Automated spectral analysis III: Application to in Vivo proton MR Spectroscopy and spectroscopic imaging

An automated method for analysis of in vivo proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectra and reconstruction of metabolite distributions from MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) data is described. A parametric spectral model using acquisition specific, a priori information is combined with a wavelet-based, nonparametric characterization of baseline signals. For image reconstruction, the initial fit estimates were additionally modified according to a priori spatial constraints. The automated fitting procedure was applied to four different examples of MRS data obtained at 1.5 T and 4.1 T. For analysis of major metabolites at medium TE values, the method was shown to perform reliably even in the presence of large baseline signals and relatively poor signal-to-noise ratios typical of in vivo proton MRSI. identification of additional metabolites was also demonstrated for short TE data. Automated formation of metabolite images will greatly facilitate and expand the clinical applications of MR spectroscopic imaging.     

Surgery for intramedullary tuberculoma of the spinal cord: report of 2 cases

BACKGROUND: Intramedullary tuberculomas are rare. With the widespread availability of MRI and the increasing incidence of HIV and HIV-related tuberculous infections, the incidence of these lesions is likely to increase worldwide. The role of medical and surgical treatment of these relatively rare lesions remains to be defined. We report 2 patients who presented with intramedullary tuberculomas and discuss the importance of early surgery in this condition. CASE DESCRIPTION: Two female patients presented with insidious onset of myelopathy. The first patient had seizures due to imaging-documented intracranial tuberculomata and progressive paraparesis due to an intramedullary tuberculoma. The second patient had also had insidious onset of myelopathy and evidence of an intramedullary tuberculoma in MRI. She was also found to have abdominal and pulmonary tuberculosis. In view of the presence of tuberculosis elsewhere in the body in both the patients and the classical imaging features of intramedullary tuberculoma, they were treated initially with antituberculous chemotherapy. However, despite chemotherapy, both patients did not show improvement. Subsequently, both patients underwent microsurgical removal of the intramedullary lesions. The first patient who was neurologically well preserved at the time of surgery improved, whereas the second patient who was paraplegic with sphincter disturbances did not show any improvement. CONCLUSIONS: These case reports are presented to highlight the role of early surgery in patients with profound neurological deficits and intramedullary tuberculoma even if the radiological appearance of the lesion is characteristic. Even in lesions that are potentially curable by chemotherapy, early surgery has an important role in the treatment.     

Comparison of continuous and intermittent vibration effects on rat-tail artery and nerve

Hand-transmitted vibration from powered-tools can cause peripheral vasospasm and neuropathy. A rat-tail model was used to investigate whether the pattern of vibration influenced the type and severity of tissue damage. The tails of awake rats were vibrated continuously or intermittently for a total of 4 hours at 60 HZ, 49 m/s(2). Nerves and arteries were harvested immediately or 24 hours after treatment. Tails subjected to intermittent vibration showed transiently increased sensitivity to thermal stimuli. Intermittent vibration caused the most nerve injury immediately and 24 hours after vibration. Continuous vibration invoked a persistent reduction in vascular lumen size. Compared to epinephrine-induced transient vacuolation in vascular smooth muscle cells, both continuous and intermittent vibration caused greater persistence of vacuoles, indicating a vibration-induced pathological process. All vibration groups exhibited elevated nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity indicative of free-radical damage. Pattern of vibration exposure may exert a major influence on the type of vibration injury.     

In vivo antidiabetic activity and in silico studies on adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) of (2E,5E)-2,5-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene) cyclopentanone

Effect of bischalcone derivative (2E,5E)-2,5-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene) cyclopentanone (CA) on blood glucose level and lipid profile was investigated in normoglycemic and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. In oral glucose and sucrose tolerance test, treatment with CA (25 mg/kg) and glidenclamide (10 mg/kg) significantly improved the glucose and sucrose tolerance in normal animals. In addition, respective treatment for 7-day resulted in significant percentage reduction in serum glucose (SG). In standardized STZ-induced diabetic rats, a single dose of CA treatment exhibited reduction in SG levels at different time intervals compared to basal levels. The lipid profile levels are restored to near-normal value of all tested parameters. The compound CA was docked into the active site of 5′-AMP (adenosine monophosphate)-activated protein kinase (PDB ID: 2OOX). The binding and docking energy were found to be ?6.9 and ?45.1 kcal/mol, respectively.     

Antimicrobial, analgesic, DPPH scavenging activities and molecular docking study of some 1,3,5-triaryl-2-pyrazolines

A series of 1,3,5-triaryl-2-pyrazolines 2a–g were synthesized by the reaction of 4,4′-disubstituted chalcone with phenyl hydrazine. All these compounds were characterized by NMR, IR and mass spectral and single crystal XRD data. All the synthesized products were screened for their in vitro antimicrobial, analgesic and antioxidant properties. The docking studies were carried out for these compounds against the active site of methionyl-tRNA synthetase (metRS). Some of the tested compounds exhibited significant antimicrobial, analgesic, DPPH scavenging activities and molecular binding.     

