Diagnostic Accuracy of Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein (COMP), for Cartilage Damage in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background:Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), is an extracellular matrix (ECM) non-collagenous glycoprotein that is mainly localized within the cartilage, and also be found in tendon and synovium.RecentstudiesinwestandAsiaPacificregionhasshownthatCOMP, is a prognostic marker in Rheumatoid arthritis(RA).Objective:To correlate serum COMP levels with disease severity and cartilage destruction in rheumatoid arthritis.Methods:The study was conducted in Department of Pathology and Rheumatology, Ziauddin University Hospital, Karachi from June 2018 to May 2019. Patients were recruited as per American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2010 classification criteria. The study populationconsists of 88 healthy subjects and 88 RA patients. Sandwich ELISA technique was used to assess serum COMP level. Other inflammatory markers such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) antibodies like rheumatoid factor, and anti-cyclic citrullinated protein (anti-CCP) were also assessed. Results were analyzed using SPSS-20 and P-value ≤0.05 was considered as significant.Results: Serum COMP levels were significantly higher in RA patients 51.35ng/ml than controls 21.454ng/ml with significant p value=<0.0001. There was strong positive correlation between COMP level and disease severity in RA patients with moderate as well as high disease activity score (DAS) with significant p value. Serum COMP showed 96% sensitivity and 83% specificity at level of 27.01ng/ml for diagnosis of RA.Conclusions:COMP has significant positive correlation with severity of RA. Serum COMP can be utilized as a biomarker to quantify cartilage destruction in RA patients

Prostatic carcinoma; association between serum prostatic specific antigen [PSA] and gleason grade

During the past many years the availability of serum PSA as a screening marker, has encouraged its use to diagnose both prostatic cancer and its recurrence. Patients with high S/PSA are at increased risk of advanced carcinoma prostate and screening at an earlier stage would help to manage it accordingly. The aim of this study was to determine association between serum prostatic specific antigen [PSA] levels and Gleason grade in prostatic carcinoma patients. Descriptive, case series study. Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation in collaboration with Institutional laboratory of Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur. June 2012 to June 2014. Total 160 patients of age 50-80 years with biopsy proven prostatic carcinoma were included. Patients with h/o radiotherapy for prostatic carcinoma and anti-androgen therapy were excluded. Histological slides of each patient were reviewed by using the Gleason grading system. Gleason grade of each patient was correlated with his serum prostatic specific antigen [PSA] report which was done before surgery or biopsy. In our study, mean age was 66.89 +/- 9.28 years. Mean serum PSA was 21.41 +/- 13.67 ng/ml. Intermediate grade cancer was found in 38.75% patients followed by moderate to poorly differentiated cancer in 31.86% patients. Gleason score >/= 7 was significantly higher in patients with serum PSA >20 ng/mL than those with serum PSA

Carum copticum and Thymus vulgaris oils inhibit virulence in Trichophyton rubrum and Aspergillus spp

Emergence of drug-resistant strains has demanded for alternative means of combating fungal infections. Oils of Carum copticum and Thymus vulgaris have long been used in ethnomedicine for ailments of various fungal infections. Since their activity has not been reported in particular against drug-resistant fungi, this study was aimed to evaluate the effects of oils of C. copticum and T. vulgaris on the growth and virulence of drug-resistant strains of Aspergillus spp. and Trichophyton rubrum. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed thymol constituting 44.71% and 22.82% of T. vulgaris and C. copticum, respectively. Inhibition of mycelial growth by essential oils was recorded in the order of thymol > T. vulgaris > C. copticum against the tested strains. RBC lysis assay showed no tested oils to be toxic even up to concentration two folds higher than their respective MFCs. Thymol exhibited highest synergy in combination with fluconazole against Aspergillus fumigatus MTCC2550 (FICI value 0.187) and T. rubrum IOA9 (0.156) as determined by checkerboard method. Thymol and T. vulgaris essential oil were equally effective against both the macro and arthroconidia growth (MIC 72 µg/mL). A > 80% reduction in elastase activity was recorded for A. fumigatus MTCC2550 by C. copticum, T. vulgaris oils and thymol. The effectiveness of these oils against arthroconidia and synergistic interaction of thymol and T. vulgaris with fluconazole can be exploited to potentiate the antifungal effects of fluconazole against drug-resistant strains of T. rubrum and Aspergillus spp.

Influence of clove oil on certain quorum-sensing-regulated functions and biofilm of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aeromonas hydrophila.

