Indian Journal of Medical Research最新文献

{"title":"Assessing oxidative stress in foetuses with β-globin gene mutations.","authors":"Saffalya Nayak, Pratima Kumari Sahu, Sasmita Swain, Shubhashree Priyadarshinee Singh, Amrita Satpathy, Debjyoti Mohapatra","doi":"10.25259/IJMR_1097_2024","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJMR_1097_2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Background & objectives Haemoglobinopathies, particularly thalassemia and sickle cell disease, are of major public health concern and pose a significant health burden in India particularly in the State of Odisha. The molecular complexity of β-thalassemia involves over 350 mutations, resulting in reduced beta-globin synthesis, excess iron, and oxidative stress. Methods Chorionic villi samples from β-thalassemia carrier mothers collected through trans-abdominal chorionic villi sampling (TA-CVS) were screened by real-time polymerase chain reaction for the most commonly found β-globin gene mutations: IVS 1-1 (G>T), 619 bp deletion, IVS 1-5 (G>C), CD15 (G>A), FS41/42 (-TTCT), HbS, FS8/9 (+G), -90 (C>T), CD16 (-C), HbE, CD15 (-T), CD30 (G>C), and -28 (A>G) using TOCE™ (Tagging Oligonucleotide Cleavage and Extension) technology. Reduced glutathione (GSH), redox status (GSH/GSSG ratio), and endothelin-1 (ET-1) were investigated in foetuses of defined β-globin gene mutations by colorimetry and ELISA, respectively, to explore the potential of GSH and ET-1 as oxidative stress biomarkers. Results Of the total cases included in this study 40 per cent showed occurrence of HbS mutations with significant differences in GSH, GSSG, and redox ratio among mutation groups (P<0.05). Correlation analysis revealed a non-significant association between GSH and ET-1 levels. Interpretation & conclusions This study provides key insights into oxidative stress in foetuses with defined β-globin gene mutations. GSH and ET-1 may be therapeutic targets to mitigate oxidative stress and healthy placentation in pregnancies with haemoglobinopathies.</p>","PeriodicalId":13349,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Medical Research","volume":"161 4","pages":"406-413"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12178196/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Authors' response.","authors":"Lukman Ade Chandra, Hera Nirwati, Dhite Nugroho","doi":"10.25259/IJMR_892_2025","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJMR_892_2025","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13349,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Medical Research","volume":"161 4","pages":"426-427"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12178197/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drive-through SARS-CoV-2 vaccination has disadvantages that should be considered before recommending it as a method of rapid mass vaccination.","authors":"Josef Finsterer","doi":"10.25259/IJMR_2204_2024","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJMR_2204_2024","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13349,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Medical Research","volume":"161 4","pages":"425-426"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12178188/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Model rural health research units in India: A research priority setting exercise.","authors":"Jaya Singh Kshatri, Soumyadeep Bhaumik, Somen Kumar Pradhan, Shakti Ranjan Barik, Kavitha A K, Subrata Kumar Palo, Tanveer Rehman, Aparna Mukherjee, P Raja Kumar Subudhi, Smiteerekha Sahoo, Md Shaney Ali, Sanghamitra Pati","doi":"10.25259/IJMR_2157_2024","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJMR_2157_2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Background & Objectives Research in rural health has historically been opportunistic, lacking alignment with strategic goals or community needs. The Government of India established Model Rural Health Research Units (MRHRUs) to address these disparities through targeted research. However, inconsistent outputs highlight the need for a strategic research agenda. Identifying research priorities is critical to inform policy and funding strategies of MRHRUs. Methods A nationwide Research Priority Setting (RPS) exercise was conducted, involving 120 respondents for free listing of questions, and 250 for ranking. Respondents from various stakeholder groups, including policymakers, researchers, and community representatives, participated. Research priorities were categorised into three domains - Description, Development, and Delivery. An iterative process was employed to refine and consolidate the 122 research questions into 36, which were subsequently ranked using a scoring system that assessed their importance, feasibility, and impact. The list of priorities was finalised through stakeholder deliberation. Results The top five research priorities across the three domains addressing key rural health challenges as identified in this study are presented. 'Descriptive' priorities included investigating social determinants of hypertension, medicine supply chain bottlenecks, and mental health in the elderly. 'Development' priorities focused on interventions using electronic health records in hospitals, tuberculosis control, and menstrual hygiene education. 'Delivery' priorities emphasised improving healthcare resilience, emergency care, and technology-driven diabetes management. These priorities were disseminated to MRHRU managers and policymakers to guide decisions with regard to perceived priorities for research in rural health. Interpretation & conclusions This first-of-its-kind RPS exercise provides inputs towards a strategic roadmap for rural health research, ensuring that future studies align with the needs of rural populations, leading to improved health outcomes. These findings illustrate perceptions and priorities of a selection of respondents from different stakeholder groups and need to be taken into consideration by the Department of Health Research and at the local level by each of the MRHRUs.