Combined Analysis of Anti SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM Responses in COVID19 Patients in India

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a global health problem, India being the second most affected country. The kinetics of antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 in Indian population is not studied yet. To understand serological response in relation to age, gender, time period and severity of disease, Roche Elecsys anti-SARS-CoV-2 test was used which analysed both IgM and IgG. One hundred and three COVID-19 patients were enrolled. Seropositivity was seen in 64% of patients, with 33% at ≤ 7 days, 62% between 8 and 15 days and 81% at ≥ 16 days from the time of admission. Men (65%) showed higher antibody response than women (59%), whereas no difference was observed in seropositivity with respect to age of the patients. Dynamics of antibody responses revealed individual variations. Patients in ICU had higher antibody reactivity with 67% positivity as compared to 60% positivity in non-ICU patients. Kinetics of antibody response during COVID-19 disease varied in relation to gender, age, time period and severity and these factors might play an important role in treatment and control of COVID-19.     

Lead Poisoning Due to Herbal Medications

Lead ranks as one of the most serious environmental poisons all over the world amongst toxic heavy metals with no known biological function useful for the human body. A case of lead toxicity due to consumption of herbal medicine is being discussed. The case presented with gastrointestinal complaints and history of intake of herbal medicines for diabetes control for past 8 months. The analysis of the powdered herbal medicine procured from ayurveda practitioner was found to have high content of lead responsible for the lead toxicity. The patient is under regular followup. He has improved symptomatically on chelating therapy and blood lead levels have gradually improved. Regular awareness programs should be conducted in the population regarding possible exposure through home made herbal remedies so that general public can be made aware of the dangerous side effects of lead and other heavy metals on health.     

Recording and documenting the chromatic information of architectural heritage

One essential approach in preserving architectural heritage is the documentation of 3D geometries and surface textures of historic buildings. For example, precise colour information, excluding lighting effects, is an intrinsic property of the surface materials of building interiors and exteriors. However, while colour information has been recorded for small sample areas, it has not been accurately documented on the scale of entire building surfaces. This is critical, because building materials decay and their colours fade with time. The goal of this project is to develop a method to assist in recording and documenting the chromatic information of interiors and exteriors of historic buildings with low cost and high efficiency. The method takes advantage of emerging high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) technology, which can store rich information about colour and illumination through digital photography. By recording the colour information, in addition to the geometry and texture information obtained through other existing technologies, we can achieve more complete documentation for architectural heritage. In this paper, we discuss an overview of the problem and present our algorithms for utilizing computer vision techniques to retrieve chromatic information of historic buildings. We also present and discuss our experiments and results of applying our method to studies of lab objects and the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, Beijing.     

Blood Lead Level (BLL) in the Adult Population of Jodhpur: A Pilot Study

Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems. Routes of exposure to lead include contaminated air, water, soil, food, and consumer products. The possibility of lead exposure in humans is therefore of great significance from health point of view. Occupational exposure is a common known cause of lead poisoning in adults but current status of adults exposed otherwise is not known. School teachers representing wide local population were selected and asked to furnish information regarding possible lead exposure. Blood lead level (BLL) was estimated using anodic stripping voltammetry. The mean BLL was 6.89 ± 9.5 μg/dl (<3.5–>65 μg/dl) in representative adult population. Out of the total 16 % were found to be having BLL >10 μg/dl which has significantly decreased from leaded gasoline era. Those with increased BLL (>10 μg/dl) were found to have common determinants like usage of old metallic pipes for plumbing, water consumption without any purification system, usage of cosmetics and Ayurvedic/herbal medicines.     

Correlation of Levels of IL-6 with Tumor Burden and Receptor Status in Patients of Locally Advanced Carcinoma Breast

Inflammatory pathways have garnered considerable interest in the recent past as an important mediator of the molecular mechanisms leading to carcinogenesis. The present study was conducted to evaluate the correlation of levels of IL-6 with tumor burden and receptor status in patients of locally advanced carcinoma breast. This prospective study was conducted by the collaborative efforts of the departments of Surgery and Biochemistry, Maulana Azad Medical College and associated Lok Nayak Hospital and GB Pant Hospitals, New Delhi. The study population comprised of 30 cases of locally advanced breast carcinoma recruited from the surgical outpatient department. The various parameters that were evaluated include detailed clinico-pathological profile and IL-6 levels. Tissue specimens received after surgeries were examined for the various characteristics indicative of tumor prognosis. Majority of the patients was in the age group of 41–50 years and was postmenopausal. The serum level of IL-6 increased as the disease progressed from T3N1M0 to T4dN2M0 (41.4 ± 31.9 vs. 164.0 ± 31.1 pg/ml respectively). There was significant correlation of IL-6 levels with lymph node involvement, tumor grade, mitotic index and adipose tissue invasion. Emerging molecular markers are being investigated for breast cancer prognosis assessment and prediction of response to chemotherapy including selection of best possible treatment modality. Our study showed that there is progressive increase in IL-6 levels as the stage of disease progresses.     

Diagnostic Value of PCR in Genitourinary Tuberculosis

Genitourinary tuberculosis is a disease of the genitourinary system which includes the entire urinary tract and reproductive system. Genital tuberculosis is an important cause of female infertility, especially in developing nations like India. In the present study, a total of 257 clinical specimens comprising of endometrial biopsy (109), endometrial curetting (42), menstrual blood (8), semen (17), placenta (11) and urine (70) were collected from patients and subjected for PCR, Culture and AFB detection. The endometrial biopsy, endometrial curetting, menstrual blood, semen, placenta, urine showed 30.2, 45.2,12.5, 5.8, 27.2, 31.4 %, positivity rate for tuberculosis by PCR, 7.3, 9.5, 25.0, 0, 9, 8.5 % by culture and 1.8, 2.3, 0, 0, 0, 2.8 % respectively by AFB smear. Being a novel, rapid technique, PCR is the method of choice for rapid diagnosis and management of genitourinary tuberculosis shared with the other concerned tests. This study reveals that genital tuberculosis can occur in any age group, however, the majority of patients were from reproductive age (nearly 75 % of them were from 20–45 years of age) group.     

Effect of vitamin A supplementation on hematopoiesis in children with anemia

Fifty children (1–4 years age) presenting with microcytic hypochromic anemia (hemoglobin less than 10g/dl) were studied in two groups of 25 each. Group I was supplemented with iron (ferrous sulphate 6 mg/kg/d) while group II in addition to iron was also supplemented with vitamin A (5000 IU/d). Hemoglobin concentration was found to be significantly increased after 4 weeks of iron supplementation. Rise in hemoglobin was comparatively more in-group II, as compared to group I, after 8 and 12 weeks. Serum iron was significantly higher after 4 weeks in both the groups. Packed cell volume (PCV) and retinol levels increased significantly in-group II only. The data suggests that supplementation of vitamin A improves hematopoiesis.