Schwannomas—Atypical Presentation and Challenges

Introduction: Neurogenic tumors include schwannomas and neurofibro-mas. They occur often in the head and neck. However, their occurrence on the vagus is uncommon. A high index of suspicion is needed to order imaging in pelvic lesions that present atypically. Discussion: Schwannomas are hypointense on T1 and heterogeneously hyperintense on T2 on MRI. The histopathological appearance with Antoni type A and type B is typical of Schwannoma. Conclusion: Schwannomas are slow growing benign tumors that are separable from the parent nerve. Recurrence is uncommon after resection.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome-Neonate: Biochemical Parameters as Early Marker of Adverse Neurodevelopmental Outcome

Background: Pregnant women and newborns are highly susceptible to Covid-19, manifesting as multisystem inflammatory syndrome-New-born (MISC-N) in many babies born to Covid positive mothers. The relationship between Covid-19 infection during pregnancy and neonatal neurodevelopmental outcome, if any, is unclear necessitating a follow-up study in this aspect. Methods: 16 babies with MIS-N, born to symptomatic Covid antibody positive mothers were enrolled. Demographic profile, treatment details and biochemical parameters were analyzed with neurodevelopmental follow-up. Results: 25% mothers received 2 doses of Covid vaccine;50% had oligohydramnios and 75% received antenatal steroids. 87.5% were preterm of which 62.5% required surfactant with ventilator support and 75% required ionotropic support. Significant association was found between the antibody level and D-dimer levels with the ferritin and LDH levels of the baby (p 0.05);gestational age with LDH and D-dimer levels (p 0.05) and Covid antibody level of the baby vs the duration of ventilator requirement (P-value-0.0009). D-dimer values of babies were positively associated with both maternal antibody and D-dimer levels. Neurodevelopmental follow-up done at 6 months of corrected gestational age showed 37.5% were normal, 37.5% hypertonic and 25% hypotonic. HINE score was below 60 in 62.5%. Development assessment using Bayley-III showed a delay in the motor domain (62.5%), cognitive domain (56.25%) and language domain (62.5%). Conclusion: Neurodevelopmental problems occur in babies born to Covid positive mothers and should be stratified as “high risk”. Anticipatory guidance to prospective mothers for preterm care should be given. Covid antibody titre and D-dimer levels may help to predict the NICU stay, ventilator requirement and the adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in these babies.

Awareness of Breast Cancer in Lower Socioeconomic Status Women Attending the Surgery Outpatient Department of a Tertiary Care Teaching Institution

Background: Worldwide breast cancer represents nearly a quarter (25%) of all cancers and is the most common female cancer. Objective: The present study was conducted to check the awareness of breast cancer warning signs & symptoms, available investigations and treatment options among women of a suburban area in Chennai, Tamilnadu (India). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, prospective study was conducted amongst women attending the surgery outpatient department of a tertiary care teaching institution in Chennai, Tamilnadu (India), using a semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaires were administered during one to one interview by trained research assistants. Results: The study population showed poor awareness of warning signs like changes in position of nipple, pulling in of nipple, nipple rash, changes in size of nipple, puckering/dimpling of breast skin colour changes in breast skin, lump under armpit, changes in size and shape of breast. Conclusion: The observations indicated that the level of awareness and knowledge about the presentation and management of breast cancer is suboptimal among women in Thandalam (suburban Chennai).

