Biomedical subjects

Rakesh Shukla

Publications and source records attributed to Rakesh Shukla.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Effect of early lead exposure on the maturation of children's postural balance: a longitudinal study.

This prospective study investigated the impact of early exposure to lead on the maturation of children's postural balance. The effect of lead exposure on age-associated maturation of postural balance was investigated on 91 children from the Cincinnati Lead Study (CLS) with a 5-year geometric mean lead concentration in blood of 11.66 microg/dL (range 3.89-28.33 microg/dL) by re-assessing their postural balance approximately every 20 months starting at mean age of 6.6 years through mean age of 12.1 years. The results presented in this paper provide evidence that low to moderate lead exposure in early childhood has a measurable and statistically significant impact on the maturation of postural balance. In comparison to less exposed children, of those in the higher lead group showed an impaired postural balance response. The results from this study suggest that children with early childhood lead exposure may need additional time to approach (or "catch up" with) their maturational postural balance status. As these subjects are now adults in their early to mid-twenties, poor postural balance may impact their daily living tasks and pose a higher risk of potential injuries at home and work.

Aging↗

PubMed2006

Personal exposure to airborne dust and microorganisms in agricultural environments.

Airborne dust and microorganisms are associated with respiratory diseases and increased mortality and morbidity. Farmers are at high risk of exposure to both of these hazards. Very limited information, however, is available on the combined exposures to both hazards on different types of farms. Moreover, most of the previous studies have measured the mass concentration of particles ignoring the particle size. In this study, farmers' exposure to airborne dust and microorganisms was studied using our newly developed personal sampling system. Particle number concentration and size distribution were measured with an optical particle counter. Simultaneously, particles were collected on a filter and analyzed for microorganisms. The field measurements were conducted in animal confinements (swine, poultry, and dairy) and during grain harvesting (corn and soybean). The results show the following average concentrations on the workers' breathing zone: 1.7 x 10(6) to 2.9 x 10(7) particles/m(3) for total dust, 0.9 x 10(3) to 3.9 x 10(4) spores/m(3) for total fungal spores, 0.3 x 10(3) to 3.6 x 10(4)CFU/m(3) for culturable fungal spores, 0.3 x 10(4) to 3.3 x 10(8) CFU/m(3) for culturable bacteria, and limit of detection (LOD) to 2.8 x 10(3) CFU/m(3) for culturable actinomycetes in animal confinements. The respective concentrations were 4.4 x 10(6) to 5.8 x 10(7) particles/m(3), 3.4 x 10(4) to 6.1 x 10(6) spores/m(3), 8.2 x 10(4) to 7.4 x 10(6) CFU/m(3), 0.4 x 10(5) to 1.4 x 10(6) CFU/m(3), and LOD to 2.6 x 10(4) CFU/m(3) during grain harvesting. The highest contribution of large particles (3-10 microm) in total particles was found during grain harvesting, whereas the size distribution was dominated by smaller particles (< 3 microm) in animal confinements. High fraction (up to 37%) of particles between 2-10 microm was found to be fungal spores. The results indicate that an increase in the concentration of large dust particles (2-10 microm) during grain harvesting was partially attributed to the increase in the concentration of the fungal spores. Overall, the combined exposure to airborne dust and microorganisms was found to be more severe during harvesting than in animal confinements.

Aerosols↗

PubMed2006

Solitary fourth ventricular neurocysticercosis presenting as status migrainosus.

Fourth ventricular cysts in patients with neurocysticercosis are generally solitary without accompanying parenchymal cysts and hence present with hydrocephalic symptoms at the time of implantation. We report a patient with status migrainosus-like presentation in whom the neurological examination was normal and the diagnosis was made by imaging (CT and MRI scan).

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Sampling over time: developing a cost effective and precise exposure assessment program.

