An android smartphone-based randomized intervention improves the quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes in Mysore, Karnataka, India.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Associated with severe complications and morbidity, Diabetes Mellitus is a significant public health burden. The need for regular monitoring and adherence to treatment and lifestyle changes have a high impact on the quality of life of the patients. This study attempts to assess the effect of smartphone-based lifestyle modification intervention in the quality of life of patients with type 2 Diabetes through a randomized filed trial. METHODS: A randomized field trial was performed among the patients attending the outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in Mysuru city. A mobile application named DIAGURU, mainly focusing on the lifestyle modification and medication management was used for a period of 6 months from April 2019 to September 2019 by 150 patients in the intervention group while another 150 participants served as controls. The quality of life was assessed using the WHO QOL BREF questionnaire at the beginning of the study and after six months. RESULTS: The change in the quality of life in a positive direction was significantly higher in the intervention group compared to the non-intervention group after six months. The differences in the change in scores of quality of life of participants recruited in intervention and non-intervention groups were statistically significant in all the four domains after the intervention with a p value < 0.001. CONCLUSION: The evidence generated in this study suggest that such technological approaches can be used as a public health measure to improve the quality of life of patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Correlation of carotid intimal-medial thickness with estimated glomerular filtration rate and cardiovascular risk factors in chronic kidney disease.

Carotid intimal-medial thickness (CIMT) predicts future vascular events in the general population. However, the correlation of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with CIMT is not studied extensively. To determine the correlation of CIMT with traditional cardiovascular risk factors like age, body mass index (BMI), dyslipidemia and various stages of CKD patients, CIMT was measured by means of high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography in 70 CKD patients and compared with the 30 healthy controls. The mean CIMT in patients was 0.86 ± 0.21 mm vs 0.63 ± 0.17 mm in healthy age- and sex-matched controls (P <0.001). There was a significant univariate positive correlation between CIMT and age (r = 0.605, P <0.001), BMI (r = 0.377, P = 0.001), total cholesterol (r = 0.236, P ≤0.018) and serum triglyceride (r = 0.387, P ≤0.001). No statistically significant correlation was found between mean CIMT and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (r = -0.02, P = 0.30), very low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. Atherosclerotic changes very well correlate with the traditional cardiovascular risk factors like age, BMI, serum total cholesterol and serum triglyceride level in CKD patients. Even though CIMT was marginally more in the late stages of CKD patients, no statistically significant correlation was found with CIMT and eGFR.

Subperiodic, asymptomatic microfilaremia in an adult male from Mysore: a nonendemic area.

Wuchereria bancrofti is found throughout tropics and subtropics like Asia, Pacific islands, Africa, areas of South America and Caribbean basin. In all these areas, except Pacific islands, microfilaria occurs in the periodic form, in which case the microfilaria are found in large numbers in the peripheral blood during night. In the Pacific islands, they occur in the subperiodic form, i.e., microfilaria are present in the peripheral blood at all times and reach the maximum level of parasitemia in the afternoon. Microfilaria of Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi occurring in India displays a nocturnal periodicity, appearing in large numbers at night. This is the biological adaptation to the nocturnal biting habits of the vector mosquitoes. The maximum density in blood is reported between 10 PM and 2 AM. Here is a case report of asymptomatic microfilaremia showing subperiodicity, which is very unusual in India.