Concurrent Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in Plasmodium vivax malaria Infection: A report of two cases from western India.

Malaria and concurrent bacteraemia cases have been reported globally, mostly in association with Plasmodium falciparum malaria. In comparison, concurrent bacteraemia with Plasmodium vivax infected patients is reported rarely. However, considering unavailability of blood culture testing and widespread community and empirical antibiotic usage in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the frequency of bacteraemia and P. vivax co-infection may be much higher. We reported two cases of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia with P. vivax malaria infection. Both patients presented with high grade fever and chills with unremarkable systemic examination. Liver enzymes were raised along with inflammatory markers. Simultaneous diagnosis of methicillin sensitive S. aureus bacteraemia was done using automated blood culture, automated identification and sensitivity testing system. P. vivax malaria was confirmed with microscopy, antigen detection test and molecular test. Patients recovered uneventfully with antimalarial drugs and antibiotics.

Identification and Antifungal Drug Susceptibility Pattern of Candida auris in India.

Introduction: Candida auris has turned up as a multidrug-resistant nosocomial agent with outbreaks reported worldwide. The present study was conducted to evaluate the antifungal drug susceptibility pattern of C. auris. Methods: Isolates of C. auris were obtained from clinically suspected cases of candidemia from January 2019 to June 2021. Identification was done with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) and panfungal DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR), followed by sequencing. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed with broth microdilution method. Results: Out of 50 isolates C. auris, 49 were identified by MALDI-TOF and one isolate was identified with panfungal DNA PCR followed by sequencing. For fluconazole, 84% (n = 42) isolates were found to be resistant and 16% (n = 8) isolates were susceptible (minimum inhibitory concentrations [MICs] range 0.5-16). Posaconazole exhibited potent activity, followed by itraconazole. For amphotericin B, only 6% (n = 3) isolates were resistant with MICs ≥2 µg/mL. Only 4% (n = 2) isolates exhibited resistance to caspofungin. No resistance was noted for micafungin and anidulafungin. One (2%) isolate was found to be panazole resistant. One (2%) isolate was resistant to fluconazole, amphotericin B, and caspofungin. Conclusion: Correct identification of C. auris can be obtained with the use of MALDI-TOF and sequencing methods. A small percentage of fluconazole-sensitive isolates are present. Although elevated MICs for amphotericin B and echinocandins are not generally observed, the possibility of resistance with the irrational use of these antifungal drugs cannot be denied. Pan azole-resistant and pan drug-resistant strains of C. auris are on rise.

Discovery of Novel Compounds Targeting DJ-1 as Neuroprotectants for Parkinson's Disease by Virtual Screening and In Silico Method.

AIM: To screen the zinc database for structurally similar molecules to compound 23 that targets DJ1 for use as a neuroprotective agent for Parkinson's disease. BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common chronic neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra. To date, several proteins account for the recessive familial PD-forms, namely, Parkin, PINK-1, DJ-1, SNCA, PARK2, and LRRK2 Genes. DJ1 is one of the important central points that may be targeted for PD therapy. Recently, Compound 23 has been observed to exert the neuroprotective effect against neurodegeneration in a PD model, but due to its toxic substructure, the hunt for better nontoxic compounds continues. OBJECTIVE: The overall objective of our work is to apply in silico approaches to screen structure similar compounds that interact potentially with DJ1 and may serve as a good therapeutic molecule for PD. METHODS: Initial data mining was done from the zinc database and then screened compounds were additionally screened with toxicity checker, carcinopred, ADMET analysis and docking analysis. RESULTS: The basic screening of database for structurally similar chemicals to compound 23 resulted in 50 compounds, which were further screened to twenty-three and finally seven compounds have been screened based on the toxicity and carcinopred test. Later, the seven compounds were docked and analysed for docking efficiency with DJ1. Our result of molecular docking and molecular simulation analysis highlights Molecule 42(SS2) to exhibit best binding affinity against DJ-1 protein target and can be proposed to be used as a therapeutic agent to modulate neurodegenerative proteins. CONCLUSION: Therefore, we conclude the discovery of novel, non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, ADMET investigated, capable of crossing BB barrier but structurally similar compounds to Compound-23, specifically molecule 42(SS2) and potentially molecule 34(SS1) to be used as neuroprotective agents for Parkinson's disease.

Perception of receiving SMS based health messages among hypertensive individuals in urban slums.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension rates are increasing in India, and prior research has not explored the perception of using mobile based SMS among urban hypertensive individuals living in slum settings in India. OBJECTIVE: To explore the perception of receiving SMS based health messages among hypertensive individuals in urban slums. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted during the period of December 2013 in an urban slum setting of South Delhi, New Delhi, India. Eligible study participants included: 45 individuals aged 30 years and above, with confirmed diagnosis of high blood pressure, owned a mobile phone/landline and were willing to participate. RESULTS: Results of our study showed participants (n= 45) had an average age of 48 years (SD = 12), mostly female (64%, n= 29), and currently married (80%, n= 36). Their most common perceived hypertension risk factors included: worry/anxiety/stress (84%, n= 38), and high fat diet (68%, n= 30). Mobile calls were the most preferred mode of receiving lifestyle counseling among study participants (71%, n= 32). Majority preferred to receive counseling in Hindi language (67%, n= 30), and more than half were willing to pay for these services (60%, n= 27). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest the need for innovations that utilize basic phone platforms, mobile calling feature, and language tailored interventions.

A pilot study to assess perceptions of using SMS as a medium for health information in a rural setting.

BACKGROUND: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in health is not merely about technology but a means to reach various optimal outcomes across the entire health system. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this pilot study is to assess the perceptions of receiving health messages through SMS among individuals living in rural Indian settings. METHODS: A convenient sample of 100 individuals aged 18 years and above and living in rural settings of Kuthampakkam village in Chennai, a Southern part of India were enrolled during September 2013. Individuals having the mobile phone and agreeing to participate were enrolled in the study. Individuals with physical and mental challenges or involved in other clinical trials were excluded from the study. Information was gathered on the variables including socio-demographics, individual familiarity with use of technology, mobile phone usage and the perceptions of using SMS for obtaining health information. Information was gathered using a series of quantitative assessments. Descriptive analysis was performed to report means and standard deviations for the continuous variables and frequency analysis was reported for the categorical variables. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the means of the various continuous variables as compared to the chi-square analysis that was performed to compare the frequency distribution for the categorical variables. All analysis was performed using SAS v9.1. RESULTS: A convenient sample of 100 rural individuals was enrolled. The average age of the study participants was 34 years (SD=17), with more than half of them being males (54%; n=54), and 47% (n=47) of them had education less than high school. Results showed that more than half of the individuals had no computers either at home (61%; n=61) or work (68%; n=68). 100{\%} of them had mobile phones in their household. Text messaging was common in more than half of the study participants. Results showed that the majority of the study participants agreed that receiving calls on the mobile phones for receiving health messages would be the most preferred method. Results showed that the individuals in the age group of 21-40 years, males, with some college education, and in the income category of 50,000-1,00,000 were most likely to obtain SMS based health messages. CONCLUSIONS: ICT based health programs need to be established so that the audience receives the optimal technological platform program necessary to obtain health messages. This also suggests that future research is needed to determine the population that would actually adopt the use of SMS based health interventions rather than using SMS as a tool for delivery of health information to all.