Impact of socioeconomic status and living condition on latent tuberculosis diagnosis among the tribal population of Melghat: A cohort study.

Aims: To study socioeconomic status (SES) and living conditions (LC) as risk factors for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and their impact on QuantiFERON-TB gold (QFT-G) and tuberculin skin test (TST) outcome for determining a better diagnostic test for LTBI in the malnourished tribal population of Melghat.

Settings And Design: Six hundred sixty nine participants matching the inclusion criteria were recruited from 10 tribal villages of Melghat region, India.

Subjects And Methods: Complete information related to various risk factors and test outcome was obtained on 398 participants, which was analyzed as per predefined conceptual framework.

Effect of Fagonia arabica on thrombin induced release of t-PA and complex of PAI-1 tPA in cultured HUVE cells.

Fagonia arabica (FA) possesses a thrombolytic property which has been earlier reported in our laboratory. Current study was undertaken to investigate the effect of aqueous extract of FA on thrombin-induced tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) release from cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cell line (HUVE) for studying its clot lytic activity. For this, establishment of cell line model has been done by isolating the cells from human umbilical cord.

Synthetic Peptide-Based Antibody Detection for Diagnosis of Chikungunya Infection with and without Neurological Complications.

Synthetic peptide-based diagnosis of Chikungunya can be an efficient and more accessible approach in immunodiagnostics. Here, we describe the identification of Chikungunya-specific 40 kD protein for development of synthetic peptide-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of Chikungunya virus-specific antibodies in the patient's sample. The total sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis protein profile of the patient's sample can be done to identify specific protein bands.

Nested PCR Assay for Eight Pathogens: A Rapid Tool for Diagnosis of Bacterial Meningitis.

Purpose: Bacterial meningitis is a dreadful infectious disease with a high mortality and morbidity if remained undiagnosed. Traditional diagnostic methods for bacterial meningitis pose a challenge in accurate identification of pathogen, making prognosis difficult. The present study is therefore aimed to design and evaluate a specific and sensitive nested 16S rDNA genus-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using clinical cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for rapid diagnosis of eight pathogens causing the disease.

Evaluation of host Hsp(s) as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis.

Objectives: Diagnosis of tuberculosis meningitis (TBM) remains challenging in tuberculosis (TB) endemic countries. The need for TB biomarkers arises, in part, from the difficulty of accurately diagnosing TBM with the available methods.

Patients And Methods: To explore the potential of host Hsps (Hsp 25, Hsp 60, Hsp 70 and Hsp 90) as an alternative marker in TBM diagnosis, we evaluated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample of TBM (n=49), Pyogenic Meningitis (PM) (n=20), Viral Meningitis (VM) (n=09), Fungal Meningitis (FM) (n=04) and non infectious control (n=79) patients using indirect ELISA.

Diagnosis of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis by ELISA Using Antipeptide Antibodies Against Type-Common Epitopes of Glycoprotein B of Herpes Simplex Viruses.

Herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) represents one of the most severe infectious diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). As effective antiviral drugs are available, an early, rapid, and reliable diagnosis has become important. The objective of this article was to develop a sensitive ELISA protocol for herpes simplex viruses (HSV) antigen detection and quantitation by assessing the usefulness of antipeptide antibodies against potential peptides of HSV glycoprotein B (gB).

Evaluation of heat shock proteins for discriminating between latent tuberculosis infection and active tuberculosis: A preliminary report.

The diagnosis of a latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is of the utmost concern. The available tests, the tuberculin skin test (TST) and the Quantiferon-TB Gold test (QFT-G) cannot discriminate between active TB and LTBI. Therefore, the aim of the study is to identify new biomarkers that can discriminate between active TB and LTBI and can also assess the risk of the individual developing active TB.

Impact of Admission Time on Treatment and Outcome of Stroke in Patients Admitted to Tertiary Care Hospital: A Pilot Study from Central India.

Introduction: Admission of patients within window period has been linked with efficacy of treatment outcome and recovery. The present study examined the effects of early vs delayed admission on functional outcome of Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS) as well as added value of stroke markers in such patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Central India.

Materials And Methods: Hundred and four patients admitted to Neurology department of Central India Institute of Medical Sciences were grouped as early referrals (within 24 hour admission) and late referrals (after 24 hour admission) based on onset of symptoms and time of admission.

