Renal artery stenosis: An unusual etiology of hypertensive encephalopathy in a child with fanconi anemia

A 9-year-old girl, diagnosed case of Fanconi anemia, presented with generalized convulsion with altered sensorium. She had fever, severe pallor, sinus tachycardia, blood pressure of 180/120 mmHg in both upper and lower limb, pan-systolic murmur of grade 2/6, abdominal bruit and bilateral papilledema. A provisional diagnosis of hypertensive encephalopathy was made and managed with continuous labetalol infusion. Detailed evaluation including magnetic resonance angiography of renal artery detected underlying atrophic and non-functioning right kidney secondary to severe renal artery stenosis on the same side. She was started with multiple antihypertensives, but her blood pressure was maintained poorly. Later on, she underwent rightsided nephrectomy. Following surgery, she was doing well and maintaining normal blood pressure without any antihypertensives. Our child is the second reported case of Fanconi anemia associated with renal artery stenosis presenting with hypertensive encephalopathy.

Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis in a Child Following Plasmodium vivax Malaria

Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a multifocal, monophasic, acute demyelinating disease of the brain and spinal cord, which is commonly preceded by viral infections and occasionally bacterial infections or immunizations. Its occurrence following malarial infection, especially Plasmodium vivax Malaria is very uncommon. We report an 11-year girl who presented with clinical features of encephalopathy and generalized convulsions, 10 days following complete recovery from the Plasmodium vivax Malaria. Diagnosis of ADEM as a complication of Plasmodium vivax Malaria was made based on acute onset of neurological events, characteristic findings on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of brain and prompt response to corticosteroid therapy. Follow-up MRI, 6 months after discharge, showed complete resolution of change found on the initial MRI. To the best of our knowledge, only two such cases have been reported in the English literature till date.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis: an uncommon presentation of hyper IgE syndrome

The hyper-immunoglobulin E (IgE) syndrome (HIES), also known as Job's syndrome is a rare primary immunodeficiency characterized by the clinical triad of recurrent staphylococcal abscesses of skin, recurrent cyst-forming pneumonia, and an elevated serum IgE level of > 2000 IU/ml. Although, most cases are sporadic, families with autosomal dominant (AD-HIES) and recessive (AR-HIES) traits have been reported. Very few articles were published previously on central nervous system abnormalities with definite neurologic manifestations which may vary from partial facial nerve paralysis to hemiplegia in children but Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) in a child with HIES hitherto has not been reported. Here we describe a 5-year-old male child with HIES who presented with neurologic manifestations of ADEM.

Tuberous sclerosis presenting with hemorrhagic stroke

BACKGROUND

Incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage in patients with tuberous sclerosis is rare, and in most of the cases it is associated with either underlying cerebrovascular malformation or hemorrhage into the subependymal giant cell astrocytoma.

CASE CHARACTERISTICS

A 2-year-old boy presented with a hemorrhagic stroke, and subsequently diagnosed as a case of tuberous sclerosis.

OBSERVATION

Detailed work-up for stroke did not reveal any definite etiology.

OUTCOME

Weakness gradually improved. Follow-up neuroimaging showed resolution of hemorrhage.

MESSAGE

Clinician must be aware regarding this rare presentation of tuberous sclerosis.

Massive pericardial effusion as the only manifestation of primary hypothyroidism

Small pericardial effusion (PE) is not an infrequent manifestation in primary hypothyroidism. But massive PE with or without cardiac tamponade is rare and often associated with severe form of the disease. Here we report an eight-year-old boy who was admitted with massive PE that required repeated pericardiocentesis. Detailed examinations failed to identify the etiology initially. Five months later, child was readmitted with massive PE with impending cardiac tamponade. Primary hypothyroidism was diagnosed based on the clinical and laboratory finding and was thought to be the underlying etiology of previously encountered undiagnosed massive PE. Beside pericardiocentesis, child was treated with thyroid hormone replacement. Condition gradually improved without further recurrence of PE till date. Therefore, irrespective of the presence of clinical signs, primary hypothyroidism should be suspected in every patient presenting with massive PE to prevent recurrence as well as its serious complications like cardiac tamponade.

