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Biomedical subjects

R Jain

Publications and source records attributed to R Jain.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Diabetic autonomic neuropathy causing gall bladder dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to study gall bladder volume in fasting and 45 minutes post-prandial, by real time ultrasound in healthy controls and diabetic patients with and without autonomic neuropathy and to compare them. METHOD: Age, Sex and body mass index (BMI) matched 50 healthy subjects and 10 patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and 40 patients with noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus were evaluated according to National diabetes Data Group of National Institute of Health (1979) criteria: 1. Fasting (overnight) venous plasma glucose concentration of > 140 mg/dl on two separate occasions. 2. Following ingestion of 75 gms of glucose, venous plasma glucose concentration of > 200 mg/dl at second hour and at one other occasion during two hour test. Autonomic neuropathy was assessed by the presence of symptoms like dysphagia, abdominal fullness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea +/- nocturnal, faecal incontinence or constipation, dysuria, urinary incontinence, the gustatory sweating, impotence etc. and were confirmed by standing test for orthostatic hypotension, hand grip test, Valsalva test and deep breaths test. RESULT: The study showed that: 1. Patients of diabetes mellitus had statistically significant larger fasting gall bladder volumes and these values were highly significant amongst patients with autonomic neuropathy. 2. Patients of diabetes mellitus and statistically significant larger post fatty meal gall bladder volume and these values were highly significant in patients with autonomic neuropathy. CONCLUSIONS: We therefore conclude that impaired gall bladder contraction was found amongst patients of diabetes mellitus with autonomic neuropathy. The mechanism responsible for cholecystoparesis is attributed to vagal neuropathy. Incomplete gall bladder emptying leads to sequestration of cholesterol and nidus formation. Therefore gall bladder functions should be evaluated routinely in such patients and early intervention is recommended.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Primary orbital NHL--a rare entity, diagnosed on FNAC.

Primary Orbital NHL is a rare, malignant neoplasm of the orbit. FNAC is particularly useful for patients with such non-resectable, deep seated retroorbital tumors which are difficult to biopsy and in whom a firm cytologic diagnosis is vital to guide further treatment, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. A case of 70 years old female is described in the present article.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

In vivo assessment of second generation implantable laser Doppler flowmetry fibres for bone blood flow determination.

BACKGROUND: Standard laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) requires application of a probe directly onto tissue for blood flow measurement. Repeated surgical exposures are necessary for assessments over time, making nonanaesthetized measurements unfeasible. Implantable fibres offer a method of assessing tissue perfusion without surgical reexposure and additional time expenditure. Prior in vivo studies showed that first generation implantable LDF fibres experienced early fatigue failure due to their percutaneous exit site, predisposing them to trauma. A second generation of implantable fibres has been developed with silastic coatings to improve durability. AIMS: This investigation determined the reliability of second generation LDF fibres' blood flow measurements compared to standard LDF probe readings, using a segmental tibial fracture model in 11 large adult dogs. METHODS: The fractures were stabilized by compression plates. LDF was used to determine cortical bone perfusion: (1) prefracture (2) postfracture (3) immediately postplating (4) at 5 weeks and (5) at 10 weeks, at four sites along the tibia. Two probe designs were used: (1) standard metal-sheathed probe (2) modified probe with a coupling unit for attachment to 1-mm, flexible silastic-coated fibres. The proximal end of the fibre was implanted in cortical bone, and the distal end subcutaneously for protection. At 5 weeks postplating, minimal surgical dissection was needed to locate the distal fibre tips for measurements. Following euthanasia after 10 weeks, lower extremity lymph nodes and soft tissues surrounding the fibres were removed for histology. RESULTS: At 5 weeks, 42 of 44 fibres (95%) implanted were intact. At 10 weeks, 75% were intact. The fibres did not incite a foreign body response at 10 weeks. At 5 weeks postplating, implantable fibre LDF values increased over acute postplating levels (p = 0.009), indicating that the fibres could detect cortical bone revascularization. Significant correlations between the standard probe and implantable fibre bone blood flow values occurred in 22% of measurements. This approaches the 33% correlation between standard probe and cerium microsphere entrapment for blood flow measurement. CONCLUSION: The second generation fibres were more durable over time than first generation fibres. While implantable fibres can assess bone blood flow without repeated tissue exposure, further modifications are needed for use in clinical settings.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Highly potent cyclic disulfide antagonists of somatostatin.

