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Biomedical subjects

S Gupta

Publications and source records attributed to S Gupta.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Protective role of extracts of neem seeds in diabetes caused by streptozotocin in rats.

Effect of petroleum ether extracts of kernel (NSK) and husk (NSH) of neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss, Meliaceae) seeds on the prevention of oxidative stress caused by streptozotocin (STZ) was investigated. Diabetes mellitus was induced in adult male Wistar rats after administration of STZ (55 mg/kg b.wt., i.p., tail vein). The effect of NSK (2 gm/kg, b.wt.) and NSH (0.9 gm/kg, b.wt.) orally for 28 days was investigated in diabetic rats. Insulin-treated diabetic rats (6 U/kg, i.p., 28 days.) served as positive control. Diabetic rats given normal saline served as diabetic control. Rats that neither received STZ nor drugs served as normal control. Serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) increased in diabetic rats was significantly decreased on insulin, NSK, and NSH treatments. The decrease in activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and increase in lipid peroxidation (LPO) of erythrocytes as observed in diabetes was regained after insulin, NSH, and NSK treatments. However, there was insignificant improvement in SOD, CAT, and LPO of kidney on NSK and NSH treatment. In spite of increased CAT and SOD activities in liver and heart, LPO was also increased in diabetic rats. Insulin, NSH, and NSK treatments significantly protected animals from cardiac damage but not hepatic. Results suggest that NSH and NSK prevent oxidative stress caused by STZ in heart and erythrocytes. However, no such preventive effect was observed on renal and hepatic toxicity.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Estrogen and regulation of heat shock protein expression in female cardiomyocytes: cross-talk with NF kappa B signaling.

UNLABELLED: Estrogen is associated with increased heat shock protein (HSP)72 and protection during hypoxia-reoxygenation in cardiomyocytes from adult male rats, as previously reported. We have also reported that female rats have more cardiac HSP72 than males. We hypothesized that, despite higher endogenous estrogen levels and higher baseline HSP72, 17 beta-estradiol treatment would still result in increased HSP72 and protection during hypoxia-reoxygenation in cardiomyocytes from females. METHODS/RESULTS: Cardiac cells isolated from adult female rats were treated for 12 hr with 17 beta-estradiol (0.1, 10, or 50 microM), tamoxifen, (10 or 25 microM; estrogen receptor agonist/antagonist), geldanamycin (2, 5, or 10 microg/ml; inactivates HSP90, preventing interaction with HSF1), or vehicle. Western blot analyses revealed that treatment with 17 beta-estradiol (10 or 50 microM), tamoxifen (25 microM), and geldanamycin (all doses) resulted in significant increases in HSP72. Electromobility shift assays revealed activation of HSF1 by 2 to 3 hr, and NF kappa B activation by 15 min. HSP72 induction via HSF1 activation was confirmed using transcription factor decoys containing the heat shock element, which prevented the estrogen-related HSP72 induction. Estrogen pretreatment resulted in decreased LDH release during 24 hr hypoxia. This protective effect persisted despite decoy-mediated blockade of nuclear HSF1 binding. However, transfection with an NF?B decoy not only prevented an estrogen-associated increase in HSP72, but also abolished the estrogen-related protection during hypoxia. CONCLUSIONS: Despite higher endogenous estrogen, 17 beta-estradiol and the selective estrogen receptor modulator, tamoxifen, upregulate HSP72 in cardiomyocytes from adult females, and provide cytoprotection during hypoxia, independent of HSP induction. NF kappa B activation is necessary for the increase in HSP72, suggesting that estrogen treatment activates NF kappa B, with subsequent HSF1 activation. NF kappa B activation is critical for estrogen-associated HSP induction, and protection during hypoxia in female cardiocytes. Treatment with 17 beta-estradiol and tamoxifen may provide a novel means of protecting both male and female cardiac myocytes against hypoxia-induced damage. Further studies are needed to define the cross-talk between HSF1 and NF kappa B signaling pathways.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

The effects of vasopressin on human facial responses related to social communication.