</p>","PeriodicalId":13349,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Medical Research","volume":"161 4","pages":"337-345"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12178184/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diagnostic accuracy of real-time PCR assay 'Quantiplus® MTB FAST' for detection of adult pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB): A multi-centric study.","authors":"Madhumathi Jayaprakasam, Joy Sarojini Michael, Parul Jain, Shaoli Basu, Kanchan Ajbani, Siva Kumar Shanmugam, Marilyn Mary Ninan, Hansraj Choudhary, Amita Jain, Ravindra Mohan Pandey, Nivedita Gupta","doi":"10.25259/IJMR_767_2025","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJMR_767_2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Background & objectives The global target set by the United Nations (UN) high-level meeting on Tuberculosis (TB) for coverage of rapid molecular tests is 100 per cent by 2027. Rapid, affordable molecular tests for early detection of TB are the need of the hour. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of an open real-time PCR (RT-PCR) assay, Quantiplus®, with reference to Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) liquid culture. Methods We conducted a prospective multi-centric diagnostic accuracy study of Quantiplus® assay (version 2.0) at three sites in India for the detection of pulmonary TB in sputum with culture as the reference standard, compared with Xpert® MTB/RIF. A total of 657 adults (>18 yr) with presumptive TB were enrolled consecutively. The Quantiplus® assay uses an extraction-free, quick-lysis protocol and three gene targets for RT-PCR. Results Of the 644 samples analysed, 37 per cent were culture-positive and 32 per cent were smear-positive. The sensitivity and specificity of Quantiplus® assay with reference to MGIT culture were 86 per cent [95% confidence interval (CI): 81-90] and 96 per cent (95% CI: 94-98), respectively, at Ct ≤ 38. The positive and negative predictive values (PPV/NPV) were 93 per cent (95% CI: 89-96%) and 92 per cent (95% CI: 89-94%), respectively. Among the 73 smear-negative culture-positive specimens, the sensitivity and specificity were 61.6 per cent (95% CI: 50-73) and 97 per cent (95% CI: 92-98.6), respectively. The performance of Quantiplus® assay(v2.0) was comparable to Xpert MTB/RIF® (κ=0.83, SE=0.02) at Ct ≤38. Interpretation & conclusions The flexibility of the open RT-PCR assay to be used in any RT-PCR machine makes it a very low-cost (<2 US$) alternative to the expensive cartridge-based tests. This is the first report of validation of an open system RT-PCR assay for the detection of pulmonary TB.</p>","PeriodicalId":13349,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Medical Research","volume":"161 4","pages":"346-353"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12178193/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Authors' response.","authors":"Manjula Arunraj, Vaishnavi Vijay, Satyavani Kumpatla, Vijay Viswanathan","doi":"10.25259/IJMR_1317_2025","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJMR_1317_2025","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13349,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Medical Research","volume":"161 4","pages":"431-432"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12178187/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325498","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond relaxation: Improving the validity of PMR studies in chronic disease research.","authors":"Muhammad Zarrar, Hammad","doi":"10.25259/IJMR_546_2025","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJMR_546_2025","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13349,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Medical Research","volume":"161 4","pages":"430-431"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12178195/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Expression of inflammatory proteins STAT & NFĸB for phenotypic diagnosis of gall bladder cancer: A pilot study.","authors":"Atanu Sen, Nitin Choudhary, Bela Goyal, Amit Gupta, Sweety Gupta, Anissa Atif Mirza, Arvind Kumar","doi":"10.25259/IJMR_1461_2024","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJMR_1461_2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Background & objectives Gallbladder cancer (GBC) has a low overall survival rate due to late detection and poor prognosis. Chronic inflammation contributes to malignant conversion and metastasis in GBC. Expression of inflammatory proteins, such as signal transducer and activator of transcription factor (STAT) and nuclear factor kappa B (NFĸB) proteins, for diagnosis through immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a promising area of research; however, diagnosis of GBC through IHC-based methods is still in its infancy. So, the present pilot study explores the use of STAT proteins (STAT 3 and 6) and NFĸB as diagnostic biomarkers for GBC. Methods Histologically confirmed cases of GBC (n=13) and cholelithiasis (n=23) as controls, were recruited. IHC was performed for protein expression of STAT3, STAT6, and NFĸB. Subgrouping into high and low expression was performed based on the receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis. Diagnostic utility and its association with the aggressiveness of cancer were assessed. Results The mean age of GBC and cholelithiasis patients was 50.84±14.5 and 44.0±11.9 years, respectively. Liver infiltration and metastasis were observed in 61 per cent and 69 per cent of the patients, respectively. STAT3, STAT6, and NFĸB expressions were significantly higher in GBC as compared to cholelithiasis. Sensitivity and specificity for STAT3 and STAT6 were 91, 47 and 75, 39 per cent, respectively. STAT6 expression was associated with lymph node involvement. Whereas, both STAT3 and STAT6 expressions were associated with Liver infiltration. Interpretation & conclusions This pilot study demonstrated STAT3 and STAT6 as sensitive and specific molecular biomarkers for diagnosing and assessing the aggressiveness of GBC. These may be used as an adjunct to the diagnosis of GBC after validation on a larger sample size.