Phylogenetic Analysis of Spread of Hepatitis C Virus Identified during HIV Outbreak Investigation,Unnao, India

An HIV outbreak investigation during 2017–2018 in Unnao District, Uttar Pradesh, India, unearthed high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies among the study participants. We investigated these HCV infections by analyzing NS5B and core regions. We observed no correlation between HIV–HCV viral loads and clustering of HCV sequences, regardless of HIV serostatus. All HCV isolates belonged to genotype 3a. Monophyletic clustering of isolates in NS5B phylogeny indicates emergence of the outbreak from a single isolate or its closely related descendants. The nucleotide substitution rate for NS5B was 6 × 10⁻³ and for core was 2 × 10⁻³ substitutions/site/year. Estimated time to most recent common ancestor of these isolates was 2012, aligning with the timeline of this outbreak, which might be attributable to unsafe injection practices while seeking healthcare. HIV–HCV co-infection underlines the need for integrated testing, surveillance, strengthening of healthcare systems, community empowerment, and molecular analyses as pragmatic public health tools.     

Structural evaluation of radially expandable cardiovascular stents encased in a polyurethane film

A method of encasing cardiovascular stents with an expandable polyurethane coating has been developed to provide a smooth homogeneous inner wall allowing for a confluent growth of endothelial cells. In this design, the metal wire stent structure is completely covered by the polyurethane film, minimizing biocorrosion of the metal (stainless steel or nitinol), and providing a homogeneous surface for surface treatment and incorporation of various eluting drugs to prevent platelet aggregation while supporting endothelialization. The polyurethane surface was treated with a helium plasma for sterilization and promotes growth of cells. The article details the performance of the coated film to expand with the metal stent up to 225% during deployment. Stress/strain behavior of polyurethane films, subsequent plasma treatment of the surface, and the adhesion of the coating to the stent structure upon expansion are presented. A film of less than 25 microm was found to be sufficient for corrosion resistance and flexibility without producing any excess stress on the stent structure. Straining the film to 225% and plasma modification did not affect the mechanical and surface properties, but allowed for improved biocompatibility as determined by the critical surface tension, surface chemistry, and roughness.     

Leishmania promastigote membrane antigen-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting for differential diagnosis of Indian post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis

Diagnosis of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), caused by Leishmania donovani, is difficult, as the dermal lesions are of several types and resemble those caused by other skin diseases, especially leprosy. Since the disease generally appears very late after the clinical cure of kala-azar in India, it is also difficult to correlate PKDL with a previous exposure to L. donovani. Very few attempts have been made so far to diagnose PKDL serologically, and the diagnostic methods vary in their sensitivities and specificities. Diagnosis of PKDL through sophisticated PCR methods, although highly sensitive, has limited practical use. We have developed a serodiagnostic method using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect specific immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes and IgG subclass antibodies in the sera of Indian PKDL patients. Our assay, which uses L. donovani promastigote membrane antigens, was 100% sensitive for the detection of IgG and 96.7% specific for the detection of IgG and IgG1. Optical density values for individual patients, however, demonstrated wide variations. Western blot analysis based on IgG reactivity could differentiate patients with PKDL from control subjects, which included patients with leprosy, patients from areas where kala-azar is endemic, and healthy subjects, by the detection of polypeptides of 67, 72, and 120 kDa. The recognition patterns of the majority of serum samples from patients with PKDL were also distinct from those of the serum samples from patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL), at least for a 31-kDa polypeptide. To further differentiate patients with PKDL from those with active and cured VL, we analyzed the specific titers of the Ig isotypes and IgG subclasses. High levels of IgG, IgG1, IgG2, and IgG3 antibodies significantly differentiated patients with PKDL from patients cured of VL. The absence of antileishmanial IgE and IgG4 in patients with PKDL differentiated these patients from those with active VL. These results imply intrinsic differences in the antibodies generated in the sera from patients with PKDL and VL.     

Risk factors for HIV infection in injection drug users and evidence for onward transmission of HIV to their sexual partners in Chennai, India

OBJECTIVES: Determining HIV prevalence in injection drug users (IDUs) and their regular sex partners in Chennai, India. METHODS: A total of 226 IDUs and their regular sex partners were enrolled during April-July 2003. After informed consent was obtained, a semistructured questionnaire was administered and serum was tested for HIV antibody. RESULTS: The HIV seroprevalence was 30% (68/226) in IDUs and 5% in their regular sex partners (11/226). While in 25% of couples only the male partner was HIV positive, 5% of the couples were concordant for HIV infection and 70% were HIV negative. Fifty-seven percent of the HIV-positive IDUs and 45% of the HIV-infected women thought that they had "no chance" or "very little chance" of getting HIV, reflecting low HIV risk perception. More than 20% IDUs reported borrowing or lending of injection equipment. In univariate analyses "sex" and "condom use" with sex workers had no bearing but "more than twice a day injecting frequency," "history of incarceration," "tattoos," "recruitment from northern part of the city," and ever-injecting drugs in drug-selling places had significant association with HIV infection in IDUs. In an adjusted model, the odds of HIV infection were 2 times higher among IDUs who had ever injected drugs in drug-selling places and 6 times higher in those who were recruited from the northern part of central Chennai. CONCLUSION: Reducing sharing of injection equipment and unsafe tattooing through targeted and environmental interventions, increasing HIV risk perception, and promoting safer sex practices among IDUs and their sex partners are urgent program needs.     

