It is acknowledged that physicians do not seek the same expert aid for themselves as they would offer their patients. In their preclinical years, medical students appear to espouse comparable behavior. To many, medicine is described as a never-ending path that places the student under heavy stress and burnout from the beginning, leaving him/her vulnerable and with insufficient coping methods. Hence, the objective of this study is to 1) explore the prevalence of stress and burnout among preclinical medical students, and 2) propose solutions to decrease stress and burnout and improve medical education in the preclinical years. A detailed scholarly research strategy using Google Scholar, Scopus, Embase, MEDLINE and PubMed was implemented to highlight key themes that are relevant to preclinical medical students' stress and burnout. Stress varied among different samples of medical students and ranged between 20.9% and 90%. Conversely, burnout ranged between 27% and 75%. Methods that help in reducing the incidence of stress and burnout by promoting strategies that focus on personal engagement, extracurricular activities, positive reinterpretation and expression of emotion, student-led mentorship programs, evaluation systems, career counseling and life coaching should be adopted.

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Bochdalek hernia (BH) is an uncommon form of diaphragmatic hernia. The rarity of this hernia and its nonspecific presentation leads to delay in the diagnosis, with the potential risk of complications. This review summarizes the relevant aspects of its presentation and management, based on the present evidence in the literature. A literature search was performed on PubMed, Google Scholar, and EMBASE for articles in English on BH in adults. All case reports and series from the period after 1955 till January 2015 were included. A total of 180 articles comprising 368 cases were studied. The mean age of these patients was 51 years (range 15-90 years) with a male preponderance of 57% (211/368). Significantly, 6.5% of patients were above 70 years, with 3.5% of these being above 80 years. The majority of the hernias were on the left side (63%), with right-sided hernias and bilateral occurring in 27% and 10%, respectively. Precipitating factors were noted in 24%, with 5.3% of them being pregnant. Congenital anomalies were seen in 11%. The presenting symptoms included abdominal (62%), respiratory (40%), obstructive (vomiting/abdominal distension; 36%), strangulation (26%); 14% of them were asymptomatic (detected incidentally). In the 184 patients who underwent surgical intervention, the surgical approach involved laparotomy in 74 (40.27%), thoracotomy in 50 (27.7%), combined thoracoabdominal approach in 27 (14.6%), laparoscopy in 23 (12.5%), and thoracoscopic repair in 9 (4.89%). An overall recurrence rate of 1.6% was noted. Among these patients who underwent laparoscopic repair, 82% underwent elective procedure; 66% underwent primary repair, with 61% requiring interposition of mesh or reenforcement with or without primary repair. The overall mortality was 2.7%. Therefore, BH should form one of the differential diagnoses in patients who present with simultaneous abdominal and chest symptoms. Minimal access surgery offers a good alternative with short hospital stay and is associated with minimum morbidity and mortality.

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Background: Dengue fever (DF) is a viral hemorrhagic fever causing severe morbidity and mortality in affected patients. Aims: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the changing trends in radiological findings in DF, to find if ultrasound is useful in the diagnosis of DF during an epidemic in absence of serological tests, and also to investigate the effects of DF in pregnancy. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was conducted in 2013 comprising of 400 patients who were serologically positive for dengue. Out of these, radiological investigations were conducted for 107 patients who were analyzed. Results: Out of the 107 patients, 85 patients underwent ultrasound, 12 computed tomography (CT) scans of brain or paranasal sinuses, and 21 chest radiography. The maximum numbers of patients (79%) were in the age group of 20-50 years. The most common ultrasound finding was hepatomegaly that was seen in 62% of the patients. Other findings were splenomegaly (45%), gallbladder (GB) wall edema (45%), right-sided pleural effusion (37%), bilateral pleural effusion (22%), and ascites (36%). Out of 10 pregnant patients, 5 had oligohydramnios, 2 had intrauterine growth restriction, 2 had intrauterine fetal demise, and 5 had a normal antenatal ultrasound. Conclusion: Ultrasound findings of hepatosplenomegaly, GB wall edema, right-sided or bilateral pleural effusion, and ascites in patients presenting with signs and symptoms of DF during an epidemic are virtually diagnostic of DF. There have been recent changing trends with hepatosplenomegaly being the more common manifestation, in comparison to ascites and GB wall edema. DF also has catastrophic effects in pregnancy such as oligohydramnios and intrauterine fetal demise.

