Intrarectal application of formalin for chronic radiation proctitis: a simple, cheap and effective treatment.

Background: Chronic radiation proctitis is known to be a difficult to treat condition. Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC) though being effective requires prolonged sessions and has limited availability. Formalin, by virtue of its chemical cauterizing effects, has been found to be effective in patients with bleeding radiation cystitis and hemorrhagic proctitis.

Adropin is a novel regulator of endothelial function.

Background: Adropin is a recently identified protein that has been implicated in the maintenance of energy homeostasis and insulin resistance. Because vascular function and insulin sensitivity are closely related, we hypothesized that adropin may also exert direct effects on the endothelium.

Methods And Results: In vitro cell culture models were partnered with an in vivo murine injury model to determine the potential vascular effects of adropin.

Wound contraction effects and antibacterial properties of Tualang honey on full-thickness burn wounds in rats in comparison to hydrofibre.

Background: Full-thickness burn wounds require excision and skin grafting. Multiple surgical procedures are inevitable in managing moderate to severe full-thickness burns. Wound bed preparations prior to surgery are necessary in order to prevent wound infection and promote wound healing.

Production & stability of stavudine solid lipid nanoparticles--from lab to industrial scale.

The production of stavudine-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) for intravenous injection was scaled up from lab scale (40 g) to medium scale (10 kg) and large scale (20/60 kg). The SLN were produced by high pressure homogenization of stavudine lipid melt dispersed in hot surfactant solution (pre-emulsion) applying 800 bar pressure. Employed were piston-gap homogenizers with increasing capacity (APV Gaulin products LAB 40, LAB 60 and Gaulin 5.

Serum neopterin is elevated in patients infected with Shigella.

Background: Neopterin is produced by human macrophages/monocytes when stimulated with interferon-gamma. Production of neopterin is found in serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and urine of patients with infections by viruses, intracellular bacteria and parasites, autoimmune diseases, malignant tumors and patients in allograft rejection episodes.

Methods: In this study, the level of neopterin was determined in serum samples obtained from patients infected with Shigella (all four species) and healthy individuals.

Targeting tacrolimus to deeper layers of skin with improved safety for treatment of atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is chronically relapsing eczematous skin disorder having significant impact worldwide. Tacrolimus is the drug-of-choice which inhibits T-cell activation resulting in suppression of inflammation. However, despite being effective, most common adverse events of tacrolimus are low-and-variable bioavailability, burning sensation and pruritus at application site, which prompt for development of novel carrier that could effectively target tacrolimus to site-of-action without producing undesirable side-effects.

Synthesis and in vitro antibacterial activity of thymol and carvacrol derivatives.

Fourteen esters of thymol and carvacrol were synthesized and characterized on the basis of spectral data. The NMR data for some of these are being given for the first time. The antibacterial activity screening of thymol, carvacrol and their esters were carried out against four Gram-positive (Streptococcus mutans MTCC 890, Staphylococcus aureus MTCC 96, Bacillus subtilis MTCC 121, Staphylococcus epidermidis MTCC 435) and one Gram-negative (Escherichia coli MTCC 723) bacteria.

Dixdc1 is a critical regulator of DISC1 and embryonic cortical development.

The psychiatric illness risk gene Disrupted in Schizophrenia-1 (DISC1) plays an important role in brain development; however, it is unclear how DISC1 is regulated during cortical development. Here, we report that DISC1 is regulated during embryonic neural progenitor proliferation and neuronal migration through an interaction with DIX domain containing-1 (Dixdc1), the third mammalian gene discovered to contain a Disheveled-Axin (DIX) domain. We determined that Dixdc1 functionally interacts with DISC1 to regulate neural progenitor proliferation by co-modulating Wnt-GSK3beta/beta-catenin signaling.

Significance of ovoid separation with various applications of high-dose-rate-intracavitary radiotherapy in carcinoma of uterine cervix: a study from rural centre of Maharashtra, India.

Aims: To analyze the differences in dose distribution, with ovoid separation in various applications, by different radiotherapists in the same patient of carcinoma of the uterine cervix treated by multiple fractions of high-dose-rate (HDR) intracavitary Radio therapy (ICRT).

Settings: Pravara Rural Hospital and Rural Medical College.

Design: Retrospective study.

Adiponectin primes human monocytes into alternative anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages.

Altered macrophage kinetics is a pivotal mechanism of visceral obesity-induced inflammation and cardiometabolic risk. Because monocytes can differentiate into either proatherogenic M1 macrophages or anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages, approaches that limit M1 while promoting M2 differentiation represent a unique therapeutic strategy. We hypothesized that adiponectin may prime human monocytes toward the M2 phenotype.

Antibacterial properties of tualang honey and its effect in burn wound management: a comparative study.

Background: The use of honey as a natural product of Apis spp. for burn treatment has been widely applied for centuries. Tualang honey has been reported to have antibacterial properties against various microorganisms, including those from burn-related diagnoses, and is cheaper and easier to be absorbed by Aquacel dressing.

