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Biomedical subjects

M Gupta

Publications and source records attributed to M Gupta.

At least 289 records · Page 16Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Effect of alkaloidal extract from Clerodendron colebrookianum on hematological parameters and hepatorenal functions in mice.

Effects of multiple weekly (20, 40 and 80 mg/kg) and daily therapeutic (2, 4 and 8 mg/kg) ip doses of C. colebrookianum leaf extract on liver and kidney functions and hematological parameters in mice were studied. No alteration in hematological and biochemical parameters at low and moderate dose level of daily and low dose level of weekly treatment of alkaloidal extract was observed. However, alkaloidal extract at moderate dose in weekly treatment increased significantly serum alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, nonprotein nitrogen, blood urea, plasma protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. High dose of alkaloidal extract increased all the above parameters of weekly treated mice including serum aspartate aminotransferase and plasma cholesterol and decreased significantly serum bilirubin and clotting time. Whereas, in high dose daily treatment erythrocyte count and hemoglobin content were increased and serum bilirubin was decreased. The present study reveals that the high dose (above 40 mg/kg body weight) of alkaloidal extract of C. colebrookianum affects liver and kidney functions and metabolism and also alters only clotting time and ESR whereas the therapeutic dose level (hypotensive action at 2 to 8 mg/kg, i.v., dose level) did not exhibit any toxic action on the above mentioned system; the toxic action may be due to overdose. Hepatorenal dysfunction and alteration of hematological parameters were noted at moderate and high dose in a dose dependent manner.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1994

Fine needle aspiration cytology in the diagnosis of bone tumours.

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology was performed on 62 primary and 22 metastatic bone tumours. Histological correlation was available in all 62 primary bone tumours, which included 7 benign and 53 malignant tumours. The most common of the malignant tumours were Ewing's sarcoma, followed by giant cell tumour, osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma. The benign tumours included 4 enchondromas, 1 chondromyxoid fibroma and 2 osteochondromas. The overall cytodiagnostic accuracy in primary malignant bone tumours was 86.9%, the specificity was 100% and cytological categorization of tumours was possible in the majority of cases. This eliminated the need for bioptic confirmation. Our results indicate that FNA cytology is a valuable diagnostic tool in bone tumours.

Biopsy, Needle↗
PubMed1993

Expression and localization of tissue factor-based procoagulant activity (PCA) in pigeon monocyte-derived macrophages.

Monocyte-derived macrophages, focal to initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, have been implicated in thrombotic complication of this disease. In the present study we demonstrated tissue factor based procoagulant activity in cultured macrophages from the White Carneau pigeon following endotoxin (1-2 micrograms/ml) stimulation. This macrophage procoagulant activity paralleled activity obtained with pigeon brain homogenate. We used Enzyme-Linked Coagulation Assay (ELCA), an ultrasensitive microtiter plate assay, to measure procoagulant activity in these cells. Through the use of clotting factors purified from pigeon plasma, procoagulant activity could be detected with as few as 1-3 cells. Tissue factor antigen, detected through the use of immunogold labelling in conjunction with a polyclonal antibody which was highly specific to human tissue factor, was distributed uniformly over the plasma membrane of the endotoxin-stimulated cells. These studies suggest that this procoagulant activity might play an important role in the pathobiology of atherosclerosis in White Carneau pigeons by initiating fibrin polymerization and thus leading to thrombotic complications of the disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Effect of rabadi fermentation on phytic acid and in vitro digestibility of barley.

Rabadi, an indigenous fermented food, was prepared by mixing cereal flour with buttermilk, allowing it to ferment at 30, 35 and 40 degrees C for 6, 12, 18, 24 and 48 h and cooking the fermented mixture for 0.5 h with continuous stirring. Two types of rabadi were prepared i.e. autoclaved and unautoclaved. In autoclaved type of rabadi cereal flour was mixed with water, autoclaved (0.103 MPa = 15 psi for 15 min), cooled, mixed with buttermilk and fermented. As this type of rabadi was precooked prior to fermentation, hence, the fermented product did not require cooking afterwards, while in unautoclaved rabadi, barley flour and buttermilk were mixed, fermented and then cooked prior to consumption. Phytic acid was reduced drastically at all the temperatures and periods of fermentation in both autoclaved and unautoclaved type of rabadi; greater reduction occurred at higher temperature and duration of fermentation. A significant improvement in the in vitro digestibility of starch and protein was observed; maximum improvement was noticed when fermentation was carried out at 40 degrees C for 48 h in both the types of rabadi. Phytic acid had a significant (P < 0.05) negative correlation with digestibility (in vitro) of proteins and starch of barley flour rabadi.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa cross-reacting antigen in monocyte-derived macrophages from the pigeon.

