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Objective: To assess the prevalence and predictors of splenic dysfunction in children with sickle cell disease (SCD)., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2019 and December 2020 where children aged 1 to 15 years of age with SCD were screened for splenic dysfunction. Children who were splenectomised, those with other diseases known to affect splenic function like congenital malformations, immunodeficiencies, and chronic diseases like tuberculosis, nephrotic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, chronic liver disease, celiac disease or malignancy were excluded. Splenic size was assessed by clinical examination and ultrasonography. Splenic dysfunction was assessed by Technetium-99m (99mTc) labeled autologous RBCs and by the presence of Howell Jolly bodies in the peripheral smear. Laboratory and clinical predictors of splenic dysfunction were assessed by multiple logistic regression., Results: We evaluated 66 children with SCD with a mean (SD) age of 7.41 (3.3) years. Impaired and absent splenic function as assessed by 99mTc scintigraphy was found in 13 (19.7%), and 3 (4.6%) children, respectively. Howell Jolly bodies in peripheral smear were found in 5 (7.5%) children; 3 of them had abnormal uptake on scintigraphy; all five had splenomegaly. Age > 5 years, > 4 episodes of vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC), > 3 hospitalization events in the past, > 5 blood transfusions, children not receiving hydroxyurea, reticulocyte count > 4%, and HbS > 70% were independent predictors of splenic dysfunction., Conclusion: The prevalence of splenic dysfunction in children with SCD in Central India is lower than that reported from the West. The decision to start antibiotic prophylaxis can be individualized in these children.

Influenza is highly prevalent in children under five years, particularly those under two, accounting for 5-10% of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in India. This study was conducted to compare the immunogenicity and safety of two tetravalent inactivated influenza vaccines in healthy children aged 6-35 months. The dose recommendation for this group increased from 0.25 mL to 0.5 mL to ensure adequate immune response, as per the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. This Phase III, randomized, single-blind, active-controlled, multicentre study was conducted from May to October 2022 across five centers in India. A total of 346 subjects were randomized to receive two doses of either the test vaccine (Vaxiflu-4, Zydus Lifesciences Limited; n  = 174) or the reference vaccine (Fluarix Tetra, GlaxoSmithKline; n  = 172). The primary objective was to compare immunogenicity using seroprotection rate, seroconversion rate, and geometric mean titers (GMTs) against four vaccine strains. Safety profiles were also compared. Both vaccines demonstrated non-inferiority, with seroprotection rates over 95%, seroconversion rates above 90%, and significant GMT increases. Adverse events (AEs) were similar for both vaccines, including pain at the injection site, erythema, swelling, and pyrexia. The test vaccine, Vaxiflu-4, showed non-inferiority in terms of immunogenicity and safety when compared with reference vaccine, Fluarix Tetra (Clinical trial registry number: CTRI/2022/05/042514).

Aim: In India, 85% of organ donations are from living donors and 15% are from deceased donors. One-third of living donors were rejected because of ABO or HLA incompatibility. Kidney exchange transplantation (KET) is a cost-effective and legal strategy to increase living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) by 25%-35%., Methods: We report our experience with 539 KET cases and the evolution of a single-centre program to increase the use of LDKT., Results: Between January 2000 and 13 March, 2024, 1382 deceased donor kidney transplantations and 5346 LDKT were performed at our centre, including 10% (n = 539) from KET. Of the 539 KET, 80.9% (n = 436) were ABO incompatible pairs, 11.1% (n = 60) were compatible pairs, and 8% (n = 43) were sensitized pairs. There were 75% 2-way (n = 2 × 202 = 404), 16.2% 3-way (n = 3 × 29 = 87), 3% 4-way (n = 4 × 4 = 16), 1.8% 5-way (n = 5 × 2 = 10), 2.2% 6-way (n = 6 × 2 = 12), and 1.8% 10-way KET (n = 10 × 1 = 10). Of the recipients 81.2% (n = 438) were male and 18.8% (n = 101) were female, while of the donors, 78.5% (n = 423) were female and 21.5% (n = 116) were male. All donors were near relatives; wives (54%, n = 291) and mothers (20%, n = 108) were the most common donors. At a median follow-up of 8.2 years, patient survival, death censored graft survival, acute rejection, and median serum creatinine levels of functioning grafts were 81.63% (n = 440), 91% (n = 494), 9.8% (n = 53) and 1.3 mg/dL respectively. We credited the success to maintaining a registry of incompatible pairs, high-volume LDKT programs, non-anonymous allocation and teamwork., Conclusion: This is the largest single-centre KET program in Asia. We report the challenges and solutions to replicate our success in other KET programs., (© 2024 Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology.)

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) on Quality of Life (QoL) in Indian patients with obesity over 10 years., Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted at 11 centres for individuals with MBS between February 2013 and May 2022. Patient medical records provided the source of de-identified data., Results: Data from 2132 individuals with a mean age of 43.28 ± 11.96 years was analysed. There were 37.43% men and 62.57% females in the study population. The study population had a mean preoperative body mass index (BMI) of 45.71 ± 10.38 kg/m 2 . The Bariatric Analysis and Reporting Outcome System (BAROS) scoring method showed a higher overall QoL score throughout all follow-up periods, with 'very good' outcomes at one, three and 7 years and 'good' outcomes at 5 and 10 years. Improvements in QoL were associated with a substantial improvement (p < .01) in BMI at every follow-up time point., Conclusions: Following MBS, individuals with obesity exhibited a substantial and long-term improvement in their overall QoL for up to 10 years. This study presents Indian data on QoL, which is considered one of the most important decision-making factors for or against an intervention., (© 2024 The Author(s). Clinical Obesity published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of World Obesity Federation.)

