Indian J Med Res
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Transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) is a non-invasive procedure and can be used as a screening tool among women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). Power Doppler is useful in depicting the vascular architecture better than the conventional Doppler. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate whether addition of power Doppler to grey scale TVS can replace invasive hysteroscopy for the prediction of endometrial pathology in perimenopausal women with AUB. ⋯ Addition of power Doppler to grey scale TVS improved the specificity and negative predictive value almost comparable to hysteroscopy for evaluation of AUB, but sensitivity and positive predictive value remained poor.
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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has been at the forefront in setting up the ethical guidance for the conduct of biomedical and health research in India. The latest version of National Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research Involving Human Participants, 2017 was planned in order to provide a more detailed guidance to the existing topics in view of emerging ethical concerns and to add a number of newer areas in which guidance was lacking. The scope of the guidelines has been expanded to include socio-behavioural research related to health and research involving biological material and datasets. ⋯ The first six sections are more generic, applying to all types of biomedical and health research, while the next six sections are more subject specific. The guidelines have been revised in consultation with a large number of experts and stakeholders and went through an exhaustive process stretching over a period of two years in its drafting, review, consultation and finalisation. This commentary seeks to explain the process and key components of the Guidelines.
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Respiratory tract infections are common among Hajj and Umrah pilgrims which pose a public health risk of spread of respiratory infections. Influenza has been reported from Indian Hajj and Umrah returning pilgrims, but data on other respiratory pathogens are sparse in India. Here we report the presence of common respiratory viral pathogens in returning Hajj and Umrah pilgrims suffering from acute respiratory illness (ARI) in 2014-2015. ⋯ Pilgrims returning from mass gatherings are often afflicted with respiratory pathogens with a potential to facilitate transmission of respiratory pathogens across international borders. The study reinforces the need for better infection prevention and control measures such as vaccination, health education on cough etiquette and hand hygiene.
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Gemcitabine combined with non-cremophor-based paclitaxel is one of the standards of care in advanced inoperable pancreatic cancer. This study was undertaken to retrospectively evaluate real world non-trial outcomes with this combination. ⋯ Non-cremophor-based paclitaxel in combination with gemcitabine appeared efficacious for advanced pancreatic cancers in routine clinical practice. Within the confines of a single-centre retrospective analysis, gemcitabine-nanoxel and gemcitabine-abraxane appeared to have similar efficacy and toxicity in advanced pancreatic cancers.
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Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections play a crucial role in the aetiology of cervical cancer (CC), and HPV16 is the primary viral genotype associated with CC. A number of variants of the HPV16 E6 gene are involved in the progression of CC, differing in their prevalence and biological and biochemical properties. This study was designed to determine the frequency of HPV types 16/18 and to identify the presence of HPV16 E6-variants in asymptomatic Mexican women. ⋯ This study showed a predominance of European lineage variants of HPV16 among asymptomatic women from Sinaloa, Mexico, predominantly with of the E350G variant. This variant has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of early development of CC. The use of molecular identification of carcinogenic HPV and Pap test screening may be a good strategy for monitoring women to prevent CC.