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Biomedical subjects

M Afzal

Publications and source records attributed to M Afzal.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Vicia faba as a bioindicator of oil pollution.

In 1990, the Gulf War caused an unprecedented environmental catastrophe. More than 700 oil wells were set on fire, emitting thousands of tons of oxides of nitrogen, sulfur, soot and oil mist at high temperatures. The blazing oil wells and lakes were the major cause of environmental pollution, damaging flora and fauna throughout Kuwait and the surrounding region. We set up this study in order to investigate whether Vicia faba could be used as a bioindicator of oil pollution. Growth parameters of Vicia faba, such as levels of photosynthetic pigments, proteins, free amino acids, phenols, sugars, biomass, moisture and fatty acids, were studied. Levels of total reducible sugars, phenols, proteins, free amino acids and proline were found to be higher in plants grown in hydrocarbon-polluted soil, compared to those grown in control soil. However, biomass, moisture, pheophytin, the 435/415 nm ratio for chlorophylls and the chlorophyll a/carotenoid ratio, were higher in the plants grown in control soil than those grown in polluted soil. Our results indicate that Vicia faba can be used as a bioindicator of pollution and a ratio of the fatty acid C(20:1)/C(18:1) is an important index of environmental oil pollution.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1996

Management of psoriasis with Aloe vera extract in a hydrophilic cream: a placebo-controlled, double-blind study.

The purpose of this double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and tolerability of topical Aloe vera extract 0.5% in a hydrophilic cream to cure patients with psoriasis vulgaris. Sixty patients (36M/24F) aged 18-50 years (mean 25.6) with slight to moderate chronic plaque-type psoriasis and PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) scores between 4.8 and 16.7 (mean 9.3) were enrolled and randomized to two parallel groups. The mean duration of the disease prior to enrollment was 8.5 years (range 1-21). Patients were provided with a precoded 100g tube, placebo or active (with 0.5% Aloe vera extract), and they self-administered trial medication topically (without occlusion) at home 3 times daily for 5 consecutive days per week (maximum 4 weeks active treatment). Patients were examined on a weekly basis and those showing a progressive reduction of lesions, desquamation followed by decreased erythema, infiltration and lowered PASI score were considered healed. The study was scheduled for 16 weeks with 12 months of follow-up on a monthly basis. The treatment was well tolerated by all the patients, with no adverse drug-related symptoms and no dropouts. By the end of the study, the Aloe vera extract cream had cured 25/30 patients (83.3%) compared to the placebo cure rate of 2/30 (6.6%) (P < 0.001) resulting in significant clearing of the psoriatic plaques (328/396 (82.8%) vs placebo 28/366 (7.7%), P < 0.001) and a decreased PASI score to a mean of 2.2. The findings of this study suggest that topically applied Aloe vera extract 0.5% in a hydrophilic cream is more effective than placebo, and has not shown toxic or any other objective side-effects. Therefore, the regimen can be considered a safe and alternative treatment to cure patients suffering from psoriasis.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed1996

Intrathoracic extramedullary hematopoietic tumor in hemoglobin C disease.

A case of intrathoracic extramedullary hematopoietic tumor associated with hemoglobin C disease is reported in a 27-year-old Bangladeshi man. The patient's initial complaints were generalized weakness, weight loss, and left upper abdominal pain. Hospital workup revealed a solitary intrathoracic mass in the posterior mediastinum, which was suspected to be a lymphoma based on fine-needle aspiration. The mass was excised and proved to be an extramedullary hematopoietic tumor. The problem of differential diagnosis is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Computed tomography appearance of malignant schwannoma of the liver.

Malignant schwannoma of the liver without associated neurofibromatosis is rare. The authors present one such case in a 35-year-old woman. Computed tomography demonstrated large liver masses with contiguous involvement of adjacent stomach tissue, consistent with local invasion.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection and lymphadenitis (taloa or mala) in the camel.

Pure cultures of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis were obtained from 11 cases of lymphadenitis (known locally as taloa or mala) in camels. Camel isolates produced typical taloa in camels experimentally inoculated subcutaneously at the base of the external ear with 10(10) colony forming units. A sheep strain of C. pseudotuberculosis inoculated into camels produced a local abscess at the site of inoculation but did not produce taloa. Re-infection of camels recovered from experimental inoculation did not produce taloa suggesting the possibility of the development of a vaccine against lymphadenitis in camels.