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) and arginine vasotocin (AVT) influence social behaviors in a number of species from diverse taxonomic groups, therefore suggesting a conservation of social functions for these homologous neuropeptides during vertebrate evolution. However, whether or not AVP has the ability to directly influence social behavior in humans has not yet been determined. Because influences of AVT/AVP on behaviors related to social communication, particularly in aggressive contexts, are among the most consistently observed across species from diverse vertebrate groups, the present study was designed to determine if AVP administration would influence cognitive, autonomic and/or somatic responses to species-specific social stimuli important for agonistic communication in humans. Specifically, we tested the effects of intranasal AVP administration on attention towards emotionally expressive facial expressions, as well as on heart rate (HR), skin conductance (SC) and corrugator supercilii electromyograms (corrugator EMG) in response to these social stimuli. AVP did not affect attention toward, nor autonomic arousal in response to, emotionally neutral, happy or angry facial expressions, but it did selectively enhance the corrugator EMG responses evoked by emotionally neutral facial expressions, making them similar in magnitude to responses evoked by angry facial expressions in control subjects. Because this muscle group is involved in agonistic communication, these results suggest that AVP may influence aggression in human males by biasing individuals to respond to emotionally ambiguous social stimuli as if they were threatening/aggressive.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Ophthalmic manifestations of acute leukaemias: the ophthalmologist's role.

With evolving diagnostic and therapeutic advances, the survival of patients with acute leukaemia has considerably improved. This has led to an increase in the variability of ocular presentations in the form of side effects of the treatment and the ways leukaemic relapses are being first identified as an ocular presentation. Leukaemia may involve many ocular tissues either by direct infiltration, haemorrhage, ischaemia, or toxicity due to various chemotherapeutic agents. Ocular involvement may also be seen in graft-versus-host reaction in patients undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, or simply as increased susceptibility to infections as a result of immunosuppression that these patients undergo. This can range from simple bacterial conjunctivitis to an endophthalmitis. Leukaemia can present as pathology in the adnexae, conjunctiva, sclera, cornea, anterior chamber, iris, lens, vitreous, retina, choroid, and optic nerve. Recognition of the varied ocular presentations is also important in assessing the course and prognosis of leukaemia. We have presented a systematic approach taking each part of the eye in turn and outlining how leukaemia has been shown to affect it.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Molecular analysis of GAA repeats and four linked bi-allelic markers in and around the frataxin gene in patients and normal populations from India.

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA), the most common type of ataxia worldwide, is an autosomal recessive disease. Homozygous expansion of GAA repeats in the first intron of the frataxin gene constitute the major type of mutation that causes the disease. The prevalence of FRDA in diverse ethnic populations of India has not been widely studied. We have studied the distribution of polymorphic GAA repeats in the frataxin gene among 6 clinically diagnosed patients and 160 ethnically matched normal individuals, to gather information on the prevalence of FRDA in the eastern part of India. Homozygous expansion in the range of 250-730 GAA repeats was detected among the patients. Among normal individuals, we observed a unimodal distribution of GAA repeats, consisting of 10 different alleles ranging from 7 to 16 GAA repeats, where the 9 repeat allele had maximal frequency. Only 5.9% of all chromosomes were found to harbour >12 GAA repeats. Haplotype analysis using closely linked four bi-allelic markers in and around the frataxin gene indicated that 66.7% of the expanded alleles harbour the ATCC haplotype that has been reported worldwide. This haplotype was present in 53.3% of the chromosomes with >12 GAA repeats, and accounted for only 3.8% of chromosomes with 7 to 12 GAA repeats. We found one novel haplotype, ACCT, among the expanded alleles as well as among normal individuals, though at low frequency; this haplotype may be characteristic of Indian populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Talking about STD/HIV prevention: a look at communication online.

Little is known about the quality and usability of online health information. This analysis evaluated STD prevention websites' content quality and usability. Thirty-six sites were analyzed to determine their adherence to established sexual health guidelines and their accessibility, usability, credibility and currency. The objective of this study was to determine what communication skills are available to teenagers through STD prevention websites. Only two (6%) addressed safe sex negotiation; seven (19%) addressed basic communication skills; and slightly more than half (53%) addressed at least one sexual decision-making message. Most sites displayed consistent template design and two-thirds had working hyperlinks. But few (19%) of the sites offered a site map, while only one-third (36%) provided an internal search engine. These results indicate that health educators need to include tips on how to negotiate safe sex and improve interactive design features when creating STD websites for teenagers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Treatment of angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia with the carbon dioxide laser.

