Biomedical subjects
R Sharma
Publications and source records attributed to R Sharma.
Tinea faciei in a 2-day-old infant.
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Fixed drug eruption due to tinidazole with cross-reactivity with metronidazole.
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Desmosomal glycoproteins 2 and 3 (desmocollins) show N-terminal similarity to calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion molecules.
The N-terminal sequence of a mixture of desmosomal glycoproteins 2 and 3 (dg2/3, desmocollins) from bovine nasal epidermis, prepared by electro-elution from polyacrylamide gels, was determined by solid-phase Edman degradation. A sequence of 23 amino acids was obtained. This showed 43% identity with that of the N terminus of the calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecule, N-cadherin. A lesser degree of identity with other members of the cadherin-uvomorulin-L-CAM family was also found. In order to confirm that the sequence was derived from the dg2/3 molecules a rabbit antiserum was raised against a synthetic peptide corresponding to the sequence, conjugated to keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH). The antiserum obtained showed high (titre) activity against both the peptide and KLH in ELISA. Each activity could be specifically adsorbed with the appropriate ligand. The antiserum reacted specifically with both dg2 and dg3 of bovine nasal epidermis on immunoblots, this binding was blocked by the N-terminal peptide but was unaffected by KLH. The identity of dg2 and -3 in these preparations was confirmed by immunoblotting with two monoclonal antibodies and one polyclonal antiserum raised against the whole molecules. The N-terminal peptide antiserum was shown to bind to the intercellular space of desmosome profiles by immunoelectron microscopy on ultra-thin frozen sections. One of the two monoclonal antibodies (07-4D) also reacted with the desmosomal intercellular space. dg2 and -3 were shown by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease digestion to have identical one-dimensional peptide maps. Both the N-terminal antiserum and 07-4D reacted with a V8 fragment of 19,000 Mr derived from dg2 and dg3.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
An antilactogenic effect of pyridoxine.
The efficacy of pyridoxine in suppression of lactation was studied. Patients under study included the cases of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and second trimester abortions. The clinical response was good in 80%, fair in 14% and poor in 6% of cases. Administration of pyridoxine only was associated with a rapid and trouble-free suppression of lactation in 94% of cases.
Acute suppurative thyroiditis. Report of the cases.
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A new Monogenean species, Bicotyle lucknowensis sp. n. (Monogenea: Heteraxinidae), from the Indian fish, Gudusia chapra (Ham.).
A new monogenean species, Bicotyle lucknowensis sp. n. of the family Heteraxinidae, has been described from the fish, Gudusia chapra (Ham.), from Lucknow, India. The new species is characterized by the number and shape of cirral spines, presence of an unarmed vagina and details of copulatory complex and haptoral armature.
Hemiagenesis associated with chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis.
A female patient with right sided nodular goitre who presented with thyrotoxic symptoms is described. She was diagnosed as a case of hemiagenesis of the left lobe of the thyroid gland with chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis and treated with propranolol; she became euthyroid over eight weeks.
MAO inhibition and clinical response in depressed patients treated with phenelzine.
The authors studied clinical response in 47 depressed inpatients treated with the monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor phenelzine. Improvement on ratings for depression at Week 2 of treatment was correlated with percent MAO inhibition at Week 2 (r = .35, p less than .03), and the modest positive correlation that was found remained after the authors adjusted for the effects of baseline scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, dose (mg/kg), and psychosis (partial correlation = .49, p less than .002). Further, the 23 patients ultimately classified as responders had a significantly greater percent MAO inhibition at Week 2 than did the 24 nonresponders (t = 3.02, p less than .005). Thus, the rate of MAO inhibition at Week 2 was significantly correlated with clinical improvement at Week 2 and final response status. These findings could not be explained by other potentially moderating variables such as sex, age, endogenicity, recurrence, and incapacitation.
Estimation of 24 hour protein excretion from single random urine specimen.
The product of protein/creatinine ratio (in a random urine specimen) and estimated daily urinary creatinine excretion were evaluated as a function of 24 h urinary protein excretion in 40 patients with pathology proteinuria having varying grades of renal function. An excellent correlation was found between the results obtained by this method and those from the standard 24 h urine collection method in healthy controls (r = 0.99) and in patients with normal (r = 0.88) or mild to moderately impaired renal function (r = 0.99). However, this method did not give a good measure of quantitative proteinuria in patients with advanced renal failure (r = 0.56), possibly due to decreased urinary excretion of creatinine in patients with advanced renal failure as compared to the estimated value. The product of protein/creatinine ratio and estimated daily urinary creatinine excretion thus gave a quick and alternate reliable method of estimating 24 h proteinuria in patients having normal or mild to moderately impaired renal function. However, this method is not suitable for patients with advanced renal failure.
