Screening for Behavioural Abnormality Using Strength & Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ) in Children with Epilepsy

Aims: To estimate the problem of behavioural co morbidity and to determine risk factors associated with epi-lepsy in children. Methods: A prospective observational study using Hindi and Gujarati version of Strength & Difficulty ques-tionnaire (SDQ) was conducted. Children aged 6 to 17 years with epilepsy (CWE) as cases & without epilepsy as controls enrolled. Detailed demographic and clinical data were recorded. The total difficulty score and the subscale scores were compared between two groups. Comparison of the scores were done among the children with epilepsy group also. Results: 52 children in each group were included. Self-reported SDQ used in 76% and parent reported SDQ used in 27% participants. Prevalence of behaviour abnormality was 25% in CWE. (p 0.004). CWE had signifi-cantly higher mean total difficulty score (p<0.001) and mean emotional (p <0.0001) and conduct subscale score (p 0.0024). Children having uncontrolled epilepsy (OR 15, 95% CI 2.9 - 76.3, p 0.0005) and having num-ber of seizures more than 3 (OR 13.33 95% CI 3.4 - 51.04, p 0.0004) were found to be significantly associated with behavioural abnormality. Conclusion: Epileptic children are at more risk of behavioural problem than in normal children, especially emotional problem and conduct problem. Uncontrolled epilepsy and frequency of seizure were significant risk factor for occurrence of behavioural problem.

Immunopotentiating effects of Azadirachta indica (Neem) dry leaves powder in broilers, naturally infected with IBD virus.

Effects of feeding of powdered dry leaves of A. indica (AI) were investigated on humoral and cell mediated immune responses, in a flock of broilers which had survived an outbreak of infectious bursal disease (IBD). AI (2 g/kg) treatment significantly enhanced the antibody titres against new castle disease virus (NCDV) antigen and also potentiated the inflammatory reactions to 1. Chloro-2,4-di- nitro benzene (DNCB) inskin contact test. The results indicate that AI could be beneficial in immunosuppressed condition like IBD, in poultry.

Peptide mapping reveals differences in the non-glycosylated domains of cystic fibrosis and normal tracheobronchial mucins.

Tracheobronchial mucins from lung mucus secretions of healthy individuals and from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) were purified according to a protocol established in our laboratory. Following digestion of the purified, reduced-alkylated mucin (free of 118 kDa and 70 kDa components) with trypsin-L-1-tosylamido-2-phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone, three fractions (TR-1, TR-2 and TR-3) were observed upon chromatography on a Superose 6 column using FPLC. TR-1 (glycosylated fraction) contained all of the carbohydrate, while TR-2 and TR-3 fractions had no detectable sugars. Comparison of the amino acid composition of TR-1 fractions from normal and CF individuals revealed no significant differences, while the TR-2 fractions from these mucins showed noticeable differences. Peptide mapping of TR-2 fractions from normal and CF mucins was performed on a C18 reverse phase column using FPLC. The peptide maps of normal mucins were markedly different from CF mucins. A greater number of peptides were seen in the TR-2 fractions of normal mucins when compared to CF mucin TR-2 fractions. In addition, normal TR-2 fractions appeared to be comprised of more hydrophobic peptides when compared to CF TR-2 fractions. These data provide evidence of possible structural differences in the non-glycosylated regions of CF and non-CF mucins, since the TR-2 fractions are essentially derived from the T-domains in the "naked" stretches of the mucin polypeptide backbone.