Short-chain fatty acids as a novel intervention for high-fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is driven by a complex interplay of genetic, lifestyle, and dietary factors, leading to weight gain, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and chronic inflammation. Gut microbiota dysbiosis has been recently recognized as a key contributor to MetS, leading to advancements in gut microbiome-based interventions to improve health outcomes. Considering the unique challenges associated with the use of pre/probiotics, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), also known as postbiotics, have emerged as promising therapeutic agents due to their role in modulating host metabolism and physiology.

Genetic and allelic heterogeneity in 248 Indians with skeletal dysplasia.

Skeletal dysplasias are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of rare disorders. Studies from large cohorts are essential to provide insights into the disease epidemiology, phenotypic spectrum, and mutational profiles. Here we enumerate additional 248 Indians from 197 families with a skeletal dysplasia, following a similar study earlier.

Clinical Characteristics, and Prevalence of Hepatic and Bone Mineral Density Abnormalities in Patients with Sheehan Syndrome: Data from a Tertiary Care Centre.

Objective: Sheehan syndrome (SS), or postpartum pituitary necrosis occurs due to reduced vascular supply following postpartum hemorrhage, often linked to coagulation abnormalities, and pituitary antibodies. A smaller sella turcica volume is a risk factor for SS, consequent to compressive effects on the pituitary stalk. Hypopituitarism in SS increases the risk of metabolic liver and bone diseases.

Molecular Characteristics of Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant , Hospital-Acquired MRSA Isolates, and PVL in one of the Indian hospitals.

Unlabelled: Community-acquired methicillin resistant (CA-MRSA) strains are increasingly replacing hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) strains in hospitalized patients leading to poor clinical outcomes. Hence, this study aimed to characterize clinical isolates of MRSA (HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA) and to understand their clonal origin. A total of 400 consecutive clinical isolates were collected from the clinical bacteriology lab of a tertiary care hospital.

Conventional Synthetic Disease-modifying Drugs Remain the Mainstay of Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis in India.

Background: There are limited data on the real-world utilization of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in Indian patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of a multicentric observational cohort of RA patients across rheumatology clinics at six centers across India. Patients who met the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2010 criteria for RA were included.

Efficacy and safety of Nusinersen among children with spinal muscular atrophy from North India: A prospective cohort study (NICE-SMA study).

Background: Intra-thecal Nusinersen has been approved for the treatment of Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Limited data is available regarding the efficacy and safety of Nusinersen in children with SMA type 2 and 3 from North India.

Objective: To study the efficacy and safety of Nusinersen among children with SMA type 2 and 3 from North India compared to standard of care (SOC) over 12 months.

Management of facial asymmetry assisted with digitally designed surgical guide for 3-dimensional maxillary repositioning: A case report.

Orthodontists play a pivotal role in diagnosing, planning, and preparing patients for orthognathic surgeries. Digital technologies like cephalometry, intraoral scans, CBCT scans, CAD-CAM-assisted 3-D planning, and printed surgical splints, have largely replaced conventional techniques. The automated software produces surgical splints with a design similar to conventional which may not address complex scenarios, involving symmetric and asymmetric maxillary impaction.

Carbapenem-resistant raises global alarm for new antibiotic regimens.

Carbapenem-resistant (CRAB) is a top-priority pathogen causing a nosocomial infection that increases morbidity and mortality. Treatment options for CRAB are relatively limited by pharmacokinetic restrictions, such as substantial toxicity. Therefore, we must better understand this pathogen to develop new treatments and control strategies.

Crescentic Glomerulonephritis in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection.

The spectrum of kidney disease among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients is extensive. We describe a young male who was recently detected with HIV infection and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) negative pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis. The patient had no extrarenal vasculitis involvement.

Utility of pleural fluid-derived extracellular vesicles as a source of Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens MPT51 and MPT64 for pleural TB diagnosis: a proof-of-concept study.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have recently emerged as a source of microbe-specific biomarkers for disease diagnosis. In the present study, we evaluated the utility of pleural fluid-derived extracellular vesicles (pEVs) as a source of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb.

