Peer-Assisted Learning Activities During Undergraduate Ophthalmology Training: How the Medical Students of Asia Pacific Region Perceive.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to identify the attitude of peer tutors (PTs) toward peer-assisted learning (PAL) and to explore the perceived benefits of PAL by PTs and peer learners (PLs).

Design: A qualitative and quantitative research study.

Methods: This study involved fourth-year medical undergraduates during their clinical posting in ophthalmology.

A highly selective turn-on fluorescent probe for hypochlorous acid based on hypochlorous acid-induced oxidative intramolecular cyclization of boron dipyrromethene-hydrazone.

A BODIPY-based fluorescent probe, HBP, was developed for the detection of hypochlorous acid based on the specific hypochlorous acid-promoted oxidative intramolecular cyclization of heterocyclic hydrazone in response to the amount of HOCl. The reaction is accompanied by a 41-fold increase in the fluorescent quantum yield (from 0.004 to 0.

Parental determinants of metabolic syndrome among adolescent Asian Indians: A cross-sectional analysis of parent-offspring trios.

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between parental metabolic syndrome (MS) and the risk of MS and associated abnormalities in adolescent offspring.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 304 adolescents (12-16 years; 236 children with at least one parent and 124 father-mother-child trios) recruited from four schools representing different socioeconomic strata from Vellore, India. Anthropometric data was collected and blood pressure, blood glucose, and lipids were measured.

Stereochemical effect on biological activities of new series of piperidin-4-one derivatives.

New series of (2S,3R,4S,6R)-3-methyl-4-alkyl-2,6-diarylpiperidin-4-ol were synthesised by the reduction of cis-3-alkyl-2,6-diarylpiperidin-4-one using Grignard reagent. The structural assignments and conformational studies of the synthesised compounds were established based on the IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, NOESY and mass spectral studies. Their stereochemical effect on antibacterial, antifungal and anthelmintic activities was studied.

A turn-on fluorescent probe for hypochlorous acid based on the oxidation of diphenyl telluride.

A fluorescent probe HCTe was developed for rapid detection of hypochlorous acid based on the specific HOCl-promoted oxidation of diphenyl telluride. The reaction is accompanied by an 82-fold increase in the fluorescence quantum yield (from 0.009 to 0.

Sequential release of drugs from hollow manganese ferrite nanocarriers for breast cancer therapy.

Single drug therapies for cancer are often suboptimal and may not provide long term clinical benefits. To overcome this obstacle for effective treatment the applications of two or more drugs are preferable. A limitation of multidrug use is the varying pharmacokinetics of different drugs.

Crystal structure of 3-amino-1-propyl-pyridinium bromide.

The title mol-ecular salt, C8H13N2 (+)·Br(-), crystallizes with two independent 3-amino-pyridinium cations and two bromide anions in the asymmetric unit (Z' = 2). In the pyridine ring, the N atom is alkyl-ated by a propyl group. The dihedral angle between the mean planes of the pyridinium ring and the propyl group is 84.

Aciclovir-induced neurotoxicity: Utility of CSF and serum CMMG levels in diagnosis.

Aciclovir is an anti-viral frequently used for herpes virus infections. Neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity are uncommon but serious side effects of aciclovir treatment. This case illustrates how aciclovir induced neurotoxicity can present and how it can be diagnosed using quantitative assays of aciclovir and its metabolite in the CSF and serum.

Acquired rifampicin resistance in thrice-weekly antituberculosis therapy: impact of HIV and antiretroviral therapy.

Background: Risk factors for acquired rifampicin resistance (ARR) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/tuberculosis coinfection, in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era, needs evaluation. We studied the impact of HIV and HAART on ARR among patients taking thrice-weekly antituberculosis therapy.

Methods: This cross-protocol analysis included patients with newly diagnosed, rifampicin-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis, with and without HIV, enrolled in clinical trials (who took >80% of medication) at the National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis between 1999 and 2013.

West-African trypanosomiasis in a returned traveller from Ghana: an unusual cause of progressive neurological decline.

West-African trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense is a rare imported infection presenting with somnolence, lymphadenopathy and wide-ranging neurological symptoms. A 67-year-old Caucasian man presented with a 10-month history of cognitive deterioration, ataxic gait, somnolence and urinary incontinence. His symptoms had progressed more rapidly over the course of a month prior to admission.

Maturity onset diabetes of the young in India - a distinctive mutation pattern identified through targeted next-generation sequencing.

Objective: To establish and utilize a Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS)-based strategy to screen for maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) gene mutations in subjects with early-onset diabetes.

Patients And Methods: Maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) genetic testing was carried out in 80 subjects of Asian Indian origin with young onset diabetes to identify mutations in a comprehensive panel of ten MODY genes. A novel multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based target enrichment was established, followed by NGS on the Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM).

