Philanthotoxin blocks quisqualate-, AMPA- and kainate-, but not NMDA-, induced excitation of rat brainstem neurones in vivo.

1. The effect of electrophoretic ejection of philanthotoxin (the polyamine toxin, from the Egyptian digger wasp) was tested on responses of brainstem and spinal neurones in the pentobarbitone-anaesthetized rat to excitatory amino acids. 2. Philanthotoxin caused a dose-dependent reduction of responses to quisqualate, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-phenyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) and kainate with little effect on those to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). 3. The time-course of this antagonist action was slow. In particular the rate of recovery was dependent on frequency of ejection of the agonist. This agonist-dependent recovery suggests that philanthotoxin has a channel blocking mode of action on mammalian central neurones.     

Takayasu’s arteritis occurring under TNF blockers in a patient with spondyloarthritis: is it an association or a paradoxical effect?

Coexistence of spondyloarthritis (SpA) and Takayasu’s arteritis is not a common finding, but such cases have been discussed, particularly in the context of choice of therapy. Inhibition of inflammation by tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) is a key aspect of the treatment of SpA and also positive effects of such treatment in concomitant large vessel vasculitis have been reported. However, TNFi is also associated with the possibility of initiating vasculitis.The present article based on a case study and the available literature is an attempt to discuss coexistence of these two diseases and the impact of treatment with biological drugs from the anti-TNF group in the course of SpA with Takayasu’s arteritis.     

Measles control in Israel: a decade of the two-dose policy

BACKGROUND AND METHODS: The introduction of routine measles immunization in Israel in 1967 was followed by a 95% reduction in reported measles incidence. In 1990, a second measles immunization dose was instituted, and up until the end of 1999, 16 birth cohorts were offered the second dose. We present here changes in reported measles incidence in Israel following institution of the two-dose policy. RESULTS: First-dose coverage is 94%, and coverage for the second school-based dose exceeds 95%. A further 90% reduction in measles incidence has been observed and, following a modest national outbreak in 1994, measles incidence for 1995-99 stands at less than 3/100,000/year. CONCLUSIONS: Since measles is highly contagious, very high immunization coverage rates will be required to preserve these accomplishments, and measles elimination is still years away, but there is tentative evidence that measles containment is at hand. Even greater measles control can be anticipated as vaccine immunogenicity improves and successive cohorts of children come under the 2-dose regimen.     

Vertebral sarcoidosis: long-term follow-up with MRI

Vertebral involvement in sarcoidosis is rare and its clinical and imaging features are non-specific. Indeed, because the lesions are hard to differentiate from metastatic disease based on imaging alone, a histological confirmation is advised. Fatty replacement is a well-known finding indicating stabilization and healing in both benign and malignant conditions. It can be used as an indicator of a favorable disease course and response to treatment. We report the case of a 43-year-old woman with multifocal vertebral sarcoidosis lesions and long-term follow-up showing progressive and gradual fatty involution on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during 4 years of steroid treatment with a final favorable outcome.     

Inhibition of In Vitro TNF-α Production by Anisomeles malabarica R.Br. Reinforces Its Anti-Rheumatic and Immunomodulatory Properties

In-vivo studies have suggested the anti-rheumatic and immunomodulatory properties of the methanolic extract of the plant Anisomeles malabarica R.Br. However, the mechanism of action of this plant in the modulation of inflammation using the various in vitro models has not been explored earlier. Hence, the current investigation was undertaken to study the anti-rheumatic and immunomodulatory role of aerial parts, leaves and roots in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mediated signaling in macrophage and mouse connective tissue cell cultures. It was observed from the present study that by employing tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) bioassay, all the three extracts viz., aerial parts, leaves and roots inhibited TNF-α production in LPS (1 μg/mL) stimulated RAW-32 cells. 38.75 % inhibition of TNF-α was observed at 200 μg extracts of the aerial parts of the plant followed by 17.64 and 14.94 % by the roots and leaves respectively. Taken together, these findings from the present in vitro studies suggest the anti-rheumatic and immunomodulatory properties of the methanolic extracts of A. malabarica.