Doxycycline-Associated Ulcerative Esophagitis: A Report of a Rare Case.

This study addresses the risks of medication-induced esophageal injury through a case presentation of a 30-year-old patient treated with doxycycline. The case highlights the importance of proper medication administration and the role of endoscopic evaluation in diagnosis and management. The broader discussion emphasizes the prevalence of such injuries, especially with antibiotics, and factors influencing their occurrence. A clinical study illustrates the corrosive effect of tetracycline, highlighting the role of pH and hyperosmolar properties. The study concludes with a reminder of the critical role of healthcare professionals in recognizing and managing medication-induced esophagitis, with endoscopy as a key diagnostic tool.

Thyroid Dysfunction and its Significance in Heart Failure.

INTRODUCTION: Studies show a high prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in heart failure patients that could have an impact on clinical course and outcome. MATERIALS: A total of 185 consecutive heart failure patients aged >18 years (mean age 58.4 years; 57.3% males) underwent demographic, clinical, hematological, biochemical and thyroid profile assessment. Euthyroidism was defined as TSH of 0.5 to 4.94 mIU/L with fT3 and fT4 in normal range, hypothyroidism as TSH of >4.94, and hyperthyroidism as TSH <0.5 mIU/L. Patients were followed up till discharge/outcome. Data was analyzed using SPSS 21.0 software. RESULT: Prevalence of thyroid disorders was 28.6% (6.5% hyper and 22.2% hypothyroid). No significant association of thyroid disorders was seen with age, sex, comorbidities and NT-proBNP levels (p > 0.05). Thyroid disorder was significantly associated with higher SBP, patients with NYHA 3/4, TSH, S. urea, S. creatinine and HDL levels and lower Hb, SGPT, TC and LDL levels (p < 0.05). Mean duration of hospital stay of patients with thyroid disorder was 3.74±0.92 days as compared to 3.45±0.86 days for those without thyroid disorder (p = 0.050). There were 12 (6.5%) mortalities. No significant association of mortality was seen with thyroid disorder (p = 0.711). CONCLUSION: There is high prevalence of thyroid disorders in heart failure patients which had a clinical impact too. Patients with thyroid disorder had higher NYHA and required longer hospitalization. Further studies to explore these relationships further are recommended. References Biondi B, Kahaly GJ. Cardiovascular involvement in patients with different causes of hyperthyroidism. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2010;6(8):431-443. Kuchulakanti PK, Bandaru S, Kuchulakanti A, et al. Association of subclinical hypothyroidism in heart failure: a study from South India. Br J Cardiol 2019;26:35. Jabbar A, Ingoe L, Thomas H, et al. Prevalence, predictors and outcomes of thyroid dysfunction in patients with acute myocardial infarction: the ThyrAMI-1 study. J Endocrinol Invest 2021;44(6):1209-1218.

Identification and assessment of stress and associated stressors among veterinary students in India using a cross-sectional questionnaire survey.

Background: Veterinary education, is a rigorous professional training program, which exposes students to significant academic and non-academic pressures. The identification of stressors and stress levels among veterinary students mighty help the designing and implementation of coping strategies to protect the students' mental health. Methods: A 44-item based cross-sectional questionnaire survey was prepared and disseminated among veterinary students in India to identify the stressors responsible, measure the amount of stress, and relate stress to characteristics like gender, degree year, and family income. A total of n = 611 veterinary students across 14 states including 27 colleges/universities participated in the study. The collected data was evaluated for sampling adequacy, construct validity, and reliability using a set of statistical tests. Results: The analysis revealed high sampling adequacy with a KMO value of 0.957 and a highly significant anti-image correlation (p < 0.001). The principal component analysis generated six factors or subscales which effectively explained 51.98% of the variance in the data, depicting high construct validity. The Cronbach's alpha value of 0.957 revealed high internal consistency for the questionnaire. Analysis revealed more than 94% of pupils under stress, with levels ranging from moderate to severe. Academic-related stressor (95.58%) was the leading cause of overall stress in the present study followed by inter- and intrapersonal and career related-stressors (93.12%) and exams and evaluation-related stressor (90.99%). In comparison to male students, female students reported significantly higher levels of overall stress, academic stress, and intrapersonal and interpersonal stress (p < 0.001) using Chi-square. The students from lower-income families experienced significantly higher overall stress as well as stress due to family responsibilities (p < 0.001). The first-year undergraduate students reported significantly higher (p < 0.001) stress due to family responsibilities-related stressors whereas second-year students due to social activities-related stressors. The hierarchal regression model predicted that gender, family income, academic-related stressors, inter- and intrapersonal and career-related stressors, and social activities-related stressors can be employed to evaluate overall stress among students, as they ensured the maximum variance in the data (p < 0.001). Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first Indian study to identify stressors, quantify associated stress and predict major attributes to be targeted in future studies for veterinary students.

Emerging trends of microbial technology for the production of oligosaccharides from biowaste and their potential application as prebiotic.

Oligosaccharides are the sugars made up of 3-10 saccharides units and one of the classes of prebiotics obtained from various biowastes. These biowastes could include rice straw, husk, spent coffee grounds, sugarcane bagasse, spent tea leaves, fruits and vegetables peel, corn stalk, corn stover, deoiled meals and brewer's spent grains etc., which can be used as a resource for oligosaccharides production. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the suitability of different biowaste resources for oligosaccharide production followed by critical analysis of the recent updates and production methods. The review also discusses the tremendous prebiotic potential of oligosaccharides in food applications with prospects for further advancements in the field.