The Mystery of Green Eyes.

A 27-year-old female with no known comorbidities presented to casualty with fever and loose stools for 7 days followed by shortness of breath and reduced urine output for 1 day. On examination, she was conscious-oriented. She had tachycardia, hypotension [blood pressure (BP) 72/56 mm Hg], and 82% saturation on room air. She was started on intravenous (IV) fluids, and oxygen support and was catheterized. Her BP did not improve and her urine output was nil despite adequate fluid resuscitation. She was started on inotropes and was intubated in view of worsening sensorium and respiratory distress.

Prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among diabetes, prediabetes and healthy population.

Introduction: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a global emerging health issue, which is due to extra fat deposition in the liver that poses a serious risk of liver cirrhosis. Our study assessed the glycaemic status and NAFLD in health patients coming for a regular health check-ups. Material and Methods: This descriptive study was done on 192 healthy populations aged 30-70 years who underwent general health check-ups. History, clinical examination, heamtological and radiological workup were done and data were statistically evaluated. Results: The age of the study population was between 30 and 70 years with an average age of 50 years and the study sample size was 190. Prevalence of prediabetes was 35.93%, diabetes at 17.18% and euglycaemics were 45.83% in our study group. Among diabetics and prediabetics, 30% and 31% were having raised transaminase. Among euglycaemics, around 19% had raised transaminase. On ultrasound scans among the diabetic group, the prevalence of fatty liver was 57.6% whereas in the prediabetic group it was 46.4%. Among the normal euglycaemic group, 22.7% had fatty liver. Conclusion: NAFLD is multifactorial and associated with diabetes and can progress to cirrhosis of the liver if untreated. There is a need to have more focus on screening, awareness, nutritional counselling and treatment at the primary care level.

The Hindi Version of International Consensus Criteria: A Cross-cultural Adaptation and Validation Study for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis in Post-COVID Patients.

CONTEXT: Fatigue is the most prominent feature of long COVID. With the increasing burden of long COVID cases post-acute phase of illness after recurrent waves of the pandemic, understanding its pathophysiology is of paramount importance. Such fatigue and post-viral illness could be associated with features of neuroimmune exhaustion and thus be a part of a larger syndrome such as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). Identifying the proportion of patients having ME from those experiencing fatigue would bring us one step closer to understanding the pathophysiology. International consensus criteria (ICC) originally published in English (ICC-E) is a valid and reliable tool for identifying cases of ME. However, a validated Hindi version of ICC-E is not available. : To develop and validate an equivalent version of ICC-E in the native Hindi language (ICC-H) to suit Indian patients and health care workers even at peripheries and to make conducting large scales surveys more feasible. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Once permission from the ethics board was granted, guidelines given by MAPI Research Trust were followed and ICC-H was developed from ICC-E, in the following steps: (a) translation to Hindi, (b) back translation, (c) comparison between the translated and back-translated version performed by experts, and (d) pre-pilot test in the intended population. The ICC-H was applied to 53 bilingual individuals knowing both Hindi and English. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The distribution of Hindi and English questionnaires was analyzed using the Chi-square test and Spearman's correlation coefficient was used for correlation between answers of each question. RESULTS: The score of individual items and its global score was highly correlated with each other (p<0.001). The scores of individual components and global scores of ICC-H at baseline and original ICC-E after 4 weeks did not differ significantly. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the ICC-H is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of ME. ICC-H can be used for Hindi speaking population for identifying cases of ME. Key Messages There is a significant overlap in symptoms of long COVID and ME, with fatigue being a major component in both. Understanding the prevalence of ME in the post-acute phase of COVID illness can bring us a step closer to understanding its pathophysiology. In a multilingual country like ours, regionally translated criteria are a must for conducting large-scale surveys.

An observational study to see the correlation between trends of platelet counts and immature platelet fraction in dengue infection.

Dengue, a common tropical viral disease, often has complications of thrombocytopenia causing bleeding and warranting blood transfusion. This is costly in low-income settings. We conducted an observational study using a relatively new parameter called immature platelet fraction which indicates regeneration of platelets by the bone marrow. Our study on 124 dengue patients showed a strong correlation between platelet count and immature platelet fraction and we observed that 96.1% and 97.4% patients showed rise in platelet count at 24 and 48 h, respectively. In the absence of bleeding, platelet transfusion was prevented in 64% of patients with an IPF level of 10% or more.

