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Biomedical subjects

A K Kapoor

Publications and source records attributed to A K Kapoor.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Histopathological changes in cases of aluminium phosphide poisoning.

Of a total of 205 poisoning deaths in our hospital in 2003, 83 cases were due to Aluminium phosphide poisoning and were further analyzed. Most vulnerable age group was 21-40 years and M:F ratio was 2:1. On naked eye examination, almost all the vital organs were found to be congested. On microscopic study, the liver showed central venous congestion, degeneration, haemorrhage, sinusoidal dilation, bile stasis, centrilobular necrosis, Kupffer cell hyperplasia, infiltration by mononuclear cells and fatty change. Microscopy of the lungs revealed alveolar thickening, oedema, dilated capillaries, collapsed alveoli and haemorrhage. In the kidney, changes were degeneration, infiltration, tubular dilation and cloudy swelling. Changes in the brain included congestion and coagulative necrosis and in the stomach, congestion and haemorrhage. Easy availability of this cheap and highly toxic substance was responsible for the sudden spurt of poisoning with aluminium phosphide.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Fertility and mortality differentials among the population groups of the Himalayas.

Selection potential based on differential fertility and mortality has been computed for 24 Himalayan populations classified into four groups: Himalayan populations with Asian affinities (HPA), Brahmans, Rajputs, and Scheduled Castes (Shilpkars). Irrespective of the methodology followed, the total index of selection was found to be highest (0.794) in Barbatiyas (HPA) and lowest (0.428) in Rajputs. The relative contribution of fertility component (If) to the index of total selection (It) is higher than the corresponding mortality component (Im) in all 24 groups. An analysis of correlation and regression on different components of the indices of selection performed among these 24 Himalayan populations revealed that the contributions of If in determining It are stronger than Im. Further, both If and Im are strongly associated with It and account for 76% and 67% of total variability in It, respectively. Examination of the relationship of the selection potential with the differential altitude and social categories showed a decrease in the index from high altitude to low altitude. Similarly, an inverse relationship was found between various indices and social categories. Himalayan populations with Asian affinities (HPA) in the present study reveal higher values of selection potential. Interestingly, these populations invariably reside in high altitude areas where health and communication infrastructures are poorly developed. Thus, the differential pattern of fertility and mortality among the Himalayan populations indicates that they are passing through a stage of transition, as is evident from the decrease in various selection indices. It is also apparent that groups that are less developed socioeconomically, as well as those inhabiting high altitude regions, are lagging behind in this process.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Role of curcumin in idiopathic inflammatory orbital pseudotumours.

The present report, describes for the first time the clinical efficacy of curcumin, the active constituent of rhizomes of Curcuma longa, in the treatment of patients suffering from idiopathic inflammatory orbital pseudotumours. Curcumin was administered orally at a dose of 375 mg/3 times/day orally for a period of 6-22 months in eight patients. They were followed up for a period of 2 years at 3 monthly intervals. Five patients completed the study, out of which four recovered completely and in one patient the swelling regressed completely but some limitation of movement persisted. No side effect was noted in any patient and there was no recurrence. It is suggested that curcumin could be used as a safe and effective drug in the treatment of idiopathic inflammatory orbital pseudotumours.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2000

Seroepidemiology of hepatitis A in Delhi.

A prospective study was done to determine the age specific prevalence of antihepatitis A antibodies (anti HAV Abs) among children in Delhi. Four hundred and twenty children aged 0-12 years attending outpatient department for vaccination or any minor illness were studied. Sera was tested by ELISA for anti HAV Abs using a commercial kit (Hepvase A 96 TMB). Thirty samples of cord blood were similarly analyzed. All samples of cord blood were positive for anti HAV Abs. Prevalence of anti HAV Abs was 80% by 5 years of age. The most vulnerable age group was 0.5-1.5 years (anti HAV Ab positivity). Cord blood had 100% positivity. Univariate and multivariate analyses taking anti HAV antibody positivity as dependant variable demonstrated that age and father's education (socioeconomic status) significantly affect prevalence of anti HAV Abs. Sex, water supply, history of jaundice in self or family did not have any significant effect on anti HAV antibody positivity. Prevalence of anti HAV antibodies is 80% by 5 years of age. Further studies in different strata of society and different regions in the country are required to assess the need and age for vaccination.

Child↗
PubMed2000

Fertility and mortality differentials among selected tribal population groups of north-western and eastern India.

