Applications of cell lines as bioreactors and in vitro models.

A cell line is a permanently established cell culture which proliferates indefinitely under given appropriate conditions. The oldest and commonly used human cell line is HeLa.DNA fingerprinting using multi-locus probes, STR profiling, L1 retro transposon marker and Temperature-sensitive SV40 large T antigen are technologies for the identification and characterization of cell lines. Cell lines cost less to maintain, are easier to genetically manipulate, handle and store, moreover their immortal nature enables them to be continuously cultured, distributed and studied in many labs. Cell lines are in vitro models to study the pathway of malignant progression, induction of cellular apoptosis, DNA methylation, histone modifications & tumor suppressor gene expressions, cell culture cytotoxicity assay and so on. The collection of human material for culture must be passed by the relevant hospital’s ethics committee. Cell cultures should be handled in Class II biosafety cabinets and all discarded materials should be autoclaved, incinerated or chemically disinfected. The challenge of improving protein yield and quality is done by generating cell lines that can produce high yields of recombinant proteins, methods of stable gene integration and quality of culture media. Finally, the efficacy of recombinant glycoproteins as a human therapeutic is strongly dependent on their glycosylation. However, cell lines show slow population doubling time, have a finite lifespan, are prone to contamination, genotypic and phenotypic drift and behave differently in culture as compared to when they are a part of a tissue/organ.

Self-medication among residents of urban resettlement colony, New Delhi.

A cross-sectional survey on the practice of self-medication was carried out in September 2005, among 1928 residents of urban resettlement colony in New Delhi. Prevalence of self-medication among those who had suffered some illness episode in the last one month was 31.3%. Head/ joint/body ache were the most common symptoms for which self-medication was practiced. Chemists were the main source of prescription for self-medication. Time and money factor were identified as the major reasons for not seeking doctor's advice and taking self-medication instead. It was of concern that about 87% users were not aware of side effects of self-medication.

Serum ferritin in renal cell carcinoma: effect of tumor size, volume grade, and stage.

AIM: To study the levels of serum ferritin in patients of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Serum ferritin levels were measured preoperatively in 32 patients with radiological evidence of RCC using an enzyme immunoassay. The largest diameter of the primary tumor was measured in the pathological specimens in patients undergoing radical nephrectomy while in patients with non-operable tumor maximum tumor dimension was taken from CT scan. Pathological staging was done according TNM-1997. RESULTS: Mean serum ferritin value in patients of RCC was 283.23+/-77.38 ng/ml while in controls the mean value was 79.98+/-32.96 ng/ml (P CONCLUSIONS: Serum ferritin levels are elevated in patients with RCC although its actual source is unclear. Further studies are needed to establish the role of ferritin in RCC.

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumour of infancy: a case report.

Melanotic Neuroectodermal Tumour of Infancy is a rare tumour. Prompt recognition of such a case is essential for the Pediatric Dentist Presented here is a case of a four and a half month old child who reported in the dental out patient department of Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital with a swelling in the right anterior maxillary ridge region.

EMG characteristics and fibre composition: study on rectus femoris of sprinters and long distance runners.

The study was conducted on 9 sprinters and 5 long distance runners to investigate the difference in power spectral characteristics of rectus femoris muscle and the feasibility of using electromyographic techniques in categorization of muscle groups in slow dominant and fast dominant types. EMG signal was recorded, after digitization at 4 KHz, from rectus femoris muscle during isometric knee extension (at maximum voluntary contraction level) until fatigue. Digitized signal was processed for Fast Fourier Transform and Root Mean Square (RMS) voltage. Significant difference (P < 0.05) was found in RMS voltage between sprinters and long distance runners. Both groups showed decline in Mean Power Frequency (MPE) and rate of decline in sprinters was rapid. Normalized MPF showed better discrimination between the two groups. It is concluded that the EMG response observed in this study was possibly a result of differences in the muscle fibre composition of the athletes. EMG study using spectral characteristics would be useful in categorizing the sports persons in terms of suitability of the events.

A comparative study of cardiovascular stress during different swimming strokes.

