Diabetogenic effect of clozapine

Clozapine is one of the commonly used atypical antipsychotics. Several pharmacoepidemiologic studies have supported the notion that atypical antipsychotics may raise the risk of diabetes. Precise risk estimates for hyperglycemia-related adverse events in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics are not available. This study aims to clarify the diabetogenic effect of clozapine on the blood glucose level and on the cellular level by histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of pancreas. Twenty adult albino male rats were divided into two groups; first one as a control group received distilled water orally for 90 days. The other group received 13 mg of clozapine orally daily for the same duration. The rats were sacrificed and blood samples for assessment of glucose level were obtained. The pancreas was processed for histopathological, histochemical and immunohistochemical examination. The results showed hyperglycaemia in the clozapine treated group. Hisopathological examination of the pancreas of treated animals showed many large sized islets of Langerhans, sprouting of new islets from a pre-existing one and many small scattered islets within pancreatic lobules denoting hyperplastic changes. Also, some islets showed apoptotic cells and others showed lymphocytic infiltration. Endocrine-like masses of cells could be observed in relation to many interlobular ducts. Interlobular and interacinar fibrosis was observed by using masson's trichrome stain. PAS reaction revealed increased thickness of the basement membrane of the islets capillaries. Immunohistochemical staining with anti-insulin antibody showed strong staining of the hyperplastic islets of treated animals. Hislopathological and immunohistochemical observations suggested that clozapine treatment has a diabetogenic effect on the pancreatic islets of Langerhans. The pathogenesis of clozapine-associated diabetes is very similar to type 2 diabetes mellitus

Traumatic shock: the released chemical mediators and the protective role of indomethacin

In this work, trails were done to investigate the difference mediators suggested to be released at the site of injury and may be responsible for occurrence of distant injuries or death e.g. oxygen free radicals, leukotriene C4 [LTC4] and phospholipase A2 [PLA2] and the protective role of indomethacin in traumatic shock. It was concluded that the quantitative determination of these mediators seems to be useful in diagnosis of traumatic shock as a cause of complications [death or distant injuries]. Indomethacin attenuated the blood urea nitrogen [BUN] increased and edema index in the fastened muscles whether indomethacin was injected before application or after release of tourniquet. Indomethacin minimized the release of the studied mediators of traumatic shock but could not prevent it completely [when injected before application of tourniquet], also it could inhibit further release if injected after removal of tourniquet. Therefore, indomethacin seems to play a protective role in preventing the complications of traumatic shock

Identification of semen by using prostate specific antigen [PSA] as a marker

A modified has been used for the determination of PSA by enzyme- linkedimmunosorbent assay [ELISA], in which commercial kits are used, that is nowavailable in the market instead of preparing the reagents. Normal, oligo andazoospermic seminal samples were collected with other body fluids [blood,urine, milk, saliva, vaginal secretions and 12 hours post-coital vaginalswabs]. The results revealed that PSA is a useful semen market, even in casesof azoospermia, and can be also detected in the vaginal swabs that have beentaken 12 hours after coitus. No true cross reactions were found between theanti-PSA and other body fluids, including vaginal secretions. This method isvery sensitive and can detect semen in very small amount [0.5 mu l]. The fourdifferent studied semen markets could be measured easily, even after two months. The higher concentrations of these markets were obtained in stains that were kept refrigerated in comparison with other strong temperature, this was observed at all storage periods. Statistically significant differences have been recorded between fertile and infertile groups only for GGt and LDH but neither for PSA nor PSA not PAP. The best conserved activities after 2 months were those of GGT followed, then LDH and lastly PAP

Value of enzymatic examination of blood stains in determination of the period of gestation

The objective of this work is to establish the diagnostic efficiency of the determination of the ratio between heat-stable [H-S] and total [T] alkaline phosphatase activities in dry blood stains on an absorbent surface [Cotton Cloth] in cases of pregnancy. Blood samples were obtained from healthy adult males and nonpregnant females [Control group, 10 cases, 5 males and 5 females], pregnant females at different stages of pregnancy [30 samples, 10 in each trimester] and patients with elevated values of alkaline phosphatase [obstructive jaundice, 9 samples]. The blood stains were left at room temperature for different periods up to 6 months. The values of [H-S] and [T] alkaline phosphatase were measured in the serum of the control group and the blood stains of all groups and then we determined the ratio between them [H-S/T]. We found that the values of [H-S] and [T] alkaline phosphatase in the serum were higher than those in the blood stains of the control group but the ratio was the same. There was a statistically significant progressive rise in the ratios between [H-S] and [T] alkaline phosphatase in blood stains of pregnant females at different trimesters and a significant decreased ratio in the blood-stains of the group of obstructive jaundice. The same results were obtained with aged blood stains up to 6 months

Application of 3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazoline-4, s-dione as a novel reagent for development of latent fingerprints on paper

3-methyl- 1-phenyl- 2-pyrazoline- 4,5-dione is a new substance which has been prepared in the laboratory for detection of amino-acids. In this work, this substance of developing latent fingerprints on paper was used. It was compared with a well-known developer "ninhydrin" and was found to be the same as regard to sensitivity, clarity and contrast, whether the latent fingerprints were new or old, but the new substance is superior with regard to its preparation as it is easily prepared in the laboratory from available cheap substances i.e. it is economically better than ninhydrin

Detection of zinc as a confirmatory test for identification of seminal stains

An extremely simple and qualitative method for the identification of seminal stains depends on the high level of zinc in human semen. PAN [1-[2-pyridylazo]-2-naphthol] which reacts with zinc to develop a bright pink color was used. The data presented included the sensitivity, stability and specificity of the results by using three procedures. Any method of the three procedures can be used for the identification of human semen even in old samples [three years old]