Purpose: There is ongoing debate on the haemoglobin level at which red cell transfusion should be administered following surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of a restrictive blood transfusion strategy and assess potential adverse effects of anaemia in the immediate postoperative phase, determining whether a liberal transfusion approach still remains necessary. Materials and Methods: A randomized control trial compared two groups: Group 1, with a liberal blood transfusion strategy, and Group 2, with a restrictive blood transfusion protocol. Haemoglobin levels were measured on the 3rd and 12th postoperative days, and at 1-month follow-up. Clinical and functional evaluations were conducted at the 1-month follow-up. Results: There was no significant difference between the liberal and restrictive groups in 10 feet walking with support at 12 days and at 1 month. The restrictive group had a shorter hospital stay (17.57±4.66 days) compared to the liberal group (19.56±5.34 days). Incidence of surgical site infections were similar (4.0% in liberal, 2.0% in restrictive), and no mortalities were observed in either group at the 1-month follow-up. Conclusion Both liberal and restrictive transfusion strategies were similarly effective in terms of early postoperative mortality and functional mobility. However, patients in the liberal transfusion group had a significantly longer length of stay compared to the restrictive group. Leading us to conclude that a restrictive strategy is effective and beneficial for patients and hospitals provided there are no signs of anaemia or a haemoglobin drop below 8 g/dL.

The pathogenesis of chronic parasitic central nervous system (CNS) infections, including granulomatous amoebic meningoencephalitis (GAE), cerebral toxoplasmosis (CT), and neurocysticercosis (NCC), is primarily due to an inflammatory host reaction to the parasite. Inflammatory cytokines produced by invading T cells, monocytes, and CNS resident cells lead to neuroinflammation which underlie the immunopathology of these infections. Immune molecules, especially cytokines, can therefore emerge as potential biomarker(s) of CNS parasitic infections. In this study, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) samples from suspected patients with parasitic infections were screened for pathogenic free-living amoebae by culture (n=2506) and PCR (n=275). Six proinflammatory cytokines in smear and culture-negative CSF samples from patients with GAE (n = 2), NCC (n = 7), and CT (n = 23) as well as control (n = 7) patients were measured using the Multiplex Suspension assay. None of the CSF samples tested was positive for neurotropic free-living amoebae by culture and only two samples showed Acanthamoeba 18S rRNA by PCR. Of the six cytokines measured, only IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly increased in all three infection groups compared to the control group. In addition, TNFa levels were higher in the GAE and NCC groups and IL-17 in the GAE group compared to controls. The levels of IL-1b and IFNg were very low in all the infection groups and the control group. There was a correlation between CSF cellularity and increased levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNFa in 11 patients. Thus, quantifying inflammatory cytokine levels in CSF might help with understanding the level of neuroinflammation in patients with neurotropic parasitic diseases. Further studies with clinico-microbiological correlation in the form of reduction of cytokine levels with treatment and the correlation with neurological deficits are needed.

Introduction:: Clinical exposure to assist pharmacology teaching is essential for training the medical students to apply the pharmacological therapeutic principles in medical practice. In view of this, we planned to introduce and implement a new module in pharmacology – case of the month series and get the feedback of undergraduate medical students. Materials and methods:: The study was conducted on second-year MBBS students after obtaining permission from Institutional Ethics Committee. Topics for the case of the month series were predefined and announced to the students. During their clinical posting, the students were given a proforma to collect the details, including the patient details, presenting illness, past history, provisional diagnosis, investigations, and treatment chart. The case of the month had to be submitted to the faculty who would then discuss it with the batch after practical classes. The students‟ feedback was collected at the end of four such case-of-the-month series as a questionnaire with a few open-ended questions. Results:: A total of 204 students submitted the responses online; their mean age was 20.6±1.4 years. 56.3% of students were of the opinion that this exercise was helpful for rational prescription of drugs in the future. 52% of the students opined that the series was interesting and stimulating. Conclusion: The case of the month series was well perceived by students and faculty. It also stimulated the interest of medical students in learning the importance of clinical pharmacology.

