RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Competency-based medical education (CBME) is a method of medical training that focuses on developing learners' competencies rather than simply assessing their knowledge and skills. Attitude, ethics, and communication (AETCOM) are important components of CBME, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT for CBME has not been studied. Hence, we aimed to assess the capability of ChatGPT in solving AETCOM case scenarios used for CBME in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 11 case scenarios were developed based on the AETCOM competencies. The scenarios were presented to ChatGPT, and the responses generated by ChatGPT were evaluated by three independent experts by awarding score ranging from 0 to 5. The scores were compared with a predefined score of 2.5 (50% accuracy) and 4 (80% accuracy) of a one-sample median test. Scores among the three raters were compared by the Kruskal-Wallis H test. The inter-rater reliability of the evaluations was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). RESULTS: The mean score of solution provided by ChatGPT was 3.88 ± 0.47 (out of 5), indicating an accuracy of approximately 78%. The responses evaluated by three raters were similar (Kruskal-Wallis H P value 0.51), and the ICC value was 0.796, which indicates a relatively high level of agreement among the raters. CONCLUSION: ChatGPT shows moderate capability in solving AETCOM case scenarios used for CBME in India. The inter-rater reliability of the evaluations suggests that ChatGPT's responses were consistent and reliable. Further studies are needed to explore the potential of ChatGPT and other AI tools in CBME and to determine the optimal use of these tools in medical education.
RESUMEN
Introduction: Leprosy also widely known by the name Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae affecting mankind with various clinico-pathological forms. It remained a major public health issue due to associated case load, morbidity and stigma attached to it. India declared elimination of leprosy in the year 2005. However, it is surprising to see that in some parts of the country, the prevalence is still significant. The objective of the study is to describe the spectrum of histopathological profile of leprosy and compare its correlation with clinical diagnosis in this post elimination era. Methods: A 24-months prospective study was conducted with clinically diagnosed leprosy cases in a tertiary care hospital in eastern India. Lesions were graded and the histopathological slides along with its bacteriological index (BI) on slit skin smears where possible was reviewed and analyzed. Agreement of histopathological finding with clinical finding was established. Results: A total of 220 cases were included in the study. On histopathology, borderline category was the most frequently reported with borderline tuberculoid the most common subtype. Most common clinical feature was hypopigmented plaque, followed by erythematous skin lesions, nodules, macules etc. Bacteriological index was studied in 192 slit skin smears. Moderate agreement between clinical and histopathological diagnosis with kappa measure of inter-rater agreement as 0.457 was noted. Conclusion: Clinico-histopathological correlation is pivotal in the accurate diagnosis of leprosy to prevent, treat, and control the resurgence of the disease in the post-elimination era.
RESUMEN
Background Acinetobacter calcoaceticus baumannii (ACB) complex has become a major concern nowadays because of its increasing involvement in several severe infections associated with catheter-related bloodstream and urinary tract infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, cerebrospinal shunt-related meningitis, and wound infections. Multiple drug-resistant (MDR) ACB cases have been described with an increasing trend where at least it is resistant to a minimum of three antimicrobial groups. The mortality rate associated with A. baumannii is significantly higher than all Acinetobacter spp. isolates with the most prevalence seen in India and Thailand. The rapid spread of high resistance to most potent antimicrobial drugs is due to its ability to incorporate resistance determinants despite multifactorial reasons such as alteration in permeability of cell membrane by either losing expression of outer membrane porins or excess production of efflux pumps. This study aims to characterize resistance determinants responsible for MDR at the genetic level and emphasizes the use of genotyping in routine diagnosis as genotype analysis is reliable and valid. Methodology A total of 289 ACB complex clinical isolates were included in this study. The study for species-level identification of A. baumannii was conducted at the Department of Microbiology, IQ City Medical College Hospital, Durgapur, West Bengal. In addition, the detection of encoded genes associated with class A-extended spectrum beta-lactamases (i.e., CTX-M, KPC, SHV, and TEM genes), class B-metallo-ß-lactamases (i.e., IMP, NDM, and VIM genes), Class C-AmpC cephalosporinase, and classD-OXA carbapenemases (i.e., blaOXA-10/11, blaOXA-24, blaOXA-48, blaOXA-58, blaOXA-143, and blaOXA-235 was done using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results All 289 non-repetitive ACB complex clinical isolates were confirmed as A. baumannii, of which 277 (96%) isolates were MDR. There were no findings of blaCTX-M, blaKPC, blaSHV, blaTEM, blaIMP, blaVIM, blaAmpC, blaOXA-10/11, blaOXA-24, blaOXA-48, blaOXA-58, blaOXA-143, and blaOXA-235 genes in our study. However, there were four (1.44%) positive findings of the blaNDM gene. All MDR isolates (n = 277) were positive for the blaOXA-51 gene. In addition, blaOXA-23 was positive in 269 (97.12%) isolates. Conclusions The oxacillinase production corresponding to blaOXA-23 and blaOXA-51 were the most prevalent antibiotic resistance determinants among MDR A. baumannii in our study. Four (1.44%) isolates had the multiple genes blaOXA-51, blaOXA-23, and blaNDM that shows the coexistence of diverse genetic elements involved in MDR A. baumannii, resulting in total resistance except for a few potent drugs such as colistin and tigecycline. Genotyping is helpful in determining the contribution of the isolates in understanding their association with encoded genes, which, in turn, helps in designing effective surveillance and control strategies in the management of such MDR isolates.