Studies on radioprotective and antiviral activities of some bischalcone derivatives

This work reports the cyclic voltammetric, modulatory effect on oxidative stress markers against radiation induced oxidative stress in E. coli bacteria and antiviral activities of two bischalcone derivatives (2E,5E)-2,5-bis(3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-benzylidene)-cyclopentanone (B1) and (2E,5E)-2,5-bis(4-fluorobenzylidene)-cyclopentanone (B2). The reducing ability of B1 and B2 was determined by cyclic voltammetry. The anodic peak current i _pa and anodic peak potential Epa of B1 and B2 were ?154.7, ?99?μA, and ?0.15?V, 0.0125?V, respectively. The low anodic current and low anodic peak potential imply the good reducing ability of the molecules. The radioprotective effect of bischalcones was studied by gamma radiation induced oxidative stress in E. coli K12 at 0.2 and 0.4?Gy. The bacteria samples treated with B1 and irradiated showed diminished level of TBARS, an oxidative stress marker. The levels of SOD and CAT antioxidant enzymes were brought to near basal level for B1 treated and irradiated bacteria with respect to the control. The protective effect of the bischalcone derivatives against radiation was further supported by determining colony forming units (CFU) of bacteria in pre- and post-irradiated samples. Further, B2 showed 73.69% of inhibition of buffalopox virus and camelpox virus.     

Zingiber officinale (ginger) as an anti-emetic in cancer chemotherapy: a review

Despite significant advances and development of novel anti-emetics, nausea and vomiting (emesis) is a major side-effect of cancer chemotherapy. At times, severe nausea and vomiting may also lead to reduction in adherence to the treatment regimen, and this will concomitantly affect the patient's survival. The rhizome of Zingiber officinale, commonly known as ginger, is globally an important spice. It has been used for centuries in the Indian, Chinese, Arabic, Tibetan, Unani, and Siddha systems of traditional medicine to treat nausea and vomiting induced by different stimuli. Preclinical studies with experimental animals (dogs and rats) have shown that the various extracts of ginger and the ginger juice possess anti-emetic effects against chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Gingerol, the active principle, is also shown to possess anti-emetic effects in minks. However, with regard to humans, while most studies have been supportive of the preclinical observations, a few have been contradictory. The exact mechanism responsible for the anti-emetic effects of ginger is unknown; however, the ginger phytochemicals, especially 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, 10-gingerol, and 6-shogaol, may function as a 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT3) antagonist, NK1 antagonist, antihistaminic, and possess prokinetic effects. The present review for the first time attempts to address the anti-emetic observations and the variability in response of the anti-emetic effects of ginger in cancer chemotherapy. An attempt is also made to address the lacunae in the published studies and emphasize aspects that need further investigations for ginger to be of use in clinics as an anti-emetic agent in the future.     

Myocardial oxygen increases due to physical training in individuals with coronary heart disease (CHD): Rate pressure product (RPP) measurements

Endurance training is used to restore, as much as possible, the functional capabilities of individuals with coronary heart disease (CHD) during phase II of the cardiac rehabilitation program. The functional capabilities of individuals with CHD are a function of the capacity of their cardiovascular system which, in turn, is dependent upon the supply of oxygen to cardiac muscles. The greater the supply of oxygen to cardiac muscles (measured by peak myocardial oxygen consumption, MVO_2max), the greater the ability of the circulatory system to meet the demands placed upon it. Rate pressure product (RPP; heart rate × systolic blood pressure) is an easy, reliable, and indirect measure of MVo_2max. Therefore, contemporary cardiac rehabilitation programs should focus on enhancing RPP_max. Utilizing data from 210 individuals with CHD, a statistically significant pre-post conditioning effect in RPP_max was observed (p<0.01). In the absence of a control group, it was not possible to attribute increases in RPP_max to endurance training. This study also found no significant differences in RPP_max values among the three cardiac conditions investigated (bypass, angioplasty, and post-MI;p≥0.10). However, there were significant differences between the RPP_max values of men and women (p<0.01). The gender differences in RPP_max values disappeared when the data were normalized with respect to pretraining RPP values. Since a severe decline in MVo_2max leads to most heart problems, it is suggested that future studies document the effect of endurance training on enhancing RPP_max. If such a relationship is established, then cardiac rehabilitation training programs should focus on enhancing MVo_2max, by way of enhancing RPP_max. Such a focus is likely to result in a greater functional capability (ability to perform work). The discussion indicates how the design of jobs and assignment of individuals (both individuals with CHD and healthy people) to various jobs can be based on RPP_max rather than Vo_2max, and how it can provide an objective basis for designing less stressful jobs from a psychological and physical demands perspective.