Tuberculosis is known to be a great mimicker, and it can present in a myriad of ways, which often result in an incorrect diagnosis. In a country that is endemic to tuberculosis, the presentation can take many forms ranging from tumour to trauma. We present a case of Baker’s cyst that was provisionally diagnosed as pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) of the knee and eventually turned out to be tuberculous arthritis. A 46-year-old male presented with an insidious swelling on the posterior aspect of his knee for one year. Magnetic resonance imaging was suggestive of PVNS as the likely diagnosis. The patient presented 21 days later with a foot drop. On following-up with further investigations, he was found to have a lesion at the level of the L4-L5 spine. Chest radiograph changes were suggestive of tuberculosis. A synovial biopsy of the knee was done, and the tuberculosis culture report was positive. The patient was started on anti-tubercular treatment and then operated on, with arthroscopic synovectomy and posterior open cyst excision. The histology report was positive for tuberculous synovitis. The patient completed the course of antitubercular drugs and had physiotherapy. He demonstrated a clinically and radiologically healed disease at the final follow-up with a good functional outcome. Clinicians must have a high index of suspicion for tuberculosis, especially in endemic areas. Getting a chest radiograph is recommended in every case. Early diagnosis with the appropriate treatment will give a good functional outcome for the patient.

There is growing evidence that tobacco smoking is an important risk factor for tuberculosis (TB). India, with a population of 1.26 billion, has the highest number of both TB patients and smokers. The convergence of these two important health hazards is likely severely affecting India's TB control programs. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of smoking in newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients and the impact of smoking on disease outcomes in a tertiary care hospital. All patients newly diagnosed with pulmonary TB as per the Revised National Tuberculosis Program of India (RNTCP) 2013 criteria were enrolled in the study. On the basis of their self-reported smoking status, the participants were classified as never smokers, current smokers, and ex-smokers. Patients were started on anti-TB treatment and were followed for 2 years. Among the 2350 subjects (1,758 males and 592 females), 1,593 patients (67.78%) were never smokers. Current and ex-smokers numbered 757 (32.21%), of which 751 (31.95%) were males and 6 (0.26%) were females. Smoking was associated with more extensive lung disease, lung cavitation, and positive sputum smear and culture results at baseline. In both current smokers and ex-smokers, sputum smears and cultures were significantly more likely to remain positive after 2 months of treatment. Ex-smokers and current smokers had significantly high rates of defaults, treatment failures, and relapses. The prevalence of smoking is very high in TB patients. Tobacco smoking is associated with a considerably increased risk of advanced and more severe disease in the form of lung cavitations, positive sputum smear and culture results, and slower smear and culture conversion after initiation of treatment. Smoking has a great negative effect on treatment completion, cure rates, and relapse rates in patients with pulmonary TB.
Female ; Humans ; India ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Sputum ; Tertiary Healthcare ; Treatment Failure ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective propensity score-matched cohort analysis of the Thomson Reuters MarketScan database. PURPOSE: To compare the outcomes of vertebral compression fracture (VCF) treatment options, with an emphasis on reoperation, complications, costand overall healthcare resource use between 2005 and 2009 in the United States. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Options for the treatment of VCFs include conservative management, kyphoplasty, and vertebroplasty. The cost-effectiveness of surgical intervention for VCF has been criticized, and some suggest their outcomes to be similar to placebo. METHODS: Patients 18 years of age and older who developed a VCF were identified and separated into three treatment cohorts: vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, and non-surgical. Propensity score matching was performed to match patients between cohorts. Main outcomes assessed included reoperation, complications, healthcare resource use and associated cost. Outcomes were compared at three separate time intervals (patients at index hospitalization; patients with at least 2-year follow-up data; and those with at least 4-year follow-up data). RESULTS: Twenty thousand seven hundred forty patients were identified with VCFs, yielding 7,290 after propensity score matching. The mean age of the patients was 78+/-12 years; and 5,507 (75.5%) were female. All reoperation rates ranged from 6%-17%, while complication rates ranged from 7%-10%, which did not differ significantly among the three cohorts at all follow-up periods. Overall costs were noted to be significantly greater in both the kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty groups at 1-year follow-up, not at 2-year and 4-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that the treatment of a VCF patient will likely be associated with similar long-term operative and complication rates regardless of treatment modality.
Cohort Studies ; Costs and Cost Analysis ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fractures, Compression* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Kyphoplasty* ; Propensity Score ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; United States ; Vertebroplasty*

