Indian Journal of Medical Research back issues from May 2006:
Tobacco control in India
May 01, 2006; ... Tobacco is the most important preventable cause of death and disease among adults. The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide 5 million deaths are caused prematurely by smoking every year. The number is expected to increase to 10 million by 2020, most of the increase taking place in ...
Randomized study of effect of different doses of vitamin A on childhood morbidity & mortality - claiming benefit when there is none !
May 01, 2006; ... Vitamin A deficiency (VAD), the most important cause of preventable blindness in young children, has long been a significant public health problem in India. It is principally a nutritional disease due to inadequate dietary intake of the vitamin or its plant-based precursors, and is often ...
Indian registry for clinical trials
May 01, 2006; ... Two independent incidents underscored the need to have a serious relook at the way clinical trials are conducted and reported. An early stage trial of TGN1412, a monoclonal antibody to treat leukemia went seriously wrong in Britain with a dozen patients hospitalized due to multiple organ failure ...
IgA deficiency: Implications for transfusion
May 01, 2006; ... Anaphylactic transfusion reactions are acute, potentially life-threatening events with generalized signs and symptoms. Usually IgE mediated they may also result from antigen -antibody reaction involving non-IgE antibodies which fix complement and generate anaphylatoxins. The best documented ...
Pharmacogenomic studies: hype & reality
May 01, 2006; ... Though pharmacogenomics is the latest buzz word in medical research. It is important to note that the subject is not very young. History of pharniacogenetics1 could be traced to the first inherited difference in a response to a chemical, i.e., inability to taste phenythiourea in 19321. This was ...
Obesity & abdominal obesity in Asian Indians
May 01, 2006; ... Obesity identified as a nutritional disorder, thirty years ago1, still continues to be one of the most important, yet preventable health hazards. Indeed, obesity rates have now reached epidemic proportions with over 25 per cent of the population being obese in US and 15 per cent in ...
Influence of the CYP2C9 & CYP2C19 polymorphisms on phenytoin hydroxylation in healthy individuals from south India
May 01, 2006; ... Background & objectives: Phenytoin, a widely used anti-epileptic drug, is metabolized mainly by CYP2C9 (90%) and partly by CYP2C19 (10%) to its major metabolite 5-(para-hydroxyphenyl)-5-phenylhydantoin (p-HPPH). The CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 genes encoding these enzymes are polymorphically ...
Diagnostic methods for detection & isolation of dengue viruses from vector mosquitoes
May 01, 2006; ... Dengue is a deadly mosquito-borne infection warranting urgent attention for its containment particularly in the tropical and subtropical countries. In the absence of a vaccine or any specific drug for its treatment, an early diagnosis is considered indispensable to prevent any casualty ....
Elevated percentage of perforin positive cells in active pulmonary tuberculosis
May 01, 2006; ... Background & objectives: Perforin is one of the major effector molecules of cytotoxic cells associated with killing of cells harbouring intracellular bacterial infection. The precise role of perforin positive cells in tuberculosis still remains controversial. The present study was done to ...
Relationship of anthropometric indicators with blood pressure levels in rural Wardha
May 01, 2006; ... Background & objectives: Overweight and obesity are important determinants of health leading to adverse metabolic changes, including increase in blood pressure. Being overweight is associated with two- to six-fold increase in the risk of developing hypertension. Studies in urban Indian ...
Hyperthermia induced brain oedema: Current status & future perspectives
May 01, 2006; ... Recent years have witnessed a large number of deaths due to hyperthermia and heat-related illnesses across the globe in human population resulting in great social and medical problems. The detailed mechanisms and probable therapeutic measures have still not been worked out. Sporadic autopsy ...
High prevalence of metabolic syndrome & its correlates in two tribal populations of India & the impact of urbanization
May 01, 2006; ... Background & objectives: Metabolic syndrome is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. The prevalence of this syndrome is high among Asians, including Indians, and is rising, particularly with the adoption of a modernized life style. Whether traditional societies in ...
DOTS at a tertiary care center in northern India: successes, challenges & the next steps in tuberculosis control
May 01, 2006; ... Background & objectives: The past decade has seen a rapid expansion of directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) centers throughout India, under the guidance of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP). While expansion has been rapid and extensive, few reports exist ...
Mental health: Facing the challenges, building solutions
May 01, 2006; ... Mental health: Facing the challenges, building solutions (World Health Organization, Geneva) 2005. 181 pages. Price: CHF 50.00/US $ 45.00; in developing countries: CHF 35.00/US $ 31.50 ISBN 92-890-1377-X This publication is a report of the WHO European Ministerial Conference on Mental ...
Serological & entomological investigations of an outbreak of dengue fever in certain rural areas of Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu
May 01, 2006; ... Background & objectives: During the first week of July 2003, suspected cases of dengue fever were reported from three villages in Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu. Since the fever outbreak occurred for the first time in these villages, serological, virological and entomological ...
Vitamin A deficiency in children
May 01, 2006; ... Sir, Apropos the correspondence "Severe vitamin A deficiency in India during pulse polio immunization" published in September 2005 issue1, the investigators have substantiated the recommendations of the scientists in India, that vitamin A deficiency (VAD) continues to be a public health ...
Low prevalence of IgA deficiency in north Indian population
May 01, 2006; ... Background & objectives: IgA deficient patients are at risk of severe anaphylactic reaction on being transfused blood and blood products, and its prevalence varies in different parts of the world. No data are available from India.We did a blood donor survey to look for prevalence of IgA ...
Journey from hepatocyte transplantation to hepatic stem cells: A novel treatment strategy for liver diseases
May 01, 2006; ... Acute liver failure (ALF) carries high morbidity and mortality (>80%) even in the best centres. Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx) is the only viable approach to the treatment of ALF. This has significantly improved the survival in these patients. The major limitations of OLTx are non ...
Anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in the World
May 01, 2006; ... Anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in the World, Report no.3 "The WHO/IUATLD Global Project on Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance Surveillance, Geneva, Switzerland (World Health Organisation, Geneva) 2004. 299 pages. Price: CHF 30.00/US $ 27.00; in developing countries: CHF 21.00 The ...
Polymerase chain reaction for early diagnosis of post-operative fungal endophthalmitis
May 01, 2006; ... Background & objectives: Fungal endophthalmitis is a devastating form of ocular infection and postoperative endophthalmitis following cataract surgery is the commonest form of such infection. Early diagnosis is very important for effective management of these patients. As conventional ...
Molecular typing of Salmonella enterica serotype Worthington isolates from infantile diarrhoea
May 01, 2006; ... Background & objectives: Salmonella Worthington has been known to be a causative agent for childhood diarrhoea. There is a paucity of information on the molecular relatedness of the strains isolated in various hospitals in India. The present study was carried out to attempt molecular typing ...
Emergence of ciprofloxacin resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in north India
May 01, 2006; ... Background & objectives: Though quinolones have been recommended as a single dose treatment for uncomplicated gonorrhoea, there have been reports of treatment failure with fluoroquinolones. In this study we determined the antimicrobial susceptibility levels of consecutive isolates of ...
The role of mathematics on human structure
May 01, 2006; ... The role of mathematics on human structure, Swapan Kumar Adhikari (Dipali Publications, Howrah) 2003. 156 pages. Price: $ 10.95 ISBN 81-901643-0-9 The objective of the book is good as mathematical tools are essential in all sciences like social, biological, physical and economics with no ...