HIV status among presumptive tuberculosis cases attending tertiary care centre in South India

Introduction: In India, to increase human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) case detection, the National Technical Working Group onTB /HIV had made it mandatory to screen for HIV infection among presumptive tuberculosis (TB) cases. Material and methods: Our study was a cross-sectional study, conducted between June 2015 and December 2016 in a tertiarycare institute (JIPMER), in South India, to estimate the prevalence of HIV among presumptive TB cases. Results: Among the 964 presumptive TB cases who attended pulmonary medicine OPD, 189 patients were sputum acid-fastbacilli (AFB) positive. Among the 189 sputum positive cases, 9 were HIV positive. Of the 964 presumptive TB cases, 879 gaveconsent for HIV testing and 33 (3.7%) turned out to be HIV positive. If only sputum positive cases had been screened for HIV,we would have missed 24 new HIV positive cases. The number needed to screen was 27 among presumptive TB cases and 18among TB patients. Conclusions: The uptake of HIV testing (91%) and the diagnostic yield of 3.7% of HIV positive cases among the presumptiveTB patients is quite high compared to that of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) mechanism of Puducherry.This reinforces the need to screen all the presumptive cases for HIV infection, to increase HIV case detection so thatanti-retroviral therapy (ART) can be initiated early

Zakażenie wirusem HIV u pacjentów z podejrzeniem gruźlicy diagnozowanych w ośrodku specjalistycznym w południowych Indiach

WSTĘP: W celu zwiększenia wykrywalności zakażenia wirusem HIV w Indiach narodowa grupa robocza ds. zakażenia wirusem HIV i gruźlicy wprowadziła obowiązek badań przesiewowych w kierunku zakażenia wirusem HIV u wszystkich chorych z podejrzeniem gruźlicy. MATERIAŁ I METODY: Badanie miało charakter przesiewowy i miało na celu ocenę występowania zakażenia wirusem HIV wśród chorych z podejrzeniem gruźlicy. Przeprowadzono je w okresie od czerwca 2015 do grudnia 2016 roku w trzeciorzędowym ośrodku referencyjnym JIPMER w południowych Indiach. WYNIKI: Spośród 964 chorych z podejrzeniem gruźlicy przyjętych w poradni pulmonologicznej, u 189 chorych stwierdzono dodatni wynik plwociny w kierunku prątków kwasoodpornych (AFB). Spośród 189 chorych z dodatnim wynikiem plwociny u 9 stwierdzono zakażenie wirusem HIV. Spośród 879 chorych, którzy wyrazili zgodę na badanie w kierunku zakażenia wirusem HIV, u 33 wynik był dodatni (3,7%). Gdyby zbadano jedynie chorych z dodatnim wynikiem plwociny, nie wykryto by 24 nowych przypadków zakażenia wirusem HIV. Liczba badań, które należałoby wykonać, aby wykryć jeden przypadek zakażenia wirusem HIV (number needed to screen), wynosi 27 dla chorych z podejrzeniem gruźlicy i 18 dla chorych z potwierdzoną gruźlicą. WNIOSKI: Wykrywalność zakażenia HIV (91%) i skuteczność diagnostyczna 3,7% w grupie chorych z domniemaną gruźlicą jest wysoka w porównaniu z danymi zaktualizowanego programu narodowego kontroli gruźlicy. W związku z tym w celu zwiększenia wykrywalności zakażenia wirusem HIV konieczne jest objęcie badaniami przesiewowymi również chorych z podejrzeniem gruźlicy, aby można było wcześnie wdrożyć leczenie anty-retrowirusowe.WSTĘP: W celu zwiększenia wykrywalności zakażenia wirusem HIV w Indiach narodowa grupa robocza ds. zakażenia wirusem HIV i gruźlicy wprowadziła obowiązek badań przesiewowych w kierunku zakażenia wirusem HIV u wszystkich chorych z podejrzeniem gruźlicy. MATERIAŁ I METODY: Badanie miało charakter przesiewowy i miało na celu ocenę występowania zakażenia wirusem HIV wśród chorych z podejrzeniem gruźlicy. Przeprowadzono je w okresie od czerwca 2015 do grudnia 2016 roku w trzeciorzędowym ośrodku referencyjnym JIPMER w południowych Indiach. WYNIKI: Spośród 964 chorych z podejrzeniem gruźlicy przyjętych w poradni pulmonologicznej, u 189 chorych stwierdzono dodatni wynik plwociny w kierunku prątków kwasoodpornych (AFB). Spośród 189 chorych z dodatnim wynikiem plwociny u 9 stwierdzono zakażenie wirusem HIV. Spośród 879 chorych, którzy wyrazili zgodę na badanie w kierunku zakażenia wirusem HIV, u 33 wynik był dodatni (3,7%). Gdyby zbadano jedynie chorych z dodatnim wynikiem plwociny, nie wykryto by 24 nowych przypadków zakażenia wirusem HIV. Liczba badań, które należałoby wykonać, aby wykryć jeden przypadek zakażenia wirusem HIV (number needed to screen), wynosi 27 dla chorych z podejrzeniem gruźlicy i 18 dla chorych z potwierdzoną gruźlicą. WNIOSKI: Wykrywalność zakażenia HIV (91%) i skuteczność diagnostyczna 3,7% w grupie chorych z domniemaną gruźlicą jest wysoka w porównaniu z danymi zaktualizowanego programu narodowego kontroli gruźlicy. W związku z tym w celu zwiększenia wykrywalności zakażenia wirusem HIV konieczne jest objęcie badaniami przesiewowymi również chorych z podejrzeniem gruźlicy, aby można było wcześnie wdrożyć leczenie anty-retrowirusowe