Abscess↗
PubMed1995

Effects of inbreeding on marriage payment in north India.

This study examines the relationships between consanguineous marriages and marriage payment, using data from two Muslim qaums living in urban and rural areas in Aligarh District, Uttar Pradesh, North India. Qaum and locality were found to have no significant association with the dowry system. Marriage payment is less common in consanguineous than in non-consanguineous marriages. However, the association between marriage payment and the type of marriage is significant at p < 0.001. The dowry system is more prevalent among the higher socioeconomic groups, while the bride-wealth system is more common among the lower socioeconomic groups.

Consanguinity↗
PubMed1995

Feticide followed by successful removal of pregnancy products in early abdominal pregnancy.

Patient presented with an acute abdomen at 18 weeks gestation. Ultrasound and CT scan confirmed single extra uterine gestation. Considering the maternal hazards associated with surgical removal of viable abdominal pregnancy feticide was performed with ultrasound guided intracardial injection of KCl solution. Ten days after the procedure successful removal of pregnancy was achieved with no intra or post operative complications.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed1995

Effect of storage on some constituents of camel serum.

Effects of storage at room temperature (23-25 degrees C) and refrigeration (4-5 degrees C) on various biochemical constituents of camel serum were investigated. Albumin, globulin, calcium, phosphorus, cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (AP) and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) did not change over 9 days when stored at 4-5 degree C. At 4-5 degree C, creatinine, iron and glucose in camel sera remained stable for 6 days; total protein for 7 days; and blood urea nitrogen for 8 days. Decreased activities in creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were apparent after 1, 6, and 7 days, respectively. At room temperature, total protein, albumin, globulin, calcium and phosphorus were stable throughout the 9 days. Changes in glucose and iron occurred after 3 days. Stability at room temperature for LDH was 1 day; AST, 3 days; GGT and ALT, 6 days; and AP, 8 days. CK activity had already declined by 4 hours and by 9 days, only 34% activity remained.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Mean ages at parities: an indirect estimation.

"The objective of this paper is to describe an indirect approach for estimating the age patterns of occurrence of birth by parity. The main concern here is not of estimating the frequency of occurrence of births (in a period of time) in relation to the population (birth rate) or in relation to the number of females (fertility). Rather, the focus here is on the ages of first, second, and subsequent births, and on their shifts over time. Essentially, the approach is an extension of Hajnal's method for using proportions single to estimate singulate mean age at marriage...." The approach is illustrated using data from the 1975 Pakistan Fertility Survey and the 1990-1991 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey. A comment by Sultan S. Hashmi is included (pp. 560-1).

Age Factors↗
PubMed1994

Evaluation of Caralluma tuberculata pretreatment for the protection of rat gastric mucosa against toxic damage.

The ethanolic extract of Caralluma tuberculata N. E. Brown has been screened for its potential to protect gastric mucosa against the injuries caused by 80% ethanol, 0.2 M NaOH, hypertonic saline, and indomethacin. C. tuberculata at doses of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg body wt given 30 min before the necrotizing agents provided dose-dependent protection against the damage caused by all tested agents. The effects caused by ethanol were further investigated. Treatment of rats with 1 ml of 80% ethanol (gavage) was found to cause depletion of stomach-wall mucus, to lower the concentrations of proteins, nucleic acids, and nonprotein sulfhydryl groups in the stomach wall, and to cause histopathological lesions, including necrosis, erosions, congestion, and hemorrhage, of the stomach wall. C. tuberculata treatment caused a dose-dependent protection against all these effects. In the same manner it affected malondialdehyde concentrations altered by ethanol treatment. C. tuberculata also offered protection against mucosal damage caused by indomethacin. The protective effects of C. tuberculata in addition to its effects on mucus production and nonprotein sulfhydryl concentration may be mediated through its free radical scavenging and prostaglandin inducing properties.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1994

Inbreeding and congenital heart diseases in a north Indian population.

