Pulmonary tuberculosis masking lung cancer – A case report

AbstractPulmonary Tuberculosis can co-exist with lung malignancy masking the underlying disorder leading to delay in diagnosis and management. Here we present an interesting case of a 60 year old man who on initial presentation was diagnosed with tuberculosis but on nonresponse to therapy and investigation was found to have an underlying lung malignancy

Pattern of vitamin D status in prediabetic individuals: a case control study at tertiary hospital in South India

Background: Role of vitamin D in the regulation of calcium metabolism is well established. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 DM in humans. There is a limited available data on the relationship of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency with glucose homeostasis among prediabetic individuals in South Indian population. Hence we examined serum 25(OH) D3 concentration among prediabetics. The objective of this study is to evaluate prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in prediabetics and to study any correlation between vitamin D and BMI, FBS and PPBS among prediabetics.  Methods: A case control study was carried out among 40 prediabetics & controls, after obtaining consent from subjects and clearance from institutional ethics committee. Serum vitamin D levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in both groups. Statistical analysis was done using “t” test & Pearson correlation co-efficient (r).Results: Vitamin D levels less than 20 ng/ml were found in 72.5% of cases and 35% of controls. 5% of the cases and 12.5% of the controls had vitamin D above 30 ng/ml and this difference was statistically significant. Mean vitamin D levels in cases and controls was 17.09±5.89 ng/ml and 23.67±11.02 ng/ml respectively (P<0.05). A significant inverse correlation was observed between vitamin D levels & body mass index (r=-0.274; p=0.014); random blood sugar (r=-0.35; p=0.001); fasting blood sugar (r=-0.328; p=0.003); post prandial blood sugar (r=-0.276; p=0.013).Conclusions: High prevalence of hypovitaminosis D exists among prediabetics and there is significant inverse correlation between BMI, FBS, PPBS and vitamin D levels. Hence, a prospective study covering large pre-diabetic individuals is essential to confirm the findings.

Equity Must Accompany Economic Growth for Good Health

K. Srinath Reddy discusses a new research study by S. V. Subramanian and colleagues that found no strong evidence of recent economic growth in India being associated with a reduction in child undernutrition

Toward Food Policy for the Dual Burden of Malnutrition: An Exploratory Policy Space Analysis in India.

BACKGROUND: There is global consensus that a strong policy response is essential for addressing the dual burden of malnutrition. However, policy makers in low- and middle-income countries may perceive a conflict between food supply policies to combat persistent undernutrition and more recent recommendations for policies addressing rising rates of diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). OBJECTIVE: This article explores the potential to use policy space analysis to identify food supply policy opportunities for addressing both undernutrition and diet-related NCDs and to support improved policy coherence. METHODS: We conducted an exploratory policy space analysis to identify opportunities and constraints for integrated nutrition policy with respect to the food supply in India, where a dual burden of malnutrition has been well documented. We conducted a review of food supply policies and 27 key informant interviews (16 with stakeholders active in India's national nutrition policy space, and 11 with policy makers and experts in food supply policy). RESULTS: The analysis suggests several opportunities for an integrated food supply policy agenda, including targeting common foods of concern (such as highly processed foods) and foods that present common benefits (such as fruits and vegetables), and scaling up existing small-scale policy initiatives that support the availability of nutrient-rich foods. Challenges include policy inertia and competing priorities within the economic sector. CONCLUSION: This scoping study indicates that the policy space analysis framework used here can help to identify specific, contextually appropriate policy options and strategies for strengthening public health nutrition policy within sectors responsible for food supply policy