Chikungunya virus infection amongst the acute encephalitis syndrome cases in West Bengal, India.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection from the acute encephalitis syndrome cases is an uncommon form and has been observed in the year 2010-11 from West Bengal, India. The case–1 and case–2 had the acute encephalitis syndrome; case–3 was of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis whereas the case–4 had the symptoms of meningo-encephalopathy with bulbar involvement. We are reporting four cases with neurological complications involving central nervous system (CNS) due to CHIKV infection from this state for the fi rst time. The virus has spread almost every districts of this state rapidly. At this stage, these cases are public health threat.

Teaching Aids in Pharmacology Teaching and Learning Methodology: A Study from a Medical College of Nepal.

The main objective of the study was to find out students liking regarding the various audio visual aids which can improve the lectures in Pharmacology in future in Nepal.This was a cross sectional questionnaire based study was carried out at Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal between January - July 2013. Chi square test were used for analytical purpose. We calculated odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).P-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Questionnaire validation tests showed that the Alpha Cronbach was 0.68. Two eighty two preclinical medical students participated in the study. Two seventy two students completed the questionnaire completely and their responses were evaluated which gives an overall response rate of 96.45%. 52.6% of the students were males and rest were females. Based on the Nationality 41.2% were Indians followed by Nepali 30.1%, Srilankan 25.7% and Maldivian were 2.9%. According to the students the best teaching aids were combination of teaching aids was opted by 61% of the students followed by power point presentation 31.6%, black board 5.9% and dictating notes 1.5%. Most of the students preferred handouts after lectures 56.6% and 43.4% preferred taking notes during lecture classes. Female student preferred taking lecture notes whereas male students preferred taking handouts after the lecture class. It was found that male student has a [OR 4.834, 95% (CI 2.882, 8.109)] more tendency of taking hand outs after the lecture class as compared to taking down notes during lectures. This finding was statistically significant (P<0.05). It is concluded from the study that a combination of different Audio visual aids, viz. blackboard presentation and power point presentation together can improve the lectures and will facilitate the medical student to understand Pharmacology in a better way.

Cysticercosis In Anterior Abdominal Wall : A rare case report.

Cysticercosis, caused by Taenia solium larva is a major public health problem especially in developing world. In this unusual form of infection man becomes the intermediate host. The encysted larval stage commonly infests brain, but muscles and subcutaneous tissues are also often affected. High resolution ultrasonography is diagnostic for subcutaneous or intramuscular cysticercosis.Here we present a rare case of anterior abdominal wall cysticercosis.

Manganese induced changes in growth, chlorophyll content and antioxidants activity in seedlings of broad bean (Vicia faba L.).

The effect of manganese(Mn) on broad bean (Vicia faba L.) was studied with regard to growth, Mn accumulation in root and shoot, chlorophyll, proline content and peroxidase activity. Seeds were treated with Mn (10, 20, 40, 80,120,160 μM) and grown hydroponically up to 15 days. Manganese level in both root and shoot increased progressively in response to increasing concentration and it was high in roots (13 fold) over the shoots (8 fold). The reductions in root (52%) and shoot (62.92%) development were evident for the maximum Mn concentration (160 μM). The chlorophyll amount gradually declined with increasing Mn concentrations and attained its maximum (42%) at 160 μM. By contrast, the guaiacol peroxidase activity was high (71%) along with the accompanying rise in proline content (75%) in shoots of the highest Mn concentration (160 μM). However, there was about 2 fold increase in total glutathione content at 40 μM than the basal level and further declined to 21.65 Cg g-1 fresh wt. at 160 μM Mn. The alterations in overall reflected Mn concentration- dependent changes in the parameters studied. The results suggest that the plant Vicia faba L. copes with Mn exposure through enhanced production of antioxidants.

Glutathione and cysteine biosynthesis in two varieties of Abelmoschus esculentus in response to mine spoil.

