Optical phase retrieving of a projected object by employing a differentiation of a single pattern of two-beam interference.

In this work, we present a new approach to retrieve the optical phase map of an object which is projected by a single differentiated two-beam interference pattern. This approach is based on the differentiation of the intensity equation of the two-beam interference with respect to the carrier's phase angle. Therefore, two interference patterns which are shifted by a very small phase angle can be obtained. Then, these two patterns are projected on the object. By exploiting the definition of the mathematical differentiation, the optical phase object's variations are retrieved from the recorded intensity distributions of both projected patterns. According to this method, the extracted optical phase angles are raised as an inverse "sin" function. This means that the unwrapping process of this function limits the recovered phase angles between - π/2 and π/2. So, the unwrapping process of these unusual wrapped phase angles is explained. The proposed method is applied on (a) two objects which are simulated by combinations of multiple Gaussian functions and (b) a 3D real object. It is found that the inclination of the projected interference pattern on the object redistributes the intensity distribution due to the Lamber's "cos" aw of illumination. This effect is considered in the retrieving process of the object's phase map. The limitations of the presented method are discussed and the obtained results are found promising.

Potential Nephroprotective Effect of Dorsomorphin Homolog 1 (DMH1) in a rat model of diabetic nephropathy.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) represents the most common cause of end-stage renal disease. On the other hand, Bone Morphogenetic Protein signaling pathway (BMP/Smad) is one of the most interesting prophylactic targets, since inhibition of this pathway may preserve kidney functions. Therefore, a BMP pharmacological inhibitor, Dorsomorphin Homolog 1 (DMH1) was used to assess the potential nephroprotective effect in an animal model of DN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: STZ-induced diabetic rat was the selected model to assess the nephroprotective effect of DMH1(5 mg/kg) for eight weeks. Rats were divided into normal control (C=10), diabetic control (DC=10), diabetic+vehicle (DV=10) and diabetic DMH1-treated rats (DT=10). Fasting blood glucose (FBG) level was measured on a weekly basis. Then, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum Creatinine (sCr), Cystatin-C (Cys-C) and Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) were measured by the end of the experiment. Furthermore, Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF-α), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined in kidney tissues. The histopathological study was also performed using Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E), Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and Masson's trichrome stains. RESULTS: DMH1 treatment has significantly reduced HbA1c along with sCr, Cys-C and BUN vs. the diabetic non-treated groups (p < 0.001). Furthermore, TNF-α, IL-6 and MDA levels were also significantly decreased in the DT group compared to the diabetic non-treated groups (p < 0.001). This improvement was further confirmed and found in correspondence with histopathological findings. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings revealed a nephroprotective activity of DMH1 against STZ-induced DN in rats. DMH1 also showed anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, which may explain part of the nephroprotective mechanism. This can shed light on the importance of DMH1 and BMP/Smad pathway for further experimental studies.

Multiple Structural Transitions in Langmuir Monolayers of Charged Soft-Shell Nanoparticles.

We have investigated the morphologies of Langmuir layers of charged, polymeric hard-core/interlayer/soft-shell nanoparticles spread at the air-water interface. Depending on various mutual interactions, which are correlated to the areal densities of the deposited nanoparticles, we observed ordered patterns of nondense and closed-packed arrangements of core/interlayer/shell (CIS) nanoparticle ordering. At low areal densities, we found an almost regular distribution of the charged CIS nanoparticles on the water surface, which resulted from long-range repulsive electrostatic interactions between them. At higher areal densities, domains of more closely packed and ordered nanoparticles were formed, coexisting with regions of randomly and sparsely distributed nanoparticles. We relate these domains to the interplay of electrostatic repulsion and capillary attraction caused by the dipolar character of like-charged particles at the interface, allowing for a characteristic separation distance between nanoparticles of about 3-4 times the nanoparticle diameter. At relatively high areal densities, attractive van der Waals forces were finally capable of making nanoparticles to come in contact with each other, leading to densely packed patches of hexagonally ordered nanoparticles coexisting with regions of rather well-ordered nanoparticles separated by about 1 µm and regions of randomly and sparsely distributed nanoparticles. Intriguingly, upon re-expansion of the area available per nanoparticle, these densely packed patches disappeared, indicating that steric repulsion due to the presence of soft shells as well as long-range electrostatic repulsive forces were strong enough to assure reversibility of the morphological behavior.

Confirming the recessive inheritance of SCN1B mutations in developmental epileptic encephalopathy.

