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In this study, an empirical mode decomposition (EMD) technique has been applied for EEG signals to identify a neurological disease state qualified as encephalopathy. The EMD technique is an efficient method for decomposing nonstationary and nonlinear signals, which makes it suitable for biosignal processing. This technique generates various components of the signal called intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) whose features are examined for the diagnosis of the disease. We found significant differences between the healthy and patient groups for both statistical and nonlinear parameters of IMFs of the recorded EEGs, which makes those suitable for the diagnosis of encephalopathy. Statistical values, namely minimum, maximum, mean, and standard deviation, and nonlinear parameters, namely approximate entropy and sample entropy of the IMFs, were calculated. Both these features were fed to a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier, and their performance parameters were evaluated. It is concluded that statistical parameters, as well as nonlinear parameters of the EEG IMFs, are prospective potential features for automated diagnosis of encephalopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the impact of care at foster homes on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of children living with HIV (CLHIV), attending a referral ART Centre, and to compare their HRQOL with children living in their own homes.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 144 CLHIV between 5 and 18 years of age, attending a referral ART Centre in South India to assess their HRQOL using the standard PedsQL™ 4.0 questionnaire. Data were then analysed to compare the HRQOL of children living in foster homes to those children living in their own homes. The child report and the parent proxy-report on the child's HRQOL were also compared to see for any differences in their perspectives.Results: 56.25% CLHIV were brought up in different foster homes. In the child's self-report, the mean HRQOL was higher for children living in foster homes [physical score (76.54 ± 12.40), psychosocial score (71.41 ± 12.40) and total score (73.20 ± 11.13)] when compared to children living in their own homes [physical score (75.09 ± 14.76), psychosocial score (70.60 ± 13.48) and total score (72.17 ± 12.00)]. There was no statistically significant difference in the HRQOL between these two groups (p > 0.05). In the parent proxy-report also, there was no statistically significant difference in the HRQOL in all the three scores. The child self-report depicted a significantly higher HRQOL in all the domains compared to the parent proxy-report (p < 0.05).Conclusions: HRQOL of children living in foster homes is at par with the quality of life enjoyed by children living in their own homes. Foster care manages to provide a reasonable HRQOL in CLHIV, and has become an inseparable component of quality health care delivery for these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sialolithiasis in sub-mandibular gland is a common condition. Sub-mandibular fistula as a sequel of sub-mandibular sialolithiasis is a rare entity. We report a case of an unusually large sub-mandibular gland calculus causing a cutaneous fistula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]