Hypomagnesemia � An overlooked parameter in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: Diabetes Mellitus refers to a group of common metabolic disorders that share the phenotype of Hyperglycemia. It is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world with an estimated worldwide prevalence of 439 million by 2030 and 19% of world抯 DM patients are Indians. Magnesium is an important co-factor for various enzymes involved in Insulin secretion and is involved in sodium-potassium ATPase pump. 25%-38% of Type 2 DM patients had Hypomagnesemia, which has also contributed in developing microvascular complications such as Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) and Diabetic Nephropathy (DN). Various studies have suggested that Magnesium supplementation in Type 2 DM patients with Hypomagnesemia have shown beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. Aim and objectives: To study the prevalence of Hypomagnesemia in Type 2 DM patients and to study the association of Hypomagnesemia with microvascular complications such as DR and DN. Materials and methods: It is a hospital based Observational study carried out in 2022 for a period of 1 year including 60 patients fulfilling the ADA criteria for diagnosing T2DM and patients with Diabetic Retinopathy and Diabetic Nephropathy, and excluding patients with Malabsorption, Chronic diarrhoea, Renal Failure on diuretic therapy, Sepsis, Pancreatitis. Serum Magnesium levels of 1.6 mg/dl � 2.6 mg/dl is considered as normal range. Serum Magnesium were measured using Xylidyl blue colorimetric method. Results: The Mean age of the patients in our study was 55.89 years. Among 60 patients diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus, 42 patients had Hypomagnesemia, 18 patients had Normomagnesemia (p- value: <0.0001). Patients with an HbA1c levels > 7% had Hypomagnesemia when to compared to patients with HbA1c <7% with a significant p value of 0.009. Hypomagnesemia was also associated with Diabetic Retinopathy and Diabetic Nephropathy with a significant p-value of 0.013 and 0.009 respectively. Conclusion: In our study, it has shown that patients with uncontrolled T2DM had Hypomagnesemia, which is also associated with micro-vascular complications of T2DM such as DR and DN.

A cross-sectional and histological analysis to understand the cytological effects of cell phone radiation on buccal mucosa of children

Context: The ongoing pandemic has affected all the spheres of life and one of the severely affected avenues is the education of a child. The online education has seen an upward curve since the start of COVID-19 pandemic. Schools globally have adopted online class tutorials as the main method to impart education and directly increasing the screen time for a child. Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cytological effects of prolonged mobile phone usage on the buccal mucosa of children. Settings and Design: Stratified sampling was used for the selection of subjects for the study. After a questionnaire regarding the usage of a mobile phone was distributed among the parents of children. Among them, 90 children were selected on the basis of pattern and frequency of mobile phone usage in the child. Materials and Methodology: The children were divided into three groups based on the per day hours of viewing of mobile phone, i.e., Group 1: Usage of 1–2 h a day, Group 2: Usage of 3–6 h a day, and Group 3: Usage of >6 h a day. The time frame taken into consideration was 1 year after the pandemic started. This was specifically to understand the impact of the online education. Swab was obtained by using the conventional ice-cream stick method from the buccal mucosa. Statistical Analysis: The samples were subjected to histological and microscopical analysis to observe for cytological changes. One-way ANOVA was used to determine the statistical significance if any. Results: The results obtained clearly showed that Group 3 (>6 h usage per day) showed the highest number of cellular and chromosomal aberrations which was significant. Conclusion: The results indicated that impact due to the prolonged screen time on the buccal mucosa is significant. A direct proportionality was seen between the apoptotic changes and chromosomal aberrations and the number of daily hour usage.

Eccrine Spiradenoma

Introduction: Eccrine spiradenoma is extremely rareadnexal tumor of the sweat gland, mainly affecting middleaged persons with equal incidence in males and females. Itis frequently a benign tumor characterized as solitary, painfuldeep - seated dermal nodule with most common sites being theupper thorax and face.Case report: A 35 year old male presented with multiple,painful swellings over scalp,face,anterior chest and backsince 6 months with loss of weight and appetite for 2 months.On examination, patient had a single cervical lymph node ofsize 1*1cm in the right posterior triangle of neck. Multipletender subcutaneous, hard, nonmobile swellings present overseveral areas with largest(2*1cm) over anterior chest wall.Histopathologically diagnosed as Eccrine spiradenoma whichrevealed clusters and sheets of cells having mild pleomorphicround to ovoid bland nuclei with indistinct cytoplasmicborders, occasional duct or follicular appearance and emptylooking lumina with no necrosis or mitotic activity.Conclusion: Eccrine spiradenoma, a rare benign adnexaltumor confirmed by histopathological examination.Differential diagnosis include, Neuroma, Dermatofibroma,Glomus tumor, Angiolipoma, Cylindromas and leiomyomas.Diagnosis confirmation by histopathological examination iscrucial because of its potential for malignant transformation.Its prognosis is poor as it has multiple recurrences.Histopathological examination is gold standard for thediagnosis.

