ABSTRACT
Ebola virus is transmitted to people as a result of direct contact with body fluids containing virus of an infected patient. The incubation period usually lasts 5 to 7 d and approximately 95% of the patients appear signs within 21 d after exposure. Typical features include fever, profound weakness, diarrhea, abdominal pain, cramping, nausea and vomiting for 3-5 days and maybe persisting for up to a week. Laboratory complications including elevated aminotransferase levels, marked lymphocytopenia, and thrombocytopenia may have occurred. Hemorrhagic fever occurs in less than half of patients and it takes place most commonly in the gastrointestinal tract. The symptoms progress over the time and patients suffer from dehydration, stupor, confusion, hypotension, multi-organ failure, leading to fulminant shock and eventually death. The most general assays used for antibody detection are direct IgG and IgM ELISAs and IgM capture ELISA. An IgM or rising IgG titer (four-fold) contributes to strong presumptive diagnosis. Currently neither a licensed vaccine nor an approved treatment is available for human use. Passive transfer of serum collected from survivors of Junin virus or Lassa virus, equine IgG product from horses hypervaccinated with Ebola virus, a "cocktail" of humanized-mouse antibodies (ZMapp), recombinant inhibitor of factor VIIa/tissue factor, activated protein C, RNA-polymerase inhibitors and small interfering RNA nano particles are among the therapies in development. Preclinical evaluation is also underway for various vaccine candidates. One is a chimpanzee adenovirus vector vaccine; other vaccines involve replication-defective adenovirus serotype 5 and recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus.
ABSTRACT
Evaluation of diastolic dysfunction and its relationship with TIMI frame count in patients with stable coronary artery disease referred to Ayatollah Taleghani Hospital in Tehran in the years 2010-2011 is the purpose of this study. Patients were divided into two groups: case and control. Both groups had chronic angina. Patient information on check list has been studies based on data provided by angiography and echocardiography methods. Cases had significantly higher values of corrected TIMI frame count [TFC] for the left anterior desending artery [LAD], TFC for Circumflex artery [Cx] and Right coronary artery [RCA], [mean TFC P<0.001]. Conventional echocardiography showed significantly lower maximal peak systolic velocity [sm] [cm/s], Correlation of early diastolic velocity at myocardial segments [Em] and peak systolic velocity at myocardial segments [Sm] with mean TFC in all 3 vessels were significant [P=0/0001]. Ratio of maximal early to late diastolic filling [E/A], in patient with TFC >/= 21 was 0/7 and in patients with TFC/= 21. Correlation between mean of angiography and diastolic disfunction was significant. According to this study diastolic dysfunction which estimated by echocardiography showed significant correlation with TIMI frame count in chronic stable angina patients. Due to simplicity, low cost, quality and reproducibility of this method, this will be helpful.
ABSTRACT
Free radical formation and oxidative stress might play an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease [PD]. In vitro data indicate that neuromelanin [NM] pigment is formed the excess cytosolic catecholamine that is not accumulated into synaptic vesicles via the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 [VMAT2]. We designed this study to investigate the neuroprotective effects of vitamin E in the early model of PD. Male rats [n = 40] with unbiased rotational behavior were randomly divided into five groups: sham operated group [SH, n = 8], vehicle-treated SH group [SH + V, n = 8], vitamin E-treated SH group [SH + E, n = 8], vehicle-treated lesion group [L + V, n = 8] and vitamin E-treated lesion group [L + E, n = 8]. Unilateral intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine [12.5 micro l] lesioned rats were treated intramuscularly with alpha-tocopherol acid succinate [24 I.U/kg, intramuscular [i.m.]] 1 h before surgery and three times per week for 2 month post-surgery. To evaluate the vitamin E pretreatment efficacy, tyrosine hydroxylase [TH] immunoreactivity and immunostaining intensity [ISI] for monoamine transporter 2 were used. TH immunohistochemical analyses showed a reduction of 20% in locus coeruleus [LC] cell number of vitamin E pretreated lesioned group but the cell number dropped to 60% in the lesioned group. The ISI of the cells was measured for VMAT2 in LC. Lesioned groups: 1] had the lowest VMAT2 ISI of all neurons; 2] There was an inverse relationship between VMAT2 ISI and NM pigment in the locus and 3] Neurons with the highest VMAT2 ISI also had high TH ISI. The data support the hypothesis that repeated i.m. administration of vitamin E exerts a protective effect on the LC neurons in the early model of PD