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Biomedical subjects

R Garg

Publications and source records attributed to R Garg.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Granulomatous hepatitis: a retrospective study.

51 cases of granulomatous hepatitis were seen among 1234 liver biopsies over a 10 year period. Tuberculosis was the commonest cause seen in 55 percent of cases. Other causes included leprosy, sarcoidosis, histoplasmosis, brucellosis, amoebic liver abscess, lymphoma and malignant granuloma. 12 percent of cases remained undiagnosed. Clinically these patients presented with pyrexia and hepatosplenomegaly. Jaundice was uncommon. Many showed elevated alkaline phosphatase levels, anaemia and raised ESR Granulomatous hepatitis of unknown aetiology with FUO was seen in 6 percent cases only.

Granuloma↗
PubMed1994

Orbital-tuberculosis.

Three cases of orbital tuberculosis are presented, two as cold abscess in the orbit and one as a chronic indolent sinus. A simple clinical test like Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) can demonstrate some or all of the characteristic pathological features like caseating necrosis, epitheloid cells and Langhan's giant cells. Important corroborative evidence can be obtained from the Tuberculin test and a positive therapeutic trial. While there are many other causes or orbital swelling and abscess, tuberculosis should be considered an important differential diagnosis in endemic areas. Simple tests like the tuberculin reaction and Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology should be considered among the routine diagnostic investigations for orbital swellings.

Abscess↗
PubMed1993

Alcohol consumption and risk of ischemic heart disease in women.

BACKGROUND: Most studies suggest that alcohol use decreases the risk of coronary heart disease in men, however, this association has not been well established in women. METHOD: This study investigates the relationship between alcohol use and ischemic heart disease (IHD) incidence among women aged 45 to 74 years in the Epidemiologic Follow-up Study of the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The cohort was free of heart disease at baseline. During the follow-up period (mean, 13 years), 884 IHD cases were identified through hospital records, reported hospital stays, or death certificates. RESULTS: Women reporting any amount of alcohol use had about a 20% decrease in risk of IHD incidence compared with abstainers. Using a Cox regression model to adjust for known cardiovascular risk factors, this relative risk of IHD remained essentially unchanged. The greatest reduction in the risk of IHD (36% to 39%) was among women who consumed about half to two drinks per day compared with abstainers. CONCLUSIONS: This study of a nationally representative sample with a mean follow-up of 13 years and a substantial number of IHD cases suggests that moderate alcohol use decreases the risk of IHD. However, the risk and benefits of moderate alcohol consumption need to be viewed within a broader perspective especially since the potentially harmful effects of alcohol have been well documented.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Current and ongoing randomized trials in heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction.

Several large randomized trials have been completed recently and provided valuable information on the effects of various interventions in heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction. A review of ongoing randomized trials showed that there were 19 major trials addressing the effect of treatments on exercise tolerance, morbidity or mortality. Although it is hoped that these trials will answer many questions, they will also raise additional questions. Therefore, these remaining questions will need to be answered by future clinical trials.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1993

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in left ventricular dysfunction: results of the studies of left ventricular dysfunction in the context of other similar trials.

Over 13,000 patients have been randomized in 35 long-term trials of the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in patients with heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction. Overall, there is a clear reduction in mortality and hospitalizations for heart failure and myocardial infarction with a trend toward fewer sudden deaths. Furthermore, there is a significant reduction in myocardial infarction in three of the larger trials. These benefits have been demonstrated with several different agents and are consistently seen in various subgroups of patients defined by symptomatic status, etiology of left ventricular dysfunction, age, and gender. However, benefits were greatest among patients with the lowest ejection fraction. In conclusion, ACE inhibitors are of established value in patients with heart failure and/or left ventricular dysfunction.

Angina, Unstable↗
PubMed1993

Ascitic fluid cholesterol in differential diagnosis of ascites.

Cholesterol was estimated in ascitic fluid of 89 patients (29 malignant and 60 non-malignant ascites). Mean ascitic cholesterol level was significantly higher in malignant ascites (89.52 mg/dl) as compared to non-malignant ascites (29.93 mg/dl). At a cut off value of 48 mg/dl, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value and overall diagnostic accuracy for diagnosing malignant ascites is 96.5%, 96.6%, 93.3%, 98.3% and 96.6% respectively. Ascitic fluid cholesterol estimation is an easy and reliable test for differentiating malignant ascites from non-malignant ascites.

Ascites↗
PubMed1992

Purification to homogeneity and characterization of a 1,3-beta-glucan (callose) synthase from germinating Arachis hypogaea cotyledons.

A 1,3-beta-D-glucan (callose) synthase (CS) from a plasma membrane fraction of germinating peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) cotyledons has been purified to apparent homogeneity as evidenced by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), amino-terminal analysis, and the Western blots pattern. The purification protocol involved preparation of a high specific activity plasma membrane fraction, selective solubilization of the enzyme from the membrane with 0.5% digitonin at a protein-to-detergent ratio of 1:6, sucrose gradient centrifugation, and chromatography on hydroxylapatite and DEAE-Sephadex A-50. The purified CS shows a molecular mass of approximately 48,000 by SDS-PAGE, pH optimum of 7.4, leucine as the amino-terminal residue, Km for UDP-glucose of 0.67 mM, and Vmax of 6.25 mumol/min/mg protein. The enzyme is specific for UDP-glucose as the glucosyl donor and required Ca2+, at an optimum concentration of 2-5 mM, for activity. The enzyme activity was inhibited by nucleotides (ATP, GTP, CTP, UTP, UDP, and UMP). The enzyme activity was also inhibited by the addition of EDTA or EGTA to the enzyme, but this inhibition was fully reversible by the addition of Ca2+. The reaction product formed during incubation of UDP-[14C]glucose and cellobiose with purified enzymes was susceptible to digestion by exo-(1,3)-beta-glucanase, but was resistant to alpha- and beta-amylases and to periodate oxidation, indicating that the polymer formed was 1,3-beta-glucan, and beta-1,4 and beta-1,6 linkages were absent.

