Search Results (3)

(1) Background: The current study examined the correlations between platelet count (PC), spleen diameter (SD), and their ratio to establish a non-invasive technique for predicting the presence of oesophageal varices in cirrhotic patients. (2) Methods: The current study was an observational study conducted in the Gastroenterology Department at IMS and SUM Hospital from November 2019 to November 2021. Consecutive cirrhotic patients without a history of gastrointestinal bleeding were enrolled in the study, and the esophageal varices were assessed. The patients underwent the necessary tests, including upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, liver function testing, abdominal ultrasonography, and full hemograms. All these parameters were analyzed statistically through SPSS version 23, and p ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. (3) Results: There were significant differences between cases with and without esophageal varices in the following parameters: PC, SD and their ratio, hemoglobin, and ALT level. The PC/SD ratio of ≤ 1400 was associated with a sensitivity of 90.9%, specificity of 80.8%, and a positive predictive value of 82.56% in predicting the presence of oesophageal varices, as per receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis in our study. (4) Conclusions: Esophageal varices can be predicted non-invasively using the platelet count, spleen diameter, and PC/SD ratio. Full article

Introduction: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related decimations worldwide. The gastric infection at both the stomach and duodenum with Helicobacter pylori causes inflammation by the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). The aim of the study was to associate and evaluate the three TNF-α gene polymorphisms at positions −308 G/A, −238 G/A, and −857 C/T with the risk of GC. Methods: A total of 156 individuals (consecutively diagnosed 95 GC patients and 61 controls) above the age of 18 years were enrolled in the study. Healthy individuals with normal upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) irrespective of their family history of GC or peptic ulcer were included as controls. The cited three TNF-α gene polymorphisms were evaluated using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Results: There was no significant difference in the distribution of gene polymorphisms as genetic factors, TNF-α−308 GA/AA (22.1% vs. 14.8%, p = 0.2), TNF-α−238 GA/AA (21% vs. 19.6%, p = 0.8), and TNF-α−857 CT/TT (8.4% vs. 11.5%, p = 0.5), between GC cases and healthy controls. A subgroup analysis of H. pylori-positive patients showed that there was no significant difference in the distribution of GA/AA polymorphisms in TNF-α−308 (15(45.5%) vs. 3(23%); p = 0.17) and −238 (12(36.3%) vs. 2(15.4%); p = 0.17), and the distribution of TT/CT −857 CT/TT (13(39.4%) vs. 2(15.4%); p = 0.13), among the GC cases and controls. Conclusion: The statistical comparisons of GA/AA vs. GG genotypes at −308 (with OR = 1.6, 95% CI: 0.6–3.8), −238 (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.4–2.4) and TT/CT vs. CC genotypes at −857 (OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.2–2.1) did not suggest any association of TNF-α with GC in the population herein. Hence, the TNF-α (−308 G/A, −238 G/A and −857 C/T) may not be the associating factor for GC incidence determined by the PCR–RFLP method. Full article

Wetlands are essential for protein production, water sanctification, groundwater recharge, climate purification, nutrient cycling, decreasing floods and biodiversity preservation. The Mursidabad district in West Bengal (India) is situated in the floodplain of the Ganga–Padma and Bhagirathi rivers. The region is characterized by diverse types of wetlands; however, the wetlands are getting depredated day-by-day due to hydro-ecological changes, uncontrolled human activities and rapid urbanization. This study attempted to explore the health status of the wetland ecosystem in 2013 and 2020 at the block level in the Mursidabad district, using the pressure–state–response model. Based on wetland ecosystem health values, we categorized the health conditions and identified the blocks where the health conditions are poor. A total of seven Landsat ETM+ spaceborne satellite images in 2001, 2013 and 2020 were selected as the data sources. The statistical data included the population density and urbanization increase rate, for all administrative units, and were collected from the census data of India for 2001 and 2011. We picked nine ecosystem indicators for the incorporated assessment of wetland ecosystem health. The indicators were selected considering every block in the Mursidabad district and for the computation of the wetland ecosystem health index by using the analytical hierarchy processes method. This study determined that 26.92% of the blocks fell under the sick category in 2013, but increased to 30.77% in 2020, while the percentage of blocks in the very healthy category has decreased markedly from 11.54% to 3.85%. These blocks were affected by higher human pressure, such as population density, urbanization growth rate and road density, which resulted in the degradation of wetland health. The scientific protection and restoration techniques of these wetlands should be emphasized in these areas. Full article