In the treatment of GERD, efficacy of dexrabeprazole 10 mg is better than rabeprazole 20 mg, with regards to improvement/healing of endoscopic lesions and relief from symptoms of regurgitation.

AIM:To study the safety and efficacy of pegylated interferon alfa-2b, indigenously developed in India, plus ribavirin in treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV). METHODS:One-hundred HCV patients were enrolled in an open-label, multicenter trial. Patients were treated with pegylated interferon alfa-2b 1.5 μg/kg per week subcutaneously plus oral ribavirin 800 mg/d for patients with genotypes 2 and 3 for 24 wk. The same dose of peginterferon plus weight-based ribavirin (800 mg/d for ≤ 65 kg; 1000 mg/d for > 65-85 kg; 1200 mg/d for > 85-105 kg; 1400 mg/d for > 105 kg body weight) was administered for 48 wk for patients with genotypes 1 and 4. Serological and biochemical responses of patients were assessed. RESULTS:Eighty-two patients (35 in genotypes 1 and 4 and 47 in 2 and 3), completed the study. In genotype 1, 25.9% of patients achieved rapid virologic response (RVR): while the figures were 74.1% for early virologic response (EVR) and 44.4% for sustained virologic response (SVR). For genotypes 2 and 3, all patients bar one belonged to genotype 3, and of those, 71.4%, 87.5%, and 64.3% achieved RVR, EVR, and SVR, respectively. In genotype 4, 58.8%, 88.2%, and 52.9% of patients achieved RVR, EVR, and SVR, respectively. The majority of patients attained normal levels of alanine aminotransferase by 4-12 wk of therapy. Most patients showed a good tolerance for the treatment, although mild-to-moderate adverse events were exhibited; only two patients discontinued the study medication due to serious adverse events (SAEs). Eleven SAEs were observed in nine patients; however, only four SAEs were related to study medication. CONCLUSION:Peginterferon alfa-2b, which was developed in India, in combination with ribavirin, is a safe and effective drug in the treatment of HCV.© 2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.Key words: Hepatitis C virus; Genotype; Peginterferon alfa-2b; Ribavirin; Treatment Core tip: In a multicenter study, the safety and efficacy of pegylated interferon alfa-2b, indigenously developed CLINICAL TRIALS STUDYSubmit a

Intestinal malrotation is a congenital anomaly that results from an abnormality in the rotation and fixation of the gut as it returns to the abdominal cavity during development. Intussusception is a condition characterised by telescoping of one segment of the bowel into another segment. The combination of malrotation and intussusception is frequently a cause of intestinal obstruction in the paediatric age group. The coexistence of these two conditions is termed as Waugh syndrome and is uncommon in adults. We share our experience with an elderly woman who was admitted with diarrhoea and anaemia. Investigations revealed a large colonic polyp, colocolic intussusception and malrotation. The adenomatous polyp and mobile right colon would have lead to intussusception. The diagnosis was based on the findings of colonoscopy and contrast-enhanced CT scan of the abdomen. She was managed with a transverse colectomy with an uneventful recovery.

Issue: Nov-Dec 2020 Deploying COVID-19 vaccines once they are available is going to be an unprecedented administrative and logistical challenge. This paper proposes a plan to vaccinate 80% of India’s population by December 2021. We envision this process to be divided into four main stages viz., estimating the need, securing vaccine supply, distributing the vaccines, and post-market surveillance.  Broadly, we suggest that essential workers be prioritised for vaccination in the first phase followed by everyone else. We recommend that the government issue a model contract to build manufacturer trust and incentivise ramping up manufacturing capacity. Vaccines can be priced as per market rates with the government subsidising the cost to necessary recipients to ensure equitable access. Along with public private partnerships and open markets, the government must leverage administrative capacities of Election Commission of India to roll out a nationwide vaccination drive for maximising vaccine coverage. Finally, we recommend post-market vaccine surveillance strategies to obtain data on adverse events and tweak vaccine deployments, when necessary.

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