Background: Blood groups are inherited traits that affect the susceptibility/severity of a disease. A clear relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and ABO blood groups is yet to be established in the Indian population. This study aimed to demonstrate an association of the distribution and severity of COVID-19 with ABO blood groups. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted after obtaining ethics approval (IEC 207/20) among hospitalized patients using in-patient records and analyzed on SPSS-25. Chi-square tests were used for the analysis of categorical data and independent sample t-test/Mann–Whitney U tests were used for continuous data. Results: The B blood group had the highest prevalence among COVID-19-positive patients. The AB blood group was significantly associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (p = 0.03), sepsis (p = 0.02), and septic shock (p = 0.02). The O blood group was associated with significantly lower rates of lymphopenia and leucocytosis. However, no significant clinical association was seen in the O blood group. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that blood groups have a similar distribution among patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the South Indian population. Additionally, it preludes to a possible association between the AB blood group and ARDS, sepsis, and septic shock. Further studies having a larger representation of AB blood groups, especially in patients hospitalized for critical COVID-19, with adjustment for possible covariates, are warranted to provide a reliable estimate of the risk in the South Indian population.

A solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) of the pancreas is an uncommon neoplasm, characterized by a wellencapsulated mass, with low malignant potential. It occurs predominantly in young females. We present a case of SPT of the pancreas which presented with sinistral portal hypertension. Despite characteristic radiological findings due to its rarity, it may be missed to more common conditions like peptic ulcer disease. Delayed diagnosis can lead to complications like portal hypertension. To the best of our knowledge, in existing medical literature, SPT of the pancreas in males has rarely been described. In our case, we found that the tumor was causing extrahepatic portal hypertension which is also a very unique presentation of this tumor. Due to its vague clinical manifestations, definitive diagnosis is often a challenge hence requiring prompt investigations.

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Objective: To assess the patterns and predictors of pharmacotherapy and QOL in DFS patients in an Indian tertiary care hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among inpatients with DFS. Data on sociodemographic and clinical factors, pharmacotherapy, clinical outcomes, and QOL were analyzed using the chi-squared test, independent sample t-test, and binary logistic regression. Results: We screened 3284 inpatients and included consecutive 87 (2.7%) DFS patients. The mean age was 56.08 ± 11.05 years, with a male preponderance (75.8%). Mean HbA1c was 9.9 ± 2.483. About 75% of patients received insulin, and polypharmacy was noticed in 82.7%. About 67.8% of DFS patients had other vascular complications of diabetes, with diabetic retinopathy being the most common in 89%. Amputations were noticed in 32.1% of patients. Overall, poor QOL was seen in 79.3% of patients. The mean scores for different domains were as follows: physical, 41.51 ± 14.15; psychological, 42.90 ± 11.16; social relationships, 43.06 ± 19.36; and environment, 47.17 ± 13. The presence of complications from diabetes was a significant predictor of the utilization of antihypertensives (OR: 2.92, CI [1.09, 7.79], P = 0.03) and poor QOL (OR: 4.54, CI [0.965, 21.41], P = 0.05). Conclusion: DFS patients in this study were found to be younger with poor glycemic control and other vascular complications of diabetes. The presence of other complications of diabetes in DFS patients was found to be a predictor of pharmacotherapy and poor QOL.

Background To assess the patterns and factors affecting medication use during antenatal and perinatal periods and to examine maternal and fetal outcomes among pregnant women admitted to a tertiary care hospital in a developing country. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in the obstetrics wards from 2017 to 2019. Data on patient demographics, co-existent medical conditions, medications, and patient outcomes were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze baseline data, chi-square test was used for categorical variables, and multivariate logistic regression was used for factors influencing drug prescription. Results Out of 442 pregnant women, 56% were primigravida with a mean age of 24.7 ± 3.9 years. Approximately 32% experienced at least one disease condition during pregnancy; hypothyroidism (9.7%) was the commonest. The mean number of medications was 2.7 and 38.9% received drugs for a disease condition. Antimicrobials (24.5%) were the commonest drug class. Maternal age of over 25 [(OR (CI): 1.508 (1.191–2.716) ( p = .005)] and maternal illness [OR (CI) 2.934 (1.8–4.7) ( p = .00)] were identified as factors affecting drug prescription. Approximately 39.8% of deliveries were cesarean. Of the newborns, 12.6% had low birth weight, 9.2% were admitted to the newborn intensive care unit, and 14.9% were premature. Conclusions Most patients were primigravida and under 25 years. Antimicrobials were the most prescribed drug class. Maternal age over 25 years and maternal illness were identified as the factors affecting medication use. The prevalence of cesareans and prematurity was similar to previous studies.