Introduction: Peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs) remain an important health problem. PNIs mostly affect young men as this age group is mostly involved in road traffic accidents and other injuries at workplace. PNI can occur from foreign bodies like metal chips while working in industries using lathe machines. Among PNI’s, injuries to the ulnar nerve, the brachial plexus and the median nerve are the most frequent lesions encountered. Materials and methods: This presentation is on a series of 18 cases of nerve injuries among industrial workers located from finger level up to the arm excluding the brachial plexus due to metallic foreign bodies entering while operating lathe machines over a period of two years with patients being followed-up over a one year period. Results: Mean age in this series was 31.3 years with age range 16-40 years and all were males. Two patients had more than one nerve involvement and one patient had associated vascular injury. All the patients showed functional improvement. Most common nerve injured was median nerve. Most common site for nerve injury was forearm. Combined lesions most commonly involved the ulnar and median nerves. Conclusion: Social cost of traumatic peripheral nerve injuries is significant since it has a higher incidence in young, previously healthy, and economically active people.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated mucormycosis of the maxilla emerged as a significant concern in India during the second wave of the pandemic, necessitating surgical interventions such as maxillectomy. This study investigated the quality of life following prosthodontic rehabilitation with interim obturators in patients who underwent bilateral total maxillectomy due to COVID-19-associated mucormycosis of the jaws. Methods: The study was conducted using questionnaire-based interviews administered by a single investigator employing the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) and Obturator Functioning Scale (OFS) questionnaires. Responses were evaluated on a Likert scale. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 21.0 for Windows. A significance level of 5% was applied to all tests. The Wilcoxon signed-rank and chi-square tests were utilized to compare categorical and quantitative variables across groups. Responses to the questionnaires were recorded on numerical Likert scales ranging from 1 to 5 for OFS and 0 to 4 for OHIP-14. The mean OHIP-14 and OFS scores were compared between the pre-rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation stages. Results: A comparison between the pre-rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation scores from the OHIP-14 questionnaire revealed a significant difference (p= 0.001). The OFS results indicated significant improvements across all domains following the use of obturators. Conclusion Interim obturators play a vital role in improving speech, swallowing, and mastication during the recovery period for patients who have undergone bilateral total maxillectomy. Despite the altered anatomy resulting from the resection, patients adapted effectively and exhibited improvements in their social, psychological, and mental health.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated mucormycosis of the maxilla emerged as a significant concern in India during the second wave of the pandemic, necessitating surgical interventions such as maxillectomy. This study investigated the quality of life following prosthodontic rehabilitation with interim obturators in patients who underwent bilateral total maxillectomy due to COVID-19-associated mucormycosis of the jaws. Methods: The study was conducted using questionnaire-based interviews administered by a single investigator employing the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) and Obturator Functioning Scale (OFS) questionnaires. Responses were evaluated on a Likert scale. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 21.0 for Windows. A significance level of 5% was applied to all tests. The Wilcoxon signed-rank and chi-square tests were utilized to compare categorical and quantitative variables across groups. Responses to the questionnaires were recorded on numerical Likert scales ranging from 1 to 5 for OFS and 0 to 4 for OHIP-14. The mean OHIP-14 and OFS scores were compared between the pre-rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation stages. Results: A comparison between the pre-rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation scores from the OHIP-14 questionnaire revealed a significant difference (p= 0.001). The OFS results indicated significant improvements across all domains following the use of obturators. Conclusion Interim obturators play a vital role in improving speech, swallowing, and mastication during the recovery period for patients who have undergone bilateral total maxillectomy. Despite the altered anatomy resulting from the resection, patients adapted effectively and exhibited improvements in their social, psychological, and mental health.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated mucormycosis of the maxilla emerged as a significant concern in India during the second wave of the pandemic, necessitating surgical interventions such as maxillectomy. This study investigated the quality of life following prosthodontic rehabilitation with interim obturators in patients who underwent bilateral total maxillectomy due to COVID-19-associated mucormycosis of the jaws. Methods: The study was conducted using questionnaire-based interviews administered by a single investigator employing the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) and Obturator Functioning Scale (OFS) questionnaires. Responses were evaluated on a Likert scale. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 21.0 for Windows. A significance level of 5% was applied to all tests. The Wilcoxon signed-rank and chi-square tests were utilized to compare categorical and quantitative variables across groups. Responses to the questionnaires were recorded on numerical Likert scales ranging from 1 to 5 for OFS and 0 to 4 for OHIP-14. The mean OHIP-14 and OFS scores were compared between the pre-rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation stages. Results: A comparison between the pre-rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation scores from the OHIP-14 questionnaire revealed a significant difference (p= 0.001). The OFS results indicated significant improvements across all domains following the use of obturators. Conclusion Interim obturators play a vital role in improving speech, swallowing, and mastication during the recovery period for patients who have undergone bilateral total maxillectomy. Despite the altered anatomy resulting from the resection, patients adapted effectively and exhibited improvements in their social, psychological, and mental health.

