Introduction: In view of the present Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic it is of utmost importance to look out for the ‘trojan horse’ that is the asymptomatic population who are potential for spreading the disease. Healthcare Workers (HCWs) are the most vulnerable group. The possibility of having the infection does not always correlate well with the symptoms. It urges the need for development of certain special plans beyond continuous surveillance and symptom monitoring. Aim: To explore asymptomatic COVID-19 infection among HCWs as a potential source of transmission. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata , West Bengal, India, from June 2020 to September 2020. The data were collected from 714 HCWs over a period of three months of study period, with the help of a standard questionnaire and blood sample was analysed by serological assessment of Immunoglobulin G (IgG) for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by EUROIMMUN Kit, EnzymeLinked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Epi info software 7, available from the World Health Organization (WHO) site was used to manage and analyse the data. Results: The mean age was 35.30±11.79 years. Out of 714 people, 54.8% (391/714) were male and 45.2% (323/714) were female. In this survey, 9.16% of HCWs in COVID-19 designated duties were IgG positive; whereas 21.89% of HCWs designated in other parts of area were detected to be IgG positive. Seroprevalence was least amongst nursing staffs with 5.41% (8/148); among doctor’s it was 9.62% (41/426). Most interestingly among ward boys and cleaners this prevalence was found to be 29.90% (29/97) being the highest. Overall seroprevalence for IgG against SARS-CoV-2 was found to be 12.75% (91/714). Conclusion: This serosurvey at this tertiary COVID-19 care facility is a unique venture to look for the possible sources of super-spread. The high rate of sero-positivity among ward boys and cleaners might be due to their lack of knowledge and training regarding steps to prevent a droplet borne pandemic. This study also points out that if adequate precautions are taken, infectivity is not to an alarming extent, even in a fullfledged COVID-19 care hospital.

Background: Vitamin D is not only important for bone health but can also affect the development of several non-bone diseases. These findings have increased the need for determining vitamin D status in a convenient and cost-effective way. In order to determine the better method for detecting vitamin D status, we have estimated blood vitamin D in three methods such as high-pressure liquid chromatography, chemiluminescent immunoassays and enzyme immunoassays. Method: Two hundred and sixteen subjects irrespective of age and sex were studied for blood vitamin D in all the three methods over a period of 2 years. Result: The statistical analysis showed that values of vitamin D obtained by chemiluminescent immunoassays (r = 0.978, p < 0.001) were more significantly correlated with high-pressure liquid chromatography than enzyme immunoassays (r = 0.970, p < 0.001). Conclusion: We conclude that chemiluminescent immunoassays should be used instead of enzyme immunoassay and high-pressure liquid chromatography for estimation of vitamin D.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, 2020. Due to the sudden incidence and high pathogenicity, there is little knowledge about the risk of infection by the virus to pregnant women and parturient. The issues pertaining to transplacental transfer and also there is lack of clarity on potential complications of SARS-CoV-2 coagulopathy.The report about the inuence of COVID-19 on pregnant women and their babies is very limited . Moreover, it is not clear the effects covid infected mothers (anytime in the 2nd or 3rd trimester of the gestational period) will have on the physiological status of the infants who themselves have not been infected by Covid-19. This study has been designed to assess any difference or deviation in the biochemical parameters of a COVID negative infant of a COVID infected mother during any time of her pregnancy from the values usually observed from the study of biochemical parameters of a neonate born of non-COVID infected mother based on history taking and checking of reports for RTPCR and Rapid Antigens Test for COVID 19. At the initial level the study population was distributed into two groups of 50 mothers each, 1st group consisted of mothers infected by COVID 19 and 2nd group consisted of mothers not infected by COVID 19 during pregnancy. The neonatal biochemical parameters were evaluated based on the data gathered from cord blood sample analyses. The primary objective for conducting this study will be to estimate the incidence of any altered amount of D-dimer, Procalcitonin, CRP, ALT, AST, ALP, Direct bilirubin, Indirect Bilirubin, PT/INR in non-covid infants born of covid mothers versus non-covid infants born of non-covid mothers. This study found that the neonates who were COVID negative despite having COVID infected mothers did not have any stark variation in the values of biochemical parameters as compared to the control neonates of this study group. However, since COVID is a relatively new disease with little knowledge about its consequences the maternal COVID status may have an impact on neonatal health in the long run. So, as far as possible the regular periodic health check up and screening of the aforementioned biochemical parameters of these neonates should be followed consistently.

Background: Acanthosis nigricans has been associated with conditions of insulin resistance such as obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Metformin and alpha-lipoic acid, two types of insulin-sensitizing agents, have been demonstrated to reduce insulin levels and improve insulin sensitivity. Alpha-lipoic acid is available as a fixed-dose combination with biotin, calcium pantothenate, and zinc sulfate as Canthex™. Aims: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness, safety, and improvement of the insulin resistance profile of Canthex™ and metformin in acanthosis nigricans. Materials and Methods: In this double-blind, randomized (1:1), active-controlled trial (CTRI/2017/02/007880), participants received either metformin 500 mg BD or Canthex™ BD for 12 weeks. Effectiveness parameters were improvement of severity of neck lesions and neck texture. Serum fasting insulin level, glucose, lipids, body weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), and homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) were also assessed at baseline and at the end of the study. Adverse effects and changes in routine laboratory parameters were taken as safety parameters. Results: Thirty-three patients were analyzed by modified-intention-to-treat criteria. Severity of neck lesions and texture were comparable at baseline and it showed significant reduction ( P <0.001) in both the treatment arms from the first follow-up onward. No intergroup variation was observed in any of the follow-ups. There was reduction in the values of fasting insulin, blood sugar, total cholesterol, and thyroid-stimulating hormone in both the groups. Weight, BMI, and waist circumference and BMI reduced significantly in both the groups. HOMA-IR decreased significantly in metformin group ( P <0.001). Conclusion: Canthex™ is as effective and safe as metformin in the management of acanthosis nigricans and associated features of insulin resistance.

Background: Onion peel extracts contain quercetin derivatives, fl avonoids that have been shown to signifi cantly improve diabetic status and to exhibit antioxidant properties in animal models. Vitamin E is an important antioxidant that is present within the cell membrane and acts as a lipid-soluble scavenger. Th is study aimed to compare the effi cacy of an onion peel extract and vitamin E to alleviate the altered redox balance of diabetic rats. Methods: Streptozotocin-induced diabetic male Wistar rats (n = 34) were randomly divided into three treatment groups. For 45 days, the fi rst group was fed a normal diet (diabetic control group), the second group was fed a normal diet plus 20 mg/kg body weight vitamin E and the third group was fed a normal diet plus 1% OPE. Results: Th e formation of malondialdehyde and protein carbonyls was signifi cantly suppressed and the activity of superoxide dismutase was increased in diff erent areas of the brain upon onion peel extract administration (P < 0.001) compared to the diabetic control group. Furthermore, vitamin E did not signifi cantly decrease the level of oxidative stress or the blood glucose concentration in these rats. Conclusion: OPE is better able to ameliorate oxidative stress and hyperglycaemia than vitamin E in a diabetic rat model.