Indian J Med Res
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: Early case detection is essential to interrupt transmission and to prevent further spread of tuberculosis (TB) in high endemic settings. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) with visual read-outs are ideal as point-of-care tests. Truenat™ MTB is an indigenous chip-based NAAT for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which involves extraction of DNA and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using portable, automated, battery-operated instruments. The current multicentric study was aimed to evaluate Truenat for detection of MTB in sputum samples obtained from patients with presumptive pulmonary TB with reference to culture as gold standard and Xpert as a comparator. ⋯ : Truenat MTB identified more positives among culture-confirmed samples than Xpert and had higher sensitivity. In addition, other advantageous operational features of Truenat MTB were identified which would be useful in field settings.
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: Acute kidney injury (AKI) has been identified as an independent risk factor for mortality in intensive care units. This retrospective study was conducted to determine the effect of AKI on in-hospital mortality in a general medical ward of a tertiary care hospital and risk factors for mortality in patients with AKI. ⋯ : The study showed the in-hospital mortality rate among patients with AKI in a general medical ward was 19.09 per cent. The occurrence of AKI was an independent risk factor for death, with haematological malignancy, use of vasopressors and higher serum creatinine at admission, significantly associated with death among patients with AKI. Large prospective studies need to be done to better understand the outcomes in AKI and the ways to present and manage AKI.
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Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) are treatments of choice for coronary artery disease. Quality of life (QoL) is an important factor in determining optimum treatment. This study was aimed to compare changes in QoL, six months post procedure, between CABG and PTCA, and to understand the confounding effect of various contributing factors. ⋯ Although scores of QoL and depression significantly changed over time in both the groups, time×group interaction did not reach to a significance. Significant confounding effects of diabetes (P<0.01), hypertension (P<0.05) and diet restriction (P<0.05) were found. Controlling for confounding effects of these factors, group distribution to PTCA, compared to CABG, significantly predicted greater improvements in QoL (P<0.01).
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: Sepsis due to pneumonia or pneumonia itself is one of the main causes of deaths in patients despite the advanced treatment methods. The optimal prognostic tool in pneumonia is still not clear. This study was aimed to compare the pneumonia severity scores and the possibility of using the new scores in patients who were diagnosed with pneumonia in the emergency department. ⋯ : NEWS-L score was found to be the most successful score in predicting mortality, ICU admission and hospitalization requirement. Both NEWS-L and NEWS scores can be used in determining the mortality, need for hospitalization and intensive care of the patients with pneumonia in the emergency department.