Background and Objectives:The liver plays a pivotal role in carbohydrate metabolism. Therefore, functional state of the liver in patients with diabetes is of interest. The objectives of the current study were to (i) identify co-existent biochemical derangements of liver function tests (LFTs) in type 2 diabetes and (ii) determine the association between liver function parameters and glycemic status in type 2 diabetics from Shillong, Meghalaya.Materials and Methods:Data from 320 type 2 diabetes patients were screened retrospectively for abnormalities in LFTs. Relationship of fasting serum glucose was assessed with the following tests in the LFT panel: Total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and albumin. Correlation coefficient was computed between individual LFT and fasting glucose status. These bivariate analyses were supplemented by multivariate linear regression analyses.Results:71.25% subjects had an abnormality in at least one LFT. Elevated ALT (46.8%) and elevated ALP (48.5%) were the most common abnormality in males and females, respectively. ALP correlated positively with fasting glucose in both sexes. AST, ALT, and ALP were found to be independent determinants of glycemic status.Conclusion:Derangements in liver function are widely co-existent in type 2 diabetics from Shillong. Deranged liver enzymes are associated with glycemic status. Screening for liver dysfunction in diabetics and subsequent workup may lead to the identification of hepatic co-morbidities and better management.

Purpose:Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is one of the less recognized reasons of anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this study, we evaluated the role of SHPT as a cause of anemia and correlation of intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) and hemoglobin (Hb) level in hemodialysis (HD) patients.Methods:This cross-sectional study was carried out in 63 individuals admitted in HD unit of the institute. Serum samples were collected and urea, creatinine, Hb, ferritin and iPTH levels were measured. Statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS software (IBM, NY, USA).Results:Mean ± standard deviation for serum urea, creatinine, Hb, ferritin and intact PTH were 177 ± 15.52, 15.16 ± 2.28 mg/dl, 7.03 ± 2.26 g/dl, 654.7 ± 563.4 ng/ml, 539.18 ± 493.59 pg/ml respectively. A reverse correlation was found between intact PTH and Hb level.Conclusions:A variety of postulated pathophysiological mechanisms linking SHPT and anemia in CKD are discussed. An efficient control of parathyroid hormone hypersecretion may be required to achieve a better management of anemia in HD patients.

The present, study was conducted to determine the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) as an index of free radial induced lipid peroxidation and antioxidant vitamins -vitamins A, vitamin C and vitamin E in Address for Correspondence :Dr. W. Gyaneshwar Singh Professor and Head, Department of Biochemistry Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, Manipur. Pin-795004 • E-mail : wg_singh@yahoo.co.in initiation of calcium oxalate formation are still not known. However the oxidant (free radical production) and antioxidant imbalance may be one of the major factors leading to the process of crystal deposition in renal tissues (2). Manipur is a small State in the North Eastern corner of India where the incidence of urolithiasis is very high among the natives who are different in food habits, and also socially, culturally and ethnically from the people of the mainland of India. The present study is therefore taken to evaluate the role of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant vitamins in the etiology of stone formation in population of Manipur.

Background:Calcium is known to be major mediator in ischemic neuronal cell death. Recent studies have shown that elevated serum calcium levels at admission in patients with stroke have been associated with less severe clinical deficits and with better outcomes.Aim:The aim of this to determine the correlation between serum calcium (total, corrected, and ionized) and infarct size (IS) in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Materials and Methods:Data were collected from 61 patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke from May 2015 to April 2016 at a tertiary care institute in Northeast India. Only patients aged ≥40 years and diagnosed as having acute ischemic cerebrovascular stroke with clinical examination and confirmed by a computed tomography scan were included in the study. Serum calcium levels (total, albumin corrected, and ionized) were collapsed into quartiles, and these quartile versions were used for calculating correlation. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used for comparing calcium levels with IS.Results:Total calcium, albumin-corrected calcium, and ionized calcium had a statistically significant negative correlation with IS with r = −0.578, −0.5396, and −0.5335, respectively. Total and ionized calcium showed a significant negative correlation with IS across all four quartiles. Albumin-corrected calcium levels showed a significant negative correlation with IS only across the lowest and highest quartiles.Conclusion:The findings in our study suggest that serum calcium can be used as a prognostic indicator in ischemic stroke as its levels directly correlates with the IS.

Background: A close interconnection is present between hypothyroidism and hyperprolactinemia. Failure to ovulate regularly in women of the reproductive age group may occur owing to hypothyroidism. Objective: To look for thyroid disorders among the primary infertile group of female patients and to see the association of serum prolactin level and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level, if any. Materials and Methods: In this study, we investigated 53 diagnosed female subjects of primary infertility who were sent to the Department of Biochemistry for hormonal investigation. Fifty-three fertile age-matched females were enrolled for the study as control subjects. Serum prolactin and the TSH levels were measured by using chemiluminiscence method (Access 2, Beckman Coulter). Result: Significantly higher prolactin and TSH levels were found among cases when compared with control subjects. A positive association was found between TSH and prolactin levels among the primary infertile female subjects. Conclusion: This study showed significantly higher prolactin and TSH levels among the primary infertile female patients. Therefore, for proper management of infertile cases, it may be necessary to look for thyroid dysfunction and treat it accordingly.