Correlation Between Proinflammatory Serum Markers: High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein,Interleukin-6 with Disability Score in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Stroke being the third leading cause of death and foremost cause of disability, if potential diagnostic utility of blood borne protein biomarkers in predicting acute stroke is established, it would be a substantial adjunct to computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging which have their own limitations. This study was done to correlate serum Interleukin 6, high sensitivity C reactive protein at the time of admission with neurological worsening assessed by NIHSS at the time of admission and 7 days after admission. 46 Patients admitted in neurology department SAIMS, Indore with first ever ischemic stroke within 72 h of onset were included in the study. All patients with history of stroke of more than 72 h onset, Infection & peripartum stroke were excluded from the study. Disability scoring was done by NIHSS and their serum samples assayed for hsCRP, IL6 by commercially available quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay kits. Serum samples of 50 control cases which included healthy volunteers and staff from SAIMS were also analyzed for hsCRP, IL6 for comparative study. A significant correlation was observed between NIHSS scoring and serum hsCRP and IL6 at the time of admission. Patients with initial high serum IL6 and hsCRP also showed significant clinical deterioration as assessed by NIHSS scoring 7 days after admission. Elevated hsCRP and IL6 within 72 h of admission strongly correlated with functional disability in study population in India and may serve as useful adjunct to CT Scan in emergency setting.     

Age- and Gender-Specific Reference Intervals for Fasting Blood Glucose and Lipid Levels in School Children Measured With Abbott Architect c8000 Chemistry Analyzer

Reference intervals for pubertal characteristics are influenced by genetic, geographic, dietary and socioeconomic factors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to establish age-specific reference intervals of glucose and lipid levels among local school children. This was cross-sectional study, conducted among Saudi school children. Fasting blood samples were collected from 2149 children, 1138 (53%) boys and 1011 (47%) girls, aged 6 to 18 years old. Samples were analyzed on the Architect c8000 Chemistry System (Abbott Diagnostics, USA) for glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL and LDL. Reference intervals were established by nonparametric methods between the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles. Significant differences were observed between boys and girls for cholesterol and triglycerides levels in all age groups (P < 0.02). Only at age 6–7 years and at adolescents, HDL and LDL levels were found to be significant (P < 0.001). No significant differences were seen in glucose levels except at age 12 to 13 years. Saudi children have comparable serum cholesterol levels than their Western counterparts. This may reflect changing dietary habits and increasing affluence in Saudi Arabia. Increased lipid screening is anticipated, and these reference intervals will aid in the early assessment of cardiovascular and diabetes risk in Saudi pediatric populations.     

Glycosylated haemoglobin and serum proteins in diabetics

The glycosylated haemoglobin was measured in two different categories of diabetic subjects. In poorly controlled subjects of group II, a significant alteration in serum proteins was observed. Total protein along with albumin concentrations were decreased and α₂ globulin fraction was increased. Insulin therapy resulted in normalisation of blood glucose and gradual decrease in glycosylated haemoglobin in the therapy period of eight weeks. This also resulted in a rise of total protein and albumin concentrations with a decrease in α₂ fraction. The present study indicates that prolonged therapy of insulin is needed to correct the serum protein abnormalities in diabetics.     

Plasma and erythrocyte magnesium levels in patients with preeclampsia/eclampsia

Plasma and erythrocyte magnesium levels were estimated in preeclampsia and eclampsia. Mean plasma as well as erythrocyte magnesium concentrations were found to be significantly lowered than the controls. Hypomagnesemia was directly related with the severity of the disease. Plasma calcium concentration however, was not significantly altered.     

Alterations of serum cholesterol and serum lipoprotein in breast cancer of women

Fasting blood sample of 50 normal subjects (control) and 100 patients of breast cancer were investigated for serum total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein cholesterol:low density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and total cholesterol:high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio during breast cancer of women. Five cancer stages, types, age groups, parity and menopausal status were undertaken for the study. It was observed that there was a significant rise in serum total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol whereas high density lipoprotein cholesterol and very low density lipoprotein cholesterol were not significant. The ratio of high density lipoprotein cholesterol:low density lipoprotein cholesterol and total cholesterol:high density lipoprotein cholesterol values increased significantly in breast cancer patients.     

Plasma vitamin E status in head and neck cancers

Plasma vitamin E and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations were estimated in a group of 25 patients (17 males and 8 females) with head and neck cancer and the results were compared with a group of normal healthy controls. Plasma vitamin E levels were found to be significantly reduced while MDA levels were increased in patients than the controls. The fall in vitamin E was nearly same in all the patients studied irrespective of the site, TNM stage, histopathology and character of lesion. The levels did not vary immediately after radiotherapy but were significantly increased 3 months after the radiotherapy. These preliminary data suggest that the cancer patients have suboptimal vitamin E status which may be a contributory factor for increased lipid peroxidation in such cases.     

Microfluidic electrospinning of biphasic nanofibers with Janus morphology

In this paper a method of electrospinning conducting and nonconducting biphasic Janus nanofibers using microfluidic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based manifolds is described. Key benefits of using microfluidic devices for nanofiber synthesis include rapid prototyping, ease of fabrication, and the ability to spin multiple Janus fibers in parallel through arrays of individual microchannels. Biphasic Janus nanofibers of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)+polypyrrole (PPy)∕PVP nanofibers with an average diameter of 250 nm were successfully fabricated using elastomeric microfluidic devices. Fiber characterization and confirmation of the Janus morphology was subsequently carried out using a combination of scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersion spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy.