Prevalence study of tuberculous infection over fifteen years, in a rural population in Chingleput district (south India)

As in the earlier BCG trial against tuberculosis conducted in Chingleput district in south India (in 1969), the entire study population was tuberculin tested (Survey I), a study was undertaken subsequently to see whether in this population there was any change in the tuberculosis situation in terms of prevalence of infection in children. For this purpose, in two of the panchayat unions, in a random sample of panchayats, tuberculin testing was repeated twice at an interval of 10 yr (Survey II) and 15 yr (Survey III) after the initial testing in children aged 1-9 yr. High coverages were obtained for tuberculin testing and reading. Data from 8,703 and 9,709 children at Surveys I and II respectively was used for comparing the prevalence of infection over a period of 10 yr and from 4.808, 4,965 and 4,889 children at Surveys I, II and III respectively for comparing the prevalence of infection over a period of 15 yr. The results showed that although the prevalence of infection varied in the two panchayat unions, within each panchayat union it did not differ significantly at the three surveys. The overall prevalence of infection at the three surveys was 9.0, 10.2 and 9.1 per cent respectively. The average annual risk of tuberculous infection was estimated to be 1.7, 1.9 and 1.7 per cent at the three surveys respectively. Thus, the results clearly showed that, over a period of 15 yr, there was no change in the tuberculosis situation, in terms of prevalence of infection, in the study population

Correlation of acute suppurative otitis media with infant feeding position

Background: Acute otitis media (AOM) is the most common childhood illness necessitating medical therapy for children younger than 5 years. Long-term and exclusive breastfeeding is associated with protection against AOM. However, faulty feeding position and habits can lead to the occurrence of AOM in infants. Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the risk of occurrence of AOM with faulty feeding positions during the 1st year of life. Materials and Methods: All breastfed infants <1 year with a provisional diagnosis of AOM, during August 2015 - January 2016 (6 months), were included in the study. Syndromic children, children with craniofacial anomalies, bottle-fed infants, and those not willing to participate in the study were excluded from the study. Demographic details and detailed history, especially, the feeding position were collected from the parents. Diagnosis of AOM was confirmed by a senior ENT surgeon after otoscopic examination. Results: 118 children with AOM were statistically analyzed. They aged between 1 month and 12 months with a mean of 6.8 and standard deviation of 4.1 months. There were 68 (57.62%) males and 50 (42.37%) females. No statistical significance was observed for sex or laterality with AOM. A statistically significant correlation was observed between AOM and age groups, AOM and position of the baby. Conclusion: In this study, we have observed that feeding the infant in supine position significantly increases the risk of AOM in infants

Tuberculosis prevalence survey in Kashmir valley

A tuberculosis prevalence survey was conducted in about 18,000 persons in Kashmir valley situated about 1650 m above the mean sea level. All persons were tested with 3 IU of PPD-S and 10 units of PPD-B. Persons aged 5 yr and above were X-rayed (70 mm X-ray), and from such persons whose photofluorograms were interpreted as abnormal two specimens of sputum were collected and bacteriologically examined. In addition, a large X-ray of the chest was taken for children aged 0-4 yr who had reactions of 10 mm or more to PPD-S. They were then clinically examined by a paediatrician, taking into account all available data, for evaluation for any evidence of tuberculosis. The results of the survey showed that the prevalence of non-specific sensitivity (59%) in the Kashmir valley is significant. The prevalence of tuberculous infection was 38 per cent. The prevalence of culture positive tuberculous patients (3 per 1000) and that of abacillary X-ray positive patients (14 per 1000) were found to be similar in the two sexes contrary to the usual experience of a higher prevalence among males. Results from studies of phage typing, susceptibility to thiophen-2-carbonic acid hydrazide (TCH) and virulence in the guineapig of strains obtained from patients diagnosed in the survey showed that most of these strains belonged to phage type A, were resistant to TCH and were not of low virulence. Regional variations in the prevalence rates were seen, the- problem of tuberculosis appeared to he more in the Baramulla district as compared to Srinagar and Anantnag districts. A comparison of results obtained from the present survey with those obtained from the BCG trial in Chingleput (Tamil Nadu) revealed that the tuberculosis situation in the two areas was quite different

Prevalence survey of filariasis in two villages in Chingleput district of Tamil Nadu

