Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to N Jain.
Three bacterial isolates from the activated sludge of a distillery wastewater treatment plant identified as Xanthomonas fragariae, Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus cereus were found to remove COD and colour from anaerobically digested distillery wastewater in the range of 55 to 68% and 38 to 58% respectively.
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Long-term management of asthma includes identification and avoidance of precipitating factors of asthma, pharmacotherapy and home management plan. Common precipitating factors include viral upper respiratory infections, exposure to smoke, dust, cold food and cold air. Avoidance of common precipitating factors has been shown to help in better control of asthma. Pharmacotherapy is the main stay of treatment of asthma. Commonly used drugs for better control of asthma are long and short acting bronchodilators, mast cell stabilizers, inhaled steroids, theophylline and steroid sparing agents. After assessment of severity most appropriate medications are selected. For mild episodic asthma the medications are short acting beta agonists as and when required. For mild persistent asthma: as and when required bronchodilators along with a daily maintenance treatment in form of low dose inhaled steroids or cromolyn or oral theophylline or ketotifen are required. Moderate persistent asthma should be treated with inhaled steroids along with long acting beta agonists for symptom control. For severe persistent asthma the recommended treatment includes inhaled steroids, long acting beta agonists with or without theophylline. If symptoms are not well controlled, a minimal dose of oral prednisolone preferably on alternate days may be needed in few patients. Newer drugs like leukotriene antagonists may find a place in control of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and mild and moderate persistent asthma. Patients should be followed up every 8-12 weeks. On each follow up visit patients should be examined by a doctor, compliance to medications should be checked and actual inhalation technique is observed. Depending on the assessment, medications may be decreased or stepped up. For exercise induced bronchoconstriction: cromolyn, short or long acting beta agonists may be used. In children with seasonal asthma, maintenance treatment according to assessed severity should be started 2 weeks in advance and continued throughout the season. These patients should be reassessed after discontinuing the treatment. Parents should be given a written plan for management of acute exacerbation at home.
OBJECTIVES: To compare the accuracy of semi quantitative methods for estimation of protein and sugar in urine as shown by their agreement with the quantitative estimation. Hundred randomly collected samples of urine were analysed for levels of protein and sugar. Protein estimation was dine by dipstick and sulphosalicylic acid method (SSA) and sugar by dipstick and Benedict's semi-quantitative methods. Kappa analysis was done on Epi Info 6.03 software to assess the agreement of these semi quantitative methods with the quantitative estimation. Neither of the two tests for urine protein, dipstick or SSA, showed good agreement with the quantitative estimation (Kappa coefficient: 0.26 and 0.07 respectively). However, the dipstick was significantly better than SSA (p < 0.05). For urine sugar, both dipstick and Benedict's tests showed good agreement with the quantitative estimation (Kappa coefficient: 0.78 and 0.84 respectively). The difference between them was insignificant. Results demonstrate that for urine protein, dipstick or SSA show poor agreement with quantitative values. For urine sugar estimation, Benedict's semi-quantitative test shows good agreement with the quantitative values and is as good as the dipstick method.
The distribution of the well-labeled nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPHd) Type I neurons was evaluated in the isocortex of four mammalian species: the Didelphis opossum, the Monodelphis opossum, the rat and the marmoset. In Didelphis opossum, laminar distribution was examined in tangential and non-tangential sections. The density increases from superficial to deep layers of the gray matter. In rats' tangential sections, infragranular and supragranular layers have higher density than layer IV. Cell density measurements in the visual and the somatosensory cortices were compared in tangential sections from flattened hemispheres of the four species. Somatosensory areas were identified histochemically in rat (barrel fields) and marmoset (S1 and S2/PV). In the opossums, areas S1 and S2/PV were identified by multiunit recording. Except in the rat, primary visual cortex (V1) was labeled histochemically by NADPHd and/or cytochrome oxidase. In the four species, cell density in somatosensory cortex was significantly higher than in visual cortex. Taken together these results demonstrate that NADPHd Type I neurons are not homogeneously distributed in the isocortex of these mammals. In conclusion, the tangential distribution of Type I neurons in the sensory areas examined, but not its laminar distribution, was similar in the four species. Given that rats, marmosets and opossums are distantly related species, and that the latter are considered to have more 'generalized' brains, it is conceivable that this pattern of tangential distribution of Type I neurons is a general feature of mammalian isocortex.
