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Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have an increased risk of cardiovascular involvement, which is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Echocardiography (ECHO) could be a reliable, non-invasive tool for predicting the risk of cardiovascular modalities in patients with COPD. Combining the ECHO parameters with highly selective cardiac troponin could predict the severity and outcome of patients with COPD. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in South India. All patients who met the criteria were included. Patients with other concomitant chronic lung diseases were excluded. An echocardiographic examination was performed, and blood samples for hs-Tnt were taken on admission for patients admitted with COPD. Categorical variables were analyzed using Pearson's Chi-square test, and the T-test was used to compare the means. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by the Bonferroni multiple comparison tests was done to compare different echo parameters concerning COPD severity. Results: The mean tricuspid annulus plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and right ventricle (RV) fraction area change (FAC) values were lower with the increase in the disease severity (P < 0.001). There was a significant increase in the mean systolic pressures in the right atrium and ventricle in patients with severe COPD (P < 0.001). The mean hs-TnT values were significantly higher in patients with severe COPD (18.86 ± 18.12) and correlated well with the increase in the severity of the disease (P < 0.001). Changes in the echo parameters, such as mean TAPSE and RV FAC values, negatively correlated with COPD severity. There was an increase in systolic pressure in both atria and ventricles with the progression of COPD. Troponin helped predict mortality during hospitalization. Conclusion: Comprehensive echocardiographic parameters, such as TAPSE and RV FAC, help assess the disease's severity, predict mortality, and evaluate whether the proper ventricular function is reliable. Troponin is a valuable adjunct that is an independent and strong predictor of overall mortality in patients with COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noonan syndrome (NS) is a pleomorphic genetic disorder. Up to 50-80% of individuals have associated congenital heart disease. The scope of cardiac disease in NS is quite variable depending on the gene mutation. The most common forms of cardiac defects include pulmonary stenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), atrial septal defect and left-sided lesions. Amongst the rare vascular abnormalities few case reports have been mentioned about coronary artery lesions apart from sinus of Valsalva aneurysm, aortic dissection, intracranial aneurysm. This is a case report a rare case of asymptomatic coronary artery aneurysm in a young male with NS. There is lack of unified protocol for the screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of coronary artery disease in patients with NS. We conclude, echocardiography is sufficient in most cases in children. But a CT scan is appropriate in adults or when other lesions are suspected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The etiopathogenesis of pelviureteric junction obstruction (PUJO) has been debated. Recently, the role of interstitial cells of Cajal-like cells (ICC-LC) has been studied and reported to be the cause of this functional obstruction. We studied the histopathology and ICC-LC density at PUJ and compared it with that of PUJ of the control group and distal ureteric margin of the study group. Methods: A prospective study was conducted which included PUJO patients in the study group and the renal tumor patients in the control group. Histopathological examination (muscle hypertrophy and fibrosis) and immunohistochemistry (ICC-LC density) were done. The muscle hypertrophy, fibrosis, and ICC-LC density at the PUJ in both the groups were compared. A similar comparison was performed between the findings at the PUJ and the distal margin in the study group. Results: The study and control groups included 37 PUJO patients and 13 Wilms tumor patients. The ICC-LC density at PUJ in the study group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.001) and that at the distal resected margin of the study group (P < 0.001). Significantly increased muscle hypertrophy (P < 0.001) and fibrosis (P = 0.002) were seen at PUJ in the study group compared to the control group. No significant association was noted between the ICC-LC density and muscle hypertrophy at PUJ and the distal resected margin in the study group. Conclusion: A significant decrease in the density of ICC-LC and increased fibrosis and muscle hypertrophy at PUJ in children with PUJO play a role in the etiopathogenesis of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 23 year female presented with bilateral recurrent swelling of eyelids along with ptosis and proptosis for last 3 years. She also had swellings over the right cheek, parotid gland, and retro auricular area along with regional lymphadenopathy. Systemic laboratory workup revealed raised serum IgE and a high peripheral eosinophil count. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral enlargement of extraocular muscles, lacrimal glands, and ipsilateral parotid gland. Excision biopsy of the retro-auricular lymph node was suggestive of Kimura's disease (KD). The patient responded well to systemic corticosteroid. KD rarely affects orbit, but it should be included in the differential diagnosis of inflammatory diseases of the orbit. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of KD from India involving the orbit, lacrimal gland, extraocular muscles, parotid gland and buccal area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are only few studies available on the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) evaluated by the international prostate symptom score tool (IPSS), and it has not been validated in the Indian population. Aim: The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms in patients of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and to validate the IPSS tool in our studied population. Materials and Methods: One hundred BPH aged >51 years attending the outpatient department of Urology were recruited for the study. LUTS were evaluated using the international IPSS. The IPSS was validated for reliability and reproducibility by Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The coefficients of Cronbach's alpha and ICC were 0.80 and 0.86, respectively. The majority of