Background: Rare disorders comprise of ~ 7500 different conditions affecting multiple systems. Diagnosis of rare diseases is complex due to dearth of specialized medical professionals, testing labs and limited therapeutic options. There is scarcity of data on the prevalence of rare diseases in different populations. India being home to a large population comprising of 4600 population groups, of which several thousand are endogamous, is likely to have a high burden of rare diseases. The present study provides a retrospective overview of a cohort of patients with rare genetic diseases identified at a tertiary genetic test centre in India., Results: Overall, 3294 patients with 305 rare diseases were identified in the present study cohort. These were categorized into 14 disease groups based on the major organ/ organ system affected. Highest number of rare diseases (D = 149/305, 48.9%) were identified in the neuromuscular and neurodevelopmental (NMND) group followed by inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) (D = 47/305; 15.4%). Majority patients in the present cohort (N = 1992, 61%) were diagnosed under IEM group, of which Gaucher disease constituted maximum cases (N = 224, 11.2%). Under the NMND group, Duchenne muscular dystrophy (N = 291/885, 32.9%), trinucleotide repeat expansion disorders (N = 242/885; 27.3%) and spinal muscular atrophy (N = 141/885, 15.9%) were the most common. Majority cases of β-thalassemia (N = 120/149, 80.5%) and cystic fibrosis (N = 74/75, 98.7%) under the haematological and pulmonary groups were observed, respectively. Founder variants were identified for Tay-Sachs disease and mucopolysaccharidosis IVA diseases. Recurrent variants for Gaucher disease (GBA:c.1448T > C), β-thalassemia (HBB:c.92.+5G > C), non-syndromic hearing loss (GJB2:c.71G > A), albinism (TYR:c.832 C > T), congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CYP21A2:c.29-13 C > G) and progressive pseudo rheumatoid dysplasia (CCN6:c.298T > A) were observed in the present study., Conclusion: The present retrospective study of rare disease patients diagnosed at a tertiary genetic test centre provides first insight into the distribution of rare genetic diseases across the country. This information will likely aid in drafting future health policies, including newborn screening programs, development of target specific panel for affordable diagnosis of rare diseases and eventually build a platform for devising novel treatment strategies for rare diseases., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Current clinical diagnosis pathway for lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) involves sequential biochemical enzymatic tests followed by DNA sequencing, which is iterative, has low diagnostic yield and is costly due to overlapping clinical presentations. Here, we describe a novel low-cost and high-throughput sequencing assay using single-molecule molecular inversion probes (smMIPs) to screen for causative single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and copy number variants (CNVs) in genes associated with 29 common LSDs in India., Results: 903 smMIPs were designed to target exon and exon-intron boundaries of targeted genes (n = 23; 53.7 kb of the human genome) and were equimolarly pooled to create a sequencing library. After extensive validation in a cohort of 50 patients, we screened 300 patients with either biochemical diagnosis (n = 187) or clinical suspicion (n = 113) of LSDs. A diagnostic yield of 83.4% was observed in patients with prior biochemical diagnosis of LSD. Furthermore, diagnostic yield of 73.9% (n = 54/73) was observed in patients with high clinical suspicion of LSD in contrast with 2.4% (n = 1/40) in patients with low clinical suspicion of LSD. In addition to detecting SNVs, the assay could detect single and multi-exon copy number variants with high confidence. Critically, Niemann-Pick disease type C and neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis-6 diseases for which biochemical testing is unavailable, could be diagnosed using our assay. Lastly, we observed a non-inferior performance of the assay in DNA extracted from dried blood spots in comparison with whole blood., Conclusion: We developed a flexible and scalable assay to reliably detect genetic causes of 29 common LSDs in India. The assay consolidates the detection of multiple variant types in multiple sample types while having improved diagnostic yield at same or lower cost compared to current clinical paradigm., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Treatment decisions for tuberculosis (TB) in the absence of full drug-susceptibility data can result in amplifying resistance and may compromise treatment outcomes. Genomics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( M.tb ) from clinical samples enables detection of drug resistance to multiple drugs. We performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) for 600 clinical samples from patients with tuberculosis to identify the drug-resistance profile and mutation spectrum. We documented the reasons reported by clinicians for referral. WGS identified a high proportion (51%) of pre-extensively drug-resistant (pre-XDR) cases followed by multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) (15.5%). This correlates with the primary reason for referral, as non-response to the first-line treatment (67%) and treatment failure or rifampicin resistance (14%). Multivariate analysis indicated that all young age groups ( P < 0.05), male gender ( P < 0.05), and Beijing strain ( P < 0.01) were significant independent predictors of MDR-TB or MDR-TB+ [pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) and XDR-TB]. Ser315Thr (72.5%) in the inhA gene and Ser450Leu in the rpoB gene (65.5%) were the most prevalent mutations, as were resistance-conferring mutations to pyrazinamide (41%) and streptomycin (61.33%). Mutations outside the rifampicin resistance-determining region (RRDR), Ile491Phe and Val170Phe, were seen in 1.3% of cases; disputed mutations in rpoB (Asp435Tyr, His445Asn, His445Leu, and Leu430Pro) were seen in 6% of cases, and mutations to newer drugs such as bedaquiline and linezolid in 1.0% and 7.5% of cases, respectively. This study on clinical samples highlights that there is a high proportion of pre-XDR cases and emerging resistance to newer drugs; ongoing transmission of these strains can cause serious threat to public health; and whole-genome sequencing can effectively identify and support precision medicine for TB., Importance: The current study is based on real-world data on the TB drug-resistance profile by whole-genome sequencing of 600 clinical samples from patients with TB in India. This study indicates the clinicians' reasons for sending samples for WGS, which is for difficult-to-treat cases and/or relapse and treatment failure. The study reports a significant proportion of cases with pre-XDR-TB strains that warrant policy makers' attention. It reflects the current iterative nature of the diagnostic tests under programmatic conditions that leads to delays in appropriate diagnosis and empirical treatment. India had an estimated burden of 2.95 million TB cases in 2020 and 135,000 multidrug-resistant cases. However, WGS profiles of M.tb from India remains disproportionately poorly represented. This study adds a significant body of data on the mutation profiles seen in M.tb isolated from patients with TB in India, mutations outside the RRDR, disputed mutations, and resistance-conferring mutations to newer drugs such as bedaquiline and linezolid., Competing Interests: A.C., A.Z., A.B., P.N., G.A.T., S.S., and S.K. are employees of HaystackAnalytics Pvt Ltd., which provides commercial genomics services. Other authors declare no competing interests.

Background: Exudative pleural effusions are commonly encountered in clinical practice, but in about one-fourth of cases, etiology remains elusive after initial evaluation. Medical thoracoscopy with semirigid thoracoscope is a minimally invasive procedure with high diagnostic yield for diagnosing pleural diseases, especially these undiagnosed exudative pleural effusions. In tubercular endemic areas, often, these effusions turn out to be tubercular, but the diagnosis of tubercular pleural effusion is quite challenging due to the paucibacillary nature of the disease. Although culture is the gold standard, it is time-consuming. Cartridge-based nucleic acid amplification test (CBNAAT) is a novel rapid diagnostic test for tuberculosis (TB) and has been recommended as the initial diagnostic test in patients suspected of having extrapulmonary TB (EPTB)., Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study of 50 patients with undiagnosed pleural effusion admitted to our tertiary care hospital. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance of CBNAAT on thoracoscopic guided pleural biopsy and compare it with conventional diagnostic techniques like histopathology and conventional culture., Results: Of 50 undiagnosed pleural effusions, TB (50%) was the most common etiology. The overall diagnostic yield of semirigid thoracoscopy in this study was 74%. Our study showed that CBNAAT of pleural biopsies had a sensitivity of 36% only but a specificity of 100%. The sensitivity of CBNAAT was not far superior to the conventional culture., Conclusion: Tuberculosis (TB) is a common cause of undiagnosed pleural effusion in our set-up. CBNAAT testing of pleural biopsy, though, is a poor rule-out test for pleural TB, but it may aid in the early diagnosis of such patients., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2024.)

Background Objectives: Irrational prescribing practices have major consequences on patient safety and also increase the economic burden. Real-life examples of impact of irrational prescription have potential to improve prescribing practices. In this context, the present study aimed to capture and evaluate the prevalence of deviations from treatment guidelines in the prescriptions, potential consequence/s of the deviations and corrective actions recommended by clinicians., Methods: It was a cross-sectional observational study conducted in the outpatient departments of tertiary care hospitals in India wherein the 13 Indian Council of Medical Research Rational Use of Medicines Centres are located. Prescriptions not compliant with the standard treatment guidelines and incomplete prescriptions with respect to formulation, dose, duration and frequency were labelled as 'prescriptions having deviations'. A deviation that could result in a drug interaction, lack of response, increased cost, preventable adverse drug reaction (ADR) and/or antimicrobial resistance was labelled as an 'unacceptable deviation'., Results: Against all the prescriptions assessed, about one tenth of them (475/4838; 9.8%) had unacceptable deviations. However, in 2667/4838 (55.1%) prescriptions, the clinicians had adhered to the treatment guidelines. Two thousand one hundred and seventy-one prescriptions had deviations, of which 475 (21.9%) had unacceptable deviations with pantoprazole (n=54), rabeprazole+domperidone (n=35) and oral enzyme preparations (n=24) as the most frequently prescribed drugs and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) and hypertension as most common diseases with unacceptable deviations. The potential consequences of deviations were increase in cost (n=301), ADRs (n=254), drug interactions (n=81), lack of therapeutic response (n=77) and antimicrobial resistance (n=72). Major corrective actions proposed for consideration were issuance of an administrative order (n=196) and conducting online training programme (n=108)., Interpretation Conclusions: The overall prevalence of deviations found was 45 per cent of which unacceptable deviations was estimated to be 9.8 per cent. To minimize the deviations, clinicians recommended online training on rational prescribing and administrative directives as potential interventions., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Indian Journal of Medical Research.)

