Primary care for diabetes in HIV-infected patients

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common disorder affecting individuals of all ages. Similar to general population, DM can also be seen in HIV infected cases. The prevalence of insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and diabetes in the HIV-infected population has increased dramatically following the widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). HIV disease being an important global problem, increasing prevalence of DM among these patients in the HAART era can be expected. Primary care for HIV-infected with reference to DM and follow up for related complications is therefore importan

Interaction between cellular retinoic acid-binding protein II and histone hypoacetylation in renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma is a rare but serious malignancy. Since a reduction in the level of retinoic acid receptor beta 2 (RARbeta2) expression in cancer cells due in part to histone hypoacetylation which is controlled by histone deacetylase (HD), the study on the interaction between cellular retinoic acid-binding proteins II (CRABP II), which is proposed to have its potential influence on retinoic acid (RA) response, and HD can be useful. Comparing to CARBP II and HD, the CARBP II-HD poses the same function and biological process as HD. This can confirm that HD has a significant suppressive effect on the expression of CARBP II. Therefore, reduction in the level of RARbeta2 expression in cancer cells can be expected and this can lead to failure in treatment of renal cell carcinoma with RA. The author hereby purpose that additional HD inhibitor should be added into the regiment of RA to increase the effectiveness of treatment

Cost utility analysis of diagnostic method of syphilis

Presently, the diagnosis of syphilis is dependent mainly on serological tests. The most widely used screening tests for syphilis are the VDRL and the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and for confirmation, the fluorescent treponemal antibody (FTA) and the treponema pallidum hemagglutination (TPHA) tests. The four alternative modes for diagnosis of syphilis can be a) VDRL + FTA, b) VDRL + TPHA, c) RPR + FTA and d) RPR + TPHA. Here the author reports an evaluation of cost utility of these tests in medical practice. It is shown that the cost per accurate diagnosis with VDRL + TPH is the least expensive choice. Therefore, this alternative is the best method for serological diagnosis for syphilis, based on medical laboratory economics principles

An observation on correlation between rainfall and the prevalence of clinical cases of dengue in Thailand

Background & objectives: An investigation was carried out in Thailand to study the correlationbetween rainfall and prevalence of dengue infection during 2002–03, which can be used for preventionand control of the disease.Methods: Rainfall data (2002–03) collected from Ministry of Public Health were utilised fortransformation of the infection and the rainfall data were derived from Royal Irrigation Department,Thailand. The correlation between the rainfall and the prevalence of dengue was assessed byregression analysis.Results: The least square equation plot prevalence (y) versus rainfall (x) is y = 3.0x + 4.6 (r = 0.78,p < 0.05) (r = 0.68, p < 0.05).Interpretation & conclusion: The study indicated that the prevalence of dengue infection in Thailandmay depend on rainfall. Therefore, the surveillance and control of mosquito should be intensifiedduring the period with high rainfall is recommended. However, the other confounding factors likeambient temperature and humidity which also determine the transmission of dengue should belooked into, before concluding that the increased prevalence is a result of rainfall alone. Further,similar studies to assess the correlation between the rainfall and prevalence of infection in the othercountries are required to confirm these observations

Genetic disorders and malaria in Indo-China region

High prevalence of malaria in Southeast Asia including Thailand is believed to be a major public health problem to the population in this area since time immemorial. Adaptation of the population in this area following the principle of natural selection coupled with genetic disorders can be expected. Some good examples for natural selection of malaria are the co-existence of high prevalence of thalassaemia as well as glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. In this report, general aspects of some important genetic disorders and malaria in Indo-China area (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Yunnan and Manipur) are summarized and discussed