Intra-epithelial vaccination with COPV L1 DNA by particle-mediated DNA delivery protects against mucosal challenge with infectious COPV in beagle dogs.

Protection against viral challenge with canine oral papillomavirus (COPV) was achieved by immunisation via particle-mediated DNA delivery (PMDD) of a plasmid encoding the COPV L1 gene to cutaneous and oral mucosal sites in beagle dogs. The initial dose of approximately 9 microg of DNA was followed by two booster doses at 6 week intervals. A similar approach was used to vaccinate a control group of animals with plasmid DNA encoding the Hepatitis B virus S gene.

Delay in presentation and start of treatment in leprosy: experience in an out-patient clinic in Nepal.

Delayed presentation is a recognized risk factor for disability in leprosy but is the result of complex interactions between physical, social, economic and psychological factors. The present study is a response to the situation in an outpatient clinic in Nepal where the wide variation in delay in presentation was a cause for concern. A purpose-written questionnaire was used to collect information on 166 consecutive outpatient admissions.

Making sense of rehabilitation projects: classification by objectives.

Rehabilitation of disabled persons can take many different forms according to the socio-cultural and political context in which it is undertaken. Some approaches have emphasized the restoration of the physical function of the client, while others have looked beyond to psychological and social well-being. Some have built on the expertise of professionals while others have emphasized the caring capacity available in the family and the community and sought to reinforce it.

[Synthesis and biological evaluation of indole derivatives acting as anti-inflammatory or antitumoral drugs].

Two axes of research have been explored, one about promising non-acidic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory derivatives, with indolin-2-one as structural core and another one about aromatase inhibitors, characterized by azolylmethyl or alpha-azolylbenzyl chain on indole nucleus. Knoevenagel reaction led to indolin-2-ones substituted by either 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol chain or 1, 4-dihydropyridine chain, revealing antioxydant or anti-inflammatory activities. Aromatase is a logical target in the treatment of hormono-dependent breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

Effect of vigabatrin and gabapentin on phenytoin pharmacokinetics in the dog.

This study was aimed at investigating whether or not the kinetics of intravenously administered phenytoin (PT) was altered by oral administration of vigabatrin (VGB) or gabapentin (GBP). A daily dose of PT (12 mgkg(-1)i.v.

HPLC enantiomeric resolution of novel aromatase inhibitors on cellulose- and amylose-based chiral stationary phases under reversed phase mode.

The chiral resolution of seven aromatase inhibitors (four triazole derivatives (Ia, Ib, Ic, and Id) and three tetrazole derivatives (IIa, IIb, and IIc)) was achieved on Chiralcel OJ-R [cellulose tris (4-methyl benzoate)], Chiralcel OD-RH [cellulose tris (3,5-dimethylphenyl carbamate)], and Chiralpak AD-RH [amylose tris (3,5-dimethylphenyl carbamate)] chiral stationary phases. The mobile phases used were A: 2-PrOH-MeCN (90:10, v/v); B: 2-PrOH-MeCN (50:50, v/v); C: MeCN-H(2)O (50:50, v/v); D: MeCN-H(2)O (80:20, v/v); and E: MeCN-H(2)O (95:05, v/v). The flow rate was 0.

The pH dependence of naturally occurring low-spin forms of methaemoglobin and metmyoglobin: an EPR study.

The paramagnetic species in human metHb and horse metmyoglobin (metMb) have been studied at low temperature using EPR spectroscopy. The high-spin (HS) haem signal in aquometMb has a greater rhombic distortion than the HS metHb signal. Nevertheless, the individual line width (g=6) is smaller in metMb than in metHb, consistent with non-identical signals from the alpha and beta Hb subunits.

The treatment of acute nerve function impairment in leprosy: results from a prospective cohort study in Bangladesh.

In this paper, the outcome of 132 patients having acute nerve function impairment (NFI) is reported at 4 and 12 months after the start of prednisolone treatment. In all, 68% of sensory nerves and 67% of motor nerves showed improvement at 12 months, with no statistical difference in responsiveness of various nerves to prednisolone. Duration and severity of impairment were not found significant predictors of treatment outcome.

Activation of the interleukin 2 receptor: a possible role for tyrosine phosphatases.

Engagement of interleukin-2 (IL-2) mediates the heterodimeridation of the common beta chain (beta(c)) and common gamma chain (gamma(c)) of the IL-2 receptor (IL-2R). This is sufficient and necessary for receptor activation and signal transduction. It is generally held that the IL-2R is activated by the trans-activity of the protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) Jak1 and Jak3 associated with beta(c) and gamma(c) respectively.

In-vitro metabolism of retinoic acid by different tissues from male rats.

Significant differences between the metabolism of retinoic acid by different tissues might be an important determinant of the effectiveness of a systemically administered inhibitor at a particular tissue site. Here the metabolism of retinoic acid has been studied in microsomal fractions from different tissues (liver, kidney, intestinal mucosa, lung, skin, brain) of the male rat to determine their relative metabolic activity. Kinetic analysis revealed major differences between the activity of different tissue microsomes.

Coupling of electron transfer with proton transfer at heme a and Cu(A) (redox Bohr effects) in cytochrome c oxidase. Studies with the carbon monoxide inhibited enzyme.

