Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) contribute to elevations in neuropsychiatric and neurocognitive symptoms in HIV+ adults. Emerging data suggest that exposures to threat-related and deprivation-related ACEs may have differential impacts on function, with threat exposure contributing to neuropsychiatric symptoms, and deprivation contributing to executive dysfunction. Yet, it remains unclear how specific types of ACEs impact neuropsychiatric and neurocognitive symptoms in HIV+ adults. Hence, the current study examined whether these two dimensions of adversity contribute differentially to neuropsychiatric symptoms and executive dysfunction in HIV+ adults.

We included a sample of demographically matched HIV+ (N = 72) and HIV-negative (N = 85) adults. Standardized self-report measures assessed threat-related (interpersonal violence) and deprivation-related (poverty/neglect) ACEs, as well as neuropsychiatric symptoms (depression, anxiety, apathy). A brief battery of neuropsychological tests assessed executive functions.

Compared to HIV-negative participants, HIV+ participants reported significantly higher rates of threat exposure (51% vs. 67%, p = .04), while rates of deprivation did not differ significantly (8% vs. 13%, p = .38). In the HIV+ sample, threat exposure was associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms (p < .01) but not executive dysfunction (p = .75). By contrast, deprivation was associated with executive dysfunction, at a trend level (p = .09), but not with neuropsychiatric symptoms (p = .70).

Our data suggest that, relative to HIV-negative samples, HIV+ samples experience higher rates of threat-related ACEs, which contribute to neuropsychiatric symptom elevations. Moreover, our preliminary findings suggest that different types of ACEs could be associated with different profiles of neuropsychiatric and neurocognitive difficulty in HIV+ adults, highlighting the importance of considering dimensions of adversity in future studies.

Children with exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 in recent times (asymptomatic or symptomatic infection) approaching congenital heart surgery programme are in increasing numbers. Understanding outcomes of such children will help risk-stratify and guide optimisation prior to congenital heart surgery.

The objective of the present study was to determine whether convalescent coronavirus disease 2019 children undergoing congenital heart surgery have any worse mortality or post-operative outcomes.

Consecutive children undergoing congenital heart surgery from Oct 2020 to May 2021 were enrolled after testing for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or rapid antigen test and immunoglobulin G antibody prior to surgery. Convalescent coronavirus disease 2019 was defined in any asymptomatic patient positive for immunoglobulin G antibodies and negative for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction or rapid antigen test anytime 6 weeks prior to surgery. Control patients were negative for any of the three tests. Mortality and post-operative outcomes were compared among the groups.

One thousand one hundred and twenty-nine consecutive congenital heart surgeries were stratified as convalescence and control. Coronavirus disease 2019 Convalescent (n = 349) and coronavirus disease 2019 control (n = 780) groups were comparable for all demographic and clinical factors except younger and smaller kids in control. Convalescent children had no higher mortality, ventilation duration, ICU and hospital stay, no higher support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, high flow nasal cannula, no higher need for re-intubations, re-admissions, and no higher infections as central line-associated bloodstream infection, sternal site infection, and ventilator-associated pneumonia on comparison with coronavirus disease 2019 control children.

Convalescent coronavirus disease 2019 does not have any unfavourable outcomes as compared to coronavirus disease 2019 control children. Positive immunoglobulin G antibody screening prior to surgery is suggestive of convalescence and supports comparable outcomes on par with control peers.

To assess and compare the quality of life in HIV patients with and without depression.

100 HIV positive subjects were interviewed in a case control study. Subjects were interviewed by a psychiatrist to diagnose depression and HAM-D was used to rate the severity of depression. HAT-QOL was employed to assess Health related Quality of Life in these patients.

50 HIV patients were diagnosed to be depressed. 23% were mildly depressed, 19% were moderately depressed, 7% were severely depressed and 1% was very severely depressed. Mean QOL scores in depressed HIV patients were found to be significantly lower than that in non-depressed patients in all 9 dimensions.

HIV itself impairs QOL in HIV patients. Depression further worsens the QOL in these patients. Diagnosing depression in this set of HIV patients is the first step towards improving their Quality of Life.

A substantial number of patients suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) report a subjective distressing experience prior to the repetitive behavior, known as sensory phenomena(SP).

Need to systematically evaluate SP and the clinical correlates in OCD.

Assess prevalence of SP and clinical correlates in OCD.

Subjects (n = 71) fulfilling the criteria for DSM IV-TR OCD were recruited consecutively from a specialty OCD clinic in Southern India and were assessed using the Yale brown obsessive and compulsive scale (YBOCS), dimensional Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale (D-YBOCS) and the University of São Paulo Sensory Phenomena Scale (USP-SPS).