Association of hTERT MNS16A polymorphism with clinical outcomes of North Indian lung cancer patients undergoing platinum-based doublet chemotherapy.

Background: Telomerase has been linked to aging and cancer. The MNS16A polymorphism in the hTERT gene plays a significant role in modulating telomerase activity and highlights the complexity of telomere-related genetics in cancer research.

Experimental Design: We genotyped 401 lung-cancer samples treated with platinum-based chemotherapy to identify the MNS16A polymorphism.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on HTAsiaLink network members.

Objectives: This study investigates the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on HTAsiaLink members at the organizational level and provides recommendations for mitigating similar challenges in the future.

Methods: A survey was disseminated among HTAsiaLink members to assess the COVID-19 impact in three areas: (i) inputs, (ii) process, and (iii) outputs of the Health Technology Assessment organizations' (HTAOs) research operations and HTA process in general.

Results: Survey results showed that most HTAOs hired more staff and secured similar or higher funding levels during COVID-19.

Late oral adverse effects of chemotherapy for hematological malignancies in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies.

Background: The purpose of the present systematic review and meta-analyses was to appraise the case-control studies that have evaluated late adverse effects of chemotherapy for treating hematological malignancies in pediatric patients.

Methods: Five electronic databases along with grey literature were searched using broad keywords and MeSH terms for the articles that could meet the eligibility criteria. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was employed for quality assessment.

CSF Interleukins-12, 17 and Interferon-γ Levels in Children with Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a devastating fatal condition caused by mutated measles virus. It predominantly affects children of younger age and invariably leads to mortality. Though reported rarely, the disease continues to cause significant morbidity in children.

Vestibular Schwannoma Koos Grade II International Study of Active Surveillance Versus Stereotactic Radiosurgery: The VISAS-K2 Study.

Background And Objectives: This study assessed the efficacy and safety of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in comparison with watchful waiting for managing Koos grade II vestibular schwannomas (VS).

Methods: A retrospective, multicentric analysis was conducted, focusing on patients with Koos grade II VS who either received SRS (SRS group) or were observed (observation group). To ensure comparability between groups, propensity score matching was used, including factors such as demographic characteristics, tumor dimensions, and hearing assessments.

Vestibular Schwannoma Koos Grade I International Study of Active Surveillance Versus Stereotactic Radiosurgery: The VISAS-K1 Study.

Background And Objective: This investigation evaluates the safety and efficacy of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) vs observation for Koos grade I vestibular schwannomas (VS).

Methods: In a multicenter study, we retrospectively analyzed data of patients with Koos grade I VS who underwent SRS (SRS group) or were observed (observation group). Propensity score matching was used to equilibrate demographics, tumor size, and audiometric data across groups.

Cautionary lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic: Healthcare systems grappled with the dual responsibility of delivering COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 care.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals were challenged to provide both COVID-19 and non-COVID treatment. A survey questionnaire was designed and distributed via email to hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana(AB-PMJAY), the world's largest National Health Insurance Scheme. Telephonic follow-ups were used to ensure participation in places with inadequate internet.

Five principles and protocols for the clinician based on the 2021 ERS and BTS statements for treating sarcoidosis.

The European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the British Thoracic Society (BTS) have recently published their statements on the treatment of sarcoidosis. There are five key questions in sarcoidosis treatment that need to be addressed: when to treat, how to initiate treatment, how long to treat, when and how to change treatment, and how to treat relapses. Herein, we describe the principles and protocols to answer these questions based on the ERS and BTS statements and other expert reviews.

Ectopic acromegaly with tumoral range hyperprolactinemia and apoplexy with a dramatic regression of pituitary hyperplasia.

Acromegaly due to ectopic secretion of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) is a rare disorder. The signs and symptoms of ectopic acromegaly are indistinguishable from acromegaly due to a somatotroph adenoma. A 35-year-old female presented with secondary amenorrhea for 10 years, intermittent headache, and reduced vision in both eyes for 4 years, which worsened over 4 months before presentation.