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Biomedical subjects

G Ramu

Publications and source records attributed to G Ramu.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Preliminary trial of intervention levamisole therapy in persistently bacteriologically positive lepromatous leprosy.

The intervention treatment with the immuno-adjuvant levamisole was given in 14 persistently bacteriologically positive lepromatous cases who had had adequate chemotherapy for over 5 years. There was a temporary conversion of the early lepromin reaction in a majority of the patients with a corresponding improvement in clinical and bacteriological status. However, the lepromin response was short lived. Most patients had become bacteriologically negative at the end of 1 year. No adverse effects due to levamisole therapy were encountered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Solid, fragmented and granular index as one of the parameters in drug trials.

A bacteriological study of the skin smears of 108 bacteriologically positive cases of leprosy, 30 of them untreated, has been undertaken. In each case solid, fragmented and granular (SFG) index, bacteriological index (BI) and morphological index (MI) of skin smears from 4 sites were calculated. The results show that SFG index together with BI can be used as one of the parameters in drug trials. The importance of SFG index in research and as a routine laboratory procedure in leprosy control units undertaking multi drug therapy is discussed.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed1982

A study of continuous bacillaemia in borderline and lepromatous type of leprosy.

The present work has established beyond doubt that bacillaemia occurs practically in all cases of borderline and lepromatous leprosy. The number of bacilli in the blood is significantly high, to the tune of 4,000 bacilli per ml. Even so, it does not produce any adverse symptoms of septicaemia. Special emphasis was laid in the present study for determining the continuity or otherwise of bacillaemia. Some of the patients had continuous bacillaemia according to the criteria fixed in the present study. It was also found that the number of bacilli discharged into the blood bears no relationship with the bacillary load in the body as assessed by skin and nasal smears.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Immune status of subsided cases of tuberculoid (TT) and borderline tuberculoid (BT) leprosy.

A comparative study of lepromin reactions (early and late), M. leprae induced lymphocyte blastogenesis, per cent T Cell number in peripheral blood and immunoglobulin (IgG, IgA and IgM) levels have been made in TT-active, TT-subsided, BT-active and BT-subsided leprosy cases. No significant difference has been noted amongst these groups in the above mentioned investigations except in subsided BT cases where 9 out of 11 cases failed to evoke any late skin reaction to Dharmendra antigen. In addition, BT subsided cases also showed significantly raised levels of IgG. The significance of these findings with respect to their immunity and reinfection has been discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Assessment of Dharmendra antigen. (V) attempts for purification of specific skin delayed hypersensitivity (DH) inducing antigen (S) from lepromin.

After electrophoresis (in pyrogen-free conditions) of Dharmendra antigen sonicates on agarose gel slides, the components (anionic and cationic) were eluted in pyrogen-free normal saline. On skin testing, it was found that only anionic component produced specific skin DH reactions in tuberculoid leprosy patients. The significance of the observations is discussed.

Antigens↗
PubMed1982

Assessment of Dharmendra antigen. (VI) skin tests with fractionated nucleic acids.

Leprosy patients were skin tested for induction of skin delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) with various preparations of Dharmendra Antigen (DA) (sonicated antigen, DNA + RNA and DNA). Extracted nucleic acids produced smaller reactions (including some negative ones) as compared to sonicated whole antigen (which included proteins). BCG fractions, prepared similarly, produced non specific skin reactions.

Antigens↗
PubMed1982

Role of surgical decompression in ulnar neuritis of leprosy.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of neurolysis in relieving the pain of acute painful neuritis and assess its effect on the sensory motor deficit. Thirty eight ulnar nerves were operated and followed up for 8 to 125 weeks. Following surgery relief from pain was gratifying. However the pain recurred in cases of lepromatous leprosy in subsequent episodes of ENL reaction. Sensory recovery was appreciable and occurred within 8 weeks. Four cases had 75% recovery; five had 50 to 75% recovery and 11 cases had up to 50% recovery. Motor recovery took a longer time to appear. Proximal supplied muscles recovered first followed by smaller muscles. In most cases further deterioration of muscle power was prevented. Only 3 cases deteriorated. Recovery was more pronounced in LL cases. Patients with shorter duration of acute symptoms and history of smaller number of attacks of acute painful neuritis showed a higher incidence and better grade of recovery.

Follow-Up Studies↗
PubMed1982

Assessment of cutaneous autonomic nerve functions in leprosy.