Objectives : The objective of this consensus article was to form a list of expert recommendations and an easily adaptable algorithm for obesity management in India by primary care physicians (PCPs). Methods : A Delphi-based model was followed to form a list of the consensus recommendations. Consensus statements were created from the results of a literature review that were graded as per the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) criteria. After being evaluated by an expert panel comprising diabetologists, endocrinologists, cardiologists, bariatric surgeons, and gynecologists, the statements were revised and reevaluated by a larger group of practitioners, including PCPs and diabetologists, to arrive at a consensus. Results : The panel opined that obesity is increasing in prevalence in India and is projected to rise in the coming years. Body mass index and waist circumference were both recommended for better identification of people at risk of obesity-related comorbidities than either of them alone. The Edmonton Obesity Staging System (EOSS) was suggested as being most suitable for the assessment (staging) of obesity. A multidisciplinary team was considered invaluable for assessing and managing patients with obesity. The use of once-a-week semaglutide (2.4 mg) via the subcutaneous route was suggested as the first-choice anti-obesity treatment when pharmacotherapy is deemed necessary. An algorithm considering all these aspects was proposed. Conclusion : Obesity needs to be recognized as a significant contributor to other comorbidities. The diagnosis and management of obesity should be comprehensive and consider patient psychology, the presence or absence of comorbidities, available pharmacologic agents, and long-term outcomes. The proposed algorithm could help clinicians in this aspect and improve the overall outcomes. How to cite this article : Deshpande NR, Kapoor N, Dalal JJ, et al. Consensus on Current Landscape and Treatment Trends of Obesity in India for Primary Care Physicians. J Assoc Physicians India 2023;71(10):69-77., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2023.)

Small-for-size syndrome (SFSS) is a well-recognized complication following liver transplantation (LT), with up to 20% developing this following living donor LT (LDLT). Preventing SFSS involves consideration of factors before the surgical procedure, including donor and recipient selection, and factors during the surgical procedure, including adequate outflow reconstruction, graft portal inflow modulation, and management of portosystemic shunts. International Liver Transplantation Society, International Living Donor Liver Transplantation Group, and Liver Transplant Society of India Consensus Conference was convened in January 2023 to develop recommendations for the prediction and management of SFSS in LDLT. The format of the conference was based on the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system. International experts in this field were allocated to 4 working groups (diagnosis, prevention, anesthesia, and critical care considerations, and management of established SFSS). The working groups prepared evidence-based recommendations to answer-specific questions considering the currently available literature. The working group members, independent panel, and conference attendees served as jury to edit and confirm the final recommendations presented at the end of the conference by each working group separately. This report presents the final statements and evidence-based recommendations provided by working group 2 that can be implemented to prevent SFSS in LDLT patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare no funding or conflicts of interest, (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Coronary artery ectasia (CAE) is defined as abnormal dilation of a coronary artery ≥1.5 times the normal segment. We aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical predictors of CAE. This was a prospective analysis performed on 6465 patients undergoing coronary angiography. Patients were divided based on the presence or absence of CAE and compared for angiographic characteristics and clinical risk factors. The prevalence of CAE was 7%, CAE associated with coronary artery stenosis was 5.4%, and isolated CAE was 1.6%. The mean age of presentation in CAE patients was 60 years, with male predominance (83.8%) and stable angina was the most common presentation. The left anterior descending artery (LAD) (51.7%) was the most commonly involved vessel, with diffuse ectasia more commonly seen in right coronary artery and discrete ectasia in LAD. Type 4 CAE was the most common type (92.4%). Hypertension, diabetes, smoking, dyslipidemia, and obesity were found in 62.4%, 35.3%, 45.3%, 54.9%, and 23.3%, respectively in CAE patients, with significant association with smoking (Odds Ratio = 3.06). The prevalence of CAE was 7% and was frequently associated with atherosclerotic coronary disease. Smoking was a significant predisposing factor for CAE.

Background: During the perioperative period of living donor liver transplantation, anesthesiologists and intensivists may encounter patients in receipt of small grafts that puts them at risk of developing small for size syndrome (SFSS)., Methods: A scientific committee (106 members from 21 countries) performed an extensive literature review on aspects of SFSS with proposed recommendations. Recommendations underwent a blinded review by an independent expert panel and discussion/voting on the recommendations occurred at a consensus conference organized by the International Liver Transplantation Society, International Living Donor Liver Transplantation Group, and Liver Transplantation Society of India., Results: It was determined that centers with experience in living donor liver transplantation should utilize potential small for size grafts. Higher risk recipients with sarcopenia, cardiopulmonary, and renal dysfunction should receive small for size grafts with caution. In the intraoperative phase, a restrictive fluid strategy should be considered along with routine use of cardiac output monitoring, as well as use of pharmacologic portal flow modulation when appropriate. Postoperatively, these patients can be considered for enhanced recovery and should receive proactive monitoring for SFSS, nutrition optimization, infection prevention, and consideration for early renal replacement therapy for avoidance of graft congestion., Conclusions: Our recommendations provide a framework for the optimal anesthetic and critical care management in the perioperative period for patients with grafts that put them at risk of developing SFSS. There is a significant limitation in the level of evidence for most recommendations. This statement aims to provide guidance for future research in the perioperative management of SFSS., Competing Interests: The authors declare no funding or conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background & Objectives: Investment in mental health is quite meagre worldwide, including in India. The costs of new interventions must be clarified to ensure the appropriate utilization of available resources. The government of Gujarat implemented QualityRights intervention at six public mental health hospitals. This study was aimed to project the costs of scaling up of the Gujarat QualityRights intervention to understand the additional resources needed for a broader implementation., Methods: Economic costs of the QualityRights intervention were calculated using an ingredients-based approach from the health systems' perspective. Major activities within the QualityRights intervention included assessment visits, meetings, training of trainers, provision of peer support and onsite training., Results: Total costs of implementing the QualityRights intervention varied from Indian Rupees (₹) 0.59 million to ₹ 2.59 million [1United States Dollars (US $) = ₹ 74.132] across six intervention sites at 2020 prices with 69-79 per cent of the cost being time cost. Scaling up the intervention to the entire State of Gujarat would require about two per cent increase in financial investment, or about 7.5 per cent increase in total cost including time costs over and above the costs of usual care for people with mental health conditions in public health facilities across the State., Interpretation & Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that human resources were the major cost contributor of the programme. Given the shortage of trained human resources in the mental health sector, appropriate planning during the scale-up phase of the QualityRights intervention is required to ensure all staff members receive the required training, and the treatment is not compromised during this training phase. As only about two per cent increase in financial cost can improve the quality of mental healthcare significantly, the State government can plan for its scale-up across the State.

To address the wide variation in access to cancer care in India requires strengthening of infrastructure, trained oncology workforce, and minimisation of out-of-pocket expenditures. However, even with major investments, it is unlikely to achieve the same level of infrastructure and expertise across the country. Therefore, a resource stratified approach driven by evidence-based and contextualised clinical guidelines is the need of the hour. The National Cancer Grid has been at the forefront of delivery of standardised cancer care through several of its initiatives, including the resource-stratified guidelines. Development of new guidelines is resource and time intensive, which may not be feasible and can delay the implementation. Adaptation of the existing standard guidelines using the transparent and well-documented methodology with involvement of all stakeholders can be one of the most reasonable pathways. However, the adaptation should be done keeping in mind the context, resource availability, budget impact, investment needed for implementation and acceptability by clinicians, patients, policymakers, and other stakeholders. The present paper provides the framework for systematically developing guidelines through adaptation and contextualisation. The process can be used for other health conditions in resource-constraint settings., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Pediatric B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) is a rare entity, and appropriate treatment for pediatric B-cell LBL is not well defined. While intensive ALL type regimens achieve long term survival of 90% across Western co-operative group trials, published data from Asian studies on long term outcomes are scarce. We retrospectively analyzed the data of pediatric B-cell LBL patients treated between January 2010 and December 2017 on a uniform protocol (modified BFM 90). Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the survival and Cox regression models to identify prognostic factors. Of 21 patients who received treatment on the modified BFM-90 protocol, 17(81%) were alive in remission, 3(14%) had relapse, and 1(4%) had treatment-related mortality (TRM) while in remission. Two of 3 relapsed patients subsequently expired. With a median follow-up of 66 months (range 6-114), 5-year event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were 80% (95% CI:71-89%) and 91% (95% CI:85-97%), respectively. While delayed presentation from symptom onset (p=0.030), and partial response at early (D35) interim assessment (p=0.025) had inferior EFS, patients with elevated baseline LDH had a worse OS (p=0.037). Outcomes of pediatric B-cell LBL patients treated on a modified BFM-90 protocol at a single center in India were excellent. In our study, higher disease burden manifested by elevated baseline LDH and delayed presentation (≥3months) and partial interim response portend poorer survival.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08880018.2021.2005725.

