Unilateral inguinal ectopic scrotum with covered exstrophy

A case of ectopic scrotum located in the right inguinal area and associated with covered exstrophy and ipsilateral renal agenesis is described. Initially, repair of the exstrophy was performed. Scrotal reconstruction was carried out after 1 year, during which time the patient developed an inguinal hernia in the ectopic scrotum. The literature is reviewed and the scrotal reconstruction procedure is discussed.     

Duodenojejunal obstruction by a hemangioma

Gastrointestinal obstruction by hemangiomas is exceedingly rare. We report a case of a duodenojejunal obstruction caused by a large hemangioma. The patient underwent a gastrojejunostomy for relief of the obstruction and has been symptom-free, although the hemangioma persists.     

Functional mapping of protective epitopes within the rotavirus VP6 protein in mice belonging to different haplotypes

We recently used "functional mapping" to locate protective epitopes in the carboxyl terminus (aa 197-397) of the VP6 protein (designated CD) of the EDIM strain of murine rotavirus [J. Virol. 74 (2000) 11574]. For this, H-2(d) BALB/c mice were given two intranasal (i.n.) immunizations (separated by 2 weeks) with VP6 or CD genetically-fused to maltose-binding protein, or with overlapping synthetic CD peptides, along with LT(R192G), a genetically-attenuated E. coli heat-labile toxin. The protective efficacies, i.e., percentage reductions in rotavirus shedding relative to control mice during 7 days following oral challenge with EDIM, were determined 4 weeks after the second immunization. Five of the 11 overlapping CD peptides stimulated significant protection (57-85%, P<0.05). Furthermore, chimeric VP6, the CD fragment, and a 14-amino-acid VP6 peptide within CD (RLSFQLMRPPNMTP), identified as a H-2(d)-restricted CD4 T cell epitope, were highly protective (93-98%, P<0.05). In this study, we continued to utilize functional mapping to show that the 14-mer peptide elicited significant protection (97.0%, P<0.05) in another H-2(d) mouse strain (DBA/2) but partial protection in H-2(b) 129 (39.2%) and C57Bl/6 (53.6%) as well as H-2(k) C3H (44.6%) mice. The first 13 amino acids of this 14-mer were necessary to induce maximal protection in H-2(d) mice. In addition, the H-2(b) 129 mice were immunized intranasally (i.n.) with 10 of the synthetic CD peptides and 5 were found to induce significant protection (90-97%, P<0.05). We also performed functional mapping to identify MHC class I epitopes in rotavirus proteins. A class I-binding epitope for H-2(b) C57Bl/6 mice had previously been mapped by ex vivo CTL assays within the VP6 protein and two additional class I epitopes were identified by computer-based prediction. When examined for their protective efficacies by functional mapping, two of the three were found to be partially but not significantly protective (44 and 46%, P>0.05). To better determine the usefulness of our in vivo methods to identify MHC class I-binding epitopes, four epitopes from the outer capsid VP7 rotavirus protein determined in ex vivo assays were evaluated for their protective efficacies and two were found to be partially protective. Together, these studies show that functional mapping is useful in locating epitopes that are relevant to the development of subunit rotavirus vaccines.     

Sexual dimorphism of incisors: a study of the Jat Sikhs

Upper and lower incisors of 400 Jat Sihks (200 of each sex) have been measured for their length and breadth to assess any possible sexual dimorphism. However, the difference between the two sexes has been observed to be insignificant.     

Possible mechanism of hepatoprotective activity of Azadirachta indica leaf extract: part II

Hepatoprotective activity of Azadirachta indica leaf extract against paracetamol induced hepatic damage in rats has already been reported. In the present investigation effects of Azadirachta indica leaf extract on blood and liver glutathione, Na+K(+)-ATPase activity and thiobarbutiric acid reactive substances against paracetamol induced hepatic damage in rats have been studied with a view to elucidate possible mechanism behind its hepatoprotective action. It was interesting to observe that Azadirachta indica leaf extract has reversal effects on the levels of above mentioned parameters in paracetamol hepatotoxicity. Possible mechanism behind the results are discussed.     

A study on the status of Japanese encephalitis infection in Arunachal Pradesh

Suspected cases of Japanese Encephalitis (J.E.) were recorded in the hospitals of Arunachal Pradesh from 1986 to 1995. 162 cases were diagnosed as J.E. with predominance in male sex and lower age group. Maximum cases were recorded between June to October. 11.3% pig sera showed J.E. antibodies when tested by ELISA test.     

