Assessing physical and chemical properties of saliva among tuberculosis patients on anti-tuberculosis treatment - An observational study.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major systemic conditions which is a preventable and curable infection but remains a significant cause of death. The WHO, in its global plan to stop TB reports, that poor treatment has resulted in the evolution of strains that do not respond to treatment with the standard first-line combination of anti- tuberculosis medicines, resulting in the emergence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in almost every country of the world.The present study was aimed to assess the physical and chemical property of stimulated and unstimulated saliva and identify if any association exist with alterations in taste perception in patients with antituberculosis medications.

Inflammatory Biomarkers Interleukin 1 Beta (IL-1β) and Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-α) Are Differentially Elevated in Tobacco Smoke Associated COPD and Biomass Smoke Associated COPD.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, is characterized by abnormal activation of inflammatory cells. The increased pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), further amplify the inflammation. We evaluated the dose response relationship of IL-1β and TNF-α levels and severity of airflow limitation, and differential responses in IL-1β and TNF-α between biomass COPD (BMS-COPD) and tobacco smoke COPD (TS-COPD) using a case control design in 160 subjects.

Pilot study investigating diagnostic utility of serum MMP-1 and TGF-β1 in asthma in 'real world' clinical practice in India.

Aims: At a tissue level, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) contribute to allergic airway inflammation, tissue remodelling and disease severity in asthma via different pathways. Their peripheral blood levels and role in diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring has not been adequately explored. We investigated the association between MMP-1 and TGF-β in moderate and severe persistent asthma and evaluated their performance characteristics by constructing receiver operating characteristic curves.

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and exacerbation of COPD.

Introduction: Low Vitamin D levels have been associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and acute exacerbations.

Objectives: There is a paucity of data on Vitamin D and COPD, its severity and exacerbations in populations that are exposed to sunlight regularly with high levels of physical activity most of their lives.

Methods: Serum levels of 25-OH-Vitamin-D were assessed in 100 COPD subjects and 100 age- and gender-matched controls from the rural community-based MUDHRA cohort in South India.