Correlation of severity & clinical outcomes of COVID-19 with virus variants: A prospective, multicentre hospital network study.

BACKGROUND OBJECTIVES: The clinical course of COVID-19 and its prognosis are influenced by both viral and host factors. The objectives of this study were to develop a nationwide platform to investigate the molecular epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome Corona virus 2) and correlate the severity and clinical outcomes of COVID-19 with virus variants. METHODS: A nationwide, longitudinal, prospective cohort study was conducted from September 2021 to December 2022 at 14 hospitals across the country that were linked to a viral sequencing laboratory under the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium. All participants (18 yr and above) who attended the hospital with a suspicion of SARS-CoV-2 infection and tested positive by the reverse transcription-PCR method were included. The participant population consisted of both hospitalized as well as outpatients. Their clinical course and outcomes were studied prospectively. Nasopharyngeal samples collected were subjected to whole genome sequencing to detect SARS-CoV-2 variants. RESULTS: Of the 4972 participants enrolled, 3397 provided samples for viral sequencing and 2723 samples were successfully sequenced. From this, the evolution of virus variants of concern including Omicron subvariants which emerged over time was observed and the same reported here. The mean age of the study participants was 41 yr and overall 49.3 per cent were female. The common symptoms were fever and cough and 32.5 per cent had comorbidities. Infection with the Delta variant evidently increased the risk of severe COVID-19 (adjusted odds ratio: 2.53, 95% confidence interval: 1.52, 4.2), while Omicron was milder independent of vaccination status. The independent risk factors for mortality were age >65 yr, presence of comorbidities and no vaccination. INTERPRETATION CONCLUSIONS: The authors believe that this is a first-of-its-kind study in the country that provides real-time data of virus evolution from a pan-India network of hospitals closely linked to the genome sequencing laboratories. The severity of COVID-19 could be correlated with virus variants with Omicron being the milder variant.

Tolerability of Six Months Indirect Cold (Physical) Plasma Treatment of the Scalp for Hair Loss.

Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a chronic form of hair loss. Cold atmospheric (physical) plasma (CAP) is partly ionized gas with various widely researched effects on living tissues. CAP is an emerging treatment modality in dermatology with uses for chronic leg ulcer, actinic keratosis, warts, and other applications. Its previously demonstrated ability to induce stem cell differentiation in various cell types makes CAP a possible treatment option for AGA. Directly creating CAP on the scalp surface has drawbacks, but indirect CAP treatment—when a CAP-treated liquid is used as topical therapy—offers an alternative. In a clinical pilot study, we treated 14 patients with AGA using the indirect CAP method for three months (4 patients) and six months (10 patients). The indirect CAP treatment was well tolerated and while the primary goal of the study was not to assess efficacy, most patients reported improvement, and the investigator’s assessment also showed improvement in most patients. Our findings create the foundation for longer, extensive trials to systematically assess the efficacy of indirect CAP treatment for AGA. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04379752 J Drugs Dermatol. 2020;19(12): doi:10.36849/JDD.2020.5186.

Mucormycosis occurring in an immunocompetent patient: a case report and review of literature.

Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection with a high fatality rate and is the third most common fungal infection that is invasive in nature, next to candidiasis and aspergillosis. The condition is generally vasotropic and angio-invasive in nature. It gets disseminated to a wider area locally and also exhibits a distant spread. It is usually associated with medically compromised patients. However, mucormycosis in immunocompetent individuals is gaining attention as several cases have been reported throughout the world with a high incidence of such cases being reported from the Indian subcontinent. It is attributed to the poor socio-economic status and triggered by the local trauma due to unhygienic setup or poor health care. The pathway of pathogenesis is not clearly understood in immunocompetent patients and therefore becomes a matter of great concern. Here, we report one such case of mucormycosis affecting the maxillary region following tooth extraction in a 42-year-old male.

Human factor engineering of point-of-care near infrared spectroscopy device for intracranial hemorrhage detection in Traumatic Brain Injury: A multi-center comparative study using a hybrid methodology.

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed machine learning powered Near-infrared spectroscopy based (mNIRS) device's usability and human factor ergonomics in four distinct healthcare provider groups. BACKGROUND: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a global concern with significant well-being implications. Timely intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) detection is crucial. mNIRS offers efficient non-invasive TBI screening. METHODS: Two device utilization stages involved operators (N = 21) and TBI-suspected subjects (n = 120). A hybrid approach used qualitative and quantitative methods, utilizing a 57-item survey and task completion time. RESULTS: All groups positively perceived user-interface, physical, cognitive, and organizational ergonomics. The device's ease of use, calibration, size, cognitive support, and integration gained appreciation. Training reduced task completion time from 16.5 to 13.2 s. CONCLUSION: mNIRS-based CEREBO® proves usable for TBI point-of-care assessment. Positive feedback from diverse healthcare groups validates design and cost-effectiveness alignment. A hybrid approach, training, and practice scans enhance usage and experience.