Safety and immunogenicity of SURE RAB™, an inactivated cell culture derived rabies vaccine: A comparative, phase III clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease widespread across the world. In India, various cell culture vaccines are available for pre and post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) but are not sufficient to meet the rising demand. The present study evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of Rabies vaccine Human I.P. (Brand name: SURE RAB™) in PEP and demonstrated its non-inferiority to already approved rabies vaccine (Brand name: VERORAB). MATERIAL AND METHODS: It was a phase-III randomized, open label, comparative, single centre clinical trial in post exposure subjects. Safety and immunogenicity were evaluated at Day 0, 14 and 45 ±â€¯7 post vaccination. Day 14 serum samples were analyzed by Enzyme Linked Immunesorbent assay (IgG ELISA, Bio-Rad) and Day 0, 14 and 45 ±â€¯7 serum were tested by Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test (RFFIT). Paired t-test was applied to compare the results of Rabies virus neutralizing antibody (RVNA). The severity of adverse reactions was measured on a scale of excellent, good, fair and bad; p-value (p < 0.05) was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: All the subjects achieved a protective titer value between 0.5 and 9.0 IU/ml by Day 14 tested by ELISA and significant rise in the antibody titer in all the groups when tested after 45 days. Statistically significant p-value (p < 0.001) observed with RFFIT test indicated biological potency of rabies vaccine. Adverse events and safety was comparable statistically between three groups (p â€‹= â€‹0.886) and Group I â€‹+ â€‹II combined versus Group III (p = 0.495). CONCLUSION: The study results conclusively demonstrate that SURE RAB™ is comparable to VERORAB in terms of safety and immunogenicity and can be used for PEP in rabies.

Pancytopenia in a patient with HIV: A diagnosis often missed.

A 31 years old male presented with fever, dry cough, weight loss. Patient was found to be HIV positive and was started on empirical Anti-tubercular drugs (ATT). However, his symptoms persisted and he developed pancytopenia along with jaundice, and was shifted to our health care facility for further investigations. The patient has a history of travel to Bali and Thailand a few months ago. Patient was examined and relevant investigations were performed.

COVID-19 in pregnancy: A review.

COVID-19 has led on to a global healthcare crisis, similar to none in the recent past. Special emphasis must be laid on the status of pregnant women amid this outbreak, considering the vulnerability seen in pregnant women toward previous coronavirus diseases. In this review, we will try to elicit the correlation between the complications of previous coronavirus diseases (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and COVID-19, the possibility of materno-fetal vertical transmission and the obstetric management protocol.

Acute pancreatic injury induced by COVID-19.

We report a patient with COVID-19 infection presenting with acute pancreatitis. The diagnosis of pancreatitis was based on laboratory as well as radiological evidence, and all the usual etiologies were ruled out. The temporal association with COVID-19 is strongly suggestive of novel coronavirus induced pancreatic injury.

A Comparative Study of the Diagnostic and Prognostic Utility of Soluble Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator Receptor and Procalcitonin in Patients with Sepsis and Systemic Inflammation Response Syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Differentiation between sepsis and systemic inflammation response syndrome (SIRS) remains a diagnostic challenge for clinicians as both may have similar clinical presentation. A quick and accurate diagnostic tool that can discriminate between these two conditions would aid in appropriate therapeutic decision-making. This prospective study was conducted to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic utility of soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) and procalcitonin (PCT) in sepsis and SIRS patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-eight patients were enrolled, of which 29 were SIRS and 59 were sepsis patients. The levels of suPAR and PCT were measured on the day of admission (day 1), day 3, and day 7. RESULTS: The levels of suPAR and PCT were significantly higher (p = 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively) in sepsis group as compared to the SIRS group. The soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor was a better diagnostic tool in predicting sepsis over PCT [area under curve (AUC) 0.89 vs 0.82] on day 1. The best cutoff for suPAR was 5.58 pg/mL [96% sensitivity and 90% negative predictive value (NPV)] and the best cut-off for PCT was 1.96 ng/mL (93.1% sensitivity and 80% NPV). However, PCT had better prognostic trends (p = 0.006) to identify nonsurvivors in sepsis group. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that both suPAR and PCT can be used as potential test tools to differentiate between SIRS and sepsis. Procalcitonin showed significant prognostic trends to identify nonsurvivors. The soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor showed better diagnostic potential than PCT on day 1. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Both suPAR and PCT can be used as surrogate biomarkers to distinguish sepsis from SIRS. Procalcitonin showing a significant prognostic trend to identify nonsurvivors can help the clinicians to take relevant clinical decisions. Also, the use of biomarkers like PCT and suPAR could reduce the inappropriate use of antibiotics in noninfective SIRS. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Sharma A, Ray S, Mamidipalli R, Kakar A, Chugh P, Jain R, et al. A Comparative Study of the Diagnostic and Prognostic Utility of Soluble Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator Receptor and Procalcitonin in Patients with Sepsis and Systemic Inflammation Response Syndrome. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(4):245-251.

