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Since its discovery in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread rapidly around the world with being declared a pandemic in March 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Comorbidities are one of the most concerning clinical considerations for mortality. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective observational study conducted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Patna, Bihar, from June 2020 to December 2020. It included adult patients who succumbed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during this period, and their relevant information, such as demographic information hospital stay duration, haematological parameters and comorbidities, was gathered. Results: The mean age of the study group was 63.5 (11.8) years. Of 150 cases, 126 men (about 84 per cent) and 24 women were involved (16 per cent). In our study, hypertension (HTN) was shown to be the most frequent comorbidity at 68.7% (103/150), followed by diabetes mellitus (DM) at 61.3% (92/150). The most prevalent haematological disorder identified in our investigation was anaemia and leucocytosis. Conclusion: The categorisation of patients who would need extra measures including early hospitalisation, heightened monitoring and intense therapy would be made easier by identifying patient traits and conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hidradenoma papilliferum (HP) is a rare benign tumor of the apocrine gland and is commonly seen at the anogenital region. A 32-year-old post-hysterectomy woman presented with excessive vaginal discharge and itching. Small polypoidal mass was noted at vault. Excision of the lesion was done, and histopathology confirmed HP. The patient is symptom free following excision. This case report highlights the presence of pluripotent cells in the vagina and their differentiation into any cell lineage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prostate cancer presentation with perforation peritonitis due to rectal infiltration is quite rare. We report a 53-year-old man who presented with rectal growth resulting in bowel obstruction and transverse colon perforation, for which emergent exploration was performed. Postoperative evaluation with imaging, serum tumor markers, and histopathological examination including immunohistochemistry revealed it to be prostate cancer infiltrating to surrounding structures including the rectum. It is rare to observe such advanced cases in the era of serum prostate-specific antigen screening, but a high index of suspicion is necessary for adequate diagnosis and treatment, eventually benefitting the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even in the 21st century, filariasis still remains one of the major health problems plaguing India. Filariasis usually presents as superficial swelling and lymphedema. It is uncommon for microfilaria to be seen during routine cytological examination. It is even rarer to find microfilaria coexisting with neoplastic lesions. Ninety-five percent of cases of lymphatic filariasis are caused by Wuchereria bancrofti and are rarely found in the thyroid gland. Here, we report a case of a 47-year-old male who presented with midline neck swelling, for which he underwent fine needle aspiration cytology which showed microfilaria coexisting with anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid gland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Thyroid nodule is the prime indication for FNA, which is also a cheap and effective investigation. The current study seeks an association between benign goiter and aberrant thyroid function tests (TFTs). Can thyroid FNA anticipate overt morbidity resulting from thyroid function abnormalities? Materials and Methods: FNA records of 173 patients were studied along with the TFT results. A slide review was undertaken where the FNA impression did not correspond to the TFT. Results: The female:male ratio was 149:24. Two (1.15%) had inadequate cellularity. Nearly 95/173 cases had abnormal TFTs. Multinodular goiter (126), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (43), and two and one cases of granulomatous and unclassified thyroiditis, respectively, constituted our diagnostic profile. Abnormalities in TFT did not correlate with age group, gender, or FNA diagnoses. However, hypothyroidism (clinical and subclinical) was significantly observed in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) cases. Further, scant colloid and hurthle cell change were significantly correlated with HT. A histological correlation was obtained in 46 cases. Four neoplastic cases among which three papillary carcinomas arising in small focal areas within cysts were seen. Conclusions: The major observation in this study is the subset of euthyroid and subclinically hypothyroid cases (23/43, 53.48%) of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (P = 0.0021). If treated with thyroxine replacement, overt hypothyroidism, particularly in pregnant women who are at risk of developing antithyroid antibodies, may be prevented. Besides, the inadequacy rate (1.15%) in the current study is low. False negatives 3/46 (6.5%), though available on a meager and selected subset of the patient population is still within the range of published data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gout is a metabolic disease that occurs either because of increased uric acid production or decreased uric acid secretion. It most commonly affects middle‑aged to elderly men and postmenopausal women. Chronic tophaceous gout frequently occurs after 10 years or more of recurrent polyarticular gout. Gouty tophi are deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in and around joints as well as soft tissues. We present a case of chronic tophaceous gout in a 21‑year‑old male, which occurred after 4 years of onset of gouty arthritis. The patient presented with tophaceous gout in four forms, that is, periarticular subcutaneous tophi, disseminated intradermal tophi, ulcerative form, and miliarial tophi along with multiple sinuses discharging chalky white material. The case was diagnosed as chronic tophaceous gout on the basis of raised serum uric acid, imprint smear showing needle‑shaped crystals and negatively birefringent crystals on polarized microscopy. The case is interesting for varied morphological forms of tophaceous gout in a patient at an early age and shorter interval between onset of gouty arthritis and tophaceous gout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone marrow involvement by Hodgkin lymphoma is rare with an average incidence of 10%. However, the incidence of bone marrow involvement has been shown to be less than 1% in patients with clinical stage IA or IIA disease. The involvement of the marrow in a patient with Hodgkin lymphoma represents stage IV disease. We report our experience wherein three cases of marrow involvement were picked up on bone marrow aspirates/ -imprints and confirmed on trephine biopsy. In this paper we wish to highlight the significance of bone marrow examination in the initial diagnosis and staging of even clinically early stage Hodgkin lymphoma. Staging investigations performed at the time of diagnosis for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma are vital for determining the appropriate treatment and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 23-year-old man with erythematous papules on face and trunk which was diagnosed to be generalized eruptive syringoma who was treated oral administration of isotretinoin.

A letter to the editor is presented about a case of gouty tophi diagnosed in a middle-aged man.