CLINICO-LABORATORY PROFILE OF SCRUB TYPHUS CASES AMONG ADULTS PRESENTING WITH ACUTE FEBRILE ILLNESS.

Purpose: To determine the frequency and clinico-epidemiological profile of patients with scrub typhus and to assess the performance characteristics of an ICT based rapid assay for its diagnosis.

Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted on 175 adults ≥18 years of age presenting with acute onset of fever (temperature >38°C) for <14 days with any of the following features: eschar, rash, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, jaundice and multi-organ involvement. Immunocompromised patients, such as those with HIV/AIDS, malignancy, patients on cytotoxic drugs and on systemic corticosteroid therapy were excluded from the study.

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis A in Non-vaccinated Adolescents Aged 9 to 12 Years in New Delhi, India: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis A among non-vaccinated adolescents aged 9-12 years and to ascertain the sociodemographic factors associated with seropositivity.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among non-vaccinated adolescents aged 9-12 years from urban and semi-urban settings in New Delhi. Sera were analyzed using competitive ELISA to detect IgG antibodies against hepatitis A.

Assessment of the suitability of the dried blood spot (DBS) samples for detection of Treponemal antibodies using in vitro assays.

Background & objectives This study was performed to assess the suitability of dried blood spot (DBS) samples for the serological screening of syphilis. Methods Two hundred paired DBS and plasma samples collected from six sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinics during the year 2023 were tested using three kits -Treponema pallidum haemagglutination assay (TPHA), Syphilis Total Ab and ErbaLisa Syphilis after standardization of the dilutions of the DBS elutes and considering the results of the paired plasma samples as a true status. Results The TPHA showed 89 per cent sensitivity and 100 per cent specificity, the EIA-Syphilis Total Ab.

COVID-19 vaccination: Immune response in healthcare workers-A study with review of literature.

Background: As the world has been going through a pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for the past two years, a safe and effective vaccine was urgently needed. Vaccination against the disease was launched in India on January 16, 2021 with healthcare workers, frontline workers, and the elderly above 60 years being the first beneficiaries. Vaccines being used in India are Covishield and Covaxin.

Primary oral histoplasmosis in an immunocompetent host masquerading as malignancy.

is known to cause deep mycotic infections, the primary site being pulmonary, and may disseminate in immunosuppressed patients. Oral presentation is usually a part of disseminated disease however may rarely occur as an isolated event. Extensive literature search has shown that only 17 cases of primary oral histoplasmosis in immunocompetent hosts have been reported from India to date.

Proportion of syphilis and hepatitis B and C virus infections among the Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre attendees of a tertiary care hospital.

Introduction: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) affects the immune system of the body, causing a breakdown in its normal defenses and leaving it vulnerable to a host of life-threatening diseases. High-risk behaviors and routes of transmission for sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C are identical with HIV. This study was conducted to assess the proportion of syphilis and hepatitis B and C virus infections in HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals, and their association with socioeconomic and other factors in Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) attendees, and to determine the association of absolute CD4+ T-lymphocyte count with these co-infections in HIV-positive individuals.

Dynamic responses of a damaged double Euler-Bernoulli beam traversed by a 'phantom' vehicle.

In this paper, the dynamic response of a damaged double-beam system traversed by a moving load is studied, including passive control using multiple tuned mass dampers. The double-beam system is composed of two homogeneous isotropic Euler-Bernoulli beams connected by a viscoelastic layer. The damaged upper beam is simulated using a double-sided open crack replaced by an equivalent rotational spring between two beam segments, and the lower primary beam is subjected to a moving load.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and Risk Assessment Among Healthcare Workers at a Dedicated Tertiary Care COVID-19 Hospital in Delhi, India: A Cohort Study.

Background Healthcare workers (HCWs) have a substantially higher risk of Covid-19 infection but there is a paucity of information on the risk factors of disease transmission in high-burden real-world settings. The study objective was to determine the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among healthcare workers in a high-burden Covid-19 setting and to estimate the incidence and identify the risk factors of infection. Methods This was a prospective observational cohort study amongst doctors and nurses working at a dedicated Covid-19 tertiary care government hospital in Delhi, India.

