Efficacy and Safety of a Fixed-Dose Combination of Vildagliptin and Pioglitazone in Indian Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Randomized, Open-Label, Comparative, Phase III Study.

Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) arises due to a range of pathological abnormalities, necessitating a combination therapy to achieve optimal glycemic control. Vildagliptin, an effective and selective DPP-4 inhibitor, and pioglitazone, an insulin sensitizer, offer distinct mechanisms of action. Hence, the integration of these medications represents a logical and justified therapeutic strategy Objective To compare the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of vildagliptin and pioglitazone 50 mg/15 mg fixed-dose combination (FDC) tablets with individual monotherapy vildagliptin 50 mg and pioglitazone 15 mg tablets in Indian T2DM patients who were inadequately controlled on metformin monotherapy.

Askin (PNET) Tumor Unmasked by Trauma in a Young Male Patient.

A young male labourer developed pain at the site of blunt trauma over back of chest followed by fever, cough with expectoration, breathlessness and hemorrhagic pleural effusion in the side of injury. What could have been passed as a sequel of trauma turned out to be the consequences of an underlying rare and aggressive malignant tumor of the chest wall known as Askin tumor or Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor (PNET). CT thorax with guided FNAC, debulking operation, histopathological examination followed by immunohistochemistry of the tumor tissue led to the final diagnosis.

An uncommon initial presentation of snake bite-subarachnoid hemorrhage: A case report with literature review.

Snake bites are very common in India, particularly in West Bengal. Snake bite can cause various hematological, neuromyopathical complications. It can be very fatal if not detected and treated early.

Digital Gangrene an Unusual Presentation of Takayasu's Arteritis.

Context: Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a chronic inflammatory disease involving large vessels like aorta and its major branches. It presents to clinician with features of arm claudication, stroke, asymmetrical pulse, or asymmetrical blood pressure in both limbs. Digital gangrene may be occurred secondary to various systemic diseases like diabetes, thrombophilic states, vascular embolism, and medium and small vessel vasculitis or infections.

A rare cause of seizures, parkinsonian, and cerebellar signs: brain calcinosis secondary to thyroidectomy.

Context: Post-thyroidectomy hypoparathyroidism presenting with Parkinsonian features and seizures with extensive intracranial calcifications is uncommon. Acquired intracranial calcification that affects structures other than the basal ganglia is rare.

Case Report: We report a case of a 45-year-old woman with a history of total thyroidectomy who presented with Parkinsonian features, cerebellar signs, and seizures.

Type II lepra reaction--an unusual presentation.

Type II lepra reaction usually present with skin lesions. We report a 23 years old male patient presented with fever for two weeks with no visible skin lesion suggestive of leprosy and with no history of either completion or concurrent anti leprosy drug treatment was eventually turned out to be a case of Hansen's presenting with type II lepra reaction.

42 years old male with single atrium.

Single atrium (SA) is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by absence or virtual absence of atrial septum, vestigial remnant of which occasionally remain. We report here such a case of SA who presents his symptoms in different way of its natural course of presentation.

Cystathionine beta-synthase T833C/844INS68 polymorphism: a family-based study on mentally retarded children.

Background: Cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) mediates conversion of homocysteine to cystathionine and deficiency in enzyme activity may lead to hyperhomocysteinemia/homocystinuria, which are often associated with mental retardation (MR). A large number of polymorphisms have been reported in the CBS gene, some of which impair its activity and among these, a T833C polymorphism in cis with a 68 bp insertion at 844 in the exon 8 is found to be associated with mild hyperhomocysteinemia in different ethnic groups.

Methods: The present study is aimed at investigating the association between T833C/844ins68 polymorphism and MR.

Role of clinical biochemistry laboratory in the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.

Clinical biochemistry and laboratory help is needed at all stages of diagnosis of diabetes. Laboratory plays a key role in the management of diabetes and its complications like renal, metabolic, and others. Monitoring of treatment is also guided by regular blood sugar estimation and self-monitoring of blood glucose level.