Government Rajaji Hospital is situated in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. The hospital provides tertiary care to more than twenty million people in the southern part of Tamil Nadu. The hospital was formerly known as Erskines Hospital. The hospital was established in 1842 and was taken over by the municipality of Madurai in 1872 and the state administration took over in 1918 and became a teaching hospital in 1954. The area of the hospital is 12.47 acres (5.05 ha) (Plinth[clarification needed] area 1,04,358 Sq.ft). Bed strength of the hospital is 2,518. Madurai Medical College is a medical school attached to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is most busiest hospital in state of Tamil Nadu also it is the only hospital in the State to have doctors available 24x7 in all speciality departments.The hospital is not only centre of excellence in Southern Tamil Nadu but also in the State for various surgeries. It serves as a tertiary level referral hospital to all the medical college Hospitals of Southern and Central Tamil Nadu. Open heart, closed heart surgeries and valve replacement are performed in this hospital. Master Health Check-up is available. This hospital provides 24 hours casualty facility, 24 hours bio-chemistry lab facility, CT Scan and MRI Scan facility and so on. It provides tertiary care with the comprehensive health insurance scheme by the government of Tamil Nadu..
IntroductionCoinfection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) and SARS-CoV-2 poses unique challenges in pediatric population due to overlapping immune pathways and potential immune dysregulation. The complement system, a key arm of innate immunity, plays a dual role in pathogen clearance and inflammation.MethodsThis study aimed to investigate complement activation in TB in children with or without serological evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 exposure. Children aged 2–17 years with pulmonary or extrapulmonary TB were recruited from two tertiary hospitals in South India. Participants were grouped based on SARS-CoV-2 IgG serostatus: CoV2⁺ (n = 30) and CoV2⁻ (n = 30). Blood samples were collected at baseline, and at months 3, and 6 for complement profiling. Levels of classical, lectin, and alternative pathway proteins, as well as regulatory factors, were quantified using multiplex bead-based assays. Canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) and Spearman correlation were used to analyse temporal and relational patterns in complement activation.ResultsCoV2+ children had significantly elevated levels of classical pathway proteins (C1q, C3, C4, C5a) and regulatory factors (Factor B, H, and I) at baseline, month 3 and month 6 in comparison to CoV2- children. However C2 and C5 diminished in CoV2+ children in comparison to CoV2-CDA revealed distinct, time-resolved complement activity in CoV2⁻ children, whereas CoV2⁺ profiles showed overlap, suggesting prolonged immune alteration. Correlation analysis identified significant associations between SARS-CoV-2 IgG and complement proteins, with differing patterns in CoV2+ and CoV2- groups over time. DiscussionSARS-CoV-2 seropositivity may contribute to changes in the complement activation trajectory in TB-diseased children, potentially contributing to persistent inflammation. Complement profiling may inform therapeutic strategies and serve as a biomarker of immune recovery in TB– SARS-CoV-2 co-infection.
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune condition with a global prevalence of approximately 9 million cases. The HLA-DR3 and DR4 alleles have a closer association with T1D and the MTHFR gene polymorphism is an emerging potential risk factor in T1D. Hence, this study aimed to explore the potential genetic impact of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism, in combination with HLADR3and DR4 alleles, towards the development of T1D. In this pilot study, a total of 193 individuals (94 patients and 99 healthy individuals) were analyzed for MTHFR C677T polymorphism and HLA-DR3/4 alleles using RT-PCR and PCR-SSP, respectively. Allele and genotype frequencies were compared between the patient and healthy individuals. Increased frequencies of HLA-DR3 and DR4 alleles were observed in patients (OR = 3.4, pc = 0.0032), and the dominant model (OR = 0.36, pc = 0.00075) of the MTHFR gene was found to be associated with T1D. Combined analysis of MTHFR genotypes and HLA-DR3/4 alleles revealed higher frequencies of specific genotype-allele combinations among patients. Furthermore, meta-analysis suggested that the dominant genetic model of MTHFR C677T polymorphism could increase the risk of T1D. Our results indicate that MTHFR C677T polymorphism and HLA-DR3/4 alleles play important roles in genetic susceptibility towards T1D and provide preliminary evidence to support future largescale studies.
Abstract: AIM: Irradiation of blood components is one of the proven methods of preventing the risk of transfusion-associated graft versus host disease (TA-GVHD). It is done using a dedicated blood irradiation device based on cesium-137 or cobalt-60 source or linear accelerator for lymphocyte suppression without damage to other blood cells. The main aim of this study is the clinical implementation of an indigenously designed, cost-effective blood irradiation phantom. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A blood irradiator phantom box was designed using Polymethylmethacrylate of outer dimension 33 cm × 38 cm × 11 cm and inner dimension 25 cm × 30 cm × 6 cm to accommodate a maximum of 6 blood bags. A marker is provided on the top and lateral sides of the phantom for easy alignment along the central axis of the beam. In our study, five freshly collected CPD-A blood bags were irradiated. The computed tomography scan images of the phantom with a Farmer chamber were taken. The prescribed dose was 25Gy and delivered using two parallel opposed iso centric beams covering the phantom. Blood samples were withdrawn from the blood bag prior to irradiation and after irradiation on Day 0, Day 7, Day 14, and Day 28, stored in a cold chain, and subjected to various biochemical and hematological tests. RESULTS: The progressive increase in serum potassium and lactate dehydrogenase levels in irradiated samples in comparison with nonirradiated samples was not statistically significant. Plasma hemoglobin levels, RBC count, and percentage hemolysis did not have much variations over time and were within acceptable limits, indicating the suitability of the product for transfusion. Quality assurance checks with Farmer chamber, and Gafchromic EBT3 film confirmed the accuracy of the dose delivered to blood bags. CONCLUSION: Hence, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of the indigenously designed, blood irradiation phantom box for use with linear accelerator, especially in developing countries without dedicated blood irradiator, at affordable cost.
Background: Metformin (MET), by boosting immunity, has been suggested as a host-adjunctive therapy to antituberculosis treatment (ATT). Methods: We evaluated whether adding MET to the standard ATT can alter the host chemokine response. We investigated the influence of metformin on the plasma levels of a wide panel of chemokines in a group of active tuberculosis patients before treatment, at 2nd month of ATT and at 6-months of ATT as part of our clinical study to examine the effect of metformin on ATT. Results: Our results demonstrated that addition of metformin resulted in diminished CC (CCL1 and CCL3) and CXC (CXCL-2 and CXCL-10) chemokines in MET arm as compared to non-MET arm at the 2nd month and 6th month of ATT. In addition to this, MET arm showed significantly diminished chemokines in individuals with high bacterial burden and cavitary disease. Conclusion: Our current data suggest that metformin alters chemokines responses that could potentially curb excessive inflammation during ATT.
Bone remodeling is one of the crucial areas of concern in regenerative therapy. In modern days, stem cells have been employed in regenerative therapy with interesting results due to their ability of self-renewal and differentiate into multiple cell lineages. Furthermore, stem cells are able to secrete bioactive molecules and regulate the behavior of other cells in different host tissues. These cells are widely used in bone tissue regeneration to improve effectively and rapidly. Briefly, this chapter will describe stem cells and miRNA in bone remodeling and the role of miRNA in osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. In addition, the role of mesenchymal stem cells for bone regeneration will be discussed.