A study is presented on the coupling of electron transfer with proton transfer at heme a and Cu(A) (redox Bohr effects) in carbon monoxide inhibited cytochrome c oxidase isolated from bovine heart mitochondria. Detailed analysis of the coupling number for H(+) release per heme a, Cu(A) oxidized (H(+)/heme a, Cu(A) ratio) was based on direct measurement of the balance between the oxidizing equivalents added as ferricyanide to the CO-inhibited fully reduced COX, the equivalents of heme a, Cu(A), and added cytochrome c oxidized and the H(+) released upon oxidation and all taken up back by the oxidase upon rereduction of the metal centers. One of two reductants was used, either succinate plus a trace of mitochondrial membranes (providing a source of succinate-c reductase) or hexaammineruthenium(II) as the chloride salt.

A clinical prediction rule for nerve-function impairment in leprosy patients.

Background: Nerve-function impairment (NFI) commonly occurs during or after chemotherapy in leprosy and is the key pathological process leading to disability and handicap. We describe the development of a simple clinical prediction rule for estimating the risk of NFI occurrence.

Methods: New leprosy cases who presented to a centre in Bangladesh were recruited and followed up for 2 years in a field setting.

Incidence rates of acute nerve function impairment in leprosy: a prospective cohort analysis after 24 months (The Bangladesh Acute Nerve Damage Study).

In this paper, the incidence rates and cumulative incidence of nerve function impairment (NFI) and leprosy reactions over 24 months follow-up of the prospective cohort of 2664 new leprosy cases are presented. Graphs showing the cumulative incidence of NFI relative to time since registration are presented. Hazard ratios (HRs) for the development of NFI for four variables are given.

Effect of P450 isozyme-selective inhibitors on in-vitro metabolism of retinoic acid by rat hepatic microsomes.

Cytochrome P450-mediated 4-hydroxylation of retinoic acid is an important pathway in the termination of its biological action and the activity of certain P450 isozymes has been studied in non-induced male rat hepatic microsomes using isozyme-selective inhibitors. The importance of the activity of the isozyme to retinoic acid metabolism was, 2A6 (diethyl dithiocarbamate as selective inhibitor) > 1A1/1A2 (7,8-benzoflavone) >> 1A1 (ellipticine) > 3A4 (naringenin, ketoconazole) as shown by the respective apparent IC50 values of 0.12, 0.

The immunology of animal papillomaviruses.

Papillomaviruses are species- and tissue-specific double-stranded DNA viruses. These viruses cause epithelial tumours in many animals, including man. Typically, the benign warts undergo spontaneous, immune-mediated regression, most likely effected by T-cells (especially CD4, but also CD8 subsets), whereas humoral immunity can prevent new infections.

A new method for quantitation of spin concentration by EPR spectroscopy: application to methemoglobin and metmyoglobin.

A new method of EPR spectral analysis is developed to quantitate overlapping signals. The method requires double integration of a number of spectra containing the signals in different proportions and the subsequent solution of a system of linear equations. The result gives the double integral values of the individual lines, which can then be further used to find the concentrations of all the paramagnetic species present.

Application of thin-layer chromatography in enantiomeric chiral analysis-an overview.

Several chiral drugs are produced and administered as pure enantiomers, whereas many others, especially of synthetic origin, are used mainly in the form of racemates. The biological and pharmacological activity of chiral compounds depends on their configuration. The racemic drugs may exhibit quite different activity from the optically pure drugs.

Naturally occurring, nonregressing canine oral papillomavirus infection: host immunity, virus characterization, and experimental infection.

Papillomaviruses occasionally cause severe, nonregressing or recurrent infections in their human and animal hosts. The mechanisms underlying these atypical infections are not known. Canine oral papillomavirus (COPV) typically regresses spontaneously and is an important model of mucosal human papillomavirus infections.

Pharmacokinetics of S- and R-enantiomers of aminoglutethimide following oral administration of racemic drug in breast cancer patients.

This study was undertaken to examine the pharmacokinetics of both enantiomers of AG--that is, (R-AG) and (S-AG) and respective acetyl metabolites, R-AcAG and S-AcAG--in breast cancer patients. Six patients received a single dose (500 mg) of the racemic drug, and serial plasma samples and urine were collected over a 48-hour period. R-AG, S-AG, R-AcAG, and S-AcAg were measured simultaneously by high-performance liquid chromatography using two serial chiral separation columns with ultraviolet detection.

Nutritional status of adolescent girls in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia.

The aim of this study is to assess the nutritional status of Saudi adolescent girls using weight and height measurements. A cross-sectional sample of 676 girls aged 12 to 19 years were selected from Al-Khober city, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. At all ages median (50th percentiles) heights of Saudi girls are below the 50th percentiles of the international standards.

Effects of pregnancy on the pharmacokinetics of lamotrigine in dogs.

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of pregnancy on the kinetics of lamotrigine (LTG).

Methods: Five pregnant dogs were given a daily dose of LTG (100 mg) for a period of 1 week. Two months after parturition, the same subjects were given the LTG dose (100 mg) over the same period.

Liquid chromatographic determination of six antiepileptic drugs and two metabolites in microsamples of human plasma.

A simple, rapid, sensitive, and reproducible high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for simultaneous determination of the antiepileptic drugs (ethosuximide, primidone, lamotrigine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, and carbamazepine) and two metabolites (carbamazepine-diol and carbamazepine-epoxide) in human plasma is described. The procedure involves extraction of the drugs from human plasma (100 microL) with ether using 9-hydroxymethyl-10-carbamyl acridan as an internal standard. The extract was evaporated and reconstituted with mobile phase and then injected onto the chromatograph.