Indian Journal of Medical Research back issues from April 2008:
A web based module for capturing acute coronary events in Indian hospitals
Apr 01, 2008; ... Web-based secure communication systems have revolutionized data collection systems in medical research. Such systems provide opportunities for a study with exceptionally large sample sizes and have the potential to provide timely information about current trends in disease incidence, treatment, ...
Factors, definitions, predictive value & Asian Indian ethnicity: Complexities of the metabolic syndrome
Apr 01, 2008; ... The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities, including impaired glucose metabolism, hypertension, dyslipidemia and abdominal obesity. Although the pathophysiology of this syndrome is incompletely understood, insulin resistance and abdominal obesity are central to many of the ...
ESBLs detection in clinical microbiology: why & how ?
Apr 01, 2008; ... ESBLs are β-lactamases capable of conferring bacterial resistance to the penicillins, first-, second-, and third-generation cephalosporins, and aztreonam (but not the cephamycins or carbapenems) by hydrolysis of these antibiotics, and are inhibited by β-lactamase inhibitors such as ...
Chloroquine: Novel uses & manifestations
Apr 01, 2008; ... Chloroquine (CHQ) is a cheap, relatively well tolerated drug initially developed for the treatment of malaria in the 1930s. CHQ has, however, since accrued a plethora of uses in the treatment and amelioration of several other diseases and conditions because of its lysosomotropic properties. It ...
Ethnobotany & ethnopharmacology of Tabernaemontana divaricata
Apr 01, 2008; ... Tabernaemontana divaricata a common garden plant in tropical countries has been used as a traditional medicine. However, no recent review articles of T. divaricata, particularly discussing its pharmacological properties, are available. This review presents the ethnobotany and ethnopharmacology ...
Factor analysis of metabolic syndrome using direct measurement of insulin resistance in Chinese with different degrees of glucose tolerance
Apr 01, 2008; ... Background & objectives: With the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Taiwan, the understanding of metabolic syndrome (MetS) becomes more important. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clustering patterns of the risk variables of the MetS with ...
Cost of illness: Evidence from a study in five resource-poor locations in India
Apr 01, 2008; ... Background & objectives: In India, health services are funded largely through out-of-pocket spendings (OOPS). We carried out this study to collect data on the cost of an illness episode and parameters affecting cost in five locations in India. Methods: The data were obtained through ...
Effect of intraarticular injection of lornoxicam on the articular cartilage & synovium in rat
Apr 01, 2008; ... Background & objectives: Intraarticular (i.a) drug application is consider to be a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of postoperative pain after arthroscopic knee surgery without any systemic adverse effects. Lornoxicam, a nonsteroid anti-inflammatory drug is a short acting agent, ...
Urinary & serum oxalate determination by oxalate oxidase immobilized on to affixed arylamine glass beads
Apr 01, 2008; ... Background & objectives: Although the measurement of oxalate in urine and serum by Amaranthus leaf oxalate oxidase immobilized on free arylamine glass beads is highly sensitive and specific, the handling of glass beads is tedious and cumbersome. The present study was undertaken to overcome ...
Iron deficiency anaemia in sickle cell disorders in India
Apr 01, 2008; ... Background & objectives: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is uncommon in individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) because of availability of an adequate iron source potentially from increased red cell turnover and from blood transfusions. Also, iron deficiency anaemia can often go unnoticed ...
Changing pattern of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea in a tertiary care hospital: A 5 year retrospective study
Apr 01, 2008; ... Background & objectives: Frequent use of broad spectrum antibiotics in hospitalized patients has increased the incidence of Clostridium difficile diarrhoea in recent years. In our tertiary care hospital in north India, C. difficile was responsible for 15 per cent of cases of nosocomial ...
Molecular appraisal of Indian animal isolates of Echinococcus granulosus
Apr 01, 2008; ... Background & objectives: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) has a wide host range and distinct entities, not only reflected phenotypically but also by genotypic variation. Considering this fact, this study was undertaken to characterize the Indian isolates of Echinococcus granulosus to find out ...
Expression of co-stimulatory molecules B7.1 & B7.2 on macrophages infected with various strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis & its influence on T-cell apoptosis
Apr 01, 2008; ... Background & objectives: Activation of T cells is mediated through two critical signals provided by activated macrophages. The first signal is triggered when T cell receptor (TCR) binds to the major histocompatibility antigen (MHC/Ag) complex. The second signal is the interaction of ...
