Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P Dutta

Publications and source records attributed to P Dutta.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Efficacy & safety of glycine fortified oral rehydration solution in the treatment of acute dehydrating diarrhoea in children.

Efficacy and safety of glycine fortified oral rehydration solution (ORS) was compared with a standard ORS (WHO formula) in a randomized clinical trial in children aged between 4 months and 5 yr with moderate degree of dehydration owing to acute watery diarrhoea. No significant differences (P greater than 0.05) were observed in diarrhoeal stool output, duration of diarrhoea and intake of ORS between the study and control groups respectively. Thus glycine fortified ORS does not have any additional advantage over standard ORS. Moreover, two children developed hypernatraemia after receiving glycine fortified ORS in contrast to the control group. It is therefore suggested that glycine supplemented ORS should not be prescribed for the treatment of diarrhoeal dehydration in children.

Child, Preschool↗

Incrimination of Anopheles dirus as a vector of malaria in Dibrugarh district, Assam.

Anopheles nigerrimus, A. vagus, A. dirus, A. karwari and A. kochi were the most abundant species among 12 anopheline species collected during the course of entomological studies carried out from July to September, 1988 in an area endemic for malaria under Tengakhat PHC of Dibrugarh district, Assam. Sporozoites were detected in the salivary glands of one specimen of A. dirus, Peyton & Harrison (A. balabacensis) which constituted about 18.11 per cent of the total anopheline collection.

Animals↗

The importance of Anopheles dirus (A. balabacensis) as a vector of malaria in northeast India.

Anopheles dirus (A. balabacensis) is the most prevalent among twelve anopheline species collected during the course of entomological studies carried out in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh during July and August, 1988. It is observed to be a forest species and is found to breed in small stagnant water pools completely or partially shaded by plants in the open jungle. Sporozoites have been detected in several specimens of A. dirus (A. balabacensis) supporting its role in transmission of malaria in forest areas.

Animals↗

Cloning and characterization of a highly repetitive fish nucleotide sequence.

We have cloned and sequenced a highly repetitive HindIII fragment of DNA from the common carp Cyprinus carpio. It represents a tandemly repeated sequence with a monomeric unit of 245 bp and comprises 8% of the fish genome. Higher units of this monomer appear as a ladder in Southern blots. The monomeric unit has been sequenced; it is A + T-rich with some direct and some inverse-repeat nucleotide clusters.

Animals↗

Riboflavin deficiency and glutathione metabolism in rats: possible mechanisms underlying altered responses to hemolytic stimuli.

Riboflavin deficiency suppresses parasitic growth in malaria. Three possible mechanisms have been proposed previously to explain the survival advantage of riboflavin-deficient hosts: a) enhanced fragility of red blood cells (RBC), b) decreased formation of reticulocytes and/or c) decreased concentrations of reduced glutathione (GSH) and ATP. The validity of these proposed mechanisms was tested by investigating whether riboflavin deficiency alters the hemolytic response to three stimuli: hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a hypotonic medium or ferriprotoporphyrin IX (FP). Reticulocyte counts and concentrations of ATP and GSH were also determined. The percentage of hemolysis induced by H2O2 or FP was significantly less in riboflavin-deficient than in control animals. By contrast, hemolytic response to a hypotonic medium was enhanced during riboflavin deficiency. Despite diminished activity of glutathione reductase and normal glutathione peroxidase activity during riboflavin deficiency, the erythrocyte concentration of GSH was increased over that in control animals. Concentrations of ATP and hemoglobin in erythrocytes as well as the reticulocyte count were unaltered during riboflavin deficiency. Thus, diminished malarial parasitemia in riboflavin-deficient animals occurs despite greater resistance of RBC to either H2O2- or FP-induced hemolysis, and in the presence of a normal reticulocyte count and erythrocytes ATP concentration. Results of this study raise the possibility that Plasmodium parasites have greater requirements for flavin coenzymes, GSH or ATP than those of host erythrocytes, which may explain the apparent protection of the riboflavin-deficient host from malaria.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Effects of riboflavin deficiency upon age-related changes in beta-adrenergic and adenosine receptor binding in rat adipocytes.

The binding of (-)(3H)dihydroalprenolol (DHA) and (-)-N6-(3H)phenyl-isopropyladenosine (PIA) to beta-adrenergic and adenosine receptors, respectively, was determined in membranes of adipocytes isolated from riboflavin-deficient rats and age-matched, pair-fed controls for feeding periods of three to forty weeks. In normal chow-fed animals, the binding of both ligands to receptors markedly decreased in older compared to that in younger animals. In young, riboflavin-deficient animals, DHA binding diminished compared to that in age-matched controls. No further decrease in binding of DHA occurred in older, aged-matched, riboflavin-deficient rats. Riboflavin deficiency did not have any effect on PIA binding in either young or old animals. Thus, in riboflavin deficiency, beta-adrenergic binding in adipocyte membranes from young animals is reduced and the normal age-related decrease in this receptor binding does not occur. By contrast, the binding of PIA to adenosine receptors is lower in older than in younger animals regardless of riboflavin nutriture.

Adipose Tissue↗

Enzymic characteristics of the isoenzymes of rat epididymal neutral alpha-mannosidases and their changes during development in vivo.

Three isoenzymic species of neutral alpha-mannosidase (I, II and III) were partially purified from rat epididymis and characterized. Calcium phosphate gel preferentially adsorbed acidic alpha-mannosidase activity, thereby removing the acidic enzyme from the neutral mannosidases. The neutral enzymes, which are of cytosolic origin, require Co2+ for activity, and Mn2+ can substitute partially for Co2+. Mg2+ or Ca2+ had little effect on the activity of the isoenzymes, whereas Zn2+ (100 microM) was a potent inhibitor of the mannosidases. The Km values of mannosidases I, II and III for Co2+ were 10, 10 and 2.7 mM respectively. There was marked alteration of the specific activity of the neutral alpha-mannosidases during epididymal development in vivo. The specific activities of mannosidases I and II were relatively high in the young (24 days) rats, and during the subsequent development the specific activities decreased markedly (approx. 2-3-fold). On the contrary, mannosidase III, which showed relatively low specific activity during 24-45 days of age, increased markedly (approx. 2-fold) as the animals reached adulthood.

Animals↗