Indranil Saha

Publications (29)27 Total impact

• Article: Risk factors for hypertension in a population-based sample of postmenopausal women in Kolkata,West Bengal, India.

  Debdutta Ganguli, Nilanjan Das, Indranil Saha, Debnath Chaudhuri, Saurabh Ghosh, Sanjit Dey
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  ABSTRACT: Hypertension is a major public health problem worldwide. However, limited information is available regarding the risk factors for hypertension in postmenopausal women, particularly in urban populations in developing countries such as India. To investigate whether adiposity measures, serum lipids and lipoproteins as well as fasting plasma glucose can predict the risk of hypertension in a population based sample of postmenopausal women in Kolkata, India, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 415 postmenopausal women (aged 40 to 85), selected by cluster sampling from 12 wards of Kolkata. After multivariate adjustment, apolipoprotein B (apo B) and waist circumference (WC) showed the strongest association with hypertension.The risk of hypertension in the highest tertile compared with the lowest tertile was 2.57 (95% confidence interval = 1.00-6.61) for apo B and 2.55 (95% confidence interval = 1.07-6.06) for WC.Apo B and WC were the strongest risk factors for predicting hypertension among postmenopausal women in Kolkata.
  Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health 03/2013; · 1.06 Impact Factor
• Article: Investigating proline puckering states in diproline segments in proteins.

  Indranil Saha, Narayanaswamy Shamala
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  ABSTRACT: In the current study, the puckering states of the Proline ring occurring in diproline segments ((L) Pro-(L) Pro) in proteins has been investigated with a segregation made on the basis of cis and trans states for the Pro-Pro peptide bond and the conformational states for the diproline segment to investigate the effects of conformation of the diproline segment on the corresponding puckering state of the Proline ring in the segment if any. The value of the endocyclic ring torsional angles of the pyrrolidine ring has been used for calculating and visualizing various puckering states using a proposed sign convention (+/-) nomenclature. The results have been compared to that obtained in a previous study on peptides from this group. In the present study, quite interestingly, the Planar (G) conformation that was present in 14.3% of the cases in peptides, appears to be nearly a rare conformation in the case of proteins (1.9%). The present study indicates that the (C(γ) -exo / C(γ) -exo), (C(γ) -exo / Twisted C(γ) -exo-C(β) -endo) and (Twisted C(γ) -endo-C(β) -exo / Twisted C(γ) -endo-C(β) -exo) categories are the most preferred combinations. For Proline rings in proteins, the states C(γ) -exo, Twisted C(γ) -exo-C(β) -endo and Twisted C(γ) -endo-C(β) -exo are the most preferred states. Within diproline segments, the pyrrolidine ring conformations do not show a strong co-relation to the backbone conformation in which they are observed. It is likely that five membered rings have a considerable plasticity of structure and are readily deformed in order to accommodate a variety of energetically preferred backbone conformations.
  Biopolymers 02/2013; · 2.87 Impact Factor
• Article: Burden of hospitalized pediatric morbidity and utilization of beds in a tertiary care hospital of kolkata, India.

  Rabindra Nath Roy, Prabha Shrivastava, Dilip Kumar Das, Indranil Saha, Aditya Prasad Sarkar
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  ABSTRACT: Childhood morbidity consumes a substantial portion of health care resources in terms of hospital bed utilization, and overload in hospital ward remains a major concern in many countries, including India. A possible way to minimize the problem of scarcities of bed is to analyze the pattern of bed utilization by causes and plan services accordingly. To determine the burden of pediatric morbidity and utilization pattern of pediatric beds in a tertiary care hospital. A retrospective analysis of pediatric inpatient's records was conducted over a period of 1 year from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007. Of 3983 total admitted cases, about one-third were infants, of which neonatal and post-neonatal age group constituted 45% and 55% of the cases, respectively. In terms of bed-day utilization, infants, 1-4 years and 5-11 years age group accounted for 35.10%, 32.58% and 32.32% of total days of admission, respectively. Utilization of pediatric beds by major causes of morbidity was respiratory tract infection (22.23%), convulsive disorder (12.68%), accident and poisoning (6.07%), diarrheal disease (4.97%) and chronic hemolytic anemia (4.42%). A minor change in admission policy through provision of day care unit for management of certain cases would allow efficient use of hospital beds.
  Indian Journal of Community Medicine 10/2012; 37(4):252-5.
• Article: Gender differences in notification rates, clinical forms and treatment outcome of tuberculosis patients under the RNTCP.