Natural vertical transmission of dengue viruses by Aedes aegypti in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Apr 01, 2008; ... Background & objectives: Dengue viruses are spread and maintained in an Aedes aegypti-human-Ae. aegypti cycle in urban areas of the tropics. Dengue viruses are also maintained in nature by vertical transmission by Ae. aegypti. A study was undertaken in Chennai, a known endemic city in south ...
Incidence of metallo beta lactamase producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa in ICU patients
Apr 01, 2008; ... Background & objectives: Metallo beta lactamase (MBL) producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been reported to be important cause of nosocomial infections. The appearance of MBL genes and their spread among bacterial pathogens is a matter of concern with regard to the future of antimicrobial ...
Isospora belli, Strongyloides stercoralis & hookworm multiple-infection in a person with HIV infection & normal CD4+ T-lymphocyte count
Apr 01, 2008; ... Sir, As a consequence of abrogated immune system, HIV infected patients are vulnerable to a spectrum of infectious and non-infectious opportunistic manifestations during the disease course and/or with improper antiretroviral therapy (ART) drug adherence. Of these, diarrhoea accounts for ...
Sputum conversion at the end of intensive phase treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis patients with diabetes mellitus or HIV infection/Authors' response
Apr 01, 2008; ... Sir, Banu Rekha and colleagues' in their study found that at the end of intensive phase of tuberculosis treatment among sputum positive cases, the smear conversion rates were 58, 61, 62 per cent and culture conversion 86, 88 and 92 per cent respectively. Also, the patients with HIV ...
Urgent reforms needed to revive impact factor of India's medical journals
Apr 01, 2008; ... Sir, "In the past, India had shown her greatness in the fields of scholarship, philosophy and science but today, we are helplessly dependent on Western countries for knowledge of science. India should not be a campfollower, but a leader in science. It is no use getting our ideas from the ...
Cassia occidentalis toxicity causes recurrent outbreaks of brain disease in children in Saharanpur
Apr 01, 2008; ... Sir, Three recent papers in IJMR1-3 have made a great impact on our clinical practice in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. We, in-charge of the paediatric division of the Government District Hospital of Saharanpur, have been under severe stress on account of the recurring annual outbreaks of ...
Bacterial infections in burn patients/Authors' response
Apr 01, 2008; ... Sir, I read the article entitled "Bacterial infections in burn patients at a burn hospital in Iran" by Ekrami and Kalantar1 with great interest. As Sharma and Taneja2 indicated in their commentary burn patients are included in the special patient group who are extremely sensitive to ...
Elemental speciation in human health risk assessment
Apr 01, 2008; ... Elemental speciation in human health risk assessment, Environmental Health Criteria 234 (World Health Organization, Geneva) 2007. 238 pages. Price: CHF 30.00/US $ 30.00; in developing countries: CHF 21.00/US$ 18.90 ISBN 92-4-157234-5 This book is based on a draft prepared by WHO Task ...
Turmeric: The salt of the orients is the spice of life
Apr 01, 2008; ... Turmeric: The salt of the orients is the spice of life, Kamala Krishnaswamy (Allied Publishers Private Limited, New Delhi) 2007. 248 pages. Price: Rs.350/-ISBN 81-8424-126-7 Spices have been used since times immemorial for culinary purposes but the discovery of their physiological ...
Influenza and its global public health significance
Apr 01, 2008; ... Influenza and its global public health significance, T. M. Mathew & T. Mathew, editors (Thejma Publishers, West Orange, NJ, USA) 2006.203 pages. Price: $ 33.99 ISBN: 0-9727597-5-1 This book published in 2006 is aimed for the public, and government authorities dealing with the ...
Detection of extended spectrum [beta]-lactamase production in clinical isolates of Klebsiella spp.
Apr 01, 2008; ... Background & objectives: Clinical laboratories need to develop quick screening methods for detection of extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) producing strains, so that the appropriate medication can be started without delay. In this study, we report the screening sensitivity of four ...
Imipenem-EDTA disk method for rapid identification of metallo-[beta]-lactamase producing Gram-negative bacteria
Apr 01, 2008; ... Sir, Carbapenems are often used as last resort for treating infections due to multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli, because they are stable even in response to extended-spectrum and AmpC β-lactamases. In recent years, there has been an increase in the prevalence of carbapenem ...
Towards equitable health care: drug prices, and beyond
Apr 01, 2008; ... Of the 4.8 billion people in developing countries, 2.7 billion live on less than US$2 a day while about 836 million (77% of population) in India earn less than Rs 20 (US$ 0.5) a day1,2. The global disease burden is huge - about 14 million die due to infectious diseases and 10 million children ...