Dengue, a common tropical viral disease, often has complications of thrombocytopenia causing bleeding and warranting blood transfusion. This is costly in low-income settings. We conducted an observational study using a relatively new parameter called immature platelet fraction which indicates regeneration of platelets by the bone marrow. Our study on 124 dengue patients showed a strong correlation between platelet count and immature platelet fraction and we observed that 96.1% and 97.4% patients showed rise in platelet count at 24 and 48 h, respectively. In the absence of bleeding, platelet transfusion was prevented in 64% of patients with an IPF level of 10% or more.

No abstract

No abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed sex-based differences in anti-viral responses, with a higher rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections as well as a higher rate of morbidity and mortality in men than in women. Males and females also show disparate immune responses to COVID-19 infection, which may be important contributors to lower rates of infection, disease severity and deaths in women than in men. Here, the authors review sex differences in SARS-CoV-2 infections, anti-viral immunity and vaccine responses, putting forth the importance of sex, the underappreciated variables in vaccine response and disease infectivity.

Tuberculosis (TB) is known to persist as latent infection and it is during this latent phase that the bacilli are able to bypass the host immunity and infect extrapulmonary sites such as lymph nodes. This study aims to find the tentative role of the cytokines released by type-1 and type-2 helper lymphocytes in patients of tuberculous lymphadenitis and understand their role and prevalence during immune response against MTB in these patients. Thirty patients with clinically diagnosed and cytologically proven Tuberculous lymphadenitis constituted the cases. Blood sample of 30 cases and 10 healthy volunteers was collected after obtaining written consent and the separated serum was stored at -80°C. ELISA was carried out using the standard method with the serum of these patients for Th-1 cytokines (IL-2 & interferon-γ) and for Th-2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-5). The concentrations of the type-1 cytokines, especially INF- γ as well as type-2 cytokines, i.e IL-4 and IL-5 was highly increased in the patients selected. It was also noted that the levels of all the cytokines were increased if the patient had necrosis or AFB positive report on fine needle aspiration as compared to granuloma only report. Patients having tubercular lymphadenopathy show increased INF- γ in the circulation. It was also noted that IL-4 and IL-5 also seem to increase in proportion to the decreased immune status.