Influence of Obesity and Family History of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus on Serum Ferritin and Insulin Levels in Young Adults.

Aim: Obesity and family history of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus are the major risk factors for the development of type 2 Diabetes mellitus in youth. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between serum ferritin and insulin resistance in healthy young obese with and without family history of type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry, Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital, Kambipura, Bangalore, Karnataka, India, for eight months period in the year 2012. Material and Methods: A small group study was undertaken in 90 students who were in the age group of 17-22 years. The study population was divided into two groups based on body mass index, Group I /non-obese group (n=46) and Group II/ overweight & obese group (n=44). Fasting and postprandial blood glucose, Serum ferritin, serum insulin and lipid parameters were estimated and Homeostasis Model Assessment-Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated for all the ninety students. Results: Statistically significant differences in Total cholesterol (p=0.05), Triglycerides (p=0.05), serum insulin (p<0.01) and HOMA (p<0.01) were observed between the two groups. Mean serum ferritin values were increased in group II (overweight/obese) but not statistically significant. Serum insulin and serum ferritin showed a significant correlation with BMI for the whole study group. Serum ferritin and insulin levels significantly correlated with waist to hip ratio in students with family history of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus as against individuals without family history. 59% of the obese students with family history of Diabetes mellitus had insulin resistance. Conclusion: Our study has shown that a significant proportion of obese students with family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus had insulin resistance and elevated levels of ferritin, highlighting the importance of early screening for obesity associated co morbidities like metabolic syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases in these individuals

Personality assessment of offenders and mentally ill offenders

Background: Crime is a complex psychological, sociological and situational behaviour. Personality theories provide possible insights into the psychological aspects of crime. The primary assumption behind the personality theories is that crime and delinquency are related to the presence of some personality traits. Aims: To assess the personality dimensions of offenders, mentally ill offenders and to compare them with normal control population. Methods: A semi-structured interview consisting of Socio-demographic details, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) were used to assess the personality of offenders, mentally ill offenders and normal population. Results: Offenders with and without mental illness did not differ in their personality, but both the groups differed significantly with the personality of general population. The offenders were more impulsive compared to normal population in general and offenders with mental illness were scoring high on total BIS-11 score and on non-planning impulsivity score compared to normal offenders. Conclusion: Personality traits can predict the person’s vulnerability to commit an offence.

Primary tuberculous myositis: a rare clinical entity.

Summary: Primary tuberculous myositis without underlying pathology has been sparingly reported in medical literature. We report a case of primary tuberculous myositis of left upper arm in a seven-year-old boy. He presented with gradually increasing swelling on the medial aspect of the left arm. Ziehl Neelsen staining of pus collected revealed acid fast bacilli morphologically resembling Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the same was grown on the culture. Histopathological findings were consistent with tuberculosis. The results were confirmed by Genotype MTBDRpluse line probe assay. He was treated with standard four-drug regimen to which he responded well with complete resolution of the lesion.

Approach to congenital heart disease in the neonate.

Congenital heart disease in the newborn is a unique and complex problem faced by both pediatricians and cardiologists as it requires skillful handling and balancing of both neonatal issues as well as cardiac physiology. Babies with cyanotic and acyanotic heart disease are physiologically different from each other and management has to be tailored to the individual diagnosis and clinical status. Rapid diagnosis and appropriate management is the key to reducing mortality and morbidity in this fragile patient population. The following review deals with the common presentations of heart problems in a newborn baby and methods of diagnosis, investigative modalities, recent advances and approach to management.

Mitogenic response of rat lung and tracheal epithelial cells in monolayer primary cultures—Modulation of TNF-α expression.

Epithelial cells isolated from rat lung and trachea were grown on monolayers and their response to a number of hormones and growth factors were studied. Maximum proliferative response in serum containing media was observed when insulin, cholera toxin and cortisol were present together. However, these additives when present independently showed a marginal response. The synergism, due to these factors in promoting growth was seen very early in culture (day 4) as shown by thymidine labelling studies, On examining the indices of early mitogenesis, such as the expression of c-myc, our data suggests that these factors stimulate the expression of c-myc within 4 h. With respect to expression of TNF-α mRNA, this study suggests a possible modulation of TNF-α expression in response to these mitogens that stimulate proliferation maximally. Whether this expression of TNF-α by these epithelial cells is due to a maximal proliferative stimulus and/or is an early step in the cascade of intracellular signalling events is to be investigated in detail.

Myocardial infarction in the young.

Coronary angiography was done in 88 patients of myocardial infarction (MI) less than 40 years of age (Group I) and the results were compared with an equal number of patients with MI over 40 years (Group II). Severity of coronary stenosis was evaluated by a coronary index (CI) which determined the extent of myocardium at jeopardy. The severity of coronary artery disease increased with age (CI in Group I = 6.2; Group II = 8.4). Normal coronaries (16% vs 5.7%) and single vessel disease (41% vs 23%) were common in Group I. Smoking was the commonest risk factor in both groups, its prevalence being higher in Group I (66% vs 42%) while the prevalence of diabetes was lower (4.5% vs 21.5%).