The binding of fibrinogen to its receptor on mammalian platelets and avian thrombocytes has been extensively studied; and the receptors, composed of glycoproteins IIb and IIIa, have been characterized in both systems. Recently, monocytes have been implicated in the thrombotic complications of atherosclerosis, and in both the avian and human systems this appears to be through a procoagulant activity which leads to fibrinogen polymerization. Although fibrin polymerization by avian monocytes has been reported, the receptor for fibrinogen on these cells has not been reported previously. The present study describes the presence of glycoprotein IIb- and IIIa-like proteins in avian macrophages and correlates the localization of these glycoproteins with regions to which fibrinogen binds. Through the use of immunofluorescence light microscopy and immunogold electron microscopy in conjunction with monospecific, polyclonal antibodies, GPIIb and GPIIIa cross-reacting antigens were identified on membranes of monocyte/macrophages cultured from White Carneau pigeons. A specific concentration of the antigens was found on membrane ruffles and microvilli, sites to which FITC-labeled fibrinogen also bound. Interaction of the antibodies with pigeon macrophages was confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with cultured cells. Immunoblotting of membranes isolated from pigeon monocyte/macrophages identified a protein of 132,000 M(r) that was recognized by anti-GPIIb and a protein of 114,000 M(r) that was recognized by anti-GPIIIa. These pigeon monocyte glycoproteins comigrated with glycoproteins IIb and IIIa isolated from human platelets.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

The encephalomyocarditis virus 3C protease is rapidly degraded by an ATP-dependent proteolytic system in reticulocyte lysate.

The encephalomyocarditis virus 3C protease has been observed to undergo rapid degradation, both in vivo in mouse cells and in vitro in reticulocyte lysate. Experiments were carried out to characterize the turnover of the 3C protease in reticulocyte lysate. 3C protease prepared in reticulocyte lysate by in vitro translation and processing of a precursor polyprotein could be separated from the proteolytic activity responsible for its degradation. This implies the 3C protease is not directly involved in its own proteolysis. Active 3C protease flanked by only a few amino acids was degraded at a rate identical to that of a similar protein containing an inactivated catalytic site. This indicates that 3C protease activity is not indirectly required for the proteolytic process. Other viral proteins, including the 3D polymerase and capsid proteins, were relatively stable in the lysate. In addition, polyprotein precursors containing 3C protease with an inactive catalytic site and various flanking proteins displayed distinctly different stabilities. These results suggest that the reticulocyte proteolytic system functions in a selective manner toward the viral proteins. The effects of several proteolytic inhibitors on the lysate proteolytic system were evaluated. The results of these experiments indicate that the rapid degradation of the EMC virus 3C protease requires the hydrolysis of ATP.

3C Viral Proteases↗
PubMed1993

Electrocardiographic diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy in the presence of left bundle branch block: an echocardiographic correlation.

Surface electrocardiographic findings of 10 cases of left bundle branch block with echocardiographically determined left ventricular hypertrophy were compared with another 10 cases of left bundle branch block without left ventricular hypertrophy. Horizontal plane QRS- and T-wave angle > or = 150 degrees was highly sensitive (70%) and specific (90%) in diagnosing left ventricular hypertrophy in the presence of left bundle branch block. This diagnosis criterion was better than any other conventional criterion described before.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Burn epidemiology: the Pink City scene.