Evaluating CAPO®: A biocompatibility, transparency, and fitment assessment for use with CEREBO® in traumatic intracranial injury detection.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a global concern affecting millions of patients, requiring robust infection prevention and control measures. In particular, patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are highly susceptible to nosocomial infections, emphasizing the importance of infection control. Non-invasive near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) device, CEREBO® integrated with a disposable component CAPO® has emerged as a valuable tool for TBI patient triage and this study evaluated the safety and efficacy of this combination. Biocompatibility tests confirmed safety and transparency assessments demonstrated excellent light transmission. Clinical evaluation with 598 enrollments demonstrated high accuracy of CEREBO® in detecting traumatic intracranial hemorrhage. During these evaluations, the cap fitted well and moved smoothly with the probes demonstrating appropriate flexibility. These findings support the efficacy of the CAPO® and CEREBO® combination, potentially improving infection control and enhancing intracranial hemorrhage detection for TBI patient triage. Ultimately, this can lead to better healthcare outcomes and reduced global HAIs.

Amebic appendicitis: a case report.

Changing the paradigm of treatment of acute appendicitis to non-operative management can miss unusual etiologies that can only be diagnosed on pathologic analysis. Presented is a case of amebic appendicitis in which antibiotic management was dictated by post-operative pathology findings.

Forensic genetics: Scope and application from forensic odontology perspective.

Forensic science corresponds to the employment of science to the law or legal matters. One of the major concerns of legal system is to deduce the recognition of an item or individual, involved in crime for which forensic expert plays a pivotal role. Forensic odontology, a budding branch in dentistry, involves the application of dentistry to the legal system. The dental characteristics are considered as one of the primary characteristics of identification as per Interpol DVI guidelines. Thus, establishing the identity of unknown human remains through dental features is considered as one of the core domains of forensic odontology. However, its reliability and its acceptability in the court of law are only secondary to the application of DNA technologies. Also, the acceptability of bite-mark analysis and its evidentiary role is debatable. However, the bite marks may also be a source of salivary DNA, to establish the linking of the perpetrator to the victim. The recent advancements in the DNA technologies and the use of teeth and saliva as sources of DNA are the added advantages in the application of DNA as person identifiers especially in badly mutilated, decomposed and charred bodies and in linking the perpetrator to the crime. With this background, we present here a review on the application of forensic genetics from a forensic odontology point of view.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in gynaecological cancers - Implications for staging.

The management of advanced gynaecological cancers remains a therapeutic challenge. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has been used to reduce tumour size, thus facilitating subsequent local treatment in the form of surgery or radiation. For advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, data from several non-randomized and one randomized studies indicate that neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by interval debulking surgery is a reasonable approach in patients deemed inoperable. Such an approach results in optimum debulking (no visible tumour) in approximately 40% of the patients with reduced operative morbidity. Overall and progression free-survival is comparable to the group treated with primary debulking surgery followed by chemotherapy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery is associated with improved survival for women with stage IB2-IIA cervix cancer. There is a resurgence of interest for using short-course neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to concurrent chemo-radiation. Currently, this is being tested in randomized trials.

Treatment of symptomatic oral lichen planus (OLP) with 0.1% tacrolimus powder in Oraguard-B - A pilot prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of 0.1% tacrolimus powder in Oraguard-B for the treatment of patients with symptomatic oral lichen planus (OLP). METHODS: This was a nonrandomized, nonblinded study conducted in the outpatient department. The 20 patients with symptomatic OLP oral lichen planus who were asked to participate in the study were provided with 20-g containers of the study medication. Patients were asked to use the medication over the symptomatic areas three times a day until resolution of the lesion. Patients were recalled to assess the drug response every 15 days. RESULTS: The duration of treatment ranged from 30 to 183 days, with a mean of 81.8 ± 44.4 days; all 20 patients reported a favourable response to the topical tacrolimus therapy. Eleven patients had complete resolution of their lesions. In 16 of 20 patients, there was marked resolution in symptoms as recorded by visual analogue scale. Out of 10 patients followed up for a period of 3 months, 5 had recurrence of their lesions but with less intensity, and the patients were symptomless. No serious side effects were associated with the study medication. CONCLUSION: Topical tacrolimus 0.1% in Oraguard-B was effective and safe in treating patients with OLP. However, there is still a need to undertake more detailed and objective clinical studies to determine the exact benefit of tacrolimus compared with conventional therapies and examine the influence of different dose regimes and formulations and assess the incidence of recurrence.