Objective: Theological beliefs play an important role in cultural norms and could impact women's prenatal and postpartum decisions in South Asia, which has a high burden of disease in children and pregnant women. The aim of this study is to identify any associations religion may have in affecting a woman's decision-making ability, and how that in turn affects maternal and child health, at a group level in multiple South Asian countries., Study Design: Cross-sectional study utilizing secondary data analysis., Methods: We used Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) between 2014 and 2018 in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Not every country's survey asked about religion, so we imputed these results based on Census data. We assessed maternal and child health through a composite coverage index (CCI), which accounts for family planning, attendance of a skilled attendant at birth, antenatal care, BCG vaccinations, 3 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, measles vaccine, oral rehydration therapy, and seeking care if the child has pneumonia. The relationship between religion, women's empowerment, and CCI was assessed through linear regression models., Results: The sample included 57,972 mothers who had children aged 12-23 months. CCI is observed to be affected by family income, in addition to religion and country. CCI was higher in Hindus (2.8%, 95% CI: 2.4%, 3.1%) and Buddhists (2.0%, 95% CI: 1.2%, 2.9%) than Muslims. Mother's age, education, income, decision-making autonomy, and attitude towards beatings were all related to CCI. In a model stratified by religion, age, education, and income were significant predictors of CCI for both Muslims and non-Muslims, but were more impactful among Muslims., Conclusion: Though multiple imputation had to be used to fill in gaps in religion data, this study demonstrates that maternal and child health outcomes continue to be a concern in South Asia, especially for Muslim women. Given the importance of religious beliefs, utilizing a simple indicator, such as the CCI could be helpful for monitoring these outcomes and provides a tangible first step for communities to address gaps in care resulting from disparities in maternal empowerment., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Purpose: The clinical manifestations of rickettsial diseases mimic other endemic infections with similar presentations thus posing a serious challenge to clinicians for their diagnosis. For the diagnosis of rickettsial disease serological tests like Weil Felix, ELISA and IFA are used. There are limited studies that have evaluated different serological tests for the diagnosis of rickettsial diseases. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the ELISA and Weil Felix test for the diagnosis of rickettsial diseases prevalent in this region., Methods: Samples from 281 patients clinically suspected of rickettsial diseases were tested for spotted fever group (SFG), typhus group (TG) and scrub typhus group (STG) by Weil Felix, ELISA and IFA was taken as the gold standard. Baseline titers and cut-off ODs were calculated by taking samples from healthy blood donors., Results: The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of Weil Felix test ranged from 30% to 44%, 83.46%-97.86%, 9%-77%, 92-96% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity, positive and negative predictive value of ELISA ranged from 80.77% to 96.15%, 96.33%-98.43%, 70.21%-88.64%, 92.89%-99.60% respectively. Maximum cross-reactions were observed between SFG and STG by the Weil Felix test and between STG and TG by ELISA., Conclusions: ELISA was found to be sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of rickettsial diseases. It is easy to perform, does not require a technical expert for result interpretation and a large number of samples can be processed at a time., (Copyright © 2021 Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Clinicopathologic profile and outcome of 15 children (15 years or above) with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with MCP-842 protocol are reported. Eleven of 15 presented with advanced (stage-III/IV) disease. Post-2 cycles of chemotherapy, complete metabolic and morphologic response was documented in 10 (66%) and rest 5 (33%) with partial response achieved complete metabolic remission by end of treatment. At a median follow-up of 44 months (range: 16 to 79 mo), the 3-year event-free survival and overall-survival were 77.1%±11.7% and 85.7%±9.4%, respectively. Though majority of our patients had advanced disease, outcome on MCP-842 protocol was satisfactory., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Current surrogacy research primarily focuses on commercial surrogacy with a particular emphasis on experiences of surrogate mothers, whereas intended parents' voices are dominated by western perspectives. Indigenous voices are only a whisper. This study presents another side of the surrogacy story by including the voices of intended parents residing in India, elicited through eight in-depth interviews. We assert there is need to understand Indian intended parents' socio-spatial experiences in the presence of a changing surrogacy law in India and the socio-cultural importance of childbearing and parenthood to move towards relational reproductive justice. By recognising the relational nature of surrogacy reproduction and drawing on the concepts of ethics of care in light of power and stigma discussions, this paper demonstrates how stigma is experienced by intended parents, its effect on their reproductive journey and wellbeing, as well as how stigma hinders achieving the vision of relational reproductive justice. We suggest that, in order to make surrogacy a positive experience for the people involved in surrogacy, there is a need to address stigma and view surrogacy as a relationship., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a genetic disorder associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Presently, well-documented information on this condition is not available in India., Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we recruited patients with clinically diagnosed MFS who presented to the outpatient department using revised Ghent nosology. We retrieved complete ophthalmic information, including vision, anterior and posterior segments, exported from electronic medical records, and relevant investigations, surgical details, and follow-up data were obtained in a specific, pretested format., Results: Our cohort consisted of 86 eyes of 43 patients and had a male preponderance. The prevalence was 20.5 per 100,000 individuals. The mean age of the patients was 23.9 years. All eyes were treated either optically with refraction or surgically using lensectomy and vitrectomy with suture supported scleral fixated intraocular lens (IOL), which significantly affected the visual outcome (P = 0.000)., Conclusion: Although considered a rare disease, MFS is commonly found in the ophthalmological setting. Refraction and surgery (lensectomy with scleral fixated IOL) may improve the vision significantly., Competing Interests: None

Background: Promoting awareness of tobacco and cancer in the community needs multipronged efforts. We performed a study to evaluate whether we could raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco, oral and esophageal cancer among school students by providing them health education. Moreover, we also compared the awareness level in students of age group 12 to ≤14 years with the age group >14 to 18 years., Methods: We conducted an awareness program in the schools of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra state. Students aged 12-18 years participated in this study. We provided health education to school students using a standard presentation; the presentation was rich in illustrations depicting the harmful effects of tobacco as well as oral and esophageal cancer's signs, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and preventive measures. After the health talk, a questionnaire was circulated. The questions were focused on tobacco, signs, and symptoms of the diseases along with early detection, prevention, and treatment of cancer., Results: A total of 1354 students participated in the program. Totally, 567 (41.9%) students were from 6 th to 8 th grade (Group A, age group 12 to ≤14) and 787 (58.1%) students were from 9 th to 12th standards (Group B, age group >14 to 18). Overall scores were high, ranging from 69% to 98%. Group A scored in the range of 69% to 95%, and Group B scored in the range 72%-98% The difference between the two groups was found to be statistically significant (P-value ≤0.05)., Conclusion: A standardized health education program helped to raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco and cancer amongst school children. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether educating school children has an impact on community understanding of the disease., Competing Interests: None

