Custom Ocular Prosthesis: A Palliative Approach

The goal of palliative care is the achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families. Eyes are generally the first features of the face to be noticed. Loss of an eye is a traumatic event which has a crippling effect on the psychology of the patient. Several ocular and orbital disorders require surgical intervention that may result in ocular defects. An ocular prosthesis is fabricated to restore the structure, function, and cosmetics of the defects created by such conditions. Although an implant eye prosthesis has a superior outcome, due to economic factors it may not be a feasible option for all patients. Therefore, a custom-made ocular prosthesis is a good alternative. This case report presents a palliative treatment for a patient with an enucleated eye by fabricating a custom ocular prosthesis which improved his psychological, physical, social, functional, emotional and spiritual needs.     

The use of Statins in the perioperative period

3 Hydroxy 3 Methyl Glutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase Inhibitors’ (statins) are increasingly being used in patients with cardiovascular disease. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) and National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommend their use in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events. Patients on preoperative statins will frequently present for surgical procedures. The increase in adverse cardiovascular outcomes in high risk patients if statins are withheld in the immediate postoperative period should be weighed against the small but serious risk of rhabdomyolysis associated with statins. The potential for drug interactions should be considered when prescribing for patients on statins.     

A report on the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group meeting of 2012, theme title, “Biomarkers for FASD”

The 2012 meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group (FASDSG) focused on the development and ethics of biomarkers for fetal alcohol exposure. This one-day international conference brought students and trainees together with clinicians and researchers to discuss the latest research on FASD. One keynote speaker discussed the value of profiling epigenetic modifications in readily available fetal tissues to diagnose fetal exposure to environmental agents, while the second speaker discussed the ethics of biomarker development within the context of core principles of justice, autonomy, beneficence and non-maleficence. Three sessions of short data talks informed the audience of research advances with particular emphasis on the diagnosis of FASD. Other activities included updates on FASD-related activities by representatives of government agencies, a report on the implementation FASD-related diagnostic criteria in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association and a networking lunch, and the presentation of the “Merit Award” to Dr. Nathan Muraski for his work on behavioral outcomes of fetal alcohol exposure. The capstone of the meeting was the presentation of the “Henri Rosett” award to Dr. Denis Viljoen, in recognition of his role in raising awareness about the incidence of FASD in South Africa and in promoting FASD prevention and treatment programs as chairperson and chief executive officer of the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR).     

Anomalous left coronary artery from pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) repair and mitral valve replacement with bioprosthetic valve with in a 62 year old lady

Anomalous Left Coronary Artery from Pulmonary Artery (ALCAPA) is the commonest congenital anomaly involving coronary arteries. The combination of this anomaly with mitral regurgitation is very rare in adult population. We report the case of a 62?year old lady, who presented with breathlessness and was found to have this combined anomaly. She was treated successfully with closure of left coronary ostium from pulmonary artery and mitral valve replacement with Hancock 2 Porcine valve. To our knowledge, this is the oldest patient to have undergone successful ALCAPA repair with mitral valve replacement with bioprosthetic valve.     

Analyzing the attitude of Indian citizens towards COVID-19 vaccine – A text analytics study

Background and aimsThe government of India recently planned to start the process of the mass vaccination program to end the COVID-19 crises. However, the process of vaccination was not made mandatory, and there are a lot of aspects that arise skepticism in the minds of common people regarding COVID-19 vaccines. This study using machine learning techniques analyzes the major concerns Indian citizens voice out about COVID-19 vaccines in social media.MethodsFor this study, we have used social media posts as data. Using Python, we have scrapped the social media posts of Indian citizens discussing about the COVID- 19 vaccine. In Study 1, we performed a sentimental analysis to determine how the general perception of Indian citizens regarding the COVID-19 vaccine changes over different months of COVID-19 crises. In Study 2, we have performed topic modeling to understand the major issues that concern the general public regarding the COVID- 19 vaccine.ResultsOur results have indicated that 47% of social media posts discussing vaccines were in a neutral tone, and nearly 17% of the social media posts discussing the COVID-19 vaccine were in a negative tone. Fear of health and allergic reactions towards the vaccine are the two prominent issues that concern Indian citizens regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.ConclusionWith the positive sentiments regarding vaccine is just over 35%, the Indian government needs to focus especially on addressing the fear of vaccines before implementing the process of mass vaccination.