Cor-pulmonale: a rare presentation in a case of middle lobe syndrome

Brock’s syndrome or middle lobe syndrome (MLS) is chronic or recurrent collapse of right middle lobe due to causes which may be obstructive or non obstructive. The pathogenesis is not completely understood. An expert committee of the world health organization defined cor pulmonale as hypertrophy of the right ventricle resulting from diseases affecting the function and/or structure of the lungs.” Cor pulmonale is a common heart disease and a leading cause of disability and death. We are reporting this association in a 65y old female who presented to the emergency with acute exacerbation of COPD with SpO2=64% room air. Chest X-ray and HRCT thorax showed features suggesting MLS and ECG shows features suggesting P pulmonale /right atrial enlargement. BNP too was elevated. Patient was resuscitated and put on mechanical ventilation after ABG showed respiratory acidosis. Appropriate treatment with bronchodilators and antibiotics was given

Rotating hinge knee as a means of limb salvage in a patient operated on five times for periprosthetic joint infection: from despairs of darkness to lights of joy!

The demand for revision knee arthroplasty is increasing daily with the increase in the number of patients undergoing primary knee arthroplasty. The aim of revision arthroplasty therefore should be the restoration of the mechanical alignment of the limb with the restoration of joint line and biomechanics and these goals should be accomplished with the least possible use of constrained implants which otherwise depends on the degree of bone defects and integrity of collateral ligaments. We have hereby reported a case of a 51-year-old lady operated on five times before who was financially drained, mentally and psychologically depressed with the patient and her relative’s considering amputation of the limb as a last resort

Total hip replacement in a black hip: a case report and review of literature

Alkaptonuria is a rare metabolic disease leading to the accumulation of a blue-black pigment namely homogentisic acid in the cartilaginous tissue and body fluids giving them a black color. It is an autosomal recessive disease due to the deficiency of the hepatic enzyme oxidase which results in the accumulation of homogentisic acid in the skin, cartilage, and collagenous tissue giving them a black color. Herein we report a case of 65 years old gentleman who presented to our emergency department post domestic fall on his left hip, after which pain and swelling developed around the left hip and he was unable to bear weight with restricted mobility around the same

A standardized approach to treat complex aortic valve endocarditis: a case series

Background Surgical treatment of complicated aortic valve endocarditis often is challenging, even for experienced surgeons. We aim at demonstrating a standardized surgical approach by stentless bioprostheses for the treatment of aortic valve endocarditis complicated by paravalvular abscess formation. MethodsSixteen patients presenting with aortic valve endocarditis (4 native and 12 prosthetic valves) and paravalvular abscess formation at various localizations and to different extents were treated by a standardized approach using stentless bioprostheses. The procedure consisted of thorough debridement, root replacement with reimplantation of the coronary arteries and correction of accompanying pathologies (aortoventricular and aortomitral dehiscence, septum derangements, Gerbode defect, total atrioventricular conduction block, mitral and tricuspid valve involvement).ResultsAll highly complex patients included (14 males and 2 females; median age 63 years [range 31–77]) could be successfully treated with stentless bioprostheses as aortic root replacement. Radical surgical debridement of infected tissue with anatomical recontruction was feasible. Although predicted operative mortality was high (median logarithmic EuroSCORE I of 40.7 [range 12.8–68.3]), in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates were favorable (18.8 and 12.5% respectively). ConclusionsRepair of active aortic valve endocarditis complicated by paravalvular abscess formation and destruction of the left ventricular outflow tract with stentless bioprosthesis is a valuable option for both native and prosthetic valves. It presents a standardized approach with a high success rate for complete debridement, is readily available, and yields comparable clinical outcomes to the historical gold standard, repair by homografts. Additionally, use of one type of prosthesis reduces logistical issues and purchasing costs

Quantitative metabolomics based on gas chromatography mass spectrometry: status and perspectives

Metabolomics involves the unbiased quantitative and qualitative analysis of the complete set of metabolites present in cells, body fluids and tissues (the metabolome). By analyzing differences between metabolomes using biostatistics (multivariate data analysis; pattern recognition), metabolites relevant to a specific phenotypic characteristic can be identified. However, the reliability of the analytical data is a prerequisite for correct biological interpretation in metabolomics analysis. In this review the challenges in quantitative metabolomics analysis with regards to analytical as well as data preprocessing steps are discussed. Recommendations are given on how to optimize and validate comprehensive silylation-based methods from sample extraction and derivatization up to data preprocessing and how to perform quality control during metabolomics studies. The current state of method validation and data preprocessing methods used in published literature are discussed and a perspective on the future research necessary to obtain accurate quantitative data from comprehensive GC-MS data is provided