The course of clinical management in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) often faces a road-block in the form of front-line (imatinib) therapy resistance. Subsequently, several hotspot mutations were clinically validated in the kinase domain (KD) of BCR-ABL1, in deterring imatinib sensitivity and further, made targeted by next-generation tyrosine-kinase-inhibitor (TKI) drugs. Identifying KD mutations, occurring even at low frequencies, became pertinent here. Globally, cohorts from different origins were tested and the mutational spectra were mapped to categorize clinical management as well as related pathological features of CML. Moreover, targeted deep sequencing could reveal the mutational landscape more efficiently than the less sensitive Sanger sequencing method. However, no such efforts were reported from Eastern Indian cohorts of imatinib-resistant CML-sufferers. This study assessed a prospective study cohort of imatinib-resistant CML cases from Eastern India. Following dissecting the molecular and clinical parameters, the mutational spectrum was comparatively examined using conventional Sanger and next-generation deep sequencing method. This cohort showed a prevalence of e14a2-p210 variant of BCR-ABL1 and acquired resistance against imatinib, while the disease was mostly confined in its chronic phase. Together with a few common hotspot mutations identified in this cohort, deep sequencing revealed cases with a candidate mutation, otherwise undetermined by Sanger method. Also, cases with a second low frequency mutation were identified upon applying deep sequencing. Along with highlighting a few aspects of CML biology employing an Eastern-Indian cohort, this data could mark the immense importance of deep sequencing to contribute in the clinical management of CML upon front-line therapy resistance., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: The contribution of mental illness to the total burden of disease in India nearly doubled from 1990 to 2017, increasing from 2.5% of the total disability-adjusted life years in 1990 to 4.7% in 2017. Despite efforts by the Indian government, a treatment gap of 75-85%, with heterogeneity across multiple dimensions, exists across India. We conducted a qualitative study in Tamil Nadu, India, to better understand the contextual factors affecting the care-seeking behaviour for mental illness., Methods: Qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews and focus groups (FGs), were conducted with stakeholders involved in the mental health care pathway in Tamil Nadu. Ten semi-structured interviews and five FGs were conducted and analysed using an inductive approach to identify codes, using Dedoose v7, related to the emerging themes and categories., Results: Our analyses identified three key areas that influence care-seeking: views on what causes and/or constitutes mental illness, stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and broader factors influencing decision-making., Conclusions: The specific contextual factors identified by our study can be used to design and implement approaches that can help to address some of the issues that influence the care-seeking behaviour and manifest in the treatment gaps seen in Tamil Nadu and in India, more generally., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Importance: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) causes an immunosuppressed state and increases risk of secondary infections like mucormycosis. We evaluated clinical features, predisposing factors, diagnosis and outcomes for mucormycosis among patients with COVID-19 infection., Methods: This prospective, observational, multi-centre study included 47 consecutive patients with mucormycosis, diagnosed during their course of COVID-19 illness, between January 3 and March 27, 2021. Data regarding demography, underlying medical conditions, COVID-19 illness and treatment were collected. Clinical presentations of mucormycosis, imaging and biochemical characteristics and outcome were recorded., Results: Of the 2567 COVID-19 patients admitted to 3 tertiary centres, 47 (1.8%) were diagnosed with mucormycosis. Mean age was 55 ± 12.8years, and majority suffered from diabetes mellitus (n = 36, 76.6%). Most were not COVID-19 vaccinated (n = 31, 66.0%) and majority (n = 43, 91.5%) had developed moderate-to-severe pneumonia, while 20 (42.6%) required invasive ventilation. All patients had received corticosteroids and broad-spectrum antibiotics while most (n = 37, 78.7%) received at least one anti-viral medication. Mean time elapsed from COVID-19 diagnosis to mucormycosis was 12.1 ± 4.6days. Eleven (23.4%) subjects succumbed to their disease, mostly (n = 8, 72.7%) within 7 days of diagnosis. Among the patients who died, 10 (90.9%) had pre-existing diabetes mellitus, only 2 (18.2%) had received just one vaccine dose and all developed moderate-to-severe pneumonia, requiring oxygen supplementation and mechanical ventilation., Conclusions: Mucormycosis can occur among COVID-19 patients, especially with poor glycaemic control, widespread and injudicious use of corticosteroids and broad-spectrum antibiotics, and invasive ventilation. Owing to the high mortality, high index of suspicion is required to ensure timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment in high-risk populations., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background : This is the first detailed Indian electronic medical record (EMR)-based real-world observational study to understand the clinical characteristics, associated comorbidities/risk factors and treatment(s) of CAD patients across India. Methods : EMR data of adult Indians (aged ≥ 18 years) diagnosed with CAD was retrospectively analyzed. Results : The majority of the participants had stable IHD (93%), were men (68.5% in ACS, 59.8% in stable IHD), most common age group was 40-64 years in ACS (56.6%) and stable IHD (51.4%). Both are common in metros (ACS 52%, 62% stable IHD). There is a high frequency of hypertension (38.2% in ACS, 59% in stable IHD) and diabetes mellitus (32.3% in ACS, 57.6% in stable IHD). Most common treatments are antiplatelet drugs and lipid-lowering drugs (96%). Conclusions : In India, stable IHD is the most prevalent form in vast majority of patients. The patients with CAD are mostly males, are mainly located in metros and majority fall between the age group of 40-64. The major comorbidities are hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics for CAD in India may not be similar to what is reported from the west. There is a significant difference in drug usage and adherence to guidelines in India for CAD.

Objectives: To assess acceptability of teleconsultation among the socioeconomically marginalized sections of patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), to identify the socioeconomic barriers in continuing rheumatology care during the COVID-19 crisis and to identify patients who could benefit by shifting to tele-rheumatology consultations., Methods: This was a cross sectional analytical study done at a tertiary care teaching hospital in India including patients with RMDs who were not on biological diseases modifying agents. Assessment of disease status, socioeconomic status and economic impact of COVID-19 was done via tele-consultation., Results: Out of the 680 patients satisfying inclusion criteria, 373 completed the study. The format was found easy by 334 (89.6%) of them and 284 (76.1%) considered tele-rheumatology better than in-person consultation. During the pre-COVID months, the median monthly per capita income of the families of our patients and cost of illness was Indian rupees (INR) 2000 (US$ 26) and INR 1685 (US$ 21.91), respectively. Families whose financial needs were met (OR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.239, 0.598) or those with schooling upto at least secondary school (OR = 0.442, 95% CI: 0.260, 0.752) (P =0.002) were less likely to stop prescription drugs. In a hypothetical model, 289 (77.4%) could be successfully switched to tele-rheumatology follow-up., Conclusion: The acceptability of tele-rheumatology among socioeconomically marginalized patients with RMDs is good. During times of crisis, patients from poorer strata of society and lower educational background are likely to abruptly stop medications. Switching to a telemedicine-based hybrid model is likely to improve drug adherence with substantial savings on loss of pay and out of pocket expenditure., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose: COVID-19-associated rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) has reached epidemic proportion during India's second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, with several risk factors being implicated in its pathogenesis. This study aimed to determine the patient demographics, risk factors including comorbidities, and medications used to treat COVID-19, presenting symptoms and signs, and the outcome of management., Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study of patients with COVID-19-associated ROCM managed or co-managed by ophthalmologists in India from January 1, 2020 to May 26, 2021., Results: Of the 2826 patients, the states of Gujarat (22%) and Maharashtra (21%) reported the highest number of ROCM. The mean age of patients was 51.9 years with a male preponderance (71%). While 57% of the patients needed oxygen support for COVID-19 infection, 87% of the patients were treated with corticosteroids, (21% for > 10 days). Diabetes mellitus (DM) was present in 78% of all patients. Most of the cases showed onset of symptoms of ROCM between day 10 and day 15 from the diagnosis of COVID-19, 56% developed within 14 days after COVID-19 diagnosis, while 44% had delayed onset beyond 14 days. Orbit was involved in 72% of patients, with stage 3c forming the bulk (27%). Overall treatment included intravenous amphotericin B in 73%, functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS)/paranasal sinus (PNS) debridement in 56%, orbital exenteration in 15%, and both FESS/PNS debridement and orbital exenteration in 17%. Intraorbital injection of amphotericin B was administered in 22%. At final follow-up, mortality was 14%. Disease stage >3b had poorer prognosis. Paranasal sinus debridement and orbital exenteration reduced the mortality rate from 52% to 39% in patients with stage 4 disease with intracranial extension (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: : Corticosteroids and DM are the most important predisposing factors in the development of COVID-19-associated ROCM. COVID-19 patients must be followed up beyond recovery. Awareness of red flag symptoms and signs, high index of clinical suspicion, prompt diagnosis, and early initiation of treatment with amphotericin B, aggressive surgical debridement of the PNS, and orbital exenteration, where indicated, are essential for successful outcome.