Protective effect of HSV-mediated gene transfer of nerve growth factor in pyridoxine neuropathy demonstrates functional activity of trkA receptors in large sensory neurons of adult animals

The distinct distribution of trkA receptors on small neurons and trkC receptors on large neurons in the dorsal root ganglion correlates with the dependence of these two classes of neurons on nerve growth factor and neurotrophin-3, respectively, for survival during development. In adult animals, the distribution of high affinity neurotrophin (trk) is complex and overlapping; neurotrophins are not required for cell survival, but may influence cell phenotype and the response to injury. In order to test the functional activity of trkA receptors in the sensory ganglia of adult animals in vivo, we examined the ability of a nerve growth factor-expressing recombinant replication-defective herpes simplex virus-based vector to prevent the selective degeneration of large sensory fibres caused by intoxication with pyridoxine. Transduction of dorsal root ganglion neurons in vivo by subcutaneous inoculation of the nerve growth factor-expressing vector prevented the development of pyridoxine-induced neuropathy measured by electrophysiological, morphological and behavioural measures. These results demonstrate a functional activity of trkA receptors expressed on large neurons in the dorsal root ganglion in mature animals; this observation has important implications for the choice of neurotrophic factors for treatment of peripheral nerve disease.     

Household dust metal levels in the Sydney metropolitan area

Household dust was collected from 82 residential homes within the Sydney metropolitan area. The geometric mean concentrations of metals in the household dust were Cd, 1.9 microg/g; Cr, 64.3 microg/g; Cu, 103 microg/g; Fe, 2740 microg/g; Mn, 54 microg/g; Ni, 15.6 microg/g; Pb, 85.2 microg/g; and Zn, 437 microg/g. Differences in household income level, dwelling type, or the number of occupants were not statistically significant for the majority of metals. The exceptions were higher amounts of Zn (P=0.033) and Fe (P=0.047) found in households with only 1-2 residents compared to those with 3-4 or >4 residents, and slightly higher Mn levels (P=0.033) were found in low-income households (AUD 0-30,000 dollars/year). Region was highly significant for Pb levels in Sydney but not significant for other metals. Large variations in Pb levels were found in household dust (16-16,600 microg/g), with the inner-west region associated with significantly higher Pb levels (P<0.001). Comparisons with a study from a decade earlier have revealed that the household dust Pb levels have remained constant despite substantial improvements in air quality in the inner-west area of Sydney. New epidemiological studies are required to determine whether Pb blood levels have also remained unchanged and whether accumulated Pb in household dust represents a significant health risk to children in this region.     

Direct detection of diarrheagenic Aeromonas from faeces by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting aerolysin toxin gene

Detection of diarrheagenic Aeromonas specific aerolysin toxin (Aer) gene by PCR based assay and isolation, identification of diarrhea causing Aeromonas from faeces by culture methods were carried out in the Division of Active Surveillance, National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), Kolkata, India for a period of 12 months. Out of 602 faecal samples collected from patients with acute diarrhea admitted in Infectious Diseases (ID) Hospital, Kolkata, 68 (11.29%) samples were found to be possessing Aer gene by PCR technique. The conventional culture methods using selective media yielded only 64 (10.6%) Aeromonas strains from the same faecal samples. The different Aeromonas species possessing Aer gene identified by PCR based technique include A. hydrophila (55.8%), A. caviae (17.6%), A. veronii (10.2%), A. schubertii (4.4%), A. jandaei (2.9%) and A. trota (8.8%). The isolation and identification of Aeromonas by routine culture did not detect enterotoxigenic A. trota present in four diarrheal faecal samples. The failure of the growth of enterotoxigenic A. trota on selective media may be attributed to the ampicillin susceptibility of those strains. The quality control studies revealed that PCR method for the direct detection of Aer gene from the faeces has the sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 98%.     

Synovial sarcoma of parapharyngeal and retropharyngeal space: A case report

Synovial sarcoma is a rare tumour of head and neck. It was first described by Pack and Ariel in 1950. Synovial sarcoma is said to be the commonest sarcoma of hands and feet and they are usually found adjacent to the articular surfaces. They rarely occur in extra-articular sites originating from bursa or tendon sheaths. Parapharyngeal space appears to be the site of predilection in most of the cases occurring in the head and neck region. One such case is being reported here along with its management and review of literature.