Introduction: Nail fold dermoscopy is a noninvasive technique which aids in the diagnosis of systemic sclerosis. It also helps in predicting the extent and stage of microvascular damage. There are only a few studies describing the pattern of nail fold capillaries in systemic sclerosis in the Indian population. Objectives: To study the patterns of nail fold capillaries using a hand-held dermoscope and to correlate these findings with cutaneous and systemic manifestations in patients with systemic sclerosis. Methods: Thirty-five patients were recruited in the study period between February 2014 and September 2015. All patients with systemic sclerosis were examined for cutaneous manifestations and dermoscopy of the nail fold capillaries was performed using Heine delta 20 dermoscope. Results: Our study had a female preponderance with the diffuse type of disease in 91% of patients. The most common abnormal nail fold dermoscopic pattern was dilated capillaries (91%). Scleroderma pattern was seen in 77% of our patients with the most common being active pattern. Early, active, and late type of the capillary pattern were associated with increased duration of disease but was not statistically significant. There was no significant association between capillary pattern and systemic manifestations. Conclusions: Majority (77%) of our patients had scleroderma patterns of which the active scleroderma pattern was the most common. There was no significant association between capillary pattern and systemic manifestations.

Introduction: Basic life support (BLS) consists of a number of medical procedures provided to patients with life-threatening conditions of the body and there exists a significant lack of knowledge regarding the signs and risk factors associated with serious medical conditions among medical students. The present study was conducted to evaluate a module for teaching BLS to first MBBS students using the flipped classroom method. Methodology: The present study was conducted among first-phase MBBS students after taking institutional ethical clearance and informed consent of participants. Students of 2021–2022 were included in a WhatsApp group and YouTube videos were posted on the group where demonstrations of BLS were done and the importance of learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation was discussed. Students were then divided into groups of twenty and each group was asked to make a PowerPoint presentation which they had to present in live sessions and demonstrate the procedure. Students joined an online BLS Certification Course. Feedback was taken from students and faculty members and a program evaluation at Kirkpatrick's level 1 was done. Results: Two hundred students participated in the study. The mean ± standard deviation of marks obtained by students in the certification program was 87.67 ± 5.87 and posttest scores were significantly better as compared to pretest scores. Students and faculty members were satisfied with the program. Conclusions: The BLS module introduced in the Foundation Course using the flipped classroom at the beginning of the first phase of the MBBS course enabled the students to acquire the basic knowledge and skills required.

Background: Perinatal mortality rate (PMR) includes both fetal deaths and deaths occurring during the 1^st week of life. Low birthweight (LBW) continues to be a significant problem with 14.6% of all births globally and 20% of all births in India being LBW. There is a powerful association between birthweight and perinatal mortality. This study looks at data from a rural block in South India to understand the trends, possible reasons, and strategies for interventions. Methodology: Information regarding 80,206 pregnancies who were registered in the community health and development (CHAD) program between January 1986 and December 2018 was obtained from the CHAD health information system. Trends regarding birthweight, gestational age, and perinatal mortality were extracted from this system and analyzed. Results: Among the 69,386 babies whose birthweights were recorded, 16.7% were LBW (<2.5 kg). The PMR has steadily declined from 45.2/1000 live births in the period 1986–1990 to 14.3/1000 live births during the period 2016–2018. The mean birthweight has shown a steady rise over the years from 2.73 kg in 1986–1990 to 2.9 in 2016–2018. The mean standard deviation height of the mother has gone up from 152.3 cm (5.4) between 1986–1990 and 156.3 cm (5.7) in the 2016–2018 period. The proportion of anemic women (hemoglobin <11 g/dL) in 1986–1990 was 46.4% and had drastically come down to 23.8% in 2016–2018. Conclusion: The decreasing PMR may be attributed to the increasing birthweight which may, in turn, be related to better nutritional status of mothers which is evident in the increased height and decreased proportion of anemic women.

Background: Hepatitis B (Hep-B) infection is the major cause of acute and chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide and has long been recognized as an occupational hazard among healthcare workers (HCWs). Thus, this study was planned to evaluate the coverage of Hep-B vaccine among healthcare providers (HCPs) in a tertiary care hospital in Odisha. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among HCPs of Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital. A total of 300 HCPs were selected for the study by a stratified random sampling technique. A proportionate sampling of 26.2% from the doctor population of 280, i.e., 73, and 26.2% of the paramedic population of 865, i.e. 227, were selected by using a random number table to meet the sample size of 300. A self-designed, semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. Data on demographics and knowledge regarding Hep-B aspects were also collected. Results: One hundred and two (34%) participants had adequate knowledge and 198 (66%) participants had poor knowledge of Hep-B. The overall prevalence of Hep-B vaccination acceptance was 71.3%. 70% of the health workers had received the full three-dose vaccination schedule, while 6% had received two doses, 3.7% had received one dose, and 20% were unvaccinated. Conclusion: Coverage of complete immunization was low. The level of knowledge regarding the disease was also not satisfactory. Education programs should focus on increasing HCWs' perceived severity of occupational exposure to the Hep-B virus.