RESUMEN
The tribal health system in India faces unique challenges in comparison to non-tribal health in the nation and global healthcare systems. The tribal health issues are distinct due to the diverse socio-cultural practices, rituals, customs, and languages of the tribal communities. Despite commendable efforts, there are several obstacles that hinder the successful delivery of healthcare services to these underserved populations. These challenges include geographical remoteness and limited infrastructure, language, and cultural barriers; scarcity of healthcare professionals; socioeconomic disparities; and the need for cultural sensitivity and integration of traditional healing practices. Overcoming these challenges requires collaborative efforts between the government, medical specialists, and the indigenous tribes themselves. By addressing these obstacles, it is possible to enhance the accessibility, quality, and cultural appropriateness of healthcare services for tribal groups, leading to improved health outcomes and reduced health inequalities.
RESUMEN
Background and objective ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) language model that has been trained to process and respond to questions across a wide range of topics. It is also capable of solving problems in medical educational topics. However, the capability of ChatGPT to accurately answer first- and second-order knowledge questions in the field of microbiology has not been explored so far. Hence, in this study, we aimed to analyze the capability of ChatGPT in answering first- and second-order questions on the subject of microbiology. Materials and methods Based on the competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum of the subject of microbiology, we prepared a set of first-order and second-order questions. For the total of eight modules in the CBME curriculum for microbiology, we prepared six first-order and six second-order knowledge questions according to the National Medical Commission-recommended CBME curriculum, amounting to a total of (8 x 12) 96 questions. The questions were checked for content validity by three expert microbiologists. These questions were used to converse with ChatGPT by a single user and responses were recorded for further analysis. The answers were scored by three microbiologists on a rating scale of 0-5. The average of three scores was taken as the final score for analysis. As the data were not normally distributed, we used a non-parametric statistical test. The overall scores were tested by a one-sample median test with hypothetical values of 4 and 5. The scores of answers to first-order and second-order questions were compared by the Mann-Whitney U test. Module-wise responses were tested by the Kruskall-Wallis test followed by the post hoc test for pairwise comparisons. Results The overall score of 96 answers was 4.04 ±0.37 (median: 4.17, Q1-Q3: 3.88-4.33) with the mean score of answers to first-order knowledge questions being 4.07 ±0.32 (median: 4.17, Q1-Q3: 4-4.33) and that of answers to second-order knowledge questions being 3.99 ±0.43 (median: 4, Q1-Q3: 3.67-4.33) (Mann-Whitney p=0.4). The score was significantly below the score of 5 (one-sample median test p<0.0001) and similar to 4 (one-sample median test p=0.09). Overall, there was a variation in median scores obtained in eight categories of topics in microbiology, indicating inconsistent performance in different topics. Conclusion The results of the study indicate that ChatGPT is capable of answering both first- and second-order knowledge questions related to the subject of microbiology. The model achieved an accuracy of approximately 80% and there was no difference between the model's capability of answering first-order questions and second-order knowledge questions. The findings of this study suggest that ChatGPT has the potential to be an effective tool for automated question-answering in the field of microbiology. However, continued improvement in the training and development of language models is necessary to enhance their performance and make them suitable for academic use.
RESUMEN
Background Dermatophytosis is a public health concern in tropical countries. In India, a scalable number of dermatophytosis cases from multiple states are reported. In the eastern part of India, very few studies were published assessing the clinicomycological profiles of patients. Hence, we conducted this study to ascertain the clinicomycological profile of patients suffering from dermatophytosis with special reference to associated socio-environmental factors. Materials and methods This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital situated in Bihar state of India from January 2021 to December 2021. We included a total of 330 patients of all age groups who were clinically diagnosed with superficial mycosis from the Department of Dermatology and sent for investigations to the Department of Microbiology. The collected specimens from the lesions were prepared with wet potassium hydroxide and examined under the microscope. Then, the specimens were inoculated and incubated at 25°C for up to four weeks. Fungal isolates were identified by gross appearance and microscopy if growth was observed. Results Among the 330 patients, 186 (56.4%) were males and 144 (43.6%) were females. The majority of the patients (54.5%) were from the low socioeconomic group and living in overcrowded places. Direct microscopy was positive in 198 (60%) patients, and culture was positive in 68 (20.61%) patients. The majority of the patients who were found positive in direct microscopy were from the age group of 21-30 years (39.9%), followed by 1-10 years (25.25%). A total of 92 (46.4%) cases were of tinea capitis, followed by 68 (34.3%) patients of tinea corporis. Trichophyton was the predominant fungus isolated, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes was the most common species (52.6%). Conclusion Tinea capitis was the most common provisionally diagnosed dermatophytosis in our tertiary care hospital in Bihar, an Indian state in its eastern zone. Low socioeconomic status and poor personal hygiene were the factors associated with the high prevalence of dermatophyte infections in this region of India. A detailed analysis of all these epidemiological factors is needed to limit the prevalence of dermatophytosis in tropical regions.
