Background: For the past two decades, Acinetobacter spp. have emerged as an important pathogen globally in various infections. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the frequency, risk factors, and antibiotic resistance pattern of Acinetobacter spp. from various clinical samples. Materials and Methods: This retrospective, hospital record-based, cross-sectional study included a total of 8749 clinical samples collected from patients at a tertiary care hospital in Odisha, India from July 2010 to December 2012. The samples were processed and identified by standard protocol. The Acinetobacter isolates were tested for antibiotic resistance by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method [according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines]. Results: From 8749 clinical samples, 4589 (52.5%) yielded significant growth and only 137 (3%, 137/4589) Acinetobacter spp. were isolated. Maximum (56.9%) isolates were obtained from pus/swab, followed by blood (13.1%) and urine (12.4%). Elderly age, being inpatients, longer duration of stay in the hospital, associated co-morbidity, and invasive procedure were found to be significant risk factors in the setup investigated (P is less than 0.05). Out of 137 isolates, 75 (54.7%) were resistant to more than three classes of antibiotics (multidrug resistant) and 8 (5.8%) were resistant to all commonly used antibiotics (pan-drug resistant). Majority of the isolates were sensitive to imipenem, meropenem, and piperacillin/tazobactam, and showed resistance rates of 19%, 22%, and 23%, respectively. All eight pan-drug resistant isolates were 100% sensitive to colistin. Conclusion: This hospital-based epidemiological data will help to implement better infection control strategies and improve the knowledge of antibiotic resistance patterns in our region.

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We are describing a case of 55-year-old obese female with significant history of uncontrolled rheumatoid arthritis, who recently had decreased her immune-suppression medications. She presented with extensive acral gangrene involving multiple fingers and toes. Clinical picture and laboratory findings were suggestive of vasculitis; however, skin biopsy established diagnosis of calciphylaxis, in settings of normal kidney function. Patient was treated with sodium thiosulfate with gradual improvement in her skin lesions.

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Carotid body tumor is a paraganglioma derived from the neural crest. It arises from the carotid body which acts as a vascular chemoreceptors and is usually located at the carotid bifurcation. Sizeable (Shamblin III, >5 cm size) tumors are large and typically encase the carotid artery requiring vessel resection and replacement. Management of such tumors carries a high risk of postoperative mortality and morbidity rates specially with regards to neurovascular complications. We report a case of sizeable tumor which was surgically removed with minimal complications.

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Abdominal cocoon is an acquired benign condition in which there is encapsulation of bowel loops by a fibrous membrane. Pre-operative clinical diagnosis is usually difficult. Imaging plays a critical role in timely and accurate diagnosis. We present a brief discussion on this topic with relevant imaging findings.

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Backgound: Treatment of serious life-threatening multi-drug-resistant organisms poses a serious problem due to the limited therapeutic options. Tigecycline has been recently marketed as a broad-spectrum antibiotic with activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Even though many studies have demonstrated the activity of tigecycline against ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, its activity is not well-defi ned against micro-organisms producing metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs), as there are only a few reports and the number of isolates tested is limited. Aims: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the activity of tigecycline against MBL-producing bacterial isolates. Materials and Methods: The isolates were tested for MBL production by (i) combined-disk test, (ii) double disc synergy test (DDST), (iii) susceptibility to aztreonam (30 μg) disk. Minimum inhibitory concentration to tigecycline was determined according to agar dilution method as per Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Disc diffusion susceptibility testing was also performed for all these isolates using tigecycline (15 μg) discs. Results: Among the total 308 isolates included in the study, 99 were found to be MBL producers. MBL production was observed mostly in isolates from pus samples (40.47%) followed by urine (27.4%) and blood (13.09%). MBL production was observed in E. coli (41.48%), K. pneumoniae (26.67%), Proteus mirabilis (27.78%), Citrobacter spp. (41.67%), Enterobacter spp. (25.08%), and Acinetobacter spp. (27.27%). The result showed that tigecycline activity was unaffected by MBL production and it was showed almost 100% activity against all MBL-producing isolates, with most of the isolates exhibiting an MIC ranging from 0.25-8 μg/ml, except 2 MBL-producing E. coli isolates who had an MIC of 8 μg/ml. Conclusion: To conclude, tigecycline was found to be highly effective against MBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae and acinetobacter isolates, but the presence of resistance among organisms, even before the mass usage of the drug, warrants the need of its usage as a reserve drug. The study also found that the interpretative criteria for the disc diffusion method, recommended by the FDA, correlates well with the MIC detection methods. So, the microbiology laboratories might use the relatively easier method of disc diffusion, as compared to the comparatively tedious method of MIC determination.

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Aims: Designing a new approach for learning gross anatomy to improve students' motivation to study anatomy and to enable them to learn independently through case discussion. Materials and Methods: The study included newly registered students in the first academic year. The total number of students was 165, who were divided by alphabetical order into 15 groups of 11 students. Each group was led by one faculty member and each faculty member lead 3 groups. Each group met twice a week for 2 weeks to discuss one case related to the upper limb anatomy. Students took pre- and posttests and completed an opinion questionnaire about the case discussions. Results: The pretest score shows that 20% of the students received grades of 60% or above and that 80% received grades less than 60%. The posttest showed that 45% of the students received grades of 60% or above and that 55% received grades less than 60%. There was a significant difference between the pre- and posttest for grades <60% (P = 0.0000) and less significant for grades >60% (P = 0.0023). In addition, 17% of students achieved the same results (less than 60%) in both the pre- and posttests. The questionnaire revealed that all students stated that the discussion method was useful in their learning process, helped them to increase their motivation to study anatomy (85%), know the usefulness of studying anatomy (84%), and understand the problems (91%). Conclusions: The implementation of the case discussion in teaching anatomy can increase the students' understanding and motivate them to learn.

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