Efficacy of cotrimoxazole and rifampin for 6 or 8 weeks of therapy in childhood brucellosis

From March 1998 to September 2001, 64 children and from October 2001 to December 2004, 66 children < or = 15 years with brucellosis in Babol, Iran, were treated with cotrimoxazole and rifampin for 6 or 8 weeks, respectively. Cure rate for 6 weeks was 89.1% and for 8 weeks it was 95.5%. Six weeks of therapy with cotrimoxazole plus rifampin is sufficient for treatment of childhood brucellosis.     

Dietary isoflavones,the modulator of breast carcinogenesis:Current landscape and future perspectives

Breast cancer is a frightful disease and serious concern in women around the world causing significant health care burden in both developed and developing countries. Extensive research work has shown that breast cancer provides strong resistance to chemical agents, U V radiation,and hormonal treatments. It is generally accepted that cell genetics is not the only main reason for breast cancer and genetic risk factors, for example, mutations in RRCAI and BRCA2 genes constitute 5%-10% of all breast cancer rates. Other related factors include age, gender,race, ethnicity, weight, reproductive factors, exo-and endogenous hormonal exposures, oral contraceptives use, ultraviolet radiation, diet, and night work(circadian disruption). Many studies have revealed that dietary isoflavones regulate breast cancer occurrence, recurrence and prognosis. Dietary isoflavones have long been part of Asian population diet and there is a significant increase as compared to dietary isoflavones intake among other populations. Dietary isoflavones are natural phytoestrogens having both estrogenic and anti-estrogenic potentials on breast cancer cells in culture, animal models and in experimental trials. This literature survey provides a comprehensive overview on the tumor preventive and tumor promoting potentials of dietary isoflavones on breast cancer. In addition, this paper provides a literature review of dietary isoflavones and their effects on up-regulation and down-regulation of different signaling pathways, genes and proteins. Finally, future perspectives of dietary isoflavones and breast cancer researchers are also critically discussed, which will provide a deeper insight regarding the inner molecular mechanisms of action.     

Somatosensory evoked potentials after decompressive craniectomy for traumatic brain injury

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are used for neuroprognosis after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). However decompressive craniectomy (DC), involving removal of a portion of the skull to alleviate elevated intracranial pressure, is associated with an increase in SSEP amplitude. Accordingly, SSEPs are not available for neuroprognosis over the hemisphere with DC. We aim to determine the degree to which SSEP amplitudes are increased in the absence of cranial bone. This will serve as a precursor for translation to clinically prognostic ranges. Intra-operative SSEPs were performed before and after bone flap replacement in 22 patients with severe TBI. SSEP measurements were also performed in a comparison non-traumatic group undergoing craniotomy for tumor resection. N20/P25 amplitudes and central conduction time were measured with the bone flap in (BI) and out (BO). Linear regressions, adjusting for skull thickness and study arm, were performed to evaluate the contribution of bone presence to SSEP amplitudes. Latencies were not different between BO or BI trials in either group. Mean N20/P25 amplitudes recorded with BO were statistically different (p?=?0.0001) from BI in both cohorts, showing an approximate doubling in BO amplitudes. For contralateral–ipsilateral montages r² was 0.28 and for frontal pole montages r² was 0.62. Cortical SSEP amplitudes are influenced by the presence of cortical bone as is particularly evident in frontal pole montages. Larger, longitudinal trials to assess feasibility of neuroprognosis over the hemisphere with DC in severe TBI patients are warranted.     

Reliable and cost-effective serodiagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis

Early diagnosis of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) optimises therapeutic benefit and the probability of achieving disease remission. Notwithstanding clinical acumen, early diagnosis is dependent on access to reliable serodiagnostic procedures, as well as on the discerning application and interpretation of these. In the case of RA, however, no disease-specific serodiagnostic procedure is available due to the multi-factorial and polygenic nature of this autoimmune disorder. This has resulted in the development of an array of serodiagnostic procedures based on the detection of autoantibodies reactive with various putative autoantigens. Other procedures based on measurement of elevations in the concentrations of systemic biomarkers of inflammation, most commonly acute phase reactants and cytokines/chemokines, are used as objective indices of disease activity. Following a brief overview of RA research in African populations, the current review is focused on those autoantibodies/biomarkers, specifically rheumatoid factor, anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies and C-reactive protein, which are currently recognised as being the most reliable and cost-effective with respect to disease prediction and diagnosis, as well as in monitoring activity and outcome.