A role for hydroxy-methylglutaryl coenzyme a reductase in pulmonary inflammation and host defense.

Rationale: A growing literature indicates that hydroxy-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) modulate proinflammatory cellular signaling and functions. No studies to date, however, have addressed whether statins modulate pulmonary inflammation triggered by aerogenic stimuli or whether they affect host defense.

Objectives: To test whether lovastatin modulates LPS-induced pulmonary inflammation and antibacterial host defense.

Transcriptional profiling of lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury.

Mortality associated with acute lung injury (ALI) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) remains high in humans, warranting improved treatment and prevention strategies. ALI is characterized by the expression of proinflammatory mediators and extensive neutrophil influx into the lung, followed by severe lung damage. Understanding the pathogenesis of LPS-induced ALI is a prerequisite for designing better therapeutic strategies.

World studies of abuse in the family environment--risk factors for physical intimate partner violence.

Objectives: To identify risk factors for physical intimate partner violence against women in Chile, India, Egypt and the Philippines.

Design: Population-based household survey.

Settings: Selected urban communities in Temuco, Chile; ISmailia, Egypt; Lucknow, Trivandrum and Vellore in India and Metro Manila, Philippines.

Ethnicity and fetal growth in Fiji.

Background: Indigenous Fijians and the descendants of Asian Indians constitute the two major ethnic groups in Fiji. There are differences between the two groups in perinatal outcomes.

Aims: To study fetal growth patterns in the two ethnic groups and to ascertain the influence, if any, of ethnicity on fetal growth.

Effect of potassium channel modulators on toxicity of Cleistanthus collinus.

The study was conducted to determine the effects of boiled extract of Cleistanthus collinus on rats by observing ECG changes and electrolyte levels in serum and urine. Influence of minoxidil and glibenclamide on Cleistanthus collinus induced toxicity was determined. ED50 for arrhythmia, changes in contractility and heart rate were recorded using the isolated frog heart.

Systematic analysis of snake neurotoxins' functional classification using a data warehousing approach.

Motivation: Sequence annotations, functional and structural data on snake venom neurotoxins (svNTXs) are scattered across multiple databases and literature sources. Sequence annotations and structural data are available in the public molecular databases, while functional data are almost exclusively available in the published articles. There is a need for a specialized svNTXs database that contains NTX entries, which are organized, well annotated and classified in a systematic manner.

Toxins in anti-nociception and anti-inflammation.

The use of toxins as novel molecular probes to study the structure-function relationship of ion-channels and receptors as well as potential therapeutics in the treatment of wide variety of diseases is well documented. The high specificity and selectivity of these toxins have attracted a great deal of interest as candidates for drug development. This review highlights the involvement of the proteins and peptide toxins as well as non-proteinaceous compounds derived from both venomous and non-venomous animals, in anti-nociception and anti-inflammation.

Sputa nerve growth factor forms a preferable substitute to mouse 7S-beta nerve growth factor.

The NGF (nerve growth factor) from Naja sputatrix has been purified by gel filtration followed by reversed-phase HPLC. The protein showed a very high ability to induce neurite formation in PC12 cells relative to the mouse NGF. Two cDNAs encoding isoforms of NGF have been cloned and an active recombinant NGF, sputa NGF, has been produced in Escherichia coli as a His-tagged fusion protein.

Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia with pulmonary arteriovenous malformations: a treatable cause of thromboembolic cerebral events.

Hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) or Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome is associated with mucocutaneous telangiectases and iron deficiency anaemia caused by epistaxis or blood loss from the gastrointestinal tract. We describe a 41-year-old Chinese man who presented with amaurosis fugax secondary to emboli from pulmonary arteriovenous malformations associated with HHT. He was diagnosed with the disorder in adolescence but follow-up in the outpatient setting was incomplete.

Seizure outcome in patients with a solitary cerebral cysticercus granuloma.

Objective: To study the long-term seizure outcome and determine factors that predict recurrence of seizures following early withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in patients with a solitary cerebral cysticercus granuloma (SCCG).

Methods: The authors prospectively studied 185 patients with SCCG and seizures in whom AEDs were withdrawn soon after (within 2 to 12 weeks) resolution of the SCCG was demonstrated on the CT scan. The follow-up of these patients ranged from 24 to 125 months (mean 65.

Spousal physical violence against women during pregnancy.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of physical violence during pregnancy and the factors associated with it.

Design: A population-based, multicentre, cross sectional household survey.

Setting: Rural, slum and urban non-slum areas of Bhopal, Chennai, Delhi, Lucknow, Nagpur, Trivandrum and Vellore, in India.

Genital syndromes and syndromic management of vaginal discharge in a community setting.

The objective of the study was to determine the community prevalence of genital syndromes in women and evaluate the syndromic management of vaginal discharge in this setting. A representative sample for the state of Tamilnadu was chosen using probability proportional to size cluster technique. Thirty clusters were selected from three districts.

Neuroprotection and peptide toxins.

Neurodegeneration induced by excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate is considered to be of particular relevance in several types of acute and chronic neurological impairments ranging from cerebral ischaemia to neuropathological conditions such as motor neuron disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. The hyperexcitation of glutamate receptors coupled with calcium overload can be prevented or modulated by using well-established competitive and non-competitive antagonists targeting ion/receptor channels. The exponentially increasing body of pharmacological evidence over the years indicates potential applications of peptide toxins, due to their exquisite subtype selectivity on ion channels and receptors, as lead structures for the development of drugs for the treatment of wide variety of neurological disorders.

