Glycosmis arborea extract as a hepatoprotective agent

Glycosmis arborea is a plant possessing various medicinal properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate the hepatoprotective efficacy of the butanol extract obtained from the aerial parts of the plant. The test sample was prepared by extracting the material through different steps. The extract thus obtained was dissolved in normal saline. Albino rats were prophylactically treated with the extract (i.p.) for 3 weeks. At the end of 3rd week all the groups were injected with hepatotoxic agents. After 48 h of injection, blood was collected and livers were taken out. Different enzymes in the serum were assayed and histopathological study was performed with liver. Glycosmis arborea extract was able to overcome the toxic effects of hepatotoxic agents in terms of lowering the levels of serum GPT, alkaline phosphatase and increased level of SOD in serum. TBARS generation in liver was also altered. Moreover, necrosis of liver produced by carbon tetrachloride was reversed by the extract.     

Eligibility policies for the state AIDS drug assistance programs

Drug treatments for HIV infection and related opportunistic infections have had dramatic impacts on the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV disease. HIV drug therapies are essential to the survival and to improved quality of life for individuals with HIV. However, not all people with HIV disease are receiving these medications. The state AIDS drug assistance programs (ADAPs) can provide access to drug therapies for many people with HIV disease who lack adequate drug coverage. This research presents the results of a national survey that identified eligibility-related policies implemented by .48 state ADAPs during 1998 and 1999. The survey assessed the number of people receiving ADAP coverage, the percentage of ADAP beneficiaries who are women, financial and medical eligibility requirements, characteristics of the application process, any implementation of waiting lists, and any coordination of the ADAPs with other public programs.     

An Application of the Thresholds of Change Model to the Analysis of Mental Health Data

The threshold of change model (TCM) is a statistical technique for analyzing ordered stages of change variables. TCM focuses on the thresholds that separate the ordered stages, and the effects of explanatory variables are evaluated in terms of raising or lowering the thresholds. TCM also allows the explanatory variables to exert differential influence on each threshold. In this paper, we use TCM to analyze the data from a clinical trial that compared assertive community treatment (ACT) with standard case management (SCM) for patients with co-occurring severe mental illness and substance use disorder. Endpoint data (36-month follow up) were used for this analysis. The response variable is the recoded Substance Abuse Treatment Scale with three ordered levels (engagement/persuasion, active treatment, and recovery/relapse prevention), and hence two thresholds. The explanatory variables are gender and group (ACT vs. SCM). The results indicate that gender exerts constant and significant effects on both thresholds. The group effect is somewhat mixed: ACT lowers the first threshold (active treatment), but raises the second threshold (recovery/relapse prevention).     

Infertility and amenorrhoea following abortions

Of 410 cases of spontaneous or induced abortion in the first or second trimester that were followed up, 95 were infertile. 18 of these had amenorrhea and 12 had oligomenorrhea. Amenorrhea and oligorrhea were more prevalent among the women who were over 31. Amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, and infertility were more frequent after spontaneous than after induced abortion. Asymptomatic tubal block resulting from reflux of blood from the uterus into the fallopian tube after spontaneous abortion could have been responsible in a number of other cases. Definite causal link with abortion could not be established in any of the other cases of infertility without amenorrhea or oligorrhea. Amenorrhea following abortion was most often due to an endocrinal or mechanical defect (often uterine synechiae). Partial pituitary necrosis, premature ovarian failure, and endometrial tuberculosis were other postabortal causes of amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea.     

Midproject findings from a study of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's policy on smokeless tobacco use

In this paper we present midproject findings from a longitudinal survey of 5,000 male athletes at 56 randomly selected American colleges and universities. The study monitors athletes' compliance with and perceptions of the effects of an organizational policy that restricts smokeless tobacco (ST) use. In 1996 and 1997, 77% of users reported that they complied with the policy during competition. During the same period there was a significant increase in the number of users who complied with policy during practices and of those who credited the policy with contributing to a decline in their overall tobacco consumption (14% vs 68%, p < .001; 17% vs 23%, p < .01: respectively). The findings suggest that organizational policies that regulate ST use can have an impact on young adult ST use.     