Dominant SCN1B mutations are known to cause several epilepsy syndromes in humans. Only 2 epilepsy patients to date have been reported to have recessive mutations in SCN1B as the likely cause of their phenotype. Here, we confirm the recessive inheritance of 2 novel SCN1B mutations in 5 children from 3 families with developmental epileptic encephalopathy. The recessive inheritance and early death in these patients is consistent with the Dravet-like phenotype observed in Scn1b-/- mice. The 'negative' clinical exome in one of these families highlights the need to consider recessive mutations in the interpretation of variants in typically dominant genes.

Impact of prenatal and postnatal exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos on the contraction of rat ileal muscle strips: involvement of an inducible nitric oxide synthase-dependent pathway.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal/postnatal exposure to insecticides has been linked to developmental disorders in adulthood. Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a widely used organophosphorus acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-inhibiting insecticide. The present study established whether prenatal and postnatal exposure to CPF is associated with intestinal motor dysfunction in adult rats. METHODS: Three groups of pregnant rats were exposed to either CPF (1 or 5 mg/kg/day; the CPF1 and CPF5 groups) or vehicle (the control group) by gavage from gestational day 1 until weaning. At weaning, the pups were separated from their dams and individually gavaged (with the same dose) until postnatal day 60. We then measured in vivo intestinal transit and the in vitro contractile responses of ileal smooth muscle strips to electrical field stimulation. Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the ileum was determined using qRT-PCR and immunoblots. Morphometry and AChE assays were also performed. KEY RESULTS: At adulthood, the mean body mass was lower in the CPF1 and CPF5 groups than in controls. CPF5 exposure was associated with weaker in vitro contraction of ileal muscle strips, which was reversed by adding the NOS inhibitor (L-NAME). There was no significant intergroup difference in the mean in vivo transit time. Exposure to CPF was associated with greater iNOS expression, lower AChE activity and reduced circular and longitudinal smooth muscle thickness. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: Prenatal and postnatal exposure to CPF in the rat is associated with weaker contraction of ileal longitudinal smooth muscle via a nitrergic mechanism with increased iNOS expression.

The chemosensitizing effect of aqueous extract of sweet fennel on cisplatin treated HeLa cells.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin is an important chemotherapeutic agent that is widely used in treatment of several malignancies, but its side effects on normal tissues and organs limit its use. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of aqueous extract of sweet fennel alone and in combination with cisplatin on human cervical cancer adenocarcinoma cell line (HeLa cells) searching for an effective, inexpensive therapy with minimal side effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HeLa cell line was used to study the cytotoxic effect of different concentrations of the aqueous extract of sweet fennel alone and in combination with 50 µg/ml cisplatin. Quantitative measure of drug interaction was quantified by the combination index. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to analyze the sweet fennel decoction. MTT assay was used to examine cell viability percentage. Electron microscopy was applied to study the ultrastructure of the cells. RESULTS: The phenyl propanoids (23%) and phenols (12%) constituted the highest percentage of the aqueous extract. Increasing the concentration of sweet fennel from 50 µg/ml to 80 µg/ml, decreased the percentage of the cell viability of HeLa cells from 86.74% to 78.28%, respectively. Further decrease to 11.31% was demonstrated when 50 µg/ml of fennel was combined with 50 µg/ml cisplatin (additive effect). In addition to the signs of apoptosis observed in HeLa cells at 50 µg/ml of fennel, disruption of both nuclear and cytoplasmic membranes and presence of autophagolysosomes were noticed at a dose of 80 µg/ml. Combination of 50 µg/ml of cisplatin with 60, 70, and 80 µg/ml of sweet fennel revealed no significant difference in comparison to cisplatin alone. The combination with 50 µg/ml of sweet fennel revealed marked vacuolization of the cytoplasm, fragmentation of the nucleus, and complete disruption of nuclear membrane. CONCLUSIOn: Combination of cisplatin and the 50 µg/ml of the fennel could enhance cervical cancer growth inhibition. This combination could be effective in lowering the dose of single or repeated cumulative courses of cisplatin and hence decreases its hazardous side effects. In vivo studies and the evaluation of different combination doses of cisplatin and sweet fennel are recommended.