Sub-acute toxicity studies of acetaminophen in Sprague Dawley rats.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sub-acute oral toxicity of acetaminophen in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats at 250 to 1000 mg/kg body weight (b.wt.).

Are we justified in treating for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis based on positive follow-up smear results?

Setting: National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, India.

Objective: To assess, among new culture-confirmed smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients, the proportion of follow-up smear-positives that were culture-negative (S+C-) by month of follow-up examination, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status, pre-treatment drug susceptibility status and smear grading.

Design: We extracted follow-up smear (fluorescence microscopy) and culture (Löwenstein-Jensen) results of patients enrolled in clinical trials from January 2000 to August 2012 and treated with the WHO Category I regimen (2EHRZ3/4HR3).

Structural equation modeling of latent growth curves of weight gain among treated tuberculosis patients.

Tuberculosis still remains a major public health problem even though it is treatable and curable. Weight gain measurement during anti tuberculosis (TB) treatment period is an important component to assess the progress of TB patients. In this study, Latent Growth Models (LGMs) were implemented in a longitudinal design to predict the change in weight of TB patients who were given three different regimens under randomized controlled clinical trial for anti-TB treatment.

Neonatal bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination and environmental mycobacteria in sensitizing antimycobacterial activity of macrophages.

An immunoepidemiological study was performed to evaluate the effect of neonatal bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination and tuberculin response on macrophage killing profile against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In this epidemiological field work, the study subjects were drawn from in and around Chennai city, South India. The descriptive epidemiological pattern of neonatal BCG vaccination and its impact on tuberculin skin test were studied.

Number of sputum specimens during treatment follow-up of tuberculosis patients: two or one?

Setting: National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis clinics in Chennai and Madurai, India.

Objective: To examine the pattern of serial smears (negative-negative [NN], negative-positive [NP], positive-negative [PN], positive-positive [PP]) during treatment follow-up of culture-confirmed new smear-positive tuberculosis (TB) patients, and the proportion of culture-negatives in each category.

Design: We reviewed the records and extracted follow-up smear (fluorescent microscopy) and culture (Löwenstein-Jensen) results of patients enrolled in clinical trials from January 2000 to August 2012 and treated with the Category I regimen (2EHRZ3/4HR3).

Early development of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome related to Pneumocystis pneumonia after antiretroviral therapy.

Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome is a recognized complication after the initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). We report a patient who developed life-threatening pulmonary immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) three days after initiation of cART. We reviewed published cases of IRIS after Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), in particular the time from initiation of cART to IRIS event.

Bactericidal activity of PA-824 against Mycobacterium tuberculosis under anaerobic conditions and computational analysis of its novel analogues against mutant Ddn receptor.

Background: The resurgence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and HIV associated tuberculosis (TB) are of serious global concern. To contain this situation, new anti-tuberculosis drugs and reduced treatment regimens are imperative. Recently, a nitroimidazole, PA-824, has been shown to be active against both replicating and non-replicating bacteria.

Randomized clinical trial of thrice-weekly 4-month moxifloxacin or gatifloxacin containing regimens in the treatment of new sputum positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients.

Background: Shortening tuberculosis (TB) treatment duration is a research priority. This paper presents data from a prematurely terminated randomized clinical trial, of 4-month moxifloxacin or gatifloxacin regimens, in South India.

Methods: Newly diagnosed, sputum-positive HIV-negative pulmonary TB patients were randomly allocated to receive gatifloxacin or moxifloxacin, along with isoniazid and rifampicin for 4 months with pyrazinamide for first 2 months (G or M) or isoniazid and rifampicin for 6 months with ethambutol and pyrazinamide for first 2 months (C).

1-Allyl-2-amino-pyridin-1-ium bromide.

In the cation of the title salt, C8H11N2 (+)·Br(-), the dihedral angle between the planes of the pyridinium ring and the allyl group is 79.4 (3)°. In the crystal, N-H⋯Br and weak C-H⋯Br hydrogen bonds link the cations and anions, forming chains of alternating R 2 (1)(7) and R 4 (2)(8) rings, which run parallel to the c-axis direction.

Paradoxical tuberculosis immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS) in HIV patients with culture confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis in India and the potential role of IL-6 in prediction.

Background: The incidence, manifestations, outcome and clinical predictors of paradoxical TB-IRIS in patients with HIV and culture confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in India have not been studied prospectively.

Methods: HIV+ patients with culture confirmed PTB started on anti-tuberculosis therapy (ATT) were followed prospectively after anti-retroviral therapy (ART) initiation. Established criteria for IRIS diagnosis were used including decline in plasma HIV RNA at IRIS event.