The prevalence of the SP was found to be 50.7%. Prevalence of SP is significantly greater in the patients with early age of onset (P = 0.47). In subtypes of SP, Tactile was 12.7%, “just right” for look was 26.8%, “just right” for sound was 9.9%, “just right” for feeling was 16.9%, feeling of incompleteness leading to repetitive behavior was 22.5%, “energy release” sensation leading to repetitive behavior was 4.2% and “urge only” leading to repetitive behavior was 11.3%. SP was found to have significant correlation with symmetry/ordering/arranging/counting dimension (P = 0.003). Significant positive correlation existed between SP severity and the severity of the compulsions (P = 0.02).

Considering its high prevalence in OCD, it might be useful to incorporate SP assessment during the routine clinical assessment of OCD. It might warrant a place in the phenomenological and nosological description of OCD. Additionally, the neurobiological correlates of SP need to be explored.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

This study investigated the personality traits of patients with allergic rhinitis. It also examined the association between personality type and the type of allergic rhinitis, and compared this with the general population.

A descriptive observational pilot study was carried out on 50 consecutive cases of allergic rhinitis who presented to the allergy clinic between June and October 2010. These patients were compared with a control group comprising 50 individuals from the general population that had no symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Both groups completed the International Personality Disorder Examination questionnaire for the assessment of personality traits.

Persons falling into cluster C personality type showed a positive correlation with the type and severity of allergic rhinitis. The majority of control group individuals fell into cluster A. This indicated a correlation between allergic rhinitis and a dominant anxious trait compared with the control group.

In psycho-allergological research, the potential relevance of personality factors in the maintenance and exacerbation of atopic symptoms is still a matter of debate. More attention should be paid to the psychological status of allergic rhinitis patients, and appropriate treatment should be provided to improve their symptoms and quality of life.

Virtual bronchoscopy is a noninvasive technique which provides an intraluminal view of the tracheobronchial tree. This study aimed to evaluate this technique in comparison with rigid bronchoscopy, in paediatric patients with tracheobronchial foreign bodies undetected by plain chest radiography.

Plain chest radiography was initially performed in 40 children with suspected foreign body aspiration. Computed tomography virtual bronchoscopy was performed in the 20 in whom chest radiography appeared normal. Virtual bronchoscopic images were obtained. All patients underwent rigid bronchoscopy performed by an otolaryngologist blinded to the computed tomography virtual bronchoscopy findings, within 24 hours. Virtual bronchoscopic findings were then compared with the results of rigid bronchoscopy.

In 12 patients, foreign bodies detected by virtual bronchoscopy were confirmed by rigid bronchoscopy. In one case, a mucous plug was perceived as a foreign body on virtual bronchoscopy. In another case, a minute foreign body was missed on virtual bronchoscopy. The following parameters were calculated: sensitivity, 92.3 per cent; specificity, 85.7 per cent; validity, 90 per cent; positive likelihood ratio, 6.45; and negative likelihood ratio, 0.089.

In the presence of a positive clinical diagnosis and negative chest radiography, computed tomography virtual bronchoscopy must be considered in all cases of tracheobronchial foreign body aspiration, in order to avoid needless rigid bronchoscopy. Computed tomography virtual bronchoscopy is particularly useful in screening cases of occult foreign body aspiration, as it has high sensitivity, specificity and validity.

Melioidosis is an infectious disease caused by a saprophytic bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is endemic to Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. It may manifest as a pulmonary lesion, osteomyelitis, abscesses in soft tissue and various organs, or as septicaemia.

We report a case of a 40-year-old, diabetic man who presented with a neck lump resulting from super-infection of a tuberculosis cavity with B pseudomallei. The patient was successfully managed by drainage along with meticulous excision of the capsule and prolonged antibiotic and anti-tubercular treatment.

Melioidosis may be confused diagnostically with tuberculosis, as both diseases are endemic in the same regions. Our patient was unfortunate to suffer from both endemic diseases simultaneously, perhaps representing the first such case in the world literature.

Increased awareness of melioidosis is important as, although the organism is easy to culture, it may be dismissed as a contaminant.

This study aimed to compare outcomes for mastoidotympanoplasty and for tympanoplasty alone in cases of quiescent, tubotympanic, chronic, suppurative otitis media.

Single-blinded, randomised, controlled study within a tertiary referral hospital.

Sixty-eight cases were randomly allocated into two groups. In group one, 35 ears underwent type one tympanoplasty along with cortical mastoidectomy. In group two, 33 ears underwent type one tympanoplasty alone. Outcome measures were as follows: perforation closure and graft uptake, hearing improvement, disease eradication, and post-operative complications.

There were no statistically significant differences in hearing improvement, tympanic perforation closure, graft uptake or disease eradication, comparing the two groups at three and six months post-operatively.

Mastoidotympanoplasty was not found to be superior to tympanoplasty alone over a short term follow-up period. Hence, it may not be necessary to undertake routine mastoid exploration at this stage of disease.