PURPOSE: Host modulatory therapy has been proposed as a treatment for periodontal diseases. A class of herbal medicines, known to be immunomodulators, alters the activity of immune function through the regulation of informational molecules such as cytokines. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that herbal immunomodulator drugs act as an adjuvant to scaling and root planing (SRP) in alleviating periodontal inflammation by improving clinical and biochemical parameters. METHODS: Sixty healthy subjects (30 in each group) with moderate and severe chronic periodontitis were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, double-masked randomised controlled trial. The control group was treated with SRP and a placebo, whereas the test group was treated with SRP followed by dietary supplementation of Septilin for 3 weeks. Periodontal clinical parameters and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were evaluated for all patients at the baseline, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks. RESULTS: Improved gingival index scores found in the test group as compared to the control group were found to be statistically significant only after 3 weeks (P<0.001). In contrast, the decrease in the sulcus bleeding index and pocket depth scores was statistically highly significant in the test group as compared to the control group after 3 weeks and 6 weeks (P<0.001). However, reduced clinical attachment level and CRP scores, as reflected in the test group as compared to the control group, were not found to be statistically significant after both 3 weeks (P>0.05) and 6 weeks (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this clinical-biochemical study suggest that dietary supplementation with herbal immunomodulatory agents may be a promising adjunct to SRP and may aid in improving periodontal treatment outcomes.
C-Reactive Protein ; Chronic Periodontitis* ; Cytokines ; Dietary Supplements ; Hemorrhage ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Immunologic Factors* ; Inflammation ; Periodontal Diseases ; Periodontal Index ; Periodontitis ; Root Planing

PURPOSE: Periodontitis is an infectious disease caused predominantly by gram-negative anerobes. The host inflammatory response to these bacteria causes alveolar bone loss that is characterized as periodontitis. Omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3 FAs) have anti-inflammatory properties, thus have been used to treat some chronic inflammatory diseases such as cardiovascular disease and rheumatoid arthritis. We aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with omega-3 FAs as a host modulating agent in patients with chronic periodontitis. METHODS: Sixty otherwise healthy subjects with moderate and severe chronic periodontitis were enrolled in our randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The control group (CG, n=30) was treated with scaling and root planing (SRP) and given a placebo; the treatment group (TG, n=30) was treated with SRP and dietary supplementation of omega-3 FAs (one 300 mg tablet daily for 12 weeks). Periodontal clinical parameters and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were evaluated in all patients at baseline, a 6-week and 12-week period after treatment. RESULTS: A significant reduction in the gingival index, sulcus bleeding index, pocket depth, and clinical attachment level was found in the TG compared to the CG at a 12-week period. However, no statistically significant changes in serum CRP levels were found. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that omega-3 FAs can successfully reduce gingival inflammation, pocket depth, and attachment level gain. Dietary supplementation with omega-3 FAs may have potential benefits as a host modulatory agent in the prevention and/or adjunctive management of chronic periodontitis.
Alveolar Bone Loss ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Bacteria ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Chronic Periodontitis* ; Communicable Diseases ; Dietary Supplements ; Fatty Acids, Omega-3* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Periodontal Index ; Periodontitis ; Root Planing