Background: The association between thyroid dysfunction and electrolyte imbalance may result in significant morbidity. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of hypothyroidism on serum potassium levels in an urban female population of Eastern India. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in a peripheral Medical College in West Bengal for 12 months after taking Institutional Ethical Clearance and informed consent of the participants. One hundred and fifty hypothyroid females were included in the study group and one hundred participants were included as a control. The participants of both groups were age-matched. Serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine 4 (FT4) levels were estimated by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method and serum potassium was estimated by ion-selective electrode. Unpaired t-test and correlation coefficient were used for the analysis of data. Results: Hypokalemia was observed in 23 participants among the 150 hypothyroid females included in the study (15.33%). There was a significant difference in TSH (P < 0.00001), FT4 (P < 0.00001), and potassium levels (P = 0.000031) between the study and control groups. Serum potassium levels were strongly negatively correlated with TSH levels (r = −0.7356, P < 0.00001), the R² value of 54.11%, and positively correlated with FT4 levels (r = 0.224, P = 0.005859). Conclusions: 15.33% of hypothyroid females included in the study had hypokalemia and serum potassium levels were significantly less in hypothyroid females as compared to euthyroid controls and serum potassium levels were negatively correlated with TSH levels. Serum electrolyte estimation may be of considerable importance in the management of hypothyroid individuals and needs to be considered and may help to prevent further possible complications.

Background: Diabetes mellitus, a lifestyle disease, is a 21^st-century global health emergency, with a global prevalence projection of 537 million (10.5%) in 2021 and is the 7^th largest cause of mortality. As a result, the study was carried out to analyze the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and its associated risk factors in the adult population. Materials and Methods: This 5-month institutional-based cross-sectional study on 410 randomly selected individuals was done on the campus of Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital in Bhubaneswar among the adult population aged more than or equal to 18 years. Results: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was determined to be 15.6% in the current study, with 58 (8.8%) individuals having impaired fasting glucose and 14.1% having impaired glucose tolerance. Diabetes mellitus prevalence increased gradually as people got older. Males had a higher prevalence (19.3%), which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Diabetes was found to be statistically significant with the following risk factors: alcohol intake, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, body mass index, waist circumference, and blood pressure (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Diabetes mellitus is prevalent in the research area, and the current study has found the association of various modifiable risk factors with diabetes. Effective intervention methods, if implemented at this point, can help to reduce the disease's burden on the individual, family, and community.

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a natural phenomenon, but its misuse has expedited resistance. One of the best measures to tackle antibiotic resistance in the community would be to educate medical students and create awareness among them regarding antibiotic resistance. The objectives of this study were to assess the level of awareness of antibiotic resistance among undergraduate medical students and to determine the factors affecting the awareness. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using a structured questionnaire among undergraduate medical students from the 1^st year to the 4^th year. Results: Three hundred and fifty-four undergraduate medical students from the 1^st year to the 4^th year were enrolled. More than 80% of students were from the 18–22-year age group, and more than half were female. Only 56.2% of participants had adequate awareness of antibiotic resistance. The academic year was not significantly associated with the awareness. Age and gender also had no significant association. Parent's education, parent's occupation, parents being medical practitioners and family income also had no significant association. Conclusion: Awareness levels regarding antibiotic resistance among medical students were slightly above 50%. Moreover, it seems to be a worldwide phenomenon too. Further studies are recommended to evaluate the practices and attitudes regarding the same. A “catch them young” policy would be a good step to tackle antimicrobial resistance at its inception itself. Moreover, it should start at the local level. Similar studies can be conducted among medical practitioners and health-care workers and at the community level.

The parameatal cyst (PMC) is a benign lesion that occurs primarily in male children, generally present after birth, but may also occur in girls and adults. Although expectant management, needle puncture, decapping, and marsupialization are described as different modalities of treatment, all are associated with recurrences. We present nine pediatric cases with PMC, their clinical presentation, treatment, and outcome along with a review of the literature.

Ischemic monomelic neuropathy is a rare complication associated with arteriovenous fistula creation for hemodialysis. It is an acutely developing ischemic neuropathy involving multiple nerves of a single limb. The pathogenesis is thought to be decreased blood flow to the distal axons, due to the shunting of blood away from the distal limb. It is characterized by severe pain and muscle weakness along with multiple nerve distributions, confined to the limb. It is different from steal syndrome in that there is no muscle or skin necrosis. It is often a debilitating condition warranting immediate closure of the fistula. Hence, prompt recognition of this entity is essential. Hereby, we report the case of a 60-year-old male with chronic kidney disease, who underwent a brachiocephalic fistula creation in the left upper limb and developed features of ischemic monomelic neuropathy.

Over the past couple of decades, medical education has transformed extensively and a number of curricular reforms have been introduced. Lectures have been regarded as one of the teaching–learning methods, which have been with us for decades together, and have been adopted as one of the key strategies by the teachers to pass knowledge to students. In general, an effective lecture should aim to attain three goals, namely to impart useful information, introduce some kind of curiosity among students so that they decide about learning on their own, and provide practical relevance. Even though the lecture is being widely used, owing to their inherent limitations, their use as a solitary method of teaching–learning has been discouraged by the educators and regulatory bodies. To conclude, the lecture method in medical education has its own pros and cons. However, considering the advantages attributed to lectures and the presence of strategies that can be incorporated to eliminate the pitfalls in lectures, at present, lecture methods can be still continued for medical education delivery. Nevertheless, we have to make the lecture sessions interactive and ensure that students indulge in active learning, and this essentially calls for faculty development programs.

The knowledge and skills expected of medical graduates upon completion of their undergraduate training are extremely vast and dynamic. Medicine has to be acknowledged as a combination of science and art, with science appealing to the scientific minds, while art encourages creativity and curiosity. The use of theater in medical education is not new by any means and has been extremely useful to help medical students to understand various life-threatening scenarios and settings that require medical humanities incorporation. To conclude, considering the complexities involved in the clinical training of a medical graduate student, it is our responsibility to adopt innovative teaching-learning methods. The use of theater in medical education delivery has been associated with developing many attributes of the hidden curriculum, including empathy, self-awareness, professionalism, and communication skills. The need of the hour is to acknowledge the potential of theater and integrate it with the existing curriculum to optimize the training of medical students.