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Introduction: Meningioma originates in cerebral dura mater and can grow at any site, especially at the skull vault and the skull base. Meningioma accounts for 37% of all central nervous system tumor. MRS (Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy) provides additional structural and metabolic information that helps to diagnose meningioma. Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of brain tumor meningioma in patients with characteristic risk factors like headache, vomiting, dizziness etc to assess the diagnostic significance. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study and was conducted in the Radiology Department and Biophysics Departments of one of the tertiary health care centres in South Kerala. This study was conducted on 81 subjects with brain lesion, including both males and females, who underwent MRS. From MRS findings, the prevalence of Meningioma was detected. Patient's demographics were also taken for the analysis and interpretation. Results: From this study it was understood that out of the 81 cases, 40 were of Meningioma. In this 40 patients, 22 were females (55%) and 18 were males (45 %). Among these 40 cases, the frequency of brain lesions was higher in old aged group (60 %) when compared to younger (0%) and middle age groups (40%). It was found that out of the 40 patients, 42 % had headache, 28 % had vomiting, 23 % had Type-2 diabetes mellitus and 7% had dizziness. Conclusion: From this study, it is confirmed that among the brain lesions, the incidence of Meningioma is higher and was prominent among old aged group and the incidence is reported to be higher in females. This indicates the need of special attention for these patients for early diagnosis and timely intervention.

Background: Worldwide, pneumonia is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children under 5 years of age; especially, in developing countries. Objectives: The objective of the study is to investigate whether zinc deficiency and other nutritional factors are related to pneumonia in children between 6 months and 5 years old. Methodology: In this casecontrol study, a valid written consent was obtained from mothers of enrolled children. The cases included 75 children fulfilling the World Health Organization criteria for pneumonia, between the age group of 6 months and 5 years. They were interrogated for potential nutritional risk factors as per a predesigned proforma followed by a measurement of serum zinc levels. In the control group, 75 children of the same age group who were siblings of admitted children were included along with other children of the same age group admitted for non-respiratory complaints. A detailed case history was obtained and physical examination was done according to a predesigned proforma to elicit various potential risk factors. A semi-auto analyzer was used to measure the serum zinc levels through colorimetric methods using 5-bromo-PAS. Results: Significant nutritional risk factors identified were low serum zinc level, malnutrition, and anemia. Conclusion: The present study has identified various nutritional risk factors for pneumonia which can be tackled through effective education of the community and appropriate initiatives.

COVID-19 caused by (severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2) SARS-CoV-2 is the major health issue facing the entire world at present. There are several pathological mechanism associated with the infection which aggravates to significant morbidity and mortality among the population. Of the several complications, hypercoagulation due to fibrin clot formation is one of the complications often seen in patients suffering from COVID-19 infection. The link of iron with hypercoagulation and related events are always a matter of discussion in the scientific world. Yet another cause of disseminated intravascular coagulation seen in these patients is cytokine storm, which occurs due to release of pro inflammatory signaling molecules as a result of increased inflammation due to depletion of iron stores. The viral attack can destroy the hemoglobin; release the iron content by separating it from the heme. This free iron in the blood will be able to produce free radicals which can convert fibrinogen into fibrin clots. More over iron could elicit oxidative stress which can subsequently lead to increased erythrocyte viscosity and thrombosis. Further ferritin, the iron storing protein will actively get released and can lose its inner iron content leading to increased free iron in circulation. It was evident that iron overload was one of the critical factor which determines the immunological processes leading to a type of cell death referred as ferroptosis. This review discussed with the mechanism involved in the release of iron and cytokine storm along with the diagnostic significance of ferritin in COVID-19 infection.