Studies requiring ambient exposure assessments invariably ask: How often should measurements be taken? Answer to such questions is dictated by budgetary considerations as well as spatial and temporal variability in the data. For example, do we obtain measurements during all seasons, all months within seasons, weeks within months and days within weeks? On one hand, we can obtain a one-time snapshot sample and regard it as representing the "true" mean exposure. On the other hand, we may obtain a large number of measurements over time and then average these in order to represent this "true" mean exposure. The former estimate is the least expensive but may also be the least precise while the latter, may be very precise but prohibitively costly. In this paper, we demonstrate how a pilot study can be undertaken with a potentially promising and feasible sampling plan for the full-scale study. By applying the statistical methodology of variance component analysis (VCA) to the pilot study data and exploiting mathematical relationship between the variance of the overall mean exposure and posited variance components, we can develop a sampling design with decreased sampling costs and/or increased precision of the mean exposure. Our approach was applied to determine sampling design choices for an on-going study that aimed at assessing ambient particulate matter exposure. We conclude that a pilot study followed by the VCA analysis may often lead to sampling design choices that offer considerable cost savings and, at the same time, promise to provide relatively precise estimates of the mean exposure for the subsequent full-scale study.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2005

Synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-thiopyrimidine derivatives.

Various 2-thiopyrimidine derivatives have been synthesized by an efficient, one-pot reaction of functionalized amines with either 4-isothiocyanato-4-methyl-2-pentanone or 3-isothiocyanatobutanal. All the synthesized compounds were fully characterized by elemental analysis (CHN), FT-IR, (1)H NMR, and mass spectral data. One of the compounds, 7,7,8a-trimethyl-hexahydro-thiazolo[3,2-c]pyrimidine-5-thione (17) showed good anti-inflammatory (37.4% at 100 mg/kg p.o.) and analgesic activity (75% at 100 mg/kg p.o.). 7-(1-Mercapto-3,3,4a-trimethyl-4,4a,5,9b-tetrahydro-3H-pyrido[4,3-b]indol-7-yl)-3,3,4a-trimethyl-3,4,4a,5-tetrahydro-benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-c]pyrimidine-1-thiol (3) showed moderate activity against CDK-1 (IC(50)=5 microM). The other compounds showed moderate anti-inflammatory (5-20%), analgesic (25-75%) and protein kinase (CDK-5, GSK-3) inhibitory activities (IC(50)> 10 microM).

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Incidence and short-term prognosis of transient ischemic attack in a population-based study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) have been shown to be a strong predictor of subsequent stroke and death. We present the incidence and short-term prognosis of TIA within a large population with a significant proportion of minorities with out-of-hospital TIA. METHODS: TIA cases were identified between July 1, 1993 and June 30, 1994 from the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky population of 1.3 million inhabitants by previously published surveillance methods, including inpatient and out-of-hospital events. Incidence rates were adjusted to the 1990 population, and life-table analyses were used for prognosis. RESULTS: The overall race, age, and gender-adjusted incidence rate for TIA within our population was 83 per 100,000, with age, race, and gender adjusted to the 1990 US population. Blacks and men had significantly higher rates of TIA than whites and women. Risk of stroke after TIA was 14.6% at 3 months, and risk of TIA/stroke/death was 25.2%. Age, race, and sex were not associated with recurrent TIA or subsequent stroke in our population, but age was associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Using our incidence rates for TIA in blacks and whites, we conservatively estimate that approximately 240 000 TIAs occurred in 2002 in the United States. Our incidence rate of TIA is slightly higher than previously reported, which may be related to the inclusion of blacks and out-of-hospital events. There are racial and gender-related differences in the incidence of TIA. We found a striking risk of adverse events after TIA; however, there were no racial or gender differences predicting these events. Further study is warranted in interventions to prevent these adverse events after TIA.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Is it traffic type, volume, or distance? Wheezing in infants living near truck and bus traffic.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies of air pollution have not examined the association between exposure to varying types, distance, and amounts of traffic and wheezing in very young infants. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the relationship between types of traffic, traffic volume, and distance and wheezing among infants less than 1 year of age. METHODS: A geographic information system and a classification scheme were developed to categorize infants enrolled in the study as living near moving truck and bus traffic (highway >50 miles per hour, >1000 trucks daily, <400 m), stop-and-go truck and bus traffic (<50 miles per hour, <100 m), or unexposed and not residing near either. Symptom data were based on health questionnaires administered to parents when the infants were 6 months of age and monthly health diaries. RESULTS: Infants living very near (<100 m) stop-and-go bus and truck traffic had a significantly increased prevalence of wheezing (adjusted odds ratio, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.15-5.42) when compared with unexposed infants. The prevalence of wheezing among nonwhite infants was at least twice that of white infants, regardless of exposure. Infants living less than 400 m from a high volume of moving traffic, however, did not have an increased prevalence of wheezing. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the distance from and type of traffic exposures are more significant risk factors than traffic volume for wheezing in early infancy.

