Association between Parvovirus B19 and thyroid/celiac autoantibodies among T1DM pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVE: In recent years, an overwhelming association between Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and autoimmune diseases has been largely reported. The current study was designed to determine a possible association between autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT), celiac disease (CD) - associated autoantibodies, and Parvovirus B19 infection among pediatric T1DM cases in the southwestern region of Saudi Arabia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Blood samples from age groups 1-18 years attending the Diabetic Clinic were collected over a period of 12 months. Serum anti-thyroid peroxidase (TPO), anti-thyroglobulin (TG), anti-tissue transglutaminase immunoglobulin A (TG-IgA), endomysial IgA (EMA-IgA), Parvovirus B19-IgG and IgM antibodies were detected by standard methods. RESULTS: The results showed the prevalence of autoantibodies against thyroid and CD among pediatric T1DM patients to be 44 (25%) and 25 (14.4%), respectively. The prevalence of antibodies against B19 was 70 (40%). Further determination of the prevalence of Parvovirus B19-IgG antibodies and thyroid antibodies among T1DM pediatric patients revealed that there was a significant association between them with a p<0.0491. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of autoantibodies against the thyroid was higher among the seropositive Parvovirus B19 children with T1DM. A positive association between the prevalence of autoantibodies against thyroid disease and the increase in the duration of diabetes was also noted. Hence, periodic screening of T1DM patients for B19 antibodies and autoantibodies for thyroid is crucial.

In the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HCV infected patients the expression of STAT1 and IRF-1 is downregulated while that of caspase-3 upregulated.

Several peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) defects have been linked with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, including alterations in cytokine secretion and increased cell death. This study was performed to investigate the expression levels of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1), and caspase 3 in PBMCs of patients infected with HCV. STAT1, IRF-1, and caspase 3 expression levels were compared in PBMCs from 19 untreated (naïve) HCV+ patients, 8 treated (sustained responder [SR]) HCV patients, and 20 HCV- healthy controls. Moreover, PBMCs from naïve HCV+ patients and SR-HCV patients were also evaluated for HCV RNA expression. The expression levels of STAT-1 and IRF-1 were significantly downregulated in PBMCs from naïve HCV+ patients (P  Keywords: PBMC; hepatitis C virus; STAT1; IRF-1; caspase-3.

Novel Piperine compound AB05 (N-5-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl) -2E,4E pentadienylpiperidine) inhibits H1N1 influenza virus propagation in vitro

@# Pandemic H1N1 influenza virus respiratory illness has become an inevitable global health concern. With antigenic drift, it becomes necessary to have drugs over tailor-made HIN1 vaccine every year. In the current study, we screened many Piperine derivative in which, N-5-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2E,4E-pentadienylpiperidine (AB05) and was further studied for anti-H1N1influenza virus activity and compared with other stains in-vitro on MDCK cell line. Initial cytotoxic doses of AB05 for the MDCK cell line were > 25µM. The results showed a dose-dependent reduction of the viral plaque’s in the adsorption assay with EC50 of 0.33 µM. The mechanism of AB05 was by inhibition of matured viral release as evaluated by the time of virus addition with incubation of 6-10 hours. With the promising H1N1 virucidal activity of AB05, we included various strains of human influenza virus to screen AB05 inhibition of Neuraminidase (NA). The result showed 70% NA inhibition in WSN (H1N1), 90% in H3N2 & Influenza B and 49% in Tamiflu resistant H1N1). Further our In silco docking studies substantiated experimental results by showing the difference in binding and cooperation between H1N1 and N3N2. Together these observations illustrate that Piperine derivative AB05 is a promising lead molecule which needs further evaluation in animal models.

Novel Piperine compound AB05 (N-5-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl) -2E,4E pentadienylpiperidine) inhibits H1N1 influenza virus propagation in vitro.