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE) is an uncommon, idiopathic condition that presents with isolated or grouped plaques or nodules in the periauricular region, forehead, or scalp. ALHE is marked by a proliferation of blood vessels with distinctive large endothelial cells accompanied by a characteristic inflammatory infiltrate that includes eosinophils. The lesion is benign but may be persistent and difficult to eradicate. Various therapeutic modalities that have been tried for its treatment include intralesional and oral corticosteroids, cryotherapy, oral retinoids, vinblastine, surgical excision, laser therapy, and INFalpha2a. We report two cases with this rare condition: one patient, treated with cryotherapy, did not improve, while the second patient was successfully treated with the CO(2) laser.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Topical phenytoin suspension and normal saline in the treatment of leprosy trophic ulcers: a randomized, double-blind, comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare two strengths of topical phenytoin sodium suspension (2% and 4%) with normal saline in the healing of acute trophic ulcers in leprosy patients. METHODS: A prospective, parallel, double-blind, randomized study was conducted in 45 leprosy inpatients with acute trophic ulcers. Patients were randomized to receive 2%, 4% or normal saline dressing on their ulcers once daily for 4 weeks. Efficacy parameters such as a reduction in the surface area of the ulcer, bacterial culture of the ulcer swab, appearance of healthy granulation tissue, cessation of ulcer discharge and overall gradation of clinical healing and safety were assessed at weekly intervals. RESULTS: The ulcer area reduction was greater in the 2% and 4% phenytoin groups compared with the normal saline group (p<0.001). Appearance of healthy granulation tissue and cessation of ulcer discharge was also observed earlier in the two phenytoin groups. At the end of 4 weeks, 11 ulcers each had healed completely in both the 2% and 4% phenytoin groups compared with none in the control group. There were no statistical differences between the 2% and 4% phenytoin groups. No side effects were reported by any patient. CONCLUSION: Topical phenytoin appears to be an effective, safe and cheap therapeutic option for the healing of trophic ulcers in leprosy patients.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2004

Experience with Implanon in a northeast London family planning clinic.

AIM: The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the continuation rates of a relatively new long-acting method of contraception, Implanon. The secondary objective was to study discontinuations related to bleeding problems and their management. METHOD: A retrospective review of records of women fitted with Implanon was undertaken during February 2000--January 2003. RESULTS: Results from the secondary objective will be the subject of a separate communication. Of the 147 implants fitted, 132 records could be retrieved; of these, 97% of the women had pre-insertion counselling by the clinician. The most common indications for Implanon usage were choice of a long-acting method, unhappy experience with other contraceptive methods and suboptimal compliance with contraceptive pills and injectables. The median age of fitting was 25 years and 36% of the women were nulliparous. No problems were experienced with fitting or removal of implants. Twenty (15%) women were lost to follow-up. Twenty-two implants were removed by the end of the study period, with 12 (60%) removals attributed to prolonged heavy/light bleeding. There were no known pregnancies during the study. Given that 15% of the women could not be followed up or contacted, the assumed lifetimes of Implanon using the Kaplan-Meier method are 0.90 (95% confidence interval 0.82-0.95) at 12 months, 0.80 (0.67-0.88) at 24 months and 0.75 (0.58-0.85) at 35 months. The confirmed lifetimes are 0.84 (0.71-0.91) at 12 months, 0.63 (0.42-0.78) at 24 months and 0.53 (0.28-0.73) at 35 months. CONCLUSION: Although not free of side-effects, Implanon can be a good choice for women who are properly informed and counselled and seek long-term 'forgettable' contraception.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Lipodystrophy following hepatitis infection: a causative relationship?

Progressive partial lipodystrophy is a clinical syndrome characterized by progressive loss of subcutaneous fat. A 27-year-old female developed progressive loss of fat from the face and upper part of the torso associated with increased bulkiness of the body below the pelvis following an attack of hepatitis. She had been persistently hepatitis B surface antigen positive and her serum was positive for IgG antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen. Although the woman had hypocomplementaemia of the C3 component of complement, there was no evidence of renal involvement.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

The reproducibility of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae-specific antibodies.