Environmental Exposure↗

PubMed2005

Respiratory protection provided by N95 filtering facepiece respirators against airborne dust and microorganisms in agricultural farms.

A new system was used to determine the workplace protection factors (WPF) for dust and bioaerosols in agricultural environments. The field study was performed with a subject wearing an N95 filtering facepiece respirator while performing animal feeding, grain harvesting and unloading, and routine investigation of facilities. As expected, the geometric means (GM) of the WPFs increased with increasing particle size ranging from 21 for 0.7-1 microm particles to 270 for 5-10 microm particles (p < 0.001). The WPF for total culturable fungi (GM = 35) was significantly greater than for total culturable bacteria (GM = 9) (p = 0.01). Among the different microorganism groups, the WPFs of Cladosporium, culturable fungi, and total fungi were significantly correlated with the WPFs of particles of the same sizes. As compared with the WPFs for dust particles, the WPFs for bioaerosols were found more frequently below 10, which is a recommended assigned protection factor (APF) for N95 filtering facepiece respirators. More than 50% of the WPFs for microorganisms (mean aerodynamic diameter < 5 microm) were less than the proposed APF of 10. Even lower WPFs were calculated after correcting for dead space and lung deposition. Thus, the APF of 10 for N95 filtering facepiece respirators seems inadequate against microorganisms (mean aerodynamic size < 5 microm). These results provide useful pilot data to establish guidelines for respiratory protection against airborne dust and microorganisms on agricultural farms. The method is a promising tool for further epidemiological and intervention studies in agricultural and other similar occupational and nonoccupational environments.

Agriculture↗

PubMed2005

Epidemiology of ischemic stroke in patients with diabetes: the greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Study.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes is a well known risk factor for stroke, but the impact of diabetes on stroke incidence rates is not known. This study uses a population-based study to describe the epidemiology of ischemic stroke in diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Hospitalized cases were ascertained by ICD-9 discharge codes, prospective screening of emergency department admission logs, and review of coroner's cases. A sampling scheme was used to ascertain cases in the out-of-hospital setting. All potential cases underwent detailed chart abstraction by study nurses followed by physician review. Diabetes-specific incidence rates, case fatality rates, and population-attributable risks were estimated. RESULTS: Ischemic stroke patients with diabetes are younger, more likely to be African American, and more likely to have hypertension, myocardial infarction, and high cholesterol than nondiabetic patients. Age-specific incidence rates and rate ratios show that diabetes increases ischemic stroke incidence at all ages, but this risk is most prominent before age 55 in African Americans and before age 65 in whites. One-year case fatality rates after ischemic stroke are not different between those patients with and without diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Given the "epidemic" of diabetes, with substantially increasing diabetes prevalence each year across all age- and race/ethnicity groups, the significance of diabetes as a risk factor for stroke is becoming more evident. Diabetes is clearly one of the most important risk factors for ischemic stroke, especially in those patients less than 65 years of age. We estimate that 37-42% of all ischemic strokes in both African Americans and whites are attributable to the effects of diabetes alone or in combination with hypertension.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Evaluation and optimization of an urban PM2.5 monitoring network.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the PM(2.5) monitoring network established in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky metropolitan area for measuring the 24 h integrated PM(2.5) concentration, as well as-at selected sites-hourly PM(2.5) concentration and 24 h integrated PM(2.5) speciation. The data collected during three years at 13 measurement sites were analyzed for spatial and temporal variations. It was found that both daily and hourly concentrations of PM(2.5) have low spatial variation due to a regional influence of secondary ammonium sulfate. In contrast, the trace element concentrations had high spatial variation. Seasonal variation accounted for most of the total temporal variation (60%), while yearly, monthly, weekly and daily variations were lower. The variance components and cluster analyses were applied to optimize the number of sites for measuring the 24 h PM(2.5) concentration. It was found that the 13-site network may be optimized by reducing the number of sites to 8, which would result in a relative precision reduction of 9% and a relative cost reduction of 36%. At the same time, the data suggest that the spatial resolution of speciation monitors and real-time PM(2.5) mass monitors should be increased to better represent spatial and temporal variations of the markers of local air pollution sources.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed2004

