Screening low-risk individuals for coronary artery disease.

A large proportion of cardiovascular events occur in individuals classified by traditional risk factors as "low-risk." Efforts to improve early detection of coronary artery disease among low-risk individuals, or to improve risk assessment, might be justified by this large population burden. The most promising tests for improving risk assessment, or early detection, include the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score, the ankle-brachial index (ABI), and the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP).

Two-component histidine phosphotransfer protein Ypd1 is not essential for viability in Candida albicans.

Prokaryotes and lower eukaryotes, such as yeasts, utilize two-component signal transduction pathways to adapt cells to environmental stress and to regulate the expression of genes associated with virulence. One of the central proteins in this type of signaling mechanism is the phosphohistidine intermediate protein Ypd1. Ypd1 is reported to be essential for viability in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Isolated peritoneal donor-related plasmacytoma 3 years after liver transplantation: a case report.

Organ transplantation carries a risk of disease transmission from donor to recipient, primarily infection or malignancy. Although donors are thoroughly screened, donor-related malignancies are reported to occur in 0.01% of solid organ transplants.

A phase 3, randomized, double-blind study of single-dose fosaprepitant for prevention of cisplatin-induced nausea and vomiting: results of an Indian population subanalysis.

Context: Currently, there is limited data on the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in Indian patients.

Aims: This post hoc study assessed the efficacy and safety of fosaprepitant compared with aprepitant for prevention of CINV in the Indian population. A subgroup analysis was performed from data collected in a phase 3 study of intravenous (IV) fosaprepitant or oral aprepitant, plus the 5-HT 3 antagonist ondansetron and the corticosteroid dexamethasone, in cisplatin-naοve patients with solid malignancies.

Aggregation behavior of nanodiamonds and their functionalized analogs in an aqueous environment.

The colloidal behavior of aqueous dispersions of detonation nanodiamonds (DNDs) and carboxylated nanodiamonds (DND-COOH) which were synthesized via a microwave process is presented. Both forms of DNDs were found to be relatively stable in aqueous solutions, but aggregated rapidly in the presence of mono and divalent salts. The critical coagulation concentration (CCC) values for DNDs and DND-COOH were estimated to be between 8 and 10 mM for NaCl and 7 and 8 mM for MgCl2.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement: current status and future directions.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a revolutionary therapy for patients with aortic stenosis. Large registries and randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that TAVR is safe and effective in patients considered inoperable because of severe comorbidities and those who are high-risk surgical candidates. As TAVR evolves for lower-risk patients, attention will need to focus on reducing the rates of vascular injury, stroke, and paravalvular regurgitation.

High rate of hypothyroidism in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients co-infected with HIV in Mumbai, India.

Background: Adverse events (AEs) among HIV-infected patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) receiving anti-TB and antiretroviral treatments (ART) are under-researched and underreported. Hypothyroidism is a common AE associated with ethionamide, p-aminosalicylic acid (PAS), and stavudine. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of and risk factors associated with hypothyroidism in HIV/MDR-TB co-infected patients.

Efficacy and safety of anti-tuberculosis drugs in HIV-positive patients: a prospective study.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy and safety of anti-tuberculosis drugs in HIV-positive patients at a tertiary care teaching hospital.

Materials And Methods: As a part of an ongoing study of opportunistic infections (OIs) in HIV-positive patients, drug treatment in patients suffering from tuberculosis was assessed to determine its efficacy and safety. Based on prevalence data for last three years, a purposive sampling of study population was carried out in this observational, prospective, single centre study.

Effectiveness of a topical local anaesthetic spray as analgesia for dressing changes: a double-blinded randomised pilot trial comparing an emulsion with an aqueous lidocaine formulation.

Background: Partial thickness skin graft wounds are painful. Topically applied lidocaine has been used for analgesia in several clinical trials. This study compared the effectiveness of two different formulations of topical local anaesthetic for dressing changes of partial thickness skin graft donor sites.

Use of Platelet-Rich Fibrin over Skin Wounds: Modified Secondary Intention Healing.

The healing process after any surgical intervention has always posed a challenge for the surgeons. In spite of the advances in wound closure techniques and devices, there is a crucial need for newer methods of enhancing the healing process to achieve optimal outcomes. Fibrin adhesives and platelet concentrates have proven useful in various treatment modalities in the fields of microvascular and plastic surgery.

Tenofovir induced Fanconi syndrome: a possible pharmacokinetic interaction.

Tenofovir was introduced as a second line drug for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in India in December 2009. Although rare, renal toxicity is a recognized adverse drug reaction (ADR) of this drug, especially when administered with boosted lopinavir-ritonavir. In this case, an HIV positive patient receiving tenofovir based antiretroviral therapy (ART) for last 1 year developed albuminuria, glycosuria and hypophosphatemia.