The study was performed in six mohallahs (colonies) of Aligarh City (North India). All six mohallahs are predominantly inhabited by Qureshi (meat sellers, a highly endogamous group) Muslims. A total of 1721 infants and children up to the age of 6 years were examined to determine the incidence of congenital heart diseases (CHD) in relation to the degree of consanguinity of the parents. Around 43% of the subjects were the offspring of consanguineous marriages including second-cousin, first-cousin-once-removed and first-cousin. A higher percentage of CHD was found in the offspring of consanguineous marriages: about 3.37% out of 741 children as compared to 1.22% in 980 offspring of non-consanguineous marriages, whereas in the first-cousin offspring, the percentage of CHD rose to 4.41%. The differences were found to be statistically significant. The present study suggests a genetic influence and also casts doubt on the applicability of a polygenic threshold model to all forms of cardiac malformation.

Chi-Square Distribution↗
PubMed1994

Effect of environmental pollutants on hepatocellular function in rats: 3-methylcholanthrene and Aroclor-1254.

Environmental pollutants, Aroclor-1254 (PCB) and 3-methylcholanthrene (MC), were employed in this study to investigate some aspects of the induction of hepatic drug metabolism in rats. PCB and MC treatments increased 7-ethoxyresorufin and 7-ethoxycoumarin O-deethylase activities related to cytochrome P-448. Cytochrome P-450 reductase activity was increased by PCB while no effect was observed by MC treatment. Pretreatment with PCB resulted in approximately 50% increase in the phospholipid content of the microsomes whereas MC caused no change. Liver microsomal cholesterol content was decreased while triglycerides were increased by PCB. The ratio between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (saturation index) decreased in the total microsomes and phospholipids with PCB treatment, whereas MC did not alter the ratio, except that the major effect of MC was observed in the acyl derivatives of microsomal phosphatidylethanolamine. It is proposed that the uniaxial rotation and mobility of hemoproteins may be restricted by an increase in the saturation index of the membrane, while a decreased index may facilitate contact with reductases for electron transfer by enhanced membrane fluidity. The decreased saturation index after treatment with MC may play a role in carcinogenicity by triggering induction of free radicals.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Modulation of bile acids induced by paraquat in rabbits.

Rabbit bile was examined for changes in composition induced by paraquat. Paraquat was administered intraperitoneally and changes in bile components were monitored by high performance liquid chromatography. Alterations in the ratios of total glycine/taurine conjugated bile acids (TGC/TTC), cholic acid/deoxycholic acid (CA/DC), cholic acid/chenodeoxycholic acid (CA/CDC) and cholic acid/cholesterol (CA/CH) were measured as an index of paraquat toxicity. A statistically significant increase in the ratio of TGC/TTC was observed, while CA/DC, CA/CDC and CA/CH showed a decrease. Phospholipids, protein, sugar, bilirubin, beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E in the bile and serum of the experimental animals were also monitored. In bile, the levels of cholesterol, phospholipids, protein, sugar, and total bile acids increased while the levels of the antioxidants beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E decreased. A decrease in the bilirubin content of the bile was also observed. These modifications may be useful clinically for assessment of paraquat toxicity.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Survey of antibodies against various infectious disease agents in racing camels in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Prevalence of antibodies against some important disease agents in sera from racing camels in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) is reported. Antibodies against Brucella abortus were detected in 1.5% of racing camels, but only 0.76% had titres sufficient for the animals to be considered infected. The complement fixation test revealed antibodies against Coxiella burnetii (causative agent of Q fever) in 7.9% of camels (with a geometrical mean titre of 13) and against parainfluenza virus type 3 in 5.6% of camels (with a geometrical mean titre of 20). Serological evidence did not show the presence of Aspergillus spp., while antibodies against Leptospira interrogans were seen in 4.1% of camels. Antibodies against Echinococcus polymorphus were observed in 2.6% of the animals, while a large number of racing camels (30.9% and 36.4%) possessed antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii, as determined by direct agglutination and indirect haemagglutination, respectively.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Evaluation of three oil-adjuvant vaccines against Pasteurella multocida in buffalo calves.

Three oil-adjuvant vaccines of Pasteurella multocida 6:B were evaluated with respect to the level and duration of the humoral immune response produced in buffalo calves. Preparation 1 was a water-in-oil emulsion containing Marcol 52, Montanide 888 and antigen at a ratio of 6:1:3. Preparation 2 was a double emulsion containing Marcol 52, Arlacel A and Tween 80 in addition to antigen. Preparation 3 contained alpha-d-tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), Montanide 888 and antigen. All three preparations induced a similar sustained immune response in buffalo calves beyond 270 days post-vaccination.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