  Abhijit Mukherjee, Indranil Saha, Anirban Sarkar, Ranadip Chowdhury
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  ABSTRACT: An increased notification rate of tuberculosis (TB) in men is seen in the SAARC region. In India, the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) detects nearly three times more male than female TB patients. Gender differences have also been reported in the clinical forms of tuberculous disease and in treatment adherence and cure rates in patients undergoing treatment for tuberculosis. The present study was undertaken to find out the sex differences in the notification rates and treatment outcomes of TB patients registered under the RNTCP in a rural tuberculosis unit (TU) in West Bengal. A retrospective record-based study was carried out among a total of 3605 cases registered under the RNTCP between January 1999 and June 2005. Notification rates of TB, clinical forms of TB and disease treatment outcomes recorded in the registers were analyzed based on genders. Outcomes were defined in accordance with the standard RNTCP definitions. The Z-test for proportion (for comparing differences in proportions), Student t-test (for comparing mean), and χ(2) test (to see association) were performed for statistical analysis. Among the total of 3605 patients, 2498 (69.3%) were male and 1107 (30.7%) were female with a male female ratio of 2.25:1. In patients less than 20 years of age, the notification rates among males and females were similar. In the other age groups, males were more likely to be notified compared to females and the difference was statistically significant. While new smear positive and retreatment cases were significantly more than in males, among females, new smear negative and new extrapulmonary cases were significantly higher. Among the new smear positive patients 89.4% of females were cured compared to 85.8% of males which was again significant statistically (Z=1.70, P<0.05). Male patients outnumbered females in all the unfavorable outcomes like death, failure, and default although none of the differences were statistically significant (P>0.05). The present study demonstrates a gender difference in the notification rates, clinical presentations and treatment outcomes of patients with tuberculosis. Integrated research is necessary to find the reasons for these differences. Such studies will be helpful in improving the efficacy of the RNTCP.
  Lung India 04/2012; 29(2):120-2.
• Article: Author's reply.

  Abhijt Mukherjee, Parthasarathi Bhattacharyya, Indranil Saha, Rantu Paul
  Lung India 01/2012; 29(1):89-90.
• Article: Investigating diproline segments in proteins: occurrences, conformation and classification.

  Indranil Saha, Narayanaswamy Shamala
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  ABSTRACT: The covalent linkage between the side-chain and the backbone nitrogen atom of proline leads to the formation of the five-membered pyrrolidine ring and hence restriction of the backbone torsional angle ϕ to values of -60 °± 30° for the L-proline. Diproline segments constitute a chain fragment with considerably reduced conformational choices. In the current study, the conformational states for the diproline segment (( L) Pro-( L) Pro) found in proteins has been investigated with an emphasis on the cis and trans states for the Pro-Pro peptide bond. The occurrence of diproline segments in turns and other secondary structures has been studied and compared to that of Xaa-Pro-Yaa segments in proteins which gives us a better understanding on the restriction imposed on other residues by the diproline segment and the single proline residue. The study indicates that P(II) -P(II) and P(II) -α are the most favorable conformational states for the diproline segment. The analysis on Xaa-Pro-Yaa sequences reveals that the Xaa-Pro peptide bond exists preferably as the trans conformer rather than the cis conformer. The present study may lead to a better understanding of the behavior of proline occurring in diproline segments which can facilitate various designed diproline-based synthetic templates for biological and structural studies.
  Biopolymers 09/2011; 97(1):54-64. · 2.87 Impact Factor
• Article: Evaluation of a simple bedside tool developed to measure different parameters of clubbing.

