Cytogenetic study of non-Hodgkin lymphoma from South India. histologic and geographic correlations

Cytogenetic analysis of fine needle aspiration cultures was performed on 189 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma from South India. Successful karyotyping was possible in 97 patients (51.3%). Burkitt lymphoma constituted 56% of the cases studied followed by diffuse type 20%, follicular 8.8%, lymphoblastic 6.6%, and unclassified 6.6%. Characteristic chromosomal translocations were t(8;14)(q24;q32) [32.2%], t(8;22)(q24;q11) [10%], t(2;8)(p12;q24) [2.2%], t(14;18)(q34;q21) [3.3%], and t(11;14)(q23;q32) [2.2%]. Notable geographical variation of some structural abnormalities was the finding in the present study such as, lower frequency of t(14;18) in follicular lymphomas and higher frequency of t(8;14) in Burkitt lymphomas when compared with the Western studies.     

Regional variation in the levels of macular xanthophylls and carotenoids in dietary components: comparing North and South India

Multiple epidemiological studies have emphasized the intake of dark green leafy vegetables rich in xanthophylls in reducing the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Therefore, the present study was undertaken to quantify the levels of major carotenoids in commonly consumed fruits and vegetables of Indian origin and of xanthophylls in the macula of Indian human donor eyes. Fresh fruits (n=20) and vegetables (n=51) collected from two zones of India were tested for the estimation of xanthophyll, lycopene and β-carotene by using HPLC with Photodiode Array Detection. Lutein and zeaxanthin were quantified from macula and in selected vegetables collected from both southern (SI) and northern (NI) regions of India. Xanthophylls, β-carotene and lycopene were found in many affordable vegetables commonly available for consumption in India. Higher content of lutein and zeaxanthin was confirmed in many economical leafy vegetables and fruits. Surprisingly, the mean macular levels of lutein and zeaxanthin of SI donor eyes (n=13) were found to be significantly (p<0.001) four times less than in NI donor eyes (n=15) and the macular levels of Northern India were comparable with reported levels in western populations. The present study showed considerable levels of xanthophylls in many of the commonly consumed fruit and vegetable sources in both parts of India. However, SI donor eyes showed lower levels as compared to NI donors and this warrants further investigation about the bioavailability of xanthophylls in their blood and food intake. The relevance of these findings with prevalence of AMD in South India needs to be explored.     

The Doctor Versus the Internet: Effects of Low-, Medium-, and High-Quality Websites on Intentions to Follow the Doctor’s Advice

How do patients respond when advice on health websites differs from advice given by a doctor? To test effects of advice concordance, 418 participants 25–80 years old were randomly assigned to read real websites that varied in quality of information about diabetes: high (medically accurate and complete), medium (accurate but incomplete), and low (inaccurate). The control group read travel sites. Participants then watched a video of a physician making treatment recommendations for a diabetic patient, and indicated how they would respond if they were the patient. There was no direct effect of condition on ratings of doctor credibility or intentions to adhere to the treatment plan, but there was an indirect effect: Those who read high-quality websites gave higher ratings of doctor–website concordance, which predicted greater confidence in the doctor’s recommendations, which in turn predicted greater intention to comply.     

Enhanced Skin Permeation of Naltrexone by Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields in Human Skin In Vitro

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the skin permeation of naltrexone (NTX) under the influence of a pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF). The permeation of NTX across human epidermis and a silicone membrane in vitro was monitored during and after application of the PEMF and compared to passive application. Enhancement ratios of NTX human epidermis permeation by PEMF over passive diffusion, calculated based on the AUC of cumulative NTX permeation to the receptor compartment verses time for 0–4 h, 4–8 h, and over the entire experiment (0–8 h) were 6.52, 5.25, and 5.66, respectively. Observation of the curve indicated an initial enhancement of NTX permeation compared to passive delivery whilst the PEMF was active (0–4 h). This was followed by a secondary phase after termination of PEMF energy (4–8 h) in which there was a steady increase in NTX permeation. No significant enhancement of NTX penetration across silicone membrane occurred with PEMF application in comparison to passively applied NTX. In a preliminary experiment PEMF enhanced the penetration of 10 nm gold nanoparticles through the stratum corneum as visualized by multiphoton microscopy. This suggests that the channels through which the nanoparticles move must be larger than the 10 nm diameter of these rigid particles.     

Release modulating hydrophilic matrix systems of losartan potassium: optimization of formulation using statistical experimental design.