Differential Levels of Alpha-2-Macroglobulin, Haptoglobin and Sero-Transferrin as Adjunct Markers for TB Diagnosis and Disease Progression in the Malnourished Tribal Population of Melghat, India.

Lack of diagnostic capacity has been a crucial barrier preventing an effective response to the challenges of malnutrition and tuberculosis (TB). Point-of-care diagnostic tests for TB in immuno-incompetent, malnourished population are thus needed to ensure rapid and accurate detection. The aim of the study was to identify potential biomarkers specific for TB infection and progression to overt disease in the malnourished population of Melghat.

Comparative evaluation of risk factors, outcome and biomarker levels in young and old acute ischemic stroke patients.

Background: Stroke is the third leading cause of death and disability worldwide accounting for 400-800 strokes per 100,000 individuals each year.

Purpose: In the present study, we compared risk factors, clinical outcome, and prognostic biomarkers NSE, S-100 ßß and ITIH4 levels in young and old acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients.

Methods: We compared the risk factors and clinical outcomes in young (n = 38) and old (n = 66) AIS patients admitted to tertiary health care centre in Central India.

Investigation of Immune Biomarkers Using Subcutaneous Model of M. tuberculosis Infection in BALB/c Mice: A Preliminary Report.

Evaluation and screening of vaccines against tuberculosis depends on development of proper cost effective disease models along with identification of different immune markers that can be used as surrogate endpoints of protection in preclinical and clinical studies. The objective of the present study was therefore evaluation of subcutaneous model of M.tuberculosis infection along with investigation of different immune biomarkers of tuberculosis infection in BALB/c mice.

The assessment of cytokines in Quantiferon supernatants for the diagnosis of latent TB infection in a tribal population of Melghat, India.

The tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon-gamma release assays (IGRA), namely, the QuantiFERON-TB Gold test (QFT), remain the standard immunological diagnostic tools for latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI). However, the sub-optimal detection rates of both of these tests are major impediments in recognizing the population at risk. This study was aimed at evaluating additional cytokines besides interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) as biomarkers for improving LTBI diagnosis in the tribal population of Melghat, India.

Rapid diagnosis and simultaneous identification of tuberculous and bacterial meningitis by a newly developed duplex polymerase chain reaction.

The present study describes the development and evaluation of a duplex polymerase chain reaction (D-PCR) for diagnosis and simultaneous identification of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) and bacterial meningitis (BM) in a single reaction. A D-PCR with primers amplifying portions of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis IS6110 and the eubacteria 16SrDNA sequence in a same reaction mix was developed and tested on DNA extracted from 150 clinical CSF samples from different categories (TBM = 39, BM = 26, control infectious and non-infectious category = 85). The results indicate a clear differentiation between bands for eubacteria and M.

Comparative evaluation of booster efficacies of BCG, Ag85B, and Ag85B peptides based vaccines to boost BCG induced immunity in BALB/c mice: a pilot study.

Purpose: In the present study booster efficacies of Ag85 B, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), and Ag85B peptides were evaluated using prime boost regimes in BALB/c mice.

Materials And Methods: Mice were primed with BCG vaccine and subsequently boosted with Ag85B, BCG and cocktail of Ag85B peptides.

Results: Based on analysis of immune response it was observed mice boosted with Ag85B peptides showed significant (p < 0.

Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis C2, a Cerebrospinal Fluid Clinical Isolate from Central India.

We report the annotated genome sequence of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolate from the cerebrospinal fluid of a tuberculous meningitis patient admitted to the Central India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur, India.

Determination of Toll-like receptor-induced cytokine profiles in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of Chikungunya patients.

Background: Chikungunya infection caused by Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an inflammatory disease affecting the joints and may also lead to neurological complications. We investigated a panel of human Toll-like receptor (TLR)-induced cytokines in Chikungunya patients with and without neurological complications.

Methods: In a case-control study, a panel of 12 cytokines and chemokines, TNF-α, IFN-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, IL-17A, IL-8, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, RANTES, interferon (IFN)-γ-induced protein (IP)-10, monokine induced by IFN-γ (MIG) and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), was analysed using a conventional ELISA protocol in the serum samples of Chikungunya patients without neurological complications and in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and paired serum samples of Chikungunya patients with neurological complications.

