Flunarizine in Migraine Prophylaxis: An Indian Trial

Flunarizine, a calcium channel blocker is considered useful in migraine prophylaxis. We report the first Indian trial with this drug. Fifteen patients with migraine were studied in a 6 months double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial. Flunarizine was superior to placebo in reducing the severity and duration of the individual attacks though there was no statistically significant effect on frequency of migraine attacks. The side effects most frequently caused by flunarizine were weight gain and daytime sleepiness.     

The use of the hairless guinea pig in tattoo research.

The study and optimization of tattoo removal continues to be of importance in the dermatology community. Robust animal models whose skin is physiologically similar to humans and who are easily handled are desirable. To this end, we report on our experience with the hairless guinea pig as a model for tattoo research. This research was conducted as part of a larger study toward increased efficacy of laser tattoo removal. Here we report on procedures for both placement and aftercare of tattoos which result in superior tattoo quality and retention.     

Carrier-directed anti-hapten responses by b-cell subsets

The capacity of the trinitrophenyl (TNP) haptenic group, coupled to a series of chemically dissimilar carriers, to cross-stimulate putative T- dependent and T-independent murine B-cell subpepulations was determined by using an in vitro limiting dilution technique to generate primary IgM responses. It was found that TNP-Ficoll and TNP-dextran, two T- independent antigens with little or no polyclonal mitogenicity, stimulate the same population of anti-TNP precursors, which is distinct from the precursor population activated by TNP-bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a T-independent polyclonal mitogen, or TNP-horse erythrocytes (HRBC), a T-dependent antigen. On the other hand, TNP-LPS and TNP-HRBC activate the same precursor population, indicating that LPS can substitute for the T- cell signal in T-dependent B-cell responses, whereas nonmitogenic T- independent antigens cannot. However, the cumulative evidence from this and other laboratories strongly indicates that LPS and T-dependent antigens activate B cells by different mechanisms. Of particular interest, LPS is incapable of activating B cells responsive to weakly- or nonmitogenic T-independent antigens. Based on clonal burst size, T-dependent antigens are capable of inducing greater antigen-specific B-cell proliferation than T-independent antigens. However, TNP conjugates of Ficoll and dextran, which are relatively poor inducers of polyclonal B-cell activation, induced larger anti-TNP clones than did TNP-LPS, a strong polyclonal mitogen. The findings reinforce the evidence favoring existence of multiple B- cell subpopulations with distinctive activation pathways. They also strengthen the proposition that a given B-cell subset can be activated by more than one mechanism.     

血管内皮细胞生长因子受体KDR基因靶向RNA干扰质粒的构建

目的:应用RNA干扰技术设计构建针对血管内皮细胞生长因子受体KDR的小干扰RNA,并观察脂质体转染肺癌细胞A549后的干扰效果。方法:实验于2005-03/2006-01在沈阳医学院生物化学及分子生物学教研室完成。①设计针对KDR编码区有短发夹结构的3条mRNA序列,经退火成互补双链,克隆到pGCsi.H1/neo/GFP载体中构建3个重组质粒,分别命名为KDR-siRNA1、KDR-siRNA2和KDR-siRNA3。②设立5组:小干扰RNA组,分别转染KDR-siRNA1、KDR-siRNA2和KDR-siRNA3;阳性对照组,转染pGCsi.H1/neo/siGFP,该质粒载体中的插入序列为针对绿色荧光蛋白的小干扰RNA,不干扰待研究的内源性基因;阴性对照组,转染pGCsi.H1/neo/GFP/NON,该载体为不干扰任何内源性基因的小干扰RNA;空白对照组,转染pGCsi.H1/neo/GFP空载体;正常对照组,不进行任何转染。③对重组质粒进行酶切鉴定、DNA测序分析;脂质体法转染质粒至肺癌A549细胞株后,实时定量PCR检测KDRmRNA的水平变化;细胞计数法绘制细胞生长曲线。结果:①小干扰RNA表达载体的鉴定:KDR-siRNA1、KDR-siRNA2和KDR-siRNA3表达载体用限制性内切酶NdeⅠ和SmaⅠ进行单酶切后,均产生约713bp、5480bp和2403bp、3790bp两个片段,与预期结果相同。测序结果与设计的编码相应短发夹状KDR-小干扰RNA的寡核苷酸序列一致,证明KDR-小干扰RNA真核表达载体构建成功。②KDR-小干扰RNA对A549细胞中KDRmRNA水平的影响:与阳性对照组、阴性对照组、空白对照组和正常对照组的A549细胞相比,KDR-siRNA1,2,3表达载体转染后的A549细胞KDR基因表达水平均明显受到抑制,抑制率分别为64%、81%和72%,其中以KDR-siRNA2抑制作用最为明显。③KDR-小干扰RNA对A549细胞生长的影响:阳性对照组、阴性对照组、空白对照组、正常对照组的A549细胞生长趋势较为一致,且生长速度均明显高于转染3种KDR-小干扰RNA表达载体的A549细胞,从接种第2天开始差异有显著性意义(t=15.29～17.65,P均<0.01)。结论:血管内皮细胞生长因子受体KDR靶向RNA干扰重组质粒构建成功,该载体能有效抑制肺癌A549细胞KDR基因表达与细胞增殖。     

