Assessment of sickness severity of illness in neonates: review of various neonatal illness scoring systems

Sickness severity scores are widely used for neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units to predict severity of illness and risk of mortality and long-term outcome. These scores are also used frequently for quality assessment among various neonatal intensive care unit and hospital. Accurate and reliable measures of severity of illness are required for unbiased and reliable comparisons especially for benchmarking or comparative quality improvement care studies. These scores also serve to control for population differences when performing studies such as clinical trials, outcome evaluations, and evaluation of resource utilisation. Although presently there are multiple scores designed for neonates’ sickness assessment but none of the score is ideal. Each score has its own advantages and disadvantages. We did literature search for identifying all neonatal sickness severity score and in this review article, we discuss these scores along with their merits and demerits.     

Evolving paradigm of illnesses presented to medical Intensive Care Unit in body builders: Cases from tertiary care center

Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one''s musculature. With the rise in number of persons adopting this activity, there is evolving paradigm of illnesses presented to intensive care in this population subset. Strict adherence to details of bodybuilding and avoidance of unsupervised medications are essential to prevent untoward effects.     

Management of Chronic Paronychia

Chronic paronychia is an inflammatory disorder of the nail folds of a toe or finger presenting as redness, tenderness, and swelling. It is recalcitrant dermatoses seen commonly in housewives and housemaids. It is a multifactorial inflammatory reaction of the proximal nail fold to irritants and allergens. Repeated bouts of inflammation lead to fibrosis of proximal nail fold with poor generation of cuticle, which in turn exposes the nail further to irritants and allergens. Thus, general preventive measures form cornerstone of the therapy. Though previously anti-fungals were the mainstay of therapy, topical steroid creams have been found to be more effective in the treatment of chronic paronychia. In recalcitrant cases, surgical treatment may be resorted to, which includes en bloc excision of the proximal nail fold or an eponychial marsupialization, with or without nail plate removal. Newer therapies and surgical modalities are being employed in the management of chronic paronychia. In this overview, we review recent epidemiological studies, present current thinking on the pathophysiology leading to chronic paronychia, discuss the challenges chronic paronychia presents, and recommend a commonsense approach to management.     

Using technology to advance type 1 diabetes care among women during the reproductive years and in pregnancy

The prevalence of diabetes is increasing globally. Technology to improve care among individuals with diabetes is constantly being developed. Women living with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) have unique challenges affecting their glucose control relating to menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause. The purpose of this review is to examine the literature related to the use of technology to help women with T1DM manage their diabetes during the reproductive years, pregnancy, and beyond. Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy can provider equivalent or better glucose control when compared with multiple daily injections (MDI), with less hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, and weight gain. The CSII therapy has features that could help improve glucose control over the menstrual cycle, menopause, and pregnancy, although the most studied of these stages is pregnancy. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) can be combined with any insulin delivery system (MDI or CSII) to provide data on glucose values every few minutes and show glucose trends over time. CGM introduction can highlight glucose variability for women with T1DM, may be beneficial during pregnancy, and can reduce hypoglycemia. Sensor-augmented pump therapy and hybrid artificial pancreas (closed-loop) systems are promising tools that improve outcomes among individuals with diabetes. The use of modern technology to improve glucose and metabolic control among menopausal women with diabetes has not been well studied. Internet and phone-based technologies are emerging as important tools that may help with diabetes self-care for women living with diabetes.