This report describes the statistical analysis of 629 burn patients treated between January 1989 and August 1990. The analysed data include age, sex, cause of burn and mortality in relation to age, cause and extent of burn injuries. Additional information with regard to socioeconomic status, marital status, place of burn, family size, type of burn, time of accident and time between injury and hospital admission was obtained from analysis of 271 of the 629 patients admitted between January 1990 and August 1990. In our series, adolescent and young adults (11-40 years) comprised 64.8 per cent of the patients. Males formed 54 per cent and females 46 per cent of the total burns. 82.65 per cent of the patients received their burns at home. Most of our patients belonged to the low or lower middle socioeconomic strata and had large families. 95.5 per cent of the burns were accidental in nature. Flame burns comprised 67.9 per cent and scalds comprised 16.4 per cent of the total burns. The overall mortality rate was 48.3 per cent. The mortality rate was comparatively low in children (20.1 per cent). Flame burns resulted in maximum deaths (62.1 per cent). In patients with over 40 per cent burns, the mortality was about 80 per cent. There were no survivors in patients with over 70 per cent TBSA burns in our series.

Accidents, Home↗
PubMed1993

Enzymatic amplification of mini-exon-derived RNA gene spacers of Leishmania donovani: primers and probes for DNA diagnosis.

The multicopy mini-exon-derived RNA (med RNA) locus of Leishmania donovani was enzymatically amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The major 180 bp PCR product contained conserved med RNA gene sequences flanking the variable intergenic spacer from the med RNA gene tandem repeat. The oligonucleotide primers cross-reacted with other Leishmania species. In serial dilution experiments, positivity in the PCR assay was observed down to the genomic DNA equivalent of less than a single Leishmania cell. When the major PCR products from Indian L. donovani isolates were cloned and used as probes in dot hybridization analyses, they discriminated between L. donovani and L. amazonensis, L. major and L. infantum under high stringency conditions. DNA from spleen biopsies and blood samples of confirmed kala azar patients was positive, as were two skin biopsies from patients with post-kala azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL). These observations demonstrate that PCR amplification of med RNA intergenic spacers is sufficiently sensitive for clinical diagnosis of kala azar and PKDL, and furthermore, that cloned intergenic spacer probes may be useful for identification and classification of L. donovani.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Effect of selective angiotensin II receptor antagonism and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on the coronary vasculature in vivo. Intravascular two-dimensional and Doppler ultrasound studies.

BACKGROUND: Although angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have been reported to increase coronary blood flow, the effect of selective angiotensin II (AT1)-receptor antagonism on the coronary circulation has not been defined. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined the effects of the AT1-receptor antagonist Losartan (DuP 753, 0.2-3.2 mg/kg) on coronary arteries in vivo in 11 dogs, using a combination of intravascular two-dimensional and Doppler ultrasound. In six dogs, a 30-MHz, 4.3F ultrasound imaging catheter was placed in the midsegment of the circumflex coronary artery to measure cross-sectional area (CSA), and a 0.018-in. Doppler wire was placed alongside to measure coronary flow velocity. At peak effect (1.6 mg/kg), Losartan increased mean coronary CSA from 7.9 +/- 0.5 to 9.5 +/- 0.8 mm2 and average peak velocity (APV) from 32 +/- 10 to 56 +/- 18 cm/sec, resulting in an increase in coronary blood flow from 74 +/- 19 to 151 +/- 36 mL/min. The maximal effect of the ACE inhibitor enalaprilat (5 mg) was an increase in CSA from 7.7 +/- 0.7 to 8.4 +/- 0.8 mm2 and an increase in APV from 36 +/- 10 to 53 +/- 20 cm/sec, with an increase in coronary blood flow from 82 +/- 25 to 122 +/- 41 mL/min. Relative to maximal hyperemia with adenosine (6 mg i.c.), the magnitude of flow increase from baseline was 0.37 with the AT1-receptor antagonist and 0.19 with the ACE inhibitor (p < 0.05). These effects were seen without changes in heart rate or systemic arterial pressure. In an additional five dogs, the ultrasound imaging catheter was introduced directly over a 0.014-in. Doppler wire, and the effects of indomethacin, propranolol, and N omega-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME) on the vasodilator effect of Losartan (1.6 mg/kg) were examined. Indomethacin and propranolol had no effect on Losartan-induced vasodilation, suggesting that it was not mediated via prostaglandins or beta-adrenoceptors. However, Losartan-induced epicardial vasodilation was partially inhibited by L-NAME, suggesting an action partly dependent on endothelial release of nitric oxide. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, these acute studies in anesthetized dogs suggest that inhibition of AT1-receptors in the coronary circulation results in vasodilator responses greater in magnitude than ACE inhibition and partly endothelium dependent. The exact role for AT1-receptors in human coronary physiology and pathology remains to be defined.

Adenosine↗