The study was aimed: (i) to compare maximum heart rate during exhaustive running (HRmasr) and swimming (HRmaxs), (ii) to compare heart rate (HR) in various modes of swimming-front crawl (FC), butterfly (BF), breast stroke (BRS) and back stroke (BS). HRmaxr (192.3 +/- 4.9 beats/min) of the swimmers (N = 7) was higher, although not significantly (P < 0.05), than their HRmaxs (183.7 +/- 3.8). Peak HR of the swimmers in FC, BF, BRS and BS (each of 100 m distance) were 179.9 +/- 7.2, 180.3 +/- 7, 178.6 +/- 6.2 and 177.3 +/- 5.4 beats/min respectively. Average HR in the respective events were 167.3 +/- 15.8, 166.6 +/- 14.1, 163.3 +/- 13.5 and 165.8 +/- 14.6 beats/min. Differences were not significant between any two modes, either in peak HR or mean HR. The results conclude that: (i) maximum HR in swimming is approximately 8 beats/min lower than maximal running and (ii) when the effort is maximum, cardiovascular stress remains unaltered in different swimming modes.

Blood lactate concentration at selected of olympic modes weightlifting.

This study highlights the blood lactate response of weightlifters (N = 5) in two modes of olympic lifts: Snatch (SN) and Clean & Jerk (CJ), during three types of training namely (1) one repetition lift (ORL), (2) Multiple set session (MSS) and (3) one set session (OSS). In ORL, 30, 40, 50, and 60 kg, each of one repetition only, were lifted with an interval of 5 min between two consecutive loads. Both MSS and OSS consisted of 6 sets of lift: 50% x 6 (i.e. 50% of 1 Repetition Maximum x 6 repetitions), 60% x 5, 70% x 4, 80% x 3, 90% x 2, and 100% x 1. In MSS, 3 to 3.5 min interval was given between two successive sets whereas in OSS the interval was approximately 24 hours. Lactate levels were very low (< 3.5 mM) in ORL. In MSS, lactate reached peak at an intermediate set, but, it was maximum at the first set and then declined gradually in OSS. In most of the cases, however, lactate were significantly higher in CJ than SN. The study concludes that: (a) anaerobic glycolysis is not stimulated considerably when the lifting time is only 4-5 sec, (b) repetition of lift plays more important role, than intensity, in lactate production, (c) CJ is more strenuous than SN for a given %RM.

Heart rate and blood lactate in 400 m flat and 400 m hurdle running: a comparative study.

This study was conducted on a group of male sprinters (n = 8) to compare heart rate (HR) and blood lactate (La) response in 400 m flat and 400 m hurdle running during weekly trial race. Durations of the flat and hurdle races were 51.65 +/- 1.51 and 58.27 +/- 1.97 sec respectively. Peak HR attained at the end of the flat and hurdle races were 192.4 +/- 5.3 and 193.6 +/- 4.1 beats/min, whereas, average HR during the events were 173.6 +/- 22.6 and 176.7 +/- 19.6 beats/min respectively. La level following the flat event (18.84 +/- 1.57 mmol/L) was found significantly (P < 0.05) higher than the post-hurdle race (16.14 +/- 1.97 mmol/L). The study indicates that cardiovascular stress is similar in both the events although flat race impose higher anaerobic glycolytic demand than hurdle run.

Profile and characteristics of animals bites in India.

Animal bites and so also the incidence of rabies in India are on rise. There are regional differences in the animal responsible for the bite. Different practices including use of traditional remedies are prevalent for wound treatment. In India this report analyses the profile and characteristics of animal bites in 869 patients from various regions. Apart from dog and cat, other animals such as cow, monkey, horse, pigs, camel were responsible for bite and could be possible vectors in transmission of rabies. Traditional remedies such as application of chilly paste is still practiced in state of Rajasthan.

Heart rate & blood lactate response in amateur competitive boxing.