Background: The present study intended to estimate the comorbidities and risk factors among patients with hypertension in India. Further, the current practice of hypertension management was evaluated and the choice of therapy was assessed based on hypertension grade, risk factors, and comorbidities., Methods: Electronic medical record data (June 2017-June 2019) of Indian adult hypertensive patients (≥140/90 mmHg) who had two blood pressure (BP) readings were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic characteristics, BP readings, comorbidities, medications and co-medications, and laboratory data were collected at baseline. Grids based on hypertension grade (I, II, and III), demographic factors, risk factors, and comorbidities were created and prescribed antihypertensive drugs (AHDs) in each grid were evaluated., Results: Among 100,075 patients, the proportion of patients in 18-40 year, 40-65 year, and &gt;65 year age groups were 11.4%, 65.1%, and 23.4%, respectively. Proportion of men and women was similar (52.0% vs 47.9%). Proportion of patients with BMI &lt;25 Kg/m2 was 8.1%, 25-29.9 Kg/m2 was 11.9%, and &gt;30 Kg/m2 was 8.8%. Mean BP of patients with hypertension was: grade I (145.05/90.73 mmHg), grade II (160.07/95.64 mmHg), and grade III (180.82/102.76 mmHg). Mean low density lipoprotein (113.26 mg/dL), serum creatinine (2.28 mg/dL), mean HbA1c (8.7%) levels were highest among patients with grade III hypertension. Commonly observed comorbidities were type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM: 51.5%), dyslipidemia (36.4%), and chronic kidney disease (CKD: 4.4%). Top concomitant medications included anti-diabetic therapies (34.6%), drugs for dyslipidemia (30.0%), and anti-platelet therapies (6.9%)., Conclusion: Most prescribed AHD monotherapies were angiotensin receptor II blockers (ARBs) and calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and most prescribed combination therapies were ARBs + diuretics and ARBs + CCBs. Telmisartan and amlodipine+telmisartan for patients with comorbid T2DM or dyslipidemia and metoprolol for those with coronary artery disease were the commonly prescribed AHDs., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.)

Introduction: The clinical significance of common antinuclear antibody (ANA) patterns, such as nuclear homogenous and nuclear speckled patterns with their corresponding specific antibodies, has already been established. However, the clinical relevance of these uncommon ANA patterns have not been well elucidated and these patterns are therefore not reported by most clinical laboratories. We herein report some retrospective data analysis linking patients' clinical status to several uncommon ANA patterns., Methods: We retrieved and assessed the patient records for ANA reports generated in our hospital over a period of two years. All testing had been performed using the gold standard Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay., Results: Records of 1235 consecutive patients tested for ANA were reviewed. ANA was positive in 330 of these patients with 6.39% found to have uncommon nuclear, cytoplasmic or mitotic sub-patterns. The mitotic spindle (0.89%), cytoplasmic anti-mitochondrial antibodies (0.80%), followed by discrete nuclear dots-multiple (0.72%) were the dominating patterns, with a higher prevalence in females than in males. Systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis were the two most common autoimmune disorders associated with mitotic spindle fibers and nuclear centromere and nuclear large/coarse speckled ANA patterns., Conclusion: The prevalence of these relatively uncommon ANA patterns was higher than expected. Further evaluation of these patterns along with their corresponding antibodies and their clinical utility must be encouraged. We trust this endeavour will provide diagnostic information in autoimmune and other disease conditions., (Copyright © 2021 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The integration of machine learning algorithms in decision support tools for physicians is gaining popularity. These tools can tackle the disparities in healthcare access as the technology can be implemented on smartphones. We present the first, large-scale study on patients with skin of colour, in which the feasibility of a novel mobile health application (mHealth app) was investigated in actual clinical workflows., Objective: To develop a mHealth app to diagnose 40 common skin diseases and test it in clinical settings., Methods: A convolutional neural network-based algorithm was trained with clinical images of 40 skin diseases. A smartphone app was generated and validated on 5014 patients, attending rural and urban outpatient dermatology departments in India. The results of this mHealth app were compared against the dermatologists' diagnoses., Results: The machine-learning model, in an in silico validation study, demonstrated an overall top-1 accuracy of 76.93 ± 0.88% and mean area-under-curve of 0.95 ± 0.02 on a set of clinical images. In the clinical study, on patients with skin of colour, the app achieved an overall top-1 accuracy of 75.07% (95% CI = 73.75-76.36), top-3 accuracy of 89.62% (95% CI = 88.67-90.52) and mean area-under-curve of 0.90 ± 0.07., Conclusion: This study underscores the utility of artificial intelligence-driven smartphone applications as a point-of-care, clinical decision support tool for dermatological diagnosis for a wide spectrum of skin diseases in patients of the skin of colour., (© 2020 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

Pediatric symptom checklist (PSC)-youth self-report short version was administered telephonically to children between 11-15 years to study the impact on mental health. Out of 423 children, 130 (30.7%) had psychosocial problems, of which 107 (25.2%) had anxiety or depressive symptoms. The common reasons were fear of acquiring COVID-19 infection (60%), not able to attend school (56%), and not able to meet friends (80%).

Bariatric and metabolic surgery (BMS), the only effective option for patients with obesity with or without comorbidities, has been stopped temporarily due to the ongoing novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, there has been a recent change in the governmental strategy of dealing with this virus from 'Stay at Home' to 'Stay Alert' in many countries including India. A host of health services including elective surgeries are being resumed. In view of the possibility of resumption of BMS in near future, Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society of India (OSSI) constituted a committee of experienced surgeons to give recommendations about the requirements as well as precautions to be taken to restart BMS with emphasis on safe delivery and high-quality care.

Background and Study Aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the leading causes of end-stage liver diseases. This study aimed to determine the association between polymorphisms in interleukin 28B (IL28B), PNPLA3, toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7), nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2) and retinoic inducible gene-I (RIG-I) and HCV genotype and clinical presentation in an Indian population., Patients and Methods: A total of 500 patients with chronic HCV were enrolled in 19 centres across India. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood samples, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for IL28B, PNPLA3, TLR7, NOD2 and RIG-I genes were genotyped by real-time PCR using a TaqManSNP genotyping assay., Results: The mean age of the patients was 45 + 13 years, and the most common genotype observed was HCV genotype 3 (54%), followed by genotype 1 (24%). Although the allelic frequencies of TLR7, NOD2 and RIG-I were in significant disequilibrium in HCV patients compared with those in controls, the PNPLA3 polymorphism correlated significantly with higher viral load and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in genotype 3 patients. Patients with PNPLA3 CG/GG genotypes, along with IL28B genotype CC, had higher levels of ALT than those with other genotypes., Conclusion: These results indicate that PNPLA3 polymorphisms are associated with higher ALT levels in HCV genotype 3 patients in India and can help in identifying people who are at greater risk of developing HCV-associated liver diseases., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Pan-Arab Association of Gastroenterology. All rights reserved.)

Indian studies on EBV in childhood classic Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) have mainly analyzed the epidemiology of EBV-positive [EBV(+)HL] or negative HL [EBV(-)HL], with limited data on outcomes. We studied a large cohort of children with intermediate and high-Risk cHL for tumor EBV status and its impact on outcomes retrospectively. Of evaluable 189 patients, 84.7% had EBV(+)HL. Positive status was significantly associated with age ≤ 10 years ( p  < .001), males ( p  = .015), non-Nodular Sclerosis (NS) histology ( p  = .004) and inversely with bulky-mediastinal disease ( p  < .001). At a median follow-up of 29-months (range1-75), 3-year Event-Free Survival (EFS) for EBV(+)HL and EBV(-)HL was 93.6%(95%CI:89.8%-97.5%), 81.1%(95%CI:67.2%-97.9%), ( p  = .048) and Overall Survival (OS) was 94.9%(95%CI:91.6%-98.4%), 84.6%(95%CI:71.5%-100%), ( p  = .075) respectively. Three-year EFS was better in males (HR-0.267,95%CI:0.078-0.916, p  = .036) in EBV(+)HL and in patients with serum-albumin > 3g/dL (HR-0.117,95%CI:0.019-0.705, p  = .019) in EBV(-)HL. EBV is associated with most of intermediate and high-risk childhood cHL, occurs in younger male patients with non-NS histology, with reduced incidence of bulky-mediastinal disease and favorable survival in childhood cHL.

Background: Hypertension is the biggest contributor to global burden of disease and mortality. Increasing compliance with antihypertensive treatment and achieving a wide BP control in the population represents a major challenge for clinical practice. The benefits of single pill combination versus free-equivalent combination has been demonstrated in several meta-analyses and is now strongly supported by the latest 2018 ESC/ESH guidelines. The RAAS blocker with CCB and thiazide like diuretic is proposed as the optimal combination in patients inadequately controlled by two drugs., Objective: To assess the blood pressure control rate, safety, tolerability and quality of life with triple-drug SPC in patients with grade II/ III hypertension., Methods: Hypertensive patients uncontrolled (BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg) on two-drug therapy were recruited in an open-label, phase III clinical trial conducted in outpatient setting in India with 6 months treatment period. No other antihypertensive medication except the study medication was received by the patients., Results: Out of 218 evaluable patients the observed average blood pressure reduction achieved from baseline to end of study at 6 months was Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) 28.5 mm Hg / Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) 13.8 mm Hg. The quality of life (QoL) questionnaire demonstrated improvement in QoL for all patients., Conclusion: This study showed the clinical efficacy, safety and acceptability of the perindopril/indapamide/amlodipine SPC in patients with grade 2/3 hypertension inadequately controlled with two-drug therapy. The clinical effectiveness was observed in more than 96 % patients. The benefit of single-pill combination (SPC) therapy in hypertension control was reconfirmed in this study., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.)

