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Introduction: Paradoxical co-existence of insulinoma and diabetes is extremely rare. Although a few case reports addressed this association, a comprehensive study elucidating this relationship has been lacking. We performed a systematic review of published cases of insulinoma in diabetes. Methods: We conducted a literature search using PubMed and Google Scholar, employing various combinations of the following terms: ‘insulinoma’, ‘diabetes’, ‘nesidioblastosis’, ‘endogenous hyperinsulinism’, ‘hypoglycaemia’, and ‘hyperglycaemia’ (from January 1900 to January 30, 2024). Exclusion criteria included non-English publications, duplicate articles, reports lacking sufficient data, cases of endogenous hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemia other than insulinoma, and inaccessible articles. Statistical analysis was performed using appropriate methods. Results: Sixty patients were considered for the final analysis. Mean age was 61 ± 15 years (range: 17–96 years) with a slight female preponderance; 88.3% had type-2 diabetes with a median duration of 8 years. The median delay in diagnosis of insulinoma was 6 months. Median blood glucose varied from 30.5 mg/dL to 235 mg/dL, with a mean HbA1c of 5.6 ± 1.3% (range: 2.9%–8.2%). Critical sampling data were available in 75% of cases. The median size of the insulinoma was 2 cm. Furthermore, 5.2% of insulinomas were extra-pancreatic. Among pancreatic insulinomas, 14.5% were multi-focal. One-third of cases were malignant. Surgical resection was done in 70.9% of cases, while 40% received drug therapy and 12.7% received both, with 20.7% overall mortality. Malignant insulinoma (P = 0.007), micro-angiopathic (P = 0.018) and macro-angiopathic complications (P = 0.039), and other co-morbidities (P = 0.009) were associated with unfavourable prognosis, while being overweight and obese (P = 0.020) at presentation was associated with favourable prognosis. Conclusion: This first systematic review provides insights into the uniqueness of insulinoma in diabetes.

Physicians and endocrinologists commonly face various questions related to dietary interventions during clinical encounters with their patients with thyroid disorders. Indeed, both patients and treating physicians have various misconceptions regarding thyroid-specific diets, possibly because of misinformation circulated in lay media or grey literature and the misinterpretation of contradictory scientific data, respectively. In this review, we attempted to answer some frequently asked questions by the patients in the backdrop of contraindicatory perceptions of physicians observed in our survey. Additionally, we tried to put a perspective on dietary factors related to thyroid disorders through the available scientific evidence to help make an informed decision-making.

Background: Polyethylene glycol loxenatide (peg-loxenatide) is a novel glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist developed and available for clinical use in China. This meta-analysis was performed as no meta-analysis has analysed the efficacy and safety of peg-loxenatide in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods: Electronic databases were systematically reviewed for RCTs having patients living with T2DM receiving peg-loxenatide in treatment arm and placebo/any other diabetes medicine in control arm. The primary outcome was to evaluate changes in glycated haemoglobin. The secondary outcomes were to evaluate alterations in weight, blood pressure, fasting glucose, prandial glucose, lipids, and adverse events. Results: Data from four trials (718 patients) were analysed. Over 12–24 weeks of clinical use, HbA1c was significantly lower in patients receiving standard-dose peg-loxenatide (100 mcg/week) {MD -0.95% [95% confidence interval (CI): -1.19 to -0.71]; P < 0.01; I2 = 76%} and high-dose peg-loxenatide (200 mcg/week) [MD -1.15% (95% CI: -1.47 to -0.82); P < 0.01; I2 = 90%], as compared to placebo. Standard-dose peg-loxenatide was not associated with increased occurrence of nausea [RR 2.87 (95% CI: 0.56 to 14.72); P = 0.21; I2 = 10%], vomiting [RR 4.73 (95% CI: 0.53 to 41.88); P = 0.16; I2 = 0%], and anorexia [RR 0.78 (95% CI: 0.18 to 3.28); P = 0.73; I2 = 0%]. Occurrence of nausea [RR 16.85 (95% CI: 3.89 to 72.92); P < 0.01; I2 = 10%], vomiting [RR 15.90 (95% CI: 2.99 to 84.55); P < 0.01; I2 = 0%], and anorexia [RR 3.85 (95% CI: 1.24 to 11.88); P = 0.02; I2 = 0%] was significantly higher with high-dose peg-loxenatide, as compared to placebo. Conclusion: Peg-loxenatide (100 mcg/week) is the most appropriate dose for clinical use as it is associated with good glycaemic efficacy with minimal gastro-intestinal side effects.

While tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) is the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease among children, its first presentation in the third decade of life just after successful pregnancy outcome is extremely rare. In fact, survival of both child and mother having uncorrected TOF after noninstitutional delivery is unheard of. Herein, authors report a case of previously undiagnosed TOF associated with other midline congenital abnormalities, that is, nasal dermoid cyst and cleft palate, who presented for the first time with postpartum hemorrhage after an unsupervised home birth. To the best of our knowledge, this unique association has never been described before.

Cavitation and pneumothorax are independently associated with high morbidity and mortality in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). While spontaneous (non-traumatic) pneumothorax formation has commonly been observed among mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients, there are few rare reports of COVID-19 associated pneumothorax without any history of barotrauma and other conventional risk factors. Here, we report a unique case of post-COVID-19 cavitation and tension pneumothorax which was further complicated by hydropneumothorax formation in a young patient who suffered severe COVID-19 pneumonia 4 weeks back. As the patient was devoid of any conventional risk factors, we believe that persistent inflammatory alveolar damage even after clinical recovery from COVID-19 played a key role in pulmonary cavitation followed by pneumothorax formation. With prompt clinical and radiological recognition of these fatal, yet treatable complications of COVID-19 pneumonia, the patient was saved and had an uneventful recovery.

While fever is a well-described precipitating factor of moyamoya-specific symptoms, moyamoya angiopathy (MMA) mimicking recurrent febrile seizures has never been reported before. Here, we report a case of MMA in a 4-year-old child who was misdiagnosed as simple febrile seizures on multiple occasions. This case underscores the importance of identifying early clinicoradiological clues of MMA for earlier diagnosis and better prognosis.

Brain tumors have long been considered one of the most prevalent causes of potentially reversible cognitive impairment. An accurate underlying cause of cognitive impairment due to brain tumor needs to be evaluated pragmatically. Patterns of cognitive impairment associated with brain tumors depend mainly on their location, lateralization, pathological classification and secondary effects of the treatment, as well as the structural plasticity and diaschisis. Hence, it is not rare that lesions with different locations and histologies may manifest with a similar pattern of cognitive impairment due to the complex interplay of determinants. We herein report 3 patients with brain tumors affecting different locations and with differing histologies, who shared a similar presentation as “frontal dysexecutive syndrome” masqueraded as psychiatric conditions. Detailed examination of saccades and pursuit along with eye movements and conventional motor examinations were essential not only to diagnose brain tumor as the potential cause of cognitive impairment, but also to rule out other coexisting etiologies with completely different underlying pathological mechanisms (i.e., Huntington’s disease in 1 of the cases). A detailed neurological examination, including eye movement assessment, in patients with psychiatric symptoms provides not only important clues to delineate the underlying anatomical substrate involved, but also helps clinicians to make an accurate diagnosis and to select appropriate therapeutic options.

Neuropsychiatric manifestations like cognitive dysfunction, peripheral neuropathy, stroke headache, seizures in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are quite common. However, psychosis as the sole presenting manifestation of SLE is rarely encountered clinically. If lupus is not kept as differential among patients with acute psychosis, delay in diagnosis and subsequent mismanagement are likely to happen. Here, we present a case of a young female presenting with acute psychosis as the predominant symptom and was further evaluated and diagnosed as a case of SLE. The patient was managed with immunosuppressive agents and carried an excellent outcome.