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Background: Alcohol and hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) are among the most common causes of acute pancreatitis (AP) after gallstones. However, differences in severity at the time of presentation and outcomes have not been well-studied. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the differences between severity at presentation and outcomes of AP of hypertriglyceridemic and alcoholic origins. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of 177 patients who were discharged with diagnosis of AP was performed. Severity at presentation was identified by the presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, bedside index for severity in AP (BISAP) score, and Balthazar index. Outcomes were measured by the length of stay, intensive care unit care, surgical intervention, and mortality. Results: We found 147 patients with alcoholic pancreatitis and 30 patients with hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis. A larger percentage of hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis patients (23.33%) had a BISAP score of ≥2 compared to the alcoholic group (12.24%). Only 32.65% of the patients with alcoholic pancreatitis but 60% of the patients with hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis had the presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) at admission (P = 0.0067). There were 73.34% hypertriglyceridemic pancreatits patients and only 40.28% alcoholic pancreatitis patients with Balthazar index C or greater, suggesting a higher disease burden at admission for hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis patients (P = 0.0047). There was a statistically significant difference in the relative number of hypertriglyceridemic and alcoholic pancreatitis patients receiving intensive care (P = 0.00030) and in receiving surgical interventions related to pancreatitis (P = 0.016). Conclusion: Our study found that patients with hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis have a greater severity of disease and they experience less favorable outcomes than patients with alcoholic pancreatitis.

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Context: Drug-induced pancreatitis (DIP) is rare, but as there are no systematic data on it, the true incidence is not known. Although numerous and varied drugs have been associated with DIP, the clinical evidence on doxycycline-induced pancreatitis is sparse. Case Report: We present the case of a 58-year-old female who presented with complaints of nausea and severe epigastric pain. Her medications included doxycycline which she had been on for only 2 days. Computed tomography of her abdomen showed mild enlargement of body of the pancreas with peripancreatic fatty infiltration, along with lipase level suggestive of acute pancreatitis. In the absence of classical risk factors for acute pancreatitis, a diagnosis of DIP secondary to doxycycline therapy was made. Immediate withdrawal of the drug was accompanied by relief of symptoms and resolution of pancreatitis. Conclusion: This report implicates doxycycline as an etiological factor for acute pancreatitis. Knowledge regarding doxycycline related pancreatitis is of paramount importance in order to diagnose cases early and institute effective treatment in patients who are undergoing therapy with this drug.

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Background: Selenium (Se) is an established essential nutrient that plays a role in various biological processes including cancer development. Similarly, stimulation of immune reactions by β-glucans is well-documented. Aims: In the current study, we focused on the stimulation of phagocytosis and interleukin (IL)-2 production and on potentiation of anticancer immunity by a combination of glucan with two types of Se. Materials and Methods: Phagocytosis was evaluated using synthetic microspheres; cancer development was measured either using breast cancer cells or using lung cancer cells. Results: Using two different murine models of cancer, we showed that the Se/glucan combination strongly suppressed the growth of cancer, mostly probably via stimulation of immunity. Conclusions: A combination of glucan with Se offers superior stimulation of immunity and inhibition of cancer growth.