Background: Short-term peripheral venous catheters-related bloodstream infections (PVCR-BSIs) rates have not been systematically studied in developing countries, and data on their incidence by number of device-days are not available., Methods: Prospective, surveillance study on PVCR-BSI conducted from September 1, 2013 to May 31, 2019 in 204 intensive care units (ICUs), members of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC), from 57 hospitals in 19 cities of India. We applied US INICC definition criteria and reported methods using the INICC Surveillance Online System., Results: We followed 7,513 ICU patients for 296,893 bed-days and 295,795 short term peripheral venous catheter (PVC)-days. We identified 863 PVCR-BSIs, amounting to a rate of 2.91/1,000 PVC-days. Mortality in patients with PVC but without PVCR-BSI was 4.14%, and 11.59% in patients with PVCR-BSI. The length of stay in patients with PVC but without PVCR-BSI was 4.13 days, and 5.9 days in patients with PVCR-BSI. The micro-organism profile showed 68% of gram negative bacteria: Escherichia coli (23%), Klebsiella spp (15%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5%), and others. The predominant gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (10%)., Conclusions: PVCR-BSI rates found in our ICUs were much higher than rates published from industrialized countries. Infection prevention programs must be implemented to reduce the incidence of PVCR-BSIs., (Copyright © 2020 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Bariatric and metabolic surgery are being performed in India for 2 decades. Aim of this paper is to evaluate the changing clinical trends over the last 5 years and to present the other aspects helmed by Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society of India (OSSI) to aid the growth of research, education, data management and registry, quality control, insurance-related issues and policy change. OSSI conducts an annual survey to collect data pertaining to numbers of surgical procedures. With the approval of the executive committee, data collected from 2014 to 2018 were retrieved and analysed. 20,242 surgical procedures were performed in 2018 which is an 86.7% increase from 2014. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy continued to remain the most popular procedure, it's percent share saw a steady decline from 68 to 48%. One anastomosis gastric bypass showed an unprecedented growth from 14 to 34%. Numbers of laparoscopic Roux en y gastric bypass remained constant at 15-16%. OSSI has also initiated a COE program along with training fellowships and focus on registry and inclusion in insurance coverage. National trends over the past 5 years in bariatric surgery have shown emergence of newer procedures like OAGB, although LSG continues to be the most popular procedure performed These trends give an insight on how the field is evolving and the implications for any distinctive requirements unique to this region These will lay out important directives for not only ensuring good treatment outcomes but also increasing awareness about the disease on the whole.

Introduction: Non-Wilms renal tumors represent a compelling subset of childhood renal tumors. However, their relative rarity renders accurate diagnosis, and therapy challenging which in some instance is inferred from their adult counterparts., Objective: To describe the incidence and analyze the diagnostic challenges, therapies and, outcomes of non-Wilms renal tumors at the largest tertiary cancer centre in India., Methods: All patients with histologically confirmed non-Wilms renal tumours diagnosed in the paediatric oncology unit of Tata Memorial Hospital between 2006 and 2019 were included. Data regarding clinical and radiological features and treatment outcomes were retrieved from the prospectively maintained institutional database. At the outset, histological types were categorised into a high and low-risk group depending on anticipated survival. Survival analysis was performed utilising the Kaplan-Meier method on SPSS software version 24.0., Results: Of the 569 patients with renal tumors, 109 (19%) patients with primary (n = 97) or recurrent (n = 12) non-Wilms renal tumors were included. Histological high-risk group included clear cell sarcoma (CCSK) (39.4%), renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (19.3%), malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRTK) (12.8%), Ewing's sarcoma (rES) (15.6%), synovial sarcoma (2%), and undifferentiated sarcoma (2%). The low-risk group comprised of congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) (4.6%), cystic partially differentiated nephroblastoma (2%), and other rare tumors (3%). Diagnostic error occurred in 2 patients in the high-risk group. All low-risk tumours were treated with surgery alone and most (97%) high-risk tumors were operated either upfront (61.5%) or after preoperative chemotherapy (38.4%). Adjuvant therapy based on histology was offered to 70%. The recurrent tumors received various salvage treatments including chemotherapy; radiotherapy; surgery and immunotherapy, however, only 2 patients could be salvaged. The 3-year overall survival for the entire cohort with primary tumors was 59%, and the survival rates were 76.7%, 77.9%, 0.0%, and 52% for CCSK, RCC, MRTK, and rES (summary figure). Low-risk tumors had 100% survival while the recurrent tumors had a median survival of 10.5 months., Conclusions: Non-Wilms renal tumors constitute a heterogeneous group of tumors, accounting for less than 20% of all renal tumors. Low-risk tumors are associated with excellent outcomes following surgery alone while the high-risk tumours have a variable outcome. MRTK and recurrent non-Wilms tumour have the worst survival. Favourable outcomes for CCSK and RCC and worst outcomes for MRTK were observed in this study. Renal ES have higher incidence of treatment failure and unsatisfactory outcomes. Recurrent non-Wilms tumours have an extremely poor outcome and more alternative or innovative approaches are needed for their treatment., (Copyright © 2020 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Real-world data on the effectiveness of antihypertensive drugs (AHDs) in India is limited. The present study aims to provide updated evidence regarding the effectiveness of olmesartan as monotherapy or in combination with other AHDs in Indian patients with essential hypertension., Methods: Electronic medical record data of adult patients who were diagnosed with essential hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg) and were prescribed olmesartan as mono- or add-on therapy were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were classified based on the number of AHD classes prescribed on initiation of olmesartan. Change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) from baseline was the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoint was evaluation of proportion of patients who achieved treatment goals as per 2018 European Society of Cardiology/European Society of Hypertension guidelines. Readings were obtained before initiating olmesartan and after at least a month of therapy with olmesartan., Results: Among the 459 included patients, majority were on olmesartan monotherapy or olmesartan+1AHD (91.7%). Mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) change in olmesartan monotherapy group was: SBP (-13.4 [-15.7, -11.1] mmHg) and DBP (-8.3 [-9.5, -7.1] mmHg) and mean (95% CI) change in olmesartan+1AHD group was: SBP (-11.7 [-15.1, -8.3] mmHg) and DBP (-6.6 [-8.3, -4.9] mmHg) (P<0.001 for all). SBP and DBP goals were achieved by 40.4% and 50.3% of patients on olmesartan monotherapy and by 36.1% and 46.2% of patients on olmesartan+1AHD. Among patients with comorbid diabetes, mean (95% CI) change in olmesartan monotherapy group was: SBP (-15.5 [-18.6, -12.4] mmHg) and DBP (-8.7 [-10.2, -7.2] mmHg) and mean (95% CI) change in olmesartan+1AHD group was: SBP (-13.5 [-18.3, -8.7] mmHg) and DBP (-7.6 [-9.8, -5.4] mmHg) (P<0.001 for all). SBP and DBP goals were achieved by 38.5% and 49.4% of patients on olmesartan monotherapy and by 31.7% and 42.9% of patients on olmesartan+1AHD., Conclusion: Olmesartan prescribed as mono- or add-on therapy during routine clinical practice significantly reduced blood pressure in Indian patients with essential hypertension as well as in patients with comorbid diabetes., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.)

Stroke care in India has evolved rapidly in the last decade with a focus on stroke awareness, prevention, rapid triage, treatment, and rehabilitation. But acute stroke care and poststroke rehabilitation in the country have limitations owing to the economic constraints and poor access to health care. The SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic has made stroke care even more challenging. We outline the unfavorable circumstances in stroke care induced by the pandemic; propose mitigating measures; crisis management; and provide a comparative evaluation of stroke care between India and the United States during the pandemic. There is a need for public health systems in both developed and developing countries to improve awareness, implement proper strategies of triage, acute treatment, well-defined rehabilitation plans, telemedicine services, and virtual check-ins., (© 2020 New York Academy of Sciences.)

