Effects of yoga on brain wave coherence in executives.

Aim of this study was to assess the effect of Self Management of Excessive Tension (SMET), a yoga based stress management program on brain wave coherence. Brain wave recordings were taken with Brain Master 2 Channel EEG (version-2.0). The subjects for the study were 72 corporate executives, 48.75±3.86 years of mean age referred from Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited. EEG data was recorded on the first and sixth day of 5 days SMET program. A complete statistical and spectral analysis showed 19.31% increase (p=0.03) in delta, 5.04% increase (p=0.65) in theta, 15.40% increase (p=0.09) in alpha, 1.67% decrease (p=0.54) in beta and 18.68% increase (p=0.07) in gamma wave coherence between pre and post intervention measurements. Taken together, these results suggest that participation in a SMET program was associated with improvement in emotional stability and may have implications for ‘Executive Efficiency’. Because before and after designs limit inferences about intervention effects, further research is warranted to explore the effects of SMET program for stress management using a larger, randomized controlled trial.

Ultra low dose aprotinin decreases blood loss and transfusion requirements in high risk two valve replacement surgery.

The efficacy of ultra-low-dose-aprotinin (ULDA) in 'high-risk' two valve replacement surgery, was evaluated in this prospective, randomized, double-blind study. Forty adult high-risk patients undergoing elective two valve replacement surgery, were included. The patients were divided into 2 groups of 20 each. In Group I, aprotinin in a dose of 1,000,000 KIU was administered from the end of anaesthesia induction to the time of sternotomy after a 1 ml of test dose. In Group II (control), 100 ml of normal saline was administered in a similar fashion. Coagulation parameters, blood loss, and amount of transfusion of blood / blood products were measured at specific intervals. The postoperative chest tube drainage in the first 24 hours was significantly less 203+/-35 ml (p<0.05) in Group I as compared with 490+/-104 ml in group II and consequently, Group I patients received significantly less (p<0.05) red cell concentrates and platelet transfusion. There was a significant decrease in the length of postoperative elective ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) stay and direct costs involved in the hospital expenses with the use of ULDA. We conclude that ULDA is safe and effective in 'high-risk' two-valve replacement surgery to reduce postoperative bleeding, postoperative length of intubation and ICU stay; use of ULDA is associated with significant direct cost savings.

Influence of changes in the pulmonary artery pressure on ventilation requirements in patients undergoing mitral valve replacement.

The study was designed to evaluate the influence of changes in pulmonary artery pressure on the ventilation requirements in patients undergoing mitral valve surgery. Thirty patients with mitral valve disease with significant pulmonary arterial hypertension undergoing mitral valve replacement under cardiopulmonary bypass were included in this prospective study. All patients had a pulmonary artery catheter placed after the anaesthetic induction. The minute ventilation was adjusted to achieve an arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) of 35-40 mm Hg. After a stabilisation period of 15 minutes, the pulmonary artery pressure and the minute volume needed for maintaining a PaCO2 of 35-40 mm Hg in the precardiopulmonary bypass, post-cardiopulmonary bypass and six hours postoperatively were measured after ensuring stable haemodynamics and normothermia. There was a significant decrease in the mean pulmonary artery pressure from pre-cardiopulmonary bypass value of 41.3+/-15 mm Hg to 29.3+/-8 mm Hg in the postcardiopulmonary bypass period and subsequently to 25.5+/-7 mm Hg in the intensive care unit. There was a corresponding increase in the minute volume requirements from a pre-cardiopulmonary bypass value of 6.8+/-1 L/min to 8.0+/-1 L/min in the post cardiopulmonary bypass period and then to 9.4+/-1.2 L/min in the postoperative period. We conclude that there is a significant decrease in the pulmonary blood volume and a subsequent decrease in the pulmonary artery pressure after a successful mitral valve replacement in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. This is associated with a significant increase in the requirement of minute ventilation to maintain normocarbia.

Influence of isoflurane on ischaemic heart disease in patients with coronary steal prone anatomy.