Pandemic H1N1 influenza virus respiratory illness has become an inevitable global health concern. With antigenic drift, it becomes necessary to have drugs over tailor-made HIN1 vaccine every year. In the current study, we screened many Piperine derivative in which, N-5-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2E,4E-pentadienylpiperidine (AB05) and was further studied for anti-H1N1influenza virus activity and compared with other stains in-vitro on MDCK cell line. Initial cytotoxic doses of AB05 for the MDCK cell line were > 25µM. The results showed a dose-dependent reduction of the viral plaque's in the adsorption assay with EC50 of 0.33 µM. The mechanism of AB05 was by inhibition of matured viral release as evaluated by the time of virus addition with incubation of 6-10 hours. With the promising H1N1 virucidal activity of AB05, we included various strains of human influenza virus to screen AB05 inhibition of Neuraminidase (NA). The result showed 70% NA inhibition in WSN (H1N1), 90% in H3N2 and Influenza B and 49% in Tamiflu resistant H1N1). Further our In silco docking studies substantiated experimental results by showing the difference in binding and cooperation between H1N1 and N3N2. Together these observations illustrate that Piperine derivative AB05 is a promising lead molecule which needs further evaluation in animal models.

Measuring the Kerr nonlinearity via seeded Kerr instability amplification: conceptual analysis.

Whereas the Kerr nonlinearity is well understood in the perturbative limit of nonlinear optics, there is considerable discussion about its functional form and magnitude at extreme intensities, at which point matter starts to ionize. Here, we introduce a concept to answer this question and theoretically analyze its feasibility. We demonstrate that seeded Kerr instability amplification provides clear signatures from which functional form and magnitude of the Kerr nonlinearity can be extracted in the non-perturbative limit of nonlinear optics.

Greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from production of compost bedding on a dairy farm.

Recent developments in composting technology enable dairy farms to produce their own bedding from composted manure. This management practice alters the fate of carbon and nitrogen; however, there is little data available documenting how gaseous emissions are impacted. This study measured in-situ emissions of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ammonia (NH3) from an on-farm solid-liquid separation system followed by continuously-turned plug-flow composting over three seasons. Emissions were measured separately from the continuously-turned compost phase, and the compost-storage phase prior to the compost being used for cattle bedding. Active composting had low emissions of N2O and CH4 with most carbon being emitted as CO2-C and most N emitted as NH3-N. Compost storage had higher CH4 and N2O emissions than the active phase, while NH3 was emitted at a lower rate, and CO2 was similar. Overall, combining both the active composting and storage phases, the mean total emissions were 3.9×10-2gCH4kg-1 raw manure (RM), 11.3gCO2kg-1 RM, 2.5×10-4g N2O kg-1 RM, and 0.13g NH3 kg-1 RM. Emissions with solid-separation and composting were compared to calculated emissions for a traditional (unseparated) liquid manure storage tank. The total greenhouse gas emissions (CH4+N2O) from solid separation, composting, compost storage, and separated liquid storage were reduced substantially on a CO2-equivalent basis compared to traditional liquid storage. Solid-liquid separation and well-managed composting could mitigate overall greenhouse gas emissions; however, an environmental trade off was that NH3 was emitted at higher rates from the continuously turned composter than reported values for traditional storage.

Severe unresolving Plasmodium falciparum malaria following artemisinin combination therapy: Emergence of drug resistance in Saudi Arabia.

A 5-year-old female child presented with fever of 1-week duration after visiting a malaria endemic zone without antimalarial prophylaxis. The patient presented with respiratory distress, decreased level of consciousness and high-grade fever. An elevated parasitaemia reaching 800,000/µl was observed. Antimalarial therapy was initiated with artesunate being administered intravenous (IV) along with IV clindamycin. Contrary to the expectations, there was no resolution of fever. Following a week of unresolved fever, the drug therapy was revised and altered to IV quinine dihydrochloride and IV clindamycin. Emergence of non-responsiveness to artesunate in Saudi Arabia is an alarming sign and requires revision of management protocols.

In vitro anti-yeast activity of chloramphenicol: A preliminary report.

