Background:The outcome of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is predictable according to demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging risk factors.We aimed to determine the best outcome predictors and their trends during 30 days of hospitalization.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on moderate to severe hospitalized COVID-19 patients from 26 January 2020 to 13 January 2021.The length of stay in the hospital was considered as the time interval between admission and discharge, and the patient's final condition was defined as either dead or alive.Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected from the hospital information system.The generalized additive model and the Cox regression model were used to model data. Results:Of the 1520 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 232 (15.26%) died and 1288 survived or reached the end of 30 days of hospitalization.We selected demographic, clinical, and 131 independent laboratory variables.Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) had a nearly double average in the dead group (44.603 [ 25.408] mg/dL) than the survived group (21.304 [ 13.318] mg/dL), and the lymphocyte (Lymph) count showed the opposite trend.The estimated hazard ratio (HR) of these 2 factors was higher than 1 and was statistically significant.In daily stay trends, the hazard function of them also increased rapidly after 15 days. Conclusion:Blood urea nitrogen and complete blood count provide strong predictive clues about the prognosis of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and rapid dynamic changes in the second week can predict a poor outcome in these patients.

Background: Gastrointestinal tract complaints are prevalent among individuals in rural settings, encompassing all age groups.This study aimed to examine histopathological lesions in the upper gastrointestinal tract through endoscopic biopsy and determine the frequency of various upper gastrointestinal lesions in relation to age, sex, and site. Methods:The specimens included in our study comprise endoscopic biopsies of the upper gastrointestinal tract during October 2018 to October 2020.A total of 70 biopsies from the upper gastrointestinal tract were analyzed using endoscopy.All specimens were fixed in 10% formalin and processed following routine hematoxylin and eosin (HE) examination.Special stains were employed when necessary.Results: Among the 70 upper gastrointestinal endoscopic biopsies studied during this period, 25 (35.71%) were from the esophagus, 35 (50.0%) were from the stomach, and 10 (14.29%) were from the duodenum.Of the 70 upper gastrointestinal endoscopic biopsies, 34 displayed inflammatory lesions, while 36 exhibited neoplastic lesions.There was a male predominance among the cases examined.Non-neoplastic lesions were observed in individuals aged from the second to the fifth decade, while neoplastic lesions were more prevalent in older age groups. Conclusion:This research highlights the stomach as the predominant location for inflammatory and neoplastic lesions in the upper gastrointestinal tract.The study reveals a notable occurrence of gastric carcinoma among malignant upper gastrointestinal lesions.Thus, early detection and management of upper gastrointestinal lesions necessitate endoscopy and subsequent histopathological evaluation.

Background: Blood transfusion is a potentially life-saving procedure that has many consequences and complications.Most of the complications are due to clerical and technical problems.Hence, the proper knowledge and skills of the personnel involved in blood transfusion are critical.Nurses are an integral part of blood transfusion procedures.Our study aimed to evaluate nurses' knowledge about safe blood transfusion practices in a tertiary care center in North Kerala.Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study of 113 registered nurses involved in a blood transfusion procedure in a tertiary care center in North Kerala.The knowledge of the nurses was evaluated by using a questionnaire comprising 20 questions, of which 10 questions were about theoretical knowledge and 10 were about practical knowledge.Scores>75%, between 50% and 75%, and <50% were considered as good, fair, and poor knowledge, respectively.Results: In our study, 44.25% of the nurses showed fair knowledge, and 32.7% had poor knowledge of knowledgebased questions.Moreover, 48.6 % had fair knowledge, and 14.16% had poor knowledge of practice-based questions.No statistically significant association was found between nurses' years of experience and theoretical and practical knowledge.A statistically significant association was found between the place of work and theoretical and practical knowledge.Many of the nurses lacked proper knowledge regarding the key aspects of blood transfusion. Conclusion:We recommend more training programs to improve the knowledge and skills of the nurses to ensure the quality and safety of blood transfusion.

Background: Colistin is the most significant last-line antibiotic for the treatment of multidrug-resistant infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria, especially the Enterobacteriaceae family. The emergence and rapid spread of the plasmid-mediated resistance gene, mcr-1 (mobilized colistin resistance), in some isolates of Escherichia coli in recent years provoked public health concerns since it has been shown that mcr-1 with other resistance genes, such as ESBLs (extended-spectrum beta-lactamases) and carbapenemases, could be carried on a single plasmid concurrently. The excessive consumption of colistin, particularly in the livestock industry, and the transmission of these resistant bacteria from livestock to humans may potentially increase the risk of the spread of resistance in humans. Therefore, this study aimed to detect the prevalence of mcr and carbapenem resistance genes among neonatal calves in Mashhad,

Background and objectives: Granulomatous disorders of the skin are frequently encountered in clinical practice and require histopathological confirmation due to a considerable etiological and clinical overlap. A single histopathological pattern may be produced by many causative agents and at the same time, a single cause can present with varied histopathological patterns. The present study was performed to evaluate the histomorphological patterns of granulomas in various granulomatous skin lesions and to identify the causative agents. Methods: The study (both prospective and retrospective) was carried out in the department of pathology over 5 years. All skin biopsies were evaluated for the presence of granulomas. Detailed analysis of the histopathological pattern of granulomas was performed and categorization was made according to the type and etiology. Special stains were also used when required. A clinicopathological correlation was established with the Kappa statistic. Results: Of 1,150 skin biopsies, granulomatous skin lesions were observed in 325 cases. Histiocytic granuloma pattern was the most common subtype (55.7%). The predominant etiology of granulomatous inflammation was leprosy (93.5%), followed by cutaneous tuberculosis (2.7%). The cases of Hansen's disease showed a maximum clinicopathological correlation (58.5%). Conclusion: Histopathological examination is the gold standard for the diagnosis and subtyping of granulomatous skin lesions. Varied morphologies of granuloma patterns were observed in our study, and infectious diseases were the causative agents in the majority of cutaneous granulomatous disorders.

Effects of a Selected Training Program on Motor Performance and Serum Levels of IL-4 and IL-6 in Elite Water Polo Players

Effects of Piper guineense (African Black Pepper) Seeds on Lipid Profile, Renal Function Parameters, and Antioxidant Status of Cavia porcellus