Background: Diabetics exhibit elevated serum ferritin level when compared to non-diabetic counterpart, indicates impact of its association with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and disease progression. Ferritin is a key mediator of immune dysregulation through direct immunosuppression contributing to cytokine storm resulting in fatal outcome in COVID-19. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to estimate serum ferritin in diabetic (cases) and non-diabetic (controls) COVID-19 patients and its correlation with their diabetic profile (FBS, PPBS, RBS, and HbA1C). Materials and Methods: A retrospective case–control study conducted at Rajarajeswari Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, for a period of 8 months among diabetic and non-diabetic COVID-19 patients. Results: The study population consisted of 957 individuals, out of them, 425 patients were type 2 diabetes mellitus and 532 were non-diabetic COVID-19-positive patients (controls). Diabetic profile parameters (FBS, PPBS, RBS, and HbA1c) and serum ferritin were significantly (P<0.05) high in cases as compared to controls. Among diabetic COVID-19, the glycated hemoglobin and serum ferritin showed a significantly positive correlation (r=0.55) with serum ferritin (mean=648.98±320.48). Conclusion: Hyperferritinemia is more prevalent in diabetic COVID-19 individuals. Serum ferritin can be considered as a valuable biomarker to screen the diabetic and non-diabetic for the presence of hyperinflammation and to predict severity of COVID-19 infection so that it will help the clinician for proper management.

Paraoxonase is an anti-oxidant enzyme, which circulates in the plasma, tightly bound to HDL. This enzyme is known to be synthesized in the liver. This study was carried out in order to ascertain the diagnostic utility of this enzyme in acute liver disease. Serum basal as well as salt (NaCl) stimulated paraoxonase was estimated in 50 patients with an established diagnosis of acute liver disease and also in 50 healthy blood donors. Paraoxonase levels were significantly lower in patients as compared with controls (P < 0.05). The 'receiver operating characteristic' plot showed that this enzyme has a high degree of sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis acute liver disease. Serum PON is likely to emerge as an additional test of liver function, as it encompasses three different attributes of hepatic function namely, synthetic capacity, detoxication and secretory functions.

A BSTRACT Introduction: Perimenopause phase of a woman’s life is featured by decline in the ovarian activity, predisposing her to several health consequences. The signs and symptoms of thyroid disorders simulate those of menopausal features which may go unnoticed and can cause untoward complications in these women. Aims and Objective: The primary objective is to screen women of perimenopausal age for thyroid disorders. The secondary objective is to examine the variations in thyroid hormone levels in these women with advancing age. Materials and Methods: One hundred and forty-eight apparently healthy women between the age group of 46 and 55 years were study subjects. They were divided into, Group I which constituted women between 46 and 50 years and Group II consisted of women between 51 and 55 years. Thyroid profile comprising serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), serum total triiodothyronine (T 3 ), and serum total thyroxine (T 4 ) were estimated for all the women recruited in the study. Results: Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) and overt hypothyroidism (OH) were detected in 22 and 8 women who constituted 14.9% and 5.4%, respectively, of the total women populace. In Group I, it was noted that 17.1% and 1.8% of women were suffering from SCH and OH, respectively. In Group II, while 8.1% of the women had SCH, 16.2% of women had progressed to OH. TSH levels were significantly higher ( P = 0.002) in women of Group II than in Group I, suggesting increase in TSH levels with advancing age. Conclusion: Screening of perimenopausal women for thyroid disorders will assure timely detection and proper management which will aid in reducing the morbidity and associated complications.