  Abhijit Mukherjee, Parthasarathi Bhattacharyya, Indranil Saha, Rantu Paul
  Lung India 07/2011; 28(3):228-9.
• Article: Entrapment of a water wire in a hydrophobic peptide channel with an aromatic lining.

  Upadhyayula Surya Raghavender, Bhaswati Chatterjee, Indranil Saha, Appavu Rajagopal, Narayanaswamy Shamala, Padmanabhan Balaram
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  ABSTRACT: A one-dimensional water wire has been characterized by X-ray diffraction in single crystals of the tripeptide Ac-Phe-Pro-Trp-OMe. Crystals in the hexagonal space group P6(5) reveal a central hydrophobic channel lined by aromatic residues which entraps an approximately linear array of hydrogen bonded water molecules. The absence of any significant van der Waals contact with the channel walls suggests that the dominant interaction between the "water wire" and "peptide nanotube" is electrostatic in origin. An energy difference of 16 kJ mol(-1) is estimated for the distinct orientations of the water wire dipole with respect to the macrodipole of the peptide nanotube. The structural model suggests that Grotthuss type proton conduction may, through constricted hydrophobic channels, be facilitated by concerted, rotational reorientation of water molecules.
  The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 06/2011; 115(29):9236-43. · 3.70 Impact Factor
• Article: Validity of the WHO criteria for adolescent hypertension.

  Indranil Saha, Bobby Paul, Abhijit Mukherjee, Ranadeb Biswas, Aparajita Dasgupta
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  ABSTRACT: WHO Second Task Force Criteria of adolescent hypertension (95th percentile for age) has been use for a long time and different studies have indicated wide variation of hypertension through out the world. To find out the validity of the WHO diagnostic criteria for adolescent hypertension. A cross-sectional study was undertaken in an urban slum of Chetla, Kolkata, among 1081 adolescent population (10-19 yrs of age). Initially 95th percentile values for age of systolic and diastolic blood pressure were calculated in different age groups and comparison was made between hypertensive subjects identified by the study values and the WHO reference values, using sensitivity and specificity parameters. In all the different age groups, the diagnostic criteria of hypertension in the study had sensitivity 100%, but specificity varied in the different age groups i.e. 95.34% (10-12 years), 93.89% (13-15 years), 97.41% (16-18 years), 95.34% (10-18 years) and 100% (19 year). Age specific reference values for blood pressure of adolescents should be formulated locally in different regions to aid in the identification of children with high blood pressure.
  East African journal of public health 06/2011; 8(2):135-7.
• Article: Association between inflammatory markers and cardiovascular risk factors in women from Kolkata, W.B, India.

  Debdutta Ganguli, Nilanjan Das, Indranil Saha, Krishna Rao Sanapala, Debnath Chaudhuri, Saurabh Ghosh, Sanjit Dey
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  ABSTRACT: Recent research has focused on the use of inflammatory biomarkers in the prediction of cardiovascular risk. However, information is scant regarding the association between these inflammatory markers with other cardiovascular risk factors in Asian Indians, particularly in women. To explore the association between inflammatory markers such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and white blood cell (WBC) count and cardiovascular risk factors such as overall and central adiposity, blood pressure, lipid and lipoprotein variables and fasting glucose. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis on 100 women aged 35-80 years. Participants were selected following cluster sampling methodology from 12 different randomly selected urban wards of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Hs-CRP has a significant association with body mass index (BMI) ( p < 0.001) and waist circumference (WC) (p = 0.002). Significant inverse associations were observed between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and both inflammatory markers, hs-CRP (p = 0.031) and WBC count, (p = 0.014). Apolipoprotein A1 (Apo A1) was also negatively associated with hs-CRP. WBC count has significant correlation with fasting glucose and total cholesterol (TC) /HDL-C ratio. Using logistic regression, adjusting for age, BMI (odds ratio/OR, 1.186; confidence interval/CI, 1.046-1.345; p = 0.008) and WC (OR, 1.045; CI, 1.005-1.087; p = 0.027) were the covariates significantly associated with hs-CRP. In the present study, risk factors like BMI, WC, and HDL-C and apo A1 show significant association with hs-CRP. WBC count was significantly correlated with HDL-C, fasting glucose, TC/HDL-C ratio in women.
  Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia 01/2011; 96(1):38-46. · 1.32 Impact Factor
• Article: Major dietary patterns and their associations with cardiovascular risk factors among women in West Bengal, India.

