Screening of Anti-Prion Compounds Using the Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification Technology.

Prion diseases are 100% fatal infectious neurodegenerative diseases affecting the brains of humans and other mammals. The disease is caused by the formation and replication of prions, composed exclusively of the misfolded prion protein (PrP). We invented and developed the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) technology for in vitro prion replication, which allow us to replicate the infectious agent and it is commonly used for ultra-sensitive prion detection in biological fluids, tissues and environmental samples.

Burden of preconception morbidity in women of reproductive age from an urban setting in North India.

Background: There is a growing interest in the life course approach for the prevention, early detection and subsequent management of morbidity in women of reproductive age to ensure optimal health and nutrition when they enter pregnancy. Reliable estimates of such morbidities are lacking. We report the prevalence of health or nutrition-related morbidities, specifically, anemia, undernutrition, overweight and obesity, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or reproductive tract infections (RTIs), diabetes or prediabetes, hypothyroidism, hypertension, and depressive symptoms, during the preconception period among women aged 18 to 30 years.

Typhoid and paratyphoid fever co-infection in children from an urban slum of Delhi.

We report two cases of co-infection with Typhi and Paratyphi A identified by blood culture and confirmed by serotyping from an ongoing fever surveillance cohort in an urban slum in New Delhi. Co-infections such as these have important implications on diagnosis, treatment options including choice of antimicrobial(s), disease outcome and strategy for prevention.

Phylogenetic Diversity and In Vitro Susceptibility Profiles of Human Pathogenic Members of the Fusarium fujikuroi Species Complex Isolated from South India.

Availability of molecular methods, gene sequencing, and phylogenetic species recognition have led to rare fungi being recognized as opportunistic pathogens. Fungal keratitis and onychomycosis are fairly common mycoses in the tropics, especially among outdoor workers and enthusiasts. The frequently isolated etiological agents belong to genera Candida, Aspergillus, and Fusarium.