Role of microRNA in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): a comprehensive review

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent liver condition that affects people who do not overconsume alcohol. Uncertainties exist over how microRNAs (miRNAs) in the blood and liver relate to NAFLD. The aim of this narrative review was to investigate the role of miRNAs in the onset and progression of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) from NAFLD, and explore their potential as diagnostic tools and treatment targets for NAFLD patients. Liver miRNA-34a levels were found to accurately represent the degree of liver damage, with lower levels suggesting more damage. In patients with NAFLD and severe liver fibrosis, higher levels of miRNA-193a-5p and miRNA-378d were found. Moreover, miRNA-34a, miRNA-122, and miRNA-192 levels might aid in differentiating NASH from NAFLD. Similar to this, miRNA-21 and miRNA-27 levels in rats were able to distinguish between steatosis and steatohepatitis. High-fat diets enhanced the expression of 15 distinct miRNAs in rats, and there were substantial differences in the miRNA expression patterns between obese and lean people. The results from the present review imply that miRNA microarrays and sequencing may be helpful diagnostic tools, and miRNAs may be a possible treatment target for patients with NAFLD.

Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Surgery for Hydrocephalus: One of the Common Neurosurgical Procedures and Its Related Problems

Objective This study was conducted to assess the outcome in patients with hydrocephalus who underwent ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt surgery. Methods This retrospective study was conducted at the neurosurgery department of a tertiary care hospital. The time frame was three years and five months from January 2017 to May 2020 with a follow-up of six months. Results This study included 1030 patients, out of whom 64.2% were male and 35.8% were female. While the majority of the patients were more than 11 years of age (466), age did not have any significant impact on the outcome of the ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery. The most common cause of hydrocephalus was congenital (47.6%). A good outcome was seen in 63.4%, mortality was 10.6%, and complications were identified for 25.8%. The underlying pathology had a significant impact on the outcome in our study (p-value < 0.05) where the congenital cause of hydrocephalus showed a better outcome than any other cause. Conclusion Ventriculoperitoneal shunt is a good way to manage hydrocephalus, but there is always a high risk of complications.

Malaria amidst COVID-19 in India: Challenges, Efforts, and Recommendations

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in India, the country has faced a slew of new challenges, spawning a slew of other deadly viruses and diseases while also serving as a breeding ground for them. Not only did Malaria (a vector-borne disease) emerge as a coincidental outbreak during the pandemic, but many others did as well, causing severe diseases in humans due to flaws in health-care systems that were already overburdened with identifying, preventing, and treating the recently introduced coronavirus disease. Inadequate water cleanliness, as well as the delayed and misdiagnosis of Malaria with COVID-19 due to overlapping symptoms, are major impediments in the incidence of these unique outbreaks. Appropriate steps, such as providing clean water and diagnostic facilities to control Malaria cases, should be adopted to prevent such epidemics in the country.

Rampant Increase in Cases of Mucormycosis in India and Pakistan: A Serious Cause for Concern during the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 is a global health crisis that continues to pose new challenges all around the world. Amidst the growing pandemic, a spike in the number of mucormycosis cases in India and Pakistan has been reported in COVID-19 patients and in those who have recovered from COVID-19. This increase in cases may be related to the overuse of steroids and zinc, the use of industrial oxygen, unsterilized medical equipment, frequent intubation, a weakened immune system, and pre-existing comorbidities such as diabetes. As a result, it is critical to take steps to handle the current increase in mucormycosis cases. Therefore, this article aims to highlight the existence of mucormycosis amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in India and Pakistan, focusing on possible causes and implications, and suggests important plans of action to be taken during this pandemic.

Telesurgery and Robotics: An Improved and Efficient Era

Telesurgery, or remote surgery, is widely known as a master-slave technology. It has achieved a milestone in surgical technology and intervention, providing widespread prospects of operating on a patient in a remote area with increased accuracy and precision. It consists of one or more arms controlled by a surgeon and a master controller in a remote area accessing all the information being transferred via a telecommunication system. This paper reviews the present advancements and their benefits and limitations in the field of telesurgery. A handful of operations have been done so far. However, due to time-lag (latency), global networking problems, legal issues and skepticism, and on top of the cost of robotic systems and their affordability have led to the concept of telerobotics and surgery to lag. However, with more information and high speed, 5G networking, which has been in a trial to reduce latency to its minimum, is beneficial. Haptic feedback technology in telesurgery and robotics is another achievement that can be improved; further, this allows the robotic arms to mimic the natural hand movements of the surgeon in the control center so that the master controller can perform surgeries with more dexterity and acuity. Due to coronavirus (COVID-19), this type of surgery approach can reduce the probability of contracting the virus, saving more lives and the future.