Introduction: Various non-operative treatment modalities have been advocated for a frozen shoulder. In the present study we compared the efficacy of single intra-articular steroid injection vs hydrodilatation with intra-articular steroids for frozen shoulder (FS) in the frozen phase. Materials and methods: This was a prospective, randomised control trial (RCT) done at a tertiary care centre. A total of 108 participants were randomised into two groupsone group received intra-articular steroid with hydrodilatation (HDS) and other group received intraarticular steroid injection only (S). Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) scores were taken, and statistical analysis was done to measure the outcome at two weeks, six weeks and three-month intervals after the injection. Result: There was significant improvement in symptoms at each interval for both the groups (p=0.0). There was no statistically significant difference in the SPADI score between the two groups at two weeks post injection, however at six weeks (p=0.04) and 3 months (p=0.001) significant difference in the SPADI score was demonstrated with better scores in group S. The mean duration of analgesia required in group HDS was 5.17 days (S.D.=1.73) and for group S was 4.28 days (S.D.=1.01), with a statistical significance (p=0.002). Conclusion: Better clinical results were obtained at six weeks and three months with the group receiving corticosteroid only and also had a lesser requirement of analgesia post-intervention. Thus, intra-articular steroid injection only seems to be a more desirable method of management during the frozen phase of FS than that of hydrodilatation with intra-articular steroid injection.

Objectives: The most commonly used vaccine in India, Covishield, is a recombinant adenovirus vector vaccine for which safety data in pregnant women are not available. The present study was conducted to assess the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines and monitor adverse events following COVID-19 immunization among pregnant women in northern India.Patients and Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted among pregnant women registered with the antenatal clinics in Chandigarh Union Territory (U.T.) in northern India. The study included 247 pregnant women and a comparative group of age-matched, non-pregnant women (247) who received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and were followed up by telephone interviews for adverse events following immunization at three time points until 28 days after vaccination. Multivariate regression (logistic and linear) was used for the adjusted analysis, with adverse events following immunization and the duration of adverse events following immunization as the outcomes.Results: The COVID-19 vaccination uptake rate was 66.8% among the pregnant women. The 28-day incidence rate of adverse events following immunization among the pregnant women was 76.5%. The overall 28-day incidence of adverse events following immunization in pregnant women did not differ significantly from that of non-pregnant women (P=0.153).Conclusion: The Covishield vaccine is safe for pregnant women in India. Further follow-up of the cohort for feto-maternal outcomes needs to be conducted with an adequate sample size to confirm the overall safety profile of the vaccine.

Background/Aims: Most patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) report food-related aggravation of symptoms. Wheat/gluten is one of the most commonly incriminated. We studied the prevalence of self-reported wheat sensitivity in patients with IBS and in a healthy population from a region in India consuming mixed-cereal diets, correlated it with serological and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) markers of celiac disease, and evaluated the response to a wheat-free diet. Methods: We surveyed 204 patients with IBS and 400 healthy persons for self-reported wheat sensitivity. Testing for IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase and HLA DQ2 or DQ8 was done in individuals who reported wheat sensitivity. Consenting persons with wheat sensitivity were put on wheat-free diet and monitored for symptom change. Results: Twenty-three of 204 patients with IBS (11.3%) and none of the healthy subjects self-reported wheat sensitivity. Of 23 patients, 14 (60.9%) were positive for HLA DQ2 or DQ8 and none for anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody. After 6 weeks on wheat-free diet, all 19 participating patients reported clinical improvement; fewer patients had bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and easy fatigue. Conclusions Eleven percent of patients with IBS self-reported wheat sensitivity. None of them had positive celiac serology; 60.9% were positive for HLA DQ2 and DQ8, suggesting a possible genetic basis. All of them improved symptomatically on a wheat-free diet.

The optimal management of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis (ACS) is the subject of extensive debate. According to the 2017 European Society for Vascular Surgery guidelines, carotid endarterectomy should (Class IIa; Level of Evidence: B) or carotid artery stenting may be considered (Class IIb; Level of Evidence: B) in the presence of one or more clinical/imaging characteristics that may be associated with an increased risk of late ipsilateral stroke (e.g., silent embolic infarcts on brain computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, progression in the severity of ACS, a history of contralateral transient ischemic attack/stroke, microemboli detection on transcranial Doppler, etc.), provided documented perioperative stroke/death rates are <3% and the patient’s life expectancy is >5 years. Besides these clinical/imaging characteristics, there are additional individual, ethnic/racial or social factors that should probably be evaluated in the decision process regarding the optimal management of these patients, such as individual patient needs/patient choice, patient compliance with best medical treatment, patient sex, culture, race/ethnicity, age and comorbidities, as well as improvements in imaging/operative techniques/outcomes. The present multispecialty position paper will present the rationale why the management of patients with ACS may need to be individualized.