Nasal hemophilic pseudotumor: favorable response to radiotherapy

Hemophilic pseudotumors are rare but dangerous complications of Hemophilia. We hereby report a 3-year-old boy with Hemophilia B, presenting with nasal pseudotumor, showing favorable response to radiotherapy after unsuccessful treatment with factor IX replacement therapy. The diagnosis and treatment of this rare condition is also reviewed.

Varadi Papp syndrome, an unusual variant of oral-facial-digital syndrome: Report of a rare case

Varadi Papp syndrome or oral-facial-digital syndrome type VI (OFDS VI) is a rare autosomal-recessive disorder distinguished from other OFDSs by metacarpal abnormalities with central polydactyly and by cerebellar abnormalities. Our patient had a broad forehead, arched eyebrows, left-sided squint, hypertelorism, epicanthic folds, fleshy nodular tongue, midline upper lip cleft, high arched palate, both pre-axial and post-axial polydactyly of limbs, hypotonia and cerebellar hypoplasia with molar tooth sign consistent with the diagnosis of Varadi Papp syndrome.

Irradiation-Induced Amorphization and Elastic Shear Instability in Intermetallic Compounds

Previously we reported a substantial (∼ 50 %) decrease in shear modulus prior to amorphization in Kr irradiated Zr3Al, and proposed that amorphization is triggered when the crystalline lattice becomes unstable against shear stress. In the present work, the relation between amorphization and shear elastic instability has been investigated in two additional compounds (FeTi and NiAl) during room temperature irradiation with 1.7-MeV Kr+. A shear modulus was measured using Brillouin scattering; structural information was obtained in situ in a high voltage electron microscope interfaced to a tandem accelerator.

During irradiation of FeTi, chemical disordering and a large (∼40 %) decrease of shear modulus were observed, and an amorphous phase developed subsequently. In contrast, NiAl remained crystalline and chemically ordered during irradiation, and exhibited only a ∼ 10 % decrease in shear modulus. Hence, these two results provide further support that a shear instability triggers irradiation-induced amorphization. The shear instability mechanism may also apply to other solid-state amorphization techniques, e.g. hydrogen charging and mechanical deformation.

Production of indole alkaloids by selected hairy root lines of Catharanthus roseus

Hairy root cultures of Catharanthus roseus were established by infection of seedlings with Agrobacterium rhizogenes 15834. Approximately 150 transformants from four different. C. roseus cultivars were screened for desirable traits in growth and indole alkaloid production. Five hairy root clones grew well in liquid culture with doubling times similar to those reported for cell suspensions. Fast growing clones had similar morphologies, characterized by thin, straight, and regular branches with thin tips. The levels of key alkaloids, ajmalicine, serpentine, and catharanthine, in these five clones, also compared well with literature data from cell suspensions, yet HPLC and GC-MS data indicate the presence of vindoline in two clones at levels over three orders of magnitude greater than the minute amounts reported in cell culture. These results suggest that further optimization may result in hairy roots as a potential source of vindoline and catharanthine, the two monomers necessary to synthesize that antineoplastic drug, vinblastine.

PIC: Protein Interactions Calculator

Interactions within a protein structure and interactions between proteins in an assembly are essential considerations in understanding molecular basis of stability and functions of proteins and their complexes. There are several weak and strong interactions that render stability to a protein structure or an assembly. Protein Interactions Calculator (PIC) is a server which, given the coordinate set of 3D structure of a protein or an assembly, computes various interactions such as disulphide bonds, interactions between hydrophobic residues, ionic interactions, hydrogen bonds, aromatic–aromatic interactions, aromatic–sulphur interactions and cation–π interactions within a protein or between proteins in a complex. Interactions are calculated on the basis of standard, published criteria. The identified interactions between residues can be visualized using a RasMol and Jmol interface. The advantage with PIC server is the easy availability of inter-residue interaction calculations in a single site. It also determines the accessible surface area and residue-depth, which is the distance of a residue from the surface of the protein. User can also recognize specific kind of interactions, such as apolar–apolar residue interactions or ionic interactions, that are formed between buried or exposed residues or near the surface or deep inside.