Frontliners on the move : a quantitative analysis of the prevalence of COVID-19 reinfection among healthcare workers

This study was conducted to review relevant articles and demonstrate the prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reinfection among healthcare workers (HCWs). A systemic search was conducted on PubMed and Medline from their inception to July 17, 2021. All statistical analyses were conducted using ReviewManager 5.4.1. Studies meeting the following inclusion criteria were selected: (a) articles having HCWs with COVID-19; (b) studies describing reinfection of COVID-19; and (c) articles having a defined number of patients and controls. Three studies were selected for meta-analysis. The Newcastle- Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of the cohort studies. NOS scores of 1-5 were considered high risk for bias, scores of 6-7 were deemed moderate, and scores >7 were considered low risk for bias. A random-effect model was used when heterogeneity was seen to pool the studies, and the results were reported in inverse variance (IV) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Pooled prevalence of reinfection of COVID-19 in HCWs was 3% (OR: 0.03 [-0.04, 0.01]; p=0.44; I2=4%). A non-significant prevalence was found among the healthcare professionals in terms of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) reinfection in Europe. The preformed antibodies were protective against reinfection. However, the waning of antibodies with respect to time was evident, varying differently in different individuals, thereby resulting in reinfection.https://www.cureus.comam2023Internal Medicin

“So what if ChatGPT wrote it?” Multidisciplinary perspectives on opportunities, challenges and implications of generative conversational AI for research, practice and policy

Transformative artificially intelligent tools, such as ChatGPT, designed to generate sophisticated text indistinguishable from that produced by a human, are applicable across a wide range of contexts. The technology presents opportunities as well as, often ethical and legal, challenges, and has the potential for both positive and negative impacts for organisations, society, and individuals. Offering multi-disciplinary insight into some of these, this article brings together 43 contributions from experts in fields such as computer science, marketing, information systems, education, policy, hospitality and tourism, management, publishing, and nursing. The contributors acknowledge ChatGPT’s capabilities to enhance productivity and suggest that it is likely to offer significant gains in the banking, hospitality and tourism, and information technology industries, and enhance business activities, such as management and marketing. Nevertheless, they also consider its limitations, disruptions to practices, threats to privacy and security, and consequences of biases, misuse, and misinformation. However, opinion is split on whether ChatGPT’s use should be restricted or legislated. Drawing on these contributions, the article identifies questions requiring further research across three thematic areas: knowledge, transparency, and ethics; digital transformation of organisations and societies; and teaching, learning, and scholarly research. The avenues for further research include: identifying skills, resources, and capabilities needed to handle generative AI; examining biases of generative AI attributable to training datasets and processes; exploring business and societal contexts best suited for generative AI implementation; determining optimal combinations of human and generative AI for various tasks; identifying ways to assess accuracy of text produced by generative AI; and uncovering the ethical and legal issues in using generative AI across different contexts

“So what if ChatGPT wrote it?”:Multidisciplinary perspectives on opportunities, challenges and implications of generative conversational AI for research, practice and policy