Background: This study aims to study the incidence, microbial aetiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of surgical site infections (SSIs) at a private tertiary care hospital in Mumbai, India, and compare it with previously published data from the same institute as well as literature., Methods: This is a prospective observational study done over 6 years (January 2013-December 2018) at a 750-bed private multi-specialty hospital in Mumbai, India, among all patients undergoing clean and clean-contaminated surgeries. Standard guidelines for preventing, diagnosing and classifying SSIs were followed. The incidence rates of SSI (overall and specialty specific), microbial aetiology and antibiotic susceptibility of SSI were calculated and expressed as percentages., Results: A total of 55,553 patients underwent clean and clean-contaminated surgeries during the study period. The overall SSI rate was 1.0% (555 cases). The SSI rate in clean surgeries was 0.97% and in clean-contaminated surgeries was 1.03%. Sixty-five per cent of SSIs were due to Gram-negative bacilli, 30% were due to Gram-positive cocci and 4% were due to Candida. Klebsiella pneumoniae (19%), Escherichia coli (17%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13%), Staphylococcus aureus(12%) and Enterococcus (10%) were the top five organisms. The overall susceptibility rate of the Gram-negative isolates to beta-lactam-beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations was 60% and carbapenems was 73%. The prevalence of methicillin resistance in S. aureus was 44% and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was 84%. The crude mortality rate was 1%., Conclusions: Although the SSI rate is comparable to established international benchmarks, the predominance of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative organisms is a matter of serious concern., Competing Interests: None

Information concerning the clinical outcome of severe sepsis and septic shock among the burden of tropical infections in children is limited, particularly in low-income settings. We conducted a prospective consecutive cohort study in all children aged 1 month to 16 years needing paediatric intensive care between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2018. Demographic details, presenting symptoms and duration, associated co-morbidity and organ dysfunction were recorded. Clinical and laboratory parameters discriminating between survivors and non-survivors were evaluated. Most presented with respiratory or central nervous system derangement along with cardiovascular dysfunction. Haematological involvement was almost invariably found on diagnostic evaluation. Those children with ≥3 systems involved had higher odds of mortality. Dengue was seen in half the patients, being the commonest tropical infection. Not surprisingly, non-survivors were younger, had rapid progression of illness and needed ventilation more often within the first hour of admission. However, in multivariable regression analysis, only procalcitonin levels were associated with increased risk of mortality. We conclude that that tropical infections causing severe sepsis and septic shock are an important cause of mortality. There are, however, no clinical parameters which differentiate reliably between survivors and non-survivors.

Healthcare worker (HCW) infections due to COVID-19 are of serious consequence. Testing for antibodies against COVID-19 in HCWs has been previously recommended. We conducted a serosurvey in HCWs at a private hospital in Mumbai which is treating COVID patients. A total of 244 HCWs were tested. The prevalence of infection in asymptomatic HCWs was 4.3% and in previously symptomatic untested HCWs was 70%. We recommend that HCWs with a previous history of COVID symptoms who were not tested/tested negative by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction should be tested for antibodies at least 2 weeks after onset of symptoms., Competing Interests: None

Background: India is the largest hub for bariatric and metabolic surgery in Asia. OSSI is committed to improve the quality of care and set the standards for its practice in India., Methods: The first draft of OSSI guidelines was prepared by the secretary, Dr. Praveen Raj under the guidance of current President, Dr. Arun Prasad. All executive council members were given voting privileges, and the proposed guidelines were circulated on email for approval of the executive council. Guidelines were finalized after 100% agreement from all voting members and were also circulated among all OSSI members for their suggestions., Results: OSSI upholds the BMI criteria for bariatric and metabolic surgery of 2011 IFSO-APC guidelines. In addition to this, we recognize that waist circumference of ≥ 80 cm in females and ≥ 90 cm in males along with obesity related co-morbidities may be considered for surgery. In addition to standard procedures as recommended by IFSO, OSSI acknowledges the additional procedures, and a review of literature for these procedures is presented in the discussion., Conclusion: The burden of obesity in India is one of the highest in the world and with numbers of bariatric and metabolic procedures rising rapidly; there is a need for country specific guidelines. The Indian population is unique in its phenotype, genotype and nutritional make up. This document enlists guidelines for surgeons and allied health practitioners as also multiple other stake-holders like primary health physicians, policy makers, insurance companies and the Indian government.

Introduction: There is a paucity of studies on the progression and outcome of Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) with its determinants., Aims and Objectives: To determine the predictors of the outcome and progression of pediatric sepsis and septic shock., Materials and Methods: Prospective observational study of children fulfilling criteria of SIRS and their progression to sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock (clinically and biochemically) was conducted at a tertiary care center., Results: Totally, 200 children were recruited over a period of 21 months (from February 2016 to October 2017). Most cases (80, 40%) were infants. Of the total, 188 (94%) cases were of an infective etiology (mostly respiratory system). Temperature and heart rate were the two commonest SIRS parameters which were deranged. Blood cultures were positive in only 25 (12.5%) cases. Out of the total 200 children, 108 progressed to sepsis, of which 26 progressed to severe sepsis, of which 22 progressed to septic shock. Abnormal leukocyte count, culture positivity and severe acute malnutrition were significantly associated with progression of SIRS patients to septic shock (P = 0.001, 0.00001 and 0.002, respectively). Factors associated with mortality were positive blood culture, multiorgan dysfunction, late hospital admissions, severe acute malnutrition, and requirement of supportive care (P values-<0.0001, <0.0001, 0.03, <0.0001 and <0.0001, respectively)., Conclusions: SIRS can progress to septic shock if not identified early. The predictors of mortality were positive blood cultures, multiorgan dysfunction, late hospital admissions, severe acute malnutrition, and requirement of supportive care. The predictors of progression to septic shock were abnormal leukocyte count, culture positivity, and severe acute malnutrition., Competing Interests: None

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in children. Most treatment regimens include high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX), which is logistically difficult to administer in resource-limited settings. We evaluated the outcomes of pediatric ALCL patients treated on a uniform protocol (Modified Multicentric Protocol, MCP-842 regimen) at our hospital between January 2005 and December 2016. Of the 68 patients who received treatment on the Modified MCP842 protocol, 46 patients are alive in remission, 11(16%) had disease progression, 9(13%) relapsed after achieving remission, and 5(7%) had treatment-related mortality (TRM). Seventeen of 20 relapsed/progressed patients subsequently expired. With a median follow-up of 55 months (range 2-165 months), the 4-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) are 63% (95% CI of 50-73%) and 70%(95% CI of 57-79%), respectively. An indigenous protocol using vinblastine (without HDMTX and steroids) is feasible in a resource-limited setting and achieves outcomes comparable to regimens incorporating HDMTX, with lower toxicity.

Introduction: Hypertension (HTN) is a rapidly growing epidemic in India. It is no larger restricted to older adults as more young Indians are being diagnosed with HTN. Despite its significant prevalence, the awareness, treatment, and control of HTN remain low in India. Thus, early diagnosis is essential to control HTN and prevent future complications. Screening for HTN can help identify undiagnosed and asymptomatic HTN, and thereby the early use of interventions to control the blood pressure (BP). However, no comprehensive guidelines have been established for effective HTN screening in asymptomatic individuals in an Indian setting., Objective: To provide consensus recommendations for hypertension screening in India., Consensus Recommendations: Screening for HTN can provide more effective control of HTN and reduce the complications. Experts recommended that the initial age at screening should be 18 years. In individuals at a high risk of HTN, targeted screening can be undertaken. BP measurement using an electronic BP recorder (with at least two readings) are required for identifying HTN during screening. In asymptomatic adults with BP <130/85 mmHg and BP of 130-139/85- 89 mmHg, rescreening should be conducted every 3-5 years and at least every year, respectively. Screening for HTN can be cost effective even when universal screening of the entire population is undertaken., Conclusion: The consensus recommendations would increase the awareness of HTN screening. Screening for HTN can provide more effective control of HTN and reduce the complications., (© Journal of the Association of Physicians of India 2011.)