Microplastics and human health: unveiling the gut microbiome disruption and chronic disease risks.

Microplastics (MPs), defined as plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, are increasingly recognized as environmental contaminants with potential health risks. These emerge as breakdown products of larger plastics and are omnipresent in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. They are primarily composed of polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and additives that enhance their performance.

Beyond Decay: Exploring the Age-associated Variations in and in Dental Caries.

Background: and play an important role in the etiopathogenesis and progression of dental caries (DC). Their quantification and identification may be helpful for epidemiological and early intervention measures.

Objectives: We conducted the study to evaluate the colony counts of and with the location of DC and correlate their prevalence with the age of the patient.

Does induction or augmentation of labor increase the risk of postpartum hemorrhage in pregnant women with anemia? A multicenter prospective cohort study in India.

Objective: To investigate whether induction/augmentation of labor in pregnant women with anemia increases the risk of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and whether this risk varied by indications for labor induction/augmentation and by anemia severity in pregnancy.

Methods: In a prospective cohort study of 9420 pregnant women from 13 hospitals across India, we measured hemoglobin concentrations at recruitment (≥28 weeks of gestation) and blood loss after childbirth during follow-up and collected clinical information about PPH. Clinical obstetric and childbirth information at both visits were extracted from medical records.

Immunoinformatics Design of a Multiepitope Vaccine (MEV) Targeting : A Novel Computational Approach.

Dental caries, a persistent oral health challenge primarily linked to , extends its implications beyond dental decay, affecting over 4 billion individuals globally. Despite its historical association with childhood, dental caries often persists into adulthood with prevalence rates ranging from 60 to 90% in children and 26 to 85% in adults. Currently, there is a dearth of multiepitope vaccines (MEVs) specifically designed to combat .

Analysis of data of COVID lockdown period: Comorbidity and fatality rates in a few districts of Assam, India.

In many regions of the world, significant data collection, analysis, and availability on comorbidity and fatality incidents caused by COVID-19 during the lockdown period (2020-2022) is rare. This is especially true for hospitals and COVID treatment facilities in India. This lack of understanding impedes the development of appropriate treatment options, potentially resulting in inferior planning, patient recovery results, and a load on healthcare resources.

Perceptions of Stakeholders and the Way Forward to Implementing the Family Adoption Programme in Medical Education: A Study From Assam, India.

Background The Family Adoption Programme (FAP) has been introduced under the competency-based medical education curriculum wherein each medical student adopts families. The objective of this study was to determine the stakeholders' perspective and to suggest measures to make it relevant for Indian medical graduates. Methodology A mixed-method study was conducted among the faculty, undergraduate students, and community using prestructured, validated instruments.

The Pattern of Bacterial Infections Among Chronic Suppurative Otitis Media Cases at a Tertiary Care Centre in North-East India.

Background And Objectives: Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is a chronic inflammation of the mucoperiosteal lining of the middle ear cleft, presenting with recurrent ear discharge through a tympanic membrane perforation. The present study aims to assess the spectrum of bacterial infection among CSOM cases and detect the isolated organism's antibiotic sensitivity pattern.

Methods: The prospective hospital-based observational study was conducted from June 2021 to June 2022 and included 94 CSOM cases.

Can the analysis of chromatin texture and nuclear fractal dimensions serve as effective means to distinguish non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features from other malignancies with follicular pattern in the thyroid?: a study.

Objective: Thyroid carcinoma ranks as the 9th most prevalent global cancer, accounting for 586,202 cases and 43,636 deaths in 2020. Computerized image analysis, utilizing artificial intelligence algorithms, emerges as a potential tool for tumor evaluation.

Aim: This study aims to assess and compare chromatin textural characteristics and nuclear dimensions in follicular neoplasms through gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), fractal, and morphometric analysis.

Evaluation of IL-4 and IL-13 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Their Association With Childhood Asthma and Its Severity: A Hospital-Based Case-Control Study.

Background And Objectives: Asthma is a common, chronic, atopic respiratory disease that is on the rise among children and adults worldwide. Various environmental, genetic, and biological interactions contribute to the surge in susceptibility to this disease. Interleukin (IL) genes, particularly IL-4 and IL-13, have been linked to asthma pathogenesis.

Evaluation of the significance of tumor stromal patterns and peri-tumoral inflammation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with special reference to the Yamamoto-Kohama classification.

Introduction: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide with 878,348 new cases. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the predominant cell type in tumor stroma and are important promoters of tumor progression.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the pattern of desmoplastic stromal reaction and peri-tumoral inflammatory infiltrate with the histological grade and clinical data.

Transcriptome signatures of host tissue infected with African swine fever virus reveal differential expression of associated oncogenes.

African swine fever (ASF) has emerged as a threat to swine production worldwide. Evasion of host immunity by ASF virus (ASFV) is well understood. However, the role of ASFV in triggering oncogenesis is still unclear.

Onychomycosis caused by dematiaceous fungi: A four-year study on agricultural workers of Assam, India.