Arachis↗
PubMed1992

Need for a large randomized trial to evaluate the effects of digitalis on morbidity and mortality in congestive heart failure.

Despite major advances in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, the incidence and prevalence of congestive heart failure (CHF) have been increasing in recent years. As the average age of the population increases, the prevalence of CHF is expected to continue to increase. The number of deaths in which CHF was considered the underlying or contributing cause increased from 51,000 in 1955 to 274,000 by 1988 in the United States. Even accounting for population growth and an increase in the number of elderly, this represents a 2-fold increase. Additionally, CHF was responsible for about 643,000 hospitalizations in 1988. Digitalis is one of the drugs most commonly prescribed for CHF and has been used for greater than 200 years. In 1990, digoxin was one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States, accounting for greater than 21 million prescriptions. There has been little decline in the drug's use over the last 5 years, indicating that newer treatments for CHF have not replaced the widespread use of digitalis. Despite these findings, considerable controversy surrounds the appropriateness of its role and value in treating CHF patients who are in sinus rhythm. A number of recent, uncontrolled studies have arrived at apparently contradictory conclusions concerning the effects of digitalis on mortality in postmyocardial infarction and heart failure patients. A large, double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effects of digitalis on mortality, morbidity and quality of life is being sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Digitalis Glycosides↗
PubMed1992

Regional variation in ischemic heart disease incidence.

This study examines the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and regional variation in IHD incidence among white males 55-74 years of age from the NHANES I Epidemiologic Followup Study. The age-adjusted IHD incidence rate was lowest in the west (31.3 per 1000 persons years of followup). The rates in the northeast, midwest, and south were similar and so they were combined into one region, the non-west, with a rate of 42.4. Differences in risk factors (smoking, educational level, hypertension, serum cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, and body mass index) did not explain the regional differences in IHD incidence. After adjusting for baseline risk factors using proportional hazards model, the risk of IHD incidence was still 38% higher in the non-west compared to the west. However, the effect of hypertension, diabetes, and body mass index on IHD incidence varied by region.

Aged↗
PubMed1992

Academic and nonacademic self-concepts: influence of recent life-change experiences and demographic, social, and health variables.

For 150 undergraduate students (50 men, 100 women) the influences of demographic, social, health, and recent life-change experiences were examined on four facets of academic self-concept and nine facets of nonacademic self-concept. Multiple regression analyses showed that, in general, past academic performance, family structure, and family satisfaction were important predictors of academic self-concept. Family structure, family satisfaction, social satisfaction, mental stress associated with recent life-change experiences, and health factors in general were important predictors of nonacademic self-concept. Recent life-change experiences and mental health were significantly associated, more prominently among subjects who were low on emotional self-concept than those who scored high.

Achievement↗
PubMed1992

School functioning of US children with asthma.

Data from the 1988 US National Health Interview Survey on Child Health, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey, were used to determine national estimates of school outcomes (grade failure, learning disabilities, and suspension/expulsion) and mean number of absences for children with asthma (CWA) compared to well children without current health conditions. Families indicated that 536 (4.9%) of the 10,362 survey children in grades 1 through 12 had had asthma in the previous 12 months. Families reported 18% of CWA vs 15% of well children had grade failure, 9% of CWA vs 5% of well children had learning disabilities, and 5% of CWA vs 6% of well children had been expelled or suspended. Children with asthma averaged 7.6 school days absent compared with 2.5 days for the well group. Multiple logistic regression was used to compare the odds of grade failure, learning disabilities, and suspension/expulsion among CWA and well children, overall and stratified by income. Similar methods were used to assess the role of health status among asthmatic children. After adjustment for demographic factors, CWA had similar risks of grade failure and suspension/expulsion, but 1.7 times the risk of learning disability compared with well children. Also, among families with incomes below $20,000, CWA had twice the odds of grade failure compared with well children. For asthmatic children, reported health status was an important predictor of learning disability. Ten percent of CWA were reported to be in fair-poor health. After adjustment for demographic factors, those in fair-poor health were twice as likely to have a reported learning disability compared with those in good-excellent health.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1992

Platelet aggregation in migraine.

This study was conducted on forty male patients aged 17-35 years, suffering from migraine. Platelet aggregation was evaluated in them twice, once in the aura and headache phase of migraine and the other during the period in which patient was asymptomatic. We observed significant increase in platelet aggregation during the aura and headache phase of the migrainous attack in comparison to the headache-free interval. Platelet hyperaggregability may be an important factor in the pathogenesis of migraine.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Hormone profile in leprosy.

Hormone profile were carried out in 35 male cases of leprosy. They were divided into tuberculoid leprosy, borderline leprosy, lepromatous leprosy and lepra reaction. Serum testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, Luteinizing hormone, and Oestradiol level were measured in these cases of leprosy. It was observed that serum testosterone were significantly low in lepromatous leprosy (P less than 0.001) and lepra reaction (P less than 0.01). The serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone were significantly high in lepromatous leprosy (P less than 0.02) and lepra reaction (P less than 0.05). Serum Oestradiol was raised in approx. 60% cases in borderline leprosy, lepromatous leprosy and lepra reaction.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Prevalence of risk behaviors and HIV infection in Maryland STD clinics.

Persons who are receiving evaluation and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases are at moderately increased risk for acquiring HIV infections. The scope of STD clinic services should be broadened to include counseling, education, and referral services for health needs related to risk of HIV infection.

Adolescent↗