Cascade PSI-BLAST web server: a remote homology search tool for relating protein domains

Owing to high evolutionary divergence, it is not always possible to identify distantly related protein domains by sequence search techniques. Intermediate sequences possess sequence features of more than one protein and facilitate detection of remotely related proteins. We have demonstrated recently the employment of Cascade PSI-BLAST where we perform PSI-BLAST for many ‘generations’, initiating searches from new homologues as well. Such a rigorous propagation through generations of PSI-BLAST employs effectively the role of intermediates in detecting distant similarities between proteins. This approach has been tested on a large number of folds and its performance in detecting superfamily level relationships is ∼35% better than simple PSI-BLAST searches. We present a web server for this search method that permits users to perform Cascade PSI-BLAST searches against the Pfam, SCOP and SwissProt databases. The URL for this server is .

CNS activity of the methanol extract of Mallotus peltatus (Geist) Muell Arg. leaf: an ethnomedicine of Onge

The aim of the present study was to investigate several neuropharmacological effects of the methanol extract and different fractions of Mallotus peltatus (Geist) Muell Arg. var acuminatus (Euphorbiaceae) leaves in Wistar albino rats and Swiss albino mice. General behavior, exploratory behavior, muscle relaxant activity and phenobarbitone sodium-induced sleeping time were studied. The results revealed that the crude extract at 200-300 mg kg(-1) p.o. and its fractions A and B at 50 mg kg(-1) caused a significant reduction in spontaneous activity (general behavioral profile), remarkable decrease in exploratory behavioral pattern (Y-maze and head dip tests), a reduction in muscle relaxant activity (rotarod, 30 degrees inclined screen and traction tests), and also significantly potentiated phenobarbitone sodium-induced sleeping time. The phytochemical study of crude leaf extract revealed the presence of tannin, triterpenoid, flavonoid, sterol, alkaloid and reducing sugar. Further fractionation and purification yielded two major fractions A (ursolic acid) and B (beta-sitosterol) with some fatty acids as the major compounds. The psychopharmacological activity of the crude leaf extracts appeared to be either due to fraction A (50 mg kg(-1)) or a combination of fractions A and B (50 mg kg(-1)) along with some fatty acids present in the n-butanol part of methanol extract of M. peltatus leaf (MEMPL).

Antimicrobial activity of Alstonia macrophylla: a folklore of bay islands

The methanolic crude and methanol-aqueous extract of Alstonia macrophylla leaves and n-butanol part of the crude extract showed antimicrobial activity against various strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Streptococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. mentagrophytes and Microsporum gypseum. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranges from 64 to 1000 microg/ml for bacteria and 32-128 mg/ml for dermatophytes. However, the strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella sp. and Vibrio cholerae showed resistance against in vitro treatment of the extracts up to 2000 microg/ml concentration, while the two yeast species were resistant even at 128 mg/ml concentration. The stem bark extract prepared similarly was found to be less active compared to the leaves. Phytochemical study indicates that the crude extract contains tannins, flavonoids, saponins, sterols, triterpene and reducing sugars. Further fractionation and purification of n-butanol part of the extract showed the presence of beta-sitosterol, ursolic acid, beta-sitosterol glucoside and a mixture of minor compounds only detected in TLC.

Studies on plant-mediated fate of the explosives RDX and HMX

The fate of the explosives RDX and HMX on exposure to plants was investigated in 'natural' aquatic systems of Myriophyllum aquaticum for 16 days, and in axenic hairy root cultures of Catharanthus roseus for > or = 9 weeks. Exposure levels were: HMX, 5 mg/l; and RDX, approximately 8 mg/l. Exposure outcomes observed include: HMX, no transformation by aquatic plants, and minimal biological activity by axenic roots; and RDX, removal by both plant systems. In the case of RDX exposure to axenic roots, since 14C-RDX was included, removal was confirmed by the accumulation of 14C-label in the biomass. The intracellular 14C-label in these RDX studies was detected in two forms: intact RDX and bound unknown(s).

