Protective effect of Azadirachta indica A. Juss against doxorubicin-induced cardiac toxicity in tumour bearing mice.

Doxorubicin (DOX) treatment (12 µg/g body weight, once a week for 2 weeks) resulted in a significant decrease in the heart rate along with an increase in QRS, ST, and QT intervals. Histopathological studies showed cardiomyocyte degeneration, cytoplasmic vacuolation and macrophage infiltration in cardiac tissue. A marked increase in the rate of apoptosis was also observed. An increased oxidative stress was evidenced by significantly higher levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and depletion of reduced glutathione. A decrease in the activity of cellular antioxidant defence enzymes was also observed. The decrease in the heart rate and ECG alterations were prevented significantly by AAILE (100 µg/g body weight, po) co-treatment, started two weeks prior to DOX treatment and continued till the termination of the experiment. The cardioprotection was also evident from histopathology and decrease in the rate of apoptosis in cardiomyocytes. AAILE co-treatment also prevented DOX-induced increase in LPO and decrease in antioxidant defence enzymes. The results suggest that AAILE administration prevents DOX-induced cardiotoxicity.

Diagnosis of neurocysticercosis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Neurocysticercosis, a disease caused by larvae of T solium produces variable and non-specific symptoms. Computerised tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, immunological tests in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid are available options to diagnose the condition. Two hundred serum samples collected and stored frozen at -20 degrees C and were tested for cysticercosis by commercial Melotest cysticercosis kit. Diagnosis was confirmed by other investigations. After the confirmative diagnosis results of ELISA for cysticercosis were compared and the values of sensitivity, specificity, prevalence and precision were obtained along with positive and negative predictive values. Overall prevalence was found to be 10% in this study. Only 26.5% serologically positive cases had neurocysticercosis positively. The positive predictive value of the serological test was only 26.4% suggesting that the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis by ELISA is not reliable in an endemic area.

Diagnosis of Bacterial Vaginosis in Women in Labour

A prospective study on 120 women in labour was conducted to determine the reliability of of different methods like clinical criteria, gram staining and vaginal culture for diagnosing bacterial vaginosis(BV). To determine the laboratory methods that best predicted the BV we calculated sensitivity, specificity, predictive value of a positive and negative test for clinical criteria, gram stain criteria of Nugent and vaginal cultures compared with gram stain criteria of Spiegel. BV was diagnosed in 23.3% of women in labour by Spiegel criteria. Sensitivity and specificity of Amsel criteria was 60.7% and 97.8% respectively. Culture of vaginal specimens yielded 58.8% predictive value of a positive test except for Mobiluncus species. Gram stain evaluation of vaginal smears is a sensitive method for diagnosing BV. Amsel clinical criteria, which are more commonly used to diagnose BV, may lead to under diagnosis of BV.

Bacterial vaginosis and vaginal anaerobes in preterm labour.

Maternal genital infections, particularly bacterial vaginosis has been implicated as a cause for preterm labour and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This prospective study aimed to study the association of bacterial vaginosis with preterm labour. The prevalence of bacterial vaginosis was studied in 60 women in preterm labour who had no recognisable cause for prematurity and in 60 term labour controls. Demographic factors, pregnancy outcome and reproductive history were also studied. Vaginal specimens for Gram-stain and culture were collected from posterior vaginal fomix and bacterial vaginosis was defined by evaluation of Gram-stained smear by Spiegel criteria. Bacterial vaginosis was diagnosed in 31.6% of women in preterm labour and in 15% of term labour controls ( p<0.05). In preterm labour group, preterm delivery occurred in 48 women (80%) out of which 18 women had bacterial vaginosis and term delivery occurred in only one woman with the condition. Anaerobes were significantly associated with bacterial vaginosis ( p<0.01) and were more common in women with preterm labour ( b>0.05). The results indicates that bacterial vaginosis has a significant association with preterm labour and adverse pregnancy outcome.

Colonisation of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus among health care workers in a tertiary care hospital of Delhi.

Methicillin resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus have been responsible for many nosocominl epidemics. Colonised employees of hospital such as asymptomatic nasal and hand carriers act as reservoirs for the spread of this organism within hospital. During a period of three months 150 HCW were screened for nasal and hand colonisation by MRSA. 6.6% (10) HCW were colonised by MRSA and 50% of these were carrying MRSA on both hands and anterior nares. 30% (3) of MRSA strains were multidrug resistant and 60% (6) were resistant to ciproflox. Whether the eradication of MRSA carrier state will lead to decreased rate of MRSA infection is yet to be documented.