It is postulated that patients with ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and coronary steal prone anatomy (CSPA) may develop myocardial ischaemia under isoflurane anaesthesia. This study was conducted in 50 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Among these 10 patients (20%) had CSPA, as evidenced by coronary angiography. Anaesthesia was induced with fentanyl, midazolam and thiopentone and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen after endotracheal intubation. Patients were continuously monitored with automated ST segment analysis of electrocardiogram (ECG) and transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE). The end-tidal concentration of isoflurane was maintained at 1.2%, which is equal to one minimum alveolar concentration. Haemodynamic parameters were maintained within 20% of baseline values with either the use of phenylephrine or increasing the depth of anaesthesia by using midazolam and fentanyl. ST changes were measured after 80 ms of J-point in ECG and TEE monitored for occurrence of new regional wall motion abnormalities during the study period. ST changes more than +/-1.0 mm were considered as an indication of myocardial ischaemia. Out of 10 patients having CSPA, 50% developed significant ECG changes during isoflurane anaesthesia at an endtidal concentration of 1.2%. In patients not having CSPA new ischaemia was not observed. Our study indicates necessity of close monitoring of patients with IHD and CSPA during isoflurane anaesthesia to identify new ischaemia and institute appropriate measures.

Role of apoptosis in photodynamic sensitivity of human tumour cell lines.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using a photosensitizer, such as haematoporphyrin derivative (HpD), in conjunction with visible light is a promising new modality to treat localized cancer. Cell death caused by PDT (through the generation of reactive oxygen species) can occur either by apoptosis (interphase death or as a secondary event following mitosis) and/or necrosis depending on the cell type, concentration and intracellular localization of the sensitizer, and the light dose. Since, apoptosis induced by PDT treatment plays an important role in determining the photodynamic efficacy, in the present work we have investigated the role of apoptotic cell death in relation to the observed differences in sensitivity to HpD-PDT between a human glioma cell line (BMG-1) carrying wild-type tumour suppressor gene p53 and a human squamous carcinoma cell line (4451) with mutated p53. HpD (photosan-3; PS-3) -PDT induced apoptosis was studied by: [A] flow-cytometric analysis of DNA content (sub G0/G1 population); [B] phosphatidylserine externalization (Annexin-V +ve cells); [C] cell size and cytoskeleton reorganization (light-scatter analysis); and [D] fluorescence microscopy (morphological features). PS-3-PDT induced a significantly higher level of apoptosis in BMG-1 cells as compared to 4451 cells. This was dependent on the concentration of PS-3 as well as post-irradiation time in both the cell lines. At 2.5 microg/ml of PS-3 the fraction of BMG-1 cells undergoing apoptosis (60%) was nearly 6 folds higher than 4451 cells (10%). In BMG-1 cells the induction of apoptosis increased with PS-3 concentration up to 5 microg/ml (>80%). However, a decrease was observed at a concentration of 10 microg/ml, possibly due to a shift in the mode of cell death from apoptosis to necrosis. In 4451 cells, on the other hand, the increase in apoptosis could be observed even up to 10 microg/ml of PS-3 (60%). Present results show that the higher sensitivity to PS-3-PDT in glioma cells arise on account of a higher level of apoptosis and suggest that induction of apoptosis is an important determinant of photodynamic sensitivity in certain cell types.

Physico-chemical characterization of growth hormone from water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis).

A purified preparation of growth hormone from pituitaries of water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) has been extensively characterized with regard to physico-chemical properties. The molecular size of buffalo GH (buGH) by electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ES-MS) was found to be 21394.00+/-8.44Da and its stokes radius was determined as 2.3 nm. Size heterogeneity in buffalo GH was checked both by electrophoresis and molecular sieve chromatography using 125I-labelled buffalo GH. Similar size heterogeneity was found in standard preparations of ovine and bovine growth hormones. Isoelectric focussing and chromatofocussing indicated charge heterogeneity in buffalo GH preparation. Major charge isoforms having pI of 7.2, 7.7 and minor forms in the pI range of 5.7 to 7.0 were found. Lectin chromatography on Concanavalin A matrix showed that less than 1% of buffalo GH was glycosylated. Heterogeneity in NH2-terminal sequence was also observed, with alanine, phenylalanine and methionine as the NH2-terminal residues as checked by dansyl and DABITC methods. Estimation of tryptophan residue indicated that a single tryptophan residue was present. Ellman's method showed presence of two disulfide bridges per mole of buffalo GH. Intrinsic fluorescence spectrum of buffalo GH exhibited lambda emission maximum at 337 nm. UV-CD spectrum showed that almost 48% of the secondary structure of buGH was constituted by alpha-helicity. The T(M) of buGH as determined by differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) studies was found to be 63 degrees C.

