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Biomedical subjects

K Chandra

Publications and source records attributed to K Chandra.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Gabapentin versus nortriptyline in post-herpetic neuralgia patients: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial--the GONIP Trial.

BACKGROUND: Gabapentin and nortriptyline have not been compared in a randomized trial in post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). The present study was, therefore, undertaken to determine their comparative efficacy and tolerability in the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group trial of 9 weeks duration. Adult PHN patients with history of > 8 weeks of PHN pain after healing of rash, a pain intensity of at least 40 mm on a 100 mm visual analog scale at screening and at randomization, and average pain score of at least 4 on the Likert scale during the baseline week were included in the study. Gabapentin and nortriptyline were given in incremental doses at 2-weekly intervals till a maximum tolerated dose was obtained. The primary efficacy parameter was change in pain score (11-point Likert scale) from baseline to the end of the study period. RESULTS: 70 patients were available for intention-to-treat analysis. The average pain scores on the Likert scale were significantly reduced at the end of study in both the treatment groups with 47.6% and 42.8% reduction in pain scores in nortriptyline and gabapentin groups, respectively. Patients showed significant improvement in sleep scores in both the treatment groups nortriptyline (46.0%) and gabapentin (52.0%). The VAS and the SF-MPQ scores for pain were significantly reduced in both the groups. Gabapentin was, however, better tolerated as compared to nortriptyline. CONCLUSION: Gabapentin was shown to be equally efficacious but was better tolerated compared to nortriptyline and can be considered a suitable alternative for the treatment of PHN.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Heavy metals in water of the rivers Hooghly and Haldi at Haldia and their impact on fish.

The paper deals with the measurement of five heavy metals viz., Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn in water of the rivers Hooghly and Haldi at Haldia during June 1999 to October 2002. The industrial effluent out fall (OF) at Patikhali, Haldia was also taken as sampling site along with above out fall (AOF) and below out fall (BOF) sites. Most of the metals exhibited their least concentration at the sampling site above the Haldia industrial area of river Hooghly. The average concentrations of the studied metals were Cd 2-14, Cu 5-19, Mn 8-88, Pb 17-41 and Zn 22-37 microg l(-1). Comparison of the data with the Criterion Continuous Concentration (CCC) of USA revealed that Cd, Cu and Pb were the pollutants present at alarming level to disturb the aquatic life process in the zone. The effect was found to reflect on the tissue level aberrations in the residential fishes. The other two metals viz., Mn and Zn were probably less harmful to the aquatic ecosystem. In India, necessity is felt to develop the CCC values, which will be more appropriate for protection of aquatic environment than comparing with drinking water standards.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Antiviral profile of Nyctanthes arbortristis L. against encephalitis causing viruses.

The ethanolic extracts, various fractions and two pure compounds isolated from the plant N. arbortris were tested against Encephalomyocarditis Virus (EMCV) and Semliki Forest Virus (SFV). Pronounced in vitro virus inhibitory activity was observed with the ethanolic and n-butanol fractions as well as with the pure compounds arbortristoside A and arbortristoside C. In addition, ethanolic extracts and n-butanol fraction protected EMCV infected mice to the extent of 40 and 60% respectively against SFV at a daily dose of 125 mg/kg body weight.

1-Butanol↗
PubMed2003

Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy: results of a survey that identified interventions used by women to alleviate their symptoms.

Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) affects most pregnant women. There are safe and effective treatments available; however, most women choose to avoid pharmacological therapies and try lifestyle and dietary changes to treat their condition. To date, no attempt has been made to quantify women's experience with a variety of interventions. This study aims to identify factors commonly reported by women that alleviate their symptoms of NVP. Five hundred women with NVP, calling a pregnancy healthline between February 1996 and July 1999, completed a questionnaire where they were asked to rate which of 21 factors helped and to what extent each factor helped to improve their NVP symptoms. For each item, the 'frequency' (percentage of women who indicated that item as an improvement) and 'mean importance' (mean importance score of women who indicated that item as an improvement) were multiplied to give the 'overall impact' score. All 500 women reported that dietary and lifestyle changes helped to improve their NVP symptoms. However, most items were rated low and only 31% of women reported benefit from the use of pharmacological treatment. In conclusion, this study has identified that NVP is a multifaceted condition. Lifestyle changes including validation, supportive counseling and dietary adjustments are important components, that can be used to counsel women with NVP, concomitantly with safe and effective treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

A novel method for the evaluation of the severity of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.

