Introduction: Over the past few years, the demographic profile of lung cancer has changed. However, most reports are limited by small numbers, short follow-up period, and show an inconsistent pattern. A comprehensive evaluation of changing trends over a long period has not been done. Materials and Methods: Consecutive lung cancer patients were studied over a 10-year period from January 2008 to March 2018 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and relevant clinical information, and survival outcomes were analyzed. Results: A total of 1862 patients were evaluated, with mean (SD) age of 59 (11.1) years, and comprising 82.9% males. Majority were smokers (76.2%) with median smoking index of 500 (interquartile range [IQR]: 300–800). Adenocarcinoma (ADC) was the most common type (34%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma (SCC – 28.6%) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) (16.1%). Over the 10-year period, ADC increased from 9.5% to 35.9%, SCC from 25.4% to 30.6%, and non-small cell lung cancer -not otherwise specified (NSCLC-NOS) decreased from 49.2% to 21.4%. The proportion of females with lung cancer increased although smoking rates remained similar. Majority of NSCLC (95%) continued to be diagnosed at an advanced stage (3 or 4). Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements were present in 25.3% and 11.5% ADC patients, respectively. The median overall survival was 8.8 months (IQR 3.7–19) for all patients and 12.57 (IQR 6.2–28.7) months among the 1013 patients who were initiated on specific treatment (chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiotherapy, or surgery). Never-smokers were younger, more likely to be female and educated, had a higher prevalence of ADC and EGFR/ALK mutations, and had better survival. Conclusion: Among this large cohort, our center seems to follow the global trend with increasing incidence of ADC. EGFR mutation positivity was similar to existing reports, while higher ALK positivity was detected. A characteristic phenotype of never-smokers with lung cancer was elucidated which demonstrated better survival.

Background Studies in animal models and humans with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) have shown that probiotic supplementation leads to decreased pro‐inflammatory cytokines (responsible for damaging β‐cells of the pancreas), improved gut barrier function, and induction of immune tolerance. Objective To study the effect of supplementation of probiotics in children with T1DM on glycemic control, insulin dose, and plasma C‐peptide levels. Methods A single‐centered, double‐blinded, and randomized placebo‐controlled pilot trial was conducted in children (2–12 years) with new‐onset T1DM. Ninety‐six children were randomized and allocated to Placebo or Intervention groups. The intervention included high dose (112.5 billion viable lyophilized bacteria per capsule) multi‐strain probiotic De Simone formulation (manufactured by Danisco‐Dupont) sold as Visbiome® in India. The probiotic was supplemented for 3 months and HbA1c, fasting C‐peptide, blood sugar records, and insulin dose was recorded at baseline and 3 months. Results A total of 90 patients (45 in each group) were analyzed for outcome parameters. We found a significant decrease in HbA1c (5.1 vs. 3.8; p = 0.021) and a significant decline in total and bolus insulin dose (U/kg/day; p = 0.037 and 0.018, respectively) in the intervention group when compared with the placebo group. A significantly higher (p = 0.023) number of children achieved remission in the treatment group. We did not notice adverse effects in either of the study groups. Conclusion Children with newly diagnosed T1DM managed with standard treatment along with probiotics showed better glycemic control and a decrease in insulin requirements; however, more extensive studies are further warranted.

Background: Transmission of respiratory pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 depends on patterns of contact and mixing across populations. Understanding this is crucial to predict pathogen spread and the effectiveness of control efforts. Most analyses of contact patterns to date have focussed on high-income settings. <br />Methods: Here, we conduct a systematic review and individual-participant meta-analysis of surveys carried out in low- and middle-income countries and compare patterns of contact in these settings to surveys previously carried out in high-income countries. Using individual-level data from 28,503 participants and 413,069 contacts across 27 surveys we explored how contact characteristics (number, location, duration and whether physical) vary across income settings.<br />Results: Contact rates declined with age in high- and upper-middle-income settings, but not in low-income settings, where adults aged 65+ made similar numbers of contacts as younger individuals and mixed with all age-groups. Across all settings, increasing household size was a key determinant of contact frequency and characteristics, but low-income settings were characterised by the largest, most intergenerational households. A higher proportion of contacts were made at home in low-income settings, and work/school contacts were more frequent in high-income strata. We also observed contrasting effects of gender across income-strata on the frequency, duration and type of contacts individuals made.<br />Conclusions: These differences in contact patterns between settings have material consequences for both spread of respiratory pathogens, as well as the effectiveness of different non-pharmaceutical interventions.<br />Funding: This work is primarily being funded by joint Centre funding from the UK Medical Research Council and DFID (MR/R015600/1).

Background: Transmission of respiratory pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 depends on patterns of contact and mixing across populations. Understanding this is crucial to predict pathogen spread and the effectiveness of control efforts. Most analyses of contact patterns to date have focussed on high-income settings. Methods: Here, we conduct a systematic review and individual-participant meta-analysis of surveys carried out in low- and middle-income countries and compare patterns of contact in these settings to surveys previously carried out in high-income countries. Using individual-level data from 28,503 participants and 413,069 contacts across 27 surveys we explored how contact characteristics (number, location, duration and whether physical) vary across income settings.Results: Contact rates declined with age in high- and upper-middle-income settings, but not in low-income settings, where adults aged 65+ made similar numbers of contacts as younger individuals and mixed with all age-groups. Across all settings, increasing household size was a key determinant of contact frequency and characteristics, with low-income settings characterised by the largest, most intergenerational households. A higher proportion of contacts were made at home in low-income settings, and work/school contacts were more frequent in high-income strata. We also observed contrasting effects of gender across income-strata on the frequency, duration and type of contacts individuals made. Conclusions: These differences in contact patterns between settings have material consequences for both spread of respiratory pathogens, as well as the effectiveness of different non-pharmaceutical interventions. Funding: This work is primarily being funded by joint Centre funding from the UK Medical Research Council and DFID (MR/R015600/1).

This study suggests an important role of DCE-MRI as a noninvasive imaging surrogate of tumor angiogenesis in osteosarcoma based on visual inspection of TIC.