31 cases of established leprosy were studied for sweat response to acetylcholine and adrenaline injected intradermally and compared with normal areas of skin on the contralateral side in a total of 40 lesions. Sweating was measured by counting the number of blue dots which appeared on the yellow back ground of a filter paper soaked in 1% Bromophenol blue solution which represented sweat pores, whereas there was decreased, or absent sweat response in 31 lesions, there was an increased response in to acetylcholine in 7 lesions, and normal response in 2 lesions. Sweat response to adrenaline was obtained in 29 lesions. It was increased in 13 lesions all of which were anaesthetic or analgesic. Adrenergic sweating in these cases is probably a result of direct effect of adrenaline on sweat glands. Biopsy sections of 20 cases were reviewed for the histological appearance of the nerves. It was found that out of the cases who showed increased sweat response 1 had partially destroyed nerves while 2 others had intact nerves. Sweat function tests are of limited value in the diagnosis of leprosy and some autonomic function may continue in leprosy despite loss of somatic nerve function.

Autonomic Nervous System↗
PubMed1982

Attitude of doctors to working in leprosy.

A study was conducted to assess the attitude of Doctors to working in leprosy. 35 subjects were studied using a questionnaire to tap the various areas of leprosy work. The results indicated that although a majority of the doctors were interested in the specialty and considered that they had been trained well there was evidence of inadequate knowledge in 33% of them. Fears of being socially stigmatised and facing poor job prospects while working in this field were also revealed. It is suggested that training in the under-graduate and, post-graduate levels and improving job prospects would remove the disincentives which hamper anti-leprosy work.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Evaluation of multiple regimens in leprosy.

Assessment of bacteraemia has been made at weekly intervals in 36 lepromatous leprosy patients who were put on different antileprosy drug under four regimens, viz., DDS alone, DDS in combination with rifampicin (DDS + RIF), clofazimine (DDS + CLF) and thiacetazone (DDS + TCT). In general, with the continuation of treatment the bacillary load in the blood decreased considerably while bacteriological index (BI) of the skin remained constant during the study. No significant difference was noted in M. leprae clearance from blood between the groups treated with DDS alone and groups treated in combination with CLF and TCT. However, DDS + RIF treatment was most efficient in clearing acid-fast bacilli (AFB) from blood as compared to those noted with other drug regimens.

Clofazimine↗
PubMed1981

Assessment of Dharmendra antigen. (IV) Antigenic analysis of lepromins.

In order to pinpoint the active portion of the skin antigens including Dharmendra and other lepromins, a study was carried out by subjecting the antigens to electrophoretic and immunoelectrophoretic analysis. These analyses identified two components, anionic and cationic, in lepromin sonicates. The anionic component was stainable with a protein strain, whereas cationic component formed precipitin arcs on immunoelectrophoresis with sera from lepromatous leprosy patients. BCG sonicate could also be resolved into two similar components. The cationic component of BCG apparently a glycoprotein, cross reacted with cationic component of lepromin and also showed a reaction of identity in gel diffusion. The specificity of anionic (proteinaceous) component of lepromin remains to be established.

Anions↗
PubMed1981

Discharge of M. leprae in milk of leprosy patients.

A quantitative estimation of discharge of M. leprae in the milk of 39 leprosy female patients has been made. Twelve of the 39 patients (10 LL/BL and 1 each of T/BT and BB) showed bacilli in their milk. Only one of these patients was on treatment. AFB count in 10 ml of milk was found to range from 4.3 X 10(4) to 4.3 X 10(5). Significance of discharge of such a large number of bacilli in breast milk is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Fluorescent leprosy antibody absorption (FLA-ABS) test for early serodiagnosis of leprosy.

The conventional parameters for the diagnosis of leprosy i.e. clinical symptoms aided by smear and histological examinations, have certain limitations. With the conventional parameters, it is difficult to diagnose new cases in the early stage of leprosy. Recently Abe et al (1976) and Abe and Yoshino (1978) suggested that Florescent Leprosy Antibody Absorption (FLA-ABS) test developed by one of the authors (Abe) might be useful for early serodiagnosis of leprosy. Following this, the FLA-ABS test was standardised at the Central Jalma Institute for Leprosy, Agra to study the usefulness of the test in early serodiagnosis and detection of sub-clinical infections. In the present study sera were collected from 136 cases of different types of leprosy which includes 11 cases with lesions suspected to be leprosy, 58 healthy contacts and 19 healthy controls. Using FLA-ABS test, anti M. leprae antibodies were detected in all types of leprosy irrespective of the type and duration of the disease. The test has shown significantly high positive results in very early cases of leprosy with a duration of 3-6 months and having very small lesions measuring below 2 cms.

Fluorescent Antibody Technique↗