Impacts of climate change on public health in India: future research directions

Background

Climate change and associated increases in climate variability will likely further exacerbate global health disparities. More research is needed, particularly in developing countries, to accurately predict the anticipated impacts and inform effective interventions.

Objectives

Building on the information presented at the 2009 Joint Indo–U.S. Workshop on Climate Change and Health in Goa, India, we reviewed relevant literature and data, addressed gaps in knowledge, and identified priorities and strategies for future research in India.

Discussion

The scope of the problem in India is enormous, based on the potential for climate change and variability to exacerbate endemic malaria, dengue, yellow fever, cholera, and chikungunya, as well as chronic diseases, particularly among the millions of people who already experience poor sanitation, pollution, malnutrition, and a shortage of drinking water. Ongoing efforts to study these risks were discussed but remain scant. A universal theme of the recommendations developed was the importance of improving the surveillance, monitoring, and integration of meteorological, environmental, geospatial, and health data while working in parallel to implement adaptation strategies.

Conclusions

It will be critical for India to invest in improvements in information infrastructure that are innovative and that promote interdisciplinary collaborations while embarking on adaptation strategies. This will require unprecedented levels of collaboration across diverse institutions in India and abroad. The data can be used in research on the likely impacts of climate change on health that reflect India’s diverse climates and populations. Local human and technical capacities for risk communication and promoting adaptive behavior must also be enhanced.     

Ribosome-inactivating proteins: current status and biomedical applications

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are mainly present in plants and function to inhibit protein synthesis through the removal of adenine residues from eukaryotic ribosomal RNA (rRNA). They are broadly classified into two groups: type I and type II. Type I RIPs are a diverse family of proteins comprising a single polypeptide chain, whereas type II RIPs are heterodimeric glycoproteins comprising an A-chain (functionally equivalent to a type I RIP) linked via a disulphide bond to a B chain, mediating cell entry. In this review, we describe common type I and type II RIPs, their diverse biological functions, mechanism of cell entry, stability in plasma and antigenicity. We end with a discussion of promising applications for RIPs in biomedicine.     

药用植物抗肝毒性的最新研究进展

肝脏损害是由于微循环障碍、肝细胞变性坏死而引起的肝功能异常,它影响到几乎每个年龄段人群肝脏细胞的重要生物活性,而常规用药来抑制肝脏损害是远远不够的。而且,由于对抗疗法所用药物往往具有肝毒性,反而加剧了肝脏功能的紊乱。为了寻找安全有效的替代药物,人们逐渐把目光转向了具有保肝作用的药用植物,并对其进行系统性的方法学研究和药用原理评估。药用植物治疗肝病具有悠久的历史,最早可追溯到公元前2100年的中国夏朝和古印度吠陀时期,但是能证明那个时期药用植物有效治疗肝病的证据却很难寻觅。本文旨在系统性地概述现今在临床治疗和实验研究中最常用以及最有效的保肝类药用植物。     

Risk factors for major peri-operative complications in adult spinal deformity surgery: a multi-center review of 953 consecutive patients

Purpose

Major peri-operative complications for adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery remain common. However, risk factors have not been clearly defined. Our objective was to identify patient and surgical parameters that correlate with the development of major peri-operative complications with ASD surgery.

Methods

This is a multi-center, retrospective, consecutive, case–control series of surgically treated ASD patients. All patients undergoing surgical treatment for ASD at eight centers were retrospectively reviewed. Each center identified 10 patients with major peri-operative complications. Randomization tables were used to select a comparably sized control group of patients operated during the same time period that they did not suffer major complications. The two groups were analyzed for differences in clinical and surgical factors. Analysis was restricted to non-instrumentation related complications.

Results

At least one major complication occurred in 80 of 953 patients (8.4 %), including 72 patients with non-instrumentation related complications. There were no significant differences between the complications and control groups based on the demographics, ASA grade, co-morbidities, body mass index, prior surgeries, pre-operative anemia, smoking, operative time or ICU stay (p > 0.05). Hospital stay was significantly longer for the complications group (14.4 vs. 7.9 days, p = 0.001). The complications group had higher percentages of staged procedures (46 vs. 37 %, p = 0.011) and combined anterior–posterior approaches (56 vs. 32 %, p = 0.011) compared with the control group.

Conclusion

The major peri-operative complication rate was 8.4 % for 953 surgically treated ASD patients. Significantly higher rates of complications were associated with staged and combined anterior–posterior surgeries. None of the patient factors assessed were significantly associated with the occurrence of major peri-operative complications. Improved understanding of risk profiles and procedure-related parameters may be useful for patient counseling and efforts to reduce complication rates.     

Corneal and corneal epithelial thickness distribution characteristics in healthy North Indian eyes using spectral domain optical coherence tomography

Purpose:To determine the pattern of corneal thickness and epithelial thickness distribution in healthy North Indian eyes by using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).Methods:The observational study measured total corneal and epithelial thickness in the central 2 mm zone and eight sectors each in paracentral 2–5 mm (ring 1) and midperipheral 5–7 mm (ring 2) zones on SD-OCT.Results:The study included 67 eyes of 67 subjects with a male:female ratio of 32:35 and mean age of 25.04 ± 4.54 years. The mean central corneal and epithelial thicknesses were 505.97 ± 30.12 mm and 60.48 ± 8.37 mm, respectively. The epithelium of inferior and infero-nasal sectors in ring 1 and inferior sector in ring 2 was significantly thicker than the radially opposite sectors of the respective rings (P = 0.001; P = 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively). Sector-wise analysis did not reveal any significant correlation between the total corneal thickness and epithelial thickness (all P > 0.05) except in the outer superior sector where there was a weak positive correlation (r = 0.28, P = 0.02). Central epithelial thickness in males (60.59 ± 9.28 mm) and females (60.37 ± 7.58 mm) was comparable (P = 0.91). Pachymetry was thinnest in the inferior, inferonasal, and inferotemporal sectors in 44.79% of eyes (n = 30), while thinnest epithelium was seen in the superior, superonasal, and superotemporal quadrants in 50.75% of eyes (n = 34)Conclusion:The epithelial thickness distribution in this sample of topographically normal healthy North Indian eyes was nonuniform and independent of the underlying corneal thickness. Epithelium was thinner in the superior cornea, whereas total corneal thickness was minimum in the inferior part.     

Mitigation of Gliadin-Induced Inflammation and Cellular Damage by Curcumin in Human Intestinal Cell Lines

Inflammation - Wheat is a major diet from many years; apart from its nutritious value, the wheat protein gliadin is responsible for many inflammatory diseases like celiac disease (CD), and...