Patients with acute ischemic stroke had significantly better outcome with minocycline treatment as compared with those administered placebo. The above findings suggest that minocycline can be helpful in reducing the clinical deficits after acute ischemic stroke.

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BACKGROUND: Systemic therapy with radionuclides may be used for the treatment of patients with painful skeletal

These findings confirm the hypothesis that an elevated serum lipoprotein(a) level is an important risk factor in the development of cerebral ischaemia in patients aged less than 40 years. It may be worthwhile to study whether it is useful in identifying patients most at risk for stroke.

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Objective: To study photoreceptor changes after a successful macular hole surgery using adaptive optics. Materials and Methods: Three patients who underwent a successful macular hole surgery were studied. Cone density, spacing, and number of nearest neighbors were analyzed at 2° and 4° of eccentricity in all four quadrants using adaptive optics. Results: All three patients gained a visual acuity better than logMAR 0.477 (Snellen equivalent 6/18) at 6 months following successful macular hole surgery. Following successful closure of the macular hole, photoreceptors were appreciated at 2° and 4° of eccentricity from the center. However, as compared with the fellow normal eye, cell density was reduced significantly in the inferior (12,929.33 ± 2047.50 versus 23,839.67 ± 3711.16 cells/mm2 at 2°) and temporal quadrant (13,890 ± 3424.26 versus 22,578.67 ± 5651.34 cells/mm2 at 2°), and intercell spacing was increased significantly in inferior (9.6 ± 0.92 versus 7.14 ± 0.545 µm) and nasal quadrant (8.83 ± 0.39 versus 7.49 ± 0.42 µm). Number of nearest neighbors was unaffected after the hole closure. Conclusion: Postoperative recovery of vision after successful closure of the hole occurs because of the migration or shifting of cells from parafoveal retina toward the center. Cells nearest to the hole margin (at 2° eccentricity) appear to shift more as compared with cells which are further away.

Phacolytic glaucoma (PLG) is a rare complication of hypermature senile cataract. Delayed presentation of PLG may make its diagnosis and management difficult and worsen its prognosis. A woman aged 75 years complaining of sleep disturbing pain and inaccurate projection of rays oculus dextrus (OD) was referred to our centre for management of non-resolving microbial keratitis with endophthalmitis. Ultrasound biomicroscopy revealed 360° peripheral anterior synechiae, swollen crystalline lens and hyperechoic granules filling anterior chamber. A diagnosis of PLG and lens-induced uveitis was made and cataract was extracted after control of intraocular pressure (IOP). The patient was left aphakic. There was complete resolution of pain after surgery and at 3 months follow-up the IOP was controlled without any antiglaucoma medications. Rarely, secondary corneal opacification from long-standing pathological changes in PLG may mimic non-resolving microbial keratitis with endophthalmitis and requires a high index of suspicion for appropriate diagnosis and management.

Objectives- Ongoing pandemic due to COVID-19 has spread across countries, surprisingly with variable clinical characteristics and outcomes. This study was aimed at describing clinical characteristics and outcomes of admitted patients with mild COVID-19 illness in the initial phase of pandemic in India. Design - Retrospective (observational ) study. Setting - COVID facilities under AIIMS, New Delhi, where, isolation facilities were designed to manage patients with mild illness and dedicated COVID ICUs was created to cater patients with moderate to severe illness. Participants - Patients aged 18 years or more, with confirmed illness were eligible for enrolment. Patients who were either asymptomatic or mildly ill at presentation were included. Patients with moderate to severe illness at admission, or incomplete clinical symptomatology records were excluded. Methods - Data regarding demographic profile, comorbidities, clinical features, hospital course, treatment, details of results of RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 done at baseline and at day 14, chest radiographs (wherever available) as well as laboratory parameters was obtained retrospectively from the hospital records. Main outcome measures - Final outcome was noted in terms of course of the disease, patients discharged, still admitted (at time of conclusion of study) or death. Results -Out of 231 cases included, majority were males(78.3%) with a mean age of 39.8 years. Comorbidities were present in 21.2% of patients, diabetes mellitus and hypertension being most common. The most common symptoms were dry cough(81, 35%), fever(64, 27.7%), sore throat(36, 15.6%), and dyspnoea(24, 10.4%); asymptomatic infection was noted in 108(46.8%) patients. Presence of comorbidities was an independent predictor of symptomatic disease (OR-2.66; 95% CI 1.8 to 6.53, p= 0.03). None of the patients progressed to moderate to severe COVID-19. There were no deaths in this cohort. Conclusions - Patients with mild disease at presentation had a stable disease course and therefore such cases can be managed outside hospital setting. A large proportion of patients remained asymptomatic throughout the course of infection and those with comorbidities are more likely to be symptomatic. Trial registration - Not applicable