Immunobiology of CD28 expression on human neutrophils. I. CD28 regulates neutrophil migration by modulating CXCR-1 expression

CD28, described as a T cell costimulatory molecule so far, is expressed on human peripheral blood neutrophils, as shown by cell surface staining and immunoprecipitation with anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody, and by reverse transcription PCR. The phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-augmented expression of CD28 on these cells can be blocked by actinomycin D, an RNA transcription inhibitor, and staurosporin, a protein kinase inhibitor. Cross-linking of CD28 results in an early increase in IL-8 receptor A (IL-8RA or CXCR-1) expression and a concurrent increase in IL-8-induced chemotaxis. The expression of CXCR-1 is down-regulated by receptor internalization 3 h after CD28 cross-linking with concurrent decrease in IL-8-induced chemotactic migration. Thus, our results demonstrate for the first time that CD28 is expressed on human peripheral blood neutrophils and that CD28 may play an important role in the regulation of IL-8RA expression and migration of neutrophils in response to IL-8.

Transient studies of light-adapted cultures of hairy roots of Catharanthus roseus: growth and indole alkaloid accumulation

Cultures of C. roseus transgenic ("hairy") root clones LBE-6-1 and LBE-4-2 were adapted with periodic daily illumination to investigate the effect of light on growth and nutrient utilization, and the accumulation of the indole alkaloids. Light-adapted roots appeared green and had radially thickened morphology compared with dark-grown controls. Their growth rates were higher than dark-grown controls, with 45% lower doubling times: LBE-6-1, 3.6 days; LBE-4-2, 2.8 days. Relative to dark-grown controls, light-adapted growth increased the biomass (DW) of LBE-6-1 by 25%, but had no effect on the DW of LBE-4-2. The macronutrients NH4+, NO3-, Pi, and sugars, were depleted completely by light-adapted root cultures in that order. The specific and total levels of the indole alkaloid serpentine was enhanced and of tabersonine was lowered in both root clones, while the overall trends of growth and non-growth association of tabersonine and serpentine, respectively, remained unaltered by light adaptation. Ajmalicine accumulation was enhanced in LBE-6-1, but lowered in LBE-4-2; its accumulation was growth-associated in dark-grown LBE-6-1, but appeared non-growth associated in light-adapted cultures. The accumulation of tabersonine-related compounds, lochnericine, and hörhammericine exhibited growth-associated trends, and were either negatively affected or unaffected by light adaptation of LBE-6-1. Neither vindoline nor its precursor, deacetylvindoline, was detected.

Altered membrane permeability as the basis of bactericidal action of methdilazine

The growth inhibition of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was accompanied by significant release of K+ and UV-absorbing small molecules upon exposure to methdilazine, an extensively used phenothiazine antihistamine. A severe decrease in [U-14C] glucose uptake and a rapid efflux of hexose from sugar-preloaded bacteria were also observed but without visible cellular lysis. Considerable damage to membrane permeability by methdilazine was proposed to explain the rapid loss in cfu/mL of the bacteria.

Quantification of metabolites in the indole alkaloid pathways of catharanthus roseus: implications for metabolic engineering

In this article, we present a review of the current state of metabolic engineering in Catharanthus roseus. A significant amount of research has contributed to characterization of several individual steps in the biosynthetic pathway of medicinally valuable alkaloids. However, knowledge of the regulation of these pathways is still sparse. Using hairy root cultures, we studied the responses of alkaloid metabolism to environmental stimulation such as light and elicitation. Through precursor feeding studies, the putative rate-limiting steps of the terpenoid pathway in hairy root cultures also have been examined. Relating this knowledge to specific events at the molecular level, and the cloning of corresponding genes are the next key steps in metabolic engineering of the C. roseus alkaloids. Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Quantification of metabolites in the indole alkaloid pathways of catharanthus roseus: implications for metabolic engineering

In this article, we present a review of the current state of metabolic engineering in Catharanthus roseus. A significant amount of research has contributed to characterization of several individual steps in the biosynthetic pathway of medicinally valuable alkaloids. However, knowledge of the regulation of these pathways is still sparse. Using hairy root cultures, we studied the responses of alkaloid metabolism to environmental stimulation such as light and elicitation. Through precursor feeding studies, the putative rate-limiting steps of the terpenoid pathway in hairy root cultures also have been examined. Relating this knowledge to specific events at the molecular level, and the cloning of corresponding genes are the next key steps in metabolic engineering of the C. roseus alkaloids. Copyright 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Hydroalcoholic human placental extract: skin pigmenting activity and gross chemical composition

