Background. Hypertension is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of hypertension in a population of male bus drivers in North Kerala, India. Methods. The study population included male bus drivers of Corporation Bus stand Kozhikode, Kerala. Blood pressure, height, and weight of subjects were measured, and relevance was obtained using a structured questionnaire. Results. Age varied from 21 to 60 years (mean 36.5 ± 8.4). Among 179 bus drivers studied, 16.8% (30/179) had normal BP, 41.9% (75/179) had prehypertension, and 41.3% (74/179) had hypertension. Isolated systolic HTN was seen in 6.70% (12/179) individuals. Out of 74 hypertensives, 9 (12.1%) were aware of their hypertension, while 3 (4.0%) were medicated and only 1 (1.3%) had BP adequately controlled. Age > 35 years (P = 0.015), BMI ≥ 23 kg/m2 (P = 0.007), supporting more than four family members (P = 0.011), and taking main meals from restaurants on most working days (P = 0.017) were independently associated with HTN in binary logistic regression. Conclusion. Prevalence of hypertension was high among bus drivers. Age > 35 years, elevated BMI, supporting a large family, and dietary habits associated with the job showed significant association with hypertension. Primary and secondary prevention strategies need to be emphasized in this occupational group.

Mucormycosis is a life-threatening infection affecting patients with diabetes. It is an angioinvasive disease often resistant to treatment with a debilitating course and high mortality. Here, we report a case of a 45 year old woman with type 2 diabetes mellitus who presented to us with history of right-sided ptosis and facial palsy, and subsequently developed loss of vision and palatal palsy. She was in diabetic ketoacidosis. Nervous system examination revealed involvement of right second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh, ninth, and tenth cranial nerves, suggestive of Garcin syndrome. The hard palate had been eroded with formation of black eschar. Computed tomography of paranasal sinuses revealed right maxillary and ethmoid sinusitis, with spread of inflammation to infratemporal fossa and parapharynygeal neck spaces. Debridement of sinus mucosa was done, and culture of the same yielded growth of rhizopus species. Histopathological examination of the tissue showed angioinvasion and fungal hyphae suggestive of mucormycosis. She was treated with amphotericin B, posaconazole, and periodic nasal sinus debridement, but her general condition worsened after 8 weeks due to secondary sepsis and she succumbed to death.

Introduction: Snakebite is an urgent, unmet global medical need causing significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Varespladib is a potent inhibitor of venom secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) that can be administered orally via its prodrug, varespladib-methyl. Extensive preclinical data support clinical evaluation of varespladib as a treatment for snakebite envenoming (SBE). The protocol reported here was designed to evaluate varespladib-methyl for SBE from any snake species in multiple geographies. Methods and Analysis: BRAVO (Broad-spectrum Rapid Antidote: Varespladib Oral for snakebite) is a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of oral varespladib-methyl plus standard of care (SoC) vs. SoC plus placebo in patients presenting with acute SBE by any venomous snake species. Male and female patients 5 years of age and older who meet eligibility criteria will be randomly assigned 1:1 to varespladib-methyl or placebo. The primary outcome is the Snakebite Severity Score (SSS) that has been modified for international use. This composite outcome is based on the sum of the pulmonary, cardiovascular, nervous, hematologic, and renal systems components of the updated SSS. Ethics and Dissemination: This protocol was submitted to regulatory authorities in India and the US. A Clinical Trial No Objection Certificate from the India Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, Drug Controller General-India, and a Notice to Proceed from the US Food and Drug Administration have been obtained. The study protocol was approved by properly constituted, valid institutional review boards or ethics committees at each study site. This study is being conducted in compliance with the April 1996 ICH Guidance for Industry GCP E6, the Integrated Addendum to ICH E6 (R2) of November 2016, and the applicable regulations of the country in which the study is conducted. The trial is registered on Clinical trials.gov, NCT#04996264 and Clinical Trials Registry-India, 2021/07/045079 000062.

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) or drug hypersensitivity syndrome is considered as a severe cutaneous adverse drug reaction which is most commonly precipitated by aromatic anticonvulsants, lamotrigine, dapsone, allopurinol, minocycline, and salazopyrin. Its clinical manifestations are often variable. On rare occasions, it can present with only systemic involvement without any cutaneous features. A complete drug history is of paramount importance in making an early diagnosis. We report the case of a male patient who presented with fever, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, and hepatitis, 2 weeks after starting salazopyrin. The presence of atypical lymphocytes in the peripheral smear was indicative of a viral infection or a hematological dyscrasia. Bone marrow examination revealed a normocellular marrow with an increase in eosinophil precursors. Investigations for the common causes for fever and hepatitis were negative. The presence of eosinophilia, the temporal relationship of the symptoms with the initiation of treatment with salazopyrin, and the marked improvement on withdrawal of the drug along with the administration of systemic corticosteroids, were features consistent with the diagnosis of DRESS. With the incidence of this condition showing a rising trend, it is important for the clinician to be aware of its variable manifestations, as a delay in diagnosis and treatment can be fatal.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were: (1) To document the nailfold capillary changes (using a dermoscope) in patients with systemic sclerosis attending a tertiary care center, (2) to study the relation between nailfold capillaroscopic pattern and skin sclerosis assessed by modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS), and (3) to study the relation between nailfold capillaroscopic pattern and organ involvement in systemic sclerosis. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 40 patients with systemic sclerosis who attended the dermatology outpatient department of a tertiary care center from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018. Nailfold capillaries were examined with the help of dinolite dermoscope AM4113ZT at 50× and 200× magnification, under polarized light. Results: Study participants included 34 (85%) females and 6 males (15%). The nailfold capillaroscopy showed “early scleroderma pattern” in 3 (7.5%) “active pattern” in 28 (70%) and “late pattern” in 9 (22.5%) patients. “Late scleroderma pattern” showed a significant association with disease duration, mRSS, and mean number of organs affected. Limitations: The study participants may be over-representing advanced cases since the study was conducted among patients attending a tertiary referral center. Conclusion: We found dermoscope to be a useful tool to study the nailfold capillary changes in patients with systemic sclerosis as reported by others. Late scleroderma pattern may serve as an indicator of high mRSS and involvement of more number of organs in systemic sclerosis.

