Be aware of disseminated sarcoidosis with diffuse subcutaneous nodules on F-18 FDG PET

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disorder of unknown etiology that typically affects young adults. Definitive diagnosis requires compatible clinical and radiologic manifestations and histopathologic detection of noncaseating granulomas. In recent years, F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) has been proposed to play a role in the diagnosis and management of sarcoidosis. Although disseminated sarcoidosis has been reported in nearly all organs including the skin, subcutaneous sarcoidosis is relatively rare with few reports using F-18 FDG PET. We report a case of disseminated sarcoidosis with diffuse subcutaneous nodules demonstrating avid F-18 FDG uptake on PET.     

Eosinophilic meningitis due to Angiostrongylus cantonensis

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a nematode parasite that inhabits the pulmonary arteries and heart of rodents. It is one of the causative agents of fatal eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in man. We present five cases of eosinophilic meningitis presumably due to infection with Angiostrongylus cantonensis . All the five patients gave history of ingestion of monitor lizard within ten days of onset of symptoms.     

Antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities of Desmodium gangeticum fractions in carrageenan-induced inflamed rats

Flavonoid and alkaloid fractions of Desmodium gangeticum were evaluated for antiinflammatory and antioxidant activities in carrageenan-induced inflamed rats with the aim of studying the promising fraction for inhibitory action on ferrous sulphate induced lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and total reduced glutathione in liver and spleen homogenates of inflamed rats. The results showed that the flavonoid fraction of D. gangeticum possesses potent antioxidant activity compared with the alkaloid fraction and also with respect to the standard drug indomethacin, in terms of augmentation of the liver and spleen SOD, CAT and GPX activities, concomitant with a reduction in lipid peroxidation (TBARS). In addition, the quantification of caffeic and chlorogenic acid in the flavonoid fraction has also been carried out using HPLC, which can be utilized as a marker compound in the standardization.     

Evaluation of the growth inhibitory activities of Triphala against common bacterial isolates from HIV infected patients

The isolation of microbial agents less susceptible to regular antibiotics and the rising trend in the recovery rates of resistant bacteria highlights the need for newer alternative principles. Triphala has been used in traditional medicine practice against certain diseases such as jaundice, fever, cough, eye diseases etc. In the present study phytochemical (phenolic, flavonoid and carotenoid) and antibacterial activities of aqueous and ethanol extracts of Triphala and its individual components (Terminalia chebula, Terminalia belerica and Emblica officinalis) were tested against certain bacterial isolates (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shigella sonnei, S. flexneri, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella paratyphi-B, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Salmonella typhi) obtained from HIV infected patients using Kirby-Bauer's disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) methods. T. chebula was found to possess high phytochemical content followed by T. belerica and E. officinalis in both aqueous and ethanol extracts. Further, most of the bacterial isolates were inhibited by the ethanol and aqueous extracts of T. chebula followed by T. belerica and E. officinalis by both disk diffusion and MIC methods. The present study revealed that both individual and combined aqueous and ethanol extracts of Triphala have antibacterial activity against the bacterial isolates tested.