  Debdutta Ganguli, Nilanjan Das, Indranil Saha, Piyali Biswas, Srinwanti Datta, Basudeb Mukhopadhyay, Debnath Chaudhuri, Saurabh Ghosh, Sanjit Dey
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  ABSTRACT: Few studies have examined dietary patterns in relation to cardiovascular risk factors in Asian populations, particularly in India. The present study was undertaken to explore dietary patterns in a general urban Bengalee population of women in West Bengal, India, and their association with cardiovascular risk factors. We performed a cross-sectional study of 701 women (aged 35 years and above) selected by cluster sampling from twelve different wards of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Kolkata, India). The following three major dietary patterns were identified: the 'vegetable, fruits and pulses' pattern (characterised by higher intakes of dark-yellow and green leafy vegetables, sweets, fruits, pulses, nuts, poultry and eggs, and lower intake of mustard oil); the 'hydrogenated and saturated fat and vegetable oil' pattern (characterised by higher intakes of butter, hydrogenated oil, ghee, vegetable oil, mustard oil, condiments, sweets, fish, high-fat dairy and refined grain); the 'red meat and high-fat dairy' pattern (characterised by higher intakes of red meat, high-fat dairy products, whole grain, high-energy drinks and condiments, and lower intakes of fish, refined grain and low-fat dairy products). The vegetable, fruits and pulses pattern was inversely associated with serum total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol and non-HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations (P < 0·05 for all). The hydrogenated and saturated fat and vegetable oil pattern was positively associated with BMI, waist circumference (WC) and HDL-C concentration (P < 0·05 for all). In this Bengalee population, these three major dietary patterns were observed, and the dietary patterns were independently associated with BMI, WC and serum TC concentrations in women.
  The British journal of nutrition 01/2011; 105(10):1520-9. · 3.45 Impact Factor
• Article: Morbidity pattern of low-birth-weight infants in an urban slum of Kolkata, India.

  Bobby Paul, Indranil Saha, Abhijit Mukherjee, Ranadeb Biswas, Sima Roy, Ramendra N Chaudhuri
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  ABSTRACT: Low birth weight (birth weight <2500 g) is one of the major determinants of neonatal morbidity as well as mortality and these are known to be significantly higher in these infants. To study the morbidity pattern of low-birth-weight (LBW) infants in an urban slum in Kolkata, India. A follow-up community-based study was undertaken in 2004-2005 in an urban slum of Chetla (Kolkata, West Bengal, India), among 126 singleton live-born babies, who were followed up for 9 months at 15±5 days interval by home visits. Incidence of LBW was 28.6%. Morbidity episodes and hospitalization rate were more in LBW than in normal-birth-weight infants. Overall, gastrointestinal infection and acute respiratory infection were predominant in both LBW and normal-birth-weight babies. Although morbidity episodes as well as hospitalization rate were lower compared with other studied slums of India, there is still room for further improvement of health status of these babies. Adequate care, exclusive breast-feeding, and proper nutrition of the LBW infants must be ensured to have healthy lifestyle free from morbidity.
  The Journal of the Egyptian Public Health Association 01/2011; 86(3-4):39-43.
• Article: Profile of postmortem cases conducted at a morgue of a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata.