Equilibrium denaturation of buffalo pituitary growth hormone.

To understand the structural properties of buffalo growth hormone (buGH), the equilibrium denaturation using guanidinium chloride (GdmCl) was carried out and was monitored by ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy, far UV-circular dichroism and size-exclusion chromatography. The normalized denaturation transition curves for each of the above methods were not coincident, showing that buGH does not follow a simple two state folding mechanism. Further, size-exclusion chromatography also showed the presence of an associated intermediate during the unfolding of buGH. It was observed that in buGH, denaturation resulted in an initial disruption of the tertiary structure, whereas the secondary structure and the degree of compactness were disrupted at a higher concentration of the denaturant. This suggests that buGH follows the hierarchical model of protein folding.

Biochemical Markers of Myocardial Injury during Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting with and without Cardiopulmonary Bypass.

Minimally invasive cardiac surgical techniques have been applied recently in the management of variety of cardiac lesions. Between December 1998 and February 1999, fifty patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) under two different techniques. In group A (twenty five patients), CABG was done under cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and in group B (twenty three patients), CABG was performed on a 'beating heart' without CPB. Serum concentration of cardiac specific enzymes CPZ-MB and Troponin-T were estimated in all the patients from pre-induction period to 72 hours after the bypass graft. Group A patients exhibited a significant (P<0.05) elevation in the CPK-MB and Troponin-T level as compared to group B. Our results show that the extent of myocardial damage following CABG is significantly less when the procedure is done on a 'beating heart'.

Strategies for purification of four reproductive hormones from the same batch of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) pituitaries.

The occurrence of different reproductive hormones like LH, FSH, TSH and prolactin, in different side fractions obtained during the extraction of buffalo pituitary glands either by the procedure of Papkoff et al. [Arch Biochem Biophys, 111 (1965) 431] or by that of Ellis [Endocrinology, 69 (1961) 554], was examined with the aid of antisera to respective heterologous hormones as well as bio-assays. Thus in the procedure of Papkoff et al., the SP-Sephadex fractions could be taken for purification of LH and TSH, while the acid pellet yielded prolactin. Further it was shown that 50% (NH4)2SO4 could be directly size fractionated and following cation exchange chromatography yields LH and TSH. FSH could be purified from 80% ammonium sulphate pellet. In another protocol of Ellis, differential extraction and chromatographic separation yielded all the four reproductive hormones. Some of the physico-chemical and immunobiological characteristics of these hormones are described.

A possible urease-based homologous ELISA for buffalo prolactin.

The feasibility of a direct binding as well as competitive ELISA using urease labelled probe is described for buffalo pituitary prolactin. Rabbit anti-buPRL serum and goat anti-rabbit IgG conjugated to urease were used as primary and secondary antibodies respectively. Assay was performed in polystyrene wells pretreated with 3-amino-propyltriethoxysilane (APTES) compound. APTES pretreatment provided a more receptive surface for prolactin (PRL). In direct binding mode the assay could detect 24 pg of PRL per well. In competition mode the detection limit was less than 0.1 ng of competitor PRL per well. Urease-based ELISA was found highly sensitive when the substrate solution containing pH indicator, bromocresol purple, was used at lower pH (4-4.2). No false positive reactions occurred in the control wells. A good parallelism between buffalo serum sample inhibition curve and the standard PRL inhibition curve was observed.

Heterogeneity in buffalo lutropin.

Lutropin (LH-1) from water buffaloes has been shown to exhibit microheterogeneity in the N-terminal amino-acid sequence of its alpha-subunit. The beta-subunit did not exhibit such microheterogeneity. Another protocol of purification yielded a preparation of buffalo LH (bu LH-2) different from the buffalo LH-1 in certain physico-chemical properties like ease of dissociation into subunits, sugar composition, isoelectric point, and elution profile on S-200. Data appear to indicate the presence of more than one form of buffalo lutropin.