Cerebral manifestations in Japanese B encephalitis are well known. However, there are very few studies focusing on extra-cerebral manifestations, among which focal anterior horn cell involvement is exceedingly rare. We herein report a case of Japanese B encephalitis with focal anterior horn cell involvement and unfurl how stepwise clinical approach and targeted investigations helped to solve the diagnostic conundrum. A 27-year-old female was admitted with fever, headache, altered sensorium, and convulsions. She tested positive for Japanese B encephalitis-IgM. Following conservative management, she regained consciousness after 5 days when neurological examination revealed marked cognitive impairment, medial convergence of eyeballs, upward gaze restriction, upper limbs dystonia with brisk tendon jerks, and flaccid paraparesis. A repeat neurological examination, on day 15 of admission, showed marked wasting and intermittent fasciculation in both lower limbs. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed asymmetrical (right > left) bilateral thalamic and midbrain lesions, hyperintense on T2 and T2-fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR)-weighted imaging with mild diffusion restriction on diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient map, suggestive of encephalitis . Nerve conduction study revealed decreased compound muscle action potentials exclusively in lower limbs with intact sensory nerve action potentials. Electromyogram showed chronic denervation potentials and presence of spontaneous activity in lower limbs, but not in upper limbs, indicative of focal anterior horn cell involvement. Prognosis of Japanese B encephalitis does not only depend on cerebral sequelae. Anterior horn cell involvement can dictate poor outcome and can easily be missed if not carefully dealt with.

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVT) is notoriously known for its varied presentations and extremely high risk of mortality, if remains undetected and untreated. On the other hand, life can be saved with full functional recovery if CVT can be identified with high index of clinical suspicion with supportive imaging and treatment with appropriate anticoagulation. It is important for clinicians to be meticulous to screen for both the potential reversible and heritable causes of CVT so that appropriate measures can be taken to prevent such catastrophe. Here we report a case of CVT involving right sigmoid and transverse sinuses presenting with acute onset left sided hemiplegic without antecedent headache or seizures. Patient was successfully treated with anticoagulants with nearly full functional recovery. Multiple predisposing factors were identified. As per our knowledge, this is the first case of CVT with underlying conglomeration of multiple acquired (lactation, folate deficiency, hyperhomocysteinemia, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate injection) and hereditary risk factors (deficiency of protein C, protein S and antithrombin-III) in a single patient.

Background: Although the psychosocial impact of type-1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients is well recognized, data about its prevalence in India is scant. Hence, this study was undertaken to determine the prevalence and spectrum of psychosocial morbidities among pediatric T1DM patients and factors associated with psychosocial distress. Methods: Among 39 pediatric T1DM patients, a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out. Psychological distress was measured by applying a childhood psychopathological measurement schedule (CPMS) questionnaire. Psychosocial distress was analyzed across various sociodemographic factors and disease-specific variables by applying the Chi-square test using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 16. Results: The mean age of the study sample was 11.59 + 2.65 years (range: 6–16 years). Out of a total 39 patients, 21 (53.85%) were found to be psychologically distressed. The mean CPMS score was 12.74 + 9.54. Mean scores among psychologically distressed and nondistressed patient groups were 19.19 + 8.5 and 5.22 + 2.74, respectively. Anxiety, conduct disorder, and depression were the most common problems identified. Psychosocial distress was more prevalent among those who were postpubertal, males, Muslims, residing in rural areas, living in a nuclear family, having no sibling, and from the upper-lower socioeconomic background. Psychosocial distress was significantly associated with an increased number of insulin injections per day (P = 0.041) and dietary and drug regimen noncompliance (P = 0.001). Conclusion: The present study revealed a very high prevalence (53.85%) of psychosocial morbidity among T1DM patients. Psychosocial distress was significantly more among patients taking an increased number of insulin injections per day and patients who were noncompliant with the dietary and drug regimen.