Somatotopic maps in the cortex and the thalamus of adult monkeys and humans reorganize in response to altered inputs. After loss of the sensory afferents from the forelimb in monkeys because of transection of the dorsal columns of the spinal cord, therapeutic amputation of an arm or transection of the dorsal roots of the peripheral nerves, the deprived portions of the hand and arm representations in primary somatosensory cortex (area 3b), become responsive to inputs from the face and any remaining afferents from the arm. Cortical and subcortical mechanisms that underlie this reorganization are uncertain and appear to be manifold. Here we show that the face afferents from the trigeminal nucleus of the brainstem sprout and grow into the cuneate nucleus in adult monkeys after lesions of the dorsal columns of the spinal cord or therapeutic amputation of an arm. This growth may underlie the large-scale expansion of the face representation into the hand region of somatosensory cortex that follows such deafferentations.
To study the problem of acquired resistance to widely used anti-cancer drugs that target the 170 kDa topoisomerase IIalpha (topo IIalpha), a drug-resistant human small-cell lung cancer cell line, H209/VP, was selected in VP-16. H209/VP cells express reduced levels of the 170 kDa topo IIalpha that is localized normally in the nucleus and also express lower levels of a 160 kDa topo IIalpha-related protein that is located predominantly in the cytoplasm. Band depletion immunoblotting experiments suggest that the H209/VP nuclear 170 kDa topo IIalpha is able to form ternary complexes with DNA and VP-16 in intact cells, but the ability of the cytoplasmic 160 kDa protein to do so is greatly diminished. Sequence analysis of the 3; end of the H209/VP mutant topo IIalpha mRNA and the TOP2A gene indicates that the mRNA is missing 200 nt that corresponds to exon 34 because the partial loss of the minimal 3; splice-acceptor sequence at the beginning of exon 34 results in splicing of exon 33 to exon 35. The protein predicted to be encoded by this mutant mRNA does not contain the COOH-terminal 109 amino acids of the wild-type enzyme that we have demonstrated contain a strongly functional nuclear localization signal sequence. Consequently, our data explain both the size and the cytoplasmic localization of the H209/VP mutant topo IIalpha. The mutant TOP2A allele in H209/VP cells differs from those in previously characterized cell lines with cytoplasmic topo IIalpha and extends the number of types of resistance-associated deletions in this region to 4. These findings indicate that this region of the TOP2A gene may be a hot spot for mutations.
Phytochemical investigation of the heartwood of Myristica malabarica has led to the isolation of the new 7,4'-dimethoxy-5-hydroxyisoflavone together with two other isoflavones, biochanin A and prunetin, and a 1,3-diarylpropanol and a rare alpha-hydroxydihydrochalcone.
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The organization of neocortex in the short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) was explored with multiunit microelectrode recordings from middle layers of cortex. Microelectrode maps were subsequently related to the chemoarchitecture of flattened cortical preparations, sectioned parallel to the cortical surface and processed for either cytochrome oxidase (CO) or NADPH-diaphorase (NADPHd) histochemistry. The recordings revealed the presence of at least two systematic representations of the contralateral body surface located in a continuous strip of cortex running from the rhinal sulcus to the medial wall. The primary somatosensory area (S1) was located medially while secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) formed a laterally located mirror image of S1. Auditory cortex was located in lateral cortex at the caudal border of S2, and some electrode penetrations in this area responded to both auditory and somatosensory stimulation. Auditory cortex was outlined by a dark oval visible in flattened brain sections. A large primary visual cortex (V1) was located at the caudal pole of cortex, and also consistently corresponded to a large chemoarchitecturally visible oval. Cortex just rostral and lateral to V1 responded to visual stimulation, while bimodal auditory/visual responses were obtained in an area between V1 and somatosensory cortex. The results are compared with brain organization in other marsupials and with placentals and the evolution of cortical areas in mammals is discussed.
