Search

Background This cross-sectional observational study aimed to analyze the clinical and mycological characteristics of dermatophytosis in patients visiting the outpatient clinic of the department of dermatology at a tertiary care hospital in Telangana. Methodology The study was conducted from November 2017 to July 2019, involving patients clinically diagnosed with dermatophytosis. Data collection included detailed demographic and clinical information and laboratory investigations such as direct microscopy, fungal culture, and hematological examinations. Specimens were collected from skin lesions, nails, and hair, processed using appropriate methods, and subjected to culture and microscopic examination. Descriptive statistics was performed to present the findings. Results A total of 100 participants were recruited, with a median age of 24 years. The majority were male (n = 75, 75%) and students (n = 47, 47%). Most participants (n = 71, 71%) presented with extensive tinea followed by tinea corporis and tinea capitis. Trichophyton mentagrophytes was the most isolated variant (n = 42, 97.7%) among positive cultures. Conclusion Young male populations are the most common victims in this region. The significant number of tinea cases and the high prevalence of T. mentagrophytes underscore the necessity for precise diagnosis and effective management strategies in treating dermatophytosis.

This article addresses the pervasive issue of missing data in biomedical research and the potential solutions to prevent it. The focus is on proactive strategies for prevention at various stages of the research process. Advocating for a comprehensive study design, clear communication through information sheets during consent, and the use of well-designed data collection tools are key to preventing missing data issues in health research. In addition, the training and supervision for data collectors, especially in the context of potential biases arising from sensitive questions, are critical. Electronic data collection has the advantages of validation and checks to prevent missing data. Hence, adequate planning is a must to reduce missing values and improve the validity of the study outcome.

Missing data can introduce biases and affect the generalizability of research findings, undermining the scientific rigor of studies and impeding the development of evidence-based practices. To overcome these challenges, health-care providers and researchers must adopt robust strategies to identify, prevent, and handle missing data effectively. This includes implementing standardized data collection procedures, utilizing advanced statistical techniques to account for missingness, and embracing emerging technologies that facilitate comprehensive and timely data capture. By prioritizing the management of missing data, health-care professionals and researchers can enhance patient care, improve research quality, and ultimately contribute to better health outcomes for individuals and populations.

Background: Self-care practices in diabetes are deemed as one of the mainstays of management, but often poorly practiced by people with diabetes. Aim: The study describes self-care practices among adult diabetics registered with a primary health-care setup. Methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional study based out of the Ramaiahguda primary health center in Vikarabad town of Telangana. Informed consent was taken from all participants before the commencement of the study. All eligible candidates were approached for the study. The seven domains of the “American Association of Diabetes Educators measures of outcome” were taken as the base for assessment of self-care practices among the participants. Results: The mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of the 155 study participants was 50.8 years (SD 12.4 years). Among the various components of self-care, drug adherence, glucose monitoring, and diet modifications were regular as per the advice. Comparatively, healthy coping, risk reduction, and problem solving are the areas where the participants had a major scope to improve. The median self-care score of the participants was 15.25 (interquartile range 14.5–16.25) ranging from 0.25 to 18.0. 86 (55.5%) participants had good self-care scores, and 69 (44.5%) participants had moderate self-care scores. Conclusions: The observations from our study point toward a lack of understanding and in-depth evaluation of the effectiveness of diabetic self-care practices, which may in turn be one of the factors affecting compliance to such practices among the diseased population.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic led to the disruption of medical teaching nation-wide and pushed the institutions to explore the probable role of online teaching methods. The aim of this review is to identify the untested perspectives and help in strategizing based on evidence generation for the preparation for future. Methods: We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta-Analysis guidelines for reporting the present review. We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases for the articles published between April 2020 and October 2021 for studies on online medical education in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: We initially screened a total number of 1412 articles and finally recruited 45 articles for the analysis. Majority of the articles were from single institution, and reported the experience of the students and teachers on online teaching. The common teaching platform used such as Zoom and Google Meet were enumerated. Internet connectivity was the most reported challenge of online teaching. None of the selected articles reported on ethical issues related to online teaching. Conclusion: Even though there were some strong points reported for the successful implementation of e-learning, a more sustainable and well-informed plan should be devised for the future on online teaching.

Background: Vaccination against COVID-19 among people living with HIV (PLWH) infection is crucial. At present, evidence lacks to strategize vaccinating the hesitant PLWH. This study has estimated the proportion of PLWH vaccinated till October 2021, enumerated the various adverse events following vaccination, and identified the enabling and constraining factors associated with vaccination. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among PLWH by the snowball sampling in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Data were analyzed using the descriptive statistics and qualitative analyses. Results: Two-hundred and forty-seven PLWH responded, out of which 52 (20.7%) were yet to be vaccinated. Seventy-five (30%) participants reported having adverse events, out of which five (7%) had pain at the injection site, and 72 (96%) had systemic reactions. Fever (n = 51, 68%), dizziness (n = 23, 31%), and joint pain (n = 23, 31%) were the major systemic reactions. Among the vaccinated, motivation by the health-care workers and village volunteers were the major enabling factors. On the contrary, uncertainty about the vaccine effects, negative feedback from the health-care workers, and lack of self-motivation were the important constraining factors in taking the vaccines. Conclusion: Some PLWH are still hesitant to take the vaccine. Evidence generation, coupled with community mobilization, is required to upthrust the vaccination campaign in achieving the herd immunity against COVID-19.