Study on Clinical and Laboratory Profile of Patients with Primary Hyperthyroidism

Introduction: Thyroid hormones regulate numerousmetabolic processes. Therefore, any alteration in theirsynthesis or function has important health implications. Aims:Study done on clinical and laboratory profile of patients withprimary hyperthyroidism.Material and methods: Descriptive and cross-sectionalStudy done amongst the in-patients with a proven PrimaryHyperthyroidism. 60 Patients with newly diagnosed PrimaryHyperthyroidism above the age of 18 years. Diagnostichormone levels i.e. increased SERUM T3,T4 levels withdecreased TSH levels.Results: out of 60 patients of Hyperthyroidism, 60% wereGrave’s disease, 28.3% were Toxic multinodular goiter and1.7% was toxic solitary nodule. Majority of TSH values wereless than 0.01. In all most all cases both T3 and T4 wereelevated (predominantly T4). There was no difference inT3, T4 and TSH values among the three common causes ofHyperthyroidism. Wayne’s clinical Diagnostic index had goodcorrelation with T3 (p value of 0.024), T4 and TSH. When theWayne’s index was high, T3 & T4 were also high and TSHwas low.Conclusion: Wayne’s clinical index correlate quite well withthe thyroid function tests particularly raised T3 and the scorecould be a useful tool for follow up of hyperthyroid patients

A Conceptual Review On Hingula (cinnabar- Hgs)

Rasa Shastra the unique branch of Ayurveda deals in detail about pharmaceutical and therapeutic uses of various metals, minerals and marine drugs. Hingula (cinnabar) is one among several important drugs in Ayurveda which is used as single remedy or as an ingredient in various herbo-mineral preparations. By most of the ayurvediya Rasa Shastra classics, it is grouped under Sadharana Rasa Varga. Hingula is the prime source of mercury. Chemically it consists of mercury (86%) and Sulphur (13.5%), with molecular formula HgS, called as red sulphide of Mercury. About 20 books of Rasa Shastra are reviewed by the author in an attempt to provide the detailed description about Hingula like its occurrence, synonyms, classification, pharmacological properties, Ashuddha Hingula Dosha, its antidote, Shodhana, Marana, therapeutic dose, therapeutic indications, Sattvapatana, artificial methods of cinnabar preparation, methods of extraction of mercury from Hingula and various specific formulations mentioned in classics. Purified Hingula is useful in the treatment of all types of eye diseases (Netra Roga), it mitigates all the three vitiated Doshas. It is best remedy for the disorders of liver, pancreas, rheumatoid arthritis (Amavata), diabetes mellitus (Prameha) fever, spermatorrhoea and leprosy, skin diseases (Kushtha). It is useful in Parada Jarana procedure (increasing therapeutic potency of mercury). The mercury extracted from cinnabar (Hingulottha Parada) is equivalent to Ashtsamskarita Parada which is used in the preparations. It also possesses all the properties of Gandhaka Jaarita Parada (digestion of sulphur in mercury). It is used in the incineration procedures of gold, silver etc metals.

