AIDS awareness among undergraduate students, Maharashtra.

Total 313 undergraduate students (132 males and 181 females) of the colleges of Nashik and Talegaon of Maharashtra were surveyed regard awareness about AIDS. Most of the students knew about AIDs and tests available. They were aware that people indulging sexually promiscuous relations are at risk of AIDS. But the fact that it is transmitted by infected blood and from infected mother to child was not widely known, particularly among Arts students. Some misconceptions regarding modes of transmission were observed among few students, like social kissing, sharing utensils/personal items, using common swimming pools and insect bite spread infection. Attitude towards HIV infected/AIDS patients were not sympathetic. Overall knowledge of Science students were better compared to commerce and Arts students. Confusion about mode of transmission and prevention of the disease exist. Scope of health education for these students was well felt.

Neuropharmacological studies on Fusarium toxins-III: Neurochemical investigations on total toxin extracts from F. moniliforme and F. oxysporum.

Neurochemical effects of different fusarial toxins elaborated from F. moniliforme (FM) and F. oxysporum (FO) were investigated. FM showed significant nonspecific and irreversible monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition which was qualitatively comparable to that induced by nialamide, a nonselective MAO inhibitor. FO did not exhibit any significant MAO inhibitory effect. FM produced a dose related increase in monoamine concentrations (dopamine, noradrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine) in different rat brain areas namely, diencephalon-midbrain, caudate nucleus and pons-medulla. FO, on the contrary, produced marked increase in dopamine concentration in the caudate nucleus with concomitant reduction in noradrenaline levels in diencephalon-midbrain and pons-medulla with little effect on 5-HT concentration. The neurochemical effects of FM and FO are consonant with the earlier reports on the neuropharmacological profile of these toxins. Thus, FM was reported to have nialamide like activity, whereas FO actions were dopaminergic in nature.

Neuropharmacological studies on Fusarium toxins--I: Total toxin extract from Fusarium moniliforme.

The neuropharmacological profile of the total fungal extract of F. moniliforme (FM) has been investigated. FM produced dose related decrease in spontaneous motor activity (SMA) and exploratory activity, potentiated pentobarbitone hypnosis and the anticonvulsant actions of phenobarbitone and phenytoin against MES seizures, potentiated PTZ and tryptamine seizures, antagonised reserpine induced syndrome, attenuated tetrabenazine and morphine induced catalepsy and potentiated haloperidol catalepsy. FM showed per se antinociceptive activity and potentiated morphine analgesia. It increased rectal temperature, antagonised reserpine and apomorphine hypothermia and potentiated the hyperthermic response of haloperidol and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and hypothermic response of betaphenylethylamine (PEA) and L-dopa. FM had no per se effect on amphetamine lethality, but enhanced the lethality induced by morphine in aggregated animals. Stereotypy by amphetamine was potentiated while that of apomorphine was not affected. The behavioural response of 5-HTP and L-dopa was potentiated. FM had no effect on swim induced behavioural despair. The effect on aggressive behavior was complex, and while the cumulative aggressive score was reduced, the onset of fighting behaviour and contact period was increased. It also inhibited clonidine induced auto mutilation. Since earlier investigation had shown that FM, like nialamide, induced non-selective inhibition of monoamine oxidase (MAO), the results were compared with those induced by nialamide. A comparative profile of action reveals that the neuropharmacological action of FM are qualitatively similar to those induced by nialamide, and likely to be due to inhibition of MAO. The investigation has practical implications because F. moniliforme is a common contaminant of cereals and fruits.

Neuropharmacological studies on Fusarium toxins--II: Total toxin extract from F. oxysporum.

The neuropharmacological activity profile of total fungal extract of F. oxysporum (FO) was investigated. FO enhanced spontaneous locomotor activity, exploratory behaviour and reduced pentobarbitone hypnosis. It had per se anticonvulsant action against maximal electroshock seizure (MES) and potentiated phenobarbitone and phenytoin in MES and also potentiated pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) convulsion. It antagonised morphine, tetrabenazine and haloperidol catalepsy. FO did not show per se analgesia or potentiation of morphine antinociception in mice, while both effects were present in rats. The effect of FO on body temperature was complex. It produced per se reduction in rectal temperature and potentiated the hypothermic responses of reserpine, apomorphine, PEA and I-dopa, and also the hyperthermic response of 5-HTP. The hyperthermic response of haloperidol was reversed by FO. It potentiated amphetamine and morphine lethality, amphetamine, PEA and apomorphine stereotypy, 5-HTP headtwitch response and post-swim grooming response. On swim-stress immobility, while the time of onset of immobility was reduced, FO did not modify the duration of immobility. On foot-shock induced aggression in paired rats, FO produced a decrease in the latency to onset of fighting behaviour and increased the total contact period and the cumulative aggressive score. FO potentiated clonidine automutilation. It has, thus, facilitated aggressive behaviour. The effects are likely to be due to the presence of fusaric acid in FO, which inhibits dopamine beta-hydroxylase and is known to have dopaminergic effects. This investigation has practical implications. since F. oxysporum is a common food contaminant.

Kwashiorkor and marasmus: changing hospital incidence of syndromic presentation (1957-88).

This clinico-epidemiological study was undertaken to substantiate the impression that the pattern of clinical presentation of protein-energy malnutrition causing kwashiorkor-marasmus syndrome (KMS) is changing over time. An analysis of data for the period 1964-88, obtained from the specialised Pediatric Clinic of the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine serving mostly the city slums showed decrease (p less than 0.01) in the incidence of chronic edematous forms of severe KMS, less decrease (p less than 0.05) in the incidence of mild-moderate KMS and increase (p less than 0.01) in the incidence of nutritional marasmus and of chronic very severe forms of KMS characterised by extreme retardation in growth and development. Incidentally, a rising incidence of rickets was observed. In the hospitalised cases (1957-88) these observations were corroborated. Data for 1985-88 of NRS Medical College Hospital, Calcutta, a general hospital serving the city as well as the neighbouring rural areas, showed that among the hospitalised city children edematous KMS was proportionately fewer than marasmus. The situation was reverse in the children from the rural areas. The observations suggested that the syndromic presentation of KMS is changing over the last three decades with some rural-urban differences for which only some recent data could be available.

[31P] -Nuclear magnetic resonance spin lattice relaxation in lecithin reverse micelles.

[31P] -Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spin lattice relaxation times (T1) have been measured for lecithin-nonpolar solvent-water as a function of added water for three solvents, namely, benzene, carbon tetrachloride and cyclohexane. In benzene and carbon tetrachloride systems, where spherical reverse micelles are formed, [31P]-NMR T1, values increase linearly with added water. However, in cyclohexane, the trends in the [31P]-T1 values indicate very different micellisation processes. Even at the lowest concentration of added water, the [31P]-T1 values in this solvent are substantially larger than the corresponding values in benzene and carbon tetrachloride, which is attributed to the intramolecular chlorinephosphate interaction being the weakest in cyclohexane. At a higher water content of six mols of water per mol of lecithin in cyclohexane solvent, the [31Ρ]-T1 values show a sharp decrease indicating a sudden change in the dynamics of the phosphate group, and this confirms the on set of 'reverse micelle-to-liquid crystalline' phase transition observed in this system by other spectroscopic and physical techniques.