BACKGROUND

Vitiligo is a pigmentary disorder of the skin of unknown etiology. It is thought to be of autoimmune origin after demonstration of antibody-mediated destruction of melanocytes. Photochemotherapeutic PUVA therapy is widely used in vitiligo with about 33% success. Aqueous or hydroalcoholic extracts of human placenta of ill-defined composition have also been used therapeutically for vitiligo. A hydroalcoholic human placental extract has been developed by us with pigmenting activity based on experimental therapies. Its chemical analysis was the primary objective of this study.

METHODS

For the guinea pig experiment, 20 drops of the extract or vehicle (60% alcohol) as control was topically applied around the nipples covering the areola zones of male immature white guinea pigs (wt. 175-250 g) daily for 60 days with 15 minutes infrared (IR) exposure used for vascular dilatation and enhancement of the absorption of the extract. Standard methods have been followed for all chemical analyses.

RESULTS

The guinea pig experiment showed clear pigmentation and hypertrophy of the experimental nipples to varying degrees. Chemical analysis of the extract revealed the presence of small-molecular-weight proteins/peptides, lipids (including glycosphingolipids), carbohydrates, sialic acids, cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoproteins (HDL), and others, including amino acids, nucleotides, carotenes, vitamins, etc.

CONCLUSION

Glycosphingolipids, known modulators of B and T cells, were reported capable of inducing adhesion, spreading, and motility of melanoma. It is present in the extract and, therefore, may lead to skin pigmentation through induction of melanocytes. Endothelin, a 21-amino acid peptide, detected in human placenta and possibly extractable by our process, has been reported to be indispensable for melanocyte growth.

A new antileishmanial compound, phaseolinone

Inclusion of phaseolinone, a newly described mycotoxin, at 20 micrograms per ml in a solid culture medium (blood agar overlay) and at 50 micrograms per ml in a liquid culture (medium 199) inhibited the growth of L. donovani promastigotes. About 90% of the motile promastigotes lost motility after exposure to 50 micrograms per ml of phaseolinone for 6-7 h and here 3-day-old culture was more sensitive than 7-day-old culture. In an in vitro assay, DNA dependent RNA polymerase activity of 3-day-old promastigotes was considerably inhibited in the presence of this toxin. Therefore, this key enzyme was suggested to be one of the sites of action of phaseolinone.

Lectin-binding assay by polyethylene glycol 8000

A quantitative lectin-binding assay using a precipitation technique and polyethylene glycol 8000 (PEG) as a precipitating agent has been described. Carcinoscorpin, a sialic acid-binding lectin isolated from the hemolymph of Indian horseshoe crab, Carcinoscorpius rotunda cauda, and iodinated fetuin, a sialoglycoprotein, were appropriately incubated as the components of the binding assay. The specific interaction between these two components developed the lectin-glycoprotein-bound complex. This was subsequently precipitated by the addition of PEG together with a coprecipitant gamma-globulin. Radioactivity of the precipitated bound complex was estimated to quantify the binding. The formation of the bound complex was effectively inhibited by a specific sialodisaccharide, O-(N-acetylneuraminyl)-(2----6)-2-acetamido-2-deoxygalactitol, implying the specific interaction for such precipitation. The probable effect of PEG was to stabilize the bound complex, precipitating it along with added gamma-globulin. This was further evident from the prevention of dissociation of the bound complex and increased binding of glycoprotein to the immobilized lectin in the presence of PEG. The assay was also applicable to other sialoglycoproteins such as alpha 1-acid glycoprotein and human chorionic gonadotropin. Moreover, the method yielded a saturation plateau with a characteristic hyperbolic binding curve. The assay was simple, quick, safe, economic, and highly sensitive.

The effect of epinephrine and serotonin on hepatic poly(A)+ RNA synthesis

In vivo administration of epinephrine or serotonin has been shown to stimulate the incorporation of 14C-orotic acid into Poly(A)+ RNA. However, only epinephrine and not serotonin could stimulate DNA dependent RNA polymerase activity of isolated hepatic nuclei in in vitro experiments.

