Background: Early identification of patients with poor prognosis may facilitate the provision of proper supportive treatment in advance and reduce mortality due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The present study estimates the recovery and mortality rates among in-house COVID-19 patients admitted to a tertiary care center and also determines any association between mortality and variables of interest. Methods and Material: This cross-sectional study was conducted in June to December 2021 among the COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital based on their case sheets. A sample size of 1500 was calculated which was obtained by simple random sampling. Descriptive statistics were generated. Association between mortality and other variables was tested by using bivariate logistic regression and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: The overall recovery rate was 80.1%. Vaccination status was significantly associated with mortality, with the AOR (95% CI) of getting both vaccine doses and a single dose being 0.18 (0.05-0.70) and 0.28 (0.15-0.55), respectively, when compared to the unvaccinated group. Also, patients who sought admission on their own were found to be having more chances of recovery compared to those who were referred from other health facilities. The risk of dying was found to be increased nearly 5-fold among those who used Non-Rebreathing machines. The use of Non-Invasive ventilation and Bain Circuit was significantly associated with a bad prognosis. None on the mechanical ventilation survived. Conclusions: The mortality rate of COVID-19 patients admitted to the tertiary care hospital was found to be one-fifth and the ICU-specific mortality rate was 83.6% while other factors like age and gender were not found to be associated with mortality. Among comorbidities, only liver diseases were found to be a significant determinant of mortality. Finally, patients who needed more flow rate of oxygen had a significant association with mortality.

<p class="abstract"><span lang="EN-US">The mitochondrial myopathy consists of diverse group of disorders which is characterized by primary dysfunction of mitochondrial respiratory chain leading to muscle disease. The involvement of larynx is very rare and only few cases have been reported in the literature. This study presents the fourth published case of dysphonia in the setting of mitochondrial myopathy. A patient with dysphonia with laryngeal involvement in mitochondrial myopathy is presented with literature review. A 43 year old man presented with progressive dysphonia and muscle weakness. Laryngeal examination showed bilateral adductor weakness of vocal cords and biopsy revealed findings typical of mitochondrial myopathy (MM). He underwent conservative trial for dysphonia with no relief and subsequently medalization thyroplasty showed some improvement in dysphonia. </span>Mitochondrial myopathy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of dysphonia for early diagnosis and management.</p><p class="p"> </p>

Background: Although nasal allergy has been prominent in allergy research, ocular allergy is increasingly recognized as a distinct symptom complex that imposes its own disease burden and reduction in patients' quality of life. In the past year, knowledge of the relationships between allergic conjunctivitis (AC) and allergic rhinitis (AR) has increased. AC is commonly manifesting as itchy or watering or red eye, comprising the symptoms of the total ocular symptom scores (TOSS). Allergic conjunctivitis is highly prevalent and has a close epidemiologic relationship with allergic rhinitis. Both conditions also exhibit similar pathophysiologic mechanisms. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to identify the incidence of AC in patients with AR. Methods: This randomized observational study was conducted on 150 patients for a 6 month period from June to November 2021, having diagnosed AR and attending the outpatient clinic of our department. The patients were directly questioned if they had AC, clarified by using standard screening questions of red, itchy and watery eyes and quantified by TOSS and were asked about indirect symptoms that may be attributable to AC. Results: Among the 150 patients, 54.66% of patients identified AC on direct questioning; additional symptoms were squint at 41.33% and blinking at 52.66%. Olopatadine, significantly reduced TOSS scores within 5 minutes of treatment and 82.66% showed improvement, which identified 44.66% silent sufferers of AC. A total of 94% AC subjects were identified through TOSS symptoms and totally 96.66%, detecting additional symptoms. Conclusions: The screening questions could identify only about 54.66% of the patients with AC. Additional specific questioning and a therapeutic challenge in suspected patients can help identify patients who may benefit from treatment of AC.

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> <span lang="EN-IN">Advanced otosclerosis affects approximately 10% of patients with otosclerosis. Ossification of the cochlea increases with the course of the disease and may cause sensori-neural or mixed hearing loss. Hearing aids, stapedotomy and cochlear implants are management options for hearing loss associated with advanced otosclerosis. </span></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> <span lang="EN-IN">A retrospective study of 153 patients with advanced otosclerosis was done in a tertiary ENT centre. 110 patients with advanced otosclerosis underwent stapedotomy and 43 patients with advanced otosclerosis underwent cochlear implantation (CI) from 1997 till date. Exclusion criteria included patients with profound hearing loss from causes other than otosclerosis. The aim was to study the indications, selection criteria, as well as surgical issues of stapedotomy and cochlear implantation in patients with advanced otosclerosis.  </span></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> <span lang="EN-IN">Stapedotomy followed by use of hearing aid was found to give good outcomes in advanced otosclerosis. Patients with advanced otosclerosis who had poor pre-operative speech discrimination underwent CI. Complete insertion was possible in 39 patients and partial insertion was done in 4 patients. The outcomes of cochlear implantation were found to be satisfactory. Facial nerve stimulation was seen in 5 patients who underwent CI; however this was successfully managed by reprogramming or switching off the concerned electrodes. </span></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> <span lang="EN-IN">In our experience, stapedotomy or CI in advanced otosclerosis has proven successful, with a low complication rate. The selection criteria for stapedotomy versus CI have to be stringent for optimal outcomes.</span></p>