Apolipoprotein E isoprotein-specific interactions with tissue plasminogen activator.

Apolipoprotein E (Apo E) is an important genetic risk factor for multiple neurological, vascular and cardiovascular diseases. Previously, we reported Apo E isoprotein-specific modulation of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) using an in vitro blood-clotting assay. Here, we studied the conformational changes of Apo E2, E3 and E4 in the presence of tPA and vice versa using circular dichroism (CD) and dual polarization interferometry (DPI). We report isoprotein and state-specific intermolecular interactions between the Apo E isoforms and tPA. Apo E2 interaction with immobilized tPA leads to significant conformational changes which are not observed with Apo E3 or E4. Additionally, tPA induces changes in helicity of lipidated Apo E2 whereas no detectable changes were observed in Apo E3 or E4. The Tukey's test for interaction indicated a significant (P < 0.001) interaction between tPA and Apo E2 in the lipidated environment. These results may be important regarding the mechanism by which Apo E has isoprotein-specific effects on many biological processes and diseases involving blood clotting, proteolysis and perfusion.

Apolipoproteins E↗

PubMed2004

Long term transcript accumulation during the development of dehydration adaptation in Cicer arietinum.

Cool season crops face intermittent drought. Exposure to drought and other abiotic stresses is known to increase tolerance of the plants against subsequent exposure to such stresses. Storage of environmental signals is also proposed. Preexposure to a dehydration shock improved adaptive response during subsequent dehydration treatment in a cool season crop chickpea (Cicer arietinum). We have identified 101 dehydration-inducible transcripts of chickpea by repetitive rounds of cDNA subtraction; differential DNA-array hybridization followed by northern-blot analysis and analyzed their responses to exogenous application of abscisic acid (ABA). Steady-state expression levels of the dehydration-induced transcripts were monitored during the recovery period between 2 consecutive dehydration stresses. Seven of them maintained more than 3-fold of expression after 24 h and more than 2-fold of expression level even at 72 h after the removal of stress. Noticeably, all of them were inducible by exogenous ABA treatment. When the seedlings were subjected to recover similarly after an exposure to exogenous ABA, the steady-state abundances of 6 of them followed totally different kinetics returning to basal level expression within 24 h. This observation indicated a correlation between the longer period of abundance of those transcripts in the recovery period and improved adaptation of the plants to subsequent dehydration stress and suggested that both ABA-dependent and -independent mechanisms are involved in the maintenance of the messages from the previous stress experience.

