Ellagic acid ameliorates cisplatin induced hepatotoxicity in colon carcinogenesis

The clinical application of cisplatin (CP), one of the most extensively used antineoplastic drug, is restricted by its numerous side effects. CP's antitumor potential resides in the free generation of reactive oxygen species leading to oxidative stress. This stress is a source of the side effects associated with its use. Ellagic acid (EA), a polyphenol is known to possess multiple health benefits owing to its antioxidant properties. EA is largely metabolized by the colon microbiota of different mammals and therefore was a polyphenol of choice in the present study. The present study was thus carried out to explore the protective potential of EA on CP induced hepatotoxicity in colon tumor bearing mice. The administration of EA (10 mg/kg bwt po daily for 6 weeks) significantly ameliorated the toxicity caused by CP (5 mg/kg bwt ip once a week for 4 weeks). Activities of liver marker enzymes and lactate dehydrogenase were brought back to normal. EA cotreatment also led to a marked reduction in the extent of peroxidative damage to liver tissue as was evident from the improvement in the histopathological changes observed and FT‐IR analysis. The present study, therefore, suggests that the administration of EA reduces the CP‐induced hepatotoxicity, thereby emerging out as a potential candidate for chemopreventive action.     

Symptoms of psychological distress reported by women from indigenous communities in South India: implications for methodology and future studies

Archives of Women's Mental Health - ‘Indigenous peoples’ across the globe suffer a disproportionate burden of mental illness. However, this burden is not fully explored in India...     

Bedside ultrasound as a predictive tool for acute chest syndrome in sickle cell patients

Background

Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is the leading cause of death for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Early recognition of ACS improves prognosis.

Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction for Detection of Schistosoma DNA in Small-Volume Urine Samples Reflects Focal Distribution of Urogenital Schistosomiasis in Primary School Girls in KwaZulu Natal,South Africa

Schistosoma haematobium eggs and Schistosoma DNA levels were measured in urine samples from 708 girls recruited from 18 randomly sampled primary schools in South Africa. Microscopic analysis of two 10-mL urine subsamples collected on three consecutive days confirmed high day-to-day variation; 103 (14.5%) girls had positive results at all six examinations, and at least one positive sample was seen in 225 (31.8%) girls. Schistosoma-specific DNA, which was measured in a 200-μL urine subsample by using real-time polymerase chain reaction, was detected in 180 (25.4%) cases, and levels of DNA corresponded significantly with average urine egg excretion. In concordance with microscopic results, polymerase chain reaction results were significantly associated with history of gynecologic symptoms and confirmed highly focal distribution of urogenital schistosomiasis. Parasite-specific DNA detection has a sensitivity comparable to single urine microscopy and could be used as a standardized high-throughput procedure to assess distribution of urogenital schistosomiasis in relatively large study populations by using small sample volumes.     

An observational, prospective study exploring the use of heart rate variability as a predictor of clinical outcomes in pre-hospital ambulance patients

OBJECTIVE: To explore the use of pre-hospital heart rate variability (HRV) as a predictor of clinical outcomes such as hospital admission, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality. We also implemented an automated pre-analysis signal processing algorithm and multiple principal component analysis (PCA) for outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational clinical study at an emergency medical services (EMS) system in a medium sized urban setting in the United States. Electrocardiogram (ECG) data was obtained from a sample of 45 ambulance patients conveyed to a tertiary hospital, monitored with a LIFEPAK12 defibrillator/monitor. After extracting the data, filtering for noise reduction and isolating non-sinus beats, various HRV parameters were computed. These included time domain, frequency domain and geometric parameters. PCA was performed on the hospital outcomes for these patients. RESULTS: We used a combination of HRV parameters, age and vital signs such as respiratory rate, SpO(2) and Glasgow coma score (GCS) in a PCA analysis. For predicting admission to ICU, sensitivity was 100%, specificity was 48.6%, and negative predictive value (NPV) was 100%; for predicting admission to hospital, sensitivity was 78.9%, specificity was 85.7%, and NPV was 75.0%; for predicting death, sensitivity was 50.0%, specificity was 100%, and NPV was 97.4%. There was also a significant correlation of several HRV parameters with length of hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: With signal processing techniques, it is feasible to filter and analyze ambulance ECG data for HRV. We found a combination of HRV parameters and traditional 'vital signs' to have an association with clinical outcomes in pre-hospital patients. This may have potential as a triage tool for ambulance patients.     

Synthetic studies of neoclerodane diterpenes from Salvia divinorum: semisynthesis of salvinicins A and B and other chemical transformations of salvinorin A

Salvinorin A (1) is a hallucinogenic neoclerodane diterpene isolated from the widely available psychoactive plant Salvia divinorum and is the first example of a non-nitrogenous opioid receptor ligand. At present, there is little information available as to why this compound is selective for kappa opioid receptors. One approach to better understanding the mode of binding of 1 at kappa receptors is to systematically alter the structure of 1 and examine the effects on opioid receptor affinity and activity. Currently, there is a paucity of methods described for the preparation of analogues derived from 1. Here, we report the investigation of several chemical transformations of 1 isolated from S. divinorum. In particular, this work provides a semisynthesis of salvinicins A (2) and B (3) and has identified 10a as the first neoclerodane diterpene with delta opioid antagonist activity.