UNLABELLED: The symptomatology of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) ranges from mild to very severe. The most advanced method to measure the burden of NVP, the Rhode's scores, incorporates physical signs (length and number of episodes of nausea, number and volume of vomits, and number of retching) with measures of distress caused by these symptoms. However, this system has been validated only for symptoms that occurred in the past 12 h, thus obviating its wide clinical use, and particularly its retrospective use. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the severity of the physical symptoms of NVP correlate with the degree of stress caused by them, and to develop simple scores that can be used clinically. METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively scored 283 women with NVP using the Rhode's system. There was excellent and highly significant correlation between the physical symptoms and their degrees of distress. Subsequently, we examined two simple scoring systems, one with three and one with five physical symptoms. Both yielded distribution of severity of NVP not different from the one found with the use of the full Rhode's score. CONCLUSION: A scoring system based on all five physical symptoms, or only on three (length of nausea, number of episodes of nausea and number of vomits) yielded accurate estimates of severity and changes in severity of NVP. Unlike the Rhode's score, this simple method can be used clinically to evaluate the severity and changes in NVP.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Hypobaric hypoxia and hedonic matrix in rats.

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of continuous exposure to hypobaric hypoxia on the feeding behavior and taste responses of rats, under simulated conditions of a high altitude (HA) of 7,620 m for 21 h a day and consecutively for 18 d, which more closely resembles actual field conditions. Their food, water intake and body weight were recorded daily, and blood sugar was estimated once a week. All the parameters were recorded for a period of 18 d each, before, during, and after exposure to simulated HA. The results show a decrease in daily food and water intake and body weight, and mild hypoglycemia during hypoxic exposure. Single-bottle and two-bottle tests showed a preference for sweet solutions over water, citric acid, sodium chloride, and quinine sulfate during exposure. The two-bottle test showed a preference for glucose over calorically-inert saccharine. The continuous exposure in this study produced qualitatively similar but quantitatively accentuated results as compared to intermittent 6 h exposure contiguously for 21 d. High-altitude stress appears to influence food intake such that sensory cues assume greater significance during feeding behavior.

Altitude↗
PubMed1994

In vitro anti-vaccinia virus activity of some marine plants.

Seventy three marine plant extracts were tested in vitro in chick embryo fibroblast cell culture and their anti-vaccinia virus activity was evaluated in terms of reduction in number of plaques by the extracts. Only seven extracts were found to show the activity. Sargassum wightii, a seaweed had the highest activity, reducing 65 per cent of plaques formed by vaccinia virus.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Immunomodulation due to coexposure to styrene and dioctyl phthalate in mice.

Pathomorphological and immunological alterations caused by a mixture of styrene and dioctyl phthalate were studied in albino mice following oral administration of 0.02, 0.03, 0.05 x LD50 of the mixture. The chemicals were mixed together proportionate to their respective LD50 values and fed in ground nut oil, 5 d/wk for 4 weeks. Histological examination of spleen revealed considerable depletion of cellular population of lymphoid follicles which corresponded to the dose dependent decrease in splenic mononuclear cell population count. The thymic lobules revealed slight atrophy but accompanied by a significant increase in thymocyte population. Correspondingly few significant histological changes were observed in mesenteric and peripheral lymph nodes. The treatment caused impairment of primary humoral immune response to SRBC (IgM) but there was a significant increase in response of splenocytes to B-cell mitogen LPS. There was a suppression of cutaneous delayed type hypersensitivity and increase in splenic lymphocyte response to T-cell mitogen PHA. Simultaneously, indirect immunity represented by decreased phagocytosis and enhanced metabolic function of reducing NBT by peritoneal exudate cells was observed. The in vitro exposure of vero cells to the mixture caused dose dependent protective effect. The results of present study indicate that subchronic exposure to low doses of mixture of styrene and dioctyl phthalate under certain conditions may modulate some of the immune functions as compared to exposure to either chemicals alone.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1993

Serum lactate dehydrogenase in head and neck malignancy patients.

50 patients of head and neck malignancy were selected for this study while excluding those associated with renal, hepatic, cardiac and metabolic diseases. Age and sex matched even number of controls were also included for comparison. Serum LDH levels in the control group were 124.2 +/- 3.50 I.U./L. Higher levels of LDH were observed in patients with malignancy of head and neck (335.50 +/- 21.60 I.U./L, P < 0.001). Serum LDH level was also related to histopathological stage of malignancy, being higher in poorly differentiated tumour as compared to moderate and well differentiated malignancy. Patients without metastasis had insignificantly lower serum LDH levels as compared to those with metastasis.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Overlap between Majewski and hydrolethalus syndromes: a report of two cases.

