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M Chakraborty

Publications and source records attributed to M Chakraborty.

63 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Human-specific insertion/deletion polymorphisms in Indian populations and their possible evolutionary implications.

DNA samples from 396 unrelated individuals belonging to 14 ethnic populations of India, inhabiting various geographical locations and occupying various positions in the socio-cultural hierarchy, were analysed in respect of 8 human-specific polymorphic insertion/deletion loci. All loci, except Alu CD4, were found to be highly polymorphic in all populations. The levels of average heterozygosities were found to be very high in all populations and, in most populations, also higher than those predicted by the island model of population structure. The coefficient of gene differentiation among Indian populations was found to be higher than populations in most other global regions, except Africa. These results are discussed in the light of two possible scenarios of evolution of Indian populations in the broader context of human evolution.

Alleles↗

Beneficial effects of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in older patients with long-standing type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) on glycemic control, hypoglycemia, and daily insulin requirements in five older patients with long-standing type 1 diabetes previously treated with multiple-dose insulin injections (MDII). METHODS: We undertook a retrospective analysis of five older patients (three women and two men) with type 1 diabetes and a mean age of 66.4 years (range, 57 to 76). The mean duration of disease was 33 years (range, 18 to 49), and all patients had suboptimal glycemic control (glycosylated hemoglobin or HbA(1c) >8.0%), presence of microvascular complications, and unacceptably frequent hypoglycemia during MDII therapy. A diabetes care team monitored their clinical course after their treatment was changed to a CSII regimen. Data pertaining to HbA(1c), severe hypoglycemia, and insulin dose before and after conversion to CSII were compared with use of paired t tests. RESULTS: After initiation of CSII therapy, the mean HbA(1c) value decreased from 9.16% to 7.6% (P<0.0025), the rate of severe hypoglycemia decreased from 3.2 episodes to 0.4 episode per year (P<0.02), and the mean total daily insulin dose was reduced from 44.9 IU to 32.4 IU (P<0.05) during a mean duration of 12.6 months of CSII therapy. CONCLUSION: Insulin pump therapy can prove highly beneficial in older patients with type 1 diabetes by improving glycemic control, reducing hypoglycemic episodes and insulin dosage, and possibly increasing treatment satisfaction. These changes can potentially prevent morbidity and prove to be cost-effective. For implementation of pump conversion to be safe and successful, careful patient selection, proper education, and ongoing support through a comprehensive diabetes education and management program are imperative. Future reports of experience with CSII in elderly patients should help to elucidate its promising advantages in this patient population and provide guidelines for use.

Aged↗

Serum angiotensin converting enzyme in respiratory diseases.

More than 1700 estimations of serum angiotensin converting enzyme (SACE) were undertaken, mostly in respiratory disorders, to assess its value as a specific and/or a sensitive indicator of different diseases. Though highest levels were found in lepromatous leprosy consistently, it was also found almost always elevated in active stages of sarcoidosis. Since it is raised in a variety of respiratory disorders, it is not a specific diagnostic test. It is, however, a fairly sensitive index of disease activity in sarcoidosis whether on treatment or not. Sudden elevation, after a prolonged period of low or normal values may indicate relapse in sarcoidosis.

Adult↗

Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis by polymerase chain reaction for MPB64 gene: an evaluation in a blind study.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been found to be a sensitive and rapid method to confirm a clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis. We evaluated PCR for M. tuberculosis complex specific MPB64 gene for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis, in a double blind study. One hundred and eighty-two clinical samples (sputum, bronchioalveolar lavage and pleural fluid) from patients with a clinical diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis and 72 samples from patients with non-tubercular pulmonary lesions and normal healthy individuals were included. The samples were coded and clinical details were concealed from the laboratory, where conventional diagnostic methods and PCR were carried out independent of each other. On decoding and analysing the data, PCR was positive in 59% of single sputum samples from clinically diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis, while M. tuberculosis could be grown in 18% of the samples. PCR could identify M. tuberculosis in 81.8% of the culture positive sputum samples. PCR was also positive in 71.4% of bronchioalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and 60.7% pleural fluid samples from clinically suspected cases, which were mostly culture negative. On comparison with response to treatment, PCR was positive in 79.5% of patients who improved on anti-tuberculosis treatment, with a positive predictive value of 92%. PCR for MPB64 gene provides a useful alternative for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis from sputum and paucibacillary samples like BAL and pleural fluid in which conventional methods show low sensitivity, especially in areas from which strains show a low copy number of other PCR targets like the IS 6110 insertion sequence.

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid↗

Epidemiological correlates of dental caries in an urban slum of West Bengal.

The overall prevalence of dental caries was found to be 57.47 percent in an urban slum irrespective of sex, with a maximum of 75.88 percent in the age group of 5-9 years. Habit of taking hard and sticky food, bad oral hygiene were some of the important epidemiological correlates. Fluoride content of drinking water did not show any significant role.

Adolescent↗