Neurocognitive disorders in the elderly are on the rise all over the world. Neuropsychological assessment is vital to monitoring the progress of cognitive deficits. Over the years, there has been significant development in neuropsychological assessment to predict the development and progression of MCI and dementia. One such area of recent advancement in the field of neuropsychology is technology-based assessment. There are several types of technology-based assessments available based on the type of usage, site of the assessment, type of administration, type of device used for assessment, etc. Virtual reality-based assessments and digital assessments of neurocognitions for early identification of subtle cognitive deficits in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and major neurocognitive disorders (MND) represent two newly developed technologies. A few studies have demonstrated their efficacy; however, there remain several limitations and drawbacks to their usage within the elderly population. In this review, we have briefly discussed technology-based neuropsychological assessment, along with their usage and limitations.

Background: COVID-19 has caused psychological, social, and physical isolation in adolescents resulting in varying rates of suicidal behavior and self-harm. Aims: We investigated the pandemic's impact on adolescent suicidal behavior and self-harm by reviewing the existing literature. Methods: We searched PubMed using keywords: adolescent, suicide, suicidal behavior, self-harm, prevalence, and COVID-19 and included studies reporting primary data only. Results: Of the 551 studies identified, we included 39 studies in the final analysis. Two of the six high-quality population-based suicide registry studies reported increased suicide rates during the pandemic. Seven of fifteen emergency department–based studies out of which four were of high quality and three high-quality population-based health registry studies reported increased self-harm. A few school and community-based surveys and national helpline data also reported an increase in suicidal behavior or self-harm. Limitations: Methodological heterogeneity of the included studies. Conclusions: There is wide variation in study methodology, population, settings, and age groups in the included studies. Suicidal behavior and self-harm were increased in specific study settings and adolescent populations during the pandemic. More methodologically rigorous research is needed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent suicidal behavior and self-harm.

The effect of COVID‐19 on the male reproductive tract has been sparsely studied. This exploratory study was designed to determine the presence of SARS‐CoV‐2 in the semen of men recovering from COVID‐19. A systematic literature review was also performed as per PRISMA guidelines to gather perspective on this topic. The prospective study included men 21 years and older recovering from COVID‐19 with nasopharyngeal swab negative for SARS‐CoV‐2 or at least two weeks from the last COVID RT‐PCR positivity. After clinical evaluation, freshly ejaculated semen sample by masturbation was collected in a sterile container. Samples were processed for the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 by RT‐PCR. Twenty‐one patients were contacted for the study, 11 of which consented to provide a semen sample. The mean age of the cohort was 29.72 ± 4.52 years. None of the patients gave a history of epididymo‐orchitis or sexual dysfunction at the time of assessment. None of the semen samples demonstrated SARS‐CoV‐2 on RT‐PCR. Median duration of semen sample collection from the COVID positivity was 44 days (Range 19–59 days). Detailed literature review revealed that SARS‐CoV‐2 is not found in patients recovering from COVID‐19 infection. We conclude that SARS‐CoV‐2 is not found in the semen of patients recovering from COVID‐19.

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Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) changes among different group of patients with schizophrenia and compare it with healthy controls by using Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography. Methodology: Patients with schizophrenia first episode (n=21), in remission (n=35) or with treatment resistant schizophrenia (n=35) and 36 healthy controls were evaluated for retinal thickness. Results: Patients with psychotic illnesses had significantly lower sub-foveal choroidal thickness (effect size 0.84-0.86). When patients with first episode schizophrenia were compared with patients with treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS), TRS patients had significant differences for sub-foveal choroidal thickness (left eye) when the various confounders (such as age, gender, duration of treatment, smoking, current medications, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting glucose, HbA1c, presence or absence of metabolic syndrome) were taken into account. When the patients with TRS were compared with healthy controls, initially significant differences were observed for the macular volume (left and right), and the ganglion cell thickness (right eye) but these differences disappeared after controlling for the various covariates. Conclusions: Compared to healthy controls, patients with schizophrenia, psychotic illnesses have thinning of the retina, especially in the sub-foveal choroidal thickness.

Background In a low and middle-income country (LMIC) like India, non—communicable diseases (NCDs) contribute a major proportion (61.8%) of all causes of death. Out of this, 48% of cardiovascular diseases , 23% of Chronic Respiratory Diseases , and 10% of Cancer deaths are attributable to tobacco use. Tobacco use is a major risk factor for NCDs and thus, the tobacco cessation approach is a high priority intervention to combat complications and death among NCD patients. While several interventions are available for tobacco cessation, in resource constraint countries like India, the effectiveness of low-cost, culturally specific patient-centric tobacco cessation behavioral intervention holds a potential that needs to be evaluated. A newly developed evidence-based tobacco cessation intervention package will be compared with the existing/usual care provided under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancers, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke (NPCDCS) at NCD clinics. Methods and design 2 arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial. Participants Patients aged ≥30 years suffering from NCD, currently using tobacco, and attending NCD clinics in 2 districts of Punjab, India. Sample size A total of 200 participants meeting the selection criteria will be recruited. They will be allocated either to the intervention arm or control (usual care) arm (100 each) using block randomization. Intervention For the participants, there will be 4 face-to-face disease-specific cessation counseling sessions, disease-specific pamphlets, short text messages in vernacular language, that is, Punjabi. Follow-ups will be done at the third, sixth, ninth, and 12th months. Primary outcome Seven-day abstinence, biochemically verified by plasma cotinine levels. Secondary outcome Quit attempts, number of sticks/number of times of smokeless tobacco usage in a day, and stage of behavior change in tobacco users. Discussion This multicomponent culturally specific-patient-centric behavioral intervention package for tobacco cessation at NCD clinic settings focusing on the individual, family, and social environment could increase the outreach of cessation services using existing resources, thereby strengthening health systems and enhancing the quality of life of NCD patients. Trial registration The protocol for the study has been registered with the Clinical Trials Registry in India under the registration number CTRI/2018/01/011643.

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Online dating among the teens or adolescent population is on the rise across the World. Earlier, it was found to be more prevalent in young adults, but nowadays due to easy access to several dating apps, it is being seen among the adolescents too. Data about the adverse effects of online dating on adolescents is mostly from the western literature. With increasing use of internet technology and rampant use of online dating apps among the Indian adolescents, it is likely to cause several problems in the near future. Online dating has been linked to cybercrimes, increase in high risk sexual behaviours, risk of infections, teen dating violence and subsequent several degrees of psychological stress. In this brief review, we had tried to highlight the online dating apps available in the internet, their usages and its impact on the adolescents. Lastly, we had discussed the impact of online dating with regard to Indian scenario keeping in mind the different socio-cultural milieu of India.