Audiological Analysis of 62 Patients with Otosclerosis Undergoing Stapedotomy with Slow-speed Microdrill

Background: Otosclerosis is not an uncommon condition in Telangana. Various methods such as perforator and laser are usedin performing stapedotomy during its surgical management. Stapedotomy performed with slow-speed microdrill technique forotosclerosis, and difficulties encountered during surgery, complications, and auditory gain in the post-operative period wereanalyzed in this study.Aim of the Study: The aim of this study was to use low-speed microdrill technique in stapedotomy and to analyze the difficulties,complications, and audiological evaluation in the post-operative period of 18 months.Materials and Methods: A prospective study of 62 patients undergoing stapedotomy for otosclerosis over a period of 2 yearswas reviewed. Stapedotomy with skeeter microdrill was evaluated using audiometric results (air conduction thresholds, boneconduction thresholds, air-bone gap closure, and pure tone average) and the incidence of complications during post-operativeperiod. Teflon prosthesis was used in all the patients.Observations and Results: Among the 62 patients, there were 37 females (59.67%) and 25 males (40.32%) with a male-tofemale ratio of 1:1.48. The patients belonged to the age group of 25–55 years with a mean age of 32.65 ± 4.15 years.Conclusions: Stapedotomy performed with microdrill technique for otosclerosis was a safe surgical technique to perforate thestapes footplate. The microdrill (skeeter) has low noise intensity and low torque. For duration of a few seconds, it seems to bea safe tool in creating a perforation in the footplate of the stapes, without causing acoustic trauma.

Reactive Nodular Fibrous Pseudotumor: A Rare Mesenchymal Tumor

Reactive nodular fibrous pseudotumor (RNFP) is a recently described non-neoplastic mesenchymal lesion arising from the gastrointestinal tract, mesentery, or retroperitoneum. It is a rare entity with only a few cases reported in literature so far and is less aggressive when compared to other mesenchymal lesions such as gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) or fibromatosis. Here, we present the case of a 20-year-old female who presented with a huge abdominal mass. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography was suggestive of pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy and excision of the mass in toto along with sleeve gastrectomy and splenectomy. Post-operative histopathology confirmed the entity to be RNFP. This case illustrates the need for keeping RNFP in mind as a differential diagnosis in a case of large abdominal mass as it has a fairly good prognosis with no reported recurrence after surgical excision.

To report a case of unilateral proliferative retinopathy following noncerebral malaria with Plasmodium falciparum in Southern India.

The retinopathy in association with malaria fever described so far includes retinal hemorrhages, vessel changes, retinal discoloration/whitening and papilledema. Malaria retinopathy has been mostly described in severe cases, associated with Plasmodium falciparum, correlating the patho-physiology of retinal and cerebral manifestations. We report an unusual case of proliferative retinopathy as a manifestation of malaria fever, caused by P. falciparum with no cerebral involvement. The patient had features of unilateral retinal vascular occlusion with proliferative changes and vitreous hemorrhage. To the best of our knowledge, such a case has never been reported so far in the literature. This report highlights the possible occurrence of severe proliferative changes associated with malaria fever, which if diagnosed early can prevent possible blindness.

Studies on Calli Mediated Multiple Shoot Regeneration from Rumex vesicarius L.

Rumex vesicarius L is a valuable potent medicinal herb, which belongs to family Polygonaceae. It possesses antimicrobial, anti- inflammatory, antidiarrhoeal and antioxidant properties. An attempt to study the In vitro callus induction and regeneration of plantlets from calli of leaf and nodal segments as explants has been achieved. Initially mature seeds were excised from plants grown in the departmental garden of KL University. The sterilized seed explants were inoculated aseptically to the solid basal SH media without any growth regulators for seed germination. Effective plantlets observed after 1 week of culture inoculation under maintained controlled conditions. From these In vitro plantlets, leaf and nodal segments were taken as explants for this study. These explants were inoculated on SH medium supplemented with different concentrations of BA (0.5-5.0mg/l) and 2, 4-D (0.5-3.0mg/l) for callus induction and multiple shoot regeneration. 90% of callus induction was observed on media containing BA 4.0mg/l and efficient multiple shoot induction (96.6%) was observed on media containing BA 1.0mg/l from leaf explants. 90% of callus induction and 85% of multiple shoot induction observed on media containing BA 2.0mg/l from nodal explants. Roots were induced from In vitro shoots on SH medium supplemented with 1mg/l IBA after 1 week. Leaf explants were more regenerative with 96.6% response compared to nodal explants 85%. Finally these In vitro regenerated plantlets were hardened, acclimatized and successfully transferred to the field. This protocol will be useful for mass multiplication of plantlets and maintenance of germplasm throughout the year.

First case series of emerging Rickettsial neonatal sepsis identified by polymerase chain reaction-based deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing.