A baseline survey of filariasis was conducted in two endemic villages in Chingleput district of Tamil Nadu, to obtain the prevalence rate of microfilaraemia and that of clinical filarial disease along with its various clinical patterns. Of the 2921 dejure population registered, in 2735 a comprehensive clinical examination for filariasis was carried out by a physician. In 2658 persons of those clinically examined, night blood samples were collected by finger prick. The results of the survey confirmed that the two village were highly endemic for filariasis, the prevalence rates of clinical disease and microfilaraemia being 20 and 12 per cent respectively. The endemicity rate was 31 per cent. Nocturnally periodic Wuchereria bancrofti was the only species identified. The major manifestations of clinical disease were lymphadenitis in the acute phase, hydrocele and oedema of the lower limbs in the chronic phase and involvement of the lower limbs in the elephantiasis phase. Among males with disease in the chronic phase, genital involvement was more than that of the lower limbs. The distributions of the patients by age in the three phases, although overlapping, suggested that the disease generally progressed with age from acute to chronic to elephantiasis phase. The microfilarial rate among persons with clinical disease was lower as compared to that among persons without disease. An entomological survey of one of the villages showed that Culex quinquefasciatus was the vector with high infection and infectivity rates

A Profile of Bacteriologically Confirmed Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Children

Objective: To describe the clinical profile of children with bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis. Study Design: A multicentric study was conducted in three hospitals in Chennai city between July 1995 and December 1997. Children aged 6 months to 12 years with signs and symptoms suggestive of tuberculosis were investigated further. Clinical examination, chest radiograph, tuberculin skin test with 1 TU PPD and, sputum or gastric lavage for mycobacterial smear and culture were done for all and, lymph node biopsy when necessary. Results: A total of 2652 children were registered and tuberculosis was bacteriologically confirmed in 201. Predominant symptoms were history of an insidious illness (49%), fever and cough (47%), loss of weight (41%) and a visible glandular swelling (49%). Respiratory signs were few and 62% were undernourished. Over half the patients with confirmed TB had normal chest X-ray. Abnormal X-ray findings included parenchymal opacities in 47% and hilar or mediastinal lymphadenopathy in 26%. The prevalence of isoniazid resistance was 12.6% and MDR TB 4%. Conclusions: Children with tuberculosis present with fever and cough of insidious onset. Lymphadenopathy is a common feature even in children with pulmonary TB. A significant proportion of children have normal chest X-rays despite positive gastric aspirate cultures. Drug resistance rates in children mirror the pattern seen in adults in this geographic area

A Meta-analysis of Gene Expression Signatures of Blood Pressure and Hypertension

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have uncovered numerous genetic variants (SNPs) that are associated with blood pressure (BP). Genetic variants may lead to BP changes by acting on intermediate molecular phenotypes such as coded protein sequence or gene expression, which in turn affect BP variability. Therefore, characterizing genes whose expression is associated with BP may reveal cellular processes involved in BP regulation and uncover how transcripts mediate genetic and environmental effects on BP variability. A meta-analysis of results from six studies of global gene expression profiles of BP and hypertension in whole blood was performed in 7017 individuals who were not receiving antihypertensive drug treatment. We identified 34 genes that were differentially expressed in relation to BP (Bonferroni-corrected p<0.05). Among these genes, FOS and PTGS2 have been previously reported to be involved in BP-related processes; the others are novel. The top BP signature genes in aggregate explain 5%–9% of inter-individual variance in BP. Of note, rs3184504 in SH2B3, which was also reported in GWAS to be associated with BP, was found to be a trans regulator of the expression of 6 of the transcripts we found to be associated with BP (FOS, MYADM, PP1R15A, TAGAP, S100A10, and FGBP2). Gene set enrichment analysis suggested that the BP-related global gene expression changes include genes involved in inflammatory response and apoptosis pathways. Our study provides new insights into molecular mechanisms underlying BP regulation, and suggests novel transcriptomic markers for the treatment and prevention of hypertension

Not Available

Not AvailableAmong the abiotic stresses, drought is the major factor for heavy yield losses in rice production. The present study was undertaken with an aim of understanding the effect of mega QTLs of Apo controlling yield under drought. The BILs viz., CB 229 and CB 193-3 were evaluated for their drought responses under green house conditions along with the parents Apo, IR64 and check Norungan during Summer 2015, Kharif 2015, Rabi 2015-16. The results from this study reported that, Apo and BILs had higher photosynthetic rate when compared to IR64 under drought. CB 229 had low reduction per cent of photosynthesis (45.25%), Ci/Ca (23.88%), conductance (52.38%) and RWC (25.72%) compared to susceptible parent IR64. Number of filled grains was much higher in Apo, CB229 and CB 193-3 when compared to IR64 under stress condition. The significant reduction in single plant yield under moisture stress condition was observed in all the genotypes especially in IR64 (65.15%). Reduction was relatively less in the donor Apo and BILs. CB 229 showed a greater RWC, conductance, moderate transpiration rate, increased water uptake, a higher assimilation rate and a higher grain yield under the moisture stress condition compared to the other BIL and IR64. It was found that CB 229 with three QTL, i.e., qDTY2.2, qDTY3.1 and qDTY8.1, showed better performance than CB 193-3 with two QTL, qDTY3.1 and qDTY8.1, under severe stress while in irrigated condition CB 229 was onpar with IR64.Not Availabl