Effects of the advent of disease on smoking habit

A study was undertaken to determine the effect of the development or disease on patients' smoking habits. Interviews with 841 subjects (591 smokers) were conducted following a standard protocol. Of the 841 subjects, 96 (61 smokers) had hydroceles or hernias and were considered a control group; the remainder had neoplastic diseases, respiratory disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, psychiatric illnesses, peripheral vascular diseases, and gastrointestinal and liver disorders. Patients with cardiovascular, pulmonary, and neoplastic diseases, diabetes, gastrointestinal diseases, and cirrhosis of the liver significantly reduced or stopped smoking because of medical advice (19%), socioeconomic factors (8%), or aggravation of disease (24%). The advent of disease was associated with an increase in smoking in several patients (including 2 with bronchial asthma and 12 with peripheral vascular disease) because of the apparent belief that smoking is beneficial in overcoming the disease or in controlling pain. Additional long-term studies are needed to explore the relationship between disease and smoking habits.     

Dietary lignins are precursors of mammalian lignans in rats

The mammalian lignans enterolactone (ENL) and enterodiol, commonly found in human plasma and urine, are phytoestrogens that may contribute to the prevention of breast cancer and coronary heart disease. They are formed by the conversion of dietary precursors such as secoisolariciresinol and matairesinol lignans by the colonic microflora. The identification of lignins, cell-wall polymers structurally related to lignans, as precursors of mammalian lignans is reported here for the first time. In study 1, rats were fed rye or wheat bran (15% diet) for 5 d. Untreated brans and brans extracted with solvents to remove lignans were compared. ENL was estimated in urine samples collected for 24 h by time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay. ENL urinary excretion was reduced from 18.6 to 5.3 nmol/d (n=8; P<0.001) when lignans were removed from rye bran and from 30.5 to 6.2 nmol/d (P<0.001) when they were removed from wheat bran. These results suggest that lignins, embedded in the cell wall and retained in the bran during solvent extraction, account for 26-32% of the ENL formed from cereal brans. In study 2, rats were fed a deuterated synthetic lignin (0.2% diet) together with wheat bran (15%) for 3 d. The detection of deuterated ENL by LC-tandem MS in urine (20 nmol/d) clearly confirms the conversion of lignin into mammalian lignans. More research is warranted to determine the bioavailability of lignins in the human diet.     

Frequent downregulation of 14-3-3 sigma protein and hypermethylation of 14-3-3 sigma gene in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma

14-3-3 sigma:, a target gene of the p53 tumour suppressor protein, has been shown to regulate the cell cycle at the G2/M checkpoint. Recent studies have demonstrated that 14-3-3 sigma is downregulated by hypermethylation of the CpG island in several types of cancer. In this study, we investigated the expression and methylation status of 14-3-3 sigma in human salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC). Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the positive expression rate of 14-3-3 sigma in ACC (one out of 14) was markedly lower than that in MEC (ten out of 10). Since most of the ACCs carried the wild-type p53 protein, downregulation of 14-3-3 sigma in ACC may not be due to the dysfunction of p53 pathway. Microdissection-methylation-specific PCR revealed that frequent hypermethylation of the 14-3-3 sigma gene was observed in ACC when compared to that in MEC. In cultured-ACC cells, we confirmed the downregulation of 14-3-3 sigma via hemimethylation of the gene by sequencing analysis after sodium bisulphite treatment. Furthermore, re-expression of 14-3-3 sigma in the ACC cells was induced by the treatment with DNA demethylating agent, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Irradiation apparently induced the enhanced expression of 14-3-3 sigma and G2/M arrest in normal salivary gland cells; however, in the ACC cells, neither induction of 14-3-3 sigma nor G2/M arrest was induced by irradiation. These results suggest that downregulation of 14-3-3 sigma might play critical roles in the neoplastic development and radiosensitivity of ACC.     

Carbofuran insecticide induced biochemical alterations in liver and muscle tissues of the fish Clarias batrachus (linn) and recovery response

