Identification of a 34,000-dalton mitogenic protein associated with plasma membranes from human A431 epidermoid carcinoma cells.

We present evidence for a discrete 34,000-Da polypeptide with mitogenic activity, associated with plasma membranes from human A431 carcinoma cells. Plasma membranes from A431 cells are highly mitogenic for quiescent fibroblasts. A significant fraction of the membrane-associated activity can be released by treatment with a high concentration of salt and is relatively acid stable. Incubation of 125I-labeled salt-extracted proteins with target fibroblasts results in preferential binding of a 34,000-Da protein--i.e., greater than 90% of the cell-bound radioactivity is associated with the 34,000-Da polypeptide. Studies correlating the mitogenic activity with the cell-binding 34,000-Da protein indicate that this protein is the acid-stable, peripherally attached, mitogenically active component of A431 membranes. Available data suggest that this protein may be mitogenically active in the nanomolar concentration range. Some properties of this protein are described.     

Mikania cordata root extract in the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and reduction of enzyme leakage in mice with carbon tetrachloride induced liver damage

The effects of Mikania cordata root extract on carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) induced liver injury were investigated. Lipid peroxidation, serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT), serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) and serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were used as the marker for functional efficiency of the liver cells. A 7.8% inhibition of lipid peroxide levels in liver homogenate was noted at a dose of 10 mg/kg and the inhibition was more prominent (68.7%) at the optimum dose level of 150 mg/kg. The inhibitory values were 4.3% and 30.4% at the low and the high (optimum) doses tested, respectively, in the case of lipid peroxide levels in the hepatic lipid fraction. At a dose of 150 mg/kg, a maximum inhibition of the increased enzyme levels was observed (i.e. SGOT, 15.6%; SGPT, 13.4%; LDH, 22.8%). This observation suggests that Mikania cordata root extract induced a recovery from the damage caused in liver tissue during CCl₄ administration.     

Feasibility of Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research in India: A Pilot Qualitative Evaluation

No abstract available.     

Review of laser speckle-based analysis in medical imaging

Speckle pattern forms when a rough object is illuminated with coherent light (laser) and the backscattered radiation is imaged on a screen. The pattern changes over time due to movement in the object. Such time-integrate speckle pattern can be statistically analyzed to reveal the flow profile. For higher velocity the speckle contrast gets reduced. This theory can be utilized for tissue perfusion in capillaries of human skin tissue and cerebral blood flow mapping in rodents. Early, the technique was suffered from low resolution and computational intricacies for real-time monitoring purpose. However, modern engineering has made it feasible for real-time monitoring in microcirculation imaging with improved resolution. This review illustrates several modifications over classical technique done by many researchers. Recent advances in speckle contrast methods gain major interest, leading towards practical implementation of this technique. The review also brings out the scopes of laser speckle-based analysis in various medical applications.     

Leishmania donovani infection of human myeloid dendritic cells leads to a Th1 response in CD4+ T cells from healthy donors and patients with kala-azar

The role played by dendritic cells (DCs) in Leishmania donovani infection is poorly understood. Here, we report that L. donovani amastigotes efficiently infect human peripheral-blood monocyte-derived DCs. Opsonization with normal human serum enhanced the infectivity of amastigotes and promastigotes only marginally. Surface attachment versus internalization was distinguished by incubation of DCs with live, fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled parasites, followed by quenching with crystal violet. Infection with amastigotes was accompanied by DC maturation, as was evident from the up-regulation of maturation-associated cell-surface markers, the nuclear translocation of RelB, and the release of cytokines. Amastigote-primed DCs produced inflammatory cytokines in response to subsequent treatment with interferon- gamma or anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody. When cocultured, amastigote-infected DCs induced T helper cell type 1 (Th1) responses both in naive allogeneic CD4(+) T cells and in autologous CD4(+) T cells from patients with kala-azar and up-regulated the expression of T-bet. Our data reveal that infection with L. donovani amastigotes induces a Th1 cytokine milieu in both DCs and T cells.     