The heart rate (HR) and blood lactate response were studied on 26 senior national level boxers in competitive bouts to explore the aerobic-anaerobic metabolism as well as the training status of the players. The aerobic capacity (VO2 max) of the players were determined using graded running protocol on a treadmill. Heart rate and blood lactate concentration were measured during warm up and boxing rounds. The mean relative VO2 max of the heavy weight category boxers was lower (P < 0.05) than the other two weight categories. No interweight category as well as inter-round differences were observed in the heart rate and blood lactate concentration of the boxers, excepting in the 48-57 kg category, the mean lactate levels in the second and third rounds were higher (P < 0.05) than in the first round. When all weight categories were pooled the mean HR and blood lactate levels were 178 beats/min and 8.24 mMol/l respectively. The study highlights that in amateur boxing, irrespective of the weight category and aerobic capacity, the anaerobic adaptability of the boxers was the same. The training requirements of the boxers demand that they should be also to tolerate a high blood lactate level (approx. 9.0 mMol/l) and a high HR (approx. 180 beats/min) over a total duration of one bout.

Hyperprolactinemia and reproductive disorders--a profile from north east.

Serum prolactin was estimated in 90 women of various menstrual disorders and infertility. Hyperprolactinemia (PRL 25 ng/ml) was detected in twenty four cases. Out of these, nine had prolactinoma, four had hypothyroidism, three had drug induced HPRL and in eight, no cause could be ascertained. Five patients with prolactinoma became pregnant following bromocryptine treatment and delivered normal babies.

Epidemic of Vibrio cholerae 0139 in Calcutta.

As one of large outbreaks of cholera-like illness in the Indian subcontinent, Calcutta and its neighbouring areas experienced an unprecedented epidemic due to a new strain of V. cholerae non-01, designated as V. cholerae 0139 Bengal, since January 1993. This epidemic predominantly affected the adult population of Calcutta as evidenced by the hospitalization of more adults at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Calcutta (IDH), which bore the main brunt of the epidemic in and around Calcutta. During the peak of the epidemic about 180 to 300 diarrhoea patients were admitted daily at the IDH. Of the 807 patients screened, 407 were positive for V. cholerae 0139 and majority (82.8%) of the cases were > 10 yr of age. Severe dehydration was recorded in 85.5 per cent of the cases.

Evaluation of a sports specific training programme in badminton players.

We studied the effect of a short three week programme, dominated by specific training, on the aerobic capacity (VO2 max) and ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VanT) of badminton players and also to evaluate the intensity of the specific training on the basis of heart rate and blood lactate concentration. The study was conducted on five women badminton players (age 13-14 yr; height 160-165 cm and weight 47.0-51.5 kg) who were semifinalists in the 1988 subjunior or junior national championships. The VO2 max and VanT were determined at the commencement and at the cessation of the training. The VO2 max was evaluated on an automatic analyser during a graded running protocol on a treadmill and VanT was determined by the gas exchange method from the VE-VO2 relationship. The three week programme was dominated by specific training, apart from other conditioning programme. The mean VO2 max was found to improve from 2.11 l/min (43.8 ml/kg/min) to 2.24 l/min (46.4 ml/kg/min), while the VO2 at VanT improved from 1.48 l/min (30.8 ml/kg/min) to 1.68 l/min (33.7 ml/kg/min). The improvement in both was statistically significant. The mean heart rate and blood lactate concentration during the specific training were 161 b/min and 3.9 mM/l respectively while training with the shuttlecock and 185 b/min and 6.2 mM/l respectively during shadow practice. The findings indicated that the intensity of specific training was quite high, varying from aerobic-anaerobic transition level to aerobic overload region and was able to alter the VO2 max and VanT of the players, even with a short precompetition training.

Percutaneous retrogasserian radiofrequency thermal rhizotomy for trigeminal neuralgia.

Forty patients suffering from intractable unilateral trigeminal neuralgia involving more than one division of the trigeminal nerve were treated by percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the trigeminal sensory root. The aim of the operation was to relieve the pain without producing dense sensory deficit in the face. This goal was achieved by making selective lesions in the sensory root with gradually increasing temperature 60 degrees C to 90 degrees C. Three to four consecutive lesions each for 60 seconds have been found to produce excellent pain relief in 77.7% with good and fair results in the rest. The recurrence rate has been found to be 15% during 2 years of follow-up. Considerable dysaesthesia was observed in 5% of cases. Corneal anaesthesia was found in 5% cases while one patient developed neuroparalytic keratitis. Transient trigeminal motor weakness was observed in 10% of patients.