Quorum sensing (QS) plays an important role in virulence, biofilm formation and survival of many pathogenic bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This signalling pathway is considered as novel and promising target for anti-infective agents. In the present investigation, effect of the Sub-MICs of clove oil on QS regulated virulence factors and biofilm formation was evaluated against P. aeruginosa PAO1 and Aeromonas hydrophila WAF-38 strain. Sub-inhibitory concentrations of the clove oil demonstrated statistically significant reduction of las- and rhl-regulated virulence factors such as LasB, total protease, chitinase and pyocyanin production, swimming motility and exopolysaccharide production. The biofilm forming capability of PAO1 and A. hydrophila WAF-38 was also reduced in a concentration-dependent manner at all tested sub-MIC values. Further, the PAO1-preinfected Caenorhabditis elegans displayed an enhanced survival when treated with 1.6% v/v of clove oil. The above findings highlight the promising anti-QS-dependent therapeutic function of clove oil against P. aeruginosa.

Incidence and transferability of antibiotic resistance in the enteric bacteria isolated from hospital wastewater

This study reports the occurrence of antibiotic resistance and production of β-lactamases including extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESβL) in enteric bacteria isolated from hospital wastewater. Among sixty-nine isolates, tested for antibiotic sensitivity, 73.9% strains were resistant to ampicillin followed by nalidixic acid (72.5%), penicillin (63.8%), co-trimoxazole (55.1%), norfloxacin (53.6%), methicillin (52.7%), cefuroxime (39.1%), cefotaxime (23.2%) and cefixime (20.3%). Resistance to streptomycin, chloramphenicol, nitrofurantoin, tetracycline, and doxycycline was recorded in less than 13% of the strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) showed a high level of resistance (800-1600 µg/mL) to one or more antibiotics. Sixty three (91%) isolates produced β-lactamases as determined by rapid iodometric test. Multiple antibiotic resistances were noted in both among ESβL and non-ESβL producers. The β-lactamases hydrolyzed multiple substrates including penicillin (78.8% isolates), ampicillin (62.3%), cefodroxil (52.2%), cefotoxime (21.7%) and cefuroxime (18.8%). Fifteen isolates producing ESβLs were found multidrug resistant. Four ESβL producing isolates could transfer their R-plasmid to the recipient strain E. coli K-12 with conjugation frequency ranging from 7.0 x 10-3 to 8.8 x 10-4. The findings indicated that ESβL producing enteric bacteria are common in the waste water. Such isolates may disseminate the multiple antibiotic resistance traits among bacterial community through genetic exchange mechanisms and thus requires immediate attention.

Screening of certain medicinal plants from India for their anti-quorum sensing activity.

Discovery of quorum sensing (QS) system to coordinate virulence and biofilm formation in bacterial pathogens has triggered search for safe, stable and non-toxic anti-QS compounds from natural products. Ethanolic extracts of 24 Indian medicinal plants were tested by agar well and disc diffusion assay for anti-QS activity using Chromobacterium violaceum (CV12472 and CVO26) reporter strains. AHL from C. violaceum CV31532 was isolated and partially purified for its use in CVO26 based bioassay. Effect on swarming-motility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PAO1) was also recorded at sub-MIC concentrations of extracts. Of the 24 medicinal plants screened Hemidesmus indicus (L.) Schult (root), Holarrhena antidysenterica (Roth)A.DC. (bark), Mangifera indica L. (seed) Punica granatum L. (pericarp) and Psoralea corylifolia L. (seed) demonstrated varying level of inhibition of violacein production in the reporter strains. Moreover, a significant reduction in swarms was recorded over control. The inhibition of violacein production and swarming motility may be due to direct or indirect interference on QS by active constituents or the interactive effect of different phytocompounds present in the extracts. These plant extracts may be selected for activity guided fractionation to identify and characterize the active principle

A study to evaluate asbestos fiber burden in lung and pleural malignancies.

Background: There is scarcity of data on asbestos fiber burden in lung and pleural malignancies. Aim: To evaluate asbestos fiber burden in biopsy samples of suspected lung and pleural malignancies. Study Design: This was a single-centre, observational study. Study Period: From August 2010 to July 2010. Setting: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, CSMMU, UP, Lucknow, a tertiary care hospital in India. Study Population: Suspected cases of lung and pleural malignancy. Materials and Methods: Biopsy tissues taken by computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy, bronchoscopic biopsy, and pleural biopsy by Cope's needle were analyzed for histopathology and asbestos burden by Haq et al.'s method. Results: 20 patients were studied. Mean fiber burden was 9.25 × 10 4 fibers/g. Average burden in lung malignancies (11 patients) was 9.178 × 10 4 fibers/g and in pleural tissue (9 patients) was 9.332 × 10 4fibers/g. Among the different cell types, mean fiber burden in squamous cell carcinoma was 8.99 × 10 4 fibers/g, in adenocarcinoma was 9.71 × 10 4 fibers/g, and in small cell carcinoma was 7.54 × 10 4 fibers/g. Mean fiber burden in bronchoscopic endobronchial biopsy tissue was 10.69 × 10 4 fibers/g, while in CT-guided biopsy was 8.60× 10 4fibers/g. Conclusion: Maximum number of fibers was found in adenocarcinoma.

