Expert opinion on the clinical use and benefits of liposomal iron in the treatment of anemia in Indian settings

Background: Several studies have reported the effectiveness and safety of liposomal iron in increasing hemoglobin levels and correcting anemia. However, there was a dearth of information regarding the prescription pattern of physicians regarding its use and advantages in the actual practice. The present survey-based study aims at gathering clinicians' perspectives regarding the clinical use and benefits of liposomal iron in the treatment of anemia in Indian settings. Methods: This cross-sectional study used a 19-item questionnaire to gather insights from specialists across different Indian settings regarding their perspectives on anemia and liposomal iron. Results: Out of 124 participants, 77% opined that liposomal iron was highly bioavailable, achieves much higher plasma iron concentration, and bypasses the extremely restrictive, normal intestinal barriers. Oral liposomal iron was preferred by 77% of clinicians for the rapid increase in hemoglobin level and 99% of clinicians reported improved patient compliance with liposomal iron therapy for anemia. According to 50% of clinicians, oral liposomal iron was effective in non-hemodialysis dependent chronic kidney diseases and 87% of clinicians reported that patients without CKD needed oral liposomal iron. Half of the respondents reported a significant increase in Hb with liposomal iron in both dialysis and non-dialysis patients. Conclusions: The survey participants reported that liposomal iron treatment for anemia was beneficial in treating both CKD and non-CKD patients. The survey findings have corroborated the advantages of liposomal iron for treating anemia such as increased bioavailability, rapid and effective increase in Hb level, better patient compliance and tolerability, decreased side effects, cost-effectiveness, and flexible dosing

Expert opinion on the clinical use of calcium and vitamin D supplements in osteoporosis in Indian settings

Background: Several clinical studies demonstrated that calcium intake decreases the risk of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures. However, understanding the prescription practice of calcium supplements employed in Indian contexts may help in improving patient management and developing evidence-based recommendations for optimizing the treatment. So, this study aimed to gather clinicians’ perspective regarding the use of calcium and vitamin D supplements for the management of osteoporosis in Indian settings. Methods: The current survey involved 17 questions pertaining to current feedback, clinical observations, and clinical experience of specialists on osteoporosis management and the use of calcium and vitamin D supplements. Results: According to 30%, 26%, 25%, and 19% of the experts, higher dietary sodium (salt) intake was generally associated with negative calcium balance and bone mineral loss, increased risk of fracture, decreased calcium excretion in the urine and decreased dietary calcium absorption. Calcium and vitamin D were recommended by 78% of the respondents for the management of osteoporosis. Approximately 72% of the respondents stated calcium aspartate anhydrous as the preferred calcium supplement to manage osteoporosis. Around 49% of the respondents reported a reduced risk of bone fractures among those who consume more calcium than the average amount. Further 48%, 30%, and 25% of the respondents indicated that calcium aspartate anhydrous have better absorption, better bioavailability, and better gastrointestinal tolerability. Conclusions: According to the expert’s opinion, both calcium and vitamin D administration in conjunction with maintaining a balanced sodium intake were recommended for managing osteoporosis.

Expert opinion on the prescription practice of dual combination oral anti-diabetic drugs in type 2 diabetes mellitus management

Background: This study aimed to gather the clinicians’ perspective regarding the use and prescription practice of dual combination oral anti-diabetic drugs (OADs) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management in Indian settings. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted by using a 29-item structured questionnaire covering factors considered, challenges, preferred indicators of glycemic control, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) use, and strategies. Additionally, it explored clinicians' feedback and experiences with dual combination oral anti-diabetic drugs in T2DM management. Results: Seventy percent of clinicians observed improved adherence to dual combination therapy of OAD. The combination of dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors and metformin was favored for early initiation and showed better tolerability within the first year according to 42% of clinicians. Approximately 63% of clinicians prefer vildagliptin + metformin for 40–50 year-old diabetics. The combination yields favorable outcomes: 21% in young, 14% in elderly, and 7% in long-standing diabetes cases. After 5 years, 37% of clinicians observed 40-50% of diabetics reaching an HbA1c goal of <7.0% with this combination. Clinicians choose glimepiride + metformin for treatment intensification based on its efficacy, cardiovascular (CV) safety, and fewer adverse events. These factors were collectively recognized by 66.54% of respondents. Conclusions: This study provided valuable insights into real-world clinical practices and preferences regarding dual combination therapy for diabetes management. Clinicians identified the fixed-dose combination of DPP4 inhibitors and metformin as the preferred choice and highlighted the effectiveness of glimepiride + metformin in overcoming treatment intensification challenges.

OBESITY: DEVELOPMENT, EPIDEMIOLOGY, FACTORS AFFECTING, QUANTITY, HEALTH HAZARDS, MANAGEMENT AND NATURAL TREATMENT-A REVIEW

Due to the advancement in science, enhanced knowledge on the physiological aspects of almost all the tissues and the organs of the human body is gained. One of the most important prevalent topics needed for discussion is obesity and its effect on the metabolic changes leading to disorders in the human body such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases in addition to chronic diseases such as stroke, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, some cancers, and inflammation-based pathologies. In recent years, obesity is a serious socioeconomic issue, which has become one of the major health problems all over the world, affecting people of all ages, sex, ethnicities and races. Obesity is a complex and multifactorial disease caused by the interaction of a myriad genetics, dietary, lifestyle and environmental factors and it is characterised by an excessive weight for height due to an enlarged fat deposition in the adipose tissue, which is due to a higher calorie intake than the energy expenditure. The pharmaceutical drugs are currently available to treat obesity but generally they have unpleasant side effects. Recent researches demonstrated the potential of natural products to counteract on obesity. Now the novel promising approach is the usage of dietary supplements and plant products and their bioactive compounds that could interfere on pancreatic lipase activity, food intake, lipid metabolism and adipocyte differentiation. In a similar way, hundreds of extracts are currently being isolated from plants, fungi, algae or bacteria and are screened for their potential inhibitions of activity against obesity. Natural products may have a synergistic activity that increases their bioavailability and action on multiple molecular targets

