Sensory deficits of the paretic and non-paretic upper limbs relate with the motor recovery of the poststroke subjects.

BACKGROUND: Post stroke, motor paresis has usually been considered to be a crucial factor responsible for the disability; other impairments such as somatosensory deficits may also play a role. OBJECTIVE: To determine the relation between the sensory deficits (paretic and non-paretic upper limbs) and the motor recovery of the paretic upper limb and to predict the potential of motor recovery based on the sensory deficits among stroke subjects. METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional study conducted in a rehabilitation institute. Ninety-five poststroke hemiparetic subjects having sensory impairment in any of the modalities were considered for this study. Sensory deficits were assessed on both the upper limbs (paretic and non-paretic) primarily using Erasmus MC modification of the revised version of Nottingham Sensory Assessment (Em-NSA) and Nottingham Sensory Assessment (Stereognosis) (NSA-S). The motor recovery was assessed using the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA). RESULTS: The measures of sensory deficits exhibited weak but significant correlation [the paretic (Em-NSA and NSA; r = .38 to .58; p < .001) and the non-paretic (Em-NSA and NSA; r = .24 to .38; p = .03 to .001)] with the motor recovery of the paretic upper limb as measured by FMA. The potential of favorable recovery of the paretic upper limb may be predicted using the cutoff scores of Em-NSA (30, 21, and 24) and NSA-S (5, 8, and 5) of the paretic side. CONCLUSION: In stroke, sensory deficits relate weakly with the recovery of the paretic upper limb and can predict recovery potential of the paretic upper limb.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel lipophilic 2, 5-disubstituted tetrazole analogues of muramyl dipeptide as NOD2 agonists.

A focused library of six new 2, 5-disubstituted tetrazole (2, 5-DST) analogues of N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanyl-d-isoglutamine (MDP) as potential immunomodulators were synthesized by the bioisosteric replacement of α-amide of d-isoglutamine with 5-substituted tetrazole (5-ST). Another parameter 'lipophilicity' was also considered to improve the pharmacological properties of MDP through the alkylation of 5-substituted tetrazole during synthesis. In total, six 2, 5-DST analogues of MDP were synthesized and bio-evaluated for the study of human NOD2 stimulation activity in the innate immune response. Interestingly, among the varied lengths of the alkyl chain in 2, 5-disubstituted tetrazole derivatives, the tetrazole analogues 12b bearing the -Butyl (C4) and 12c having -Octyl (C8) chain showed the best NOD2 stimulation potency equivalent with reference compound MDP. These analogues were evaluated for their adjuvanticity against dengue antigen and analogues 12b and 12c have elicited a potent humoral and cell mediated response.

Bangladesh Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (BEED) study: protocol for a community-based intervention study to validate non-invasive biomarkers of environmental enteric dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION: Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is a subacute inflammatory condition of the small intestinal mucosa with unclear aetiology that may account for more than 40% of all cases of stunting. Currently, there are no universally accepted protocols for the diagnosis, treatment and ultimately prevention of EED. The Bangladesh Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (BEED) study is designed to validate non-invasive biomarkers of EED with small intestinal biopsy, better understand disease pathogenesis and identify potential therapeutic targets for interventions designed to control EED and stunting. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The BEED study is a community-based intervention where participants are recruited from three cohorts: stunted children aged 12-18 months (length for age Z-score (LAZ) <-2), at risk of stunting children aged 12-18 months (LAZ <-1 to -2) and malnourished adults aged 18-45 years (body mass index <18.5 kg/m2). After screening, participants eligible for study provide faecal, urine and plasma specimens to quantify the levels of candidate EED biomarkers before and after receiving a nutritional intervention. Participants who fail to respond to nutritional therapy are considered as the candidates for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with biopsy. Histopathological scoring for EED will be performed on biopsies obtained from several locations within the proximal small intestine. Candidate EED biomarkers will be correlated with nutritional status, the results of histochemical and immunohistochemical analyses of epithelial and lamina propria cell populations, plus assessments of microbial community structure. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval was obtained in all participating institutes. Results of this study will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02812615. Registered on 21 June 2016.

Thiophene and benzodioxole appended thiazolyl-pyrazoline compounds: Microwave assisted synthesis, antimicrobial and molecular docking studies.

A novel series of thiophene and benzodioxole appended thiazolyl-pyrazoline derivatives have been designed, synthesized and evaluated against different bacteria and fungi. The antimicrobial activity of the synthesized compounds were screened using MIC method and were proved synthesized compounds 7o, 7r and 7t to show good antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi. In silico molecular docking studies revealed that all the synthesized molecules showed good binding energy toward the target receptor DNA topoisomerase IV, ranging from -10.42 to -11.66 kcal/mol.