The effect of indomethacin and metamizole on ureteral motility and urine flow in sheep

Summary The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, indomethacin and metamizole, on ureteral peristalsis during acute occlusion similar to the situation in renal colic. In 12 pentobarbital anesthetized sheep, both ureters were cannulated and the frequency of ureteral contractions, urine flow, mean ureteral pressure and blood pressure were recorded during 10-min control and i.v. drug administration periods. Both indomethacin (1–2 mg/kg) and metamizole (60–120 mg/kg) showed a dose dependent reduction in peristaltic frequency without reduction of the mean pressure. In addition, the pressure amplitude of the peristaltic waves was also lowered, particularly with indomethacin. Only indomethacin reduced the urine flow. Arterial blood pressure was elevated by both drugs, particularly after the first dose of indomethacin. It can be concluded that indomethacin and metamizole reduce ureteral peristaltic frequency, probably blocking the impulse transmission at the ureteropelvic junction.For the partial fulfillment of a Master's degree in Pharmacology     

异落新妇甙的结构研究

从百合科菝葵属植物土茯苓(Smilaxg labra Roxb.)根茎的乙醇提取物中分得一个新的天然化合物(I),命名为异落新妇甙(isoastilbin)。根据元素分析,UV,IR,¹H-NMR,¹³C-NMR,2DNMR及FAB-MS,确定化合物I的结构为5,7,3',5'-四羟基二氢黄酮醇-3-O-α-L-鼠李糖甙。     

A randomized controlled trial of electromagnetic therapy in the primary care management of venous leg ulceration

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to establish the potential efficacy, tolerabilityand side-effect profile of electromagnetic therapy as an adjunctto conventional dressings in the treatment of venous leg ulcers. METHOD: A prospective, randomized, double blind controlled clinicaltrial was carried out in a dedicated leg ulcer clinic basedin one urban general practice. Nineteen patients with leg ulcersof confirmed venous aetiology were assessed. The main outcomemeasures were rate and scale of venous leg ulcer healing, changesin patient-reported pain levels, quality of life, degree ofmobility, side effect profile and acceptability to patientsand staff. RESULTS: Sixty-eight per cent of patients attending this dedicated clinicachieved improvements in the size of their ulcer (4, 21%, healedfully) and in reduced pain levels (P < 0.05) during the trial,despite the chronicity of ulcer histories. Patients treatedwith electromagnetic therapy at 800 Hz were found at day 50to have significantly greater healing (P < 0.05) and paincontrol (P < 0.05) than placebo therapy or treatment with600 Hz. All patients reported improved mobility at the end ofthe study. The electromagnetic therapy was well tolerated bypatients, with no differences between groups in reporting adverseevents, and proved acceptable to staff. CONCLUSION: Despite the small numbers in this pilot study, electromagnetictherapy provided significant gains in the healing of venousleg ulcers and reduction in pain. Keywords. Electromagnetic therapy, RCT, leg ulcers, primary care.     

The latency of the cat vestibulo-ocular reflex before and after short- and long-term adaptation

Latencies of normal and adapted feline vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) were studied in five cats by applying ± 20°/s horizontal head velocity steps (4000°/s₂ acceleration) and measuring the elicited horizontal or vertical reflex eye responses. Normal VOR latency was 13.0 ms ± 1.9 SD. Short-term adaptation was then accomplished by using 2 h of paired horizontal sinusoidal vestibular stimulation and phase-synchronized vertical optokinetic stimulation (cross-axis adaptation). For long-term adaptation, cats wore ×0.25 or ×2.2 magnifying lenses for 4 days. The cats were passively rotated for 2 h/day and allowed to walk freely in the laboratory or their cages for the remainder of the time. The latency of the early (primary) adaptive response was 15.2ms±5.2 SD for crossaxis adaptation and 12.5 ms±3.9 SD for lens adaptation. This short-latency response appeared within 30 min after beginning the adaptation procedure and diminished in magnitude overnight. A late (secondary) adaptive response with latency of 76.8 ms±7.0 SD for cross-axis adaptation and 68.1 ms±8.8 SD for lens adaptation appeared after approximately 2 h of adaptation. It had a more gradual increase in magnitude than the primary response and did not diminish in magnitude overnight. These data suggest that brainstem VOR pathways are a site of learning for adaptive VOR modification, since the primary latency is short and has a similar latency to that of the normal VOR.     

