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BACKGROUND:With the changing health scenario fungal infections have increased significantly, contributing to morbidity, mortality and health care cost. Candida is major human fungal pathogens that cause both superficial and deep tissue infections. With emergence of nonalbicans Candida species, availability of advanced identification methods and antifungal resistance, the spectrum of candidiasis has changed. OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to identify the distribution of Candida species among clinical isolates, risk factors associated with candidiasis and their sensitivity pattern for common antifungal drugs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred thirty nine different clinical isolates of Candida were collected from indoor patients of a tertiary care centre of Gujarat from May 2009 to June 2010. Identification of Candida species and antifungal susceptibility testing was performed with miniAPI (Analytical Prophylactic Index) (Biomerieux, France) which is an automatic identification and susceptibility testing instrument. RESULTS: We found that the non-albicans Candida were more prevalent than Candida albicans. Candida tropicalis (48.9%) was the most common Candida spp. and also more resistant than that of C.albicans. C.albicans showed resistance against fluconazole (3.5%) and itraconazole (8.8%) whereas C.tropicalis were resistant to amphotericin B (10.3%), fluconazole (20.7%), itraconazole (32.3%), and voriconazole (23.5%) and flucytosine (5.8%). Overall resistance rates of Candida for amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, and voriconazole and flucytosine were 6.4%, 15.2%, 22.3%, 12.9%, 5% respectively. CONCLUSION: To achieve better clinical results species-level identification of Candida spp. and their antifungal sensitivity testing should be performed.

Vitamin D deficiency is a global pandemic associated with increased health care costs and could play a role in the pathogenesis and management of inflammatory bowel disease. This study examined vitamin D status in veterans with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) and assessed its relationship to health care costs and service utilization. Veteran patients (n = 125) with UC or CD and with an available 25-hydroxyvitamin D level were studied. CD patients were more likely to be vitamin D insufficient than the UC group. Despite the higher vitamin D levels among UC patients, they were significantly more likely to utilize laboratory and pharmacy services compared with CD patients, whereas patients with CD had significantly higher radiology and pharmacy costs. Thus, it is likely that disease-specific characteristics rather than vitamin D status determine the costs of health care services in veterans with established inflammatory bowel disease.

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is a common chronic ear disease and a major health problem in developing countries causing deafness and life threatening complications like meningitis and brain abscess. Early and effective treatment based on the knowledge of causative organism and their antibiotic sensitivity is essential for immediate clinical recovery.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> Total of 152 clinically diagnosed patients with CSOM safe were enrolled in the study and two swab of the discharge ear were obtained from each patient under aseptic precaution. Microbiological study was done according to standard operative guidelines.  </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Out of 152 patients 93 male and 59 were female, majority of the patient seen below 30 year of age. Most common organism found was <em>Staphylococcus aureus </em>(43.2%) and <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa </em>(27.9%). <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> was sensitive to vancomycin (98%) and linezolide (100%) and <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa </em>was found highly sensitive to Imipenem cilastin (84.85%) and Imipenem (66.7%).</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> In our study gram positive <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> (43.2%) and gram negative bacilli <em>P. aeuroginosa</em> (27.9%) was the most common organism was found and this <em>P. aeruginosa</em> were hospital acquired infections. We found out high resistant to Cefepime, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin and aztreonam.</p>