ABSTRACT
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Elevated lipid profile and reduced antioxidants accelerate the formation of atherosclerosis. Multiple lines of evidences have suggested that increased lipids and low antioxidants are the major risk factors for the incidence of acute coronary syndrome. Oxidative stress evaluation is now considered as an index for the assessment of development of coronary artery disease. Therefore, we studied association of the levels of non-enzymic antioxidants and lipid profile in controls and patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS AND RESULTS: The present study was carried out on 485 patients admitted to the emergency care unit, of whom 89 patients were diagnosed as non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP). Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides were analysed along with non-enzymic antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, reduced glutathione, MDA and protein thiol in controls and patients with ACS. The levels of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were significantly raised in patients when compared to controls in contrast to lowering of HDL-cholesterol levels in patients than controls. Vitamin C, vitamin E, reduced glutathione, MDA and protein thiol levels were significantly lowered in patients than controls (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Oxidative stress and lipid profile should be included as important markers in the early detection of acute coronary syndrome.
Subject(s)
Acute Coronary Syndrome/blood , Antioxidants/metabolism , Lipids/blood , Oxidative Stress , Acute Coronary Syndrome/diagnosis , Acute Coronary Syndrome/enzymology , Acute Coronary Syndrome/epidemiology , Biomarkers , Case-Control Studies , Chest Pain , Coronary Artery Disease/blood , Coronary Artery Disease/enzymology , Coronary Artery Disease/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Incidence , India/epidemiology , Lipid Peroxidation , Male , Middle Aged , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
A 19-year-old woman with well-documented HIV-1 infection had persistently negative enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and Western blot serological tests. She has plasma HIV-1 RNA levels of > 480,000 copies/mL and T-helper cell counts of approximately 100/mm3. When treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the viral load became undetectable (< 400 copies/mL), the T-helper cell count increased to > 500/mm3 and EIA and Western blot tests became positive.
Subject(s)
Anti-HIV Agents/administration & dosage , HIV Infections/diagnosis , HIV Infections/drug therapy , HIV-1/drug effects , RNA, Viral/analysis , Adult , Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active , Blotting, Western , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Female , Follow-Up Studies , HIV Seronegativity , HIV Seropositivity , HIV-1/isolation & purification , Humans , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
In 1995, changes in our hospital formulary were made to limit an outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococci and resulted in decreased usage of cephalosporins, imipenem, clindamycin, and vancomycin and increased usage of beta-lactam/beta-lactamase-inhibitor antibiotics. In this report, the effect of this formulary change on other resistant pathogens is described. Following the formulary change, there was a reduction in the monthly number (mean +/- SD) of patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (from 21.9 +/- 8.1 to 17.2 +/- 7.2 patients/1,000 discharges; P = .03) and ceftazidime-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (from 8.6 +/- 4.3 to 5.7 +/- 4.0 patients/1,000 discharges; P = .02). However, there was an increase in the number of patients with cultures positive for cefotaxime-resistant Acinetobacter species (from 2.4 +/- 2.2 to 5.4 +/- 4.0 patients/1,000 discharges; P = .02). Altering an antibiotic formulary may be a possible mechanism to contain the spread of selected resistant pathogens. However, close surveillance is needed to detect the emergence of other resistant pathogens.