Purpose: To detect and identify the aetiological agent in the peripheral blood from the cases of neonatal sepsis. Materials and Methods: Four neonates from geographically different regions of South India presented with signs of neonatal sepsis and all the routine clinical and laboratory investigations were performed. Blood culture by Bac T Alert 3D was negative. To establish the aetiology, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for eubacterial genome and subsequent amplifi cation with Gram positive and Gram negative primers were performed followed by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing. Results: PCR for the detection of eubacterial genome was positive in all the four neonates and further amplifi cation with designed Gram positive and Gram negative primers revealed the presence of Gram negative bacteria. The amplicons were identifi ed as Orientia tsutsugamushi in three neonates and Coxiella burnetti in the other neonate. Multalin analysis was done to further characterise the strain variation among the three strains. Conclusion: PCR-based DNA sequencing is a rapid and reliable diagnostic tool to identify the aetiological agents of neonatal sepsis. This is the fi rst case series of emerging Rickettsial neonatal sepsis in India.

Metronomic therapy: Chemotherapy revisited.

Cytotoxic antiproliferative chemotherapeutic agents are the mainstay of treatment in cancers. Chemotherapy is usually administered every 2–3 weeks. Along with acute toxicity and long‑term effects of cumulative doses, this strategy potentially allows regrowth of the tumor in the interval period and leads to the emergence of resistant populations of tumor cells. Moreover, even with intense chemotherapy, the outcome is stagnating for most of the tumors. There has been recent interest in the use of chemotherapy in fractionated doses which is far below the maximum tolerated dose. This is called metronomic scheduling of chemotherapy. Here, we review the biology and evidence for metronomic chemotherapy.

Effect of Recrystallization on the Pharmaceutical Properties of Valsartan for Improved Therapeutic Efficacy.

Valsartan (VAL) is a potent, highly selective and orally active antihypertensive drug and is poorly soluble in aqueous fluids, especially in gastric fluids, and its absorption is thus dissolution rate limited. In the present research work an attempt has been made to improve the aqueous solubility of VAL by the recrystallization of VAL from a variety of different organic solvents, and evaluating the recrystallized VAL products for its physicochemical characteristics and in-vitro dissolution properties. The water solubility of methanol (MET), ethanol (ETH), isopropanol (ISP) and acetonitrile (AN) recrystallized products of VAL is significantly higher when compared to untreated VAL. Physicochemical characterization techniques like scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-RD reveal the change in crystallinity of VAL with recrystallized products and hence the increase in the solubility and superior dissolution properties when compared to the untreated VAL.

Ethno botanical survey of medicinal plants in Khammam District, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted in four different indigenous groups in Khammam District of Andhra Pradesh. The herbal practitioners in the study area were interviewed and information on medicinal plants was collected from the traditional healers called Vaidyars. This survey covers 96 medicinal plants belonging to 44 families that are used for the treatment of various diseases in a traditional way. Traditional approach was evaluated scientifically with some selected plant extracts to cure many diseases. Several plant extracts like Gymnema sylvestre, Syzygium cumini, Tephrosia purpurea have proved their efficiency in treating many diseases like Diabetes mellitus and skin diseases. The present survey provides the information about various medicinal plants which were not recognized for their medicinal value. These plants are the natural remedies for treating many of the diseases This survey provided information about 96 plants with medicinal properties. This survey had been performed on the plants commonly used by the indigenous people for treating various diseases they had been encountering. All the information gathered from the indigenous people and the herbal practitioners helped to bring several medicinal plants to limelight which on further proceedings proves their therapeutic properties.

Tobacco use among youth and adults in member countries of South-East Asia region: Review of findings from surveys under the global tobacco surveillance system.