Catalytic and thermodynamic characterization of protease from Halobacterium sp. SP1(1)

Osmolytes KCl, glycerol, mannitol, trehalose, sucrose, betaine, proline and Na-glutamate at different concentrations (5–30%) were investigated as effective solutes for retaining the activity of Halobacterium sp. SP1(1) protease in the absence of NaCl. Maximum activity was observed in the presence of 30% Na-glutamate. Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for casein hydrolysis revealed that the protease was equally efficient in the presence of Na-glutamate as in NaCl. The enzyme was active over a broader range of temperature (20–80 °C) and was highly stable even at 80 °C with Na-glutamate. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔH*, ΔS*, ?G*) for irreversible inactivation of protease at different temperatures (20–80 °C) were determined in the presence of Na-glutamate and NaCl. The efficiency of these osmolytes for thermal stability of protease was 30% (1.6 M) Na-glutamate >4 M (～25%) NaCl >2 M (～10%), suggesting that the effect exerted by the osmolyte depends not only on its chemical nature but also on its concentration. Na-glutamate was thus found to play an important role in thermal stabilization of enzyme substituting for NaCl. Moreover, substitution of NaCl by Na-glutamate may increase the applicability of halophilic enzymes in biotechnology and industry, which is otherwise limited to high NaCl concentrations.     

A rare case of inflammatory pseudotumour of the submandibular lymphnode

Inflammatory pseudotumour (IPT), also known as inflammatory myofibroblastic tumour, is a rare cause of benign cervical lymphadenopathy. In its acute clinical presentation it mimics malignant and infective causes of cervical lymphadenopathy. The combined clinical history, histopathological findings, and imaging features of an infiltrating soft-tissue mass should lead to the possibility of IPT. Radical surgery should be avoided before there is histological proof of a malignant tumor.     

A severe defect in CRAC Ca2+ channel activation and altered K+ channel gating in T cells from immunodeficient patients

Engagement of the TCR triggers sustained Ca(2+) entry through Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC) channels, which helps drive gene expression underlying the T cell response to pathogens. The identity and activation mechanism of CRAC channels at a molecular level are unknown. We have analyzed ion channel expression and function in T cells from SCID patients which display 1-2% of the normal level of Ca(2+) influx and severely impaired T cell activation. The lack of Ca(2+) influx is not due to deficient regulation of Ca(2+) stores or expression of several genes implicated in controlling Ca(2+) entry in lymphocytes (kcna3/Kv1.3, kcnn4/IKCa1, trpc1, trpc3, trpv6, stim1). Instead, electrophysiologic measurements show that the influx defect is due to a nearly complete absence of functional CRAC channels. The lack of CRAC channel activity is correlated with diminished voltage sensitivity and slowed activation kinetics of the voltage-dependent Kv1.3 channel. These results demonstrate that CRAC channels provide the major, if not sole, pathway for Ca(2+) entry activated by the TCR in human T cells. They also offer evidence for a functional link between CRAC and Kv1.3 channels, and establish a model system for molecular genetic studies of the CRAC channel.     

Inferring the effect of genomic variation in the new era of genomics

Accurate and detailed understanding of the effects of variants in the coding and noncoding regions of the genome is the next big challenge in the new genomic era of personalized medicine, especially to tackle newer findings of genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity of diseases. This is necessary to resolve the gene‐variant–disease relationship, the pathogenic variant spectrum of genes, pathogenic variants with variable clinical consequences, and multiloci diseases. In turn, this will facilitate patient recruitment for relevant clinical trials. In this review, we describe the trends in research at the intersection of basic and clinical genomics aiming to (a) overcome molecular diagnostic challenges and increase the clinical utility of next‐generation sequencing (NGS) platforms, (b) elucidate variants associated with disease, (c) determine overall genomic complexity including epistasis, complex inheritance patterns such as “synergistic heterozygosity,” digenic/multigenic inheritance, modifier effect, and rare variant load. We describe the newly emerging field of integrated functional genomics, in vivo or in vitro large‐scale functional approaches, statistical bioinformatics algorithms that support NGS genomics data to interpret variants for timely clinical diagnostics and disease management. Thus, facilitating the discovery of new therapeutic or biomarker options, and their roles in the future of personalized medicine.