Eosinophilic pleural effusions (EPFs), defined as the presence of 10% or more eosinophils in the pleural fluid, are relatively rare. Their diagnostic and prognostic significance, however, remains controversial, as most of the studies are based almost entirely on retrospective case studies. This prospective study examines 26 eosinophilic pleural effusions from among 444 consecutive pleural effusions investigated at this tertiary health care center from October 1999 to April 2002. This study was attempted to unravel the diagnostic and prognostic significance of these eosinophilic effusions and assess their clinical implications, if any. Koss and Light's criteria were applied in the analysis, which comprised macroscopic, biochemical, cytological, and microbiological examinations. Of the 26 EPFs studied, five were associated with tuberculosis and three with metastatic disease. Nineteen patients had significant associated lymphocytosis. Twenty-four patients have been followed up and are in good health to date and have had no recurrence of effusion. Thus, EPF could be associated with inflammatory, benign, and malignant conditions. Hence, a closer search for a definite etiological agent is warranted in the setting of such an effusion, especially in populations endemic for tuberculosis, as in a developing country like India and in populations with a high prevalence of malignancy.

This study provides the largest data on biopsy proven renal disease in children from South Asia published till date and highlights important differences in the spectrum and trends of kidney disease compared to data from other regions.

Background & objectives:Cancer stem cells (CSCs) may be responsible for tumour recurrence and resistance to chemotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study was carried out to evaluate the association between histological parameters and liver CSCs (LCSC) in HCC, and to compare distribution of liver CSCs in HCC associated with and without hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.Methods:Seventy nine tumours (49 surgical resections from 46 patients, and 30 from autopsy) were reviewed. Immunohistochemical staining for the LCSC marker EpCAM (epithelial cell adhesion molecule), liver progenitor cell (LPC) markers CK19 (cytokeratin 19) and neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) were performed and were associated with histological features of tumour behaviour.Results:Thirty three tumours (41.8%) showed positive staining for EpCAM. CK19 and NCAM expression were seen in 26 (32.9%) and four (5.1%) tumours, respectively. The expression of EpCAM and CK19 was significantly associated with each other (P<0.001). EpCAM expression was significantly associated with clinical and histological features indicating aggressive tumour behaviour, including younger age of onset, higher serum alpha foetoprotein (AFP) levels, tumour cell dedifferentiation, increased mitotic activity, and vascular invasiveness. There was no significant difference in expression of EpCAM, CK19 and NCAM between HBV positive and negative HCC.Interpretation & conclusions:The LCSC marker EpCAM was expressed in less than half of HCC, was independent of HBV aetiology, and was strongly associated with clinical and histological features of aggressive tumour behaviour. Positive staining for CK19 suggests a possible LPC origin of the EpCAM positive HCCs.

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Background: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis and an important cause of end-stage kidney disease. Unlike the slowly progressive course seen among Caucasian and East Asian subjects (actuarial survival 80-85% over 10 years), in India about 30-40% of patients have nephrotic syndrome and renal dysfunction at presentation and a 10-year renal survival of 35%, as reported from a retrospective registry. These observations cannot be entirely attributed to a lack of uniform screening protocols or late referral and attest to the probability that IgAN may not be the same disease in different parts of the world. Methods: We will prospectively recruit 200 patients with IgAN (the GRACE IgANI— Glomerular Research And Clinical Experiments- Ig A Nephropathy in Indians—cohort) and stratify them into low and high risk of progression based on published absolute renal risk scores. We will test the validity of this risk score in an unselected Indian IgAN population over a 5-year follow-up period. In parallel, we will undertake extensive exploratory serum, urine, renal and microbiome biomarker studies, firstly, to determine if the underlying pathogenic pathways are the same in Indian IgAN compared to those reported in Caucasian and East Asian IgAN. Secondly, we will systematically assess the value of measuring selected biomarkers and adding this data to traditional measures of risk in IgAN to predict kidney failure. We ultimately hope to generate a composite IgAN risk score specific for the Indian population. Ethics and data dissemination: Approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (Silver, Research and Ethics Committee) of the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India (Ref. No. IRB Min. No. 8962 [Other] dated 23.07.2014 and IRB Min. No. 9481 [Other] dated 24.06.2015). It is anticipated that results of this study will be presented at national and international meetings, with reports being published from late 2018.