Prevalence of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae and the Genes Responsible for Carbapenemase Production in a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India

Introduction: Carbapenem resistance in Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) is a major concern in the management of resistant infections. The mechanism of carbapenem resistance is most commonly mediated by carbapenemases. The five most common genes (NDM, KPC, VIM, OXA, and IMP) are responsible for carbapenemase production. Knowledge of these genes is important for the management of the disease. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of different genes responsible for carbapenemase production in GNB at a tertiary healthcare centre in South India. Method: In this retrospective study, samples were collected over 16 months. Carbapenem-resistant GNB underwent to Xpert Carba-R assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, California, USA) for the detection of five important genes responsible for carbapenemase production: NDM, KPC, VIM, OXA, and IMP. Results: Out of 184 carbapenem-resistant GNB, 20 samples were not included in this study. The rest of the 164 samples grew Klebsiella pneumoniae (152), Escherichia coli (10), and Enterobacter (2). OXA-48 and NDM were the most common genes responsible, with 137 (84.5%) and 95 (58.6%), respectively. Among them, 70 (43.2%) showed the presence of both genes, and 1 (0.6%) showed the presence of OXA-48, NDM, and VIM. Individually, 66 (40.7%) of OXA-48, 24 (14.8%) of NDM, and one (0.6%) of VIM. In this study, the authors did not find the presence of IMP or KPC genes. Conclusion: As a result of limited options and the higher cost of antibiotics for carbapenem-resistant infections, knowledge of these genes helps in the selection and rational use of antibiotics reduces the cost of management and will prevent mortality and morbidity from these infections

Measures of frailty in population-based studies: An overview

Although research productivity in the field of frailty has risen exponentially in recent years, there remains a lack of consensus regarding the measurement of this syndrome. This overview offers three services: first, we provide a comprehensive catalogue of current frailty measures; second, we evaluate their reliability and validity; third, we report on their popularity of use

Evaluation of antiplaque and antigingivitis effect of herbal mouthwash in treatment of plaque induced gingivitis: A randomized, clinical trial

Background: Ayurvedic drugs have been used since ancient times to treat diseases including periodontal diseases. Oral rinses made from ayurvedic medicines are used in periodontal therapy to control bleeding and reduce inflammation. The aim of this clinical study is to verify the efficacy of herbal mouthwash containing Pilu, Bibhitaka, Nagavalli, Gandhapura taila, Ela, Peppermint satva, and Yavani satva on reduction of plaque and gingivitis. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 volunteers with clinical signs of mild to moderate gingivitis were selected and assigned to Group A (only scaling done) and Group B (scaling along with the use of herbal mouthwash). After recording the clinical parameters, the patients were instructed to use herbal mouthwash 15 ml for 30 s twice daily after food in Group B and oral hygiene instructions were given to all patients. Plaque and gingivitis assessment were carried out using the plaque index (Silness nd Loe, 1964), Gingival index (Loe And Silness, 1963), Gingival bleeding index (Ainamo and Bay, 1975) at baseline and at 21 days of the herbal mouthwash use. Statistically analysis was carried out using the student′s t-test for normally distributed data and Wilcoxson test or Mann-Whitney U-test for skewed data. Results: Our results showed that herbal mouthwash was effective in treatment of plaque induced gingivitis in Group B when compared with the Group A. Conclusion: Herbal mouthwash is effective in treatment of plaque induced gingivitis and can be effectively used as an adjunct to mechanical therapy with lesser side-effects

Practice of L-Asparaginase Usage: A Survey among Healthcare Providers Treating Children with Cancer in India

Abstract Vasudeva Bhat K Introduction L-asparaginase is an essential chemotherapeutic agent in the therapy of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which has led to improvement in survival. In low- and middle-income countries like India, the outcomes in ALL are inferior compared with the published literature, one of the causes of which is believed to be due to the inferior quality of bioequivalent asparaginase. Objective The following survey attempts to understand the practice of using this agent among oncologists treating children with cancer in our country. Methods The researchers designed a structured online questionnaire comprising 25 aspects of L-asparaginase usage in the study. The questionnaire was directed to the healthcare providers involved in treating children with cancer in India. Results Of the total 80 responses recorded, 51 (64%) respondents had more than 5 years of experience in pediatric oncology and were treating at least 5 to 10 newly diagnosed ALL patients per month. Forty-one (51%) respondents utilized native asparaginase, and 21 (26.3%) oncologists used PEGylated-asparaginase exclusively. The most common route of administration was the intramuscular route (66.3%). Seventy percent of respondents utilized native form at a dose of 10,000 IU/m2 and 20% at 6,000 IU/m2. The amounts used for PEGylated L-asparaginase were 1,000,IU/m2, 2,500,IU/m2, and variable doses in 48, 40, and 10% of responses, respectively. Though serum asparaginase assay (SAA) was not measured routinely in most of the centers, 39 (48.8%) healthcare providers perceived performing SAA helps to make the clinical decision. Conclusion This survey shows a wide variation in L-asparaginase usage among healthcare providers caring for children with cancer in our country. As L-asparaginase is the pivotal component of ALL therapy, uniformity in its usage and dosing with the possibility of monitoring SAA due to the quality of bioequivalent may be one of the critical steps toward improving outcomes in ALL in our country