Effect of amines on fibrinogen synthesis

L-Epinephrine, serotonin, and isoproterenol stimulate the incorporation of [14C]leucine into thrombin-induced clottable protein; this stimulation was abolished by actinomycin D. The incorporation of 32P into total RNA of rat liver, the site of fibrinogen synthesis, was stimulated by epinephrine and was highest at 2 h after 32P administration. [14C]Orotic acid incorporation into polysomal RNA of liver was also increased significantly by epinephrine and serotonin. The immunoprecipitation of newly synthesized protein by monospecific antibody raised against pure rat fibrinogen clearly demonstrates that L-epinephrine increased fibrinogen formation in vivo under the experimental condition. Translation of poly (A)-containing RNA from total polysomal RNA clearly indicates that L-epinephrine increased mRNA specific for fibrinogen.

Bioassay of fish gonadotrophin by ovarian mitochondrial cholesterol depletion

Murrel (Channa punctatus Bloch) ovarian tissues were incubated in vitro with or without piscine gonadotrophins and then subjected to subcellular fractionation followed by nonesterified cholesterol (cholesterol) assay. Gonadotrophin from salmon (SG-G100), tilapia (TL1MS), and sturgeon (S27MS) depleted cholesterol in the mitochondrial fraction, whereas cholesterol remained unchanged in other subcellular fractions. Aminoglutethimide, an inhibitor of mitochondrial cholesterol side-chain cleavage, blocked the depletion of mitochondrial cholesterol in response to SG-G100 and murrel pituitary extract. When ovarian tissue containing [4-14C]cholesterol was challenged with SG-G100 in vitro, a dose-dependent decrease of mitochondrial [4-14C]cholesterol was observed. Increasing concentrations (1, 2, 4, 6, or 8 micrograms/incubation) of SG-G100, TL1MS, and S27MS resulted in a clear linear depletion of mitochondrial cholesterol. The slope of the dose-response curve in different individual fish was found to be distinctly uniform and parallel. The slopes of the standard curves obtained with TL1MS and S27MS were greater than that with SG-G100, indicating that tilapia and sturgeon gonadotrophins are more potent. Carp pituitary gonadotrophin content, determined by using these standard curves, showed the sensitivity and precision of this bioassay.

Effect of glucagon on alanine 2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase

Alanine-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase activity in mouse liver is stimulated by the intravenous injection of glucagon. The stimulation is abolished by pretreatment with actinomycin D indicating that the increased activity is probably due to new enzyme formation. Administration of dibutyryl cyclic AMP, isoproterenol, an activator of adenyl cyclase and theophylline, an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase also increases the enzyme activity suggesting the involvement of cyclic AMP in glucagon-mediated increase of enzyme activity.

Biodegradative threonine dehydratase. Reduction of ferricyanide by an intermediate of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction

The threonine-dependent reduction of ferricyanide catalyzed by the purified biodegradative threonine dehydratase of Escherichia coli has been studied. The rate of production of 2-oxobutyrate in the presence of ferricyanide was lower than that found in the absence of ferricyanide. The concentrations of threonine required for half-maximal effects for the reduction of ferricyanide and, in the presence of the dye, for 2-oxobutyrate production, were 3 mM and 9mM, respectively. Reduction of ferricyanide was accompanied by evolution of CO2, and even within a very short incubation time with the enzyme, the ratio of ferricyanide reduced over CO2 evolved was approximately 7. Stopping the enzyme activity after a brief exposure to threonine at pH 9.7 resulted in the accumulation of an intermediate (with a half-life of 4 min at 25 degrees C) which formed an adduct with N-ethylmaleimide; the accumulated intermediate, in the absence of N-ethylmaleimide, reduced ferricyanide with concomitant evolution of CO2. We conclude from these results that 2-aminocrotonate is the intermediate which serves as a source of reducing equivalent for ferricyanide, and nonstoichiometric amount of ferricyanide reduction may be attributed to some secondary reactions of ferricyanide with compounds derived from the oxidation product of 2-aminocrotonate.