Cellular stress induced by resazurin leads to autophagy and cell death via production of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial impairment.

Mitochondrial bioenergetics and reactive oxygen species (ROS) often play important roles in cellular stress mechanisms. In this study we investigated how these factors are involved in the stress response triggered by resazurin (Alamar Blue) in cultured cancer cells. Resazurin is a redox reactive compound widely used as reporter agent in assays of cell biology (e.

Illness-induced exacerbation of Leigh syndrome in a patient with the MTATP6 mutation, m. 9185 T>C.

The most common mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations giving rise to Leigh syndrome reside in the MTATP6 gene. We report a rare mutation, m. 9185 T>C that gives rise to a progressive, but episodic pattern of neurological impairment with partial recovery.

NADPH oxidase 4 is an oncoprotein localized to mitochondria.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to be involved in many physiological and pathological processes. Initially ROS-producing NADPH oxidase (NOX) proteins were thought to be present in phagocytes. However, recent studies have demonstrated that NOX proteins are expressed in many other cell types and tissues.

APOE epsilon4 and MBL-2 O/O genotypes are associated with neurocognitive impairment in HIV-infected plasma donors.

Background: Host genetic factors are important determinants for risk of HIV-1 infection and disease progression. This study examined associations of host genetic variants and neurocognitive impairment in Chinese individuals infected through contaminated blood products.

Methods: Two hundred and one HIV-infected patients from Anhui, China, had neuropsychological tests at baseline and 12 months.

DNA damage repair and cardiovascular diseases.

DNA turnover through damage and repair is normal homeostatic process in viable cells. DNA damage induces sequential responses to either repair the damage or activate a programmed cell death process. Defects in this critical response to DNA damage underpin a wide array of human pathologies that include cancer predisposition, immune dysfunction, radiosensitivity, and neurodegeneration.

Effect of chronic fenvalerate intoxication on tissue concentration of copper in goats and further exploration of its mechanism.

This experiment was designed to assess the effect of chronic fenvalerate toxicity on tissue Cu concentration in goats and to explore the pathways responsible for it. A significant decrease in tissue Cu concentration of kidney, heart, and brain while an increase in the liver were recorded in fenvalerate intoxicated goats at 15 mg/kg b.w.

SIRT3 is a mitochondria-localized tumor suppressor required for maintenance of mitochondrial integrity and metabolism during stress.

The sirtuin gene family (SIRT) is hypothesized to regulate the aging process and play a role in cellular repair. This work demonstrates that SIRT3(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) exhibit abnormal mitochondrial physiology as well as increases in stress-induced superoxide levels and genomic instability. Expression of a single oncogene (Myc or Ras) in SIRT3(-/-) MEFs results in in vitro transformation and altered intracellular metabolism.

Rectal dosimetry in intracavitary brachytherapy by HDR at rural center of Maharashtra: Comparison of two methods.

The purpose of this study was to calculate the radiation dose at the anterior rectal wall as per the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU 38) recommendations and compare it with the dose calculated by the commonly used intrarectal catheter. Dose delivery by brachytherapy to the cervix is limited by the critical structure of the bladder and rectum. In this study the ICRU-38 rectal point was derived by using a radio-opaque gauze piece on the posterior vaginal wall, and the intrarectal point was derived by inserting a rubber catheter with a wire, inside the rectum.

MicroTUB(B3)ules and brain development.

The microtubule network is crucial for the developing nervous system, and mutations in tubulin-encoding genes disrupt neuronal migration. Tischfield et al. (2010) now report that mutations in the tubulin-encoding gene TUBB3 have a striking impact on microtubule dynamics in neurons, resulting in a diverse set of disease symptoms.

Effect of storage on quality of fortified Bengal gram sattu.

Fortified Bengal gram sattu was prepared following standardized sattu making procedure and fortified as per FDA using wheat flour with thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Ca and Fe and stored at 25°C, 65% RH and 35°C, 65% RH and at ambient condition (16-39°C, 18-98% RH) in low density polyethylene and laminated aluminum foil pouches. Alcoholic acidity increased by 0.04% in different sattu samples during 180 days storage but was within the acceptable limit as per BIS standard.

Comparative evaluation of five culture media with triplex PCR assay for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

The emergence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is responsible for nosocomial and community-acquired infections. Hence, rapid and accurate laboratory diagnosis of MRSA is a vital constituent of control measures. The present study evaluated five different methods for the identification of MRSA.

Chemical diversity in Himalayan Elsholtzia species.

The terpenoid composition of essential oils from the leaves of five Elsholtzia species, viz., E. eriostachya Benth.

Impairment of mitochondrial respiration in mouse fibroblasts by oncogenic H-RAS(Q61L).

A common metabolic change in cancer is the acquisition of glycolytic phenotypes. Increased expression of glycolytic enzymes is considered as one contributing factor. The role of mitochondrial defects in acquisition of glycolytic phenotypes has been postulated but remains controversial.