Association of clinical features, comorbidities and laboratory profile with outcomes among dengue patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital, Delhi NCR

Background: Dengue fever is an endemic disease across multiple countries. Dengue infection results in a wide spectrum of non-specific clinical manifestations with unpredictable clinical course and outcome. Objective of the study was to understand the association of different clinical features, comorbidities and laboratory profile with outcomes (ICU use, ventilation use and blood transfusion) among dengue patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, National Capital Region.Methods This cross-sectional study included 75 dengue patients with fever <1 week confirmed based on NS-1 antigen and/or IgM antibody positivity. Descriptive analysis was used.Results: Gender was not significantly associated with the outcomes. The duration of fever was significantly higher among those with ICU use (median: 6 versus 4 days; p=0.005), ventilator use (median: 5.5 versus 4.0 days; p=0.049] and blood transfusion (median: 6 versus 4 days; p=0.013). Dengue patients with co-morbidities (diabetes, hypertension, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or co-infection had a significantly higher odds of the outcomes. The platelet level was significantly lower while liver enzymes were significantly higher among those with the outcomes.Conclusions: The clinical features, comorbidities and laboratory profile can help in identifying critical patients for ICU admission and timely intervention to improve outcome

Spectroscopic analysis and temperature-dependent dielectric properties of bulk Ni–Zn ceramics

In the present work, series of Zn ion-doped Ni1−xZnxFe2O4 (0.0≤x≤0.5) ceramics were prepared by the double sintered solid-state reaction route to find out the influence of Zn2+ ions on the crystal structure, lattice structure and dielectric behavior of parent NiFe2O4. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study favors that all the prepared compounds belong to the cubic spinel structure. Lattice parameters found to have increasing value with increased Zn2+ ion substitution. The Raman scattering measurement discerns optical-active modes with blue shift as the doping increases. The dielectric constant (ε′) and dielectric tangent loss (tan δ) decrease with an increase in frequency and at higher frequency, both become constant. Dielectric parameters observe nonlinear behavior with increasing Zn2+ ion substitution. Room temperature dielectric constant of 10% Zn ion-doped NiFe2O4 [Ni0.9Zn0.1Fe2O4] is much higher as compared to other prepared ceramics. The room temperature ac conductivity is found to increase with increase in frequency and temperature-dependent ac conductivity increases with increase in temperature

Deleterious Effect of Air Pollution on Human Microbial Community and Bacterial Flora: A Short Review

A balanced microbiota composition is requisite for normal physiological functions of the human body. However, several environmental factors such as air pollutants may perturb the human microbiota composition. It is noticeable that currently around 99% of the world’s population is breathing polluted air. Air pollution’s debilitating health impacts have been studied scrupulously, including in the human gut microbiota. Nevertheless, air pollution’s impact on other microbiotas of the human body is less understood so far. In the present review, the authors have summarized and discussed recent studies’ outcomes related to air pollution-driven microbiotas’ dysbiosis (including oral, nasal, respiratory, gut, skin, and thyroid microbiotas) and its potential multi-organ health risks