Evaluation of the Association between CD4, CD8 and CD25 Cell Counts and SLE in Active Disease and in Remission.

Aim: To evaluate the correlation between the levels of CD4, CD8 and CD25 cells and SLE disease in active phase and in remission.

Methods: A total of 25 SLE patients, aged between 18-60 years, and fulfilling the ACR criteria with preferential Renal and CNS involvement were included in this study. Baseline CD4/CD8 and CD25 counts, lab parameters etc were conducted.

Comparative study of amrutbhallataka and glucosamine sulphate in osteoarthritis: Six months open label randomized controlled clinical trial.

Background: AmrutBhallatak (ABFN02), a 'rasayana' drug from Ayurveda is indicated in degenerative diseases and arthritis.

Objective: To evaluate safety and efficacy of ABFN02 in osteoarthritis (OA) and compare it with Glucosamine sulphate (GS).

Materials And Methods: This was a randomized open comparative study.

Ayurvedic medicine offers a good alternative to glucosamine and celecoxib in the treatment of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, controlled equivalence drug trial.

Objective: To demonstrate clinical equivalence between two standardized Ayurveda (India) formulations (SGCG and SGC), glucosamine and celecoxib (NSAID).

Methods: Ayurvedic formulations (extracts of Tinospora cordifolia, Zingiber officinale, Emblica officinalis, Boswellia serrata), glucosamine sulphate (2 g daily) and celecoxib (200 mg daily) were evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, parallel-efficacy, four-arm, multicentre equivalence drug trial of 24 weeks duration. A total of 440 eligible patients suffering from symptomatic knee OA were enrolled and monitored as per protocol.

Potential of (18)F-FDG-PET as a valuable adjunct to clinical and response assessment in rheumatoid arthritis and seronegative spondyloarthropathies.

Aim: To evaluate the role of fluorine-18-labeled fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18)F-FDG PET) in various rheumatic diseases and its potential in the early assessment of treatment response in a limited number of patients.

Methods: This study involved 28 newly diagnosed patients, of these 17 had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 11 had seronegative spondyloarthropathy (SSA). In the SSA group, 7 patients had ankylosing spondylitis, 3 had psoriatic arthritis, and one had non-specific SSA.

Comparable efficacy of standardized Ayurveda formulation and hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQS) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA): a randomized investigator-blind controlled study.

Hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQS) is a popular disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) despite modest efficacy and toxicity. Ayurveda (ancient India medicinal system) physicians treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with allegedly safer herbal formulations. We report a head-to-head comparison in an exploratory drug trial.

A Randomized Controlled Exploratory Evaluation of Standardized Ayurvedic Formulations in Symptomatic Osteoarthritis Knees: A Government of India NMITLI Project.

The multidisciplinary "New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative" Arthritis Project was undertaken to validate Ayurvedic medicines. Herbal formulations in popular use were selected by expert consensus and standardized using modern tools. Our clinical strategy evolved from simple exploratory evaluations to better powered statistically designed drug trials.

Liposomal amphotericin B (Fungisome) for the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis in HIV/AIDS patients in India: a multicentric, randomized controlled trial.

Background: There is need to investigate the use of liposomal amphotericin B in cryptococcal meningitis in India.

Aims: To compare the efficacy, safety, duration of treatment and cost of two doses of liposomal amphotericin B (Amp B) (Fungisome) in cryptococcal meningitis in HIV/AIDS patients.

Settings And Design: Prospective, randomized, multicenter study in tertiary care hospitals across India.

Hypersensitivity to intravenous ondansetron: a case report.

Introduction: Ondansetron, a 5-hydroxytryptamine3 receptor antagonist widely used in the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, is associated with various unusual adverse drug reactions. In this paper, we describe a hypersensitivity reaction to a single intravenous dose of ondansetron.

Case Presentation: A 19-year-old woman presented to the emergency department of our institute with 3-4 episodes of nausea, vomiting and epigastric distress.