Abscisic Acid↗

PubMed2004

Ischemic stroke subtypes: a population-based study of incidence rates among blacks and whites.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Blacks have an excess burden of stroke compared with whites; however, data comparing ischemic stroke subtypes among the 2 groups are limited and typically involve relative frequencies. The objective of this study is to compare the incidence rates of ischemic stroke subtypes between blacks and whites within a large, representative, biracial population. METHODS: The Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Study is designed to measure incidence rates and trends of all strokes within a well-defined, large, biracial population. Hospitalized cases were ascertained by International Classification of Disease (9th revision; ICD-9) discharge codes. Out-of-hospital events were ascertained by prospective screening of emergency department admission logs, review of coroners' cases, and monitoring all public health and hospital-based primary care clinics. A sampling scheme was used to ascertain events from nursing homes and all other primary care physician offices. All potential cases underwent detailed chart abstraction and confirmed by physician review. Based on all available clinical, laboratory, and radiographic information, ischemic stroke cases were subtyped into the following categories: cardioembolic, large-vessel, small-vessel, other, and stroke of undetermined cause. Race-specific incidence rates were calculated and compared after adjusting for age and gender, and standardizing to the 1990 US population. RESULTS: Between July 1, 1993, and June 30, 1994, 1956 first-ever ischemic strokes occurred among blacks and whites in the study population. Small-vessel strokes and strokes of undetermined cause were nearly twice as common among blacks. Large-vessel strokes were 40% more common among blacks than whites, and there was a trend toward cardioembolic strokes being more common among blacks. CONCLUSIONS: The excess burden of ischemic strokes among blacks compared with whites is not uniformly spread across the different subtypes. Large-vessel strokes are more common and cardioembolic stroke are as common among blacks, traditionally thought to be more common among whites.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

Eligibility for recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in acute ischemic stroke: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Acute ischemic stroke patients are infrequently treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA). We present unique population-based data regarding the eligibility of ischemic stroke patients for rtPA treatment. METHODS: All ischemic strokes presenting to an emergency department (ED) within a biracial population of 1.3 million were identified. The patient was considered eligible for rtPA on the basis of exclusion criteria from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke rtPA trial. RESULTS: Of 2308 ischemic strokes, 1849 presented to an ED. Only 22% of all ischemic strokes in the population arrived in the ED in <3 hours from symptom onset; of these, 209 (51%) were ineligible for rtPA on the basis of mild stroke severity, medical and surgical history, or blood tests. CONCLUSIONS: In our population in 1993 to 1994, 8% of all ischemic stroke patients presented to an ED within 3 hours and met other eligibility criteria for rtPA. Even if time were not an exclusion for rtPA, only 29% of all ischemic strokes in our population would have otherwise been eligible for rtPA.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2004

Stroke in a biracial population: the excess burden of stroke among blacks.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Excess mortality resulting from stroke is an important reason why blacks have higher age-adjusted mortality rates than whites. This observation has 2 possible explanations: Strokes occur more commonly among blacks or blacks have higher mortality rates after stroke. Our population-based epidemiological study is set in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region of 1.31 million people, which is representative of the US white and black populations with regard to many demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. METHODS: Hospitalized cases were ascertained by International Classification of Diseases (ninth revision) discharge codes, prospective screening of emergency department admission logs, and review of coroner's cases. A sampling scheme was used to ascertain cases in the out-of-hospital setting. All potential cases underwent detailed chart abstraction by study nurses, followed by physician review. Race-specific incidence and case fatality rates were calculated. RESULTS: We identified 3136 strokes during the study period (January 1, 1993, to June 30, 1994). Stroke incidence rates were higher for blacks at every age, with the greatest risk (2- to 5-fold) seen in young and middle-aged blacks (<65 years of age). Case fatality rates did not differ significantly in blacks compared with whites. Applying the resulting age- and race-specific rates to the US population in 2002, we estimate that 705,000 to 740,000 strokes have occurred in the United States, with a minimum of 616,000 cerebral infarctions, 67,000 intracerebral hemorrhages, and 22,000 subarachnoid hemorrhages. CONCLUSIONS: Excess stroke-related mortality in blacks is due to higher stroke incidence rates, particularly in the young and middle-aged. This excess burden of stroke incidence among blacks represents one of the most serious public health problems facing the United States.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Increase of metabolic activity and disruption of normal contractile protein distribution by bilirubin oxidation products in vascular smooth-muscle cells.