CT Scan of the Foot in Patients with Chronic Non-Healing Diabetic Foot Ulcer

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease where there is an increased blood sugar level in the body which is either caused due to inability of the pancreas to secrete insulin or the body’s inability to utilize it. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is growing rapidly worldwide. Statistics show that in the year 2014, there were a total of 422 million cases of DM. Diabetes mellitus is a major cause of heart attacks, kidney failure, blindness and leg amputations. Diabetic foot ulcers are quite common and are estimated to affect nearly 15% of all diabetic patients during their lifetime. In long standing diabetic patients with chronic non-healing ulcers, bony changes or deformities are not uncommon. These bony changes can be identified using CT scans. Materials and Methods: An observational study was conducted on a total of 40 patients with chronic non-healing ulcer attending the surgery outpatient department of Saveetha Medical College, Chennai, Tamilnadu. The CT-scans of their foot were observed for deformities or bony changes. Results: Out of 40 patients, 67.5% were males and 32.5% were females. A maximum number of subjects fell under the age group of 51 - 60 years. The most common site of the ulcer was found to be in the plantar surface of big toe (53%). Among the 40 patients, 33 of them were found to have bony abnormalities on the CT scan of foot and no apparent changes were seen in the rest. Bone erosions (35%), osteopenic changes (22.5%), Charcot’s joint (2.5%), osteophyte formation (12.5) and reduced joint space (10%) were the predominant changes observed on the CT scans of the study population.

Fungal Carbuncle Due to <i>Apophysomyces elegans</i>—A Case Report

Background: Deep seated cutaneous fungal infection is a rare entity in surgical practice and is very often under diagnosed. Due to the atypical presentation and slow but aggressive progression of the disease, the associated mortality is high. Aim: The aim of this article to update clinicians about the peculiar presentation of mucormycosis caused by Apophysomyces elegans. Case Presentation: A 50 year old gentleman with a painful swelling and fever was admitted into our care. He had history of trivial trauma and no medical comorbid. His initial labs came back relatively unremarkable. He did not respond to an empirical antibacterial regimen and progressively worsened. The region was debrided and found to have granular secretions with sloughed tissue. On opening the dressing post operatively, a fungal mould was found. Fungal etiology was suspected and KOH mount confirmed the diagnosis. He was started on empirical IV antifungals, and local therapy while awaiting culture and sensitivity reports. However, he progressively deteriorated and succumbed to the disease eventually. Conclusion: Here we describe a deep seated cutaneous fungal infection in an immunocompetent patient and the challenges we faced during the course of his management. Fungal etiology is generally encountered in immunocompromised hosts. Deep seated cutaneous fungal infections with poor response to antifungal therapy and systemic sepsis led to this patients’ demise. This being the case, the onus is on the clinicians to diagnose a fungal etiology early and start appropriate anti fungal measures.

Low Grade Appendiceal Mucinous Neoplasm Presenting as a Mucocoele of the Appendix

Low grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN) is a rare malignancy with incidence of 0.7% to 1.7% of all appendicectomies [1]. LAMN has the worst complication of mucin seeding into adjacent peritoneum leading to pseudomyxoma peritonei. LAMN lacks standardised treatment approach where only appendicectomy is preferred for resection of non metastatic disease. Case Presentation A 38 yr old female presented with right lower quadrant where CT Abdomen revealed Mucocele of Appendix. Patient underwent Laparoscopic Appendicectomy and Histopathological examination revealed Low grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm. Patient is on regular follow up and is disease free. Conclusion low grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm is usually an incidental finding where treatment depends on staging and histology of the tumour.

Emerging bedaquiline resistance:A threat to the global fight against drug-resistant tuberculosis

Bedaquiline resistance is increasingly observed in the treatment of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis(TB),yet standardized regimens for managing bedaquiline-resistant TB are lacking.Studies indicate a high proportion of bedaquiline-resistant cases have previously been treated for TB,and often involve strains resistant to quinolones.Regular monitoring of the culture status in patients receiving bedaquiline resistance treatment is advised.Methods such as experimental evolution,protein modeling,genome sequencing,and phenotypic analysis have been instrumental in identifying the mechanisms of bedaquiline resistance.Specifically,variants in the Rv0678 transcriptional repressor of the MmpS5-MmpL5 efflux system are linked to this type of resistance.Bayesian probability estimates show promise in determining the genotypic–phenotypic association for bedaquiline resistance,suggesting potential utility in clinical practice.Future research should explore the practical application of Bayesian probabilities in managing bedaquiline resistance.Sequencing-based technologies are anticipated to play a vital role in the early detection and management of drug-resistant TB strains.