If the 20th century was the revolution era of plastic industry for manufacturing too many plastic based products starting from bucket to car, then the 21st century is the time to face its consequences. Improper management, lack of information about its negative effect and irresponsible use as well as dumping of plastic products turns this planet into “plastic planet”. Besides emerging as solid waste, these plastic materials also appeared as a great threat for human and animal health. It not only polluted the roads, forests, mountains but also polluted our oceans. Ignorant human populations always throw the plastic waste into water bodies and most probably the “out of sight out of mind” thought leads them to do so. This is why the problem of microplastics in the marine ecosystem is an issue of great concern nowadays.Here we discuss the different sources of microplastics in the oceans and their harmful impacts on the marine organisms. The microscopic size of these plastic fragments gets them easily available for ingestion by an array of marine habitants, causing adverse effects on their health. The potential of microplastics to absorb various harmful hydrophobic pollutants from the surrounding environment indirectly transfers these contaminants in the food chain. Thus to tackle this serious issue of microplastic pollution in the marine ecosystem, various policies and rules must be formulated. To avoid future threat, it is important to stop producing it further and replace the plastic with alternative eco‑friendly materials.

Microplastic pollution is one of the emerging threats across the globe and is becoming a topic of intense study for environmental researchers. At present, almost all of the world’s oceans and seas are contaminated with microplastics but the Mediterranean Sea has been recognized as a target hotspot of the world as the microplastic concentration in this region is approximately four times greater than the North Pacific Ocean. Because of the distinguishing semi-enclosed morphology of the Mediterranean Sea, and different plastic waste generating activities originating from surrounding countries the Mediterranean Sea is highly vulnerable to microplastic pollution. Different plastic families have been reported in the Mediterranean Sea and the Physico-chemical features of these plastic polymers play an important role in the interactions between these plastic particles and other organic matter in the water bodies. The ingestion of microplastics by marine animals is an issue of concern as microplastic acts as vectors for other harmful pollutants adsorbed onto their surface. This review provides a detailed discussion on the persistence of microplastics in the Mediterranean Sea that have been identified in surface water and also in sediments and deep sea-floor. Various sources of these synthetic materials and the intensity of low and high-density polymers pollution in the Mediterranean Sea have also been discussed. This review also focuses on the threatened species in the Mediterranean Sea and the fate of the plastisphere community in its ecosystem. In the end, we highlight a series of important regulations and policies adopted by Mediterranean countries to control and manage the microplastic pollution in this region.

Movement disorder, although rare, is increasingly being recognized as the initial presenting sign of the hyperglycemic state. Although chorea-ballism has frequently been reported among diabetics, monoballism is a very rare phenomenon. While myoclonus is common, diaphragmatic myoclonus is extremely rare. Moreover, diaphragmatic myoclonus as the initial presenting manifestation has never been reported before. Herein, we report an index case of a 62-year-old previously undiagnosed diabetic lady presented with acute onset constellation of multiple abnormal movements viz. monoballism, focal myoclonus, action myoclonus, and diaphragmatic myoclonus. All of them disappeared with achieving normoglycemia. This case underscores the importance of rapid capillary blood glucose testing in any patient presenting with acute onset abnormal movements. This approach can especially be rewarding as it helps in the rapid diagnosis of a reversible catastrophe and avoiding unnecessary costly investigations.

Hashimoto's Encephalopathy (HE), also known as steroid responsive encephalopathy associated with autoimmune thyroiditis (SREAT), is a proteiform disorder known for its wide spectrum of presentations from subtle neuropsychiatric manifestations, movement disorders, seizures, stroke-like episodes to coma. Here, we report a case of HE which initially masqueraded as bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) and ultimately progressed to generalized tonic clonic seizures and coma. Although SREAT is characterized by exquisite responsive to steroid, in our case it was unresponsive to pulse methylprednisolone therapy. Rapid recovery was noted with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. This case was also peculiar for its association with non-sydnromic retinitis pigmetosa (RP). To the best of our knowledge, this was the first reported case of HE which was associated with RP.

Jaw clonus, a fascinating, yet uncommon clinical sign, is suggestive of supranuclear lesions of the trigeminal nerve. It has previously been reported in association with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Hereby, we report an index case of jaw clonus in a patient of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder with subsequent osmotic demyelination syndrome with pseudobulbar palsy due to the involvement of pontine corticobulbar fibres.