Flavonoid glycosides from<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus armeniaca</Emphasis> and the antibacterial activity of a crude extract

Investigations on the chemical constituents of the fruits of Prunus armeniaca have led to the isolation of two new flavonoid glycosides, 4',5,7-trihydroxy flavone-7-O-[beta-D-mannopyranosyl (1'-->2")]-beta-D-allopyranoside (1) and 3,4',5,7-tetrahydroxy-3',5'-di-methoxy flavone 3-O-[alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1'-->6")]-beta-D-galactopyranoside (2), from the butanolic fraction of the fruits. The butanolic extract exhibited antibacterial activity against both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. The structures of these compounds were elucidated through spectral studies, including 2D-NMR (COSY, NOESY, J-resolved), HMQC and HMBC experiments.     

Controlled Evaluation of Bactec Peds Plus/F and Bactec Lytic/10 Anaerobic/F Media for Isolation of Salmonella enterica Serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A from Blood

We compared anaerobic lytic (AL) and pediatric aerobic resin-containing (Peds Plus/F) blood culture media for the isolation of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi or Paratyphi A from children. The yields from AL and Peds Plus/F media were the same with equal volumes of blood, but recovery was faster from AL medium than Peds Plus/F medium (10.7 and 16.4 h, respectively) (P < 0.001).     

CD28-CD57+ T cells predominate in CD8 responses to glatiramer acetate

Human T cells adopt a CD28-CD57+ phenotype in chronic viral infections and this has been hypothesized to result from continuous stimulation, however this phenotype may be due to direct viral effects on T cells. Employing MS patients before and after chronic in vivo administration of the antigen glatiramer acetate (GA) we examine this hypothesis. Pre-treatment glatiramer acetate-specific CD8 T cells were CD57-Perforin-. This changed to a predominantly CD28-CD57+Perforin+ response after administration of this drug. This phenotype was only observed after chronic stimulation and not in a recall response to mumps. The relevance to GA's mechanism of action is discussed.     

Multiple toll-like receptor agonists act as potent adjuvants in the induction of autoimmunity

Infections can trigger or exacerbate the course of Multiple Sclerosis, and both bacterial and viral agents have been implicated. These agents are recognized by host cells via pathogen-associated molecular patterns activating TLRs. We investigated the role that PAMPs play in the animal model Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis, and found various MyD88-dependent PAMPs can participate as the adjuvant to induce EAE. Studies with IRAK1-deficient mice suggest that signaling through TLRs is not required in the target organ to develop disease. This suggests that PAMPs play an important role in priming of autoreactive T cells in EAE and potentially MS.     

Usefulness of the Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA)

In this study, we examined the usefulness and validity of the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) in assessing cerebellar ataxia in 27 patients with spinocerebellar degeneration. The inter-rater reliability of the SARA scores between the two neurologists was high. The scores on SARA correlated significantly with the Barthel index and scores on the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS). Scores on ICARS and SARA did not correlate with the total length traveled (TLT) or the root mean square area (RMS) of body sways measured by body stabilometry. The time required to examine each patient for SARA was approximately 4 min, one-third the time required for ICARS. Our results indicate that SARA is useful for the evaluation of cerebellar ataxic patients in daily examinations and that body sway analysis by stabilometry is influenced by factors other than cerebellar ataxia, such as muscle weakness, which should be taken into account when body sway analysis is used to evaluate the severity of cerebellar ataxia.     

Intimate partner violence among ever-married Afghan women: patterns,associations and attitudinal acceptance

Archives of Women's Mental Health - Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the most prevalent forms of violence that women suffer globally. Women in Afghanistan have been exposed to high...     

Effects of a 9-month strength training intervention on insulin, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-1, and IGFBP-3 in 30-50-year-old women.

We assessed the effects of twice weekly strength training on several proposed risk factors for breast and colon cancer: body fat, waist circumference, fasting insulin, fasting glucose, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and several IGF-binding proteins. Fifty-four healthy women, 30-50 years old, were randomized to no-contact control or treatment: 15 weeks of supervised strength training followed by 6 months of unsupervised training. Fifteen-week changes included reductions in percentage of body fat, fasting insulin, fasting glucose, and IGF-I that were larger in the treatment than control participants (treatment versus control mean +/- SE: % body fat -1.97 +/- 0.42 versus -0.43 +/- 0.40, P = 0.01; insulin (uU/ml) -0.29 +/- 0.35 versus 0.81 +/- 0.38, P = 0.055; glucose (mg/dl) -1.92 +/- 1.27 versus 1.21 +/- 1.36, P = 0.13; and IGF-I (ng/ml) -30.47 +/- 9.75 versus 5.86 +/- 10.44, P = 0.02). There was no treatment effect on IGF-binding proteins 1 and 3 or either of two surrogate measures of free IGF-I. By 39 weeks changes in percentages of body fat were largely maintained; IGF-I returned to baseline levels in the treatment group but remained 15% lower in treatment compared with control participants. Strength training produced favorable changes in several proposed cancer risk factors. The importance of these changes to long-term cancer prognosis, diagnosis, and/or recurrence remains to be determined.