Significance of diagnostic and therapeutic potential of serum endothelial and inflammatory biomarkers in defining disease severity of dengue infected patients.

Dengue virus (DENV) mediated disease severity leads to fatality among infected patients. Immune sentinels recognize DENV thereby secreting inflammatory mediators, endothelial biomarkers and anticoagulation factors. Absence of any diagnostic biomarkers for early identification of severe dengue (SD) patients has hindered disease management.

Secondary haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis associated with scrub typhus: A case report with a brief review of literature.

Scrub typhus is a very important cause of acute undifferentiated febrile illness in the Asia-Pacific region. Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare and life-threatening condition characterised by widespread immune system activation, resulting in tissue damage throughout multiple organ systems. HLH is categorised into primary HLH, arising from intrinsic defects in lymphocytes and macrophages, and secondary HLH, primarily triggered by infections or connective tissue disorders.

Digital Twin in Managing Hypertension Among People With Type 2 Diabetes: 1-Year Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Digital twin (DT)-guided lifestyle changes induce type 2 diabetes (T2D) remission but effects on hypertension (HTN) in this population are unknown.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess effects of DT vs standard of care (SC) on blood pressure (BP), anti-HTN medication, HTN remission, and microalbuminuria in participants with T2D.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial in India of 319 participants with T2D.

An insight into the updated pharmacotherapy of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in lean individuals: a review.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in lean individuals represents a distinctive subset of MASH. Current pharmacotherapies, for MASH as demonstrated in clinical trials, predominantly target obese patients with limited consideration for lean MASH. We aimed to systematically review the literature on the pharmacotherapy of lean MASH.

Japanese Encephalitis Virus Infection among Wild Caught Vectors Mosquitoes and Domestic Pigs in Northern West Bengal, India.

Background: Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by JE virus (JEV) and transmitted to humans from pigs or aquatic birds by vector mosquitoes in southeast Asian countries. In this study, JEV infection rate among vector mosquitoes and domestic pigs was determined by detecting viral RNA and anti-JEV antibody (immunoglobulin G), respectively.

Materials And Methods: A total of 146 pool mosquitoes of Culexvishnui subgroup and 278 pig blood samples were analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods, respectively.

Active Community-Based Case Finding of Endemic Leishmaniasis in West Bengal, India.

Introduction: The ongoing visceral leishmaniasis (VL) elimination programme in India is targeting the elimination of the disease VL but not the pathogen. The persistence of hidden parasite pool may initiate a resurgence in suitable conditions. This study dealt with a novel approach to unearth such pathogen pool and their proper management to prevent the resurgence of VL.

Vonoprazan causes symptomatic improvement in non-erosive gastroesophageal reflux disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of vonoprazan therapy as compared to conventional proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or no vonoprazan for non-erosive esophagitis.

Methods: A thorough search was conducted across databases. The primary outcome was to determine the mean variance in the gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) score after vonoprazan treatment.

Prevalence of polymorphisms in marker genes associated with antimalarial drug resistance in following 10 years of artemisinin-based combination therapy implementation in urban Kolkata.

Context: Resistance to antimalarial drugs is one of the major challenges for malaria elimination. In India, artemisinin combination therapy (artesunate-sulfadoxin pyrimethamine) was introduced in place of chloroquine (CQ) for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in 2010. Periodical monitoring of polymorphisms in antimalarial drug resistance marker genes will be useful for assessing drug pressure, mapping and monitoring of drug resistance status; and will be helpful for searching alternative treatments.

Performance in a Balance Test and Prediction of All-Cause Mortality in Community-Dwelling Elderly Ambulatory Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the association between an inability to perform a static balance test and mortality in community-dwelling older ambulatory individuals. PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched for relevant cohort studies. Hazard ratios (HR) were pooled (random-effect model).

Investigating the therapeutic potential of Allium cepa extract in combating pesticide exposure induced ocular damage.

The ocular surface is subject to a range of potentially hazardous environmental factors and substances, owing to its anatomical location, sensitivity, and physiological makeup. Xenobiotic stress exerted by chronic pesticide exposure on the cornea is primarily responsible for ocular irritation, excessive tear production (hyper-lacrimation), corneal abrasions and decreased visual acuity. Traditional medicine hails the humble onion (Allium cepa) for its multi-faceted properties including but not limited to anti-microbial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound healing.

Dermal microdialysis: A method to determine drug levels in the skin of patients with Post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL).

Objectives: Post-kala-azar-dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is an infectious skin disease that occurs as sequela of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and causes cutaneous lesions on the face and other exposed body parts. While the first-line drug miltefosine is typically used for 28 days to treat VL, 12 weeks of therapy is required for PKDL, highlighting the need to evaluate the extent of drug penetration at the dermal site of infection. In this proof-of-concept study, we demonstrate the use of a minimally invasive sampling technique called microdialysis to measure dermal drug exposure in a PKDL patient, providing a tool for the optimization of treatment regimens.

Contribution of genetic factors towards cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin resistance development among Extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing-Quinolone resistant pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae.

β-lactams and quinolones are widely utilised to treat pathogenic Enterobacterial isolates worldwide. Due to improper use of these antibiotics, both ESBL producing and quinolone resistant (ESBL-QR) pathogenic bacteria have emerged. Nature of contribution of beta-lactamase (bla)/quinolone resistant (QR) genes, efflux pumps (AcrAB-TolC) over-expression and outer membrane proteins (OMPs) /porin loss/reduction and their combinations towards development of this phenotype were explored in this study.

Multiple protozoal infections in a single immunocompromised patient: A case report.

Immunocompromised patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are prone to multiple infections, of which parasitic infections are an important cause. Parasitic protozoal infections - both by common and rare protozoa are documented in such patients. Here, we report a rare and interesting case of five protozoal infections affecting a single HIV-infected person at the same time of initial presentation.

Impact of apoptotic biomarkers for prognosis of dengue disease severity among eastern Indian patients.

Dengue virus (DENV) induced severe manifestations is a precursor for fatality among infected patients. Previous autopsy examinations of severe dengue (SD) patients reported presence of apoptotic cells in liver, brain, intestinal and lung tissues. Thus, serum-level of major apoptotic proteins of dengue patients was evaluated in the current study, along with their biochemical parameters.

Role of semaglutide in the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 24 weeks of semaglutide treatment in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Methods: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane CENTRAL, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched for relevant studies.