QSAR of thiosemicarbazones derived from formyl- and acyl-diazines designed as antiviral agents.

This study is an approach to the QSAR of certain Thiosemicarbazones (TSCs) with antiherpesvirus activity, shown to be based on inhibition of ribonucleotide reductases (RR). With regard to the inhibition of RR by TSCs no clear mechanism of interaction could emerge. A good correlation was shown to exist between the inhibitory effect and steric properties of substituents.

Investigation of the effect of chamazulene on lipid peroxidation and free radical processes.

Oxygen toxicity and related free radical reactions are implicated in numerous pathophysiological conditions, like atherosclerosis, inflammation, gastric ulceration, neuronal degeneration, tumour promotion. The flowers of Matricaria chamomilla, Asteraceae, have been used therapeutically for conditions in which oxidative stress is supposed to be implicated. We considered interesting to investigate the effect of Chamazulene, the active substance of chamomile, on free radical processes.

The lymph drainage of the mammary glands in the bitch: a lymphographic study. Part I: The 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th mammary glands.

The objective of this paper was to study the lymph drainage of the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th mammary glands in the bitch using indirect lymphography. The main conclusions drawn after the study of 67 normal lactating mongrel bitches were as follows: lymph drains from the first gland, usually to the axillary nodes, and, in few cases, to the axillary and superficial cervical nodes simultaneously. The second gland drains to the axillary nodes.

Spinal cord dysfunction caused by non-traumatic hematomyelia.

Two patients with a non-traumatic hematomyelia at T9 and C3-C7 respectively, are presented. Both patients presented with pain and a Brown-Sequard syndrome. The preoperative diagnosis was made by magnetic resonance imaging, while myelography and computerized tomography were not helpful.

A nuclear envelope-associated kinase phosphorylates arginine-serine motifs and modulates interactions between the lamin B receptor and other nuclear proteins.

Previous studies have identified a subassembly of nuclear envelope proteins, termed "the LBR complex." This complex includes the lamin B receptor protein (LBR or p58), a kinase which phosphorylates LBR in a constitutive fashion (LBR kinase), the nuclear lamins A and B, an 18-kDa polypeptide (p18), and a 34-kDa protein (p34/p32). The latter polypeptide has been shown to interact with the HIV-1 proteins Rev and Tat and with the splicing factor 2 (SF2).

Hypoxic pretreatment protects against neuronal damage of the rat hippocampus induced by severe hypoxia.

The present study investigates whether under conditions of successive hypoxic exposures pretreatment with mild (15% O(2)) or moderate (10% O(2)) hypoxia, protects hippocampal neurones against damage induced by severe (3% O(2)) hypoxia. The ultrastructural findings were also correlated with regional superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity changes. In unpretreated rats severe hypoxia induced ultrastructural changes consistent with the aspects of delayed neuronal death (DND).

Possible role of transferrin in exfoliation syndrome.

Protein concentration was measured in 30 exfoliation syndrome samples and 22 age matched controls. Exfoliation samples contained significantly more protein than controls. We also analyzed by SDS gel electrophoresis 32 aqueous samples, 12 with exfoliation syndrome and 20 age matched controls.

Etiological agents and predisposing factors of intracranial abscesses in a Greek university hospital.

The bacteriology for 21 patients with brain abscesses is presented and correlated with their predisposing conditions. Chronic otomastoiditis was the most common predisposing factor, and the overall most frequent infected sites were the frontal and temporal regions. Gram-negative non-sporeforming anaerobes of the genus Bacteroides and Fusobacterlum followed by aerobic streptococci were the predominant pathogens.

Novel piperidine derivatives: inhibitory properties towards cytochrome P450 isoforms, and cytoprotective and cytotoxic characteristics.

The ability of a series of eight piperidine derivatives, substituted at positions 1, 3 and 4, to inhibit P450-dependent metabolism of specific substrates, is reported. Five different P450 isoforms (1A1, 1A2, 2B1, 2E1 and 3A1) in differentially induced rat liver microsomes were used for this purpose. From the results it is concluded that compound 2 was the most potent and moreover, highly selective inhibitor for P4502B1 with an IC(50) of 2.

The effect of mannitol and secretin on the biliary transport of urate in humans.

No evidence is available on the transport of biliary urate and the possible role of choleretic agents in the regulation of biliary urate elimination in humans. To test this hypothesis we studied the following: (1) 45 cholecystomized patients to determine urate levels in hepatic bile and gallbladder bile, and (2) 13 cholecystomized patients fitted with T-tubes to determine the effects of secretin injection (either 70 U of porcine secretin or 0.02 mg.

Influence of intraperitoneal 5-fluorouracil plus folinic acid on the healing of colonic anastomoses in rats.

We studied the effects of intraperitoneal 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) administration with or without the addition of folinic acid (FA) on the healing of colonic anastomoses in rats immediately after surgery. Sixty-three male Wistar rats were subjected to colonic anastomosis. During surgery, the rats were randomized into one of three groups.

Decision support for insulin regime prescription based on a neural-network approach.

