Biomedical subjects

R Azad

Publications and source records attributed to R Azad.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Is neurocysticercosis a risk factor in coexistent intracranial disease? An MRI based study.

BACKGROUND: Previous reports have suggested that neurocysticercosis is associated with glioma and Japanese encephalitis, and that it is a risk factor for stroke. OBJECTIVE: To determine if neurocysticercosis has a significant association with, or is a risk factor for, coexistent pathologies such as Japanese encephalitis, glioma, abscess, tuberculoma, or infarction. SUBJECTS: 10 350 patients from the hospital population who underwent 1.5 T cranial magnetic resonance imaging during the previous 12 years were evaluated for the presence of neurocysticercosis and coexisting pathology. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of neurocysticercosis in cases with dual pathology was significantly less than in a control group (1.1% v 8.3%; z = 11.05; p < 0.001, power of test = 1). Neurocysticercosis lesions were less common (p < 0.05) in the different subgroups of coexistent pathology than in the control group except in the case of Japanese encephalitis, where the difference was non-significant (z = 0.69, p = 0.49). The relative risk was less than 1 in all subgroups except Japanese encephalitis, where it was 1.23. The location of neurocysticercosis lesions and the presence of perilesional oedema did not affect coexistent lesion location or severity on a particular side (p = 0.413 and 0.623 for location and perilesional oedema, respectively). When the above factors were analysed separately in patients with Japanese encephalitis, they also did not affect coexistent lesion location or severity (p = 0.659 and 0.548, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The coexistence of neurocysticercosis and other lesions may be an incidental observation in a few patients referred from areas of high prevalence and endemicity. It appears unlikely that neurocysticercosis is a risk factor for other intracerebral pathology. The location of neurocysticercosis lesions and whether or not there is surrounding perilesional oedema do not appear to affect the location or severity of coexisting lesions.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

Retinopathy of prematurity: mutations in the Norrie disease gene and the risk of progression to advanced stages.

BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a retinal vascular disease that occurs in infants with short gestational age and low birth weight and may lead to retinal detachment and blindness. Missense mutations in the Norrie disease (ND) gene have been associated with the risk of progression to advanced stages in cases of ROP from the US and also in clinically similar ND and familial exudative vitreoretinopathy. METHODS: We have screened two ND gene mutations, namely A105T and Val60Glu, by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and allele-specific PCR methods, respectively, in 210 Kuwaiti premature newborns to replicate these findings in a different ethnic group. RESULTS: In the Kuwaiti premature newborn cohort, 115 of 210 babies had no eye problems and served as controls, while 95 were cases of ROP. In 71 of 95 ROP cases, the disease regressed spontaneously on or before stage 3, while in 24 of 95 ROP cases the disease progressed to advanced stages 4 and 5. In case of missense mutation (A105T), the AA genotype was detected in 96% of controls compared with 87% of ROP cases (NS); similarly no significant difference was found between spontaneously regressed ROP cases and those who progressed to advanced stages. For the Val60Glu mutation, no significant association was detected between the genotype and progression of ROP to advanced stages. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike data from the US, our findings from a Kuwaiti cohort of ROP cases and controls suggest a lack of association between the two ND gene mutations (A105T and Val60Glu) and ROP and the risk of progression of the disease to advanced stages.

Disease Progression↗

PubMed2000

Missense mutations in norrie disease gene are not associated with advanced stages of retinopathy of prematurity in Kuwaiti arabs.

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a disease characterized by retinal neovascularization, possibly leading to retinal detachment and finally blindness. In a proportion of ROP cases, the disease progresses to advanced stages despite rigorous intervention. Missense mutations of the Norrie disease (ND) gene have been associated with progression of the disease in ROP cases from the USA. We have investigated the presence of ND gene mutations in 102 premature newborns of Kuwaiti Arab origin to replicate this finding in a different population/racial group. 56 (55%) of these newborns had normal eyes and served as controls. In 35 (34%) cases, the ROP regressed spontaneously during stage 1-3. In 11 (11%) cases, ROP progressed to advanced stages. A PCR-RFLP method was used to detect the mutations in exon 3 of the ND gene and confirmed the DNA sequence by direct sequencing of the PCR product. The [R121W] mutation of the ND gene was not detected in the premature newborns screened from our Kuwaiti population/group. For the second mutation [L108P], a genotype (PP) was present in 98% of the premature newborns screened and only in 1 of 56 normal infants was the (LL) genotype detected. Our population is genetically homogenous in that genotype (PP) was detected at codon 108 in almost all controls and ROP cases. We did not find an association between the presence or absence of missense mutations of the ND gene and the risk of severe ROP.

Deoxyribonuclease HpaII↗

PubMed1999

Antisense oligonucleotide inhibition of hepatitis C virus (HCV) gene expression in livers of mice infected with an HCV-vaccinia virus recombinant.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the major cause of non-A, non-B hepatitis worldwide. Current treatments are not curative for most infected individuals, and there is an urgent need for both novel therapeutic agents and small-animal models which can be used to evaluate candidate drugs. A small-animal model of HCV gene expression was developed with recombinant vaccinia virus vectors. VHCV-IRES (internal ribosome entry site) is a recombinant vaccinia viral vector containing the HCV 5' nontranslated region (5'-NTR) and a portion of the HCV core coding region fused to the firefly luciferase gene. Intraperitoneal injection of VHCV-IRES produced high levels of luciferase activity in the livers of BALB/c mice. Antisense oligonucleotides complementary to the HCV 5'-NTR and translation initiation codon regions were then evaluated for their effects on the expression of these target HCV sequences in BALB/c mice infected with the vaccinia virus vector. Treatment of VHCV-IRES-infected mice with 20-base phosphorothioate oligonucleotides complementary to the sequence surrounding the HCV initiation codon (nucleotides 330 to 349) specifically reduced luciferase expression in the livers in a dose-dependent manner. Inhibition of HCV reporter gene expression in this small-animal model suggests that antisense oligonucleotides may provide a novel therapy for treatment of chronic HCV infection.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Triple procedure in posterior segment intraocular foreign body.

Three patients with intraocular foreign bodies and traumatic cataracts underwent single stage pars plana lensectomy with anterior capsule preservation, vitrectomy, removal of the foreign body, and intraocular lens implantation. The preserved anterior capsule permitted support for the placement of an intraocular lens in the posterior chamber in the ciliary sulcus. The procedure enabled early visual rehabilitation. This procedure seems useful in the management of posterior segment intraocular foreign body associated with cataract.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1988