Latent TB infection diagnosis in population exposed to TB subjects in close and poor ventilated high TB endemic zone in India.

Background: The present study was designed to investigate the utility of Quantiferon TB gold (QFT-G) and Tuberculin skin test (TST) for diagnosis of latent TB infection (LTBI) in high crowding TB endemic zone of Nagpur, India and their comparison with associated risk factors.

Methods: Out of 342 eligible participants, QFT-G and TST were performed in 162 participants.

Results: The prevalence of LTBI observed according to QFT-G and TST was 48% and 42% respectively, with an agreement of 52.

Heat shock proteins: possible biomarkers in pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) and Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) continue to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Therefore there is a need to explore potential biomarkers and heat shock proteins [Hsp(s)] could be one such candidate. We found that host (Hsp 25, Hsp 60, Hsp 70 and Hsp 90) and MTB Hsp(s) (Hsp 16, Hsp 65 and Hsp 71) to be an important feature of the immune response in human clinical samples of pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB patients and in MTB infected monocytes.

Mycobacterial dormancy regulon protein Rv2623 as a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of latent and active tuberculous meningitis.

The present study was designed to investigate Rv2623 antigen, a major dormancy regulon protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in CSF of suspected latent and active tuberculous meningitis (TBM) patients. A total of 100 CSF samples from TBM (n = 31), suspected latent TBM (n = 22), and suitable noninfectious control subjects (n = 47) were collected and evaluated for Rv2623 antigen level using ELISA protocol. A significantly high (P < 0.

Laboratory investigations on the diagnosis of tuberculosis in the malnourished tribal population of melghat, India.

Background: Malnutrition is a major risk factor for the development of tuberculosis (TB). In India, Melghat is among the tribal regions which consist of highest number of malnutrition cases. Because of the paucity of TB data from these malnourished areas there is an urgent need for the development and evaluation of improved TB diagnostic tests.

Determination of viral load by quantitative real-time PCR in herpes simplex encephalitis patients.

Objective: Human herpesviruses cause various acute, subacute, and chronic disorders of the central nervous system and peripheral nervous systems in adults and children. The objective of the present study is to summarize the experience gained with the estimation of viral load in the central nervous system of children and adults with herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) admitted to a neurological institute at Nagpur, India, by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay within the past 4 years.

Methods: The qPCR assay was evaluated retrospectively in 242 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients.

Effect of aqueous extract and fractions of Fagonia arabica on in vitro anticoagulant activity.

Fagonia arabica (FA) is a deobstruent and blood purifier, which possesses thrombolytic and antioxidant activities. In this study, the anticoagulant effects of FA and its derived fractions were evaluated. Plasma recalcification was performed with multisolvent extracts of FA and then with extracts prepared successively with increasing polarity of the solvents.

Time course of inflammatory cytokines in acute ischemic stroke patients and their relation to inter-alfa trypsin inhibitor heavy chain 4 and outcome.

Background: Biomarker for prognosis of stroke is urgently needed for the management of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients.

Objective: To evaluate the course of inflammatory cytokines in AIS patients and its comparison with inter-alfa trypsin inhibitor heavy chain 4 (ITIH4) and outcome after AIS.

Materials And Methods: A panel of 12 inflammatory cytokines and ITIH4 were estimated in serial blood samples collected at admission, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, 144 h and at discharge of AIS patients (n = 5).

Diagnosis of tuberculosis infection based on synthetic peptides from Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen 85 complex.

Aim: The laboratory diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is particularly challenging. The aim of the present work is to develop an immunoassay for the diagnosis of TB infection, using synthetic peptides of antigen (Ag) 85 complex of M. tuberculosis (Mtb) H37Rv.

Evaluation of routinely performed hematological and biochemical parameters for the prognosis of acute ischemic stroke patients.

We have investigated serial changes in routine hematological and biochemical analysis in the follow-up samples collected from acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients (n = 17) at admission (0 h) and 24, 48, 72 and 144 h after admission, respectively, to determine their prognostic significance. Blood samples from age and sex matched healthy control subjects (n = 12) were also collected. We observed significant changes in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), white blood cell count (WBC), polymorph, lymphocyte, and total protein levels in discharged and expired AIS patients.