Effect of Russell''s venom on lipid peroxidation in organs of the mouse

The effect of Russell's viper (Vipera russelli) venom (2.0 mg/kg i.p.) was studied on the rate of lipid peroxidation in mouse liver, heart, lung, kidney and regions of the brain. A significant increase in lipid peroxidation in all organs was observed within 1 hr of venom administration except in liver, where the significant changes were observed after 3 hr. The maximum elevations in liver, heart, lung, kidney, cerebral hemisphere and brain stem were observed after 24 hr, in the cerebellum after 12 hr and in whole brain after 6 hr.     

Cranial and epidural mycetoma caused by streptomyces somaliensis

Summary The authors report a rare case of cranial and intracranial mycetoma which presented with occipital sinuses, extensive involvement of skull vault and base, an extradural granuloma and intracranial hypertension. Radiological appearances are reviewed. The computerized tomography findings are the first of their kind for this condition. The diagnosis and treatment of this disease are discussed.     

Prevalence of coronary heart disease in Pakistani patients suffering from maturity onset diabetes mellitus

In a group of 500 ambulant Pakistani patients suffering from diabetes mellitus, electrocardiographic evidence of coronary heart disease was present in 45 (9%). The frequency was higher in the males (12.1%) as compared to females (7.2%). The male diabetics with coronary heart disease had significantly high mean serum cholesterol values as compared to those without it. A positive family history of ischaemic heart disease, and the presence of small vessel disease as well as hypertension were more frequently associated with coronary heart disease. The overall frequency of hypertension was 21.2 per cent in this group of diabetics.     

Comparison of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) versus traditional textbook methods for training in abdominal examination (Japanese experience)

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the effects of computer-assisted, text-based and computer-and-text learning conditions on the performances of 3 groups of medical students in the pre-clinical years of their programme, taking into account their academic achievement to date. A fourth group of students served as a control (no-study) group. METHOD: Participants were recruited from the pre-clinical years of the training programmes in 2 medical schools in Japan, Jichi Medical School near Tokyo and Kochi Medical School near Osaka. Participants were randomly assigned to 4 learning conditions and tested before and after the study on their knowledge of and skill in performing an abdominal examination, in a multiple-choice test and an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), respectively. Information about performance in the programme was collected from school records and students were classified as average, good or excellent. Student and faculty evaluations of their experience in the study were explored by means of a short evaluation survey. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, all 3 study groups exhibited significant gains in performance on knowledge and performance measures. For the knowledge measure, the gains of the computer-assisted and computer-assisted plus text-based learning groups were significantly greater than the gains of the text-based learning group. The performances of the 3 groups did not differ on the OSCE measure. Analyses of gains by performance level revealed that high achieving students' learning was independent of study method. Lower achieving students performed better after using computer-based learning methods. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that computer-assisted learning methods will be of greater help to students who do not find the traditional methods effective. Explorations of the factors behind this are a matter for future research.     

Lupeol modulates NF-kappaB and PI3K/Akt pathways and inhibits skin cancer in CD-1 mice

Chemoprevention has become an effective cancer control modality; however, the search for novel agent(s) for the armamentarium of cancer chemoprevention continues. We argue that agents capable for inhibition of promotion stage of tumorigenesis with the ability to intervene at several critical pathways in the tumorigenesis process will have greater advantage over other single-target agents. Lupeol, a triterpene, is the principal constituent of common fruit plants such as olive, mango, fig and medicinal herbs that have been used to treat skin aliments. Lupeol has been reported to possess a wide range of medicinal properties that include strong antioxidant, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic effects. In the present study, we show that Lupeol possesses antitumor-promoting effects in a mouse skin tumorigenesis model. We first determined the effect of topical application of Lupeol to CD-1 mouse against 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced conventional markers and other novel markers of skin tumor promotion. We found that topical application of Lupeol (1-2 mg/mouse) 30 min prior to TPA (3.2 nmol/mouse) application onto the skin of CD-1 mice afforded significant inhibition, in a time- and dose-dependent manner, against TPA-mediated increase in (i) skin edema and hyperplasia, (ii) epidermal ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity, and (iii) protein expression of ODC, cyclo-oxygenase-2 and nitric oxide synthase. As of the role of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) and phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling in tumor promotion, we next determined the effect of topical application of Lupeol to mouse skin against these signaling pathways. We found that Lupeol treatment to mouse skin resulted in the inhibition of TPA-induced (i) activation of PI3K, (ii) phosphorylation of Akt at Thr(308), (iii) activation of NF-kappaB and IKKalpha, and (iv) degradation and phosphorylation of IkappaBalpha. The animals pretreated with Lupeol showed significantly reduced tumor incidence, lower tumor body burden and a significant delay in the latency period for tumor appearance. At the termination of the experiment at 28 weeks, 100% of the animals in TPA-treated group exhibited seven to eight tumors/mouse, whereas only 53% of the mice receiving Lupeol prior to TPA treatment exhibited one to three tumors/mouse. These results for the first time provide evidence that Lupeol possesses antiskin tumor-promoting effects in CD-1 mouse and inhibits conventional as well as novel biomarkers of tumor promotion. We suggest that Lupeol is an attractive antitumor-promoting agent that must be evaluated in tumor models other than skin carcinogenesis.     