The beneficial roles of insulin and parathyroid hormones in the treatment of experimentally induced diabetic osteoporosis in female rats: bone mineral density, morphometric and histological studies.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) and osteoporosis are two frequent medical conditions with an increasing prevalence in elderly people and are responsible for large number of incurable fractures. This study is designed experimentally in female rats in order to determine whether combined treatment of insulin and parathyroid hormone (PTH) enhances the reversibility of the osteoporotic changes that occurred in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 30 adult female rats aged 3 months were used, they were randomly divided into: control group (6 rats) and diabetes group (24 rats), in which experimental DM was induced by i.p. injection of a single dose of STZ (60 mg/kg/body weight). Diabetic group was further divided into four subgroups (6 rats each): non-treated diabetic, insulin-treated (8-12 units s.c./day of Humalin U-40), PTH-treated (6.0 µg s.c./kg/day) and combined insulin and PTH-treated subgroups. All tested groups were assessed for body weight, food and water consumptions. RESULTS: At the end of the experimental period, the bone mineral density (BMD) was measured for all rats of different groups; then the rats were sacrificed and blood samples were collected for measuring glucose, alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin levels. Right femora were dissected out and subjected to measurement of diameter of neck and shaft, length of shaft, and weight. Then the femora specimens were processed and stained with haematoxylin and eosin for histological study. The results showed that there was a statistically significant, decrease in BMD, increase in the level of alkaline phosphate, and decrease in the level of osteocalcin in rats in diabetic group compared with other groups; these parameters improved in other groups, especially in diabetes/insulin/PTH group. The rats in diabetic group showed statistically significant decrease in neck and shaft diameters and weight of femur bone compared with other groups, while rats in diabetes/insulin/PTH group showed a significant improvement of these parameters. In diabetic group, there were different histopathological changes in cortical bone and Haversian canals, which improved in other groups, especially in rats in diabetes/insulin/PTH group. CONCLUSIONS: The untreated DM resulted in dramatic reduction in BMD and morphometric parameters. Treatment with insulin ameliorated these effects to some extent, while PTH co--treatment had a more positive effect. The combination of PTH and insulin resulted in stronger improvement of all parameters to approximately like those of control rats.

Adverse Reactions to Field Vaccination Against Lumpy Skin Disease in Jordan.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an emerging disease in the Middle East region and has been recently reported in Jordan. The aim of this study was to investigate the adverse reactions that were reported after vaccine administration. Geographical areas enrolled in the study were free of the disease and away from the outbreak governorate. Sixty-three dairy cattle farms, with a total of 19,539 animals, were included in the study. Of those, 56 farms reported adverse clinical signs after vaccine administration. The duration between vaccine administration and appearance of adverse clinical signs ranged from 1 to 20 days (Mean = 10.3, SD ± 3.9). Clinical signs were similar to those observed with natural cases of lumpy skin disease. These were mainly fever, decreased feed intake, decreased milk production and variable sized cutaneous nodules (a few millimetres to around 2 cm in diameter) that could be seen anywhere on the body (head, neck, trunk, perineum), udder, and/or teats. Nodules were raised and firm initially and then formed dry scabs that could be peeled off the skin. The characteristic deep 'sit fast' appearance was rarely seen and most lesions were superficial. Some cattle had swollen lymph nodes, while a few pregnant animals aborted. The percentage of affected cattle ranged from 0.3 to 25% (Mean = 8, SD ± 5.1). Fever, decreased feed intake, and decreased milk production were seen in 83.9, 85.7, and 94.6% in cattle on the affected farms, respectively. All affected cattle displayed skin nodules over their entire bodies, while 33.9 and 7.1% of the affected farms reported nodular lesions present on the udders and teats, respectively. No mortalities were reported due to vaccine adverse reactions. Duration (course) of clinical signs ranged from 3 to 20 days (Mean = 13.7, SD ± 4.1). Two types of LSD vaccines were used by the farmers in this study. The first one was a sheep pox virus (SPPV) vaccine derived from the RM65 isolate [Jovivac, manufactured by Jordan Bioindustries Centre (JOVAC)] and the other an unlabelled one, which was later identified using PCR as a strain of lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV). Blood and skin samples collected from cattle vaccinated with the LSDV vaccine were positive for LSDV using both general and species-specific PCR primers, whereas those from cattle vaccinated with the Jovivac vaccine were negative. Adverse reactions observed in cattle after administration of the LSDV vaccine were reported to be more severe than those seen after Jovivac vaccine administration and were comparable with clinical signs observed in natural infections.

A novel method for identifying the order of interference using phase-shifting digital holography.

