Artemisinin-Based Combination Therapy Depressed Mitosis and Induced Chromosome Aberration in Onion Root Cells.

Artemisinin-based combination therapy is used to treat uncomplicated malaria disease in most endemic countries. Although most antimalarial drugs are effective in killing the parasite, there is a concern of induced toxicity to the cell. Here, the cytogenotoxicity of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine phosphate (DHAP), a coformulation for artemisinin-based combination therapy, was evaluated using Allium cepa model. The toxicity on the mitotic index varies with the duration of exposure and dose tested. Chromosome aberrations observed include chromosome fragments, chromosome bridges, binucleated cells, and micronucleated cells. This study showed that DHAP can depress mitosis and induce chromosome abnormalities. Their accumulation in cells may be inhibitory to cell division and growth. This calls for caution in the administration of artemisinin combination therapy for the treatment of malaria ailment. Wide spacing of dosage is therefore suggested in order to avoid the risk of genetic damage.

Can credit systems help in family medicine training in developing countries? An innovative concept.

There is irrefutable evidence that health systems perform best when supported by a Family Physician network. Training a critical mass of highly skilled Family Physicians can help developing countries to reach their Millennium Development Goals and deliver comprehensive patient-centered health care to their population. The challenge in developing countries is the need to rapidly train these Family Physicians in large numbers, while also ensuring the quality of the learning, and assuring the quality of training. The experience of Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, India and other global examples confirm the fact that training large numbers is possible through well-designed blended learning programs. The question then arises as to how these programs can be standardized. Globally, the concept of the "credit system" has become the watch-word for many training programs seeking standardization. This article explores the possibility of introducing incremental academic certifications using credit systems as a method to standardize these blended learning programs, gives a glimpse at the innovation that CMC, Vellore is piloting in this regard partnering with the University of Edinburgh and analyses the possible benefits and pitfalls of such an approach.

Hibiscus sabdariffa ethanolic extract protects against dyslipidemia and oxidative stress induced by chronic cholesterol administration in rabbits.

Excessive intake of cholesterol (CHOL) and induction of free radical production play a critical role in the pathophysiology of several human diseases. Dietary therapy with plant products rich in flavonoids has been shown to provide benefits without the adverse effects of agents used in clinical practice. Hibiscus sabdariffa (HS) has been used for various purposes due to myriads of flavonoids present in it. In this study, the chemopreventive property of HS ethanolic extract (HSE) was investigated in dyslipidemia and oxidant stress associated with prolonged CHOL administration in rabbits. Twenty-five (25) adult male rabbits weighing between 1.5 and 1.7 kg were used and randomly divided into five groups of five rabbits per group. The CHOL-fed rabbits received 1 g/kg/day of CHOL suspended in 1 ml of corn oil for 8 weeks. Group 1 received 1 ml of corn oil and served as control. Group 2 was fed with CHOL only while groups 3, 4 and 5 received daily doses ofcholestyramine (questran, 260 mg/kg), HSE 200 mg/kg and HSE 300 mg/kg respectively along with CHOL. Animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation 24-hours after last dose. Enzymic and non-enzymic markers of oxidative stress and lipid profile were analysed in serum, liver, kidney and heart of rabbits. HSE significantly attenuated the alteration in lipid levels and antioxidant status induced by high CHOL intake in rabbits in this study. Both serum and tissue levels of low density lipoprotein-CHOL, triglycerides, phospholipids, and total CHOL decreased with increase in high density lipoprotein-CHOL except in the heart, following treatment with HSE in CHOL-fed rabbits when compared with the untreated group (p<0.05). Similarly, HSE prevented CHOL-induced depletion of enzymic (superoxide dismutase, catalase) and non-enzymic (reduced glutathione, vitamin C) antioxidants with the attendant increases in lipid peroxidation and xanthine oxidase activity in these animals. The effectiveness of HSE in this condition was comparable with that of cholestyramine but with greater in potency. Data from this study demonstrate the hypolipidaemic and antioxidant activities of HSE and suggest its therapeutic potential in disorders of lipid metabolism and cardiovascular events associated with hypercholesterolemia.

WISP-1 is an osteoblastic regulator expressed during skeletal development and fracture repair.

Wnt-1-induced secreted protein 1 (WISP-1) is a member of the CCN (connective tissue growth factor, Cyr61, NOV) family of growth factors. Experimental evidence suggests that CCN family members are involved in skeletogenesis and bone healing. To investigate the role of WISP-1 in osteogenic processes, we characterized its tissue and cellular expression and evaluated its activity in osteoblastic and chondrocytic cell culture models. During embryonic development, WISP-1 expression was restricted to osteoblasts and to osteoblastic progenitor cells of the perichondral mesenchyme. In vitro, we showed that WISP-1 expression in differentiating osteoblasts promotes BMP-2-induced osteoblastic differentiation. Using in situ and cell binding analysis, we demonstrated WISP-1 interaction with perichondral mesenchyme and undifferentiated chondrocytes. We evaluated the effect of WISP-1 on chondrocytes by generating stably transfected mouse chondrocytic cell lines. In these cells, WISP-1 increased proliferation and saturation density but repressed chondrocytic differentiation. Because of the similarity between skeletogenesis and bone healing, we also analyzed WISP-1 spatiotemporal expression in a fracture repair model. We found that WISP-1 expression recapitulates the pattern observed during skeletal development. Our data demonstrate that WISP-1 is an osteogenic potentiating factor promoting mesenchymal cell proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation while repressing chondrocytic differentiation. Therefore, we propose that WISP-1 plays an important regulatory role during bone development and fracture repair.