Evaluation of soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) quick test for triage in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: *Soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a new biomarker, which is increased in conditions associated with inflammatory immune cell activation. In low resource, densely populated countries, there is a need for a quick test for triage and prognosticating in the emergency department. MATERIALS AND METHODS: *A pilot, observational study was conducted wherein all consenting adult patients (>18 years) presented to casualty with acute medical illnesses were included. Detailed clinical history, examination, and suPAR quick tests were done and patients were categorized into five groups based on the emergency severity index (ESI) triage algorithm. Patients with suPAR level more than 5.5 ng/mL were advised hospitalization and those below were advised follow-up. All patients were followed-up after 3 days. RESULTS: Total 190 patients (20-80 years), 80 males and 110 females participated. ESI triage 1, 2, and 3 had suPAR levels > 5.5 ng/mL and ESI triage 4 and 5 had suPAR level of <5.5 ng/mL. In ESI-1, 29 patients were admitted in ICU and 16 left against medical advice (LAMA) and on follow-up mortality was 96% (P = <0.05). In ESI-2, all patients were admitted in high dependency units and on follow-up they still needed hospitalization. In ESI-3, 22 patients admitted in ward and 24 went LAMA, on follow-up all improved except LAMA patients who required hospitalization (P - <0.05). Patients in ESI-4 and 5 did not require admission (P = <0.001). CONCLUSION: *suPAR can reliably be used in the emergency department to prognosticate and triage.

A rare combination: chylous polyserositis and autoimmune myelofibrosis as a presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Chylous polyserositis and autoimmune myelofibrosis occurring concomitantly inn a case of SLE are a rare phenomenon. We here report a case of a 38-year-old woman who was admitted with a history of cough and shortness of breath for 1½ months along with fever and abdominal distension for 1 month. She also had arthralgias, weight loss and pancytopenia. She was diagnosed as a case of SLE with Chylous polyserositis and autoimmune myelofibrosis. She was started on steroids and immunosuppressive therapy, to which she responded. To summarize, this is the first case report where chylous polyserositis and pancytopenia due to autoimmune myelofibrosis occurred which was responsive to steroids and immunosuppressive therapy.

Waist-thigh Ratio: A Surrogate Marker for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Asian North Indian Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes is a major world-wide healthcare problem. Cost effective markers for screening and diagnosis of T2DM are the need of the day especially in developing and under-developed countries. Simple anthropometric measurements may help us in identifying individuals likely to have diabetes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from 1055 North-Indian subjects was analysed. RESULTS: Out of several anthropometric measurements studied, Waist-Thigh ratio (WTR) correlated significantly and positively with all three measures of diabetes i.e. FPG, RPG and PPG. (P < .0001) suggesting that it is the best predictor of diabetes. Subjects with diabetes had greater WTR (mean 2.088) than those without (mean1.842). (P < .0001). A thresh-hold effect was evident at a cut-off WTR of 2.3. Out of those subjects who were diagnosed to have diabetes by AACE/AHA guidelines, 82% had WTR greater than this value (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: WTR may prove to be a simple and inexpensive marker for detecting Type 2 diabetes. Larger studies are required to develop population norms.

