Monoamine oxidase-B activity in alcohol withdrawal of smokers: is there any relationship with aggressiveness?

There is a considerable inconsistency in terms of the association between alcoholism and alterations in monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity. The main objectives of this study were to investigate the changes in platelet MAO-B activity throughout the alcohol withdrawal period and whether or not MAO-B activity differed between patients with high- and low-aggression tendency. We assayed platelet MAO-B levels spectrophotometrically in 22 male inpatients with alcohol dependence in their first and fourth weeks of withdrawal and in 20 healthy controls. Patients were divided into two high- and low-aggression subgroups according to scores obtained in a Brown-Goodwin Assessment for Life History of Aggression. Our data revealed that the significantly lower platelet MAO-B activity observed during the first week of alcohol withdrawal in patients, compared to controls, did not continue in the fourth week, and that there was no relationship between aggressiveness and MAO activity. These results suggest that low platelet MAO activity may be a state marker of alcohol withdrawal period or a result of high alcohol consumption rather than a trait marker of alcoholism.     

In vitro immunomodulatory activity of verbascoside from Nepeta ucrainica L

Nepeta ucrainica L. is used as a herbal tea in Kazakhistan. Phytochemical investigations of the aerial parts of the plant resulted in the isolation of verbascoside (1) and 1,5,9-epi-deoxyloganic acid (2). The structures of the compounds were elucidated by spectral (UV, IR, (1)H-NMR and (13)C-NMR) methods and HPLC analysis. The in vitro immunomodulatory activity of verbascoside was investigated by assessing neutrophil function; chemotaxis and intracellular killing activity. Verbascoside showed an increased chemotactic activity in all doses applied compared with the medium used as a negative control and had a positive effect on respiratory burst of neutrophils, but there was an opposite effect with increasing doses, pointing to a possible suppression of neutrophil intracellular killing activity.     

Effects of bupivacaine infiltration on beta-endorphin and cortisol release and postoperative pain following inguinal herniorrhaphy in children

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of bupivacaine on beta-endorphin (BE) and cortisol (C) release and postoperative pain in children. Thirty children aged 1 month to 2 years undergoing outpatient inguinal hernia under general anesthesia were randomized into three groups. Wound infiltration in group 1 patients (precisional group) was performed with 0.5 ml/ kg 0.25% bupivacaine following anesthesia induction but prior to surgery. Group 2 patients (postincisional group) had wound infiltration with bupivacaine following repair of the hernia but before skin closure. Group 3 patients (control group) did not receive any local anesthetic. In the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) objective pain assessments were performed every 5 min using a standardized ten-point objective pain scale. Plasma C concentrations increased at the end of the operation in all groups, but this increase was significant only in the control group (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the pre- and postincisional groups with regard to pre- and postoperative C alterations (P > 0.05). Although plasma BE concentrations increased significantly at the end of the operation in the control group (P < 0.001), no significant difference was found between pre- and postoperative values in the infiltration groups. There was a more marked difference in BE release between the preincisional and control groups (P < 0.001) than the postincisional group (P < 0.05). Although the objective pain scores were not statistically different upon PACU arrival, the patients in the infiltration groups achieved a pain score of 0 much more quickly than those in the control group (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that wound infiltration with bupivacaine decreases the stress response to surgery and postoperative pain.     

Biphenotypic characteristics, cell size and prognosis in childhood acute myeloblastic leukemia

In order to determine the prognostic significance of cell size together with expression of biphenotypic markers in childhood acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML), we evaluated the cell size of children with AML, 12 with and 21 without biphenotypic markers. The patients were followed up for at least 12 months. The cells which were stained with FITC conjugated surface marker antibodies were divided into small, middle or large cell groups according to their mean channel number of forward scatter by flow cytometry. Nine of 12 biphenotypic and 15 of 21 non-biphenotypic children either died or relapsed within the first 12 months. The percentages of the small, middle and large cells were similar in children and in deceased patients, regardless of whether or not they expressed biphenotypic markers. We believe that biphenotypic marker expression is a poor prognostic factor regardless of cell size.     

CD34/CD117 co-expression in childhood acute leukemia

CD117 protein is expressed by the primitive CD34 positive haemopoietic stem cells and also demonstrated on the blasts of 30-100% of AML cases, but rarely on lymphoblasts. Therefore several investigators have used CD117 expression to exclude lymphoblastic origin of blasts. However, conflicting results exist in the literature. We investigated CD34 and CD117 status at initial presentation of 232 children with acute leukemia. CD34 was commonly expressed in all types of acute leukemias, whereas CD117 molecule seemed to be a more specific marker for leukemia of myeloid origin being demonstrated on > 5% of blasts in 60 out of 73 cases of AML patients, but rarely detected in ALL (9/140 patients). Moreover, co-expression of CD34/CD117 was extremely rare on lymphoblasts with only 3/140 ALL patients demonstrating > 5% co-expression of CD34 and CD117, and therefore we suggest that it should be used in the exclusion of ALL.     

Gastroprotective effect of Astragaloside IV: role of prostaglandins, sulfhydryls and nitric oxide

This investigation evaluated the gastroprotective activity of Astragaloside IV, a cycloartane-type triterpene glycoside isolated from Astragalus zahlbruckneri. Gastric mucosal damage was induced in rats by intragastric ethanol (1 mL/rat). Rats treated orally with Astragaloside IV suspended in Tween 80 at 3, 10 and 30 mg kg(-1), showed 15, 37 and 52% gastroprotection, respectively. The gastroprotection observed at 30 mg kg(-1) for this compound was attenuated in rats pretreated with N(G)-nitro-L arginine methyl ester (70 mg kg(-1), i.p), a nitric oxide (NO)-synthase inhibitor, suggesting that the gastroprotective mechanism of this glycoside involves, at least in part, the participation of NO. The gastroprotective effect of Astragaloside IV was not affected by the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis with indometacin (10 mg kg(-1), s.c.) nor by the block of endogenous sulfhydryls with N-ethylmaleimide (NEM, 10 mg kg(-1), s.c.). Carbenoxolone was used as a gastroprotective model drug and showed a dose-dependent gastroprotective effect (25, 43 and 88% of gastroprotection, at 3, 10 and 30 mg kg(-1), respectively). The partial participation of prostaglandins, sulfhydryls and NO was observed in the gastroprotective mechanism of carbenoxolone.     

Case Report: A Case of Bladder Dysfunction due to Myasthenia Gravis

Detrusor underactivity, due to myasthenia gravis (MG) is extremely rare. Only 4 cases of de novo dysfunction have been reported. We report a case of detrusor underactivity and increased post-void residual urine in a woman with MG. The patient has been managed by clean intermittent catheterization 6 times a day.     

Traumatic avulsion of knee joint

The report describes complete avulsion of knee joint en bloc, from the confines of the soft tissues of the leg but the patient was able to show full range of motion at his ankle and foot with palpable dorsalis paedis and posterior tibial vessels. Arthrodaesis was the best available management option.