Cerebral Venous Thrombosis Due to Abrin Toxicity: A Case Report.

Abrus precatorius (jequirity bean) is a common cause of accidental or intentional poisoning in the tropics. The data on exact incidence of abrus poisoning is largely insufficient in our country, due to lack of reporting. The estimated lethal dose for humans is 0.1-1 μg/kg. The toxic component is the protein abrin that causes widespread endothelial damage. Abrin causes a variety of manifestations like hemorrhagic gastroenteritis with erosions, hemolysis, acute renal damage, dyselectrolytemia, hepatotoxicity with elevated liver enzymes and seizures. Apart from the common manifestation of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, patients experiencing mental status perturbations have been identified and documented earlier. There have been previous reports of elevated intracranial tension (ICT) in abrus poisoning, however, the exact cause for this phenomenon had not been elucidated. We herein report a case of intentional A. precatorius poisoning in a young girl that caused cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT).

Primary intratesticular sarcoma.

Primary intratesticular sarcoma that is neither associated with germ cell elements nor paratesticular elements is a unique subset of intrascrotal sarcoma. It is a rare indolent tumor with potential for distant metastases. Although few data are available it is generally assumed to be quite uncommon. The definitive treatment recommendation are yet to be laid down. Four cases are reported.

Effect of eugenol and tincture of crataegus (TCR) on in vitro oxidation of LDL + VLDL isolated from plasma of non-insulin dependent diabetic patients.

The present study was carried out to study the effect of antioxidants on oxidised LDL + VLDL and found that vitamin E, eugenol and tincture of crataegus (antioxidants) inhibited oxidation of (LDL + VLDL) similar to standard antioxidant (butylated hydroxy toluene). Vitamin C acted as an antioxidant at lower concentration, and prooxidant at higher concentration.

Characterization of mouse fibroblast (NIH3T3) and fibrosarcoma cell lines (WEHI-164 and MFS 8) using PMRS.

Proton magnetic resonance Spectroscopy (PMRS) has been used to study the differences between immortalized fibroblasts and fibrosarcoma cells of different grade. One and two dimensional purged correlation spectroscopy (PCOSY) have been used to assess intact viable fibroblast and fibrosarcoma cells, and differences in the triglyceride, cellular metabolite, and cell surface fucosylation patterns between the three cell lines have been observed. The clinical implication of this study is the potential use of PMRS as an adjunct to conventional histopathology.

Effect of uric acid on sodium oxalate-induced urolithiasis in rats--biochemical and histological evidences.

Effect of uric acid on sodium oxalate-induced biochemical and histological changes were studied in rats. Rats injected with sodium oxalate (0.7 mg/100 g body wt, ip) show calcium deposits in the lumen of kidney tubules. Uric acid administration was found to potentiate calcium oxalate calculi formation. Lipid peroxide formation was increased up to 100% in kidney and 28% in liver by sodium, oxalate treatment. Uric acid administration was found to reduce lipid peroxide level up to 12% in liver and 20% in kidney. From this study it is concluded that lipid peroxidation may not be the cause of sodium oxalate-induced urolithiasis and the results are discussed with reference to the epitaxic nature of uric acid on kidney stone formation.

Effect of vitamin-E on high fat diet induced hyperlipidemia in rats.

High fat diet intake in rats resulted in hyperlipidemia which was evidenced by elevated levels of plasma cholesterol, free fatty acids, triglycerides and increased LDLc/HDLc ratio. Vitamin E (400 mg/kg body wt/day) administration for 60 days prevented the elevations in plasma lipid levels. It reduced LDLc/HDLc ratio, lipid peroxide levels and elevated the level of reduced glutathione (GSH) in hyperlipidemic rats. Vitamin-E was non-toxic.

Kinetic analyses of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from Candida 107 (NCYC 911).

Candida 107 (NCYC 911) accumulates up to 45% of the biomass as triglycerides under conditions of nitrogenous substrate limitation in the medium. In oilseeds and adipocytes, lipid accumulation is preceded and accompanied by increased activity of key enzymes such as pyruvate dehydrogenase. However, in Candida 107, the activity of this complex was greatly reduced during lipogenesis. The initial velocity patterns were in accordance with a Hexa Uni Ping Pong mechanism. The Km values for the various substrates were similar to those found for the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but much higher than those reported for the mammalian enzyme. Product inhibition studies indicated that the Ki for acetyl coenzyme A and NADH were higher than those reported for other yeasts. The values for Ki were similar to those found for the liver enzyme, whereas the enzyme complex from heart had much lower Ki values for products. It has been suggested that in the heart and kidney, pyruvate dehydrogenase is regulated by product inhibition whereas in the liver this does not appear to be the mechanism. Therefore, it is probable, that like the liver enzyme, pyruvate dehydrogenase from Candida 107 may not be regulated by product inhibition.

Feasibility of parenteral iron therapy as a field approach for management of pregnancy anaemia.

The feasibility of parenteral iron administration for treatment of pregnancy anaemia, in field conditions was investigated. High reaction rates were observed (30-40%) with either intramuscular (im) or intravenous (iv) iron-dextran complex (test dose). Mothers with lower body weight had higher reaction rates with both im or iv iron-dextran complex. In pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) the reaction rate was significantly lower. Our study indicates that under the existing situations of the health care system in India and the poor body weight and weight gain of Indian women during pregnancy, parenteral iron therapy for controlling anaemia may not be a feasible approach, at the field level.