Selective transfemoral cerebral angiography of the rabbit. Technique and applications.
We describe transfemoral cerebral angiography of New Zealand white rabbits used to study the cerebral circulation, electroencephalogram, and histologic correlates of selective internal carotid infusion during embolic stroke.
Traction alopecia in Sikh males.
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Does milk have a cataractogenic effect? Weighing of clinical evidence.
We undertook a prospective study to test Simoons' hypothesis that in certain susceptible races milk exerts a cataractogenic effect. Overall milk intake in low lactase deficiency areas did not correlate with cataract occurrence. Subgrouping of cataract patients revealed that greater milk intake did show positive correlation with cortical cataracts. Cortical cataracts were also markedly more common in females. Analysis of data from three different regions showed greater milk intake in cortical cataract patients only. Our data indicate the importance of specifying cataract type in cataract studies and highlight the problem this approach brings forth. We noted no different trends in subjects from northwest and southeast India, although the number of subjects from the southeast was considerably less. Patients with early cortical cataracts may be advised to restrict milk intake.
Plasma and CSF HVA before and after pharmacological treatment.
Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of the major dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA) were measured in psychiatric patients after an average washout period of 19 days, and again after 4 weeks of pharmacological treatment. Absolute values of plasma HVA did not correlate with absolute values of CSF HVA either at baseline or after treatment. However, changes in plasma HVA were highly correlated with changes in CSF HVA. Further, while baseline levels of plasma and CSF HVA were not significantly correlated with baseline clinical measures, clinical improvement was associated with decreases in both plasma and CSF HVA. This reached statistical significance for the plasma HVA level/clinical response relationship.
Osteoma of the ear canal presenting with headache.
Osteoma of external auditory canal is a rare benign tumour. Usually it is found incidentally and often symptomless. Here we have a case of osteoma arising from the anterior wall of the bony external auditory canal, causing ipsilateral temporal headache which was relieved by removal of tumour.
Strategies for optimizing growth in children with kidney transplants.
Children with a well-functioning graft continue to show growth retardation even with low-dose prednisone. We have attempted to utilize the steroid-sparing effect of cyclosporine by discontinuing prednisone after graft stabilization. Since 1983, 53 children have received cyclosporine as primary immunosuppressant for renal graft maintenance. The children, aged 6 months to 18 years, received 60 transplants. One-year and four-year patient survival for cadaveric transplants was 91% and 91%, compared with 96% and 96% for living related transplants. One-year and four-year graft survivals were 82% and 65% for cadaveric transplants (n = 25), compared with 91% and 63% for living related transplants (n = 35). Of 53 patients, 23 were able to discontinue prednisone and be maintained on monodrug cyclosporine therapy, and 21 of the 53 patients had growth hormone measured using L-dopa stimulation. In patients receiving more than 5 mg of prednisone daily, growth hormone levels were lower than normal (less than 10 ng/ml). Of 15 patients who had discontinued prednisone for more than 6 months, 13 showed accelerated growth by improvement in their standard deviation scores. In 4 pubescent children with growth retardation and need for maintenance prednisone, accelerated growth occurred following growth hormone administration for 3-6 months. Based on these data we suggest that (1) discontinuation of even very small doses of prednisone may be essential for normalizing growth hormone response to L-dopa and (2) further studies are needed to exploit the growth stimulation effect of recombinant growth hormone in transplanted children.
beta-Amylase from Mustard (Sinapis alba L.) Cotyledons : Immunochemical Evidence for Synthesis de Novo during Photoregulated Seedling Development.
A polyclonal antiserum against mustard (Sinapis alba L.) beta-amylase was obtained by injecting a homogeneously purified enzyme preparation in rabbits. The formation of beta-amylase specific antibodies was confirmed by staining the precipitin line in double diffusion gel for beta-amylase activity. The monospecificity of antiserum against mustard beta-amylase was also ascertained by Western blotting. The antiserum efficiently recognised both the denatured and the native form of beta-amylase, but it did not cross-react with other higher plant beta-amylase. The mode of photoregulation of beta-amylase activity in mustard cotyledons was investigated by a variety of immunochemical techniques. Immunotitration experiments ruled out the possible contribution of enzyme activation/inactivation in photoregulation of beta-amylase activity. The use of single radial immunodiffusion, rocket immunoelectrophoresis, and immunotitration confirmed that the light mediated increase in beta-amylase activity quantitatively corresponds with the increase in beta-amylase protein level. The in vivo labeling with l-[(35)S] methionine and pulse chase studies of in vivo labeled beta-amylase protein revealed that the photoregulated increase in beta-amylase activity in mustard cotyledon exclusively results from an increase in the rate of de novo synthesis of beta-amylase protein against a very low background rate of enzyme degradation.