepatitis B imposes a major public health problem with an increased risk of occupational exposure among unvaccinated health care workers. This study was conducted to determine the Hepatitis B vaccination status, along with the knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding Hepatitis B, among preclinical medical students of a medical college in Nepal.Materials and methodsThis descriptive study was conducted among preclinical students of a medical college in Kathmandu, Nepal from 6th July to 14th July 2020. The whole sampling technique was used. Data were collected using a pretested, self-administered questionnaire which was emailed to individuals and analyzed with the statistical package for social sciences version-22.ResultsA total of 181 students participated in the study out of 198, giving a response rate of 91.4%. Among the study participants, only 67 (37%) were fully vaccinated against Hepatitis B while 71 (39.2%) were never vaccinated. For the majority (74.6%) of the non-vaccinated participants, the main reason for not getting vaccination was a lack of vaccination programs. Half the study participants (n = 92, 50.8%) had good knowledge, attitude and practice regarding hepatitis B. The median knowledge, attitude and practice scores towards Hepatitis B were 61.00 (57.00-66.00), 20(18.00-21.00) and 21(19.00-23.00) respectively.ConclusionsThe majority of preclinical medical students were not fully vaccinated against Hepatitis B and only half of them had acceptable knowledge, attitude and practice towards Hepatitis B, which makes them vulnerable to the infection. This might represent the situation of not only Nepal, but also all South Asian countries, and creates concern about whether students take the vaccination programs seriously. Since unavailability of vaccination program is the main cause of non-vaccination, we strongly recommend the provision of the Hepatitis B vaccination program to the preclinical medical students

Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy in South Asia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: This systematic review collated the literature on the prevalence rate of different types of intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy in South Asia. Methods: Systematic literature searches were conducted in four major databases (Embase, Scopus, PubMed, PubMed Central) to identify relevant articles published from the inception of each database to May 2021, which reported data on the prevalence of intimate partner violence during pregnancy in South Asia. The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tool for prevalence studies was used to assess the risk of bias in individual studies. A random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled prevalence and corresponding 95% confidence interval due to significant between-study heterogeneity. Results: Thirty-seven studies were reviewed which showed an overall prevalence of IPV from South Asian countries was 23.4% (physical violence: 13.6%; sexual violence: 8.5%; emotional violence: 20.2%). Conclusions: There was a higher prevalence of intimate partner violence during pregnancy reported, with an overall prevalence ranging from 1.7% to 66.4% across studies. Emotional violence was more prevalent form when compared to sexual or physical violence. Keywords: Intimate partner violence; pregnancy, south Asia; systematic revie

Differences in clinical presentation and outcomes in pregnancy-associated Takotsubo Syndrome- A scoping review of the literature: Outcomes in pregnancy-associated Takotsubo

BACKGROUND: Takotsubo syndrome (TS) during pregnancy and postpartum is rare but may lead to significant maternal and fetal morbidity. We compared clinical characteristics and prognosis according to [a] timing of presentation (pregnancy vs post-partum) and [b] modes of delivery (cesarean section vs vaginal delivery). METHODS: Systematic review of articles published in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Medline databases from inception to July 30, 2023. Patient demographics, obstetric, electrocardiographic, laboratory, echocardiographic characteristics, and prognosis were summarized descriptively. RESULTS: An initial database search identified 2162 articles, of which 81 studies were included in this review. TS during pregnancy can have emotional, obstetric, and metabolic triggers and has a higher proportion of adverse fetal outcomes when compared with women who developed TS postpartum. Women with TS after cesarean section had an earlier onset and higher proportion of anesthesia use when compared with those who developed TS after vaginal delivery. There were no differences regarding the degree of systolic dysfunction or the need for advanced therapies, including ventilator support, intra-aortic balloon pump, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation among groups. CONCLUSIONS: TS is associated with various triggers and adverse fetal outcomes when it develops during pregnancy than in the postpartum period. TS occurs more rapidly and with a more aggressive course after cesarean section than after vaginal delivery

Safety and efficacy of cerebral embolic protection devices for patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement: An updated meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cerebral embolic protection (CEP) devices are employed to capture embolic debris and reduce the risk of stroke during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Evidence is mixed regarding the safety and efficacy of CEP. We aimed to summarize the safety and effectiveness of CEP use during TAVR. METHODS: Electronic databases, including PubMed, PubMed Central, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Embase, were searched using relevant search terms for articles relating to CEP. All relevant data from 20 studies were extracted into a standardized form. Statistical analyses were performed using Revman 5.4. Odds ratio (OR) or mean differences (MDs) were used to estimate the desired outcome with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: Twenty studies (eight randomized controlled trials [RCTs]) involving 210,871 patients (19,261 in the CEP group and 191,610 in TAVR without the CEP group) were included. The use of CEP was associated with a lower odds of 30-day mortality by 39% (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.53-0.70) and stroke by 31% (OR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.52-0.92). Comparing devices, benefit in terms of mortality and stroke was observed with the use of the Sentinel device (Boston Scientific), but not among other devices. No differences were observed in the outcomes of acute kidney injury, major or life-threatening bleeding events, or major vascular complications between groups. When only RCTs were included, there were no observed differences in the primary or secondary outcomes for CEP versus no CEP use during TAVR. CONCLUSIONS: The totality of evidence suggests a net benefit for the use of CEP, weighted by studies in which the Sentinal device was used. However, given the RCT subanalysis, additional evidence is needed to identify patients at the highest risk of stroke for optimal decision-making