Insulin regime prescription is performed by medical personnel based on a number of patient related factors such as age, activity, type of current medication, desirable control, whether the patient belongs to a special category, for example whether he has fever or has undergone surgery, etc. No general rules apply so that each expert adopts his/her own rules for insulin regime specification based on his/her experience, intuition and expertise. This is why there is very little in medical literature concerning this issue.

An approach to QSAR of 16-substituted pregnenolones as microsomal enzyme inducers.

In this study, we attempt to correlate quantitatively the structure of eight 16-substituted pregnenolones with microsomal enzyme inducing activity. We also performed some electrostatic potential calculations to get further insight into the properties of these substituents. It was found that pregnenolone-16 alpha-carbonitrile is the most active steroidal inducer among the pregnenolone derivatives tested.

Outcome of pregnancy in women with glomerular diseases.

Over the last 16 years the evolution of 24 pregnancies in 17 women with biopsy-proven glomerular disease was analyzed. The underlying renal histology was IgA nephropathy in 8 cases, lupus nephritis in 7, mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis type I in 1, and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in 1. All but 2 had normal renal function before conception and 3 were hypertensive.

Clinical evaluation of the DIABETES expert system for decision support by multiple regimen insulin dose adjustment.

A performance evaluation of the DIABETES rule-based expert system prototype for clinical decision making is presented. The system facilitates multiple insulin regimen and dose adjustment of insulin dependent Type I or II diabetic patients. The study was performed on 600 subjects from two diabetological centres and three diabetological offices of Greek hospitals.

Undifferentiated carcinoma of the parotid gland in a white patient: detection of Epstein-Barr virus by in situ hybridization.

Paraffin sections of an undifferentiated salivary gland carcinoma of lymphoepithelioma type, arising in a white (Greek) patient and confirmed by immunohistochemistry, were examined for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), using in situ hybridization to detect EBV-specific EBER1 message. Epstein-Barr virus was detected in malignant epithelial cells, but was not found in lymphoid stroma or in residual benign salivary epithelium. These results confirm the existence of an association between EBV and tumor cells of undifferentiated carcinoma of parotid gland.

Security aspects for medical device vigilance information exchange.

The implementation of appropriate security mechanisms for an effective and efficient medical device vigilance information exchange is very important, as the system handles sensitive information. These mechanisms have to be designed in such a way that they maintain confidentiality, integrity and availability of the data of medical devices. In this paper the security aspects of the information exchange on medical device vigilance is examined in detail.

New method for direct stiffness measurement of the corpora cavernosa.

We describe a new methodology for direct ex vivo measurements of corporal stiffness. Using a new biosensor, stiffness of the corpora cavernosa was measured in 32 mature male Spraque Dawley rats. Mean stiffness (+/- se) value of the corpora was 8.

Phenotype of Hodgkin and Sternberg-Reed cells and expression of CD57 (LEU7) antigen.

Possible associations between the immunophenotype of Hodgkin (H) and Sternberg-Reed (S-R) cells, the expression of CD57 (Leu 7) antigen, and the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) were investigated in lymph node specimens from 50 cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD), including 26 cases of mixed cellularity and 24 cases of nodular sclerosis. Tissues were fixed in 10% neutral formalin, or/and B5 solution. H and S-R cells were CD30+, CD15+ (85% of the cases) and LCA (CD45).

Effect of age and carcase composition on the onset of sexual maturity in quail under normal feeding regimens.

1. The effect of age and carcase composition on the onset of sexual maturity was investigated in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) reared under a normal feeding regimen. 2.

QSAR of N2-phenylguanidines as inhibitors of herpes simplex virus-1 thymidine kinase.

Quantitative structure-activity relationships were developed to account for inhibition of Herpes simplex virus type 1 by N2-phenylguanines. It was found that the hydrophobic and especially the steric properties of the substituents determine the relative potencies of the derivatives.

Vertical Gastroplasty with Artificial Pseudopylorus: Analysis of 106 Cases.

BACKGROUND: Between January 1991 and December 1994, 106 consecutive morbidly obese patients (19 males and 87 females) underwent Vertical Gastroplasty with Artificial Pseudopylorus (VGAP). METHODS: The mean age of the patients was 34 years, range 20-58), the mean percent excess body weight 122% (range 80-234), and the mean Body Mass Index (BMI) 51 kg/m(2) (range 41-81). The technique of gastroplasty was relatively simple, avoiding the creation of the circular stapled window and the mesh banding of the outlet.

Interferon-A 2a administration in chronic anergic brucellosis.

Two cases with chronic anergic brucellosis are described. Both patients suffered repeated disease relapses and responded poorly to conventional treatment. The immunologic research revealed that both patients were anergic to brucella antigens and immunocompromised.

Cigarette smoking and urinary incontinence in women--a new calculative method of estimating the exposure to smoke.

The aim of the study was to investigate the relation between cigarette smoking and urinary incontinence. A group of 80 women with incontinence (Group A) were tested urodynamically and compared with a group of 80 continent women (Group B). Patients were divided into smokers (S) and non-smokers (NS) with the incontinent ones classified as suffering from stress (SI) or motor in-continent (UI).