PURPOSE: To better understand the course of cortical maturation during early development, the phenomenon of binocular cross-orientation suppression in neurons of the primary visual cortex (V1) in young infant monkeys was investigated. METHODS: Extracellular single-unit recordings were made in anesthetized and paralyzed monkeys ranging in age between 6 days and 8 weeks. Orthogonally oriented, dichoptic sine-wave gratings were used as visual stimuli. RESULTS: V1 neurons in young infant monkeys showed a higher prevalence and greater magnitude of binocular cross-orientation suppression than in adult monkeys. Binocular suppression decreased and reached an adult level between 4 and 8 weeks of age, the presumed onset-age for stereopsis in monkeys. CONCLUSIONS: During the first 4 weeks of life, the functional connections that are necessary for initiating binocular cross-orientation suppression exist in the monkey primary visual cortex. This finding is consistent with the view that before the abrupt onset of stereopsis, human infants may detect the differences between interocularly iso-oriented gratings and orthogonal gratings.
OBJECTIVE: To study the spectrum of neurobrucellosis in a prospective study at Bikaner which is supposed to be uncommon in India. METHOD: This study was done on admitted patients of brucellosis from June 1996 to June 1999 in whom the diagnosis was done by history of exposure to animals, fever and arthralgia and demonstration of brucella antibody titres in serum 1:160. CSF examination was done in all the patients. All cases were treated by combination of doxycycline 100 mg twice daily, rifampicin 900 mg daily for 6-8 weeks and injection streptomycin 0.75 to 1 gm i.m. per day for initial 14 days. Detailed neurological examination and antibody titres of serum and CSF again measured at the end of treatment. RESULTS: Twelve out of 92 patients revealed evidence of neurobrucellosis in which four cases were of meningoencephalitis, two cases of myelitis leading to spastic paraparesis, five cases of polyradiculoneuropathy and one case of polyneuroradiculomyeloencephalopathy. The treatment regimen used was associated with a high cure rate and significant reduction in antibody titres in serum and CSF. CONCLUSION: Neurobrucellosis is an uncommon but serious manifestation affecting central and peripheral nervous system. The clinical profile of the disease mimicks closely to commonly seen neurological infective diseases like tubercular meningitis, viral encephalitis, aseptic meningitis, cerebral malaria and viral encephalopathy. Serum and CSF testing for brucella antibody titre is an important test for the diagnosis. Blood culture is not an ideal test for neurobrucellosis because of low yield and longer time required for the diagnosis. High degree of suspicion is prudent for the diagnosis. High degree of cure rate can be achieved by treatment with present regimen in a disease which is otherwise having high mortality and morbidity.
A case of acute aluminium phosphide poisoning is described, who presented in shock secondary to electrolyte related cardiac rhythm disturbance and the judicious correction of the same could save his life without any consequence.
Fasciolopsiasis, or infection by the intestinal fluke, Fascilopsis buski, is endemic in the eastern states of our country. While it is by no means a rarity, especially in the rural set up, awareness regarding this common parasitic infestation is still a much-needed entity. The importance of a strong degree of suspicion and early diagnosis cannot be over emphasised, if a successful campaign is to be launched in its control. With this as our central theme, we proceed to report a case of and unsually heavy Fasciolopsis buski infection in our hospital, which had failed to be diagnosed in a semi urban setup in UP.
Stat3 is activated by phosphorylation on Tyr-705, which leads to dimer formation, nuclear translocation, and regulation of gene expression. Serine phosphorylation of Stat3 by mitogen-activated protein kinase has also been observed in cells responding to epidermal growth factor and shown to affect its tyrosine phosphorylation and transcriptional activity. Serine phosphorylation of Stat3 is also induced by interleukin-6 (IL-6) stimulation, which is shown to be independent of mitogen-activated protein kinase and sensitive to the Ser/Thr kinase inhibitor H7. In this study, we investigated whether protein kinase C (PKC) is the kinase that is induced and responsible for Stat3 serine phosphorylation by IL-6 stimulation and which isoform of PKCs is likely to be involved. Here, we report that Stat3 was specifically associated with PKC delta in vivo in an IL-6-dependent manner in several cell types. Furthermore, Stat3 was phosphorylated by PKC delta in vivo on Ser-727, which could be inhibited either by a specific PKC delta inhibitor or by a dominant-negative mutant of PKC delta. Finally, we showed that the phosphorylation of Stat3 by PKC delta led to a negative regulation of Stat3 DNA binding and transcriptional activity. These results indicate that PKC delta is likely to be the kinase that phosphorylates Stat3 in response to IL-6 stimulation and suggest a possible regulatory role of PKC delta on Stat3 function.
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