In this paper, we introduced a mathematical method for measuring the optical path length differences (OPDs), which is suitable for large OPD values where the fringes connections are difficult to detect. The proposed method is based on varying the width of the fringes, without changing the wavelength of the used coherent source. Also, in this work, we discussed the need for such method in off-axis phase-shifting digital holography. Low-resolution off-axis holograms failed to detect the correct interference order. In general, off-axis phase-shifting digital holography is limited by the resolution of the captured holograms. The results obtained using our proposed technique were compared to the results obtained using off-axis phase-shifting digital holograms and conventional two-beam interferometry. Holograms were given for illustration.

Environmental management practices in the Lebanese pharmaceutical industries: implementation strategies and challenges.

This research attempts to provide an understanding of the Lebanese pharmaceutical industries' environmental management strategies, priorities, and perceptions as well as drivers, barriers, and incentives regarding the implementation of the voluntary ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. Accordingly, a semistructured in-depth interview was conducted with the pharmaceutical industries. The findings revealed a significant lack of knowledge about the standard among the industries. The main perceived drivers for adopting the ISO 14001 are improving the companies' image and overcoming international trade. The main perceived barriers for acquiring the standard are the lack of government support and the fact that ISO 14001 is not being legally required or enforced by the government. Moreover, results revealed that adopting the ISO 14001 standard is not perceived as a priority for the Lebanese pharmaceutical industries. Although the cost of certification was not considered as a barrier for the implementation of ISO 14001, the majority of the pharmaceutical industries are neither interested nor willing to adopt the Standard if they are not exposed to any regulatory pressure or external demand. They are more concerned with quality and safety issues with the most adopted international standard among the industries being the ISO 9001 quality management system. This study highlights the aspect that financial barriers are not always the hurdles for implementing environmental management strategies in developing countries and underscores the need for regulatory frameworks and enforcement.

Nonray-tracing determination of the 3D refractive index profile of polymeric fibres using single-frame computed tomography and digital holographic interferometric technique.

In this paper, we present a nonray-tracing technique for evaluating the three dimensional distribution of the refractive index values inside polymeric fibres. This technique, named 'single-frame computed-tomography (SFCT)', is applied to digital holography. A comparative study between the calculated optical phase values using ordinary tomography and SFCT is carried out, and a negligible deviation is detected. The proposed technique is used to determine the three-dimensional refractive index profile of isotactic Polypropylene fibres, IPP. The variation of the optical properties is measured before, during and after the formation of the necking phenomenon. In addition, SFCT technique is applied to the online determination of the change of the optical properties of IPP fibres. Holograms are given for illustration.

Two-dimensional refractive index and stresses profiles of a homogenous bent optical fiber.

We present a significant contribution to the theory of determining the refractive index profile of a bent homogenous optical fiber. In this theory we consider two different processes controlling the index profile variations. The first is the linear index variation due to stress along the bent radius, and the second is the release of this stress on the fiber surface. This release process is considered to have radial dependence on the fiber radius. These considerations enable us to construct the index profile in two dimensions normal to the optical axis, considering the refraction of light rays traversing the fiber. This theory is applied to optical homogenous bent fiber with two bending radii when they are located orthogonal to the light path of the object arm in the holographic setup (like the Mach-Zehnder interferometer). Digital holographic phase shifting interferometry is employed in this study. The recorded phase shifted holograms have been combined, reconstructed, and processed to extract the phase map of the bent optical fiber. A comparison between the extracted optical phase differences and the calculated one indicates that the refractive index profile variation should include the above mentioned two processes, which are considered as a response for stress distribution across the fiber's cross section. The experimentally obtained refractive index profiles provide the stress induced birefringence profile. Thus we are able to present a realistic induced stress profile due to bending.

Type-2 iodothyronine 5'deiodinase in skeletal muscle of C57BL/6 mice. I. Identity, subcellular localization, and characterization.

RT-PCR shows that mouse skeletal muscle contains type-2 iodothyronine deiodinase (D2) mRNA. However, the D2 activity has been hard to measure. Except for newborn mice, muscle homogenates have no detectable activity. However, we have reported D2 activity in mouse muscle microsomes. As the mRNA, activity is higher in slow- than in fast-twitch muscle. We addressed here the major problems in measuring D2 activity in muscle by: homogenizing muscle in high salt to improve yield of membranous structures; separating postmitochondrial supernatant between 38 and 50% sucrose, to eliminate lighter membranes lacking D2; washing these with 0.1 M Na(2)CO(3) to eliminate additional contaminating proteins; pretreating all buffers with Chelex, to eliminate catalytic metals; and eliminating the EDTA from the assay, as this can bind iron that enhances dithiothreitol oxidation and promotes peroxidation reactions. Maximum velocity of T(3) generation by postgradient microsomes from red muscles was approximately 1100 fmol/(h · mg) protein with a Michaelis-Menten constant for T(4) of 1.5 nM. D2-specific activity of Na(2)CO(3)-washed microsomes was 6-10 times higher. The enrichment in D2 activity increased in parallel with the capacity of microsomes to load (sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase) and bind Ca(2+) (calsequestrin), indicating that D2 resides in the inner sarcoplasmic reticulum, close to the nuclei. The presence of D3 in the sarcolemma suggests that the most of D2-generated T(3) acts locally. Estimates from maximum velocity, Michaelis-Menten constant, and muscle T(4) content suggest that mouse red, type-1, aerobic mouse muscle fibers can generate physiologically relevant amounts of T(3) and, further, that muscle D2 plays an important role in thyroid hormone-dependent muscle thermogenesis.

