No abstract

No abstract

Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is an uncommon, granulomatous, inflammatory thyroid disorder. It usually presents with anterior neck and/or jaw pain, diffusely tender goiter, fever, fatigue, myalgia, and anorexia. Most patients with SAT initially develop symptoms and signs of hyperthyroidism which usually subsides within a few weeks with or without going through a transient phase of hypothyroidism. SAT is usually associated with a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. We report a case of SAT in a 30-year-old male with a recent COVID-19 infection. The patient presented with a three days history of painful anterior neck mass and palpitations. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 16 days before presentation. His infection was mild and did not need any treatment apart from as-needed paracetamol. The patient was found to have a clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings consistent with SAT. The patient was prescribed ibuprofen, prednisone, and propranolol. The patient showed significant clinical and biochemical improvement on follow-up visits, achieving a euthyroid state within several weeks. Like many other respiratory viral illnesses, COVID-19 also seems to be associated with SAT. Other endocrinological sequelae have also been reported. While reviewing patients suffering from COVID-19 infection, these possibilities should be kept in mind.

The development of diagnostic tools remains at the center of the health care system. In recent times optical biosensors have been widely applied in the scientific community, especially for monitoring protein–protein or nucleic acid hybridization interactions. Optical biosensors‐derived surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology has appeared as a revolutionary technology at the current times. This review focuses on the research work in molecular biomarker evaluation using the technique based on SPR for translational clinical diagnosis. The review has covered both communicable and noncommunicable diseases by using different bio‐fluids of the patient's sample for diagnosis of the diseases. An increasing number of SPR approaches have been developed in healthcare research and fundamental biological studies. The utility of SPR in the area of biosensing basically lies in its noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic feature due to its label‐free high sensitivity and specificity properties. This makes SPR an invaluable tool with precise application in the recognition of different stages of the disease.

Toothpick ingestion and perforation of the gastrointestinal tract, although a very rare phenomenon, carries a very high mortality risk. Most cases of toothpick ingestion remain unnoticed until very late. The symptoms are often vague, with the most common being abdominal pain. Any obscure case of abdominal pain with bacteremia must be investigated for foreign body ingestion and perforation. A CT scan is the best initial diagnostic modality for toothpick perforation but has low sensitivity with laparoscopy, and endoscopy is the preferred diagnostic tool. No single bacterium is involved in bacteremia due to toothpick ingestion. Surgical or endoscopic removal of the impacted toothpick along with prompt antibiotic therapy leads to excellent outcomes. If left untreated or in case of a late diagnosis, it may lead to life-threatening consequences. Here, we present a case of a 44-year-old man who had ingested a toothpick that pierced through and was lodged in the duodenal wall, leading to bacteremia. The patient was successfully treated and discharged.

No abstract

Sarcopenia is a major health issue in old age. Underlying molecular mechanisms in its genesis remain unclear and optimal animal models are yet to be established. A novel animal model was developed to identify structural and functional changes in skeletal muscles from sarcopenia. The influence of physical activity on animals of the sarcopenic model with respect to the expression of anti-oxidant proteins, mitochondrial oxidative capacity, and effect on muscle stem cells (MuSCs), were assessed. Male C57Bl/6 mice of different age groups were recruited: Y-Cntrl (young-control), A-Cntrl (agedcontrol), SAR-model and SAR-INT. SAR-model group was kept in a retrofitted confined cage and was fed with customized protein-restricted diet (14% protein), which is considered as a sarcopenic featured model. SAR-INT served as the intervention group. Three parameters, namely, muscle mass, grip strength, and physical endurance, were used to confirm the sarcopenic state. All physical parameters deteriorated most in SAR-model and it improved in the SAR-INT group. The impact of physical activity on the SAR-INT group was also evidenced by the improved proliferative potential of MuSCs determined by flow cytometric analysis. Compared with the SAR-model, the SAR-INT exhibited significant improvement in the oxidative capacity of mitochondrial enzymes and increased expression of anti-oxidant proteins, sestrins. In conclusion, physical activity improved physical parameters, MuSC proliferative potential, mitochondrial enzyme oxidative capacity and sestrin expression in sarcopenic animals. Hence, SAR-model in mice can serve as a novel sarcopenic model, physical activity provides scope for improvement in sarcopenic population and sestrin molecule can have a potential implication on sarcopenia.

No abstract