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Background: Reduction in detection of asymptomatic carriage of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) can be used to assess vaccine impact. In Nepal, routine vaccination against Hib in children at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age was introduced in 2009. Before vaccine introduction, Hib carriage was estimated at 5.0% among children aged <13 years in Nepal, with higher rates among children under 5. Large-scale evaluation of Hib carriage in children has not been investigated since the introduction of the pentavalent diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis/Hib/hepatitis B (DTP-Hib-HepB) vaccine in Nepal.Methods: A total of 666 oropharyngeal swabs were collected between August and December 2018 from healthy children between 6 months and 5 years of age attending the vaccination clinic at Patan Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. Of these 666 swabs, 528 (79.3%) were tested for Hib by culture. Demographic and vaccination data were collected.Results: Among 528 swabs tested for Hib, 100% came from fully vaccinated children. No swabs were positive for Hib (95% confidence interval, .0-.7). The absence of Hib in 2018 suggests vaccine-induced protection against Hib carriage 9 years after vaccine introduction.Conclusions: Following 3 doses of pentavalent DTP-Hib-HepB vaccine, Hib carriage in children under the age of 5 years in Nepal is no longer common. Ongoing high coverage with Hib vaccine in early childhood is expected to maintain protection against Hib disease in Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New diagnostic tests for the etiology of childhood pneumonia are needed. We evaluated the antibody-in-lymphocyte supernatant (ALS) assay to detect immunoglobulin (Ig) G secretion from ex vivo peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) culture, as a potential diagnostic test for pneumococcal pneumonia. We enrolled 348 children with pneumonia admitted to Patan Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal between December 2015 and September 2016. PBMCs sampled from participants were incubated for 48 h before harvesting of cell culture supernatant (ALS). We used a fluorescence-based multiplexed immunoassay to measure the concentration of IgG in ALS against five conserved pneumococcal protein antigens. Of children with pneumonia, 68 had a confirmed etiological diagnosis: 12 children had pneumococcal pneumonia (defined as blood or pleural fluid culture-confirmed; or plasma CRP concentration ≥60 mg/l and nasopharyngeal carriage of serotype 1 pneumococci), and 56 children had non-pneumococcal pneumonia. Children with non-pneumococcal pneumonia had either a bacterial pathogen isolated from blood (six children); or C-reactive protein <60 mg/l, absence of radiographic consolidation and detection of a pathogenic virus by multiplex PCR (respiratory syncytial virus, influenza viruses, or parainfluenza viruses; 23 children). Concentrations of ALS IgG to all five pneumococcal proteins were significantly higher in children with pneumococcal pneumonia than in children with non-pneumococcal pneumonia. The concentration of IgG in ALS to the best-performing antigen discriminated between children with pneumococcal and non-pneumococcal pneumonia with a sensitivity of 1.0 (95% CI 0.73–1.0), specificity of 0.66 (95% CI 0.52–0.78) and area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROCC) 0.85 (95% CI 0.75–0.94). Children with pneumococcal pneumonia were older than children with non-pneumococcal pneumonia (median 5.6 and 2.0 years, respectively, p < 0.001). When the analysis was limited to children ≥2 years of age, assay of IgG ALS to pneumococcal proteins was unable to discriminate between children with pneumococcal pneumonia and non-pneumococcal pneumonia (AUROCC 0.67, 95% CI 0.47–0.88). This method detected spontaneous secretion of IgG to pneumococcal protein antigens from cultured PBMCs. However, when stratified by age group, assay of IgG in ALS to pneumococcal proteins showed limited utility as a test to discriminate between pneumococcal and non-pneumococcal pneumonia in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although risk factors such as cholelithiasis and vaso-occlusive crises exist in sickle cell disease, acute pancreatitis and its recurrence are considered rare complications manifesting as acute abdomen., Case Presentation: A 33-year-old female with sickle cell disease and established cholelithiasis presented to the center with acute abdomen. After examination, investigation, and contrast enhanced computed tomography, acute pancreatitis was diagnosed. Conservative management was done and cholecystectomy was planned but delayed due to low hemoglobin. In the interval she presented again with similar features and diagnosed with of recurrence. After conservative management and after optimization of patient's hemodynamic status, laparoscopic cholecystectomy was finally performed. Postoperative period and follow-up visit after 2 months were uneventful., Clinical Discussion: As the features of pancreatitis and vaso-occlusive crisis are similar, the former should be considered as a differential diagnosis of acute abdomen in sickle cell patients. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for symptomatic cholelithiasis in these patients. However, some issues related to management such as preoperative transfusion and prophylactic cholecystectomy are still debated. This uncertainty caused delay in surgery which may have contributed to the recurrence of pancreatitis in our patient. As the risk of recurrence is possible after the first attack, standard guidelines are required for the definite management of the cause., Conclusion: This case report adds to the limited literature on recurrent acute pancreatitis in sickle cell patients and points out the need for studies on developing management guidelines in such patients and need for prophylactic treatment., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest.Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Introduction: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease with wide variation of genetics associated with it. Among the different genes described, mutation in TFG is a rare finding in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis., Case Presentation: A 35 years old right-handed male presenting with ipsilateral weakness was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He was found to have missense variant of TFG with uncertain significance on exome sequencing., Clinical Discussion: The genetics involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is ever-evolving. The identification of new TFG variant in this disease adds another evidence to the role of TFG in neurodegenerative disease., Conclusions: The finding of TFG variant of uncertain significance is a rare finding in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. And with the identification of new TFG variant, it leads to further understanding of spectrum of TFG and its pathophysiology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Introduction: Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO; Devic syndrome,1894) is a CNS demyelinating syndrome. Significant proportion of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder is associated with Anti AQ4 Ab. The revised diagnostic criteria for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (2015) has been proposed on the basis of Anti AQ4 Ab status. Most of cases reported has been found in females. It presents with multiple remissions. Common features of acute myelitis and optic neuritis seems to be the usual presentation., Case Presentation: Herein we report a case of a 35-year-old male with longitudinally extending transverse myelitis and Optic Neuritis with confirmation of Anti AQ4 Ab negative status with presentation of bilateral below knee weakness and incontinence of bowel and bladder. It was confirmed by Magnetic Resonance Imaging., Clinical Discussion: Seronegative neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder recently classified by 2015 diagnostic criteria associated with strict clinical presentations neuroimaging findings and exclusions of differentials. It presents with a poor prognosis particularly in relapsing course., Conclusion: We report a case of seronegative neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. The prognosis of relapsing course is poor. Early diagnosis and immunomodulators are required to decrease chances of recurrence. Further development of diagnostic modalities in seronegative neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder is required., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)