  Prabha Shrivastava, Debasish Som, Saswati Nandy, Indranil Saha, Parag Baran Pal, Tapobrata Guha Ray, Swaraj Haldar
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  ABSTRACT: A record based cross-sectional study of postmortems performed at the mortuary attached to the forensic medicine and toxicology department of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital from March 2008 to February 2009 comprising 1900 cases was conducted to determine the sociodemographic profile and to assess the nature and cause of such deaths. Bodies of 5 foetuses were decomposed which were excluded from the study. Out of a total of 1895 postmortems analysed, 23 autopsies were performed of limbs where the subjects were alive. Out of 1872 cases in 325 (17.4%) the manner of death was natural, whereas in 1547 cases (82.6%) it was unnatural. Accidents, suicides, homicides and undetermined deaths were 63.1%, 29.8%, 2.8% and 4.3% respectively. Among the natural deaths, evidence of pulmonary tuberculosis and coronary heart disease was found in 141 (43.4%) and 124 (38.2%) cases respectively. Burn injuries (22.6%) were the most common cause of unnatural deaths and occurred in 77.4% females. Rail track injuries and road traffic injuries were responsible for 21.9% and 14% of unnatural deaths. Hanging, poisoning and self-immolation were responsible for 48.4%, 28.9% and 19.7% of suicidal deaths respectively.
  Journal of the Indian Medical Association 11/2010; 108(11):730-3.
• Article: Occam's razor... blunted.

  Indranil Saha
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  ABSTRACT: Occam's razor, [When there are two competing theories making the same prediction, the simpler one is chosen], is a popular method in making clinical diagnosis. This theory gets 'blunted' in our case report, as our immunocompromised patient was found to have multiple non-related aetiologies for a single pathological event.
  Tropical Doctor 10/2010; 41(1):57-8. · 0.66 Impact Factor
• Article: Treatment of asthma: Identification of the practice behavior and the deviation from the guideline recommendations.

  Parthasarathi Bhattacharyya, Rantu Paul, Saikat Nag, Sujan Bardhan, Indranil Saha, Malabika Ghosh, Ratna Dey, Rana Dey, Sahidul Islam, Dipabali Acharyya Ghosh
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  ABSTRACT: Despite an exponential development of the understanding of the disease with availability of good therapy and feasibility of good control along with availability of globally accepted guidelines, there remains a significant gap between the guidelines and prevailing practice behavior for treating asthma all over the globe. This perhaps stands as the single most deterrent factor for good asthma care worldwide. The objective of the study is to analyze the asthma prescriptions to find out the available status of the practice behaviour and the deviations from the guideline in asthma practice. The asthma prescriptions of the referred patients presenting to the OPD services of the IPCR, Kolkata were photocopied and collected. They were further analyzed based on the available information upon a format being prepared on four major areas as qualifications, clinical recording habit, practice of evaluating patients, and treatment habit that stands apparent from the prescribed medications. The doctors were divided into three categories as a) MBBS, b) MD/DNB (medicine and respiratory medicine), and c) DM (non respiratory sub-specialities) and statistical analysis has been performed comparing the three groups as per the performance in the four pre-decided areas. All the groups fall short of any guideline or text of asthma care in all the areas involved. The practice behaviour of our doctors for asthma care appears deficient in several areas and seems far from guideline recommendations. This needs further evaluation and adoption of appropriate interventions.
  Lung India 07/2010; 27(3):141-4.
• Article: Overweight, obesity and influence of stress on body weight among undergraduate medical students.

  Soma Gupta, Tapobrata Guha Ray, Indranil Saha
  Indian Journal of Community Medicine 07/2009; 34(3):255-7.
• Article: Comparing outcomes in new pulmonary sputum positive and sputum negative cases under RNTCP in rural India.

