"A Roadmap to Tackle the Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance - A Joint meeting of Medical Societies in India" was organized as a pre-conference symposium of the 2 nd annual conference of the Clinical Infectious Disease Society (CIDSCON 2012) at Chennai on 24 th August. This was the first ever meeting of medical societies in India on issue of tackling resistance, with a plan to formulate a road map to tackle the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance from the Indian perspective. We had representatives from most medical societies in India, eminent policy makers from both central and state governments, representatives of World Health Organization, National Accreditation Board of Hospitals, Medical Council of India, Drug Controller General of India, and Indian Council of Medical Research along with well-known dignitaries in the Indian medical field. The meeting was attended by a large gathering of health care professionals. The meeting consisted of plenary and interactive discussion sessions designed to seek experience and views from a large range of health care professionals and included six international experts who shared action plans in their respective regions. The intention was to gain a broad consensus and range of opinions to guide formation of the road map. The ethos of the meeting was very much not to look back but rather to look forward and make joint efforts to tackle the menace of antibiotic resistance. The Chennai Declaration will be submitted to all stake holders.

This study showed that increased receptivity of vaginal epithelial cells to pathogens and lower local immunity may play an important role in the pathogenesis of recurrent UTI in females.

Purpose: To determine the role of humoral immune response and bacterial adherence in the pathogenesis of symptomatic and asymptomatic urinary tract infection in women. Methods: The study population consisted of 30 women with symptomatic UTI, 30 women with asymptomatic UTI and 30 healthy women as controls. Bacterial adherence to vaginal epithelial cells was studied and the concentration of serum and urine antibodies to mixed coliform antigen and clinical isolate was determined by ELISA. Surface hydrophobicity of the urine isolates was determined. Student's unpaired t test and Pearson's correlation coefficient test were used in the statistical analysis. Results: Compared to asymptomatic UTI, significantly more number of bacteria adhered to the epithelial cells of women with symptomatic UTI (P<0.001). All cases of UTI had significantly high concentration of urinary IgG antibody to mixed coliform antigens. Asymptomatic UTI cases had higher concentrations of urinary IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies to clinical isolate. Concentration of sIgA level was more in symptomatic UTI. Significant correlation was observed between urinary IgG and adherence of clinical isolate in case of asymptomatic UTI. Conclusions: The present study showed that greater receptivity of epithelial cells to bacteria may increase the susceptibility to UTI. Humoral immune response and local immunity may modify the pathogenesis of UTI. Key words: Urinary tract infection, bacterial adherence, bacterial hydrophobicity, humoral immune responeAcute urinary tract infection (UTI) can be either Materials and Methods symptomatic or asymptomatic.1 Patients with significant bacteriuria who have symptoms referable to the urinary tract Subjects are said to have symptomatic bacteriuria.2 Asymptomatic The study population consisted of 90 women belonging bacteriuria is a condition characterized by bacteriuria without to Greater Mangalore. The subjects were further divided into classical symptoms attributable to the urinary tract.2,3 Two different subgroups, each comprising of 30 individuals. consecutive cultures should yield the same organism in counts Sample selection was done by random sampling method. The of >10 5 cfu/mL of urine to confirm asymptomatic UTI.3 control and study groups were matched with respect to age, Asymptomatic UTI occurs most commonly in pregnant parity, history of prior UTI and gynaecological history. women and the elderly.4,5 Asymptomatic bacteriuria is the major Informed consent was obtained from each human subject risk factor for symptomatic UTI during pregnancy and may included in the study. The study was carried out in the have adverse effects on maternal and foetal health. 6 Department of Microbiology, Kasturba Medical College, Adherence of bacteria to epithelial cells plays an important Mangalore, India. role in the colonization and infection of mucous membranes. [7][8][9] The role of bacterial adherence in the pathogenesis of UTI Study Groups is not clear, but colonization of the urogenital epithelium of susceptible individuals by...

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Summary:Serum cholesterol and its subfractions were estimated in 23 patients on thiazide diuretics, for treatment of mild hypertension, for at least 30 months. The results were compared with those obtained in a matched set of 25 untreated mild hypertensives. It was found that while there was no difference in the level of total cholesterol, the LDL-cholesterol was significantly lower and HDL-cholesterol significantly higher in the treated group. It was also found that the total:LDL-cholesterol ratio was more in the treated group and the total:HDL-cholesterol ratio was less in the treated group. These findings suggest that coronary risk attributable to cholesterol and its subfractions does not seem to operate in long term thiazide treated patients.