BackgroundDermoscopy devices can overcome the refractive properties of stratum corneum by interface medium or cross polarization such that the lesion can be easily seen.AimTo examine the dermoscopic feature in alopecia areata and correlate the severity of disease with dermoscopic features.Materials and methodsRetrospective analysis of 72 patients suffering from alopecia areata (AA), irrespective of age and sex, who visited the dermatology outpatient department of a tertiary care center in Eastern India was carried out. The most recently developed cases of AA were examined dermoscopically. Variables included yellow dots (YDs), black dots (BDs), broken hair (BH), short vellus hair (SVH), and exclamation mark hair (EMH) on the basis of available literature and expertise.ResultsYellow dots was the most common finding seen in 57 cases (79.16%), black dots in 51 cases (70.8%). Short vellus hair was seen in 32 cases (44.44%), broken hair was seen in 31 cases (43.05%), and exclamation mark hair in 23 cases (31.9%). YDs per field of vision was considered as the most common finding with increased severity of AA.ConclusionYDS, in increased number per field of vision, is the most consistent finding seen in severe cases of AA, as they are in progressive AA and alopecia universalis. An increased number of SVH and terminal hairs were seen in patients who were being treated.

OBJECTIVESAedes mosquitoes are responsible for transmitting the dengue virus. The mosquito lifecycle is known to be influenced by temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity. This retrospective study was planned to investigate whether climatic factors could be used to predict the occurrence of dengue in East Delhi.METHODSThe number of monthly dengue cases reported over 19 years was obtained from the laboratory records of our institution. Monthly data of rainfall, temperature, and humidity collected from a local weather station were correlated with the number of monthly reported dengue cases. One-way analysis of variance was used to analyse whether the climatic parameters differed significantly among seasons. Four models were developed using negative binomial generalized linear model analysis. Monthly rainfall, temperature, humidity, were used as independent variables, and the number of dengue cases reported monthly was used as the dependent variable. The first model considered data from the same month, while the other three models involved incorporating data with a lag phase of 1, 2, and 3 months, respectively.RESULTSThe greatest number of cases was reported during the post-monsoon period each year. Temperature, rainfall, and humidity varied significantly across the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon periods. The best correlation between these three climatic factors and dengue occurrence was at a time lag of 2 months.CONCLUSIONSThis study found that temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity significantly affected dengue occurrence in East Delhi. This weather-based dengue empirical model can forecast potential outbreaks 2-month in advance, providing an early warning system for intensifying dengue control measures.

Various studies conducted worldwide have shown that male neonates have higher rates of mortality and morbidity in the perinatal period compared with females. However, there has been only one study from India on this subject. Therefore, this study was conducted to establish the difference in mortality between males and females among neonates born with two established risk factors of septicaemia--low birth weight (<2.5 kg) and preterm birth (<37 weeks). One hundred and fifty consecutive neonates which were either preterm or had low birth weight were recruited after obtaining informed consent from the parents. Blood culture was done, and the bacterial isolates were identified by standard protocol. Statistically significant association was found between male gender and mortality among culture-positive neonates. Therefore, results of the present study indicate that preterm or low birth weight male neonates have higher likelihood of mortality compared with their female counterparts in the Indian scenario.

c l i n i c a l e p i d e m i o l o g y a n d g l o b a l h e a l t h 5 (2 0 1 7) 4 0-4 5