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Biomedical subjects

U Gupta

Publications and source records attributed to U Gupta.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Effects of caffeine on perceptual judgment.

The present study examined the effects of caffeine on the estimation of felt width of blocks employing haptic presentation. Following a between-subject design, 160 male postgraduate students classified as high or low impulsives received either placebo or one of four doses of caffeine citrate (1, 2, 3 and 4 mg/kg body weight). A double-blind procedure was adopted for drug administration. Caffeine produced differential effects on the performance of high and low impulsives, facilitated performance (decreased error in perceptual judgment) in high impulsives but had no influence on the performance of low impulsives. The dose-response trends also followed different patterns in the two groups of subjects.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Growth patterns in breastfed babies during first six months of life.

Growth of exclusively breastfed 126 normal newborns in urban slums and those delivered at Nehru Hospital, Medical College, Gorakhpur were studied upto six months of age. The average weight of both boys and girls was almost equivalent to the 25th percentile of NCHS standard upto 3 months but fell below these standards thereafter. The average length in both boys and girls was between 25th and 50th percentile of NCHS data. The average head circumference in girls was between 25th and 50th percentile of NCHS data at all ages but in boys it was between 10th and 25th percentile at 4, 5 and 6 months of age. The average weight, length, head and chest circumference in both boys and girls were comparable to ICMR standards. The observations indicate that exclusive breastfeeding should be promoted for adequate growth of infants during first six months of life.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1994

Delay of experimentally induced preterm labour in rats with calcium channel blockers and salbutamol.

The effect of some calcium channel blockers on spontaneous activity of uterine strips obtained from 16 day pregnant rats was observed and compared with salbutamol. Nifedipine (2.9, 14 nM), verapamil (2, 10 nM) and diltiazem (11,22nM) both at low and high doses significantly abolished spontaneous contractions which was gradual and persistent. However, salbutamol (4.2, 21 nM) abolished spontaneous activity immediately but the response was shortlived. The effect of these agents was also investigated on experimentally induced preterm labour in rats (ovariectomized on day 16 of pregnancy). In the control group only 21% of foetuses were retained at the end of 48 hr. Nifedipine, verapamil, diltiazem and salbutamol administered ip 8 hourly protected 91%, 90%, 78% and 61% of foetuses from delivery at 48 hr respectively. The rank order of efficacy was nifedipine > verapamil > diltiazem > salbutamol.

Albuterol↗
PubMed1993

Effects of caffeine on recognition.

The present study examined the effects of caffeine on recognition performance after acquisition of conceptual and acoustic tasks. Following a between-subject design, 300 male postgraduate students classified as high or low impulsives received either placebo or one of four doses of caffeine citrate (1, 2, 3, and 4 mg/kg body weight). A double-blind procedure was adopted for drug administration. Caffeine facilitated recognition performance after acoustic acquisition but impaired it after conceptual acquisition in high impulsives. The drug had no influence on recognition performance of low impulsives.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Pharmacodynamic bioequivalence: evaluation of different brands of terfenadine hydrochloride.

Terfenadine is a selective histamine H1 receptor antagonist which binds preferentially to peripheral receptors in vivo and is devoid of central nervous system depressant activity and thus has an improved adverse effect profile (1). Hence, terfenadine may be considered to be a first line agent in the treatment of allergic rhinitis and chronic urticaria. In man terfenadine is rapidly absorbed following a single oral dose and a peak terfenadine plasma concentration is reached within 1-2 hr after the drug administration (2). The present study was carried out to compare the bioequivalence of two terfenadine hydrochloride preparations marketed by Kopran Chem. Co. and Marrel Dow U.K. (Triludan) by evaluating their ability to inhibit the skin reaction to intradermally injected histamine (3).

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Effect of calcium channel blockers and salbutamol on oxytocin and PGF2 alpha induced uterine contractions in rats.