  Abhijit Mukherjee, Rupak Singla, Indranil Saha
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  ABSTRACT: The study was carried out at the Bagula TU, Nadia, West Bengal, India. To find out the treatment outcomes of new smear negative cases, in low HIV prevalence population, and to compare the results with new smear positive cases in the same population. It was a retrospective record based study. All patients registered between January 1999 and June 2005 were divided into new smear positive and new smear negative groups and the difference in the outcomes analysed. Favourable outcome was less in new smear negative cases, compared to new smear positive (84% vs. 86%, p = 0.002).Death and default were more in new smear negative cases, compared to new smear positive (death: 6.8% vs. 3.7%; DEFAULT: 6.02% vs. 4.18%), (p < 0.05). Failure and transferred out were non- significantly higher in new smear positive group. Smear negative patients had a worse treatment outcome compared to smear positive patients including lower favourable outcomes and higher deaths and defaults. The possible reasons need to be explored and corrective actions need to be taken accordingly.
  The Indian journal of tuberculosis 07/2009; 56(3):144-50.
• Article: The role of long-term doxycycline in patients of idiopathic pulmonaryfibrosis: The results of an open prospective trial.

  Parthasarathi Bhattacharyya, Saikat Nag, Sujan Bardhan, Dipabali Acharya, Rantu Paul, Rana Dey, Malabika Ghosh, Ratna Dey, Indranil Saha
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  ABSTRACT: To evaluate the effect of long term use of doxycycline in IPF patients. Patients of IPF, selected randomly from out patient services and diagnosed on the basis of HRCT chest, were put on doxycycline in an open prospective trial. They were followed up with monitoring of subjective well being along with measurement of pulse rate and arterial oxygen saturation at rest and after a fixed and certain exercise, forced vital capacity, six minutes walk test, St Georges Respiratory questionnaire, and serial chest X-rays. Out of seven patients put on doxycycline, six of them continued the drug for a mean period of 531.43 (+/- 328.88 days). All the patients tolerated the drug well and had shown uniform subjective and overall objective improvement in all the parameters concerned; the change in the radiological parameter being statistically significant. Doxycycline merits an appropriate clinical trial in the management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. This widely used and relatively safe drug can add a new dimension to the therapeutic regimen. However, further in-depth studies will be required to evaluate its role in the management of IPF.
  Lung India 07/2009; 26(3):81-5.
• Article: Dyslipidaemia in rheumatoid arthritis in a tertiary care centre in Eastern India--a non-randomised trial.

  Udas Chandra Ghosh, Ajitesh Roy, Krishna Sen, Arup Kumar Kundu, Indranil Saha, Abhed Biswas
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  ABSTRACT: Dyslipidaemia in rheumatoid arthritis, is associated with accelerated atherosclerosis. A nonrandomised trial was conducted to find out the proportion of rheumatoid arthritis patients suffering from dyslipidaemia and change in lipid levels after an intervention with antirheumatic drugs in a tertiary care centre in Eastern India from April 2006 to July 2008. The trial was done on 161 diagnosed patients of rheumatoid arthritis (fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology criteria) on lipid levels. Lipids estimations were done enzymatically by semi-autoanalyser and dyslipidaemia was defined by taking the cut-off value of National Cholesterol Education Programme-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) guidelines. Patients with other comorbid illness and on statins were excluded. Disease activity score 28 (DAS-28) was also employed for evaluating disease activity. Patients were followed up to 10 -12 weeks for repeat lipid level estimation. Using the high cut-off values of NCEP-ATP III, 39.1% of the patients showed dyslipidaemia in initial visit. Low high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was the commonest abnormality seen in 37.2%. In the follow-up study after getting disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (methotrexate, sulfasalazine, hydroxychloroquine) therapy, 19.9% patients had dyslipidaemia again and there were increase in total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, HDL-C but triglyceride was reduced. Low HDL-C again became the commonest (17.9%) and rise in HDL-C level was statistically significant. DAS-28 showed a good reduction and significant negative correlation with HDL-C. Lipid abnormalities, common in Indian patients with rheumatoid arthritis, are also observed in Eastern India. Low HDL-C being the commonest abnormality. Disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis is inversely related to the lipid levels.
  Journal of the Indian Medical Association 07/2009; 107(7):427-30.
• Article: Overweight, obesity and influence of stress on body weight among undergraduate medical students

  Soma Gupta, Tapobrata Ray, Indranil Saha
  Indian Journal of Community Medicine. 01/2009;