Effect of high-dose intravenous ascorbic acid on cancer patients following ketogenic diet.

BACKGROUND: The role of ascorbic acid in cancer therapy is mainly due to its structural similarity with glucose. When supplemented intravenously in high dose, ascorbic acid can get into the cancer cells and induce apoptosis by causing mitochondrial damage. AIM: The aim was to study the efficacy of high-dose intravenous (IV) ascorbic acid as monotherapy in cancer patients following ketogenic diet and its role in improving the quality of life. RESULTS: C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESRs) were considered as parameters to determine the efficacy of the treatment, and substantial decrease in both the levels was observed within 1-week treatment. CRP levels declined from 3.1946 ± 3.2508 mg/L to 1.0606 ± 0.6706 mg/L (P = 2.27E-10), whereas ESR levels declined from 64.1333 ± 38.8253 mm/h to 31.6 ± 16.5520 mm/h (P = 0.0041). A decline in these parameters shows the association of ascorbic acid in reducing the inflammatory response in cancer. The renal effect of ascorbic acid was also studied by analyzing the creatinine level pre- and postascorbic acid treatment sessions, and it raised from 0.8526 ± 0.22904 to 1.1666 ± 0.2894 mg/dL (P = 1.18E-14). This showed the renal impact of ascorbic acid. CONCLUSION: The study highlighted the clinical benefit of IV ascorbic acid in the reduction of inflammatory response in cancer patients. The renal adverse events associated with ascorbic acid alarm the use with caution and therapeutic drug monitoring for ascorbic acid.

Antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli isolates from poultry environment and UTI patients in Kerala, India: A comparison study.

BACKGROUND: There are only narrow insights regarding the antimicrobial resistance of pathogens in poultry environment in India and its transmission to humans. The use of antimicrobials in food animal production is not properly regulated in India. So, many clinically important antimicrobials are used indiscriminately. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to do a comparative analysis of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli isolates from poultry environment and UTI patients. METHODOLOGY: Two poultry farms each from six areas in Muvattupuzha region of the state of Kerala in India were selected for the study. From each farm, samples of fresh fecal matter, litter from inside the shed, litter from outside the shed, nearby agricultural soil and control soilwere collected. E. coli was isolated from each sample, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of E. coli was done with fifteen antibiotics. Antibiograms of UTI patients were collected from the tertiary care hospital included in the study and those were compared with the antibiograms of poultrysamples. RESULT: All samples were resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin, meropenem and tetracycline. Similar resistance pattern in poultry environment and UTI patients was seen for antibiotics such as ampicillin, amoxicillin, amikacin, and ofloxacin. A statistically significant difference (p < .00601) was established in the total number of isolates resistant to various antibiotics from areas near to farms compared to those away from farms. CONCLUSION: E. coli were resistant not only to extended spectrum beta lactams but also to carbapenems which might have disseminated to environment where litter was used as manure. This might be due to irrational use of antibiotics in chicken and poultry feed as growth promoter.