The extent of accumulation of some heavy metals and glutathione and cysteine levels in the roots and aerial plant parts in two genotypically different varieties of A. esculentus (KS404 and BO2) exposed to mine spoil were investigated. Glutathione (GSH) level in both the varieties on control sites increased from basal level to 155.15 nmol g(-1) dry weight (d.wt.), almost 1.5 fold on 30 day and attained a plateau within 60 day Mine spoil exposure of both the varieties decreased glutathione 1.13 fold (89.2 nmol g(-1) dry weight) during 60 day from its basal level. GSH concentration in shoots of these varieties increased accompanying growth contrary to roots where it finally declined 2 fold. Cysteine content in control plants increased 2 fold (31.6 nmol g(-1) dry weight) on 30 day and finally declined 1.38 fold (22.35 nmol g(-1) dry weight, at 60 day). Both the varieties, when exposed to mine spoil, showed enhanced cysteine content almost 2 fold during 30 day (50.95 nmol g(-1) dry weight) but failed to increase further Forshoots in both the varieties challenged with mine spoil, cysteine maxima reached late (15.2 nmol g(-1) dry weight, at 40 day) relative to control but the levels declined subsequently (11.85 nmol g(-l) dry weight). Contrary to GSH, cysteine content in roots of both the varieties responded positively to mine spoil as apparent from the 2.23 fold increase during 30 d than basal level although it lowered to a level of 12.85 nmol g(-1) dry weight finally at 60 day. Both the varieties accumulated almost maximum level of selected cations (Fe > Mn> Zn> Cu > Ni) during 30 day, but BO2 variety was significantly superior in this regard. Invariably high accumulation of such cations in roots over shoots indicated accumulation, retention or restricted translocation from root to shoot. The metal share of the edible part was just 6% of the plant load. Thus, present work reflects a genotypic differences in metal accumulation and that affected the major non-enzymatic traits or synthesis of sulthydryl compounds as well. The present results also indicate that metal tolerance is in part associated with anti-oxidant system activity.

Profile of pediatric dengue cases from a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata.

A study was conducted on the 52 serologically positive cases of dengue, admitted to the Dept. of Paediatrics, R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital, from an outbreak in Kolkata. The most unusual feature observed in this study was that the rash in some cases was urticarial and intensely pruritic. The shock appeared early in the course of the disease and it was less commonly associated with bleeding (22%). One out of three dengue cases was a severe disease. It was not possible to predict a severe disease from the early symptomatology.

Bilateral intracerebral haemorrhages: an atypical presentation of Japanese encephalitis.

Japanese encephalitis is common human endemic encephalitis seen over various parts of the world. Usual presenting features include an encephalitic syndrome, symptoms of frontal lobe, basal ganglia and thalamic involvement. Characteristic radiological picture is bilateral thalamic and basal ganglia hypo density in the CT scan and hypo-intensity in T1 and hyperintensity in T2 weighted image in MRI. Very rarely occurrence of bilateral hemorrhage may be seen in these regions. This radiological change may be early indicator of the disease before serological confirmation by the available diagnostic modalities. In this communication, we have reported a case of Japanese encephalitis presented with bilateral basal ganglia hemorrhages.

Association of deletion in the chromosomal 8p21.3-23 region with the development of invasive head & neck squamous cell carcinoma in Indian patients.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Deletions in chromosome 8 (chr.8) have been shown to be necessary for the development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Attempts have been made in this study to detect the minimal deleted region in chr.8 associated with the development of HNSCC in Indian patients and to study the association of clinicopathological features with the progression of the disease. METHODS: The deletion mapping of chr.8 was done in samples from 10 primary dysplastic lesions and 43 invasive squamous cell carcinomas from the head and neck region of Indian patients to detect allelic alterations (deletion or size alteration) using 12 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers. The association of the highly deleted region was correlated with the tumour node metastasis (TNM) stages, nodal involvement, tobacco habit and human papilloma virus (HPV) infection of the samples. RESULTS: High frequency (49%) of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was seen within 13.12 megabase (Mb) region of chromosomal 8p21.3-23 region in the HNSCC samples, whereas the dysplastic samples did not show any allelic alterations in this region. The highest frequency (17%) of microsatellite size alterations (MA) was observed in the chr.8p22 region. The loss of short arm or normal copy of chr.8 and rare bi-allelic alterations were seen in the stage II-IV tumours (939, 5184, 2772, 1319 and 598) irrespective of their primary sites. The highly deleted region did not show any significant association with any of the clinical parameters. However, HPV infection was significantly associated (P < 0.05) with the differentiation grades and overall allelic alterations (LOH/MA) of the samples. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that the 13.12 Mb deleted region in the chromosomal 8p21.3-23 region could harbour candidate tumour suppressor gene(s) (TSGs) associated with the progression anti invasion of HNSCC tumours in Indian patients.