The search for synthetic analogues of somatostatin (SRIF) which exhibit selective affinities for the five known receptor subtypes (sst1-5) has generated a large number of potent agonist analogues. Many of these agonists display good subtype selectivities and affinities for the subtypes 2, 3, and 5, with very few selective for sst1 or sst4. Until the recent report by Bass and co-workers (Mol. Pharmacol. 1996, 50, 709-715; erratum Mol. Pharmacol. 1997, 51, 170), no true antagonists of somatostatin had been discovered, let alone any displaying differential receptor subtype selectivity. In this present study, we further explore the effect of this putative L,5D6 antagonist motif on somatostatin octapeptide analogues with a cyclic hexapeptide core. The most potent antagonist found to date is H-Cpa-cyclo[DCys-Tyr-DTrp-Lys-Thr-Cys]-Nal-NH2, PRL-2970 (21), which has an IC50 of 1.1 nM in a rat pituitary growth hormone in vitro antagonist assay versus SRIF (1 nM). This analogue bound to cloned human somatostatin subtype 2 receptors with a Ki of 26 nM. The highest hsst2 affinity analogue was H-Cpa-cyclo[DCys-Pal-DTrp-Lys-Tle-Cys]-Nal-NH2, PRL-2915 (15), with a Ki of 12 nM (IC50 = 1.8 nM). This analogue was also selective for hsst2 over hsst3 and hsst5 by factors of 8 and 40, respectively, and had no agonist activity when tested alone at concentrations up to 10 microM. Regression analysis of the binding affinities versus the observed antagonist potencies revealed high correlations for hsst2 (r = 0.65) and hsst3 (r = 0.52) with a less significant correlation to hsst5 (r = 0.40). This is quite different from the somatostatin agonist analogues which show a highly significant correlation to hsst2 (r > 0.9). Receptor-selective somatostatin antagonists should provide valuable tools for characterizing the many important physiological functions of this neuropeptide.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Horizontal gene transfer among genomes: the complexity hypothesis.

Increasingly, studies of genes and genomes are indicating that considerable horizontal transfer has occurred between prokaryotes. Extensive horizontal transfer has occurred for operational genes (those involved in housekeeping), whereas informational genes (those involved in transcription, translation, and related processes) are seldomly horizontally transferred. Through phylogenetic analysis of six complete prokaryotic genomes and the identification of 312 sets of orthologous genes present in all six genomes, we tested two theories describing the temporal flow of horizontal transfer. We show that operational genes have been horizontally transferred continuously since the divergence of the prokaryotes, rather than having been exchanged in one, or a few, massive events that occurred early in the evolution of prokaryotes. In agreement with earlier studies, we found that differences in rates of evolution between operational and informational genes are minimal, suggesting that factors other than rate of evolution are responsible for the observed differences in horizontal transfer. We propose that a major factor in the more frequent horizontal transfer of operational genes is that informational genes are typically members of large, complex systems, whereas operational genes are not, thereby making horizontal transfer of informational gene products less probable (the complexity hypothesis).

Biological Evolution↗
PubMed1999

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha regulates expression of the CCAAT-enhancer-binding proteins (C/EBPs) alpha and beta and determines the occupation of the C/EBP site in the promoter of the insulin-responsive glucose-transporter gene in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

We have demonstrated previously that treatment of 3T3-L1 adipocytes with tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) results in a rapid (4 h) and significant (75-80%) reduction in the rate of transcription of the GLUT4 gene. Control of GLUT4 gene transcription has been suggested at least in part to reside with the CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) family (alpha, beta and delta isoforms) of transcription factors. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we have examined the ability of TNF to alter the occupation of the C/EBP site in the GLUT4 promoter. The data suggest that in fully differentiated adipocytes the C/EBP site is a ligand for predominantly alpha/alpha homodimers; however, after exposure to TNF, a shift in occupancy of the site occurs and the ligands become alpha/beta heterodimers and beta/beta homodimers. Partner selection in dimer formation appears to be controlled by selective translocation of the beta-isoform from the cytosol to the nucleus after exposure of the cells to TNF.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1999

Constituents of the yew trees.

