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Background &amp; objectives Iron supplementation is widely used public health measure to manage iron deficiency anaemia. In India, enteric-coated iron tablets are administered to adolescent boys and girls to avoid adverse effects such as gastritis, which reduces compliance, but this may result in poor iron absorption. Data on the absorption of iron from enteric-coated ferrous sulphate tablets are lacking. The present study using stable isotopic approach was aimed to measure iron absorption in iron deficient women. Methods Iron absorption was measured from stable isotope-labelled enteric-coated ferrous sulphate ([57]Fe, ECFS) and uncoated ferrous sulphate ([58]Fe, UCFS) tablets in iron-deficient (n=9) women, aged 18-40 yr with no infection or inflammation. The two types of tablets (ECFS and UCFS) were administered on consecutive days, 60 min after breakfast, and the sequence being random. Blood samples were collected before dosing, and on day 15, to measure iron absorption from the shift in iron isotopic ratios in haemoglobin. Results Eight women completed the iron absorption study. Iron absorption was found to be significantly lower in ECFS compared to UCFS (3.5 vs. 12%, P less then 0.05) consumption. Interpretation &amp; conclusions Our study showed poor iron bioavailability from ECFS, and supplementation programmes may consider UCFS tablets for better haematological outcomes.Background &amp; objectives Drug resistance surveillance offers useful information on trends of drug resistance and the efficacy of control measures. Studies and reports of drug-resistant mutations and phenotypic assays thus become important. This study was conducted to investigate the molecular characteristics of ofloxacin (OFX)-resistant, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) isolates from different geographical regions of India and their association with strains of different genotypes. Further, the nitrate reductase assay (NRA) was tested against Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube(MGIT) for the determination of OFX resistance as an alternative and cost-effective method. Methods A total of 116 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates were used to assess the mutations in the gyrA, gyrB genes and resistance levels to OFX. Mutational analysis in gyrA and gyrB genes and genotype analysis of M. tuberculosis isolates was done by gene-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by DNA sequencing and spoligotyping, respectively. Results Three (6.25%), 12 (44.44%) and 12 (29.27%) MDR-TB isolates from western, northern and southern India, respectively, were found to be OFX-resistant MDR-TB isolates. OFX resistance was observed to be significantly higher in MDR-TB cases for all study regions. Beijing genotypes from northern India were observed to be associated with OFX-resistant MDR-TB cases (P less then 0.05). Among 35 (30.15%) phenotypically OFX-resistant isolates, 22 (62.86%) had mutations in the gyrA gene and two (5.71%) isolates had mutations in the gyrB gene. Interpretation &amp; conclusions These results caution against the PCR-based prediction of OFX resistance patterns and highlight the need for searching other genetic loci for the detection of mutations conferring resistance to OFX in M. tuberculosis. Our study also showed the usefulness of NRA as an alternative method to detect OFX resistance.Background &amp; objectives In India, acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) cases are frequently reported from Gorakhpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Scrub typhus is one of the predominant aetiological agents for these cases. In order to delineate the extent of the background of scrub typhus seroprevalence and the associated risk factors at community level, serosurveys during both lean and epidemic periods (phase 1 and phase 2, respectively) of AES outbreaks were conducted in this region. Methods Two community-based serosurveys were conducted during lean (April-May 2016) and epidemic AES (October-November 2016) periods. A total of 1085 and 906 individuals were enrolled during lean and epidemic AES periods, respectively, from different villages reporting recent AES cases. Scrub typhus-seronegative individuals (n=254) during the lean period were tested again during the epidemic period to estimate the incidence of scrub typhus. Results The seroprevalence of Orientia tsutsugamushi during AES epidemic period [immunoglobulin (Ig) IgG 70.8%, IgM 4.4%] was high as compared to that of lean AES period (IgG 50.6%, P less then 0.001; IgM 3.4%). The factors independently associated with O. [https://www.selleckchem.com/ selleckchem] tsutsugamushi positivity during lean AES period were female gender, illiteracy, not wearing footwear, not taking bath after work whereas increasing age, close contact with animals, source of drinking water and open-air defecation emerged as additional risk factors during the epidemic AES season. IgM positivity was significantly higher among febrile individuals compared to those without fever (7.7 vs. 3.5%, P=0.006). The seroincidence for O. tsutsugamushi was 19.7 per cent, and the subclinical infection rate was 54 per cent. Interpretation &amp; conclusions The community-based surveys identified endemicity of O. tsutsugamushi and the associated risk factors in Gorakhpur region. The findings will be helpful for planning appropriate interventional strategies to control scrub typhus.Background &amp; objectives Bacteraemia is a serious form of infection in patients presenting with fever, thus, there is a necessity for a biomarker for rapid diagnosis of bacteraemia in such patients to make better therapeutic decisions. This study was conducted to measure the serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels at the time of initial presentation as a biomarker for identifying bacteraemia and as a predictor of mortality in patients admitted with acute fever. Methods Four hundred and eighty patients, who presented with acute fever requiring admission to a tertiary care teaching hospital in south India, were prospectively studied. All patients were evaluated with a detailed history, physical examination, laboratory and imaging studies. Baseline serum PCT was measured for each patient within six hours of admission. Results Among patients with single infectious cause (n=275), significantly higher median serum PCT levels were evident in bacteraemia compared to leptospirosis (P=0.002), dengue (P 3.74 ng/ml, serum PCT levels at initial presentation predicted in-hospital mortality with a sensitivity and specificity of 67 and 67.