Therapeutic efficacy of a conjugate vaccine containing a peptide mimotope of cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide glucuronoxylomannan

Vaccination with P13, a peptide mimotope of the cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide glucuronoxylomannan (GXM), has been shown to confer protection against a subsequent lethal Cryptococcus neoformans challenge. In this study, we sought to investigate whether P13-based vaccines could be effective in an already-established infection. To address this question, we developed a systemic chronic cryptococcal infection model. We vaccinated chronically infected mice with P13-protein conjugates and monitored their survival. Compared to the controls, the conjugates prolonged the survival of chronically infected mice. The degree of protection was a function of the mouse strain (BALB/c or C57BL/6), the carrier protein (tetanus toxoid or diphtheria toxoid), and the route of infection (intraperitoneal or intravenous). Serum GXM levels were correlated with the day of death, but the correlation was driven by the carrier protein and mouse strain. The passive transfer of heat-treated sera from P13 conjugate-vaccinated mice conferred protection to naïve BALB/c mice, indicating that antibody immunity could contribute to protection. The measurement of peripheral blood cytokine (gamma interferon [IFN-γ], interleukin-10 [IL-10], and IL-6) gene expression showed that P13 conjugate-vaccinated BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice mounted a strong Th2 (IL-10)-like response relative to the Th1 (IFN-γ)-like response, with the degree depending on the mouse strain and carrier protein. Taken together, our data suggest that a vaccine could hold promise in the setting of chronic cryptococcosis, and that vaccine efficacy could depend on immunomodulation and augmentation of the natural immune response of the host.Cryptococcus neoformans is a fungal pathogen with a world-wide distribution (50). Although it is ubiquitous in the environment and primary C. neoformans infection is acquired in childhood (1, 26, 61), cryptococcal disease (cryptococcosis) occurs predominantly in immunocompromised hosts (10), such as patients with AIDS (64) or hematological malignancies (49, 56), patients receiving chemotherapy for malignancy (45) or immunosuppressive agents for organ transplantation (29, 63), and those with underlying metabolic disorders (14, 32). Recently, it has come to light that, in addition to occurring in the setting of immunosuppression, cryptococcosis also can stem from an exuberant immune response (11, 19), such as that seen after immune reconstitution in AIDS patients on antiretroviral therapy (30) and in solid-organ transplant recipients (59). Cryptococcosis also can occur in apparently immunocompetent individuals (4), although they also may have subtle but unidentified immune defects (43).C. neoformans infection may manifest as a pulmonary or cutaneous disease, but the most devastating and common complication is meningoencephalitis. Cryptococcal meningoencephalitis is difficult to treat despite the availability of antifungal agents that are active against C. neoformans in vitro, because these agents often cannot eradicate the organism in the setting of immune suppression (52). Given that the development of cryptococcosis is largely attributable to host immune impairment, approaches to disease prevention that are focused on augmenting host immune mechanisms against C. neoformans are a logical adjunct to antifungal agents. In this regard, a cryptococcal vaccine makes sense, with the caveat that many instances of cryptococcal disease are thought to reflect the reactivation of latent infection (25, 61). Therefore, a vaccine for C. neoformans would have to be effective in the setting of latent or previous infection.The rationale for a vaccine for C. neoformans that elicits antibodies to the capsular polysaccharide glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) is based on the ability of such antibodies to augment the host response to experimental cryptococcosis to the benefit of the host (19). The efficacy of a conjugate consisting of a decapeptide mimotope (P13) of GXM and a carrier protein in prolonging the survival of mice after a lethal challenge with C. neoformans has been demonstrated previously (24, 51, 67). Vaccine-mediated protection in these models was associated with a reduction in the levels of serum GXM and the production of antibodies to GXM that were shown to prolong the survival of naïve mice with C. neoformans infection (24, 41, 42). To determine the effect of P13-protein conjugate vaccines in the setting of an already-established infection, we developed a model in which mice that had been infected with C. neoformans were vaccinated and monitored to determine the effect of vaccination on the course of infection.     

Spermicidal Effects of Methanolic Extract of Cestrum parqui Leaves on Human Spermatozoa:A View through DNA Breakage and Disruption of Membrane Ultrastructure

Objective To focus on the possible mechanism about the spermicidal effect of methanolic extract of leaves of Cestrum parqui (Solanacea) on human spermatozoa.Methods Sperm motility and viability were no...     

Persistent ankle pain following a sprain: a review of imaging

The initial diagnosis of an “ankle sprain” is not always correct. Prolonged pain, swelling and disability sufficient to limit the activity and refractory to treatment following an ankle injury are not typical of an ankle sprain and should alert the clinician of the possibility of an alternative or an associated diagnosis. There are several conditions that can be misdiagnosed as an ankle sprain and those include ankle syndesmosis injuries, sinus tarsi syndrome, ankle and hind foot fractures, osteochondral lesions, posterior tibialis and peroneal tendons abnormalities, spring ligament damage, impingement syndromes and reflex sympathetic dystrophy. In this review, we discuss the imaging features of these conditions that can clinically mimic an ankle sprain. It is crucial to remember that unresolved ankle pain following an injury is not always just due to a “sprain”.