Drinking water hardness and chronic degenerative diseases. III. Tumors,urolithiasis, fetal malformations,deterioration of the cognitive function in the aged and atopic eczema

For several decades a causal relation has been hypothesised between drinking water hardness and cardiovascular and other chronic degenerative diseases in humans. Only recently some epidemiological studies also investigated the association between the concentration of the minerals responsible for the hardness of drinking water (calcium and magnesium) and other chronic diseases. Some case-control studies carried out in Taiwan using aggregated data showed a possible protective effect of water hardness toward the risk of dying from various neoplasms, though more research is needed on the issue, possibly based on individual data, to draw definitive conclusions. There is a substantial evidence that consumption of water with high levels of calcium does not increase, and maybe reduces the risk of developing urinary stones of the most common type in developed countries (calcium oxalate), on the contrary, there is no conclusive evidence on the relation between water hardness and foetal malformations, cognitive functions in old men, diabetes and eczema.     

Effect of lesion of the nucleus basalis of rat on acetylcholine release in cerebral cortex: time course of compensatory events

Excitotoxin lesion of the nucleus basalis of the rat causes a substantial reduction in the K+-evoked release of [3H]acetylcholine (ACh) from tissue slices of ipsilateral frontal and parietal cortex. Decreases in the K+-evoked release of [3H]ACh (nCi/mg protein) of 71% and 47% are seen 21 days after lesion in the frontal and parietal cortex respectively. However, in later periods a considerable reversal of this deficit occurred which was complete in parietal cortex at 102 days, when the K+-evoked release of [3H]ACh was not significantly different from the controls. In the frontal cortex where a greater decrease in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is obtained, a similar but attenuated reversal occurred, the K+-evoked release of [3H]ACh reaching 75% of the control value at 128 days after lesion. The compensatory changes in [3H]ACh release were paralleled by changes in AChE in both regions. Despite the reduced level of release following lesion, the K+-evoked release of [3H]ACh was responsive to the inhibitory effect of the cholinergic agonist, oxotremorine. Lesions outside the nucleus basalis produced no changes in the release of [3H]ACh from frontal or parietal cortex. All lesions were verified histologically. The compensatory changes reported are discussed in terms of the growth of 'sprouts' from the spared cholinergic axons. This study clearly demonstrates that compensatory changes in complex systems such as transmitter release which markedly affect cholinergic function do occur in response to lesion in common with other presynaptic parameters.     

Enhancing Carbon Sequestration Potential,Productivity and Sustainability of Mustard Under Conservation Agriculture in Semi-arid Regions of India

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - Maintaining and building up of soil organic carbon (SOC) is very critical for sustaining soil health and crop...     

Symptomatic and asymptomatic Cryptosporidium infections in children in a semi-urban slum community in southern India

Cryptosporidium is a leading cause of childhood diarrhea in developing countries. We investigated symptomatic and asymptomatic cryptosporidiosis in 20 children less than two years of age in a semi-urban slum in southern India. All surveillance (conducted every two weeks) and diarrheal samples from 20 children (n = 1,036) with cryptosporidial diarrhea previously identified by stool microscopy were tested by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism for species and subgenotype determination. Thirty-five episodes of cryptosporidiosis were identified in 20 children, of which 25 were diarrheal. Fifteen episodes were associated with prolonged oocyst shedding. Multiple episodes of cryptosporidiosis occurred in 40% of the children. Most infections were with C. hominis, subtype Ia. Children with multiple infections had significantly lower weight-for-age and height-for-age Z scores at 24 months but had scores comparable with children with a single episode by 36 months. Multiple symptomatic Cryptosporidium infections associated with prolonged oocyst shedding occur frequently in this disease-endemic area and may contribute to the long-term effects of cryptosporidiosis on physical growth in these children.     

The age at menopause in the women of Himachal Pradesh, and the factors affecting the menopause

Results of a study on age at menopause in India and the factors affecting it are presented. Data concern 500 post-menopausal women forming a representative sample of the population of Himachal Pradesh. The mean age at menopause was 43.55 years. Rural or urban residence and parity had no discernible effect on age at menopause. However, women of higher socioeconomic status and those living at lower altitudes had later onset of menopause.     

Cardiac Failure — Office Management in Family Practice

In the outline presented for the office management of early cardiac failure, it is possible to suspect cardiac failure by careful history taking and physical examination coupled with the appropriate laboratory investigation; therapy may be instituted in an office setting, and the patient may be monitored at the office level by a family physician, or indeed, by a carefully trained nurse.     

Neuroanatomical Correlates of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Presymptomatic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Granulin</Emphasis> Mutation Carriers

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is characterized by behavioural and language impairment, accompanied by atrophic changes in fronto-temporo-insular cortices. In the presymptomatic phases of genetic FTD, subtle or no volumetric changes have been reported. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) represents an approach to explore cortical connectivity, and some TMS measures have been demonstrated to be impaired in Granulin (GRN) mutation carriers. We aimed at exploring cross-sectional changes in cortical thickness (CT) and surface area (SA) in the presymptomatic phases of GRN-related FTD, and their relationship with TMS parameters. Nineteen presymptomatic GRN mutation carriers and seventeen age and sex-matched non-carriers underwent 3T MRI scanning and a paired-pulse TMS protocol. The surface-based pipeline of FreeSurfer was applied in order to obtain cortical volumes (CVs), CT and SA measures. Then, between groups differences and correlation with TMS parameters were assessed. GRN carriers showed increased CT and decreased SA of the right parietal lobe, without significant volume changes. TMS parameters of intracortical inhibition and facilitation, which were significantly impaired in presymptomatic GRN mutation carriers, correlated with reduced SA and CV of the right insula. Our results suggest that splitting CV into its two main components could improve the sensitivity when exploring structural brain changes in presymptomatic or early phases of neurodegenerative conditions. TMS parameters might reflect damage within cortical regions reported to be affected early in the conversion to the symptomatic phase of the disease.