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Despite the extensive research conducted on the relationship between transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-ß1) polymorphisms and levels and the onset and development of liver disease, there are still certain gaps that need to be addressed. To address these gaps and provide a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge, this review aimed to identify relevant published research on TGF-ß1/TGF-ß1 polymorphism, TGF-ß1/TGF-ß1 levels, and their associations with cirrhosis and hepatitis C. The synthesis of available data was performed to further enhance our understanding in this area. Adopting the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, a search strategy was implemented across several online databases to search for relevant articles as per the defined selection criterion. Eight studies were selected after the completion of the search strategy. Of the eight studies, five revealed a considerably high level of TGF-ß1 in patients who had hepatitis C virus (HCV) and liver cirrhosis caused by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The forest plot analysis showed a statistically significant impact of TGF-ß1 polymorphism and levels on the incidence of hepatic cirrhosis and hepatitis C, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.65 and a risk ratio (RR) of 0.76. The heterogeneity test showed a high level of heterogeneity at 94% and 95% for OR and RR, respectively, but the overall effect was significant with P < 0.01 for both measures. According to the results obtained, the authors concluded that TGF-ß1 polymorphism and its associated levels should be taken into account while developing preventive and therapeutic approaches for hepatic cirrhosis and hepatitis C.
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BACKGROUND: The activity level of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as it is now called, is considered low. Despite early preventive lockdown measures and a massive vaccination drive, almost the entire adult population in India will have been vaccinated at least once by the beginning of 2022 (2,072,946,593 till 11 August 2022). There is still concern about a pan-India outbreak and threat due to newly emerging pathogenic strains. The goal of this study is to find out how common various presenting complaints are in COVID-19 patients as well as how comorbidities affect the severity of the illness. METHODS: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted from December 2020 to January 2021 at a tertiary care hospital's department of internal medicine in North India. The study included 237 patients who were COVID-19-positive and were admitted to our hospital after providing informed consent. They were classified into three groups: mild, moderate, and severe. RESULTS: Fever was the most common presenting symptom, affecting 84.4% of the population, while diarrhoea was the least common, affecting only 3.4% of the population. Fever, cough, sore throat, headache, and breathlessness were significantly correlated with the severity of the illness. Gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhoea did not have any significant correlation with the severity of the illness. The severity of illness was statistically related to comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. CONCLUSION: Males were more likely to develop more serious illnesses. However, the correlation was not statistically significant. The number of comorbid conditions and the severity of the illness were found to have a fair and significant relationship. None of the diarrhoea symptoms were related to the severity of the illness.
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Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a serious global public health problem. It is estimated that 2% to 3% of the world's population is infected with the virus. It was found that chronic hepatitis C is an independent predictor of the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Infection with HCV or the inflammatory response to HCV infection likely contributes to the development of insulin resistance (IR), which increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the long term. This study aimed to assess the insulin resistance in hepatitis C and its correlation with various metabolic parameters. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in North India in the Department of Internal Medicine with hepatitis C-positive patients attending an out-patient or in-patient department. We took a total of 100 patients aged > 18 years and divided them into two groups: Group A with hepatitis C (cases) and Group B without hepatitis C (controls). There were a total of 50 hepatitis C patients and 50 patients without hepatitis C. Results: A total of 100 patients were included in the present study after obtaining informed consent. There was a significantly higher level of serum ferritin and insulin in group A patients than group B patients. There was a positive correlation of insulin resistance with the serum insulin, ferritin levels, cholesterol, LDL and triglyceride level and a negative correlation with the serum HDL level. The incidence of insulin resistance was positively correlated with changes in fibrosis in the liver due to the hepatitis C infection. Conclusions: From our study, we found that there is an increased incidence of insulin resistance in the patients with hepatitis-C infection, and insulin resistance is associated with the presence of altered hepatic function test results.
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Crop residue burning (CRB) over northern India is a major air quality and human health issue. The present study assesses the impact of PM10, PM2.5, NO2 and SO2, emitted during CRB activities in Haryana on the air quality of Delhi. The transition from pre-burning to burning period, in both rabi and kharif seasons, shows considerable increase in pollutant concentrations. PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations exceeded NAAQS limits by 2-3 times, while NO2 and SO2 stayed within the limits. MODIS fire observations used to estimate CRB fire counts (confidence ≥80%) shows that rabi (burning period) fires in Haryana are ~3 times higher and more intense than in kharif. Furthermore, backward trajectories shows air mass movement from Haryana, Punjab and Pakistan. Thus, pollutants emitted reach Delhi via air masses, deteriorating its air quality. Meteorological conditions influence pollutant concentrations during both seasons. Frequent dust storms in rabi, and Dusshera and Diwali firework celebrations in kharif season exacerbate air pollution. In rabi, PM10 and PM2.5 have a significant negative association with (relative humidity) RH and positive association with (air temperature) AT. High AT during pre-monsoon, accompanied by low RH, loosens up soil particles and they can easily disperse. Stronger winds in rabi season promote NO2 and SO2 dispersion. In kharif, lower AT, higher RH and slower winds exist. Both PM10 and PM2.5 have a negative association with AT and (wind speed) WS. With lower temperature and slower winds during winter, pollutants are trapped within the boundary layer and are unable to disperse. As expected, NO2 has a significant negative association with AT in Haryana. However, in case of Delhi, the association is significant but positive, and could be due to the odd-even scheme imposed by the Delhi government. More research is needed to determine the health effects of Haryana's rabi CRB activities on Delhi.
