Study of head injury victims in fatal road traffic accidents in Delhi.

The study revealed 31% were the victims of Head injury injury in this part of Delhi in vehicular accidents. Although majority of the fatalities were on the spot quite a number of such victims survived for a varied period. A multipronged approach including the preventive and curative measures for this man-made calamity is the need of the hour. Amongst various preventive measure are wearing helmet be made compulsory for both the driver and pillion riders of two-wheelers, development of a safe traffic sense amongst the road users. Traffic Police should be honest, exemplary punishment for the reckless driver, decongestion of Delhi roads etc. The curative measures are facilities of CT scanners and neurosurgeons in all the major hospitals, provision of first-aid in the PCR (Police control room) vans, to institute immediate treatment to the victim without waiting for the medico-legal formalities, opening of more fully equipped Accident and trauma centres. It is high time the concerned authorities gave some serious thought towards this avoidable epidemic on Delhi roads.

Influence of cigarette smoking on Vitamin C, glutathione and lipid peroxidation status.

There has been a growing interest during recent years in the role of free radicals and lipid-peroxidation at tissue-level for the causation of cancer and other age-related diseases like atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cataract etc. Free radicals and increased lipid peroxidation play a significant role for causation of human diseases by oxidative damage and functional degeneration of the tissues. Vitamin C, a well-known dietary antioxidant, and other enzymatic antioxidants like glutathione can protect the lipids of lipoproteins and other biomembranes against peroxidative damage by intercepting oxidants before they can attack the tissues. But cigarette smoking was found to affect the antioxidant protective action of Vitamin C, glutathione etc. A group of adult male smokers in this study were found to have lowered Vitamin 'C' & glutathione levels, but increased lipid-peroxide levels in their blood. Thus the increased pathogenicity of the smoking may also be due to indirect biochemical effect of enhanced oxidative stress by increased lipid-peroxidation and lowered Vitamin C & other antioxidants at tissue-level.

Role of human placental extract on succinic dehydrogenase activity in carrageenin-induced edema in rats in vivo and its effect on erythrocyte lysis, platelet aggregation and trypsin activity in vitro.

Significant increase of liver succinic dehydrogenase (SDH, EC 1.3.99.1) activity was produced by carrageenin-induced edema in rats. Pretreatment with human placental extract inhibited the increased liver SDH activity in a dose-dependent manner. Placental extract was found to have little or no effect on the liver SDH activity in normal rats. Furthermore, heat-induced erythrocyte lysis was inhibited to a substantial extent by the extract and was found to be dose-responsive. However, adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation and trypsin activity were not changed by the placental extract in vitro. The study indicates that the membrane stabilization and depletion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis may contribute to antiinflammatory effect of the extract.

Effect of cigarette smoking on thyroid hormone homeostasis.

Serum thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and thiocyanate (SCN) levels in 40 smokers smoking filter or non-filter cigarettes were compared to those in 20 control subjects. Both types of cigarette smoking resulted in a decrease in T4 (P < 0.01) and increase in TSH (P < 0.05) to the same degree as compared to control. T3 was found to be higher in the smokers but the rise was not significant. SCN was elevated significantly in the smokers. The filter attached to the cigarette was found to have little or no effect on the alteration of the levels of the biochemical indices studied.