Background: This paper examines the prevalence of current tobacco use among youth and adults in selected member countries of the South-East Asia Region using the data from school and household-based surveys included in the Global Tobacco Surveillance System. Materials and Methods: Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) data (years 2007-2009) were used to examine current tobacco use prevalence among youth, whereas Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) data (years 2009-2010) were used to examine the prevalence among adults. GYTS is a school-based survey of students aged 13-15, using a two-stage cluster sample design, and GATS is a household survey of adults age 15 and above using a multi-stage stratified cluster design. Both surveys used a standard protocol for the questionnaire, data collection and analysis. Results: Prevalence of current tobacco use among students aged 13-15 varied from 5.9% in Bangladesh to 56.5% in Timor-Leste, and the prevalence among adults aged 15 and above was highest in Bangladesh (43.3%), followed by India (34.6%) and Thailand (27.2%). Reported prevalence was significantly higher among males than females for adults and youth in all countries except Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste. Current use of tobacco other than manufactured cigarettes was notably higher than current cigarette smoking among youth aged 13-15 years in most countries of the Region, while the same was observed among adults in Bangladesh, India and Thailand, with most women in those countries, and 49% of men in India, using smokeless tobacco. Conclusion: Tobacco use among youth and adults in member countries of the region is high and the pattern of tobacco consumption is complex. Tobacco products other than cigarettes are commonly used by youth and adults, as those products are relatively cheaper than cigarettes and affordable for almost all segments of the population. As a result, use of locally produced smoked and smokeless tobacco products is high in the region. Generating reliable data on tobacco use and key tobacco control measures at regular intervals is essential to better understand and respond with effective tobacco control intervention.

Factor XI deficiency in Indian Bos taurus, Bos indicus, Bos taurus x Bos indicus crossbreds and Bubalus bubalis

We investigated the occurrence of Factor XI (FXI) deficiency syndrome in the following Indian dairy animals: Bos taurus Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cattle, Bos indicus Indian cattle breeds, B. taurus x B. indicus crossbreds and the river buffalo Bubalus bubalis. Factor XI deficiency is an autosomal recessive bleeding disorder known to affect Holstein cattle worldwide. A total of 1001 dairy animals, mainly bulls, were genotyped to detect the mutation within exon 12 of the gene encoding for factor XI. Two Holstein bulls were detected as heterozygous (carrier) for FXI deficiency, giving a carrier frequency of 0.6 percent in Indian Holstein cattle. None of the other cattle or buffalo breeds was found to be a carrier for FXI. Sequence comparison between normal and heterozygous animals revealed that there is a 77 base pair insertion fragment (AT (A)29 TAAAG (A)27 GAATTATTAATTCT) within exon 12 of the FXI gene. Both sequences were submitted to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank and assigned the accession numbers DQ438908 for normal Holstein Friesian animals and DQ438909 for heterozygous Holstein Friesian animals.

Control of aldehyde emissions in the diesel engines with alcoholic fuels.

The major pollutants emitted from compression ignition (CI) engine with diesel as fuel are smoke and nitrogen oxides (NOx). When the diesel engine is run with alternate fuels, there is need to check alcohols (methanol or ethanol) and aldehydes also. Alcohols cannot be used directly in diesel engine and hence engine modification is essential as alcohols have low cetane number and high latent hear of vaporization. Hence, for use of alcohol in diesel engine, it needs hot combustion chamber, which is provided by low heat rejection (LHR) diesel engine with an air gap insulated piston with superni crown and air gap insulated liner with superni insert. In the present study, the pollution levels of aldehydes are reported with the use of methanol and ethanol as alternate fuels in LHR diesel engine with varying injection pressure, injection timings with different percentage of alcohol induction. The aldehydes (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde) in the exhaust were estimated by wet chemical technique with high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC). Aldehyde emissions increased with an increase in alcohol induction. The LHR engine showed a decrease in aldehyde emissions when compared to conventional engine. However, the variation of injection pressure showed a marginal effect in reducing aldehydes, while advancing the injection timing reduced aldehyde emissions.

Mating success of males with and without wing patch in Drosophila biarmipes.

Some males of D. biarmipes--synonym of D. rajasekari and D. raychaudhuri have a black patch on the wing. The patch extends from the apical margin of wing to the third longitudinal vein. Field and laboratory studies have been carried out in D. biarmipes to study role of male's wing patch in mating success. The field study shows that nature favors D. biarmipes males with patch. Although males without patch mated, males with patch have higher mating success suggesting the role of wing patch during courtship. Further, among mating males, males with patch had longer wings than males without patch. During courtship, males with patch oriented and mated faster; performed courtship acts such as tapping, scissoring, vibration, licking and twist dance more times than males without patch in both competitive and non-competitive situations. The results indicate that there is a casual relationship between the presence of wing patch, mating speed and success. Also there is a correlation between presence of wing patch, size of the flies and mating success.