Type-2 iodothyronine 5'deiodinase (D2) in skeletal muscle of C57Bl/6 mice. II. Evidence for a role of D2 in the hypermetabolism of thyroid hormone receptor alpha-deficient mice.

Mice with ablation of the Thra gene have cold intolerance due to an as yet undefined defect in the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) uncoupling protein (UCP). They develop an alternate form of facultative thermogenesis, activated at temperatures below thermoneutrality and associated with hypermetabolism and reduced sensitivity to diet-induced obesity. A consistent finding in Thra-0/0 mice is increased type-2 iodothyronine deiodinase (D2) mRNA in skeletal muscle and other tissues. With an improved assay to measure D2 activity, we show here that this enzyme activity is increased in proportion to the mRNA and as a function of the ambient cold. The activation is mediated by the sympathetic nervous system in Thra-0/0, as it is in wild-type genotype mice, but the sympathetic nervous system effect is greater in Thra-0/0 mice. Using D2-ablated mice (Dio2-/-), we reported elsewhere and show here that, in spite of sharing a severe deficiency in BAT thermogenesis with Thra-0/0 and UCP1-knockout mice, they do not have an increase in oxygen consumption, and they gain more weight than wild-type controls when fed a high-fat diet. UCP3 mRNA is highly responsive to thyroid hormone, and it is increased in Thra-0/0 mice, particularly when fed high-fat diets. We show here that muscle UCP3 mRNA in hypothyroid Thra-0/0 mice is responsive to small dose-short regimens of T(4), indicating a role for locally, D2-generated T(3). Lastly, we show that bile acids stimulate not only BAT but also muscle D2 activity, and this is associated with stimulation of muscle UCP3 mRNA expression provided T(4) is present. These observations strongly support the concept that enhanced D2 activity in Thra-0/0 plays a critical role in their alternate form of facultative thermogenesis, stimulating increased fat oxidation by increasing local T(3) generation in skeletal muscle.

Potential of nanoemulsions for intravenous delivery of rifampicin.

The aim of the present study was to develop, characterize and evaluate nanoemulsion formulations for intravenous delivery of rifampicin (RIF). Different oil-in-water (o/w) nanoemulsions were prepared by the aqueous phase titration method. Prepared nanoemulsions were subjected to thermodynamic stability tests for phase separation, creaming, cracking, coalescence or phase inversion and dispersibility test for dilution capacity. Nanoemulsion formulations which passed these tests were characterized in terms of droplet size, viscosity, entrapment efficiency, homogeneity and pH. The selected formulations were subjected to in vitro dissolution studies using a dissolution apparatus-XXIII in dialysis bag. Best results were obtained with the formulation which consisted of 150 mg of RIF, 15% w/w of Sefsol 218, 18.75% w/w of Tween 80, 6.25% w/w of Tween 85 and 60% w/w of normal saline. The optimized formulation was also subjected to stability studies according to the ICH guidelines. The formulation was found to be stable for more than19 months. These results indicated the potential of nanoemulsions for intravenous delivery of RIF.

Pattern of rapid-eye movement sleep episode occurrence after an immobilization stress in the rat.

Rapid-eye movement sleep (REMS) in the rat occurs in the form of episodes separated by long (>3 min: isolated REMS episodes, IREMSEs) and short (<3 min: sequential REMS episodes, SREMSEs) intervals. The mechanism clustering SREMSEs is thought to be better suited to increase the amount of REMS when its drive is high. We tested this hypothesis in a new situation by transiently augmenting this drive with a moderate psychogenic stress. After a 90-min immobilization stress, REMS increased by 54% over the rest of the dark phase. This increase was associated with a modest increase in IREMSEs (+40%), but a massive increase in SREMSEs (+300%). Thus, the mechanism that clusters REMS episodes operates in response to a moderate psychogenic stress imposed in standard laboratory conditions and not preceded by sleep deprivation.

