Secular trends in the prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in urban South India--the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES-17).

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to determine the secular trends in prevalence of diabetes and IGT in urban India.

Materials And Methods: The Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES) screened 26,001 individuals aged > or =20 years using the American Diabetes Association fasting capillary glucose criteria. The study population, which was representative of Chennai, was recruited by systematic random sampling.

A simplified Indian Diabetes Risk Score for screening for undiagnosed diabetic subjects.

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a simplified Indian Diabetes Risk Score for detecting undiagnosed diabetes in India.

Methods: The risk score was derived from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES), an ongoing epidemiological study on a representative population of Chennai. Phase 1 of CURES recruited 26,001 individuals, of whom every tenth subject was requested to participate in Phase 3 for screening for diabetes using World Health Organization (WHO) 2 hour venous plasma glucose criteria [i.

Antibacterial activity of Salacia beddomei.

Leaves and stems of Salacia beddomei were extracted successively with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and chloroform and tested for their antibacterial activity. Ethyl acetate extracts were found to be most effective against all the tested organisms.

Antifungal properties of Pseudarthria viscida.

The extracts of leaf, root, stem, and the callus obtained from Pseudarthria viscida showed significant inhibitory activity against some fungal pathogens causing major diseases in crop plants and stored food grains.

The Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES)--study design and methodology (urban component) (CURES-I).

The report of World Health Organization (WHO) shows that India tops the world with the largest number of diabetic subjects. This increase is attributed to the rapid epidemiological transition accompanied by urbanization, which is occurring in India. There is very little data regarding the influence of affluence on the prevalence of diabetes and its complications particularly retinopathy in the Indian population.

Purification and characterization of a glycoprotein inhibitor of toxic phospholipase from Withania somnifera.

A phospholipase inhibitor (WSG) has been purified from Withania somnifera using gel-filtration and ion-exchange chromatographies. The WSG is an acidic glycoprotein. Its molecular mass as determined by SDS-PAGE was 27kDa.