Selection potential based on differential fertility and mortality has been computed for six tribal groups inhabiting different geo-climatic conditions, namely: Sahariya, Mina and Bhil of the State of Rajasthan, north-western India, and Munda, Santal and Lodha of the State of West Bengal, eastern India. Irrespective of the methodology, the total index of selection was found to be highest among Lodhas (0.668), followed by Sahariyas (0.524), Santals (0.462), Bhils (0.386), Mundas (0.353) and Minas (0.334). Incidentally, Lodha and Sahariya are two of the seventy-four notified primitive tribal groups of India, and these two study populations show the highest index of total selection, mainly because of a higher embryonic and postnatal mortality. The relative contribution of the fertility component to the index of total selection is higher than the corresponding mortality component in all tribal groups. The analysis of postnatal mortality components indicates that childhood mortality constitutes the bulk of postnatal mortality, suggesting that children under 5 years need better health care in these tribal groups.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Alterations in antioxidant status during neonatal sepsis.

Septicaemia is a major threat to survival during the early stages of life. There are several reports that suggest that reactive oxygen species (ROs) play a role in a wide variety of diseases. We estimated the activity of xanthine oxidase (XO), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, creatine phosphokinase (CPK) activity, activities of key enzymatic antioxidants, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and peroxidase (PO), and non-enzymatic antioxidants, viz. uric acid (UA) and albumin (ALB), in 30 neonates with sepsis and 20 age-matched controls. The babies were categorized as preterm/term, early onset/late onset, and shock/without shock, as per clinical and laboratory investigations. The study was carried out to evaluate the status of antioxidant enzymes and non-enzymatic antioxidants with a view to suggesting the introduction of antioxidant therapy in neonatal sepsis. The activities of serum XO, CPK, SOD and GPx, and the content of MDA were found to be significantly elevated in the neonates with sepsis when compared with controls. Conversely, the activity of PO and the levels of UA and ALB were decreased. The septic, full-term neonates registered significantly higher CPK activity (70%) than the preterm septic neonates. However, infants with late-onset and shock sepsis had a significant decrease in CPK activity (p < 0.05) compared with their corresponding sub-groups. Likewise, UA levels were found to be 28% depressed (p < 0.05) in the babies with late-onset sepsis and 51% increased (p < 0.001) in babies with shock compared with their respective sub-groups. Neonates with septic shock also registered a significant elevation in GPx activity (28%) compared with those without shock. This study suggests increased production of ROs in neonates with sepsis, as evidenced by the positive regulation of XO, SOD and GPx activity. The elevation of antioxidant enzymes, however, was not so effective as to protect from cellular damage and thereby result in higher MDA production. It is evident that antioxidant therapy might be useful in the management of neonates with sepsis but further detailed clinico-biochemical investigations are required to define effective antioxidant therapy.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1999

Efficacy of curcumin in the management of chronic anterior uveitis.

Curcumin, obtained from rhizomes of Curcuma longa, was administered orally to patients suffering from chronic anterior uveitis (CAU) at a dose of 375 mg three times a day for 12 weeks. Of 53 patients enrolled, 32 completed the 12-week study. They were divided into two groups: one group of 18 patients received curcumin alone, whereas the other group of 14 patients, who had a strong PPD reaction, in addition received antitubercular treatment. The patients in both the groups started improving after 2 weeks of treatment. All the patients who received curcumin alone improved, whereas the group receiving antitubercular therapy along with curcumin had a response rate of 86%. Follow up of all the patients for the next 3 years indicated a recurrence rate of 55% in the first group and of 36% in the second group. Four of 18 (22%) patients in the first group and 3 of 14 patients (21%) in the second group lost their vision in the follow up period due to various complications in the eyes, e.g. vitritis, macular oedema, central venous block, cataract formation, glaucomatous optic nerve damage etc. None of the patients reported any side effect of the drug. The efficacy of curcumin and recurrences following treatment are comparable to corticosteroid therapy which is presently the only available standard treatment for this disease. The lack of side effects with curcumin is its greatest advantage compared with corticosteroids. A double blind multi-centric clinical trial with this drug in CAU is highly desirable to further validate the results of the present study.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Plasmodium falciparum: drug-resistant malaria complicating leukemias and lymphomas in children.

