Objective: To find the correlation of serum magnesium levels in diabetic patients with and without retinopathy. Methods: Hospital Based Cross-Sectional study was conducted on diabetic patients who attend the ophthalmology outpatient department in a medical college and hospital, Puducherry. Patients were divided into two groups with and without diabetic retinopathy. After obtaining institutional ethical committee approval and consent from the patient, anthropometry measurements were taken, followed by the comparison of serum magnesium level estimation in both groups. All parameters are presented as mean±standard deviation (mean±SD). The data was entered and analysed by using Epi info (version 6.04d) software package. Results: The mean (SD) value of serum magnesium was 1.14 (0.17) and 1.42 (0.15), in cases and controls, respectively. Our results showed that the serum magnesium levels were significantly decreased (p<0.05) among patients with diabetic retinopathy as compared to patients without diabetic retinopathy. Conclusion: The strong association between serum magnesium levels and severity of type II Diabetes mellitus indicates a role for early prediction and appropriate therapeutic modifications to avoid end-stage disease complications.

Objectives: This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice associated with COVID-19 disease by undertaking a web-based online survey. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted all over India during the initial phase of COVID-19 hit between March 19, 2020, and March 29, 2020. Anyone aged 18 years and above using social media were included in the study. The questionnaire had a section on sociodemography which had questions regarding age, gender, marital status, and occupation. This was followed by questions on knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The knowledge scores were summarized as median with interquartile range as the data followed a non-normal distribution. Attitude and practice questions were summarized individually as proportions and its association with socio-demographic variables was established using Chi-square test. The statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Occupational groups, marital status, and age group had significant difference between the groups with at least one of the practices with p<0.05. Conclusion: Since the study provides enhancing effect of knowledge toward protective behaviors, the awareness raising activities and health education through mass media and campaigns, this should urgently be conducted focusing on effectiveness of hand washing, cough etiquette, social distancing, and responsibility to inform suspected cases to local health authority to prevent COVID-19.

Background: Congenital deafness is usually seen to be associated with number of heart diseases. Screening congenitally deaf children with ECG can give us an insight on unidentified congenitally associated heart disease. Aim and objective: To study the ECG changes in congenitally deaf children and compare with normal children of the same age group. Materials and methods: We conducted a community based cross sectional analytical study with a sample size of 120 subjects out of which 60 were children from deaf school as cases and 60 were children from normal school with normal hearing as controls. Both the groups had 30 males and 30 females. 12 lead ECG was taken, studied and compared among the two groups. Results: Deaf children showed significant ECG changes like long QTc (16.7%), left axis deviation (3.3%), right axis deviation (1.6%), clockwise rotation (8.33%), anticlockwise rotation (5%), QRS complex abnormalities (45%), T wave inversions (45%). Conclusion: Our study was able to pick up numerous changes in ECG of deaf children. Yet the findings are inconclusive. Further genetic and thorough cardiac evaluation is necessary to comprehensively establish the relation between co-occurrence of ECG changes and congenital sensorineural deafness.