Ultrastructural and molecular characterization of Sarcocystis isolated from camel (Camelus dromedarius) in Iran

Sarcocystis cameli was first described in one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius), and it is the only species which have so far reported in camels. Although more than 150 species of Sarcocystis were described in various animals, only a few data on camel Sarcocystis ultrastructure were published, and this report is the first for molecular information (DNA sequence and RLFP digestion pattern). The main objective of the present work is to characterize Sarcocystis isolated from camels by electron microscopy and PCR-RFLP methods. Muscle samples were taken from the fresh esophagus, diaphragm, skeletal muscles, and heart of one-humped camels (C. dromedarius) slaughtered in abattoirs of Tehran and Ghazvin provinces, Iran. The dissection and trypsin digestion techniques were applied for the detection of the cysts. The infected samples were fixed in glutaraldehyde and/or frozen at −20°C until use for ultrastructural and molecular studies, respectively. The ultrastructural and molecular studies were carried out contemporaneously. The 18S rRNA gene of the parasites was amplified by PCR. The PCR products were cloned into a pTZ57R/T and sequenced. In addition, the PCR products were digested separately with each of the four restriction enzymes for RFLP. Our results indicated that only microcysts were observed in muscle samples. The microcysts were white, elongated, spindled, and a few spiral-shaped, with mean size 260 × 75 μm which are identical with S. cameli. The ultrastructure of microcyst wall had many non-branched finger-like protrusions irregularly folded. There was a 600-bp specific band amplified after PCR with specific primers. The molecular data for camel Sarcocystis is reported for the first time in Iran and the world.     

High Take-off of Right Coronary Artery: An Extremely Rare Case of RCA Anomaly

Abstract   A 45-year-old man with a past history of aortic valve insufficiency presented with recently increasing chest discomfort. Coronary angiography revealed significant stenosis at the mid-portion of the left anterior descending artery and origin of the first obtuse marginal branch. The right coronary artery (RCA) was faintly seen to be free from significant stenosis. (Selective RCA angiography had not been possible.) At surgery while dissecting between the ascending aorta and the main pulmonary artery, the RCA ostium was incidentally found to be located approximately 10 cm above the aortic annulus and 5 cm above the sinotubular junction, between the medial curve of the ascending aorta and the main pulmonary artery. After coronary artery bypass grafts, we repaired the aortic valve and the RCA remained intact.     

Lamotrigine and twin pregnancy,incidental event or possible correlation?

Lamotrigine is frequently used to manage epilepsy during pregnancy. However, some major and minor birth defects are reported with lamotrigine monotherapy. This study is a case series report on 20 epileptic women who were receiving lamotrigine in their pregnancy. Apart from the normal pregnancies and births, in our study three patients gave birth to healthy twins, two vanished twin syndromes occurred and one patient had abortion. Twin pregnancy in association with lamotrigine therapy has not been clearly described before. Our observational study raises the idea that lamotrigine may induce twin pregnancy but larger studies need to investigate the presence or absence of such association more decently.