The present communication deals with drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria complicating hematologic malignancies (leukemias, n = 24, and lymphomas, n = 7) in children. Of 50 cases of hematologic malignancies, 31 patients were microscopically diagnosed as having P. falciparum infection (MP +). Initially, all the patients were treated with chloroquine. The results of primary treatment showed chloroquine resistance in 16 (51. 62%) cases. Of these 16 chloroquine-resistant cases, 13 were secondarily treated with a combination of pyrimethamine plus sulfamethopyrazine. The results of secondary treatment also revealed resistance to pyrimethamine plus sulfamethopyrazine in 6 of 13 (46. 10%) cases. The 6 pyrimethamine plus sulfamethopyrazine-resistant P. falciparum cases were finally cured by quinine therapy, against which no resistance was encountered. Conversely, in the control group comprising 38 cases of P. falciparum without malignancy, the incidence of chloroquine resistance was found in only 9 cases, which is rather low (23.70%). Of these 7 chloroquine-resistant cases, 5 were found to be sensitive to pyrimethamine plus sulfamethopyrazine treatment, while the 2 nonresponders were finally cured with quinine. The overall results of this study show a high prevalence of chloroquine resistance among clinical cases of falciparum malaria (25/69; 30.6%). Among the nonresponders (n = 20) 40% of cases were also resistant to the pyrimethamine plus sulfamethopyrazine combination. There was no resistance to quinine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Status of antioxidants and other biochemical abnormalities in children with dengue fever.

During an outbreak of dengue fever in 1996, 66 children between 45 days and 12 years of age with dengue fever and 25 healthy controls were studied for antioxidants and other biochemical abnormalities. As per World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, 14 children were classified as having classical dengue (DEN), 42 with dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), and 10 (including three who died) as having dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and albumin (ALB), the three main antioxidants studied, were found to be abnormal in 96, 94, and 40 per cent of the cases respectively. The levels for aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatinine phosphokinase (CPK), total protein (TP), total cholesterol (CHO), and triglycerides (TGL) were abnormal in 79, 50, 30, 93, and 67 per cent of the cases respectively. Among the different groups of dengue the abnormalities were more marked in children with DSS than in those with DEN and DHF, especially with respect to ALB, TP, TGL, AST, ALT, and CPK (p < 0.005). This preliminary report of dengue confirms the assumption of free radical generation and alteration in antioxidant status during acute illness. However, to understand their complex interaction in disease progression and therapeutic utility, further studies are required.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed1999

Association of genetic markers with coronary heart disease (myocardial infarction)--a case-control study.

A case-control study was carried out on patients of myocardial infarction selected from coronary care unit of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Delhi. The study was carried out to determine the association of haptoglobin (Hp), transferrin (Tf) and complement component 3 (C3) polymorphism with myocardial infarction. The frequency of allele Hp1 was found to be 0.159 in cases studied and 0.058 in controls. The frequency of gene TfC was found to be 0.987 in cases of study and 0.992 in controls. Similarly, frequency of CS3 gene was found to be 0.985 and 0.990 in cases studied and controls respectively. The comparison between cases studied and controls with respect to TfC and CS3 polymorphism was found to be statistically non-significant while the comparison between cases studied and controls for Hp polymorphism was found to be statistically significant (chi 2 = 21.88, p < 0.01).

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1998

Prevalence of fragile X(A) syndrome in mentally retarded children at a genetics referral centre in Delhi, India.

The usefulness of the clinical score based on Turner 5-trait scale prior to undertaking cytogenetic or molecular tests for the diagnosis of the fragile X(A) syndrome was evaluated. Mean clinical score in fragile X positive patients was significantly higher than in fragile X negative patients (7.06 +/- 1.85 vs 2.98 +/- 1.6, P < 0.0001). Of 1206 children with mental retardation 360 (29.8%) boys fulfilled defined clinical criteria to be screened for fragile X syndrome by chromosomal studies. Twenty three (6.38%) of them were found to be positive for fragile X syndrome using cytogenetic techniques. Molecular confirmation in 21 affected boys (two were lost to follow up) showed full mutation in 19 (5.27%). Two patients showed a normal 5.2 kb band on southern blot. This frequency (5.27%) of fragile X(A) patients among children with non-specific mental retardation is comparable to the results of studies in the West. Routine use of the clinical score, and the selection of patients with a score > or = 5 for diagnostic tests would reduce the laboratory load, especially in countries with limited facilities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Detection of anti-PPD IgG antibody and PPD-induced delayed type hypersensitivity in anterior uveitis patients.