Ticlopidine-associated thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is a rare complication of ticlopidine treatment. This syndrome has been reported to occur typically within the first few weeks after the initiation of therapy. The authors describe a case of a 72-year-old woman in whom thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura developed just 2 days after starting ticlopidine therapy for a new-onset ischemic stroke. The patient responded successfully to plasmapheresis. The authors are reporting this case to emphasize the unpredictable nature of the association between the drug and the disease, which necessitates careful hematologic monitoring.     

The impact of irradiation on growth hormone responsiveness to provocative agents is stimulus dependent: results in 161 individuals with radiation damage to the somatotropic axis

GH provocative tests remain the mainstay for the diagnosis of GH deficiency and at present the insulin tolerance test (ITT) is the gold standard. There are, however, a variety of other stimulation tests used in clinical practice. Each necessitates the use of a specific cut-off derived from normative data, but there remains a widely held view that the implications from a "failed" test are independent of the nature of the stimulus. We sought to examine whether this is the case in individuals with evidence of radiation damage to the somatotropic axis. One hundred and sixty-one nonacromegalic patients were identified who had undergone an arginine stimulation test (AST) and an ITT within a 3-month period as part of routine testing between 1975 and 1999. They were divided into those tested before (n = 81; 48 males) and those tested after (n = 80; 36 males) completion of growth and puberty. Patients were considered for inclusion in the study if they had a history of cranial irradiation and a GH response to one provocative test of less than 8 microg/L, taken as indicating that some damage to the GH axis may have occurred. The patients were compared with 2 control groups. The first comprised 35 adults (18 males) and the second consisted of 16 prepubertal children (10 males). The median peak (range) GH response to the ITT was significantly greater (P < 0.0001) than that to the AST in the adult controls: 24.9 (4.1--76.9) vs. 12.2 (0.88--35.0) microg/L, respectively. However, in the patients the GH responses were similar (P = 0.28): 2.2 (0.2--25.7) vs. 1.4 (0.2--12.8) microg/L to the ITT and AST, respectively. In contrast to the pattern seen in the adult controls, the response to an ITT in childhood controls was of similar magnitude (P = 0.5) to that to the AST: 17.5 (8.1--40.0) vs. 19.4 (7.3--53.8) microg/L, respectively. However in the patients, the GH response to the AST was greater than that to the ITT (P < 0.0001): 4.3 (0.7--17.2) vs. 3.0 (0.4--18.1) microg/L, respectively. In summary, we have shown that the impact of irradiation on GH responsiveness to provocative agents is stimulus dependent. The GH response to an AST appears to be more resistant to the effects of irradiation than that to the ITT. When investigating the impact of irradiation on GH secretory status, the GH response to an AST may be a less sensitive guide to the functional ability of the GH axis.     

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of bisoprolol fumarate and hydrochlorothiazide in a tablet dosage form

A simple and precise high performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of bisoprolol fumarate (BF), and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) in a tablet formulation. Chromatography was carried out at 25 degrees C on a 4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm cyano column with the isocratic mobile phase of 0.1M aqueous phosphate buffer, acetonitrile and tetrahydrofuran (85:10:5, v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. The UV detection was carried out at 225 nm. HCTZ and BF were separated in less than 10 min with good resolution and minimal tailing, without interference of excipients. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines and the acceptance criteria for accuracy, precision, linearity, specificity and system suitability were met in all cases. The method was linear in the range of 50-150 microg/ml for BF and 125-375 microg/ml for HCTZ.     

Synthesis, characterization and in vitro antibacterial activity of new steroidal thiazolo quinoxalines

Herein, we report the synthesis of different steroidal thiazolo quinoxaline derivatives as antibacterial agents against Escherichia coli. Steroidal ketone thiosemicarbazones (4-6) were obtained from corresponding ketones (1-3) by refluxing with thiosemicarbazide. The thiosemicarbazones on reaction with 2,3-dichloroquinoxalines at 80 degrees C gives 3beta-acetoxy-5alpha-cholestan-6-[thiazolo(4,5-b)quinoxaline-2-yl-hydrazone] (7), 3beta-chloro-cholestan-6-[thiazolo(4,5-b)quinoxaline-2-yl-hydrazone] (8), and 5alpha-cholestan-6-[thiazolo(4,5-b)quinoxaline-2-yl-hydrazone] (9). The structures of the compounds were evident by elemental, IR, (1)H NMR and FAB mass spectral analyses. The antibacterial activities of these compounds were evaluated by disk diffusion method against the culture of E. coli and the results were compared with the standard drug amoxicillin. The results reveal that the compounds are better antibacterial agents as compared to amoxicillin. Among all the three compounds (7-9), compound 8 showed better zone of inhibition.