Study on early intervention with ACE inhibitor in myocardical infarction and short term outcome.

The present study was carried out on 100 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) being treated with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and another 80 patients with conventional treatment but without ACE inhibitor during the period from May 1, 1995 to August 7, 1996 in Medical College, Calcutta. Clinical and other laboratory investigations including echocardiographic parameters were noted and recorded meticulously within 24-48 hours after AMI and repeated at 4th week. The present study based on non-invasive methods other than haemodynamic methods has shown that the echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular functional parameters after 4 weeks of ACE inhibitor therapy (n = 100) were better in treated group in comparison to control group without ACE inhibitor (n = 80) and the difference was statistically significant at 99% level of confidence. Overall mortality was 4% in ACE inhibitor group and 8.75% in the control group. This short term study with early intervention with ACE inhibitor within 48 hours of AMI has shown statistically significant evidence of beneficial effect of ACE inhibitor in improving the ventricular functional parameters and also reducing short term mortality from cardiac cause within 4 weeks compared to the group not receiving ACE inhibitors.

Assessment of androclonal variation in an indica rice PTB 28.

Anther culture (AC) derived 160 doubled haploid (DH) families of an indica rice PTB 28 were field evaluated at Port Blair (lat 11 degrees.41'13.04"N; long 92 degrees 43'30.16"E), to assess the extent and range of induced variability among the androclones at segregating A2 generation and identify promising selectants for genetic improvement. Though the coefficient of variation (CV) for plant height was least (2.65%), majority of the androclones were shorter (81.7%). CV was high in case of panicle number per plant (24.59%) and tiller number per plant (28.28%), while it was maximum in respect of yield per plant (37.0%). Tiller and panicle number per plant registered maximum reduction compared to parent, however, displayed larger variations in double haploid (DH) lines. Out of 160 DH families, only 10 (6.3%) lines out-yielded the parent. Extreme types with wide variations were encountered which reaffirms the possibility of employing anther culture in rice improvement by restoring yield advantage in advanced generations or by tailoring them through recombination breeding.

Plant regeneration from leaf explants of mulberry: influence of sugar, genotype and 6-benzyladenine.

A protocol for plant regeneration from leaf explants was developed for tropical mulberry varieties. Effect of sugars, 6-benzyladenine and genotype on shoot regeneration was studied. Highest percentage of shoot regeneration (80 +/- 6) was obtained with genotype S799 on medium containing glucose and 8.9 microM 6-benzyladenine. Genotypes Mandalaya and MIHP, having thicker leaves with waxy cuticle, showed poorer regeneration ability than S799 and Sujanpur-5, which have thinner leaves and cuticle. Histological studies revealed that shoots regenerated from sub-epidermal cells.

Hepatic manifestations in chronic arsenic toxicity.

OBJECTIVE: The hepatotoxic action of arsenic, when used as a therapeutic agent, has long been recognized. Data on liver involvement following chronic exposure to arsenic-contaminated water are scanty. We report the nature and degree of liver involvement on the basis of hospital-based and cohort follow-up studies in patients who consumed arsenic-contaminated drinking water for 1 to 15 years. METHODS: 248 patients with evidence of chronic arsenic toxicity underwent clinical and laboratory examinations including liver function tests and HBsAg status. Liver biopsy was done in 69 cases; in 29 patients, liver arsenic content was estimated by neutron activation analysis. A cohort follow up of 23 patients who took arsenic-free water for 2-12 years was also carried out. RESULTS: Hepatomegaly was present in 190 of 248 patients (76.6%). Noncirrhotic portal fibrosis (91.3%) was the predominant lesion in liver histology. The maximum arsenic content in liver was 6 mg/Kg (mean 1.46 [0.42], control value 0.16 [0.04]; p < 0.001); it was undetected in 6 of 29 samples studied. Cohort follow-up studies showed elevation of globulin in four cases and development of esophageal varices in one case. CONCLUSION: We report the largest number of patients with liver disease due to chronic arsenicosis from drinking arsenic-contaminated water. Noncirrhotic portal fibrosis is the predominant lesion in this population.

Body iodine status in school children and availability of iodised salt in Calcutta.