Non-invasive detection of fecal protein kinase C betaII and zeta messenger RNA: putative biomarkers for colon cancer

We have developed a non-invasive method utilizing feces, containing sloughed colonocytes, as a sensitive technique for detecting diagnostic colonic biomarkers. In this study, we used the rat colon carcinogenesis model to determine if changes in fecal protein kinase C (PKC) expression have predictive value in monitoring the neoplastic process. Weanling rats were injected with saline or azoxymethane (AOM) and 36 weeks later fecal samples and mucosa were collected, poly A+ RNA isolated, and quantitative RT-PCR performed using primers to PKC betaII and zeta. Fecal PKC betaII and zeta mRNA levels were altered by the presence of a tumor, with tumor-bearing animals having a 3-fold higher (P < 0.05) PKC betaII expression as compared with animals without tumors. In addition, AOM-injection increased mucosal PKC betaII mRNA expression compared with saline controls. No effect of tumor incidence on mucosal PKC betaII expression was observed. In contrast, fecal PKC zeta expression was 2.5-fold lower (P < 0.05) in animals injected with azoxymethane versus saline. Since tumor incidence exerts a reciprocal effect on fecal PKC betaII and zeta mRNA expression, data were also expressed as the ratio between PKC betaII and zeta. The isozyme ratio was strongly related to tumor incidence, i.e. ratio for animals with tumors was 2.18 +/- 1.25, animals without tumors was 0.50 +/- 0.16, P = 0.025. We demonstrate that the expression of fecal PKC betaII and zeta may serve as a noninvasive marker for development of colon tumors. A sensitive technique for the detection of colon cancer is of importance since early diagnosis can substantially reduce mortality.      

白蛋白微球作为肝靶向给药载体的研究

用均匀设计方法和计算机技术筛选了乳化化学交联法制备白蛋白微球的六个因素,十二个水平。优化出最佳制备工艺,制备了平均粒径0.41～0.47μm的白蛋白微球。将此工艺制备的¹²⁵I-白蛋白微球做动物体内研究,结果表明微球iv后主要浓集在肝脏,可达注入总剂量的68%,此微球在靶组织肝脏的变化规律可用二室模型契合。     

Epidemiology of Mosquito-Borne Viruses in Egypt: A Systematic Review

There are at least five common mosquito-borne viruses (MBVs) recorded in Egypt, including dengue virus (DENV), Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), West Nile virus (WNV), Chikungunya virus, and Sindbis virus. Unexpected outbreaks caused by MBVs reflect the deficiencies of the MBV surveillance system in Egypt. This systematic review characterized the epidemiology of MBV prevalence in Egypt. Human, animal, and vector prevalence studies on MBVs in Egypt were retrieved from Web of Science, PubMed, and Bing Scholar, and 33 eligible studies were included for further analyses. The monophyletic characterization of the RVFV and WNV strains found in Egypt, which spans about half a century, suggests that both RVFV and WNV are widely transmitted in this nation. Moreover, the seropositive rates of DENV and WNV in hosts were on the rise in recent years, and spillover events of DENV and WNV to other countries from Egypt have been recorded. The common drawback for surveillance of MBVs in Egypt is the lack of seroprevalence studies on MBVs, especially in this century. It is necessary to evaluate endemic transmission risk, establish an early warning system for MBVs, and develop a sound joint system for medical care and public health for managing MBVs in Egypt.