Transformative artificially intelligent tools, such as ChatGPT, designed to generate sophisticated text indistinguishable from that produced by a human, are applicable across a wide range of contexts. The technology presents opportunities as well as, often ethical and legal, challenges, and has the potential for both positive and negative impacts for organisations, society, and individuals. Offering multi-disciplinary insight into some of these, this article brings together 43 contributions from experts in fields such as computer science, marketing, information systems, education, policy, hospitality and tourism, management, publishing, and nursing. The contributors acknowledge ChatGPT’s capabilities to enhance productivity and suggest that it is likely to offer significant gains in the banking, hospitality and tourism, and information technology industries, and enhance business activities, such as management and marketing. Nevertheless, they also consider its limitations, disruptions to practices, threats to privacy and security, and consequences of biases, misuse, and misinformation. However, opinion is split on whether ChatGPT’s use should be restricted or legislated. Drawing on these contributions, the article identifies questions requiring further research across three thematic areas: knowledge, transparency, and ethics; digital transformation of organisations and societies; and teaching, learning, and scholarly research. The avenues for further research include: identifying skills, resources, and capabilities needed to handle generative AI; examining biases of generative AI attributable to training datasets and processes; exploring business and societal contexts best suited for generative AI implementation; determining optimal combinations of human and generative AI for various tasks; identifying ways to assess accuracy of text produced by generative AI; and uncovering the ethical and legal issues in using generative AI across different contexts

HIV Status among Presumptive Tuberculosis Cases Attending Tertiary Care Centre in South India

Introduction: In India, to increase human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) case detection, the National Technical Working Group on TB /HIV had made it mandatory to screen for HIV infection among presumptive tuberculosis (TB) cases. Material and methods: Our study was a cross-sectional study, conducted between June 2015 and December 2016 in a tertiary care institute (JIPMER), in South India, to estimate the prevalence of HIV among presumptive TB cases. Results: Among the 964 presumptive TB cases who attended pulmonary medicine OPD, 189 patients were sputum acid-fast bacilli (AFB) positive. Among the 189 sputum positive cases, 9 were HIV positive. Of the 964 presumptive TB cases, 879 gave consent for HIV testing and 33 (3.7%) turned out to be HIV positive. If only sputum positive cases had been screened for HIV, we would have missed 24 new HIV positive cases. The number needed to screen was 27 among presumptive TB cases and 18 among TB patients. Conclusions: The uptake of HIV testing (91%) and the diagnostic yield of 3.7% of HIV positive cases among the presumptive TB patients is quite high compared to that of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) mechanism of Puducherry. This reinforces the need to screen all the presumptive cases for HIV infection, to increase HIV case detection so that anti-retroviral therapy (ART) can be initiated early

Study of cardiovascular risk factors among tertiary hospital employees and their families

Background: The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among administrative employees working at a tertiary hospital (All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi) and their families. Methods and results: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a total of 453 individuals aged 30 years and above. The mean age of the study group was 43.3 ± 9.5 years. There was a high prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factors – current smoking 58 (12.8%), tobacco consumption 26 (5.7%), family history of coronary artery disease 79 (17.4%), diabetes mellitus 25 (5.8%), hypertension 94 (20.7%), hypercholesterolemia 110 (25.7%), hypertriglyceridemia 148 (34.5%), physical inactivity 180 (39.7%), body mass index ≥23 kg/m2 350 (77.3%), central obesity 201 (80.1%) of males and 163 (80.7%) of females, inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption 387 (85.4%), heavy drinking 12 (2.6%), and stress 58 (12.7%). Conclusion: This indicates an urgent need to initiate a comprehensive health promotion and cardiovascular disease prevention programme at workplace and community level

Cell-permeable iron inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 signaling and tumor angiogenesis

Angiogenesis is important for tumor growth and metastasis. Hypoxia in tumors drives this angiogenic response by stabilizing Hypoxia Inducible Factors (HIF) and target genes like Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). HIF stability is regulated by Prolylhydroxylases (PHD)-mediated modification. Iron is an important cofactor in regulating the enzymatic activity of PHDs. Reducing intracellular iron, for instance, mimics hypoxia and induces a pro-angiogenic response. It is hypothesized that increasing the intracellular iron levels will have an opposite, anti-angiogenic effect. We tested this hypothesis by perturbing iron homeostasis in endothelial cells using a unique form of iron, Ferric Ammonium Citrate (FAC). FAC is a cell-permeable form of iron, which can passively enter into cells bypassing the transferrin receptor mediated uptake of transferrin-bound iron. Our studies show that FAC does not decrease the levels of HIF-1α and HIF-2α in endothelial cells but inhibits the autocrine stimulation of VEGF-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) system by blocking receptor tyrosine kinase phosphorylation. FAC inhibits VEGF-induced endothelial cell proliferation, migration, tube formation and sprouting. Finally, systemic administration of FAC inhibits VEGF and tumor cell-induced angiogenesis in vivo. In conclusion, our studies show that cell-permeable iron attenuates VEGFR-2 mediated signaling and inhibits tumor angiogenesis