With use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Chlamydia pneumoniae immunoglobulins were detected in a consecutive series of patients' sera (n = 122 for IgA and IgG; n = 138 for IgM). When the ELISA tests were repeated, the percentage disagreements were 12%, 16% and 10% for C. pneumoniae IgA, IgG and IgM, respectively. The reproducibility of the ELISA, expressed as kappa values, for IgA, IgG and IgM was 0.73, 0.60 and 0.53, respectively (p < 0.001). It was concluded that the ELISA had good reproducibility for detecting C. pneumoniae IgA, and moderately good reproducibility for detecting C. pneumoniae IgG and IgM.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Simplified cardioversion service with intravenous midazolam.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the results of a new cardioversion service that used intravenous midazolam sedation with cardioversion performed with a biphasic defibrillator by an experienced doctor with a prior review of patients in a pre-cardioversion clinic. METHODS: 368 consecutive patients who were treated under the new service over its first 12 months (group 1) were compared with 210 consecutive patients who attended under the old system during the preceding 12 months (group 2). Patients of group 2 had cardioversion under general anaesthesia by junior doctors with a monophasic defibrillator. RESULTS: There were no anaesthetic or respiratory complications in group 1. Of the patients in group 1, 10.3% remembered the shocks, with only 3.5% considering them unpleasant. Cardioversion was successful in 94.6% of group 1 patients after a mean energy of 117 J compared with 81.4% (p < 0.0001) and a mean energy of 242 J (p < 0.0001) for group 2 patients. Cancellations on the day of the procedure were reduced from 24% in group 2 to 3.4% in group 1. CONCLUSIONS: The new service was found to be safe and more efficient. It has led to a large reduction in the waiting time for cardioversion.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Warfarin and celecoxib interaction in the setting of cytochrome P450 (CYP2C9) polymorphism with bleeding complication.

Drug metabolism may be perturbed by genetically determined differences in the metabolic activity of cytochrome P450 enzymes. The authors encountered extensive bleeding in a patient receiving warfarin for anticoagulation after the introduction of celecoxib, an anti-inflammatory drug. As the CYP2C9 enzyme metabolises these drugs, it was determined whether variant alleles were responsible for altering warfarin handling. Genetic analysis established that the patient was a compound heterozygote with CYP2C9*2 and *3 variant alleles, which exhibit lower drug metabolising capacity and enhance susceptibility to drug toxicity.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Fine-needle aspiration cytology of the testis: can it be a single diagnostic modality in azoospermia?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of testis alone is sufficient to diagnose testicular function and whether follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) estimation can be safely eliminated from the evaluation protocol of the azoospermic subject. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 46 adult azoospermic males who were infertile for more than 2 years following marriage. Hormonal profile was done in all. Later all 46 patients were subjected to bilateral FNAC of the testes. The cytological findings were correlated with histological findings. RESULTS: We found 95.65% agreement between FNAC and testicular biopsy. Though serum FSH estimation was done in all patients in this series, in none of the cases did it affect overall management. CONCLUSION: FNAC is a quick, safe and minimally invasive modality. Following a well-performed semen analysis in an azoospermic subject, it appears that FNAC may be the only investigation needed. It provides a reliable diagnosis in patients with either obstructive or non-obstructive azoospermia. Routine estimation of FSH can be omitted from the investigative protocol in these patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Radiosensitization of murine Ehrlich ascites tumor by a combination of 2-deoxy-D-glucose and 6-aminonicotinamide.

Enhanced radiosensitizing effects of a combination of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), a glycolytic inhibitor and 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) an analogue of nicotinamide, which inhibits hexose monophosphate shunt (HMP) have been demonstrated in vitro. The purpose of the present studies is to investigate in vivo effects of this combination in Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) bearing mice. EAT tumor was grown in Swiss albino strain A mice. Treatment induced growth delay and tumor free animal survival were evaluated as parameters of radiation response. Focal irradiation of the tumor with a single fraction of 10 Gy induced a moderate delay in tumor growth but did not lead to complete regression of the tumor. Intravenous administration of either 6-AN or 2-DG immediately before irradiation enhanced radiation-induced growth delay with a cure rate of 45%. However, administration of a combination of 2-DG (2 g/kg b.wt.) and 6-AN (2 mg/kg b.wt.) immediately before irradiation led to complete regression of tumor in 80% animals resulting in survival of more than 300 days. A similar response (approximately 80%) was observed when 2-DG dose was reduced to 1 g/kg in combination with 6-AN. It is concluded that 6-AN enhances the radiosensitizing effects of 2-DG and the combination may have potential application in improving radiotherapy of tumors.

6-Aminonicotinamide↗