RESUMEN
Introduction The outbreak of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus baumannii ( ACB ) is mainly reported to be a notorious pathogens at health-care settings. It is the major problem on the health-care system with high morbidity and mortality rates because of the broad range of antibiotic resistance and lack of understanding the mechanism of developing new antibiotic resistance rapidly. It emphasizes the importance of local surveillance in describing or understanding and predicting microbial resistance patterns so that there will be limited use of antibiotics by developing strategies to control the extensive use of antimicrobial chemotherapy in clinical environment, which is still considered as one of the factors in the emergence of multidrug resistance microorganisms. Objectives The study aims to detect the occurrence rate of ACB infections from various clinical samples, identify the resistance levels to different groups of antimicrobial agents, and the occurrence rate of multidrug resistant (MDR) ACB clinical isolates from a tertiary hospital in Durgapur, West Bengal, India. Material and Methods The study was performed in the Department of Microbiology of the IQ City Medical College and Hospital, Durgapur, West Bengal, India, for the 24 months duration, that is, from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019. Altogether 15,800 clinical samples consisting of endotracheal tube aspirates, sputum, pus, blood, catheter tips, urine, tissue, and other body fluids were studied. ACB from clinical samples were identified by its characteristic colonies (nonlactose fermenting, glistening, small mucoid colonies), Gram-staining pattern (Gram-negative coccobacillus), and standard biochemical reactions. It was further confirmed in the Department of Microbiology of the Healthworld Hospital, Durgapur, West Bengal, India, by Vitek2 compact system (bioMerieux, Inc., Durham, North Carolina, United States). Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using automated broth microdilutions by Vitek2 compact system (bioMerieux, Inc.) and Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test on Mueller-Hinton Agar (HiMedia). Results Nonrepetitive 289 ACB were isolated from various clinical samples. A total of 277 (96%) isolates of ACB were MDR strains. Conclusion ACB was mostly isolated from the intensive care unit department and was found to be the most MDR type in the tertiary care hospital by this study.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: With more people being exposed to antibiotics, intestinal microflora faces constant pressure of antibiotic selection, which has resulted in the emergence of multidrug resistant strains. This may pose a severe problem as intestinal Enterobacteriaceae members are commonly implicated in human infections. AIMS: This surveillance study was undertaken to investigate the carriage of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in the gastrointestinal tract among patients attending the outpatient clinic in a tertiary care center of East Delhi, India. METHOD: We performed a prospective surveillance study to screen 242 Enterobacteriaceae isolates for carbapenemase production from the stool samples of 123 outpatients attending a tertiary care hospital in East Delhi over a four-month period. RESULTS: Twenty-four (9.9 per cent) isolates demonstrated carbapenemase activity among 242 screened Enterobacteriaceae isolates. Four stool samples had two isolates of different species, both eliciting this feature and therefore indicating presence of multiple carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) isolates in a single sample. CONCLUSION: Screening for carriage of CRE in stools of patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal surgical procedures, with haematological malignancies taking chemotherapy, or those planned for bone marrow transplantation can guide clinicians about gut colonisation of multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae as these groups of patients are at risk of possible endogenous infection.
RESUMEN
Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic fungal infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue caused by dematiaceous fungi. We report a case of chromoblastomycosis caused by Fonsecaea pedrosoi from a subtropical region of India that developed over the left foot of a 45-year-old male farmer and was provisionally diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma. The patient presented with irregular warty growths over the left foot, which had started one year previously, and has gradually progressed over a year to involve the lateral aspect of left leg. The diagnosis of chromoblastomycosis was confirmed by histopathology and fungal culture.
RESUMEN
The 'test and treat' policy is the recommended way to eradicate Helicobacter pylori in young patients with uninvestigated dyspepsia if the prevalence of H. pylori is high. India is considered to have a high prevalence of H. pylori. This observational study was conducted in order to discover the prevalence of H. pylori disease in uninvestigated dyspeptic patients, based on stool antigen test and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies in the sera in order to ascertain the role of the 'test and treat' policy in this geographical area. Fifty patients (age <55 years) with uninvestigated dyspepsia presenting to surgery out-patient department of a tertiary teaching hospital in northern India were included in the study. Fifty healthy controls were also included. Dyspeptic patients with alarm symptoms were excluded from the study. Patients and controls were tested for IgM antibodies in their sera and H. pylori antigen in their stools. The positivity of the IgM antibody and H. pylori antigen in stools of the cases was 16% and 8%, respectively, while only 4% IgM positivity was found in the controls' samples. This study highlights the low prevalence of H. pylori in dyspeptic Indian patients. This indicates that initial proton pump therapy may be a better option than the 'test and treat' policy for young patients with uninvestigated dyspepsia.
