Comparison of the Amplisure HBV Quantitative Kit with the Qiagen Artus HBV QS-RGQ Assay for Quantifying Viral DNA in Plasma Samples of Monitoring Cases.

Background: Monitoring of hepatitis B virus (HBV) viral load has become an essential phase in the treatment of HBV. There are many commercial assays available for HBV viral load quantification. In this study, we have evaluated the performance characteristics of Amplisure® HBV Kit in comparison with the Qiagen artus HBV QS-RGQ kit for HBV DNA quantitation.

Selenium levels in whole blood - The borderline low analysis.

Objectives: Selenium is a very important micronutrient. Food is the major source for selenium uptake and the average blood levels is seen to be highly affected by dietary habits as selenium levels in food naturally depend on the kind of soil they are grown upon and in processed foods its levels depend on fortification. Deficiency of this vital nutriment needs to be assessed to understand deficiency prevalence.

Blood arsenic: Pan-India prevalence.

Introduction: Arsenic, a well-known toxic element, has become one of the biggest causes for clinical concerns among elemental toxicities. Arsenicosis has been reported from many regions of the country, especially on exposure induced by ground water contamination. The clinical effects of chronic arsenic toxicity are generally varied and its timely diagnosis and management pose a big challenge.

Lead toxicity: An overview of prevalence in Indians.

Introduction: Elements form a basic and natural constituent of the Earth's crust and are released into the atmosphere due to many human activities like mining and manufacturing. Of all, the elements, lead toxicity is a prevailing as well as a growing concern the world over because of its ability to affect multiple clinical functions.

Methodology: Blood lead levels have been analyzed in a large pan-India cohort of 222,668 comprising of 121,115 males and 101,553 females respectively.

Hemoglobinopathy in India.

Objectives: Variations in hemoglobin structure as well as number of globin chains give rise to a wide spectrum of heritable disorders. As such, their detection is significant from epidemiological perspective, especially in India in which there is a large multi-cultural population with distinct geographic distribution. Although a few variants present severe clinical symptoms in homozygotes, co-existence of heterozygous mutants can lead to deleterious conditions.

Diagnosis of a novel hemoglobinopathy of compound heterozygosity of hemoglobin S/hemoglobin Q India.

Background: A novel double heterozygosity for the α chain variant Hb Q India and β chain variant Hb S is described. Hb S is prevalent in the central part of India while Hb Q India in its heterozygous state is found mainly in Sindhi families.

Methods: Identification of both the variants, Hb S and Hb Q India, was done based on chromatograms of HPLC and capillary zone electrophoresis (CE).

Diagnosis of a rare double heterozygous Hb D Punjab/Hb Q India hemoglobinopathy using Sebia capillary zone electrophoresis.

In India, hemoglobinopathies constitute a major genetic disorder and hemoglobin variants such as Hb S, Hb D Punjab, and Hb E are the most common ones. Other variants include Hb Q India, Hb Lepore, Hb J Meerut, Hb D Iran, etc. These variants show heterozygous state along with beta thalassemia.

Leptospirosis in northern India: a clinical and serological study.

A total of 400 serum samples collected from patients, clinically suspected of leptospirosis, were evaluated for antibodies by LEPTO dipstick and microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Twenty of these patients (5%) had serological evidence of leptospirosis. Leptospira interrogans serovars Autumnalis and Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola and Javanica were serogroups recorded serologically.

Enhanced detection of Mycobacteria stained with rhodamine auramine at 37 degrees C.

Sputum smear microscopy is the most efficient and rapid technique for detection of acid-fast bacilli (AFB). Fluorochrome method of staining is preferred for Mycobacteria in the overburdened laboratories as the fluorescing bacilli are more readily detected than the fuchsin stained bacilli in shorter period of time. A total of 300 sputum samples obtained from suspected cases of Tuberculosis were collected and were subjected to staining by rhodamine auramine at 37 degrees C and also at room temperature (conventional method).

Anti-streptolysin O titers in normal healthy children of 5-15 years.

Antistreptolysin O (ASO) levels vary with age group of the study population and geographical locations. The present study was undertaken to determine the upper limit of normal of ASO in 200 normal children of 5-15 years of age with no history of recent sore throat infection. The standard tube dilution method (WHO) was used for estimating ASO titers.

Rapid detection of mutations in rpoB gene of rifampicin resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains by line probe assay.

Background & Objectives: Multidrug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) is a problem of increasing importance in the world due to limited treatment options. Resistance to rifampicin results from nucleotide changes in the gene encoding the beta subunit of the RNA polymerase (rpoB) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Rifampicin resistance is considered as a marker for MDR TB.