Serotyping and Phage Typing of Vibrio cholerae Isolated AtTertiary Care Hospital, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Cholera continues to be a growing concern in most developing countries. Cholera is an acute diarrheal disease endemic in India. Yet there are few reliable population-based estimates of laboratory-confirmed cholera in endemic areas around the world. The aim of this hospital-based study was to isolate and serogrouping of Vibrio cholerae in patients with diarrhea at tertiary care hospital, Ahmedabad during January 2021 to July 2022. Material & Methods: A retrospective study involving cases of acute watery diarrhea was done during January 2021 to July 2022. All stool samples from suspected cases were tested for Vibrio cholerae by standard microbiological procedures. Out of total 1294 stool samples Vibrio cholerae were isolated in 179 samples and sent to the NICED (National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases) for serotyping and phage typing. Results: In present study rate of isolates of V. cholerae was 13.83 % (179 out of 1294 cases). V. cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa (78.77%) belonging to phage type 27 (54.74%) was the most common in the cases of acute diarrhea in present study. Conclusion: The present study identified serotype Ogawa and phage type 27 as the most dominant type and was found continuous in circulation throughout the study period. Phage typing is still an internationally recognized method of choice for characterizing circulating strains. This knowledge will be helpful to design a novel strategy to manage future cholera outbreaks

Annual consultation prevalence of regional musculoskeletal problems in primary care: an observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Regional musculoskeletal pain such as back or shoulder pain are commonly reported symptoms in the community. The extent of consultation to primary care with such problems is unknown as a variety of labels may be used to record such consultations. The objective was to classify musculoskeletal morbidity codes used in routine primary care by body region, and to determine the annual consultation prevalence of regional musculoskeletal problems.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Musculoskeletal codes within the Read morbidity Code system were identified and grouped by relevant body region by four GPs. Consultations with these codes were then extracted from the recorded consultations at twelve general practices contributing to a general practice consultation database (CiPCA). Annual consultation prevalence per 10,000 registered persons for the year 2006 was determined, stratified by age and gender, for problems in individual regions and for problems affecting multiple regions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>5,908 musculoskeletal codes were grouped into regions. One in seven of all recorded consultations were for a musculoskeletal problem. The back was the most common individual region recorded (591 people consulting per 10,000 registered persons), followed by the knee (324/10,000). In children, the foot was the most common region. Different age and gender trends were apparent across body regions although women generally had higher consultation rates. The annual consultation-based prevalence for problems encompassing more than one region was 556 people consulting per 10,000 registered persons and increased in older people and in females.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>There is an extensive and varied regional musculoskeletal workload in primary care. Musculoskeletal problems are a major constituent of general practice. The output from this study can be used as a resource for planning future studies.</p

Oxygen Tension Modulates Neurite Outgrowth in PC12 Cells Through A Mechanism Involving HIF and VEGF

Cell-based approaches are a promising therapeutic strategy for treating injuries to the nervous system, but the optimal means to promote neurite extension and direct cellular behavior are unclear. Previous studies have examined the behavior of neural-like cells in ambient air (21% oxygen tension), yet these conditions are not representative of the physiological oxygen microenvironment of neural tissues. We hypothesized that neuronal differentiation of a model neural cell line (PC12) could be controlled by modulating local oxygen tension. Compared to ambient conditions, PC12 cells cultured in reduced oxygen exhibited significant increases in neurite extension and total neurite length, with 4% oxygen yielding the highest levels of both indicators. We confirmed neurite extension was mediated through oxygen-responsive mechanisms using small molecules that promote or inhibit HIF-1α stabilization. The hypoxic target gene Vegf was implicated as a neurotrophic factor, as neurite formation at 21% oxygen was mimicked with exogenous VEGF, and a VEGF-neutralizing antibody attenuated neurite formation under reduced oxygen conditions. These findings demonstrate that behavior of neural-like cells is driven by the oxygen microenvironment via VEGF function, and suggest promising approaches for future applications in neural repair

A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study to Evaluate the Effect of Calcium Fructoborate on Systemic Inflammation and Dyslipidemia Markers for Middle-Aged People with Primary Osteoarthritis

The objective of this pilot study was to determine whether 15 days of dietary supplementation with calcium fructoborate could acutely modulate inflammatory and lipid blood markers in individuals diagnosed with primary osteoarthritis. During 2 weeks, a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study was conducted on 116 subjects that were initially recruited. Seventy-two subjects started the study, being divided into four groups, and only 60 completed the study as designed. The aim was to compare the effects of calcium fructoborate to placebo on subjects diagnosed with knee primary osteoarthritis. The obtained outcomes were inflammation biomarkers (C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and lipid markers (triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol). No serious adverse events were reported. The calcium fructoborate showed beneficial effect on the inflammatory markers for all groups subjected to the treatment when compared with the placebo group and slight changes in the lipid metabolism. This study suggests that short-term (2 weeks) calcium fructoborate supplementation in patients with osteoarthritis symptoms has a favorable prognosis on inflammation diseases