Snake postsynaptic neurotoxins: gene structure, phylogeny and applications in research and therapy.

Snake venoms are complex mixtures of biologically active polypeptides that target a variety of vital physiological functions in mammals. alpha-Neurotoxins, toxins that cause paralysis by binding to the nicotinic receptors at the postsynaptic region of the neuromuscular junction have been widely studied in terms of their structure-function relationships as well as gene structure, organization and expression. In this review, we describe the structure of alpha-neurotoxin genes and discuss their evolutionary relationships.

Chlamydia trachomatis genital infection in apparently healthy adult population of Tamil Nadu, India: a population-based study.

Since the epidemiology of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in apparently healthy population has not been studied in India, a population-based study was conducted in the state of Tamil Nadu, India in order to analyse the prevalence of genital chlamydial infections in the community and to implement control programmes. A representative sample was taken from three randomly selected districts by using the 'probability proportional to size' cluster survey method. Households were the basic units of clusters.

Oxidative damage in intermediate syndrome of acute organophosphorous poisoning.

Background & Objectives: The main cause of morbidity due to organophosphate poisoning is intermediate syndrome (Type II paralysis) that can occur 48-72 h after poisoning. Mechanisms that underlie the intermediate syndrome are not known. This study investigates the role of oxidative damage to muscles as a possible mechanism underlying the development of the intermediate syndrome.

Fine needle aspiration in chronic tonsillitis: reliable and valid diagnostic test.

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the tonsil as a diagnostic tool in evaluating the microflora in chronic tonsillitis has not been popularized. A prospective study of 30 patients with chronic tonsillitis undergoing tonsillectomy was undertaken. FNA of the tonsil core was done under local/general anaesthesia.

Group IB phospholipase A2 from Pseudonaja textilis.

Pseudonaja textilis, an Australian Elapid, is known to produce a highly toxic venom. Both protein profiling and N-terminal sequence analysis showed the presence of four new phospholipases A(2) in this venom. Besides being non-lethal, the phospholipase A(2) proteins were found to be moderately active enzymes and they showed procoagulant property.

Structurally conserved alpha-neurotoxin genes encode functionally diverse proteins in the venom of Naja sputatrix.

The structure and organization of the genes encoding the long-chain neurotoxins and four other isoforms of weak neurotoxins in the venom of Naja sputatrix are reported. The genes contained three exons interrupted by two introns, a structure similar to other members of the three-finger toxin family. The proteins encoded by these genes, however, show varied affinity towards nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Aquaporin gene expression and regulation in the ovine fetal lung.

Fetal lung development is dependent upon secretion of liquid into the future airways which must be cleared at birth to establish air-breathing. Aquaporins (AQP) 1, 3, 4 and 5 are membranous water channel proteins that are present in the lung after birth in rodents, with little expression before birth. Our aim was to describe the changes in AQP1, 3, 4 and 5 expression and protein levels in the fetal lung of a long-gestation species (sheep) and in response to physiological factors known to alter fetal lung liquid dynamics.

Pulmonary inflammation and edema induced by phospholipase A2: global gene analysis and effects on aquaporins and Na+/K+-ATPase.

Victims of snakebite quickly succumb to severe respiratory failure, which can be fatal if left untreated. One of the most toxic components of snake venom is phospholipase A2 (PLA2; EC 3.1.

Role of Mannheimia haemolytica leukotoxin in the pathogenesis of bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis.

Bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis continues to be a major respiratory disease in feedlot cattle despite the recent advances in our understanding of the underlying complexities of causation. The etiological agent, Mannheimia haemolytica, possesses several virulence factors, including capsule, outer membrane proteins, adhesins, neuraminidase, endotoxin and exotoxic leukotoxin. Accumulating scientific evidence implicates leukotoxin as the primary factor contributing to clinical presentation and lung injury associated with this disease.

Sequential treatment of metformin and clomiphene citrate in clomiphene-resistant women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized, controlled trial.

Background: Recognition of the importance of insulin resistance in clomiphene-resistant women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has led to the use of insulin sensitizers.

Methods: A randomized, controlled trial was conducted to compare efficacy of sequential treatment with metformin and clomiphene citrate with conventional gonadotrophins. Sixty clomiphene-resistant women with PCOS were randomized to two groups (n = 30 each), using computer-generated tables.

Physical and chemical properties study of the activated carbon made from sewage sludge.

Preparation of activated carbon from sewage sludge is a promising way to produce a useful adsorbent for pollutants removal as well as to dispose of sewage sludge. The objective of this study was to investigate the physical and chemical properties of the activated carbon made from sewage sludge so as to give a basic understanding of its structure. The activated carbon was prepared by activating anaerobically digested sewage sludge with 5 M ZnCl2 and thereafter pyrolyzing it at 500 degrees C for 2 h under nitrogen atmosphere.

Chronic adenoid hypertrophy in children - is steroid nasal spray beneficial?

Objective: [corrected] To the efficacy of naial btvlomethosone spry in the treatmrnl of chronic adenoid hypertrophy in children.

Method: .-1 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study

Setting: Tertiary academic referral center Patients: Aged 3-12 years diagnosed to have chronic nasal obstruction due to hypertrophied adenoids.