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Limited data are available on the relationship between nutritional status and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). Zinc plays a vital role in the immune status of the individual. The present study was carried out to estimate serum zinc and albumin levels in newly detected adult active PTB patients with (n = 20) and without (n = 20) HIV, and to compare them with the levels in controls (healthy family members; n = 20) who satisfied rigid selection criteria. Standard methods were adopted to collect an early morning fasting blood sample for zinc (by Atomic Absorption Spectrometer) and albumin (estimated by the bromocresol green method). The mean ± SD for BMI, zinc and albumin among the controls, HIV positive and HIV negative patients were 19.6 ± 0.6, 18 ± 0.4 and 18.5 ± 0.6 kg/m 2 ; 117.13 ± 4.2, 53.9 ± 8 and 65.5 ± 9.8 μg/dL; and 4.1 ± 0.6, 2.9 ± 0.4 and 3.6 ± 0.7 g/dL, respectively. All three parameters were significantly low in active PTB patients irrespective of HIV status, but more so in HIV-positive individuals. These changes may be attributable to nutritional factors, enteropathy and acute phase reactant proteins. Hence, the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) in India is providing nutritional supplements to those HIV-infected cases inducted for antiretroviral therapy and nutritional counseling for others as a part of a national policy.

Background: Canine cardiovascular problems are commonly seen in veterinary medicine. Cardiac abnormalities in canine can be diagnosed by various means like electrochardiography, radiography, blood pressure measurement, echocardiography and biomarkers like troponins and peptides specific for heart.Methods: The present study was conducted to evaluate different biomarkers such as cardiac troponin T (cTnT), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) for the diagnosis of cardiac diseases in comparison to echocardiography in canine. A total of 40 cases were included in the study, out of which 26 cases found to be positive for cardiac affections as confirmed by echocardiographic examination. Result: The serum concentration of cTnT and BNP were found significantly (P less than 0.05) elevated in dogs having cardiac as well as cardiac along with renal affections. ANP values were significantly (P less than 0.05) increased in dogs having both cardiac and renal diseases as compared to dogs with cardiac diseases only. Biomarkers like cTnT, ANP and BNP were compared with echocardiography (gold standard). The BNP was having the highest sensitivity (88.46%) and specificity (78.57%) as compared to cTnT and ANP. From the study, it is concluded that BNP can be used as suitable biomarker than cTnT and ANP for the diagnosis of cardiac diseases in canine. It can be used as a biomarker for cardiac diseases under field conditions where facilities for echocardiography are not available.

Background: The brachial artery, a continuation of the axillary artery, begins at the distal (inferior) border of the tendon of teres major and ends distal to the elbow joint (at the level of the neck of the radius) by dividing into radial and ulnar arteries. The brachial artery is wholly superficial, covered anteriorly only by skin and superficial and deep fascia. In the present study we aimed to describe the high origin of brachial artery and its branching variations.Materials and methods: The present study was conducted in 40 formalin fixed upper limbs selected by convenient sampling irrespective of age and sex over a period of 6 months. The brachial artery was exposed and the length of the brachial artery and the distance of the profunda brachii artery from the lower border of teres major were measured using a thread and a measuring tape. Variations of brachial artery and its branches were noted.Results: In the present study, arterial variations can be classified as high division of brachial artery in five limbs, which is 12.5% of the 40 limbs dissected. Origin of profundabrachii artery is quite variable in 15% (6 limbs) of cases. Conclusion:Variations of Brachial artery and its branches are common both in respect of formation and termination.Knowledge of the vascular variations will increase the success of the surgical and radiological procedures.

Abstract:The metabolic syndrome has acknowledged a primary attention in the last few years. It is defined as a cluster of specific cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, comprised of central obesity, elevated blood pressure, high triglycerides, reduced levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and elevated fasting glucose levels. Several studies have identified that there is a significant association of Metabolic Syndrome with pancreatic, colorectal, breast and prostatic cancer. Most of the cities in India are also undergoing rapid urbanization with increased industrialization and there by facing an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and adoption of other unhealthy lifestyles which leads to rise in prevalence of non communicable diseases. Lot of work is being done on metabolic syndrome in the recent times but most of them have been confined to hospitals and very few studies have been conducted at community level. Therefore this study was conducted to assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the adult population of Coimbatore City which is an important industrial hub of Tamilnadu. 992 persons participated in the survey and 300 samples with increased waist circumference were selected for Anthropometric measurement & physiological indices. This study has revealed that the people with increased Waist Circumference (Central Obesity) are in the metabolic syndrome zone with the result of 83% of the obese samples are with Metabolic syndrome. This study also revealed that around 47% are in metabolic syndrome zone with the presence of 3 components and they could be in out of metabolic syndrome zone very easily just by reducing only one component. Though 17.66 % of the persons are out of metabolic syndrome zone, 16.66% have 2 components and the probability to enter in to the metabolic syndrome zone is very high for them as they have central obesity which may leads to pre diabetics easily if they don't take at most care.