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Background: Stroke is the third most common cause of disability and the second most common cause of death worldwide. Prognosis assessment in acute ischemic stroke is challenging for clinicians. The development of simple and easily performed prognostic markers that correlate with the outcome of patients can be of immense benefit. The aim of this study was to find out the prognostic significance of total leukocyte count, red cell distribution width and erythrocyte sedimentation rate in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods: A descriptive cross‐sectional study was conducted in a tertiary center after ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee. The study period spanned from April 18, 2022 to June 17, 2023, a period of 14 months. 136 patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke with total leukocyte count (TLC), red cell distribution width (RDW), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) were included in the study after fulfilling the inclusion criteria. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was obtained 28 days following admission. Data was collected and analyzed through Microsoft Excel 365 and SPSS version 22. Spearman Correlation and multivariate regression analysis were used to analyze the association. Results: TLC, RDW, and ESR were significantly associated with an mRS at 28 days showing a positive correlation between them. Total in‐hospital mortality has been significantly associated with TLC only (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The prognostic value of TLC, RDW, and ESR in patients with acute ischemic stroke was found to be significant and similar to the studies done in similar settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of the studies are reported relating to application of the silanized nanostructured zirconia, electrophoretically deposited onto indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass for covalent immobilization of the monoclonal antibodies (anti-CYFRA-21-1). This biosensing platform has been utilized for a simple, efficient, noninvasive, and label-free detection of oral cancer via cyclic voltammetry technique. The results of electrochemical response studies conducted on bovine serum albumin (BSA)/anti-CYFRA-21-1/3-aminopropyl triethoxy silane (APTES)/ZrO2/ITO immunoelectrode reveal that this immunoelectrode can be used to measure CYFRA-21-1 (oral cancer biomarker) concentration in saliva samples, with a high sensitivity of 2.2 mA mL ng-1, a linear detection range of 2-16 ng mL-1, and stability of six weeks. The results of these studies have been validated via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Tuberculosis is an infectious airborne disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Pulmonary tuberculosis is the ninth most frequent complication of diabetes mellitus. The co-existence of TB and DM in patient causes severe TB symptoms, modify radiological findings, slower response to treatment outcomes and prognosis. IFN-γ is the key cytokine which play role in the protective immune response against mycobacterium infection. The main function of IFN-γ is macrophage activation which is able to exert its microbicidal functions. Estimation and comparison of pre and post treatment serum IFN-γ among pulmonary tuberculosis among diabetic and non-diabetic patients. The study was conducted in the Departments of Biochemistry and Pulmonary Medicine, FMHS, SGT University, Budhera, Gurugram and District TB Centre, Gurugram, Haryana, India. In this study, 100 newly diagnosed PTB patients without diabetes mellitus and 100 newly diagnosed PTB patients with diabetes mellitus (PTB-DM) above 15 years of age were included after obtaining written consent. 5 mL venous blood was collected from patients of pre and post anti-tubercular treatment. The level of IFN-γ was measured by ELISA method. The circulating level of IFN-γ in PTB patients was significantly decreased in post-treatment (25.53 ± 6.12 pg/mL) compared to pre-treatment (58.76 ± 16.02 pg/mL) with t-value 32.03 and p-value <0.001. The circulating level of IFN-γ in PTB-DM patients was significantly decreased in post treatment (29.11 ± 7.41 pg/mL) compared to pre-treatment (44.14 ± 10.85 pg/mL) with t-value 31.35 and p-value <0.001. In the present study, level of IFN-γ in pre-treatment PTB patients (58.76 ± 16.02 pg/mL) was significantly raised compared to PTB-DM patients (44.14 ± 10.85 pg/mL) with t-value 7.55 and p-value <0.001. However, level of IFN-γ in post-treatment PTB patients (25.53 ± 6.12 pg/mL) was significantly low compared to PTB-DM patients (29.11 ± 7.41 pg/mL) with t-value 3.71 and p-value <0.001. The decreased level of IFN-γ in post-treatment compared to pre-treatment in both PTB and PTB-DM patients had shown efficacy of anti-tubercular treatment. However, the post treatment level of IFN-γ was high in PTB-DM patients compared to PTB patients which verified that effect of ATT was low in PTB-DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION The irrational prescription of drugs is highly prevalent among patients suffering from skin diseases. Since it has a serious impact on health and economy, there is an urgent need to study drug utilization pattern in hospital settings. Therefore, this study aims to investigate drug utilization pattern and its cost analysis in Dermatology Out Patient Department in a tertiary care teaching hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS A four-month, prospective, cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from 10th February 2022 to 10th June 2022 in newly diagnosed cases attending Out Patient Department of dermatology at Universal College of Medical Sciences, Bhairahawa, Nepal. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee (UCMS/IRC/037/22). Purposive consecutive sampling technique was used. The data were collected from patient cards and details were filled in predesigned proforma. The collected data were analyzed in Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. RESULTS A total of 601 prescriptions were scrutinized. The common skin condition found was eczema (9.98%) while the common classes of drugs prescribed were antifungals (31.94%). The number of drugs per prescription varied from one to five with an average of 3.11. It was observed that 3.95% of prescription was by generic names. The maximum of drugs (36.06%) was prescribed in tablet form. The percentage of antibiotics prescribed and drugs prescribed from the WHO Essential Drugs List were 12.31% and 27.88% respectively. The average cost per prescription calculated was 739.39 Nepali Rupees. CONCLUSION A drug utilization study can help to rationalize prescriptions, reduce errors, and improve cost-effective treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PCOS is the most common endocrinological disorder amongst women of reproductive age. The consequences of PCOS extend beyond the reproductive axis and may lead to the development of metabolic syndrome leading to a high risk for hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, a more comprehensive evaluation of biochemical markers that reflect the cardiovascular risk is required for further understanding of pathophysiologic mechanisms, diagnosis and management. In this case-control study, women diagnosed with PCOS (n=100) in the age group (18–35 years) years were taken as cases and age matched healthy controls (n=100) were enrolled. Estimations of fasting plasma Glucose, serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG) and High-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentrations were assayed while Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was calculated by using Fredrickson Friedwald's formula. Serum Lipoprotein-a (Lp-a) was estimated using ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay). The quantitative data were expressed as Mean ± Standard Deviation (SD). Unpaired Student's t-test was used to compare the values (PCOS vs Controls) and Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to elucidate the relationship between the variables. FBS and all lipid parameters were significantly increased in PCOS patients compared to control subjects. On the other hand, HDL-C was significantly decreased as compared to the control subjects. The hormones TSH, LH, FSH, PRL and LH/FSH ratio were significantly increased in PCOS patients compared to control subjects. Lipoprotein-a and PAI-1 was significantly increased in PCOS patients compared to the control subjects. Upon bivariate correlation analysis, Lp(a) had significant correlations with PAI-1 (r=0.35, p=0.000), WHR (r=0.25, p=0.000), LDL (r=0.52, p=0.000) and TSH (r=0.24, p=0.000). While the correlations with FBS (r=−0.008, p=0.91) and LH/FSH ratio (r=−0.004, p=0.95) were statistically insignificant. The evaluation of serum biomarkers such as Lp-a, PAI-1 and lipid profile routinely in PCOS patients may have diagnostic role in the early detection of metabolic abnormalities and endocrine derangements and timely management of comorbid Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease in PCOS females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proper collection of infectious biosamples is critically important for better understanding of the disease pathogenesis and health. These precious samples are stored in biobanks. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the recently discovered novel coronavirus named SARS-COV-2. Currently, specific drugs are not available against this virus though efforts on development of vaccines by various agencies have shown some positive results. Limited knowledge about the pathogenesis mechanism is a critical gap in developing intervention options. Access of COVID-19 biosamples for research could provide more insight into the disease. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) designated National Liver Disease Biobank (NLDB) as one of the dedicated facilities for collection and storage of COVID-19 biosamples for research purposes. Samples are collected, processed, and stored with proper security at NLDB. In this minireview, we have made an attempt to provide comprehensive coverage on the role of biobanking in Covid-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]