We present 2 unrelated fetuses with manifestations of both the hydrolethalus syndrome and the short rib-polydactyly syndrome, type Majewski. It is proposed that cases of hydrolethalus syndrome with short limbs constitute a separate type of lethal osteochondrodysplasia mimicking short rib-polydactyly syndromes.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Host resistance assays as predictive models in styrene immunomodulation.

Three infection models namely an oncogenic virus Encephalomyocarditis (EMCV), a rodent strain of malaria, Plasmodium berghei, and a rodent hookworm parasite, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, were used to confirm the in vivo immunotoxic potential of styrene reported in our previous communication. The altered host resistance to these challenge infections was evaluated in rodents pre-treated with 0, 0.02, 0.03 or 0.05 x LD50 dose of styrene (5 days/week) for 4 weeks. Significantly increased mortality in mice was observed at the various tested dose levels of styrene when challenged with EMCV. Similarly the results obtained in the malaria infection model indicated increased blood parasitaemia as well as significantly enhanced mortality in styrene-treated animals. Also the rejection of N. brasiliensis was also found to be significantly impaired in animals treated with a higher dose of styrene. These results indicate that the exposure of rodents to styrene can markedly impair host resistance which may have biological significance.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1991

Prostaglandin-F2 alpha levels in normal saline-induced mid-trimester abortions.

In 20 mid-trimester abortion seekers induced by extra-amniotic instillation of normal saline, serial estimation of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) in the plasma and extra-ovular space were carried out. It was observed that PGF2 alpha was undetectable in both plasma and the extra-ovular space prior to the onset of induction, and was first detected in the extra-ovular fluid 2 hours after the onset of induction, prior to oxytocin infusion. In the subsequent samples, the prostaglandin concentration in plasma as well as in the extra-ovular fluid was found to rise, with levels in the latter showing a more significant rise with time as compared to the former. Thus, this study confirms the hypothesis that the mechanism of action of extra-ovular normal saline instillation in mid-trimester termination of pregnancy is the result of separation of fetal membranes from the uterine wall, leading to the release of prostaglandins which, in turn, causes uterine contractions leading to abortion.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1989

Virulence of Giardia lamblia: an in vitro study on host-parasite interaction.

Trophozoites of G. lamblia, a human parasite, were lysed by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) of healthy individuals during in vitro interaction. However, the parasite damaged PMNL of giardiasis patients. A prior treatment of giardia trophozoites with anti-giardia serum, caused agglutination of pathogen and, thereby, the cytotoxic capacity of the parasite was reduced. Interaction of giardia-trophozoites with peritoneal macrophage, derived from infected mouse, reduced the phagocytic activity of the latter to 43% (against 100% in control). Macrophage activity was, however, stimulated to 131% when the mice were immunized with giardia antigen prior to experimental infection. Giardia extract proved cytotoxic at a dose of 0.7 mg, to HeLa cells in tissue culture. These in vitro studies offer experimental evidence of the cytotoxic and immuno-toxic behaviour of G. lamblia towards the host cells.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Radioprotection of peripheral blood cells with a combination of hydroxytryptophan and a thiol compound in mice.

Radiation induced changes in peripheral blood cells were studied in male Swiss albino mice after 4 Gy and 10 Gy whole body gamma irradiation with and without pretreatment with 2-amino-ethylisothiuronium bromide hydrobromide (AET) or with a combination of 5-hydroxy-L-tryptophan (5-HTP) and AET. Combination of 5-HTP with AET or AET alone in a high dose achieved excellent protection against both 4 Gy and 10 Gy whole body irradiation as regards peripheral blood cell counts.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗
PubMed1986

Evaluation of two compounds as possible radioprotectors.

Radioprotecting effectiveness of S-[2-(diethylamino)ethyl] 4-methylbenzothiohydroximate hydrochloride (Dev-B-9) and S-[2-(diethylamino)ethyl]alpha-keto 4-methyl benzothiohydroximate hydrochloride (Dev-B 43) were evaluated by both survival studies in mice exposed to 10.5 Gy whole body gamma-irradiation and 24 hours deoxycytidine (CdR) excretion in urine of rats following 5 Gy irradiation. The drugs were tested after intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration. The drugs rendered significant protection in sublethal (5 Gy) irradiation but could not protect against 10.5 Gy exposure.

Animals↗