</p>","PeriodicalId":13349,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Medical Research","volume":"161 4","pages":"414-419"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12178194/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An analysis of novel endothelial biomarkers to ascertain their role as prognostic indicators in severe COVID-19 illness.","authors":"Roshan Raj, Radhika Katragadda, Aditya Iyer, C P Anupama, Venkatesh Kelur Govidarajan, Lakshmi Priya, Sri Priya, Uma Devi, Kaveri Krishnasamy","doi":"10.25259/IJMR_915_2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25259/IJMR_915_2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Background & objectives COVID-19 is a complex disease that affects multiple systems and causes inflammation due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus's attraction to ACE-2 receptors. The severity of the disease ranges from mild upper respiratory tract infections to multi-organ failure and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Critical clinical features, such as respiratory failure, myocarditis, acute kidney injury, and a hypercoagulable state, are common in severe COVID-19 illness. Identifying patients at higher risk of rapid disease progression leading to severe complications and death is crucial. Available biomarkers lack specificity and accuracy in identifying the severity of COVID-19 infections. Therefore, there is a need to identify specific endothelial biomarkers that can predict early organ damage, facilitate effective management of patients, and categorise multisystem involvement during COVID-19 infection. Methods The participants constituted laboratory-confirmed COVID-19-positive patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) features under home isolation or moderate to severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) manifestations requiring admission. The chosen markers were analysed using the Human Luminex multiplex bead-based assay system. Results Our study revealed that certain markers, such as intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM) and Galectin-3 were elevated in all COVID-19-positive patients, while others, like vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM), Angiopoietin-2, Thrombomodulin, and tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) were specifically elevated in patients requiring admission. Such findings indicated the potential of some biomarkers in disease prognostication. Interpretation & conclusions Effective management of COVID-19 requires proper risk stratification. The findings of our investigation underscore the necessity for additional research to confirm the clinical utility and importance of these biomarkers and to fully leverage their capabilities in informing the management of severe COVID-19 disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":13349,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Medical Research","volume":"161 3","pages":"298-305"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12066140/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143999856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Circulating tumour DNA as a promising biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis & treatment monitoring.","authors":"Riddhi Ursekar, Rohan Chaubal, Khushboo A Gandhi, Elizabeth Talker, Jaya Chitra, Aishwarya Raja, Rushikesh Sunil Mukhare, Ankita Singh, Anushree Kadam, Mrudula Madhav, Shwetali Pandey, Sudeep Gupta","doi":"10.25259/IJMR_1291_2024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.25259/IJMR_1291_2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Breast cancer contributes a large fraction to mortality among women diagnosed with cancer. It is important to monitor residual disease and extend the lead time to detect relapse in high-risk patients. Minimally invasive techniques that utilise circulating biomarkers are being explored for their potential in diagnosis, prognosis, and disease monitoring of breast cancer. Circulating biomarkers have been investigated as tools for breast cancer diagnosis, prognosis, prediction, and monitoring of therapeutic response and resistance. Among these, circulating tumour cells and cell-free plasma DNA (cfDNA) derived from tumour cells (circulating tumour DNA i.e. ctDNA) have been integrated into clinical trial designs. Among all circulating biomarkers, ctDNA stands out as a promising biomaterial with great potential as it is thought to mirror the tumour's evolution. However, its clinical utilisation is hampered mainly by gaps in knowledge of its biological properties and specific characteristics. The development of robust and standardised methods for assessing circulating biomarkers is essential for realising the potential of personalised medicine. This review aims to summarise the characteristics of ctDNA and its role in breast cancer, drawing from both basic and translational research to provide insights into its clinical application. This review suggests that ctDNA has the potential to be a non-invasive, real-time surrogate for tumour tissue-based biomarkers. In conclusion, circulating biomarkers have the potential to revolutionise breast cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring, but the development of standardised methods for their assessment is essential. ctDNA, in particular, shows great promise as a liquid biopsy tool, but further research is needed to understand its biology and ensure its clinical utility fully.</p>","PeriodicalId":13349,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Medical Research","volume":"161 3","pages":"267-277"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12066141/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144009702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}