Indian J Med Res
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Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a vector-borne neglected tropical disease, causing permanent disability. The disease is debilitating and widespread, leading to tremendous productivity and economic loss. The Government of India (GOI) prioritized the elimination of LF through the annual mass drug administration (MDA) programme in 2004 and continued with a single dose of diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC), 6 mg/kg of body weight, plus albendazole annually over a period of 5-6 years. ⋯ This existing robust programme can be leveraged to launch DEC-fortified salt for the community. If implemented appropriately, this strategy will ensure the complete cessation of LF transmission within two years from its introduction. If the said strategy is implemented in 2022, it is expected that India will be able to achieve the LF elimination by 2024, much before the global target of 2030.
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Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an inflammatory disease prevalent worldwide which can affect both olfaction and quality of life (QoL). The objective of the present study was to assess olfaction and QoL changes in patients with AR before and after medical therapy. ⋯ Both olfaction and QoL showed significant improvement after medical therapy in Indian adults with AR. In those patients who do not improve, other causes must be sought for the persistent symptoms.
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The utilization of the monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) as therapeutic agents is one of the most favourable fields in immunotherapy. The immunogenicity of mAbs is one of the major parameters that may restrict their therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Rituximab, a chimeric mAb against CD20, is attached to the B-cell membrane-linked CD20 and is used to treat some B-cell-related malignancies, a number of autoantibody-mediated autoimmune disorders and improvement of graft survival. ⋯ In autoimmune diseases, ARA positivity may have no significant impact on either the drug level or its efficacy, (i.e.), it may reduce drug levels without influencing drug efficacy and, vice versa, or may reduce both drug level as well as its efficacy. The characterization of the parameters affecting the production of ARA can be used to design strategies to reduce the immunogenicity of mAb and promote its efficacy in humans. In this review, the host and therapeutic programme-related parameters affecting the development of the ARA have been discussed to suggest novel insights to reduce ARA-associated adverse events and enhance the drug efficacy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A comprehensive yoga programme for weight reduction in children & adolescents with obesity: A randomized controlled trial.
Obesity is a rising pandemic in childhood. There is scarcity of evidence on the efficacy of yoga in achieving weight loss in overweight/obese children. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of family-based comprehensive yoga intervention in the reduction of body mass index (BMI) in overweight/obese children, in comparison to standard dietary and lifestyle counselling and control group. ⋯ The findings of the present study suggest that yoga in conjunction with dietary modification is equally effective as the standard weight management for BMI reduction in the paediatric age group.
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Globally, several countries consider HIV self-test as an important element in the toolbox to end AIDS by 2030. Against this background, the present investigation was conducted to pilot test the performance of an indigenous HIV oral self-test (HIVOST) and explore its acceptability. The overall purpose was to examine if this kit could serve as a promising tool and merit future larger clinical evaluation. ⋯ Two major highlights of the present investigation are (i) high level of concordance in HIVOST results interpreted by participants and physicians, and (ii) encouraging level of acceptance of HIVOST. These findings and encouraging HIVOST performance statistics lend support towards large-scale clinical evaluation of this index test.