Screening of traditionally used Lebanese herbs for neurological activities.

In the recent decades the use of traditional medicine in Lebanon has increased. Aqueous, ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of seven Lebanese plants that are used traditionally for neurological disorders as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and affective disorders as depression were tested for inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and affinity to the GABA(A)-benzodiazepine site and to the serotonin transporter. Ethyl acetate extracts of Salvia triloba, Lavandula officinalis, Origanum syriacum and Artemisia herba-alba exhibited weak activity in the acetylcholinesterase assay.

Effect of storage on the chemical composition and biological activity of several popular South African medicinal plants.

The in vitro biological activity of nine frequently used medicinal plants in South Africa was assessed and re-assessed after various lengths of storage. The plants investigated were Alepidea amatymbica, Leonotis leonurus, Drimia robusta, Vernonia colorata, Merwilla natalensis, Eucomis autumnalis, Bowiea volubilis, Helichrysum cymosum and Siphonochilus aethiopicus. Water, ethanol and hexane extracts of fresh, 90-day-old and 1-year-old material were assayed for antibacterial activity against four strains of bacteria and for COX-1 inhibition activity.

Associations with autoimmune disorders and HLA class I and II antigens in inclusion body myositis.

Whether autoimmune mechanisms play a role in the pathogenesis of inclusion body myositis (IBM) is unknown. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) analysis in 52 patients, including 17 with autoimmune disorders (AIDs), showed that patients were more likely to have antigens from the autoimmune-prone HLA-B8-DR3 ancestral haplotype than healthy control subjects, irrespective of the presence of AIDs. Patients lacked the apparently protective HLA-DR53 antigen.

Activity of a traditional South African epilepsy remedy in the GABA-benzodiazepine receptor assay.

Aqueous and ethanol extracts of six plants, Acrotome inflata, Aptosimum indivisum, Asparagus suaveolens, Barleria bolusii, Commiphora marlothii and Sesamum triphyllum, which constitute an ancient Northern Sotho remedy for epilepsy, Sehlare sa Seebana, was tested in the GABA(A)-benzodiazepine receptor binding assay. Both aqueous and ethanol extracts of Aptosimum indivisum and Asparagus suaveolens and the aqueous extract of Commiphora marlothii showed good dose-dependent activity. The ethanol extract of all six plants extracted together was more active that the aqueous extract.

Magnetic resonance imaging of single rice kernels during cooking.

The RARE imaging method was used to monitor the cooking of single rice kernels in real time and with high spatial resolution in three dimensions. The imaging sequence is optimized for rapid acquisition of signals with short relaxation times using centered out RARE. Short scan time and high spatial resolution are critical factors in the investigation of the cooking behavior of rice kernels since time and spatial averaging may lead to erroneous results.

Corrosion and permanent fracture resistance of coated and conventional orthodontic wires.

The corrosion processes are presumed to have negative consequences on biocompatibility, aesthetic appearance and the frictional behavior between the bracket and the guiding arch during orthodontic treatment. A group of new guiding arches are the coated orthodontic wires. The present in-vitro study investigated the corrosion behavior and permanent fracture resistance of eight coated wires of different dimensions.

Screening of indigenous plants from South Africa for affinity to the serotonin reuptake transport protein.

Seventy five extracts from 34 indigenous plant species used in South African traditional medicine or taxonomically related to these were investigated for their affinity to the serotonin reuptake transport protein, making use of an in vitro serotonin reuptake transport protein binding assay. Aqueous and 70% ethanolic extracts of various plant parts were screened and 45 extracts derived from 15 plant species showed affinity. The affinity of 12 extracts from four plants was characterized as high (more than 50% inhibition at 5, 1, and 0.

Large lateral meniscal ganglion cyst extending into the intercondylar fossa of the knee.

We report the case of a 31-year-old, otherwise healthy man with a large intra-articular meniscal ganglion cyst (27.7 x 13.5 mm) originating from the dorsal horn of the lateral meniscus.

Screening of plants used in southern Africa for epilepsy and convulsions in the GABAA-benzodiazepine receptor assay.

A number of plants are traditionally used to treat mental diseases in South Africa. Aqueous and ethanol extracts of 43 plants that are traditionally used to treat against epilepsy and convulsions, were tested in the GABAA-benzodiazepine receptor binding assay, where the binding of 3H-Ro 15-1788 (flumazenil) to the benzodiazepine site is measured. The GABAA-benzodiazepine receptor complex is involved in epilepsy and convulsions.

Correlation of stress and strain profiles and the distribution of osteoclastic cells induced by orthodontic loading in rat.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether stress or strain within the periodontal ligament (PDL), or rather in the bone, plays a role in initiating biological responses in orthodontic tooth movement. The upper first molars of 11 Wistar rats were moved mesially with a closed nickel titanium alloy coil spring for 3-12 d and three rats served as controls. After preparation of the maxillae for paraffin histology, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity was evaluated to detect osteoclasts and their mononuclear precursors in four regions around the mesial root.

[Resorbable pin refixation of an osteochondral fracture of the lateral femoral condyle due to traumatic patellar dislocation: case management, follow-up and strategy in adolescents].

Aim: Intraarticular osteochondral fractures resulting from traumatic patellar dislocation in children are reported most frequently between 13 and 15 years of age. Fracture localization concerns, apart from loose intraarticular bodies, the inferiomedial patellar facet and the lateral femoral condyle. Osteochondral fractures of the lateral femoral condyle with more than 50 % of its surface are extremely rare and reported infrequently.

Ca2+-dependent modulation of single human cardiac L-type calcium channels by the calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporine.