Isolation and characterization of resistant gene analogs in cassava, wild Manihot species, and castor bean (Ricinus communis)

Cassava, Manihot esculenta, is one of the major food crops in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) providing the bulk of dietary calories to hundreds of millions of households. Two viral diseases, namely cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) pose a serious threat to cassava production. The emergence of new virus species and strains that overcome the existing resistant/tolerant cultivars entails identification and pyramiding of new sources of resistance using marker-aided selection. The isolation of resistance gene analogues (RGAs) using a homology-based approach can provide useful resources towards this goal. Degenerate primers based on the conserved motif of the nucleotide binding site (NBS) domain from resistance (R) genes were used to isolate RGAs from genomic DNA and cDNA in cassava, wild Manihot species, and castor bean (Ricinus communis). A total of 552 RGAs sequences were identified and deposited in GenBank. Conserved motifs such as P-loop, Kinase-2a and GLPL were present in the NBS domain. This study sheds light on the nature of NBS- leucine-rich repeat (LRR) R genes in cassava and closely related taxa in the family Euphorbiaceae. These candidate sequences mapped to the draft cassava genome with high sequence similarity to predicted NBS-LRR genes. These novel sequences may serve as a stepping stone for further characterization and experimental validation of predicted R genes in the draft cassava genome, ultimately leading to the development of functional gene-targeted markers that can be used in molecular resistance breeding aimed at combating CBSD and CMD.Key words: Cassava, resistance, Manihot, castor bean, resistance gene analog, nucleotide binding site

A Review: Discover True Facts from Conflicting Information Providers on the Web using Truth Finder

Web mining is the application of data mining techniques to discover patterns from the Web according to analysis targets. Data quality is the quality of data of high quality "if they are fit for their intended uses in operations, decision making and planning or refers to the degree of excellence exhibited by the data in relation to the portrayal of the actual phenomena

Formulation and Evaluation of Itraconazole Nanocapsules

An objective of a present research has been able to prepare as well as analyze Itraconazole Nanocapsules through using emulsion solvent evaporation method. Itraconazole has been overfilled of ethyl cellulose & hydroxypropyl methylcellulose Nanocapsules and that was able to prepare through emulsion solvent evaporation technique. The outcomes like Fourier transform infrared implied a steady identity like Itraconazole Nanocapsules filled as for ethyl cellulose Nanocapsules and then also absence like drug - excipient interplay. Compatibility research findings like FTIR & differential scanning have been used to start investigating that there's no incompatability inside the composition. A morphometric size of the particles like Itraconazole Nanocapsules has been done through SEM. Nanocapsules has been analyzed such as total composition codes has been f1 to f8. A % yield has been obtained to be 73.22% to 88.91%. Drug content has been 65.9 to 98.4%. A size of the particles like Nanocapsules 80 µm to 22 µm, drug entrapment efficiency has been 54.3% to 91.3 %, a drug loading capabilities has been 97.8% to 56.9%. A swellability studies has been 0.6 sec to 1.6 sec. in vitro dissolution studies like best formulation f8 has been did find of being 61.78%. An In-vitro drug dissolution obtained data has been equipped to numerous mathematical equations such like zero order, 1st order, higuchi matrix & korsmeyer peppas model. Itraconazole Nanocapsules continues to follow model having r2 value has been 0.937, 0.399, 0.899, 0.785 & m value has been 1593, 0.061, 11409, 2.560. The discharge of drug out from Nanocapsules increased up of about 45 mints. Itraconazole loaded as for ethyl cellulose & HPMC Nanocapsules have been able to prepare below optimum condition and it display great discharge characteristic features

Clinical study of central serous chorioretinopathy presenting in a tertiary care centre

Background: Central Serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is one of the common causes of visual handicap affecting young people of highly intellectual professionals at the peak of their career which can lead to irrecoverable loss of vision.Methods: The present prospective observational population-based study was conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology, S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack, Odisha from October 2013 to September 2015. The total number of patients attended the Outpatient Department (OPD) during the study period were 1,83,199. Amongst which 123 patients diagnosed to have CSCR were selected for the present study.Results: Incidence of CSCR during in this study period was 0.06%. The age group most commonly affected was 31 to 40 years. Males were affected 7 times more commonly than females. Increased incidence was noticed in bank employees (21.1 %) and IT professionals (17.8%).Conclusions: There was increased incidence of the disease in people under stressful life condition

Unusual presentation of vitamin D deficiency rickets in a 6 day old extremely low birth weight baby

Clinical and biochemical signs of vitamin D deficiency in early neonatal period may be different from those of classic rickets. Themost common presenting symptom in this age group is either incidental hypocalcemia or seizure, whereas skeletal deformitiesare minimal. This case report describes an extremely low birth weight baby who presented with clinical signs of rickets in theearly neonatal period. Over a period of 6‑week, his phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, urinary calcium/creatinine, and urinarycalcium/phosphorus ratio started improving. Between 1 and 4 months of age his abnormal biochemical findings showed significantimprovement. This case report highlights the fact that pregnant women should be informed, at their first antenatal visit, of theimportance of adequate vitamin D intake