The effect of carbofuran insecticide on certain metabolites and enzymes of protein and carbohydrate metabolism was evaluated in liver and muscle tissues of the freshwater fish, Clarias batrachus during exposure and following cessation of exposure. Thirty-six fish were exposed to 7.66mg of carbofuran/l for 6 days. After 6 days, 18 fish were transferred into carbofuran-free water for 6 days (recovery period) in order to study the recovery response. Eighteen fish were kept in clean water as controls. Liver and muscle tissues were isolated from exposed, recovery and control fish at the end of 1, 3 and 6 days in each condition, and used for the estimation of protein, amino acids, ammonia, glycogen, aminotransaminases, glycogen phosphorylase (a and ab) and glutamate dehydrogenase. Total protein showed a delayed decrease in liver and muscle tissues but recovered by the end of the recovery period. Free amino acid content was affected little in liver, but was elevated in muscle, and ammonia levels were elevated in both tissues throughout the exposure period, and ammonia levels in liver remained elevated during recovery. Glycogen content of liver declined substantially, and rebounded after transfer of fish into clean water. The activity levels of alanine aminotransaminase, aspartate aminotransaminase, glutamate dehydrogenase and glycogen phosphorylase a were found to increase in both tissues during the exposure period. The glycogen phosphorylase ab activity in liver was suppressed on exposure to carbofuran. The enzymes exhibited different recovery pattern in liver and muscle tissues of C. batrachus. The patterns of effect of carbofuran on intermediary metabolism suggest avenues to determine the mechanisms by which such effects occur.     

Prevalence of endometriosis in malignant epithelial ovary tumours

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of ovarian endometriosis in malignant epithelial ovarian tumours. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of 160 malignant and 23 borderline ovarian tumours during the period 1995-2001. RESULTS: Fourteen (7.7%) of the tumours contained endometriosis. This affected 22% of the endometrioid and 10.8% of the mixed adenocarcinomas. The mean age of the ovarian endometriosis patients was 43+/-13 range 26-70 years. The incidence in borderline tumours 13% (3/23) was higher than that in ovarian cancer 6.9% (11/160) (P>0.05). Eight (57%) of cases were classified as atypical and six (43%) as typical endometriosis. Nine cases were FIGO (International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics) stage I and 5 stage III. CONCLUSIONS: Both malignant and borderline ovarian tumours are associated with ovarian endometriosis. In addition, atypical endometriosis was found associated with endometrioid and mixed epithelial ovarian tumours.     

Zinc in CSF of patients with febrile convulsion

OBJECTIVE: This prospective study was carried out from July-December 1999 to see the status of zinc in CSF of children with febrile convulsion and to compare this to that of control. METHODS: Forty-two cases of febrile convulsion and 30 controls (fever without convulsion) were enrolled into the study. CSF zinc was estimated by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) in Atomic Energy Center, Dhaka and compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The mean zinc level in CSF in the study sample was 40.19mgm/L and that in control was 74.98mgm/L. This difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The study concludes that a significantly lower of zinc exists in CSF of children with febrile. However no relationship was found between CSF zinc status with age, sex, degree & duration of fever and time of lumbar puncture after convulsion.     

Microstructural dependence on relevant physical-mechanical properties on SiO2-Na2O-CaO-P2O5 biological glasses

Bioactive glasses of the system SiO2-Na2O-CaO-P2O5 have been prepared by the normal melting and annealing technique. The elastic moduli, attenuation, Vickers hardness, fracture toughness and fracture surface energy have been obtained using the known method at room temperature. The temperature dependence of elastic moduli and attenuation measurements have been extended over a wide range of temperature from 150 to 500 K. The SiO2 content dependence of velocities, attenuation, elastic moduli, and other parameters show an interesting observation at 45 wt% of SiO2 by exhibiting an anomalous behaviour. A linear relation is developed for Tg, which explores the influence of Na2O on SiO2-Na2O-CaO-P2O5 bioactive glasses. The measured hardness, fracture toughness and fracture surface energy show a linear relation with Young's modulus. It is also interesting to note that the observed results are functions of polymerisation and the number of non-bridging oxygens (NBO) prevailing in the network with change in SiO2 content. The temperature dependence of velocities, attenuation and elastic moduli show the existence of softening in the glass network structure as temperature increases.     

First report of Vibrio cholerae infection from Andaman and Nicobar, India

Out of 34 Stool Samples collected during an outbreak of diarrhoea, Vibrio cholerae 01 was isolated from 10 samples contrary to earlier reports that Shigella species was the only cause of diarrhoeal disease in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.     

In vitro antiplasmodial activity of antimalarial medicinal plants used in Vietnamese traditional medicine

Among 42 extracts, prepared from 14 medicinal plants used in Vietnamese traditional medicine to treat malaria, 24 were found to have antiplasmodial activity by inhibiting the growth of the chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strain FCR-3 with EC(50) values less than 10 microg/ml. Each medicinal plant possessed at least one active extract. The methanol extract of Coscinium fenestratum had the strongest antiplasmodial activity with EC(50) value of 0.5 microg/ml. Activity-guided fractionation led to identification of berberine as the major active constituent.