OBJECT: Cerebral vasospasm is a common cause of morbidity and death following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Previous research has shown that bilirubin oxidation products (BOXes) are present in the cerebral spinal fluid in patients with SAH-induced cerebral vasospasm and can contribute to vasoconstriction and vasospasm in vitro and in vivo. The events leading to cerebral vasospasm are not understood; however, one component of the occlusion may be due to vascular remodeling. In this study the authors have investigated the actions of BOXes, okadaic acid ([OA], a phosphatase inhibitor), and phorbol-12 myristate-13 acetate ([PMA], a protein kinase activator) on vascular smooth-muscle cell (VSMC) morphology and metabolism. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to assess VSMC morphology and alpha-smooth-muscle actin (alphaSMA) distribution following the application of BOXes, OA, or PMA. Changes in the level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and oxidative metabolism were also measured. The BOXes, OA, or PMA caused VSMCs to change their shape and exhibit altered alphaSMA distribution. These treatments increased LDH release (p < 0.05), which is an index of increased cell stress. Oxidative metabolism significantly increased at low and high doses of BOXes, that is, 143 +/- 8.5% and 180 +/- 11.8%, respectively (p < 0.0001). Both PMA and OA also caused a significant increase in metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: The authors concluded that BOXes, OA, and PMA alter VSMC morphology and metabolic activity, events that have been observed during vascular remodeling. Although the mechanism remains unclear, the results indicate that BOXes may play a role in the vascular remodeling that occurs following aneurysmal SAH.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Bilirubin as a cerebrospinal fluid marker of sentinel subarachnoid hemorrhage: a preliminary report in pigs.

OBJECT: A model of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in pigs was developed to investigate bilirubin concentration in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a potential marker of sentinel SAH. METHODS: Seven male Yorkshire pigs received a 250-microl injection of either whole autologous arterial blood (four animals) or isotonic saline (three animals) into the cisternae magna in an effort to produce volumetrically a model of sentinel SAH and a control injection model, respectively. Cerebrospinal fluid volumes of 100 microl were then collected from both the lumbar cistern and cisternae magna at 1 to 2-hour intervals for a total of 24 hours postinjection. The CSF was then tested for bilirubin. Mean concentrations of bilirubin (+/- standard deviation [SD]) obtained from the lumbar cistern 24 hours following the injection of blood or saline were 4.38 +/- 1.04 microM in the SAH animals and 1.02 +/- 0.05 microM in the controls. At 24 hours postinjection, mean concentrations (+/- SD) of cisternae magna bilirubin were 7.29 +/- 1.33 microM and 1.33 +/- 0.14 microM in the SAH animals and controls, respectively. In the SAH group, both the lumbar cistern and cisternae magna bilirubin concentrations differed significantly from baseline values 12 hours following SAH. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated concentrations of CSF bilirubin can be detected following a low-volume SAH, and the production of bilirubin occurred over a predictable time course. Twelve hours after hemorrhage, an elevated CSF bilirubin concentration was an indicator of hemolysis occurring in the subarachnoid spaces. The presence of bilirubin in CSF is a potential marker for differentiating SAHs from traumatic lumbar punctures in humans.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Short course of prednisolone in Indian patients with solitary cysticercus granuloma and new-onset seizures.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of a short course of oral corticosteroids in Indian patients with solitary cysticercus granuloma with seizures. METHODS: In this open-label, randomized, prospective follow-up study, 97 patients with new-onset seizures and a single enhancing computed tomography (CT)-detected lesion of cysticercosis were randomly divided in two groups to receive either antiepileptic monotherapy alone (n = 48) or antiepileptic monotherapy with prednisolone (n = 49). The patients in the latter group received prednisolone, 1 mg/kg/day for 10 days, followed by tapering over next 4 days. The patients were followed up for 6 months. Repeated CT scans were performed after 1 and 6 months. RESULTS: The majority of patients were young. Simple partial seizure, with or without secondary generalization, was the commonest seizure type encountered. Follow-up CT scans at 1 and 6 months demonstrated a significantly better response for prednisolone as far as complete resolution of CT lesion was concerned. Kaplan-Meier analysis suggested significantly less probability of seizure recurrence for prednisolone-treated patients. At 6 months, Kaplan-Meier estimated risk of seizure after first seizure was 2% in prednisolone-treated patients in comparison to 13% for those who were not given prednisolone. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term prednisolone therapy helps in rapid resolution of solitary cysticercus granuloma in Indian patients with new-onset seizures. Resolution of lesions is associated with improved seizure-related prognosis.

Adolescent↗