(2+1)-dimensional soliton formation in photorefractive Bi12SiO20 crystals.

(2+1)-dimensional spatial solitons in Bi12SiO20 (BSO) photorefractive crystals with large optical activity are experimentally demonstrated. The soliton formation when a Gaussian beam is injected at the input has been previously analyzed numerically and then experimentally investigated. We demonstrate analytically, numerically, and experimentally that by applying static electric biases of high values, the polarization rotation accelerates: this acceleration prevents the beam from broadening if the polarization rotation period becomes shorter than the diffraction length. Contemporary to this nonlinear optical activity, an induced birefringence affects the beam polarization state. Analysis of the polarization dynamics shows that the polarization changes nonuniformly across the beam (with a field dependent speed) until about 30-35 kV/cm; above this limit, the whole beam has just one polarization state. Representation on the Poincaré sphere of the polarization dynamics reveals the existence of a stable polarization trajectory closed around a polarization attractor that depends on the linear optical activity and on the photorefractive nonlinearity. The experimental soliton is well described by the analytical solutions already obtained [Fazio et al., Phys. Rev. E 66, 016605 (2002)].

Clinical, electrophysiological, and immunopathological study of peripheral nerves in Hansen's disease.

Hansen's disease is a disease of peripheral nerves. Some patients develop peripheral neuropathy before the diagnosis of the disease, and others develop these complications after starting therapy. Electrophysiological (EP) studies were carried out in Hansen's disease patients. This work studied the neural deficits, electromyography (EMG) and motor nerve conduction (MNC) variables in different types of leprosy and the immunopathology of sural nerve tissue in patients with severe neural deficits. Forty leprosy patients had neurological examinations and EP study. Histopathological and immunopathological study of sural nerve biopsy specimens was performed for 10 patients with severe neural deficits. The results of the neurological study showed that there was involvement of cranial nerves, muscular system, motor reflexes and sensory system and trophic and vasomotor changes. EP study showed significant changes in EMG of abductor digiti minimi in patients as compared to controls. MNC variables of common peroneal nerve were abnormal in 80% of all patients, MNC of median nerve was abnormal in 72.5%, while MNC of ulnar nerve was abnormal in 70% and SNC of ulnar nerve was abnormal in 77.5% of the total. In conclusion, electrophysiological investigations have an important role in the detection of muscle denervation and neuropathic changes in leprosy patients. These investigations are safe, rapid and non-invasive techniques. On the other hand immunopathological study revealed that the degree of immune positivity correlated with the degree of nerve fibrosis.

Oil of bitter orange: new topical antifungal agent.

BACKGROUND: Superficial dermatophyte infection is one of the most common dermatologic diseases. Some of these infections are extremely resistant to therapy. METHODS AND PATIENTS: Sixty patients participated in this study; they were classified into three groups (20 patients in each). All groups had comparable numbers of patients with tinea corporis, cruris, and pedis. Group 1 was treated with a 25% emulsion of oil of bitter orange (OBO) three times daily; group 2 was treated with 20% OBO in alcohol three times daily and group 3 was treated with pure OBO, once daily. Clinical and mycologic examinations were performed before therapy and every week until a complete cure had occurred. RESULTS: In group 1, 80% of patients were cured in 1 to 2 weeks and 20% in 2 to 3 weeks. In group 2, 50% were cured in 1 to 2 weeks, 30% in 2 to 3 weeks and 20% in 3 to 4 weeks. In group 3, 25% of patients did not continue the trial. Of the remaining patients, 33.3% were cured in one week, 60% in 1 to 2 weeks, and 6.7% in 2 to 3 weeks. Oil of bitter orange produced no side effects except mild irritation seen with the use of the pure form. CONCLUSIONS: An in vitro study showed that OBO (natural product) exerts fungistatic and fungicidal activity against a variety of pathogenic dermatophyte species. It is a promising, cheap, and available topical antifungal therapeutic agent.

Direct measurement of birefringence in ion-exchanged planar waveguides.

A direct measurement of the birefringence of a planar waveguide obtained by Na(+) -K(+) ion exchange was performed with a double Lloyd interferometer. The results are compared with those obtained by a roundrobin test involving the same sample. Birefringence of as much as Deltan = (2.0 +/- 0.2) x 10(-3) was measured.