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Biomedical subjects

K Rao

Publications and source records attributed to K Rao.

160 records · Page 9Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Monoamine oxidase isoenzymes in rat brain: differential changes during postnatal development but not aging.

Differential development of monoamine oxidase (MAO) isoenzymes in rat whole brain is described in postnatally developing Sprague-Dawley rats. Total MAO and isoenzyme activity was measured using nonspecific and specific substrates. Total MAO activity measured using tyramine, increased postnatally up to 24 weeks of age and attained a plateau afterward. The increase in total MAO activity was significant at all age groups (18 days to 36 months) investigated as compared to new born rats. MAO-A and MAO-B activities were measured using octopamine and benzylamine respectively. We also observed a marginal increase of MAO-A activity and a significant increase of MAO-B activity upon development. Furthermore, at 12 weeks of age, MAO-B activity increased by 10-fold as compared to new born and was consistent up to 36 months of age. The qualitative localization of the enzyme activity on non SDS-PAGE by nitroblue tetrazolium staining confirmed the increase of MAO-B during the development. It is suggested that the maturational increase of total MAO activity in brain is predominantly due to the increase of MAO-B isoenzyme.

Aging↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Total intravenous anesthesia with propofol for transsternal thymectomy in myasthenia gravis.

Patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) represent a significant management problem for the anesthesiologist. Anesthetic concerns center on the MG patient's unpredictable response to muscle relaxants and increased susceptibility to postoperative respiratory failure, resulting in prolonged dependence on mechanical ventilation. We describe the first reported use of total intravenous anesthesia with propofol to provide satisfactory surgical conditions in two patients with MG undergoing trans-sternal thymectomy. Propofol is a suitable drug for intubation and continuous infusion anesthesia, allowing fine control of anesthetic depth, good operating conditions, and a recovery profile suitable for MG patients undergoing surgery.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Medical management of Aspergillus flavus endocarditis.

An 11-year-old boy underwent a matched unrelated bone marrow transplant for refractory acute myeloid leukemia. He developed invasive aspergillus pneumonia and endocarditis post-transplant. The fungal endocarditis was successfully eradicated with liposomal amphotericin at the dose of 10 mg/kg/day. Surgical intervention was not required and no serious side effects of liposomal amphotericin were observed at this dose.

Amphotericin B↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Lycanthropy in depression: two case reports.

Two cases of lycanthropy presenting as part of a depressive disorder are described. The patients responded favorably to pharmacotherapy. In both cases, a positive history of dog bite influenced the presentation of symptoms. The authors speculate whether the defense of identification with the aggressor was operative.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A two-year longitudinal study of post-stroke mood disorders: dynamic changes in associated variables over the first six months of follow-up.

We are prospectively studying a group of 103 stroke patients over the first 2 years after infarction to determine the variables which are associated with the development of depression. At both 3 and 6 months post-stroke, patients with left hemisphere infarcts showed a strong relationship between severity of depression and distance of the lesion on CT scan from the frontal pole. The strength of this association was unchanged from the immediate post-infarction period. In contrast, the correlation between degree of functional physical impairment and severity of depression steadily increased over the 6 month follow-up. The correlation between severity of depression and Mini-Mental score or between depression and social functioning score dropped between in-hospital and 3 months but then increased significantly between 3 and 6 months post-stroke. Age did not correlate with depression beyond the acute post-stroke period. Whether the increasing strength of the relationships between impairment and depression over the first 6 months post-stroke indicates that continued depression led to delayed recovery or whether continued severe impairments led to depression is not known, however, this issue will be addressed in further data evaluation from this prospective study.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Bone marrow transplantation in patients with Fanconi anemia: experience with cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation conditioning regimen.

Eleven patients with Fanconi anemia (FA) underwent bone marrow transplantation (BMT) between March 1985 and May 1990 in a single institution. Ten patients received bone marrow from healthy full human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched siblings and one patient from her father (one antigen mismatch). Ten patients were conditioned with cyclophosphamide (Cy) at a dose of 5 mg/kg per day for 4 days followed by total body irradiation (TBI) for a total of 600 cGy over 3 days. Six of the 11 patients are alive and have normal reconstitution of their bone marrow. Median follow-up was 72 months (range 42-84). Three of the 10 patients who received Cy and TBI (two HLA compatible, one antigen mismatch) had graft failure. Five patients developed at least grade III acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The rates of graft failure and GVHD are, however, still significantly high. Modification of the conditioning regimen and GVHD prophylaxis is needed to improve the outcome.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Engraftment failure following bone marrow transplantation in children with thalassemia major using busulfan and cyclophosphamide conditioning.

Thirteen children older than 3 years of age with beta-thalassemia major underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from a full human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched sibling donor in a single institution. These patients received busulfan (Bu). 16 mg/kg followed by cyclophosphamide (Cy) 200 mg/kg for conditioning. Eight of the 13 patients (Group 1) engrafted and have a median age of 13 years (range 5-15 years). The five patients (Group 2) who failed to engraft have a median age of 6 years (range 3-8 years). The association with the following factors was found to be statistically significant: age (older in Group 1), duration of nadir of white blood count (WBC) of < or = .1 x 10(9)/L (longer in Group 1), and the dose of Bu administered to each patient calculated on the basis of body surface area (higher dose in Group 1). The high rate of engraftment failure (5 out of 13) may be related to the suboptimal systemic exposure of Bu in younger children leading to inadequate bone marrow ablation when the standard dose of 16 mg/kg is used.

Bone Marrow Transplantation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Identification of risk factors for specific subsites within the oral and oropharyngeal region--a study of 647 cancer patients.

Studies on site specific risks for oral cancers are few. Present investigation explores the possible role of human sociodemographic factors in causing oral cancer. Majority of patients had poor oral hygiene (85.5%) and belonged to 51-60 years age group (35.7%). Most of the subjects were agriculture workers (30.3%). Tongue and floor of mouth included majority of the affected sites (77.2%). Male to female ratio was highest for tonsil (32.3%) but differed marginally for other subsites. Majority of females used tobacco (81%) while males users of tobacco, alcohol and smoking reported in nearly equal proportions. Tobacco and smoking were found as primary risk factors for several intraoral subsites. However, for tongue, palate and lip no risk factor could be identified from given patients' characteristics. In general, tobacco posed high risk for buccal mucosa and alveolus in comparison to other subsites. Smoking affected tonsil and floor of mouth more than other sites. Alcohol posed more risk for buccal mucosa and floor of mouth than tongue.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Circadian desynchronization in pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, rectal temperature and urine output in traumatic tetraplegics.

An investigation was undertaken to study the circadian rhythmicity in pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, rectal temperature and urine output in eight traumatic tetraplegics in view of the fact that diurnal rhythmicity in prolactin response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone was absent in such patients. The data, analysed by single cosinor procedure, showed absence of rhythmicity in all five parameters. Analysis of variance also showed no significant difference in these parameters at various time points. Knowledge of the alterations in circadian biology subsequent to cervical spinal cord trauma would provide useful guidelines towards chronotherapy and vocational rehabilitation of tetraplegics besides possible restoration of euchronism by pharmacological means.

Adolescent↗