Success of Universal Salt Iodization (USI) programme depends on availability of iodised salt to consumers, which should be reflected in their body iodine status. From a monitoring study in Calcutta, it was found that all packed salts were iodised and most of them (98.1% at household level and 93.6% at retailers' outlets) had iodine at a level of > or = 15 ppm. Of the loose salts, 34.6% at household level and 19.9% at retailers' outlet had iodine level < 15 ppm. A few number (0.5% at household level and 1.0% at retailers' outlets) of salts had no iodine. To ascertain the impact of consumption of iodised salt iodine excreted in urine (UIE) was measured in school children of age between 8-12 years of south, east, west, north and central parts of Calcutta. 22.95% of male children and 31.81% of female children had urinary iodine level less than 50 micrograms/l, which is cut off figure of public health concern. Children from poor slum areas were found to be at greater risk.

Chemical modifications and dissociation characteristics of tyrosine and tryptophan residues in alpha-crystallin.

A quantitative estimation of surface accessibility of aromatic residues in alpha-crystallin from goat lens has been accomplished by chemical modifications using different specific reagents having varying sizes. Results of modification of tyrosine residues with N-acetylimidazole and tetranitromethane when combined with those of ionization studies carried out with hydroxyl ions having the smallest size reveal different classes of tyrosine residues in the native protein: 78 +/- 2 residues have been found to be easily available for modification; among the rest, 94 +/- 2 residues appear to be comparatively less exposed to the reagents while 28 +/- 2 residues are found to be completely unavailable for modification in the native protein and are modified only when the protein is denatured. Modification of tryptophan residues with H2O2 also indicates different classes of these residues available for oxidation at different concentrations of the oxidant. 34 +/- 2 residues of tryptophan are found to be easily oxidized at a lower concentration of H2O2 during the first phase of the reaction. The remaining tryptophan residues appear to be less exposed to the reagent. This is also corroborated from the studies of reactivities of these residues towards another specific but bulkier reagent, 2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl bromide. These surface exposed aromatic residues in alpha-crystallin may be considered to be vulnerable to in vivo oxidative modifications forming insoluble aggregates which may finally contribute to the formation of cataract.

Longitudinal study of human milk creamatocrit and weight gain in exclusively breastfed infants.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the creamatocrit values of breastmilk at different lactational periods during the first 6 months after delivery and its relation to infant growth. DESIGN: Prospective follow-up study. SETTING: Maternity and well baby clinics of a metropolitan teaching, a rural teaching and a suburban municipal hospital. SUBJECTS: 1322 exclusively breastfed infants and their mothers. There were 160 preterm, 281 term low birth weight (LBW) and 881 term appropriate for date (AFD) babies. METHODS: Creamatocrit of breastmilk and infant's body weight were recorded at 4,8,12,16,20 and 24 weeks after birth. RESULTS: Creamatocrit values of breastmilk in all mothers increased upto 16 post partum weeks and then declined. There were no significant differences in creamatocrit values of breastmilk of mothers of preterm, term LBW and term non-LBW infants. Preterm and term LBW infants showed a catch up in body weight with the term AFD group by 20 weeks post-partum. CONCLUSIONS: The breastmilk creamatocrit progressively rises upto the fourth month of lactation but is not influenced by gestation or intra uterine growth retardation. There is no relationship between breastmilk creamatocrit and infant growth. Exclusive breast feeding adequately supports growth of LBW infants in comparison to their normal peers during the first 6 months of life.

Deduced amino acid sequence of 2S storage protein from Brassica species and their conserved structural features.

2S seed storage albumin coding regions from five Brassica species, namely Brassica campestris, B. oleracea, B. nigra, B. juncea, and B. carinata have been cloned by PCR amplification of genomic DNA using oligonucleotide primers and their nucleotide sequences have been determined. These sequences showed more than 85% homology amongst themselves and considerable homology with some other crucifer 2S protein coding sequences. The deduced amino acid sequences showed more homology due to some inconsequential mutations in codons without changing the amino acids. Computer analysis of the protein sequences for possible secondary structure revealed a high degree of conservation of hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains and the invariant positions of cysteine residues. Unrooted phylogenic tree based on the coding region of 2S albumin from different Brassica species cloned by us and published sequences from other Cruciferae indicated that these genes originated before the evolutionary divergence of different Brassica species and were conserved due to some stringent structural and functional features required for seed metabolism.