Effect of radiotherapy on serum mucoprotein level in carcinoma Larynx and Pharynx

Serum mucoprotein level was determined in 61 individuals including 36 untreated patients of carcinoma Larynx & Pharynx and 25 healthy adults. Patients were treated by standard doses of radiation. Serum mucoprotein was again estimated following therapy. Patients showed a highly significant elevation in serum mucoprotein level as compared to controls (P<0.001). Radiotherapy caused a significant decline in the serum level of this biochemical (P<0.001). Stage of the disease had no correlation with the serum level of the mucoprotein. The dose of the radiation also had no relation with the decline in serum mucoprotein after irradiation. The fall in serum mucoprotein level was significantly higher in patients having complete response as compared to partial response (P<0.001), however there was no difference between the patients having partial response or no response.     

Epidemiological characteristics of rabies in Delhi and surrounding areas, 1998.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological characteristics of rabies in Delhi in 1998. METHODS: Analysis of the records of hydrophobia cases admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Delhi (IDH) in 1998. RESULTS: About 46 percent (99/215) of the hydrophobia cases admitted to the IDH in 1998 belonged to Delhi. The remaining came from the adjoining states, both urban and rural areas. In Delhi residents, overall hospitalization rate was 0.81 per 100,000 population. It was significantly higher in 5-14 year old than in other age groups and in males than in females (p <0.0009). Cases occurred round the year. Almost 96 percent cases (206/215) gave history of animal exposure, 13 days to 10 years (median 60 days) before hospitalization. Majority (195/206) had class III exposure. Animals involved were stray dog (193/206 = 90 percent), pet dog, cat, jackal, mongoose, monkey and fox. Most of cases were never vaccinated (78 percent) or inadequately vaccinated (22 percent); only 1 percent each received appropriate wound treatment, or rabies immunoglobulin. CONCLUSIONS: Rabies is a major public health problem in Delhi. Its incidence is significantly higher in 5-14 year old children than in other age groups. The results indicate the need to educate the community and health care workers about the importance of immediate and adequate post-exposure treatment and to start an effective control program for dogs, the principal vector of rabies.     

Effect of poloxamer 188 on lymphatic uptake of carvedilol-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles for bioavailability enhancement

The present work aimed to investigate the effect of different concentrations of poloxamer 188, a surfactant, on lymphatic uptake of carvedilol-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) for oral bioavailability enhancement. Microemulsion technique was employed to prepare the SLN formulations having varying concentrations of poloxamer 188, which were subsequently subjected to various in vitro and in vivo evaluations to study their release pattern. On increasing the percentage concentration of poloxamer 188, the bioavailability decreased from 4.91- to 2.84-fold after intraduodenal administration in the male Wister rat. It could be attributed to the increase in particle size as well as reduction in hydrophobicity of SLNs. As indicated by pharmacokinetic data, the AUC_(0–t) of all three (SLN) formulations (6.27?±?0.24 μgh/mL with FZ-1, 4.13?± 0.11 μgh/mL with FZ-2, and 3.63?±?0.10 μgh/mL with FZ-3) were significantly higher (p?<?0.05) than that of carvedilol suspension (1.27?±?0.23 μgh/mL). These findings augur well with the possibility of enhancement of the oral bioavailability of drug, via the lymphatic system bypassing hepatic first pass metabolism.     

Biomarkers in overactive bladder

A biomarker is an indicator of a particular disease. It is generally used to define the presence (diagnostic biomarker), severity, progression (prognostic biomarker) of a condition and/or its response to a specific treatment (predictive biomarker). Biomarkers can be specific cells, enzymes, hormones, genes or gene products, which can be detected and measured in parts of the body such as blood, urine or tissue. Therefore, biomarkers have been suggested to play an important role in both the clinical assessment and the management of patients, as well as in the research setting. Recently, interest has gathered in urinary biomarkers as a tool to assess overactive bladder (OAB), potentially playing a role in the diagnosis, disease progression and monitoring response to treatment. Urinary biomarkers identified so far include nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), prostaglandins, cytokines and C-reactive protein. The aim of this review was to review the published literature on biomarkers in OAB. A literature review using Pub Med, clinicaltrials.gov and the controlled trials online registries was performed from 1970 up to June 2012. The search keywords were: the International Continence Society (ICS) definition of "OAB", “nerve growth fac- tor” (NGF), “brain derived growth factor” (BDNF), “prostaglandins,” “cytokines,” “genetic biomarkers” and “C reactive protein”. The results were limited for fully published English-language articles. The search was then subsequently expanded to include urinary biomarkers in interstitial cystitis and bladder pain where relevant. Each of the studies/articles was reviewed, interpreted and discussed to consider the role of urinary biomarkers in OAB. Using the search criteria, a total of 20 studies (animal and human) that investigated the role of urinary biomarkers in OAB were identified. Full text versions of these articles were obtained and reviewed. Studies on NGF suggested that urinary levels were higher in OAB patients and decreased with antimuscarinic and botulinum toxin treatment. BDNF studies have demonstrated raised levels in OAB and also increased levels in situations of acute bladder inflammation. The role of urinary prostaglandins, cytokines and CRP does not appear to be specific to the OAB disease process according to the current available evidence. Based on the evidence so far NGF and BDNF appear to be the most promising biomarkers in OAB. Although still in their infancy these neurotrophic factors could potentially diagnose OAB, replacing urodynamics and aiding in monitoring disease progression and response to treatment in addition to clinical symptoms.     

Perspectives on cancer stem cells in osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is an aggressive pediatric tumor of growing bones that, despite surgery and chemotherapy, is prone to relapse. These mesenchymal tumors are derived from progenitor cells in the osteoblast lineage that have accumulated mutations to escape cell cycle checkpoints leading to excessive proliferation and defects in their ability to differentiate appropriately into mature bone-forming osteoblasts. Like other malignant tumors, osteosarcoma is often heterogeneous, consisting of phenotypically distinct cells with features of different stages of differentiation. The cancer stem cell hypothesis posits that tumors are maintained by stem cells and it is the incomplete eradication of a refractory population of tumor-initiating stem cells that accounts for drug resistance and tumor relapse. In this review we present our current knowledge about the biology of osteosarcoma stem cells from mouse and human tumors, highlighting new insights and unresolved issues in the identification of this elusive population. We focus on factors and pathways that are implicated in maintaining such cells, and differences from paradigms of epithelial cancers. Targeting of the cancer stem cells in osteosarcoma is a promising avenue to explore to develop new therapies for this devastating childhood cancer.