Impact of district mental health care plans on symptom severity and functioning of patients with priority mental health conditions: the Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME) cohort protocol

Background: The Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME) sought to implement mental health care plans (MHCP) for four priority mental disorders (depression, alcohol use disorder, psychosis and epilepsy) into routine primary care in five low- and middle-income country districts. The impact of the MHCPs on disability was evaluated through establishment of priority disorder treatment cohorts. This paper describes the methodology of these PRIME cohorts. Methods: One cohort for each disorder was recruited across some or all five districts: Sodo (Ethiopia), Sehore (India) , Chitwan (Nepal), Dr. Kenneth Kaunda (South Africa) and Kamuli (Uganda), comprising 17 treatment cohorts in total (N = 2182). Participants were adults residing in the districts who were eligible to receive mental health treatment according to primary health care staff, trained by PRIME facilitators as per the district MHCP. Patients who screened positive for depression or AUD and who were not given a diagnosis by their clinicians (N = 709) were also recruited into comparison cohorts in Ethiopia, India, Nepal and South Africa. Caregivers of patients with epilepsy or psychosis were also recruited (N = 953), together with or on behalf of the person with a mental disorder, depending on the district. The target sample size was 200 (depression and AUD), or 150 (psychosis and epilepsy) patients initiating treatment in each recruiting district. Data collection activities were conducted by PRIME research teams. Participants completed follow-up assessments after 3 months (AUD and depression) or 6 months (psychosis and epilepsy), and after 12 months. Primary outcomes were impaired functioning, using the 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS), and symptom severity, assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (depression), the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUD), and number of seizures (epilepsy). Discussion: Cohort recruitment was a function of the clinical detection rate by primary health care staff, and did not meet all planned targets. The cross-country methodology reflected the pragmatic nature of the PRIME cohorts: while the heterogeneity in methods of recruitment was a consequence of differences in health systems and MHCPs, the use of the WHODAS as primary outcome measure will allow for comparison of functioning recovery across sites and disorders

Nations within a nation: variations in epidemiological transition across the states of India, 1990–2016 in the Global Burden of Disease Study

18% of the world's population lives in India, and many states of India have populations similar to those of large countries. Action to effectively improve population health in India requires availability of reliable and comprehensive state-level estimates of disease burden and risk factors over time. Such comprehensive estimates have not been available so far for all major diseases and risk factors. Thus, we aimed to estimate the disease burden and risk factors in every state of India as part of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2016

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

SummaryBackground Azithromycin has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19 on the basis of its immunomodulatoryactions. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of azithromycin in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.Methods In this randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19Therapy [RECOVERY]), several possible treatments were compared with usual care in patients admitted to hospitalwith COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 176 hospitals in the UK. Eligible and consenting patients wererandomly allocated to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus azithromycin 500 mg once perday by mouth or intravenously for 10 days or until discharge (or allocation to one of the other RECOVERY treatmentgroups). Patients were assigned via web-based simple (unstratified) randomisation with allocation concealment andwere twice as likely to be randomly assigned to usual care than to any of the active treatment groups. Participants andlocal study staff were not masked to the allocated treatment, but all others involved in the trial were masked to theoutcome data during the trial. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality, assessed in the intention-to-treatpopulation. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936.Findings Between April 7 and Nov 27, 2020, of 16 442 patients enrolled in the RECOVERY trial, 9433 (57%) wereeligible and 7763 were included in the assessment of azithromycin. The mean age of these study participants was65·3 years (SD 15·7) and approximately a third were women (2944 [38%] of 7763). 2582 patients were randomlyallocated to receive azithromycin and 5181 patients were randomly allocated to usual care alone. Overall,561 (22%) patients allocated to azithromycin and 1162 (22%) patients allocated to usual care died within 28 days(rate ratio 0·97, 95% CI 0·87–1·07; p=0·50). No significant difference was seen in duration of hospital stay (median10 days [IQR 5 to >28] vs 11 days [5 to >28]) or the proportion of patients discharged from hospital alive within 28 days(rate ratio 1·04, 95% CI 0·98–1·10; p=0·19). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at baseline, nosignificant difference was seen in the proportion meeting the composite endpoint of invasive mechanical ventilationor death (risk ratio 0·95, 95% CI 0·87–1·03; p=0·24).Interpretation In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, azithromycin did not improve survival or otherprespecified clinical outcomes. Azithromycin use in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 should be restrictedto patients in whom there is a clear antimicrobial indication

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570