The Pro-inflammatory Markers and Cytokine Profile in Acute Chikungunya Virus Infections in a Rural Community from North India

Analysis of pro-inflammatory markers, i.e., nitrite, citrulline, tumor necrosis alfa (TNF-α ) and Th1 and Th2-specific cytokines, viz., IL-2 and IL-4 respectively were analyzed in 30 sera positive for IgM antibodies to Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) from a rural hospital-attending population in comparison to 40 sera from cases with other febrile illness (OFI) and 30 healthy controls. Levels of nitrite, citrulline, TNF-α and IL-4 were found to be increased in serum while serum level of IL-2 was found to be depressed in anti-CHIKV IgM positive cases compared to OFI and control groups. The serum nitrite levels in anti-CHIKV IgM positive cases showed positive correlation with citrulline, TNF-α and IL-2 and negative correlation with IL-4 level. The IL-2 level showed negative correlations with that of IL-4 level in serum.

Gap anisotropy in the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+\delta}

The gap anisotropy in Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ is revisited in the framework of a d-wave scenario in view of the recent angle-resolved photoemission experiment. Based on a tight-binding fit to the normal state dispersion, a detail analysis on the effects of the inclusion of the next harmonic in the d-wave has been presented. Significant effect has been observed in the superconducting T$_c$. The density of states is linear at the nodes with enhanced weight, caused by a marked increase in the low energy excitaions which affect the thermodynamics considerably. The slope of the $\rho_s - T$ curve in the low temperature regime increases and the specific heat reflects the enhanced entropy at low temperatures. The leading edge of the ARPES energy distribution curves have been calculated and found to shift towards higher energy. The effect of scattering by non-magnetic impurities in this context is also outlined.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures (akw.eps and edc.eps in one panel

HIV-2 prevalence in Uttar Pradesh

Serum samples collected since 1989 with various patterns of reactivity for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1, on the basis of screening ELISA and confirmatory Western blot (WB) test, were subjected to the detection of HIV-2 infection based on screening dot immunoassay and confirmatory WB for HIV-2. Significant prevalence of HIV-2 infection was (37.03%) among sera reactive for HIV-1 by ELISA but indeterminate by Western blot, compared with sera reactive for HIV-1 by ELISA and WB (3.29%) or negative by WB (2.63%). Out of 16 HIV-2 positive sera, 5 (31.25%) showed evidence of concomitant HIV-1 infection. This study demonstrates evidence of HIV-2 infection as early as 1989, earlier than reported so far from India. PIP: HIV-2 shares many properties with HIV-1 in terms of morphology and tropism for CD4 cells, but it differs at the molecular, clinical, and epidemiological levels. Most cases of HIV-2 infection have been reported in West Africa, with sporadic cases in Europe and the US. Serological evidence of HIV-2 infection in India was detected in 1990 in Bombay and reported from Delhi, Maharashtra state, southern states, and Visakhapatnam. 34,875 sera from individuals in Uttar Pradesh at risk for HIV infection were screened for the presence of HIV antibodies between 1989 and 1994. All ELISA positive sera and randomly selected 150 ELISA non-reactive control sera were retested for the presence of HIV-2 based upon screening dot immunoassay and confirmatory Western blot (WB). Antibodies to HIV-2 were detected in 37.03% of sera reactive for HIV-1 infection with ELISA but indeterminate with WB, 3.29% in sera reactive by both tests, and 2.63% in sera reactive to ELISA but negative in WB. 5 of 16 HIV-2 positive sera showed evidence of concomitant HIV-1 infection. This study therefore demonstrates evidence of HIV-2 infection in India as early as 1989

Eccrine Spiradenoma in Knee

Eccrine spiradenoma is an uncommon benign adnexal tumor of the eccrine sweat glands. Although it can occur at any age, it is most common in young adults without any sex predilection. Malignant transformation is rare, presenting as rapid increase in size of a long-standing lesion. Here, we report a case of eccrine spiradenoma in a 35-year-old man who presented with swelling over the right knee, with cytological atypia but no recurrence until date

Hepatitis E virus infection and fulminant hepatic failure during pregnancy

Background and Aim: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection leading to fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) and high mortality is a common feature in Indian women during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. An altered status of hormones and immunity are observed during pregnancy but the actual cause of high mortality is still unknown. The present study was carried out to analyze CD3, CD4 and CD8 T cell counts and to assay the level of pregnancy-related hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and β-HCG in order to discover the role played by these factors. Methods: One hundred patients (50 pregnant and 50 non-pregnant women) with FHF and 150 pregnant healthy females without liver disease as controls were recruited for the study. Serological tests for all viral markers using ELISA kits and detection of HEV RNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were carried out in all cases. CD3, CD4 and CD8 T cell counts were analyzed by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) while hormone assay was performed by commercially available RIA kits. Results: Serologically (38/50; 76%) as well as by RT-PCR (28/50; 56%), a significantly higher HEV positivity rate was found in pregnant FHF patients compared to non-pregnant women (serologically 15/50; 30%; RT-PCR 7/50; 14%). CD4 counts were lower (P < 0.05), while CD8 counts were higher (P < 0.05), and their ratio (CD4/CD8) in HEV positive pregnant FHF patients was significantly lower (P < 0.01) when compared to that of HEV negative pregnant FHF women or controls. Levels of estrogen, progesterone and β-HCG were also found to be higher (P < 0.001) in HEV positive pregnant FHF patients when compared to HEV negative patients or controls. HEV infected pregnant FHF patients had a significantly higher mortality rate of 65.8% (25/38) compared to 23.5% (4/15) in HEV positive non-pregnant women (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Pregnancy appears to be a potential risk factor for viral replication and an extreme low immune status of Indian/Asian pregnant women. It is suggested that diminished cellular immunity (indicated by a decrease in CD4, an increase in CD8 cell counts and lowered CD4/CD8 cell ratio) and a high level of steroid hormones that influence viral replication/expression during pregnancy appear to be the plausible reasons for severity of the disease