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Background: If postoperative acute pain remains unrelieved, it may result in significant morbidity and mortality. Preemptive analgesic initiated before surgery offers premature analgesia even before exposure to an initial noxious stimulus bestowing effective postoperative analgesia. In developed countries, it is regularly practiced as a part of well-defined protocol. In our country however, only a few centers practice it and that too irregularly and with undefined protocol. Few studies support preemptive analgesic efficacy of novel antiepileptic agent gabapentin. Though lamotrigine is a proven analgesic in animal models of chronic pain and clinical studies of gabapentin-resistant neuropathic pain, a literature search revealed scarce data on its preemptive analgesic efficacy. Aims: The present study is designed to study the preemptive analgesic efficacy of lamotrigine in comparison with diclofenac sodium in postoperative pain control. Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial included 90 patients of both sexes, between 18 years and 70 years undergoing major surgeries. Patients were randomly allocated into placebo, control, and test groups and received the respective treatment 30 min before the induction of anesthesia. Aldrete score and pain score were recorded using visual analog scale (VAS), facial rating scale (FRS), and behavioral rating scale (BRS) at awakening and at 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, and 24 h. Postoperative rescue analgesic consumption for 24 h was recorded. Results: Significantly higher pain scores were observed in the placebo group postoperatively for 2 h on all pain scales (P < 0.05), whereas in the control group it was significantly higher at 1 h (P < 0.05). The test group patients were more comfortable throughout the study and postoperative analgesic requirement was significantly less (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The study recommends the use of single oral dose lamotrigine as preemptive analgesic for effective postoperative pain control.

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Background: Diabetes is endemic with developing economies contributing to the bulk of this pandemic. Despite the evidence of incremental benefit of glycemic control starting early in life, acceptance of and adherence to modern medications remain suboptimal. Aims: To determine the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)-lowering efficacy and safety of nutritional supplement, PreCrea ^® , in adult Indians with newly diagnosed hyperglycemia. Materials and Methods: Double-blind, randomized study conducted in six diabetes centers in India. A total of 193 treatment-naïve subjects with newly diagnosed hyperglycemia and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) >100 mg/dL were randomized into either PreCrea ^® 600 mg (n = 90) or matched placebo (n = 89) capsules twice daily, along with lifestyle modification, for 12 weeks. The main outcomes were changes in HbA1c and FPG levels, attainment of the American Diabetes Association (ADA)-defined goals for HbA1c, and clinical and biochemical measures of safety. Results: At 12 weeks, mean HbA1c in PreCrea ^® group reduced by 0.91% compared with 0.08% increase in the placebo group (P < .001). The reductions in the mean FPG at week 4 (P < .001) and week 12 (P = 0.04) were significant compared to the baseline. ADA goal of HbA1c <7% increased from 15.5% at the baseline to 35.6% at week 12 in PreCrea ^® subjects. Clinical safety and biochemical safety did not change. Hypoglycemia and weight gain were not observed with PreCrea ^® . Conclusions: Nearly 1% point reduction in HbA1c at week 12 with PreCrea ^® is comparable with most first-line glucose-lowering drugs. The safety and tolerability of PreCrea ^® highlights its potential as a first-line therapy in newly detected hyperglycemia.

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Context: Congenital coronary anomalies, including anomalous origin, distribution, intercoronary communications, and coronary fistulae occur at a rate of approximately 1% in the general population and are the most incidental findings. Case Report: A 49-year-old male patient presented to the emergency department with exercise-induced dyspnea and atypical angina pectoris. Coronary angiography (CAG) and contrast-enhanced 320-slice multidetector cardiac computed tomography with subsequent three-dimensional reconstructions revealed a single coronary artery (SCA) arising from the right sinus of Valsalva with a proximal branch giving rise to the left anterior descending coronary artery. The left anterior descending coronary artery shows severe atherosclerotic lesions and it is occluded afterwards. Adenosine stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a stress myocardial ischemia at the anterior wall without signs of fibrosis, scar, or necrosis. Conclusion: We present an extremely rare case of a SCA, with the solitary vessel arising from the right sinus of Valsalva. In our patient's case, the atherosclerotic lesions and occlusion in the branch supplying the anterior wall were considered eligible for neither percutaneous intervention nor bypass graft surgery.

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