In the recent years, knowledge about cancer biomarkers has increased tremendously providing great opportunities for improving the management of cancer patients by enhancing the efficiency of detection and efficacy of treatment. Recent technological advancement has enabled the examination of many potential biomarkers and renewed interest in developing new biomarkers. Biomarkers ...

Background & objectives: The multiple drug resistance (MDR) is a serious health problem and major challenge to the global drug discovery programmes. Most of the genetic determinants that confer resistance to antibiotics are located on R-plasmids in bacteria. The present investigation was undertaken to investigate the ability of organic extract ...

Background & objectives: Exposure to ozone and asthma are both associated with increased oxidative stress. Exposure to ozone therefore, may potentiate the airway response to allergens. We undertook this study to investigate the effect of ozone exposure on airway response to ovalbumin in sensitized guinea pigs and its modulation by ...

Background & objectives: Antituberculosis (anti-TB) drug induced hepatotoxicity (DIH) is the most common side effect leading to interruption of therapy. Wide variations have been found in the reported incidence of hepatotoxicity during short-course chemotherapy. Several risk factors for hepatotoxicity have been suggested in previous studies. We undertook a prospective case-control ...

Background & objectives: There is an increasing incidence of abdominal tuberculosis with the advent of HIV infection. This study was aimed at determining the pattern of presentation of abdominal tuberculosis on ultrasonography (USG) in HIV positive patients.

Background & objectives: Pyrazinamide is an important front line antimycobacterial drug, which is also being used in the treatment of multi drug resistant tuberculosis along with second line drugs in DOTS plus programme. Conventional testing of pyrazinamide on solid medium is difficult as it is active at acidic pH. Therefore, ...

Background & objectives: An outbreak of influenza was investigated between June 24 and July 30, 2009 in a residential school at Panchgani, Maharashtra, India. The objectives were to determine the aetiology, study the clinical features in the affected individuals and, important epidemiological and environmental factors. The nature of public health ...

Background & objectives: Several studies reported the polymorphisms of [[beta].sub.1]-adrenergic receptor gene in healthy volunteers and its influence on cardiovascular disorders. We investigated the genotype and allele frequencies of Ser49Gly and Arg389Gly polymorphism in healthy volunteers of South Indian Tamilian population vis-a-vis other major ethnic groups.

Background & objectives: The aim of this study is to know if the liver function tests (LFT), especially gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), have a predictive value in diagnosis of metabolic syndrome (MS).

Background & objectives: Family history is an important risk factor for the development of asthma, contingent upon genetic and environment interaction. Since there is paucity of data on asthma inheritance in Indian population, the present study was undertaken to investigate the inheritance patterns of asthma and the effect of family ...

Background & objective: The efficacy of the combination of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in patients of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) with nephropathy is debatable. The antialbuminuric efficacy of dual blockade in patients of type 1 DM with micro- or macroabuminuria were evaluated.

Background & objectives: Species identification and information on transmission pattern of malaria parasite in any malaria endemic area is key to success for a malaria control programme. In this investigation, malaria diagnosis using molecular method was used to assess the transmission pattern of malaria parasite in three malaria endemic regions: ...

Treatment of delayed union, malunion, and nonunion is a challenge to the orthopaedic surgeons in veterinary and human fields. Apart from restoration of alignment and stable fixation, in many cases adjunctive measures such as bone-grafting or use of bone-graft substitutes are of paramount importance. Bone-graft materials usually have one or ...

Background & objectives: Cetrimide is a monocationic surfactant, commonly used for disinfection of hospital floors, equipments, for cleansing of burns and wounds, hand wash, etc. We evaluated whether antibiotic resistant (AR) Escherichia coli isolates from hospital settings (nosocomial pathogens) show any evidence of significant reduction in their susceptibility to cetrimide. ...

Background & objective: The study evaluated the hypolipidaemic and hepatoprotective effects of unripe Psidium guajava fruit peel aqueous extract in streptozotocin (STZ) induced severely diabetic rats by assaying their triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase (ALKP), asperate amino transeferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT) ...

Background & objectives: Trigonella foenum graecum commonly known as fenugreek, has been widely cultivated in Asia, Africa and Mediterranean countries for the edible and medicinal values of its seeds. Earlier reports show that fenugreek seeds provide a mastogenic effect resulting in enhanced breast size. However, very little is known about ...

Background & objectives: Emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extensively-drug resistant (XDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has further complicated the problem of tuberculosis (TB) control. Medicinal plants offer a hope for developing alternate medicines for the treatment of TB. The present study was done to evaluate in vitro anti-tubercular activity ...

Background & objectives: A considerable proportion of patients with HIV associated tuberculosis (TB) started on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) develop immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), which is difficult to diagnose in a resource-limited setting. In view of the recently proposed consensus case-definitions for TB-IRIS for use in resource-limited settings ...

Background & objectives: Outbreaks of typhoid have been reported from Maharashtra, Bangalore, West Bengal and Pondicherry in India but rarely from Rajasthan. We investigated an outbreak of typhoid in a village of Thar Desert of Rajasthan.

Background & objectives: India carries approximately 50 per cent of the global burden of visceral leishmaniasis and majority of patients from the poor, rural communities of Bihar State. Zinc is an essential trace element and its relevance for proper functioning of the entire immune system is already well documented. Though ...

Background & objectives: A wealth of information concerning the essential role of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in the regulation of renal function and mean arterial blood pressure homeostasis has been established. However, many important parameters with which RSNA interacts are yet to be explicitly characterized. Therefore, the present study ...

Background & objectives: Early reports addressed morphological asymmetry in the cross-sectional width of the rat hippocampus. The present study was aimed at counting total number of neurons in CA1-4 sectors and the subiculum of the dog hippocampus as well as investigating possible left /right and male/female asymmetry.

Background & objective: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is characterized by chronic synovitis, cartilage damage and bone erosion. Both genetic and environmental factors and microbes probably play a role in pathogenesis. Microbes are recognized by Toll like receptors (TLRs) and activate innate immune response. We studied the ability of bacterial and ...

Background & objectives: Zygomycosis is highly invasive fungal infection, with high mortality rate. In most of patients, diabetes mellitus is an underlying factor but in primary cutaneous zygomycosis, presentation may be different. Here we present the description of clinical presentation, fungi isolated and management of cases with cutaneous zygomycosis seen ...

Background & objectives: Legionella pneumophila and other members of this genus are important respiratory pathogens but legionellosis often remains a neglected and under reported condition. Hence, this study was done to find out the presence of this organism in patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder of unknown etiology. Insulin resistance is very common and plays a central pathogenic role in PCOS. During last decade several studies have been conducted to understand the mechanisms contributing to the state of insulin resistance and insulin-induced hyperandrogenemia in PCOS. ...