Browsing by Author "PAI, SANJAY A"
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Item Are surgeons spunkier than non-surgeons.(2013-01) PAI, SANJAY A; SHIVASHANKER, SWETABackground. Surgeons are known to be bolder than other members of the medical profession. Testosterone levels are known to be higher in aggressive men. We wondered whether the above two statements indicated that the spunkiness of surgeons was related to higher testosterone levels. Methods. Sixteen surgeons and 16 non-surgeons, all men, aged 32–59 years took part in a prospective study that assessed their testosterone levels. Results. There was no statistical difference between the testosterone levels of the two groups. Conclusion. The reason for the gutsy behaviour of surgeons is not linked to their testosterone levels. Surgeons were disappointed to know this while non-surgeons were amused and a bit relieved.Item Medical journals – in the news and for the wrong reasons.(2014-01) PAI, SANJAY A2013 has been a landmark year, in fact, a bad year for biomedical journals. Medical journals and their editors have been respected for long, as they are the harbingers of change and of progress in scientific thought. Science expects transparency from the agents through which scientists publish their latest research findings and this expectation is usually fulfilled. Recent developments have, however, thrown into doubt the integrity of some science journals, their editors, and by extension, the entire field of biomedical and science publishing. These developments involve wide-ranging issues - the impact factor, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the birth, existence and rise of predatory journals.Item Typhoid appendicitis and ‘the man from Istanbul’(All India Institute of Medical Sciences, 2021-12) MENDOS, ANGELINA; PAI, SANJAY AWe describe typhoid appendicitis in a 19-year-old girl. The appendix showed aggregates of macrophages in the mucosa and in the wall. Blood culture yielded Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. The presence of macrophages in an appendicectomy specimen should prompt the pathologist to consider the possibility of typhoid fever, even in the absence of supporting microbiological investigations.Item Vitamin B12 deficiency in India: Mean corpuscular volume is an unreliable screening parameter.(2012-11) BHATIA, PUNEETA; KULKARNI, JAYASHREE D; PAI, SANJAY ABackground. Vitamin B12 deficiency is thought to be more common than was previously believed, but there are little data from India on this. It has protean clinical manifestations, and raised mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is commonly used by physicians as an indicator for megaloblastic anaemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency. We evaluated the clinical profiles of our patients with vitamin B12 deficiency and tried to ascertain how useful MCV and the peripheral smear were in diagnosis. Methods. We evaluated the clinical picture, haematology indices and peripheral smear findings of 117 patients with low vitamin B12 levels. Serum folic acid, ferritin values and biopsy findings of some patients were also assessed. Results. Patients were commonly detected to have reduced levels of serum vitamin B12 during the work-up for anaemia (n=45) or for neurological symptoms (n=31). Of the 94 cases in which smears were examined, 26 showed macrocytes and hypersegmented neutrophils were present in 24. Twentysix patients showed a raised MCV, 50 patients had an MCV within the reference range and 28 had low MCV. Pancytopenia was present in 5 patients. Concomitant iron deficiency, as judged by serum ferritin levels, was present in 18 patients. Conclusion. Vitamin B12 deficiency is not uncommon in India. It is often diagnosed during the work-up for a haematological disorder or for neurological symptoms. MCV is unreliable as a screening parameter for the presumed diagnosis of macrocytic anaemia, which is associated with vitamin B12 deficiency.