Antimutagenic activity of methanolic extracts of four ayurvedic medicinal plants.

Methanolic extracts of Acorus calamus (Rhizome), Hemidesmus indicus (Stem), Holarrhena antidysenterica (Bark) and Plumbago zeylanica (Root), were tested for their antimutagenic potential. These extracts, at tested concentrations, showed no sign of mutagenicity to Salmonella typhimurium tester strains. The extracts of the plants exhibited varying level of antimutagenicity. At a dose of 100 microg/plate, the extracts exhibited the inhibition of His+ revertants from 18.51% to 82.66% against direct acting mutagens, methyl methanesulphonate (MMS) and sodium azide (NaN3) induced mutagenicity in Salmonella tester strains TA 97a, TA 100, TA 102 and TA 104. However, at lower concentrations (25 and 50 mcirog/plate) of the plant extracts, a decrease in antimutagenic activity was recorded. Dose dependent antimutagenic activity of the extracts is also evident from linear regression analysis of the data. The over all antimutagenic potential of above four extracts was found to be in order of A. calamus > H. indicus > H. antidysenterica > P. zeylanica. Further, total phenolic content of these extracts did not correlate with its antimutagenic activity in A. calamus and P. zeylanica.

Biosorption of Ni, Cr and Cd by metal tolerant Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp. using single and multi-metal solution.

Fungi including Aspergillus and Penicillium, resistant to Ni2+, Cd2+, and Cr6+ were isolated from soil receiving long-term application of municipal wastewater mix with untreated industrial effluents of Aligarh, India. Metal tolerance in term of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 125-550 microg/ml for Cd, 300-850 microg/ml for Ni and 300-600 microg/ml for Cr against test fungi. Two isolates, Aspergillus niger and Penicillium sp. were tested for their Cr, Ni and Cd biosorption potential using alkali treated, dried and powdered mycelium. Biosorption experiment was conducted in 100 ml of solution at three initial metal concentrations i.e., 2, 4 and 6 mM with contact time (18 hr) and pretreated fungal biomass (0.1g) at 25 degrees C. Biosorption of all metals was found higher at 4 mM initial metal concentration as compared to biosorption at 2 and 6 mM concentrations. At 4 mM initial metal concentration, chromium biosorption was 18.05 and 19.3 mg/g of Aspergillus and Penicillium biomasses, respectively. Similarly, biosorption of Cd and Ni ions was also maximum at 4 mM initial metal concentration by Aspergillus (19.4 mg/g for Cd and 25.05 mg/g of biomass for Ni) and Penicillium (18.6 mg/g for Cd and 17.9 mg/g of biomass for Ni). In general, biosorption of metal was influenced by initial metal concentration and type of the test fungi. The results indicated that fungi of metal contaminated soil have high level of metal tolerance and biosorption properties.

boy with swollen right knee joint

Musculoskeletal problems are common presentation in children and adolescents. Diagnosis of rheumatic disease in this age group is based primarily on patient's history and physical examination. Laboratory evaluation is done mostly to support or confirm clinical impression. A case of juvenile spondyloarthropathy is being presented to highlight the approach to rheumatic problems in children. This condition typically begins in adolescence and has a predilection for involvement of the back and the large joints of the lower extremities

Response of sugarcane to treated wastewater of oil refinery.

The crop of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) was grown at the agricultural farm of the Mathura Oil Refinery in a simple randomized block design. The experimental plots were irrigated with ground water (GW) or treated wastewater (TW) as and when required The plants gave better response to the latter than the former. The quantity of the required nutrients was comparatively more in TW than GW. The soil receiving wastewater did not show any significant change in its physico-chemical characteristics. The soil accumulated all the heavy metals but the plant samples receiving TW only exhibited the presence of Ni, Pb and Zn whose values are far below the permissible limits.

Oral erosive lichen planus a clinical evaluation of 23 cases over one year period recorded in oral and dental hospital of Khyber Medical College, Peshawar

A clinical analysis of 23 cases having the clinical features of erosive lichen planus observed in the Oral and Dental Hospital of Khyber Medical College, Peshawar over a period of one year is presented. Out of these 11 were confirmed as suffering from Lichen planus by the laboratory tests. Majority of these patients were found to be suffering from anxiety and cancer phobia. Response to topical steroids was only 9.9% whereas in more than 75% cases improvement was noticed when steroids were systemically administered. The aim in this study was to assess the incidence of erosive Lichen planus and other lesions having similar resemblance among the patients visiting Khyber Medical College Oral and Dental Hospital and to assess their response to topical and systemic use of corticosteroids