Objective: Activity of single L-type calcium channels (LTCC) is enhanced in human failing myocardium (Circulation 98 (1998) 969.), most likely due to impaired dephosphorylation. Protein phosphatase 2B (calcineurin) has recently been shown to be involved in heart failure pathophysiology.

CIRCE is not involved in heat-dependent transcription of groESL but in stabilization of the mRNA 5'-end in Rhodobacter capsulatus.

The CIRCE element, an inverted DNA repeat, is known to be involved in the temperature-dependent regulation of genes for heat shock proteins in a variety of organisms. The CIRCE element was identified as the target for the HrcA protein, which represses transcription of heat shock genes under normal growth temperature. Our data reveal that the CIRCE element is not involved in the temperature-dependent transcription of the groESL genes in Rhodobacter capsulatus.

Experimental and numerical determination of initial tooth mobility and material properties of the periodontal ligament in rat molar specimens.

The mechanical parameters of the periodontal ligament (PDL) in rat specimens were investigated in a combined experimental and numerical approach. Tooth mobility of the rat mandibular first molar was measured in vitro using a high precision experimental set-up. Finite element models (FEM) were developed, based on histological sections of the measured specimens, to simulate tooth mobility numerically under the same force systems as used in the experiment.

Characterization of human exonuclease 1 in complex with mismatch repair proteins, subcellular localization and association with PCNA.

Human exonuclease 1 (hEXO1) has been implicated in DNA mismatch repair (MMR), replication, and recombination, but the nature of its interaction with these cellular processes is still ambiguous. We show that hEXO1 colocalizes with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) at DNA replication sites and that the C-terminal region of hEXO1 is sufficient for this localization. We also show that both hMLH1-hPMS2 (MutLalpha) and hMLH1-hEXO1 complexes are formed in a reaction mixture containing all three proteins.

Applications of surface-surface matching algorithms for determination of orthodontic tooth movements.

Orthodontic tooth movements are described as the differences between initial and final tooth positions. A computer based method for determination of tooth movements for different treatment methods was developed. A total of 20 casts of the upper jaw of patients treated with tooth positioners or fixed appliances were used as a basis for this study.

Patterns of maxillary alveolar arch growth changes of infants with unilateral cleft lip and palate: preliminary findings.

Objective: Because of significant differences in pathomorphology at birth, it may be that a better treatment outcome prognosis exists for patients with incomplete versus complete cleft forms. Can reaction patterns be extracted from changes in maxillary dimensions of different cleft forms within the first year of life to support this hypothesis?

Subjects: Chronologically consecutive casts of the maxilla (1 week and 3, 6, and 12 months of life) of 15 patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (cUCLP) and 13 patients with incomplete unilateral cleft lip and palate (iUCLP). All patients were treated with passive palatal plates.

Micropropagation of Thapsia garganica--a medicinal plant.

The micropropagation of T. garganica, a medicinally important plant, was investigated as an option for conservation purposes as wild populations are becoming sparse. A Murashige and Skoog agar medium supplemented with 0.

[Numerical study of tension and strain distribution around rat molars].

A knowledge of the mechanical processes triggered in the bone and periodontal ligament (PDL) by orthodontic forces applied to a tooth is of decisive importance for an understanding of the subsequent remodelling around the tooth. To investigate these mechanical relationships, three-dimensional finite element (FE) models of the first lower molar in the rat were established. On the basis of digitized serial histological sections, these FE models were generated semi-automatically.

Screening of traditionally used South African plants for antifungal activity against Candida albicans.

Twenty-four South African medicinal plants were screened against Candida albicans standard strain ATCC 10231 and two clinical isolates from a 5-month-old baby and an adult, in an attempt to find a traditional remedy to treat oral candidiasis, which is prevalent in HIV-patients. Allium sativum L. and Tulbaghia violacea L.

Evaluation of diabetic ketoacidosis-related ionic metabolites in human blood serum by capillary electrophoresis.

Three methodologies are presented to contemplate the analysis of sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, lactate, acetoacetate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate in blood serum samples of diabetic patients using free solution capillary electrophoresis with indirect detection (214 nm for cations and 254 nm for anions). The cations were analyzed in less than 6 min in an electrolyte comprised of 15 mmol x L(-1) imidazole, 5 mmol x L(-1) lactate and 1 mmol x L(-1) 18-crown-6-ether, adjusted to pH 4.5.

Muscle ultrasound analysis: normal values and differentiation between myopathies and neuropathies.

In this study, 145 healthy adults (20 to 94 years old, 69 women) were examined using ultrasound (US) imaging to obtain reference values of muscle parameters that were previously not available. We measured biceps and quadriceps sizes and subcutaneous fat thickness. To quantify muscle aspect, we defined and calculated the muscle aspect parameters muscle density, inhomogeneity and white-area index by digital image analysis.

[Ten year follow-up after single incision anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using patellar tendon autograft].

Aim: We evaluated 74 patients 10 years after arthroscopically assisted ACL reconstruction using the central third of the patellar tendon as autograft.

Method: IKDC, Tegner and Lysholm scores were used for clinical evaluation. Ligament stability was tested using the Rolimeter instrument.

[Comparison of mechanical properties of orthodontic nickel-titanium wires].

Two packages each, containing 10 wires per package, of different batches of 25 different types of orthodontic archwires made of super-elastic nickel-titanium alloys measuring 0.41 x 0.56 mm2, were investigated.

Immunohistochemical localization of insulin-like growth factor-II and its binding protein-6 in human epithelial cells of Malassez.

So-called epithelial rests of Malassez are derived from the Hertwig's root sheath and are located in the periodontal ligament, with still unknown functions. Different pathological conditions may lead to proliferation of these otherwise non-proliferative cell clusters. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system is an important growth factor system controlling proliferation and differentiation.