Therapeutic options for systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis is a uncommon connective tissue disorder characterized by vascular damage, immune cell activation and fibrogenesis. Each of these components may respond to different therapies. Therefore, a combination strategy treating all three processes is more likely to control the disease than single agent therapy.

Utility of the polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis.

Due to inconsistent clinical presentations and the lack of a rapid, sensitive and specific test, tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is particularly difficult to diagnose. The present study was carried out to determine the utility of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using INS primers in the diagnosis of TBM and to compare the efficacy of two different DNA extraction protocols. Fifty-seven cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from suspected cases of meningitis -- 30 definitive/possible TBM and 27 non-TBM -- were processed for microscopy, culture and PCR.

Tropical infections in the ICU.

Certain arthropod-borne infections are common in tropical regions because of favorable climatic conditions. Water-borne infections like leptospirosis are common due to contamination of water especially during the monsoon floods. Infections like malaria, leptospirosis, dengue fever and typhus sometimes cause life threatening organ dysfunction and have several overlapping features.

Leprosy & gangrene: a rare association; role of anti phospholipid antibodies.

Background: Leprosy still remains an important public health problem for many parts of the world. An association of gangrene with leprosy is a rare one & can have a number of causative mechanisms. We present a case with Leprosy & gangrene with positive anti phopholipid antibody titers.

Use of the Internet as a resource of health information by patients: a clinic-based study in the Indian population.

Background: There is abundant literature documenting that the Internet is fast changing the way patients access health-related information, learn about their illnesses, and make healthcare-related decisions. However, there is hardly any data regarding Indian patients accessing health-related information available on the Internet.

Aims: To determine patients' use of the Internet as a medical information resource and to determine their experience, their perceptions of the quality and reliability of the information available.

Pamidronate--a promising new candidate for the management of spondyloarthropathy.

Bisphosphonate group of agents are known for their anti-bone resorptive properties. However, recently their anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritis properties have come to light. Clinical trials of their use in spondyloarthropathy are showing promising results, especially in patients with shorter disease duration.

Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in systemic lupus erythematosus: prevalence, clinical associations and correlation with other autoantibodies.

Aim: This study was undertaken to clarify the nature of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) along with other autoantibodies in lupus nephritis (LN) patients and in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients without nephritis and to know their correlation with clinical manifestations and presence of other autoantibodies.

Material And Methods: Fourty one LN patients and 18 SLE patients without nephritis were studied. LN patients were subdivided into diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (DPGN), focal proliferative glomerulonephritis (FPGN), rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN) and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN).

Clinical utility of screening for antinuclear antibodies by enzyme immunoassay--a preliminary study.

Aims Of The Study: To evaluate the advantages and reliability of screening for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) by enzyme immunoassay (ELISA).

Methodology: Sera from 96 patients comprising 51 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 11 with other systemic rheumatological diseases (SRD) and 34 with various other diseases (non-SRD) were tested using a commercial ELISA kit (ANA-Ease, Genesis Biotechnology, U.K.

Health information on the internet: patient empowerment or patient deceit?

Internet is the biggest medical library in the world. It has transformed the way many health seekers find health information. Seekers on net have exponentially increased from 54 million in 1998 to 110 million in 2002 (U.

Efficacy of a 14-day primaquine regimen in preventing relapses in patients with Plasmodium vivax malaria in Mumbai, India.

We studied the antirelapse efficacy of a supervised 14-d 15 mg/d regimen of primaquine therapy (n = 131) compared with no antirelapse therapy (n = 142) in 273 patients with confirmed Plasmodium vivax malaria in Mumbai, India, between July 1998 and April 2000. There were 6/131 (4.6%) recurrences in patients given primaquine compared with 13/142 (9.

Transient low levels of antibodies at initial presentation of primary anti-phospholipid syndrome.

We present, herein, a case of venous thrombosis who was lupus anticoagulant negative and had low levels of anticardiolipin antibodies at the time of initial presentation. A definite diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) could be made only when repeat testing, six months later, revealed a dramatic rise of these antibodies.