Positive QuantiFERON test and the severity of COVID-19 disease: A prospective study.

Background: A strong negative correlation is reported between the Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) index and COVID-19 mortality. The present study explored if frequent exposure to strong Th1 antigens like Mycobacteria or Salmonella have any effect on the progression of the disease in COVID-19 patients.

Methods: This prospective comparative study comprised of 3 groups of 20 each of mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 patients (A), severely ill patients (S) and healthy volunteers with a COVID Negative report (H).

The seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in Delhi, India: a repeated population-based seroepidemiological study.

Background: Three rounds of a repeated cross-sectional serosurvey to estimate the change in seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were conducted from August to October 2020 in the state of Delhi, India, in the general population ≥5 y of age.

Methods: The selection of participants was through a multistage sampling design from all 11 districts and 280 wards of the city-state, with multistage allocation proportional to population size. The blood samples were screened using immunoglobulin G (IgG) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.

Seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and predictors of seropositivity among employees of a teaching hospital in New Delhi, India.

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at a high risk of contracting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) due to the increased likelihood of clinical exposure during patient management. The study objective was to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and its predictors among hospital employees.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at a teaching hospital from August 2020 to September 2020 among 1,401 employees, including 1,217 HCWs, in New Delhi, India.

Bioavailable turmeric extract for knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, non-inferiority trial versus paracetamol.

Background: To compare the efficacy and safety of bioavailable turmeric extract versus paracetamol in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: In this randomized, non-inferiority, controlled clinical study, patients of knee OA were randomized to receive bioavailable turmeric extract (BCM-95®) 500 mg capsule two times daily or paracetamol 650 mg tablet three times daily for 6 weeks. The primary outcome measure was Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale.

Localized cutaneous infection caused by Scedosporium apiospermum: Report of a case diagnosed on cytology.

Scedosporium apiospermum (also known as Pseudallescheria boydii) is a ubiquitous filamentous fungus. This fungus is known as a cause of mycetoma, which may occur in a normal immune host following trauma and nonmycetoma-localized skin infections without grain production which are much rarer. However, in an immunocompromised host, S.

Phaeohyphomycosis breast masquerading as fibroadenoma in a young teenage girl.

Phaeohyphomycosis is an unusual granulomatous fungal infection, observed in immunocompromised or diabetic patients; however, it is even rarer in immunocompetent patients. Cytological findings of the same have been infrequently reported. The histopathological diagnosis or fungal culture helps in definitive diagnosis to identify the exact fungal species.

Comparison of Hay's criteria with Nugent's scoring system for diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis.

Although Nugent's criterion is considered as the gold standard for the diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV), the method requires an experienced slide reader and considerable time and skill. In this study, we compared the method of Hay and Ison with Nugent's scoring criteria. Vaginal specimens were collected from a total of 213 women, presenting with or without the symptoms of vaginitis.

Enteric spore-forming opportunistic parasites in HIV / AIDS.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection causes progressive damage to both limbs of the immune system, which results in a plethora of opportunistic infections. Among the various opportunistic infections, gastrointestinal infections are very common in HIV / Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Opportunistic spore-forming protozoal parasites, namely, Cryptosporidium parvum, Isospora belli, Cyclospora cayetanensis, and Microsporidia, play a major role in causing chronic diarrhea, accompanied with weight loss, in patients with HIV / AIDS.

Prevalence of bacterial vaginosis among women in Delhi, India.

Background & Objective: Bacterial vaginosis is the most common cause of vaginal discharge among women in reproductive age. Surveillance studies on bacterial vaginosis are mostly based on specialist clinic settings. As few population-based prevalence surveys of bacterial vaginosis have been conducted, we studied the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in the urban and rural communities in Delhi, and to associate the presence of bacterial vaginosis with demographic profile, risk factors and presence of other reproductive tract infections (RTIs)/ sexually transmitted infections (STIs).