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BACKGROUND Severe sepsis and acute kidney injury (AKI) are both common syndromes that are encountered in the emergency settings. The proportion of patients presenting with severe sepsis upon admission has been reported to be approximately 9% to 12%. An increasing trend in the presence of severe sepsis in ICU-treated patients has been observed. Discriminating between AKI of septic and non-septic origin may have clinical relevance. Evolving data suggests that septic AKI may be characterized by a distinct pathophysiology. For that reason, septic AKI may be associated with important differences in terms of patient characteristics, response to interventions and clinical outcomes when compared with non-septic precipitants of AKI. The objective of the study is to evaluate the occurrence of Acute Kidney Injury in patients with Sepsis attending the Emergency Medicine Department at the Government Medical College, Kozhikode during the study period. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study Design-Single Cohort Study. Study Setting-Department of Emergency Medicine, Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode. Study Period-1 year. Study Population-Both males and females with sepsis between 30 and 70 years of age. Sample Size-200 Study Procedure-Patients attending emergency medicine department and satisfying inclusion criteria are enrolled in the study. Medical records will be examined for 2 days from the date of admission, including laboratory data. Glomerular filtration was calculated according to the MDRD equation. AKI was defined according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network (AKIN criteria) based on serum creatinine. Briefly, AKI was defined as an absolute difference of 50%, taking into consideration the peak and admission serum creatinine values during hospitalization. Moreover, AKI was classified into 3 stages based on an increase of 50% to 100% in terms of admission serum creatinine (stage 1); 100% to 200% (stage 2); or greater than 300% or an increment of 0.5 mg/dL, if admission serum creatinine was higher than 4 mg/ dL (Stage 3), within 48 hours. The following parameters were collected in the ED: age, gender, temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, mean blood pressure, leukocyte count, platelet count, vasopressor administration, urine output, serum creatinine, baseline GFR, AKIN stage and blood culture. RESULTS AKI was noticed in 27% of the patients with sepsis. There was no gender difference in the prevalence of AKI. Old age, presence of comorbidities like hypertension and diabetes mellitus were more common in the AKI group. Laboratory and clinical findings were also abnormal in the AKI group compared with non-AKI group. CONCLUSION Around one third of patients presenting with sepsis have features of AKI. AKI was associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with AKI. Multiple risk factors were noticed to have a role in the development of AKI and further studies in this regard is needed

The treatment modalities for painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN) include antidepressants, anticonvulsants, capsaicin, membrane stabilizers and analgesics. Recent guidelines recommend pregabalin as a first line treatment for PDPN. But controversy exists about its efficacy and safety. The main objective of the study is to determine the safety, efficacy of pregabalin treatment for PDPN. An interventional cohort study was carried out in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Subjects who satisfy the inclusion criteria were included in the study after obtaining written informed consent. A total of 52 subjects were enrolled in the study. PDPN was confirmed by means of (1) Diabetic neuropathy symptom (DNS) score of more than one point, (2) Diabetic neuropathy examination score (DNE) of more than three points, (3) Neuropathic disability score (NDS) of more than 6 points and (4) Pain of more than 50% assessed by Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The subjects received pregabalin 75mg once daily for one week followed by 75 mg twice daily for further 3 weeks based on patient’s tolerability. Pain intensity was measured by using Short-Form McGill pain questionnaire. Safety of therapy was assessed from the incidence of adverse events including physical as well as laboratory evaluations. All study subjects’s enrolled received pregabalin. Study showed that pregabalin treatment significantly reduced pain in diabetic peripheral neuropathy with mean pain score 11.52 ± 9.30 (P value 0.00). The most common adverse effects of pregabalin were dizziness, peripheral edema, and somnolence. The study concluded that pregabalin significantly reduces pain and improve quality of life in PDPN.There was a dose-related increase in efficacy of pregabalin treatment. Moreover, there was a dose-related increase in incidence of most adverse events which are generally mild to moderate. Disclosure C. Radhakrishnan: None. A. Ut: None. S. K: None. N. Manikath: None. R.R. Cr: None.