No abstract

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common condition affecting lives of patients across the globe. The statistics are much worse than previously thought. Studies showed that 9 -23% of the world population is suffering from IBS. Very few options are available with inadequate efficacy and a dire need for newer options. Rifaximin is one such promising drug. This study has been conducted to determine the efficacy of rifaximin therapy in IBS patients. Objective: The efficacy of rifaximin was compared with a placebo in controlling the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Study design: Randomized Controlled Trial. Setting: Medicine Outpatient Clinical Department, Allied Hospital, Faisalabad. Duration of study: 27-05-2015 to 26-11-2015. Sample size: 620 (310 in each group) were enrolled in the study after fulfilling inclusion criteria. Sampling technique: Non-Probability Consecutive Sampling. Results: 620 patients were enrolled in this study. Mean age of study population was 28.31 + 6.45 (Table I). 298 (48.1%) were male and 322 (51.9%) were female. Patients were divided into group A and Group B. Group A received rifaximin and group B received placebo. In group A, improvement in IBS symptoms with Rifaximin was noted in 171 (55.1%) as compared to 90 (29.03%) in group B (p-value <0.0001). Conclusion: Rifaximin is effective in treatment of IBS without constipation. Prescribing rifaximin should be considered in treatment of IBS patients as it provides a promising treatment option which is cost effective and has fewer side effects.

Microalbuminuria is a strong and independent indicator of increased cardiovascularrisk among individuals with and without diabetes and hypertension. The pathophysiologicmechanism underlying the association between albumin excretion and cardiovascular disease(CVD) is that microalbuminuria can be a predictor of CVD risk as it reflects the vascular damagein kidneys. It also shows endothelial damage predicting CV disease risk. Based on this theory,periodic screening for microalbuminuria could allow early identification of vascular diseaseand help stratify overall cardiovascular risk, especially in patients with risk factors such ashypertension or diabetes. Therefore microalbuminuria can be used for stratification of risk forcardiovascular disease. Once microalbuminuria is present, cardiovascular risk factor reductionshould be aggressive. Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine the role ofmicroalbuminuria as an atherosclerotic risk factor and its association with coronary arterydisease. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Duration of Study: Duration of study was6 months with first patient enrolled on 16-03-2007 and last patient enrolled on 15-09-2007.Setting: Medical Unit-III and CCU Allied Hospital, Faisalabad. Subjects: 300 patients withacute coronary syndrome, admitted in Allied hospital Faisalabad were enrolled. Methods: 300patients diagnosed as having acute coronary syndrome admitted in Allied hospital Faisalabad,were included in the study. Early morning urine as well as 24 hour urine had been collectedin sterilized urine bags and microalbuminuria was tested. Results: In this study 300 patientshaving acute coronary syndrome were enrolled. Microalbuminuria was positive in 66 (22%)patients and 234 (78%) patients had no microalbuminuria. There was significant associationbetween microalbuminuria and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Conclusion: It isconcluded that microalbuminuria is an atherosclerotic risk factor and it is strongly associatedwith coronary artery disease.

Microalbuminuria is a strong and independent indicator of increased cardiovascular risk among individuals with and without diabetes and hypertension. The pathophysiologic mechanism underlying the association between albumin excretion and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is that microalbuminuria can be a predictor of CVD risk as it reflects the vascular damage in kidneys. It also shows endothelial damage predicting CV disease risk. Based on this theory, periodic screening for microalbuminuria could allow early identification of vascular disease and help stratify overall cardiovascular risk, especially in patients with risk factors such as hypertension or diabetes. Therefore microalbuminuria can be used for stratification of risk for cardiovascular disease. Once microalbuminuria is present, cardiovascular risk factor reduction should be aggressive. Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine the role of microalbuminuria as an atherosclerotic risk factor and its association with coronary artery disease. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Duration of Study: Duration of study was 6 months with first patient enrolled on 16-03-2007 and last patient enrolled on 15-09-2007. Setting: Medical Unit-III and CCU Allied Hospital, Faisalabad. Subjects: 300 patients with acute coronary syndrome, admitted in Allied hospital Faisalabad were enrolled. Methods: 300 patients diagnosed as having acute coronary syndrome admitted in Allied hospital Faisalabad, were included in the study. Early morning urine as well as 24 hour urine had been collected in sterilized urine bags and microalbuminuria was tested. Results: In this study 300 patients having acute coronary syndrome were enrolled. Microalbuminuria was positive in 66 (22%) patients and 234 (78%) patients had no microalbuminuria. There was significant association between microalbuminuria and atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Conclusion: It is concluded that microalbuminuria is an atherosclerotic risk factor and it is strongly associated with coronary artery disease.