Background and Aims: Subjects with diabetes are prone to a rapid decline in renal function and major adverse cardiovascular events when they reach chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 3. This study aimed to identify modifiable risk factors associated with the progression of CKD in this population. Settings and Design: An observational cohort study. Methods and Materials: A total of 320 type 2 diabetic patients with CKD stage 3 registered in the shared-care-system in our hospital in 2010 were regularly followed up for 7 years. Demographic, laboratory, medication, and fundus examination data of these subjects were collected and analyzed. Statistical Analysis Used: Cox regression was used to identify factors associated with changes in CKD stage. Results: During the 7-year follow-up period, 204 cases (63.7%) remained at CKD stage 3 while 79 cases (24.7%) progressed to stage 4 or 5 and 37 cases (11.6%) improved to stage 1 or 2. The change in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in the first 2 years and variations in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) over 7 years were independent factors of both progression (hazard ratio (HR) 1.098 and 1.710, respectively) and improvement (HR 0.919 and 0.231, respectively) of CKD stage. Variations in systolic blood pressure (SBP) was also found as an independent factor for progression of renal function (HR 1.052). Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that fluctuations in HbA1c and SBP, and changes in eGFR during the first 2 years of treatment were associated with the long-term renal outcomes in type 2 diabetic patients with CKD stage 3.

Objective: Vitamin D deficiency is widely prevalent worldwide. This has led to a significant surge in referrals for vitamin D assessment in recent years. The cost-effectiveness and rationalization of this practice is uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the referral pattern for vitamin D testing from a tertiary center in southern India. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done over a period of one year (2017). A total of 95,750 individuals, referred for vitamin D screening were included in this study. Details regarding referring departments and indications for referral were obtained from the computerized hospital information processing system (CHIPS). Results: The study population exhibited a female preponderance (54.1%) with mean (SD) age of 40.3 (18.5) years. Overall, 44% were found to have vitamin D deficiency. Most of the referrals were from nephrology (15.4%), neurology (10.1%), and orthopedics (9.1%). Nevertheless, dermatology, the staff-clinic, and hematology which contributed to 3.3%, 1.7%, and 1.7% of referrals, had a higher proportion of vitamin D deficiency of 59.1%, 57.7%, and 64.6%, respectively. Although the most common indications for referral were generalized body aches (20.5%) and degenerative bone disorders (20.1%), the proportion of subjects with vitamin D deficiency referred for these indications were 46.1% and 41.6%, respectively. In contrast, chronic steroid use that accounted for 3.3% of the referrals had 59.1% of subjects who were deficient in vitamin D. Conclusion: To ensure a rational approach to vitamin D testing, clinicians ought to use their discretion to screen those truly at risk for vitamin D deficiency on a case to case basis and avoid indiscriminate testing of the same.

With the introduction of competency-based undergraduate curriculum in India, a paradigm shift in the assessment methods and tools will be the need of the hour. Competencies are complex combinations of various attributes, many of which being not assessable by objective methods. Assessment of affective and communication domains has always been neglected for want of objective methods. Areas like professionalism, ethics, altruism, and communication—so vital for being an Indian Medical Graduate, can be assessed longitudinally applying subjective means only. Though subjectivity has often been questioned as being biased, it has been proven time and again that a subjective assessment in expert hands gives comparable results as that of any objective assessment. By insisting on objectivity, we may compromise the validity of the assessment and deprive the students of enriched subjective feedback and judgement also. This review highlights the importance of subjective assessment in competency-based assessment and ways and means of improving the rigor of subjective assessment, with particular emphasis on the development and use of rubrics.

Pancreatic-pleural fistula (PPF) is a rare sequela of pancreatitis. High degree of clinical suspicion is required to diagnose a PPF. Confirmation is done by high amylase content in pleural fluid analysis. Here, we present two cases with varied presentation of PPF. A 43-year-old man presented with acute on chronic pancreatitis with bilateral (predominantly right) pleural effusion. Another 57-year-old man, previously diagnosed with chronic calcific pancreatitis, presented with left pleural effusion. Both cases were effectively managed with endoscopic pancreatic duct stenting.

Cavernomatous transformation of the portal vein, seen in extrahepatic portal venous obstruction (EHPVO), can cause impingement or ischemic insult on bile ducts manifesting as “portal cavernoma cholangiopathy” (PCC). Bile duct wall calcification in portal biliopathy is a rare occurrence and has not been reported in the literature to the best of our knowledge. We report a 59-year-old male, a known case of EHPVO, who had undergone laparoscopic cholecystectomy, splenectomy, and splenorenal shunt in the past. The patient had now presented to us in view of recurrent episodes of cholangitis for which a bilioenteric bypass was planned. Intraoperatively, dilated and densely thickened bile ducts with multiple pericholedochal collaterals were noted. Incision of common hepatic duct and left hepatic duct showed completely calcified ductal wall with no visible healthy mucosa. Calcifications were removed partially from the bile duct walls near choledochotomy site. With the anticipation of futile benefit from bilioenteric bypass, Roux-en-Y HJ was abandoned. Hepaticoduodenostomy was done to prevent bile leak from choledochotomy site.

Infarcts involving the thalamus can yield many deficits, including sensory syndromes, altered consciousness, and cognitive disturbances, depending on the thalamic vascular territory involved. Isolated truncal contrapulsion due to pure thalamic infarct has been rarely reported. Truncal lateropulsion is a compelling sensation of being pulled toward one side that cannot be explained by weakness or limb ataxia. It is commonly reported in lateral medullary infarcts. It may occur with lesions that involve the peripheral vestibular system, brainstem, cerebellum, basal ganglia, ponto-mesencephalic, and thalamic lesions. We hereby report a 64-year-old woman who presented with truncal contrapulsion as the sole manifestation of an acute right lateral thalamic infarct.

Once purely the domain of knee surgery, the use of computer-navigated techniques in total hip arthroplasty (THA) is becoming progressively more commonplace. As with the adoption of any new technology-assisted approach, the uptake of navigated THA utilization has heralded a new suite of technique-specific potential complications. One such example – not usually seen with conventional instrumented THA – pertains to complications related to the insertion and use of fixed pelvic array trackers. This case report describes the unusual circumstance of retained local bony debris generated through application of self-drilling, self-tapping iliac crest pins (for rigid navigation tracker placement) being mis-interpreted on advanced imaging - at a hospital site remote from the index surgery - as an aggressive, early-stage, chondrosarcomatous lesion. This case highlights the critical importance of both a general awareness of common imaging findings after navigated THA surgery (whereby tracker pins have been employed) and the value of 'hands on' clinical assessment of patients to allow correlation with suspicious imaging findings.