Performance of the OSOM Trichomonas Rapid Test for diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis infection among women in Mysore, India.

Unlabelled: Background Trichomonas vaginalis is the world's most common treatable sexually transmissible infection. Currently, wet mount microscopy and syndromic management based on vaginal discharge are the most widely used methods for diagnosing and treating trichomoniasis in resource-constrained settings. Wet mount microscopy requires equipment and trained technicians, who are in short supply.

Retrospective review of the use and costs of routine chest x rays in a trauma setting.

Introduction: Chest x-rays (CXR) are routinely obtained on blunt trauma patients. Many patients also receive additional imaging with thoracic computed tomography scans for other indications. We hypothesized that in hemodynamically normal, awake and alert blunt trauma patients, CXR can be deferred in those who will also receive a TCT with significant cost savings.

Mitochondrial two-component signaling systems in Candida albicans.

Two-component signal transduction pathways are one of the primary means by which microorganisms respond to environmental signals. These signaling cascades originated in prokaryotes and were inherited by eukaryotes via endosymbiotic lateral gene transfer from ancestral cyanobacteria. We report here that the nuclear genome of the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans contains elements of a two-component signaling pathway that seem to be targeted to the mitochondria.

Competing cardiovascular outcomes associated with subclinical atherosclerosis (from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis).

Subclinical atherosclerosis measured by coronary artery calcium (CAC) is associated with increased risk for multiple cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes and non-CVD death simultaneously. The aim of this study was to determine the competing risks of specific CVD events and non-CVD death associated with varying burdens of subclinical atherosclerosis. A total of 3,095 men and 3,486 women from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), aged 45 to 84 years, from 4 ethnic groups were included.

Outcome of intestinal transplants for patients with Crohn's disease.

Background: The pathophysiology of Crohn's disease (CD) is related to immune dysregulation making it unique among indications for intestinal transplants (ITx). We examined whether outcomes of ITx for CD are any worse than the overall ITx population.

Methods: United Network for Organ Sharing Standard Transplant Analysis and Research files were analyzed.

Survival of cystic fibrosis patients undergoing liver and liver-lung transplantations.

Background: We evaluated the outcome of combined liver-lung transplantation (L-LTx) in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with liver transplantation (LTx) for CF liver disease.

Methods: The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) data were analyzed from October 1987 to August 2009.

Results: Of 294 patients (210 children), 265 (90.

Prevalence, prospective risk markers, and prognosis associated with the presence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in young adults: the coronary artery risk development in young adults study.

The authors sought to determine the prevalence, prospective risk markers, and prognosis associated with diastolic dysfunction in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study. The CARDIA Study cohort includes approximately equal proportions of white and black men and women. The authors collected data on risk markers at year 0 (1985-1986), and echocardiography was done at year 5 when the participants were 23-35 years of age.

MRI prediction of islet yield for autologous transplantation after total pancreatectomy for chronic pancreatitis.

Objective: The relationship between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), histopathology, and islet yield was examined for chronic pancreatitis patients undergoing total pancreatectomy and autologous islet cell transplant (TP-AIT) to determine if the yield can be predicted by pre-operative MRI.

Methods: MRI sequences and histopathology were scored and compared for patients from whom ≤2,500 islet equivalents/kg were obtained with those from whom >2,500 islet equivalents/kg were obtained.

Results: Twenty patients, 14 female, mean age 40.

Wandering kidney in dual-kidney transplant recipient presents a pitfall in the interpretation of renal scintigraphy.

A 26-y-old patient with end-stage renal disease and recent dual transplantation of cadaveric kidneys en bloc presented with increasing abdominal pain and a rising level of serum creatinine. An anterior-view (99m)Tc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine renogram demonstrated the typical overlap of the lower pole of the superior kidney and the upper pole of the inferior kidney. The renogram was consistent with vasomotor nephropathy.

Size dependent aqueous dispersibility of carboxylated multiwall carbon nanotubes.

The size dependent colloidal behavior of aqueous dispersions of carboxylated multiwall carbon nanotubes (c-MWCNTs) is presented. The presence of carboxylic groups provided electrostatic stabilization in water, where the size affected agglomeration. While aspect ratio did not show any definite correlation, the hydrophobicity indices (HI), zeta potential and aggregation kinetics showed dependence on the length of the c-MWCNTs where the shorter c-MWCNTs showed significantly lower HI values, smaller particle aggregates, higher zeta potential values and higher critical coagulation concentrations (ccc) in the presence of electrolytes.