Present study relates to the results of anti-PPD IgG, anti-A60 and antinuclear antibodies and PPD-induced delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) in 17 anterior uveitis, (AU) patients. Results of anti-PPD IgG assay revealed detection of higher mean antibody level (O.D. 0.11 +/- 0.06) compared to healthy controls (O.D. 0.04 +/- 0.03), other eye disease controls (O.D. 0.05 +/- 0.003) and leprosy controls (O.D. 0.03 +/- 0.03). Anti-A60 IgM antibody assay revealed insignificant differences in mean antibody levels between various groups. Four of 17(23.5%) AU patients and 1(5.8%) subject each, belonging to other eye disease and healthy control groups had raised anti-nuclear antibody index. Findings of PPD skin test revealed detection of moderate to strong (2 to 4+) reactivity in 14 (82%). AU patients. Conversely, 13(76%) healthy controls and 8(47%) other eye disease controls gave mild (1+) reactivity. Results of this study suggested possible role of hypersensitivity to mycobacterial antigens in pathogenesis of anterior uveitis.

Antibodies, Antinuclear↗
PubMed1995

Possible role of mononuclear phagocytes in clearance of immune complexes in pulmonary tuberculosis.

Phagocytic activity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was investigated in 30 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. The test was done using neutral red. Higher percentages of phagocytic cells were detected with PBMC of tuberculosis patients as compared with controls. An inverse relationship was observed between neutral red positive cell counts vs. relative percentages of several proteins (IgG, C3 and C4) in PEG precipitates in tuberculosis patients. It was interpreted that phagocytes might have mopped up the CICs via their surface Fc receptors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Possible role of streptokinase-induced delayed hypersensitivity and eosinophilia in pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis.

Present study relates to the results of investigations on 16 patients with Ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Age of the patients ranged from 16 to 44 (median 25) years. Male female ratio was 4.3:1. Sacroileitis was detected in all the patients. Seven patients each had stage 1 and 2 disease. Two other patients had stage 3 disease. Lower mean Hb per cent was detected among patients as compared to control groups. Twelve of 16 (75 per cent) patients had eosinophilia. HLA-B27 antigen was detected in 10 of 16 (62.5 per cent) patients. Streptokinase-induced delayed sensitivity was detected in 10 of 16 (62.5 per cent) patients. Anti-streptolysin 'O' antibodies were detected in 2 of 16 patients' sera. Moderate negative correlation was found between the size of induration of skin test and haemoglobin concentration (P < 0.05). Possibly, delayed hypersensitivity might induce both eosinophilia as well as anaemia among AS patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Subclinical group A streptococcal throat infection in school children.

Seven hundred and forty nine apparently healthy school children aged 5-15 years were investigated for throat infection with Group A streptococci (GAS) during December 1990 to May 1991. The prevalence of beta hemolytic streptococci (BHS) was 18.8%; most organisms belonged to Group A streptococci (13.7%). The prevalence of BHS in throat was significantly higher (p < .001) in girls as compared to boys. Immune response to extracellular antigens was studied in 53 children who had GAS strain in their throat, 54.7% had elevated titers of antistreptolysin O or antideoxyribonuclease B or both indicating subclinical infection with GAS. Thus it is recommended that serological examinations should be done along with throat culture to identify subclinical Group A streptococcal throat infection.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Relative role of B and T lymphocytes in pathogenesis of a murine herpes virus.

Pathogenesis of a murine herpes virus was investigated in inbred strains (BALB/c, CBA, AKR and C57BL/10) of mice. After intranasal inhalation, virus was found to replicate primarily in the lungs, followed by haematogenous spread to the target organs (adrenal glands and ganglia). AKR (H-2k) were found to be most susceptible to virus infection while CBA (H-2k) mice appeared to be relatively resistant. Infection of B-cell depleted BALB/c mice resulted in detection of lower lung virus titres in B-cell depleted animals as compared to normal intact mice. Moreover, 3 of 12 normal mice in untreated group died of virus infection while deaths did not occur in the B-cell depleted group. Results of T-cell subset depletion experiments in BALB/c mice revealed maximum mortality in the group depleted of both Lyt-2+ and L3T4+ subpopulations. Infectious virus titres were also higher in lungs of T-cell depleted animals.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Chemo-immunotherapy and immunological study in carcinoma of larynx and laryngopharynx.

Eighteen of 25 patients had squamous cell carcinoma in the supraglottic region. Anergy to skin test antigen (DNCB) and T-cell mitogen (PHA) was observed in 17 patients with laryngeal and laryngopharyngeal malignancies. Chemo-immunotherapy did not improve the skin reactivity to either agents. However, a rise in absolute T-cell counts was observed following combined therapy. Moreover, T-lymphopenia was detected in the patient group prior to therapy as compared to mean T-cell counts in normal control subjects.

Adult↗