Yew trees, taxonomically classified under the genus Taxus, are sources of a number of physiologically active compounds of different classes. Taxane derivatives with various carbon skeletons, lignans, flavonoids, steroids and sugar derivatives have been isolated from different Taxus species. Compounds isolated from the genus Taxus between 1908 and December 1997 have been comprehensively reviewed.

Molecular Structure↗
PubMed1999

Thalamic glioblastoma with cerebrospinal fluid dissemination in the peritoneal cavity.

Glioblastoma multiforme is one of the commonest primary malignant tumours of the brain with rare incidence of extracranial metastases. Systemic dissemination via the CSF or CSF diversionary shunt procedures is also rare. The reported 9-year-old child was a case of thalamic glioblastoma with hydrocephalus who underwent biventriculoperitoneal shunting before tumour decompression and radiotherapy. The child developed incapacitating ascites 8 months following surgical decompression and 9 months after the shunt diversion which was found to be caused by CSF dissemination of the glioblastoma via the ventriculoperitoneal shunt. The child ultimately succumbed to his disease.

Ascites↗
PubMed1999

Retroperitoneoscopic management of infected cysts in adult polycystic kidney disease.

Conservative measures are the mainstay of therapy in adult polycystic kidney disease (APKD). Pain, infection and obstructive uropathy are the major indications for intervention. Chronic pain has been treated with narcotic analgesics, needle aspiration of dominant cysts, and open renal cyst decortication. Laparoscopic cyst decortication, by either transperitoneal or retroperitoneal access, is a new emerging option with similar efficacy to open surgery and less morbidity. Cyst infection in these patients responds poorly to commonly used antibiotics. Patients with refractory cyst infection may even require nephrectomy. Herein, we present 2 cases with APKD that were treated by retroperitoneoscopic decortication for painful and infected cysts. Both patients showed prompt and sustained improvement in symptoms, with minimal morbidity and short convalescence. This approach has not hitherto been described for infected cysts in APKD. The retroperitoneoscopic route should be preferred in the presence of infected cysts so as to prevent intraperitoneal contamination.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Lipid peroxide levels in chronic renal failure.

To determine presence of oxidant stress in chronic renal failure and to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin E in its amelioration, we studied 34 patients (Group I, age 32.4 +/- 11 years, M:F 3:1) and 10 healthy controls (Group II, age 27.4 +/- 5 years, M:F 4:1). The difference in baseline values of lipid peroxide (nmol/ml) was statistically significant (Group I 4.19 +/- 1.69, Group II 1.87 +/- 1.39, p = 0.004). Values of vitamin E (mg/l) were also significantly lower in Group I as compared to Group II (12.18 +/- 4.27 vs. 19.32 +/- 2.03, p = 0.003). Serum lipid peroxide values decreased significantly after supplementation with 400 mg/day of vitamin E for six weeks in Group I (4.19 +/- 1.69 to 3.21 +/- 1.13, p = 0.053) but not in Group II (1.87 +/- 1.39 to 1.03 +/- 0.87). Levels of vitamin E increased in both the groups (Group I: 12.18 +/- 4.27 to 16.01 +/- 5.13, Group II: 19.32 +/- 2.03 to 23.21 +/- 1.94, p < 0.005). No significant difference was observed in values of serum creatinine and urea before and after intervention.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Pancytopenia--a clinico-hematologic analysis of 77 cases.

The present study was conducted in the department of Haematology and Transfusion Medicine, Government Medical College & Hospital, Chandigarh over a period of 32 months. During this period pancytopenia was an indication for bone marrow (aspiration and or trephine) in 77 out of a total of 205 cases (37.6%). The most common cause of pancytopenia as revealed by bone marrow was megaloblastic anaemia (68%) followed by aplastic anaemia (7.70%). This study also revealed few uncommon and rare, but interesting causes of pancytopenia like drug induced agranulocytosis, hemophagocytic syndrome and waldenstroms macroglobinemia.

Adolescent↗