Study of thyroid dysfunction in people living with HIV in Nepalese population undergoing antiretroviral therapy: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Thyroid dysfunction is one of the most common endocrine disorders in people living with HIV (PLHIV). The abnormality in thyroid function has been linked with the adverse effects of prolonged antiretroviral therapy (ART) in PLHIV, but its prevalence remains obscure. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of impaired thyroid function and its relationship to ART duration in Nepalese people living with HIV. METHODS: This cross-sectional clinical laboratory based study was conducted at SRL Diagnostics Nepal, Pvt. Ltd. from October 2021 to May 2022. Two hundred and three HIV-seropositive patients enrolled at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) in Kathmandu, Nepal were examined for their thyroid function test (TFT) by analyzing the serum T3, T4, and TSH concentrations using a fully automated COBAS e411 analyzer (Roche Diagnostics, USA) based on the electrochemiluminescence assay (ECLIA). RESULTS: Out of 203 PLHIV, 22 (10.83%) had a thyroid disorder, with subclinical hypothyroidism (n = 16, 72.73%) being the most common, followed by subclinical hyperthyroidism (n = 3, 13.63%). Thyroid dysfunction had no significant correlation with HIV/ART duration (p = 0.304) and sex (p = 0.419), whereas, the risk of thyroid dysfunction was induced with the rise in the age of the PLHIV (p = 0.002, ϕ = 0.274). There were no significant differences in the mean serum T3, T4 and TSH values among different sexes and the HIV/ART duration, however a significant difference in the mean values of TSH (F (3, 199) = 3.231, p = 0.023) and T3 (F (3, 199) = 4.587, p = 0.004) among the different age-groups were shown. The mean T3 values also indicated a gradual decrease with increasing age. CONCLUSION: The study revealed subclinical hypothyroidism as the prevailing thyroid disorder associated with PLHIV. The risk of thyroid dysfunction in PLHIV was neither gender specific nor being attributed by the ART duration in Nepalese population; however, elderly PLHIV were highly susceptible to the risk of thyroid disorder.

Antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial effects of In vitro developed protocorms of Dendrobium longicornu.

In vitro seed germination and protocorms formation were successfully established in traditionally used Dendrobium longicornu. Fresh protocorms (178.34 g - 183.90 g) were produced on the elicitor of Alternaria sp, Bacillus subtilis and Fusarium solani supplemented MS-medium. Methanol extract of D. longicornu protocorms has scavenged 94.31 % of DPPH radicals at 1000 µg/mL. Its 117.56 µg/mL concentration has scavenged 50 % DPPH radical (IC50). Similarly, it inhibits 25.39 % and 27.80 % HeLa and U251 cells at 500 µg/mL. The IC50 was found as 350.06 µg/mL and 507.22 µg/mL for HeLa and U251 cells respectively. Further, it inhibited the growth of E. coli, K. pneumoniae and E. cloacae with the zone of inhibition 4, 2 and 2 mm respectively. In conclusion, protocorms developed through in vitro seeds culture have accumulated and synthesized bioactive secondary metabolites. Therefore, protocorms could be utilized to the isolation of compounds for formulation of herbal drugs without damaging natural populations.