Calcium channel blockers verapamil (2, 10nM), diltiazem (11, 22nM), nifedipine (2.9, 14nM) and salbutamol (21, 42nM) produced concentration dependent inhibition of oxytocin induced contractions in non-pregnant rats. With verapamil and nifedipine the effect was more marked at both low and high doses. Verapamil (1,2nM), diltiazem (2.2, 11nM), nifedipine (1.4, 2.9nM) and salbutamol (2.1, 4.2nM) produced significant inhibitory effect on PGF2 alpha (0.3 microgram) induced phasic tension. However, basal tension was significantly reduced by salbutamol and nifedipine only.

Albuterol↗
PubMed1993

Evaluation of direct gas-liquid chromatography of CSF in rapid diagnosis of acute bacterial meningitis.

A comparison of culture and lactic acid level from 50 patients suffering from bacterial meningitis and 25 controls was done to evaluate the role of direct GLC analysis of CSF for early diagnosis of bacterial meningitis. The study revealed that the CSF lactic acid level was higher in 48 out of 50 cases. Only in 30 patients the causative agent of the disease could be established by conventional techniques. Quantitative estimation of lactic acid was found to be useful.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

Efficacy of massive dose oral gentamicin therapy in nonbloody persistent diarrhea with associated malnutrition.

Overgrowth of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in the upper small intestine is a common finding in persistent diarrhea. We hypothesized that a large dose of broad spectrum, nonabsorbable oral antibiotic would hasten recovery from persistent diarrhea by eradicating aerobic bacterial overgrowth. Sixty-eight patients were randomly assigned to treatment with either oral gentamicin (n = 33) or placebo (n = 35) for a period of 6 days. The two groups were comparable in their clinical features, stool weights, duodenal and fecal microflora, during an initial 24 h observation period before randomization. The proportion of patients recovering within 6 days post-treatment was similar in the antibiotic (45.2%) and placebo (50%) groups. The stool weights in the two groups during 24-72, 72-120, and 120-168 h of the study did not differ significantly. The percent mean weight gain (g) at 168 h post-treatment in the antibiotic (1.0 +/- 5.1) and placebo (1.4 +/- 5.3) groups also did not differ significantly (p = 0.8). A similar proportion of antibiotic- (61.3%) and placebo- (60.7%) treated patients had started to gain weight by the last day of the study. We conclude that oral gentamicin was no more effective than placebo in reducing purge rates, in achieving earlier recovery from diarrhea, and in promoting the earlier onset of weight gain in this study.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1992

Pathogenicity of Bacteroides fragilis group in rat intra-abdominal abscesses.

Attempts were made to study the pathogenicity of some strains of Bacteroides fragilis group in the rat intra-abdominal abscess model. Multiple intraabdominal abscesses were produced in 50 to 70% of animals when an inoculum containing 10(9) CFU/ml of any of the five species of Bacteroides fragilis group was injected. Rising homologous antibody titers determined by indirect fluorescent antibody test were observed till the 3rd week when tested last, indirectly confirming the multiplication of the organisms as also evident by viable count of bacteria in the abscesses. In some cases in addition to inoculated organisms some intestinal bacteria like Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Streptococcus spp. were also recovered from the abscess pus. Studies with the electron microscope showed presence of capsular polysaccharide only in Bacteroides fragilis and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron. It was doubtful in Bacteroides distasonis and absent in Bacteroides ovatus and Bacteroides vulgatus, suggesting that virulence factor beside the capsular polysaccharide may be playing a role. Further studies are required to investigate the virulence factor responsible for the pathogenicity of noncapsulated species.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1992

Is small bowel bacterial overgrowth of pathogenic significance in persistent diarrhea?