Persistent Marked Peripheral Eosinophilia due to Tuberculosis: A Case Report.

We report a case of a 68-year-old female who was a known case of diabetes mellitus and chronic liver disease and presented with complaints of dry cough and other constitutional symptoms since one month. During initial investigations, the patient was found to have peripheral blood eosinophilia. Upon investigating further,the patient was found to have mediastinal lymphadenopathy and fine-needle aspiration of mediastinal lymph nodes showed features of tuberculosis. The patient was started on anti-tubercular treatment and her eosinophil counts returned to normal levels. Correlation between eosinophilia and tuberculosis has not been established in classical literature. This case highlights the same association and raises awareness on this crucial finding. Coexistence of eosinophilia and tuberculosis in our patient is suggested since peripheral blood eosinophilia improved with anti-tubercular treatment. The exact pathogenesis of coexistence of tuberculosis and peripheral blood eosinophilia yet remains to be deciphered, but tissue pathology is mainly associated with the discharge of toxic eosinophil products.

Low backache in adults as an initial presentation of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Low backache as an initial manifestation of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adults has been rarely reported. In this hematological disorder, although bone marrow is replaced by malignant cells, not many cases of low backache as an initial presentation of ALL are reported. We present a series of clinical cases with low backache, which on evaluation found to have ALL.

Unusual complication of prolonged indwelling urinary catheter - iatrogenic hypospadias.

Long-time urethral catheterization may be responsible for various complications such as urethral stricture, urethral fracture, urinary tract infections, and hypospadias. Hypospadias is the most common congenital anomaly of male external genitalia. However, urethral catheter-induced iatrogenic hypospadias is a rare entity. In this article, we describe a case of an elderly male who was found to have iatrogenic hypospadias 2 months after urinary catheterization.

Concomitant Presence of Two Distinct Clones of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Plasma Cell Myeloma in a Patient.

A 74 years old male patient, presented with history of generalized weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite and breathlessness on exertion for past one and a half months. On examination, he was found to have significant pallor and generalized lymphadenopathy (cervical, axillary and inguinal). The skeletal survey showed punched out lytic lesions in skull and pelvic bones. The peripheral smear examination showed lymphocytosis with absolute lymphocyte count of 25,000/µL. The bone marrow aspirates revealed a hypercellular marrow with 74 % lymphocytes & 14 % plasma cells, suggestive of chronic lymphoplasmacytic disorder. The bone marrow biopsy had two morphologically distinct populations of lymphocytes & plasma cells. The immunohistochemical markers on bone marrow biopsy showed hat plasma cells were positive for CD138 with kappa light chain restriction. Flow cytometry showed B cell population with CD19/CD5 co expression, CD5/CD23 coexpression, were positive for CD22, CD20 and negative for FMC-7 and lambda light chain. In addition, plasma cells were also identified as CD45 negative cells and showed CD38/CD138 co-expression with variable CD19 and CD56 positivity. Serum protein electrophoresis revealed M band, serum immunofixation electrophoresis corresponded to IgA -Kappa. The final diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia with concomittant presence of plasma cell myeloma was concluded. This case imparts an important message to look for presence of coexisting entities in a single specimen and highlights the benefits of testing both plasma cell and B-cell compartments when the clinical features are not entirely consistent Flow cytometry together with protein electrophoresis can help to clinch difficult and rare dual diagnosis. These cases are rare and pose therapeutic challenge.

Urinary catheterization from benefits to hapless situations and a call for preventive measures.

Catheter-associated complications are common, expensive, and often preventable by reducing unnecessary catheter usage. These complications range from most common nosocomial infection to uncommon conditions such as urethral diverticula and ischemic necrosis of the penis. Often, removal of a single known essential cause may be sufficient to prevent a disease. This review raises issues associated with urinary catheterization and emphasizes on the need of preventive measures a physician should take to reduce disappointing situations. The main objective of this literature review is to intercept or oppose unwanted catheter use and thereby, the disease processes associated with urinary catheterization. There is well-described literature available on catheter-associated urinary tract infection, but little is known about noninfectious complications resulting from catheter use; therefore, we also tried to draw attention on these unusual complications.