Lipoid pneumonia is an uncommon disease caused by the presence of lipid in the alveoli. It is classified into two major groups, depending on whether the lipid/oil in the respiratory tract is from an exogenous (exogenous lipoid pneumonia) or endogenous/idiopathic (endogenous lipoid pneumonia) source. The usual presentation occurs with insidious onset and nonspecific respiratory symptoms such as dyspnea and/or cough. The main radiological findings include airspace consolidations, ground-glass attenuation, airspace nodules and 'crazy-paving' pattern. However, the radiological appearance of the disorder can mimic many other lung diseases, including carcinoma. Owing to the nonspecific clinical presentation and radiological features, the diagnosis is often missed or delayed. Pathologically, lipoid pneumonia is a chronic foreign body reaction to fat, characterized by lipid-laden macrophages. Diagnosis of this disease requires a high index of suspicion and can be confirmed by demonstration of lipid-laden macrophages in respiratory samples such as sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid or fine-needle aspiration cytology/biopsy from lung lesions. Treatment protocols for this illness are poorly defined.

Background & objectives: In December 2019, a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in China and rapidly spread globally including India. The characteristic clinical observations and outcomes of this disease (COVID-19) have been reported from different countries. The present study was aimed to describe the clinico-demographic characteristics and in-hospital outcomes of a group of COVID-19 patients in north India. Methods: This was a prospective, single-centre collection of data regarding epidemiological, demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters, management and outcome of COVID-19 patients admitted in a tertiary care facility in north India. Patient outcomes were recorded as death, discharge and still admitted. Results: Data of 144 patients with COVID-19 were recorded and analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 40.1±13.1 yr, with 93.1 per cent males, and included 10 (6.9%) foreign nationals. Domestic travel to or from affected States (77.1%) and close contact with COVID-19 patients in congregations (82.6%) constituted the most commonly documented exposure. Nine (6.3%) patients were smokers, with a median smoking index of 200. Comorbidities were present in 23 (15.9%) patients, of which diabetes mellitus (n=16; 11.1%) was the most common. A significant proportion of patients had no symptoms (n=64; 44.4%); among the symptomatic, cough (34.7%) was the most common symptom followed by fever (17.4%) and nasal symptoms (2.15%). Majority of the patients were managed with supportive treatment with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin given on a case-to-case basis. Only five (3.5%) patients required oxygen supplementation, four (2.8%) patients had severe disease requiring intensive care, one required mechanical ventilation and mortality occurred in two (1.4%) patients. The time to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) negativity was 16-18 days. Interpretation & conclusions: In this single-centre study of 144 hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 in north India, the characteristic findings included younger age, high proportion of asymptomatic patients, long time to PCR negativity and low need for intensive care unit care.

EBUS-TBNA is a safe and efficacious procedure for obtaining tissue diagnosis in patients with mediastinal lymph node enlargement. The yield of EBUS-TBNA in diagnosis of mediastinal lymph node enlargement due to TB is especially high.

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.

When performing TBNA in the setting of suspected sarcoidosis, we found c-TBNA with ROSE and EBUS-TBNA (with or without ROSE) to be superior to c-TBNA alone. Whether c-TBNA with ROSE is equivalent to EBUS-TBNA cannot be determined from our study due to small sample size/low power.