Serum procalcitonin as a biomarker of bloodstream infection & focal bacterial infection in febrile patients.

Background & Objectives: Bacteraemia is a serious form of infection in patients presenting with fever, thus, there is a necessity for a biomarker for rapid diagnosis of bacteraemia in such patients to make better therapeutic decisions. This study was conducted to measure the serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels at the time of initial presentation as a biomarker for identifying bacteraemia and as a predictor of mortality in patients admitted with acute fever.

Methods: Four hundred and eighty patients, who presented with acute fever requiring admission to a tertiary care teaching hospital in south India, were prospectively studied.

Provider-initiated HIV testing & counselling in incident tuberculosis cases under National TB Programme conditions at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Tirupati, south India.

Background & Objectives: : As sparse published data are available regarding burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in incident tuberculosis (TB) cases at tertiary care teaching hospitals under National TB Programme conditions from India, the present study was designed to assess the proportion of referred registered TB patients who had actually undergone HIV testing and HIV-seropositivity in these.

Methods: : This was a study of provider-initiated HIV testing and counselling in patients registered for the treatment under Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) of Government of India at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Tirupati, south India, during 2012-2013.

Results: : Between January 2012 and June 2013, 610 adult patients registered under RNTCP who were referred to Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre for HIV testing, were prospectively studied.

Comparison of Disease Activity Score in 28 joints with ESR (DAS28), Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI), Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) & Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data with 3 measures (RAPID3) for assessing disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis at initial presentation.

Background & Objectives: In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), disease severity assessment is done using Disease Activity Score in 28 joints with ESR (DAS28). Computing DAS28 is time-consuming, requires laboratory testing and an online calculator. There is a need to validate rapid methods of disease severity assessment for routine daily use.

A Randomized, Double Blind, Placebo Controlled, Crossover Study to Assess the Safety and Beneficial Effects of Cassia Tora Supplementation in Healthy Adults.

Objective: The current clinical trial was aimed at evaluating the safety and beneficial effect of Cassia tora (C. tora) supplementation in healthy adults.

Design: A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study with a crossover design was done on 60 healthy normal weight adults (age range: 20-55 yrs).

Study of the structure and functioning of referral mechanism of patients receiving treatment and records linkage under Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) of Government of India.

Background: The reliable and successful performance of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) "referral mechanism" is profoundly important in the medical college scenario, and it is an important requirement of the programme to have feedback status report of the referred patients.

Methods: An observational study on tuberculosis (TB) patients referred from Directly Observed Treatment (DOT) Centre, Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) was conducted during the years 2010 to 2012 (n=622). Subjects referred to other TUs within the District but failed to report there within 45 days constituted "cases" and subjects, who obtained treatment from the TUs they were referred to "controls".

Derivation & validation of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA ) cut-off value as a diagnostic test for type 2 diabetes in south Indian population.

Background & Objectives: Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA 1c ) has been in use for more than a decade, as a diagnostic test for type 2 diabetes. Validity of HbA 1c needs to be established in the ethnic population in which it is intended to be used. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a HbA 1c cut-off value for the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in the ethnic population of Rayalaseema area of south India.

poisoning: experience at a medical intensive care unit in a tertiary care hospital in south India.

Background & Objectives: Ingestion of Cleistanthus collinus causes hypokalemia and cardiac arrhythmias leading to mortality in most cases. We undertook this retrospective study to evaluate the clinical presentation and predictors of outcome in critically ill patients admitted with C. collinus poisoning.

Identification of novel mutations in CD2BP1 gene in clinically proven rheumatoid arthritis patients of south India.

Pyogenic Arthritis, Pyoderma gangrenosum, and Acne (PAPA syndrome) is a rare autosomal dominant, auto-inflammatory disease that affects joints and skin. The disease results due to mutations in the cluster of differentiation 2 binding protein 1 (CD2BP1) gene on chromosome 15q24.3.

Effect of oral hypoglycaemic agents on bone metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus & occurrence of osteoporosis.

Background & Objectives: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is considered to be a protective factor against development of osteoporosis. But oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHA) are likely to increase the risk of osteoporosis. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of various OHA on bone mineral density (BMD) in patients with T2DM.

Binary classification using multivariate receiver operating characteristic curve for continuous data.

The classification scenario needs handling of more than one biomarker. The main objective of the work is to propose a multivariate receiver operating characteristic (MROC) model which linearly combines the markers to classify them into one of the two groups and also to determine an optimal cut point. Simulation studies are conducted for four sets of mean vectors and covariance matrices and a real dataset is also used to demonstrate the proposed model.

Subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis by utilizing carotid intima-media thickness as a surrogate marker.

Background & Objectives: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are more prone for accelerated atherosclerosis and Asian Indians as an ethnic group are predisposed to a high risk of premature atherosclerosis. However, sparse data are available regarding the burden of atherosclerosis among asymptomatic adult patients with RA in south India. We studied the burden of asymptomatic atherosclerosis in adult south Indian patients with RA at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India, utilizing carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) as a surrogate marker.

Efficacy and tolerability of a novel herbal formulation for weight management in obese subjects: a randomized double blind placebo controlled clinical study.

Background: The effect of an herbal formulation LI85008F on weight loss in obese human subjects was evaluated in an 8-weeks randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (Clinical Trial Registration no. ISRCTN37381706). Fifty obese subjects (Body mass index 30 to 40 kg/m², 29.

Comparative efficacy and tolerability of 5-Loxin and AflapinAgainst osteoarthritis of the knee: a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled clinical study.

Aflapin(®) is a novel synergistic composition derived from Boswellia serrata gum resin (Indian Patent Application No. 2229/CHE/2008). Aflapin is significantly better as an anti-inflammatory agent compared to the Boswellia extracts presently available in the market.

High prevalence of low dietary calcium, high phytate consumption, and vitamin D deficiency in healthy south Indians.

Background: Data on the vitamin D status of the population in a tropical country such as India have seldom been documented. Vitamin D deficiency is presumed to be rare.

Objective: The objective was to document the dietary habits and concentrations of serum calcium, 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], and parathyroid hormone of Indian urban and rural populations.

Clinical profile of carcinoma stomach at a tertiary care hospital in south India.

Carcinoma of the stomach is an important cause of mortality due to cancer. Carcinoma of the stomach is common in the southern region of India. We conducted a retrospective study on the epidemiological, clinical and survival patterns among the patients with carcinoma of the stomach, attending our hospital from June 19, 1995 to 1st January 2003.