Urgent Redo-Laparotomies: Patterns and Outcome—A Single Centre Experience

A proportion of the operations performed in a surgical gastroenterology department are unplanned repeat laparotomies for complications of the original procedure. We examined why, in our department, these ‘redo’ laparotomies were performed and what was their outcome. We retrospectively analyzed 6530 patients operated between September 1996 - December 2010, of these 257 redo laparotomies were performed in 193(2.5 %) patients. There were 138 males and 55 females who had a mean age of 42 years (range 7–68 years). Eighty one (42 %) of the index surgeries were elective and 112 (58 %) performed in the emergency situation. Pancreas was the commonest organ for the index operation {50 (25.9 %)}, followed by the colon and rectum {45 (23.3 %)} and the small bowel {36 (18.7 %)}. Postoperative bleeding was the most common cause for re-exploration 66 (34.2 %) followed by an abscess or fluid collection that required surgical drainage 57 (29.6 %). The mortality rate after redo laparotomies was 33.2 % with sepsis and multi-organ failure being the commonest cause of death. Urgent redo-laparotomies that are performed following complicated abdominal operations have a high mortality rate. Postoperative bleeding, intrabdominal abscess and peritonitis are the commonest cause for redo-laparotomy. Multiple redolaparotomies and associated co-morbid conditions are significant predictors of mortality.     

Balloon tamponade in the management of bleeding oesophageal varices

Sixty-three patients with acute variceal haemorrhage were treated with the Sengstaken-Blakemore tube (SBT). Bleeding was initially controlled with the gastric balloon in 37 patients (60%) and with both gastric and oesophageal balloons in another 17 (27%), giving overall primary success in 54 patients (87%). Sixteen (26%) patients re-bled within 24 hours of deflation of the tube. Repeat balloon tamponade helped in controlling bleeding in 9 of these. Thus, a total of 47 (75%) patients stopped bleeding with SBT. There was no mortality. The only major complication was pulmonary infection (15%), which improved with antibiotics. Use of the SBT was found to be simple, quick, low cost and attended with few complications. Its use is recommended in patients with acute variceal bleeding, especially in developing countries with limited resources.     

Beverage-induced enhanced bioavailability of carbamazepine and its consequent effect on antiepileptic activity and toxicity

The present study was undertaken to investigate the food–drug interaction of carbamazepine (CBZ). Common fruit juices [grapefruit juice (GFJ), lime juice (LJ)], known to inhibit the enzyme cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4), and some widely consumed beverages [milk (M), black tea (BT)] were involved in this study in the presence of CBZ, as might happen during clinical therapy. The effects of the beverages on the pharmacokinetics and drug-induced toxicity of CBZ was observed after concomitant administration for a period of 28 days. Accordingly, the influence of altered bioavailability of CBZ on its antiepileptic activity was investigated. A significant shift in the C_max as well as T_max of CBZ was observed in the presence of LJ and GFJ. This increase in bioavailability significantly enhanced hepatotoxicity and delayed the onset of tremor and piloerection against pentylene tetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizure in experimental animals. However, increased toxicity of CBZ was found to be absent with BT. Thus, from our observation, LJ or GFJ in the presence of CBZ significantly increased the bioavailability of CBZ, which might lead to increased toxicity and antiepileptic activity of the drug.     

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its correlates among community-recruited children living with HIV and uninfected children born to HIV-infected parents in West Bengal,India

Purpose

Helping children living with HIV (CLH) to attain an optimum quality of life is an important goal for HIV programs around the world. Our principal objectives were to determine the association of HIV infection with different domains of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among 8- to 15-year-old CLH in India and to compare the HRQoL parameters between CLH and HIV-negative children born to HIV-infected parents (“HIV-affected”). We also assessed whether antiretroviral therapy (ART) and CD4 lymphocyte counts were associated with HRQoL among CLH.

Methods

Using the “Quality of Life (health-related) of Children Living with HIV/AIDS in India” instrument, we interviewed 199 CLH and 194 HIV-affected children from three districts of West Bengal, India. Participants were asked to quantify the difficulties faced by them in six HRQoL domains: physical, emotional, social, school functioning, symptoms, and discrimination.

Results

The mean age of the participants was 11.6 (SD?±?2.5) years. CLH, compared to HIV-affected children, had poorer scores on all HRQoL domains except ‘discrimination.’ Among CLH, there were no significant differences in HRQoL domain scores (except in the ‘discrimination’ domain) between ART-treated and -untreated groups. CD4 lymphocyte count was found to be a significant positive predictor of the ‘symptom’ scale score.

Conclusions

In India, interventions for CLH mostly focus on biological disease. However, the current study revealed that HRQoL among CLH was much poorer than that of a socio-demographically comparable group. Culturally and developmentally appropriate psychosocial support measures for Indian CLH are urgently needed.