Background And Purpose: Onychomycosis caused by dematiaceous fungi is rarely reported and the identification is also quite tricky due to poor sporulation. Recent emergence of dematiaceous fungi as a major cause of onychomycosis is a matter of concern in the field of mycology. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the dematiaceous fungi as a possible cause of onychomycosis, especially among agricultural workers.

Incidences of Helicobacter infection in pigs and tracing occupational hazard in pig farmers.

Helicobacter species (spp.) is a gram-negative spiral-shaped motile bacterium that causes gastritis in pigs and also colonizes in the human stomach. The present study assessed the prevalence of Helicobacter spp.

Maternal and fetal factors associated with stillbirth in singleton pregnancies in 13 hospitals across six states in India: A prospective cohort study.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the incidence of and risk factors for stillbirth in an Indian population.

Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of a hospital-based cohort from the Maternal and Perinatal Health Research collaboration, India (MaatHRI), including pregnant women who gave birth between October 2018-September 2023. Data from 9823 singleton pregnancies recruited from 13 hospitals across six Indian states were included.

A Study to Describe the Pattern of Cutaneous Adverse Effects of COVID-19 Vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin).

Background: Vigorous administration of COVID-19 vaccines to tackle the ongoing pandemic has led to increasing research on adverse effects including both systemic and cutaneous.

Objective: A prospective observational study to delineate the cutaneous adverse effects of two vaccines, namely Covishield and Covaxin, administered in two doses in northern India.

Materials And Methods: The study was conducted in a tertiary hospital in northern India wherein patients were asked to report voluntarily any cutaneous adverse effects after COVID-19 vaccination to the dermatology department.

The complex relationship between iron status and anemia in pregnant and postpartum women in India: Analysis of two Indian study cohorts of uncomplicated pregnancies.

Low hemoglobin is widely used as an indicator of iron deficiency anemia in India and other low-and-middle income counties, but anemia need not accurately reflect iron deficiency. We examined the relationship between hemoglobin and biomarkers of iron status in antenatal and postnatal period. Secondary analysis of uncomplicated singleton pregnancies in two Indian study cohorts: 1132 antenatal women in third trimester and 837 postnatal women 12-72 h after childbirth.

Eco-epidemiological risk factors for Japanese encephalitis in the endemic region of North East India: a hospital-based case-control study.

Purpose: Japanese encephalitis (JE) has emerged as a major public health concern in North East India due to its complex eco-epidemiological risk factors. The objective of this study was to understand the various risk factors associated with JE infection in the endemic study location.

Methods: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital from August 2017 to September 2018.

Thyroid Function in Newly Diagnosed HIV-positive Patients.

Background: As of 2019, the highest prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in India is seen in the Northeastern states. Endocrine and metabolic disturbances can occur in HIV infection. Thyroid dysfunction is one of the common endocrinopathies.

Endoscopic Middle Ear Cleft Surgery (EMES): Our Philosophy, Concept and Application.

The functional aspect of preservation of every healthy anatomical structure, particularly the ossicles, non-diseased mastoid cortex and middle ear mucosa, and to achieve this by transacanal endoscopic dual hand approach to middle ear, aditus and mastoid antrum with minimal posterior atticotomy and proximal aditotomy. The prospective study has been conducted over a period of 12 years from 2009 to 2021 in the Jorhat Medical College, Assam Medical College and Niramoy Hospital, Jorhat, Assam. Follow up was for a minimum of 4 years.

Long-term adaptation of ParA, RelE/ParE partition system, replication protein and phage proteins encoding low-cost plasmids of Escherichia species isolated from diarrheic children of North East India.

Aims: The prevalent distribution of plasmid-mediated β-lactam resistance is the most pressing global problem in enteric diseases. The current work aims to characterize plasmid-carrying β-lactam resistant Enterobacteriaceae isolates from North East India for horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and plasmid adaptation study.

Methods And Results: In vitro transconjugation and transformation showed overall high conjugation frequency (4.

Diagnostic Accuracy of the International Academy of Cytology Yokohama System versus the Modified Masood's Scoring Index in Categorization and Diagnosis of Palpable Breast Lesions.

Introduction: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a simple, minimally invasive, and effective tool that can be used to accurately diagnose benign and malignant lesions of the breast. The International Academy of Cytologists Yokohama system and Modified Masood's Scoring Index (MMSI) are two important systems to categorize palpable breast lesions on FNAC. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the IAC Yokohama system and MMSI in the cytological diagnosis and classification of diverse breast lesions and to compare the diagnostic accuracy of both systems through cyto-histological correlation.

Perception of health care students towards lectures as a teaching and learning method in the COVID era - A multicentric cross-sectional study from India.

The sudden precipitation of the pandemic forced undergraduates to take refuge at home, deserting the campus. Consequently, the age-old classroom in person teaching-learning (T-L) method shifted and lessons had to be conducted online. In previous decades, archetypical classroom lectures survived a lot of criticism in the face of the quasi-passive nature of T-L  methodology.