patients had moderate symptoms (72%) followed by severe symptoms (17%). Severity of symptoms increased with age (P < 0.01). The total score was associated with age (P < 0.01). The majority of patients (12%) with the severity of symptoms had reported that symptoms bother them to some extent. Conclusion: The results of the study showed that IPSS could serve as a good instrument to assess LUTS in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health-care professionals in India frequently manage injection or infusion therapies in persons with diabetes (PWD). Patients taking insulin should know the importance of proper needle size, correct injection process, complication avoidance, and all other aspects of injection technique from the first visit onward. To assist health-care practitioners in their clinical practice, Forum for Injection Technique and Therapy Expert Recommendations, India, has updated the practical advice and made it more comprehensive evidence-based best practice information. Adherence to these updated recommendations, learning, and translating them into clinical practice should lead to effective therapies, improved outcomes, and lower costs for PWD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiorenal complications (CRCs) associated with T2D are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. There is a paucity of data regarding the burden of undiagnosed silent CRCs among individuals with T2D in India. Aim: To present country-specific analyses from the 'Take CaRe of Me' program, a subset of the iCaReMe global, cloud-based registry (NCT03549754), evaluating the prevalence and clinical manifestations of CRCs among individuals with T2D from the primary care setting in India. Methods: Cross-sectional data of adults with T2D and no history of CRCs at index visits were collected from December 2020 through December 2021. Here we present descriptive analyses of baseline cardiorenal characteristics. Presence of cardiovascular (CV) risk was analyzed as per ESC 2019 guidelines and renal risk as per KDIGO guidelines. Continuous variables were summarized as mean ± SD and categorical variables as frequency (%). Results: A total of 3284 individuals (mean ± SD age: 54.8 ± 11.92 years, BMI: 26.7 ± 4.7 kg/m2; 46.6% females) were enrolled. Mean HbA1c was 8.1 ± 1.97% (62.7% with HbA1c ≥7%) with a mean T2D duration of 9.1 ± 7.21 years; 61.5% of individuals had a T2D duration ≥5 years. Hypertension was reported in one-third (34.3%). Overall, 1091 (33.2%) individuals had moderate-to-severe renal risk (per urine albumin creatinine ratio). Of the 1280 (39.0%) individuals with high and very high CV risk, 251 (19.6%) had echocardiographic data, of whom, 70 (27.9%) had abnormal echocardiogram (12.0% left ventricular hypertrophy, 8.4% left atrial enlargement, 4.4% valvular disease, 2.4% diastolic dysfunction, and 0.8% pulmonary hypertension). Clinical heart failure was detected in 18 (0.5%) individuals overall [Table]. Conclusion: The results show silent CRCs to be prevalent in more than one-third of individuals with T2D. Such a high burden of unrecognized CRCs highlights the unmet need for early diagnosis, risk factor management, and the use of cardioreno protective anti-hyperglycemic drugs for individuals with long-standing T2D in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertension is common in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is a major determinant of CKD progression. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) has been proposed to be better in detecting hypertension as compared to casual blood pressure (CBP). This study aims to study the usefulness of ABPM in detecting masked hypertension, evaluating the adequacy of blood pressure (BP) control and predicting left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) amongst children with CKD. A prospective cross-sectional study of 46 children with stage 3-5 CKD was conducted at the Pediatric Nephrology department of a tertiary hospital in South India. All children underwent CBP, ABPM and an echocardiography. Results were categorized as normal BP; confirmed hypertension; masked hypertension and white coat hypertension. Out of 46 children studied, 11 were undergoing dialysis. While 39.1 % children had stage 3 and 4 CKD each, 21.7% had stage 5 CKD. Masked hypertension was detected in 19.6% and 21.7% had confirmed hypertension. Thirty-four (73.9%) children were already receiving antihypertensive medication. In these, CBP was elevated in 23.5% and ABP in 47%. Among children with hypertension as defined by ABPM, LVH was detected in 32.2%. We found that higher the number of abnormal ABPM indices (assessed by BP Index, nocturnal dipping and BP Load) higher the likelihood of LVH (P = 0.046). ABPM is better in detecting hypertension and monitoring adequacy of treatment in children with CKD. The high prevalence of masked hypertension and its association with LVH supports early echocardiography and ambulatory BP monitoring to evaluate cardiovascular risks in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As injectable therapies such as human insulin, insulin analogs, and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists are used to manage diabetes, correct injection technique is vital for the achievement of glycemic control. The forum for injection technique India acknowledged this need for the first time in India and worked to develop evidence-based recommendations on insulin injection technique, to assist healthcare practitioners in their clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term observations over a period of 22 years in an Indian family with primary dysferlinopathy are recorded, defining phenotypic variability. In the propositus, the dystrophy began distally in the tibialis anterior muscles, before involving the gastrocnemius. Transient painful calf hypertrophy, followed by calf wasting was observed. The proximal lower and upper limbs weakened after three to four years. The younger sibling presented with the proximo-distal phenotype. Both patients showed very high creatine kinase values early into the illness. Disease progression was slow. The younger sibling lost ambulation 14 years after onset, while the elder one remains ambulatory 22 years into the illness. Muscle biopsy showed dystrophic features and absence of dysferlin. Monocyte western blotting confirmed absence of dysferlin. Genetic analysis detected a heterozygous mutation in Exon 54 [c.6124C>T] in the DYSF gene. This is the first family with a diagnosis of dysferlinopathy supported by genetic data, reported from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]