The aim of the present research work was to systemically device a model of factors that would yield an optimized sustained release dosage form of an anti-hypertensive agent, losartan potassium, using response surface methodology by employing a 3-factor, 3-level Box-Behnken statistical design. Independent variables studied were the amount of the release retardant polymers - HPMC K15M (X(1)), HPMC K100M (X(2)) and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (X(3)). The dependent variables were the burst release in 15 min (Y(1)), cumulative percentage release of drug after 60 min (Y(2)) and hardness (Y(3)) of the tablets with constraints on the Y(2)=31-35%. Statistical validity of the polynomials was established. In vitro release and swelling studies were carried out for the optimized formulation and the data were fitted to kinetic equations. The polynomial mathematical relationship obtained Y(2)=32.91-2.30X(1)-5.69X(2)-0.97X(3)-0.41X(1)X(2)+0.21X(1)X(3)-0.92X(1)(2)-1.89X(2)(2) (r(2)=0.9944) explained the main and quadratic effects, and the interactions of factors influencing the drug release from matrix tablets. The adjusted (0.9842) and predicted values (0.9893) of r(2) for Y(2) were in close agreement. Validation of the optimization study indicated high degree of prognostic ability of response surface methodology. Tablets showed an initial burst release preceding a more gradual sustained release phase following a non-fickian diffusion process. The Box-Behnken experimental design facilitated the formulation and optimization of sustained release hydrophilic matrix systems of losartan potassium.     

Tinospora cordifolia attenuates oxidative stress and distorted carbohydrate metabolism in experimentally induced type 2 diabetes in rats

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder affecting a vast number of people worldwide. Oxidative stress is the causative agent amplifying diabetic complications in various organs by generating noxious amount of free radicals. A huge interest always exists in exploring nutraceuticals from plant materials to replace synthetic drugs in order to overcome their adverse effects and also for economic reasons. The anti-diabetic efficiency of a medicinal plant, Tinospora cordifolia (TC) was studied in experimentally induced type 2 diabetes in Sprague-Dawley rats. Diabetes was induced by a combination of high fat diet (HFD) for a period of 10 weeks followed by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 35 mg/kg of body weight). Oral treatment of TC (100 and 200 mg/kg body weight) for 14 days regulated blood glucose, provoked insulin secretion and also suppressed oxidative stress marker, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), formation and restored cellular defence anti-oxidant markers including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione (GSH), in liver. Treatment with TC (100 and 200 mg/kg) also inhibited glucose 6-phosphatase and fructose 1,6-diphosphatase (p < 0.001); and restored glycogen content in liver (p < 0.005), which was also studied by histopathological staining with periodic acid-Schiff stain. In conclusion, the traditional plant Tinospora cordifolia mediates its anti-diabetic potential through mitigating oxidative stress, promoting insulin secretion and also by inhibiting gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis, thereby regulating blood glucose.     

Cell wall constrains lateral diffusion of plant plasma-membrane proteins

A cell membrane can be considered a liquid-phase plane in which lipids and proteins theoretically are free to diffuse. Numerous reports, however, describe retarded diffusion of membrane proteins in animal cells. This anomalous diffusion results from a combination of structuring factors including protein-protein interactions, cytoskeleton corralling, and lipid organization into microdomains. In plant cells, plasma-membrane (PM) proteins have been described as relatively immobile, but the control mechanisms that structure the PM have not been studied. Here, we use fluorescence recovery after photobleaching to estimate mobility of a set of minimal PM proteins. These proteins consist only of a PM-anchoring domain fused to a fluorescent protein, but their mobilities remained limited, as is the case for many full-length proteins. Neither the cytoskeleton nor membrane microdomain structure was involved in constraining the diffusion of these proteins. The cell wall, however, was shown to have a crucial role in immobilizing PM proteins. In addition, by single-molecule fluorescence imaging we confirmed that the pattern of cellulose deposition in the cell wall affects the trajectory and speed of PM protein diffusion. Regulation of PM protein dynamics by the plant cell wall can be interpreted as a mechanism for regulating protein interactions in processes such as trafficking and signal transduction.     

Systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis with macrophage activation syndrome misdiagnosed as Kawasaki disease: case report and literature review

Patients with systemic onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SoJIA) are rarely known to develop coronary artery dilatation. The American heart association (AHA) statement on evaluation of suspected Kawasaki disease (KD) would lead some SoJIA patients (particularly in the early stages of the disease) to be inaccurately classified as KD. In addition to the institution of inappropriate therapy with IVIG, misdiagnosis as KD can delay definitive treatment for these SoJIA patients who probably have a worse predicted outcome. We present a 6-year-old male patient with SoJIA who was initially classified as incomplete KD. The child developed life-threatening macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). Previous literature regarding coronary dilatation in SoJIA is also reviewed.