Bacterial overgrowth in the upper small intestine is postulated to cause persistent diarrhea. We compared the fecal and upper intestinal flora in 82 patients with persistent diarrhea aged < or = 36 months and weight-for-length < or = 90% of National Center for Health Statistics standards (NCHS) and 39 non-diarrheal children with age < or = 36 months, nutritionally matched with the patients and residing in the same environment. In the age groups < or = 12 months and > 12 months the duodenal fluid bacterial counts > or = 10(5)/ml were found with similar frequency in patients and controls for aerobic (p = 0.33; p = 0.1) and anaerobic (p = 1.0; p = 1.0) bacteria. However, the duodenal isolation rates of any aerobic bacteria (p < 0.05) without regard to counts and Enterobacteriaceae (p = 0.06) were higher in patients than in controls. Colonization with Enterobacteriaceae was directly correlated with increased stool weight over a 7-day observation period (p < 0.05; p < 0.01). One or more pathogens were isolated in the feces of 58% of the patients and 43.8% of the controls. Enteroadherent E. coli of the localized [EAEC-L] (p < 0.01) and aggregative [EAggEC] (p = 0.22) phenotypes were isolated more commonly from the feces of patients. The duodenal fluid detection rates for Klebsiella were significantly greater (p < 0.01) in patients, while Giardia lamblia was detected more commonly in the duodenal fluid of controls (p < 0.01). The presence of specific pathogens in the feces did not seem to be related to the extent of small bowel colonization.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Etiology of febrile episodes in children with acute lymphocytic leukaemia.

In 53 children (aged 5 months to 11 yr) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 68 febrile episodes were investigated for determining the etiology. Microbial organisms were isolated in 33 episodes. Bacteraemia was seen in 24 patients and in three of them Clostridium species were isolated. Escherichia coli was the commonest isolate and was seen in 11 (18.6%) febrile episodes. Other common organisms isolated were Staphylococcus aureus in nine (15.2%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae and coagulase negative Staph. in 6 (10.2%) episodes each. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobactor were isolated in 5 (8.5%) episodes each.

Bacteremia↗
PubMed1991

Differential effects of caffeine on free recall after semantic and rhyming tasks in high and low impulsives.

The effects of caffeine on free recall after acquisition on semantic and rhyming tasks were examined. Following a between-subjects design, high and low impulsive male postgraduate students were administered placebo and four doses of caffeine citrate (1, 2, 3 and 4 mg/kg body weight) in a laboratory situation. A double blind procedure was adopted for drug administration. The study supports the following conclusions: (1) under no drug condition, high impulsives recall more after semantic acquisition while their counterparts, the low impulsives, recall more after rhyming acquisition; (2) caffeine facilitates recall in high impulsives after rhyming acquisition but hinders it after semantic acquisition; (3) caffeine does not reliably influence recall of low impulsives.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Virulence factors in Bacteroides fragilis group.

Attempts were made to study the virulence factors in some strains of B. fragilis group in the rat model. Subcutaneous wound abscesses could be produced by 10(9) CFU/ml of live cells of all the five species of B. fragilis group tested. For determination of virulence factor cellular components (capsular polysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide) of B. fragilis were separated using gel filtration technique and injected in rats. Abscesses could be produced only by capsular polysaccharide fraction suggesting it to be the virulence factor. Studies with transmission electron microscope showed presence of capsular polysaccharide in B. fragilis and B. thetaiotaomicron, it was doubtful in B. distasonis and absent in B. ovatus and B. vulgatus. This suggested that virulence factors other than capsular polysaccharide may be responsible for pyogenic lesions in the noncapsulated species of B. fragilis group. The abscess could not be produced by 10(9) CFU/ml of heat killed cells of non-capsulated B. ovatus and B. vulgatus indicating that in live bacteria, a heat labile factor was responsible for the development of abscess.

Abscess↗
PubMed1990

Caffeine differentially affects kinesthetic aftereffect in high and low impulsives.

The effects of caffeine on kinesthetic aftereffect (KAE) were examined. Following a between-subjects design, high and low impulsive male postgraduate students were administered placebo and four doses of caffeine (1, 2, 3 and 4 mg/kg body weight) in a laboratory situation. A double blind procedure was adopted for drug administration. The study supports the following conclusions: (1) caffeine reduces KAE in high impulsive subjects; (2) the larger dose of caffeine (4 mg/kg) enhances KAE in low impulsive subjects; (3) caffeine produces profound effects on the performance of high impulsives; (4) caffeine leads to different dose-response trends in the two groups.

Adult↗