Chloramphenicol is a bacteriostatic antimicrobial agent but its antifungal activity is not known. The present study aimed to investigate the activity of chloramphenicol against 30 representative yeasts. The antimicrobial assay of chloramphenicol (50mg/mL; 100mg/mL and 200mg/mL) was determined by the disc diffusion method using Mueller-Hinton agar against 30 representative yeast strains. Zone of inhibition was read after 48-72h incubation at 37°C and results were compared with some standard antifungal agents. Most of the tested yeasts (73.3%) showed inhibition zones (5 up to 35mm) to chloramphenicol impregnated discs (200mg/mL). Three out of the four tested Candida albicans as well as Candida famata, Candida glabrata, Candida haemolonei and Cryptococcus neoformans showed no inhibition zones to chloramphenicol (200mg/mL). Caspofungin acetate (50mg/mL) inhibited 83.3% of the strains; ketoconazole (200mg/mL) 70% and metronidazole 10%. Chloramphenicol discs: 50 and 100mg/mL showed less activity (6.7% and 36.7%, respectively) compared to the 200mg discs; whereas chloramphenicol (BBL; 3µg/mL) inhibited 13.3% of the strains. The anti-yeast activities of chloramphenicol were comparable to other known antifungal compounds. Moreover, it is cheap, has fewer side effects and its inclusions in selective fungal media such as Mycosel have to be questioned.

Unruptured congenital aneurysm of the left sinus of Valsalva in an adult with complex left heart malformations.

A 26 year old man who presented with the first signs of right heart failure was found to have a large congenital aneurysm of the aortic sinus of Valsalva and of the left coronary sinus. These were combined with left heart anomalies in the form of a bicuspid aortic valve, a rare variant of a persistent left superior vena cava with blood flow from the left atrium through the brachiocephalic vein into the superior vena cava and a kink in the aortic arch. An aortic coarctation had been corrected with a patch 12 years earlier. Although the aneurysm was not perforated and there were no clinical signs of infarction, the aneurysm was resected prophylactically and the left coronary artery was reinserted through a bypass with a Gore-Tex conduit. The case is noteworthy because this diagnosis is very rare and its early treatment may prevent several complications. The clinical features, treatment, and outcome are discussed.

Dietary fish oil reduces microvascular thrombosis in a porcine experimental model.

Microvascular thrombosis plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of ischaemic reperfusion injury. A fish oil-supplemented diet containing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) reduces thromboxane A(2) (TxA(2)) synthesis and, thus, vasoconstriction and platelet aggregation. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether n-3 PUFA in a porcine model of ischaemia and reperfusion injury 1) inhibit accumulation of platelets and fibrinogen in ischaemia-reperfusion injured tissue, 2) prolong the bleeding time, and 3) inhibit TxA(2) synthesis. Nine pigs were fed a standard diet supplemented with 7 g n-3 PUFA/day for 3 weeks. Nine pigs on the standard diet served as controls. Unilateral myocutaneous flaps were exposed to ischaemia for a period of 6 hours. Contralateral flaps were nonischaemic. Tissue contents of radioactive-labelled platelets and fibrinogen were measured after 4 hours of reperfusion. Platelet count, serum TxB(2), and the cutaneous bleeding time were measured before and after 3 weeks of diet. In the fish oil group, the accumulation of platelets was significantly reduced in all the myocutaneous flaps, except in the ischaemic skin part, when compared to control animals. Fibrinogen was significantly reduced in nonischaemic flaps, but not in ischaemic flaps. After the feeding period, the level of TxB(2) was significantly lowered in the fish oil group (p<0.01). No difference in the bleeding time was observed. Thus, dietary supplementation with n-3 PUFA inhibits the formation of microvasculatory thrombosis in this model.

Evaluation of stimulation parameters on aortomyoplasty, using Latissimus Dorsi muscle in a goat model: an acute study.

OBJECTIVE: Dynamic aortomyoplasty using Latissimus Dorsi muscle (LDM) has been shown to improve myocardial function. However, systematic examination of the effects of stimulation parameters on aortic wrap function has not been done. Thus, the present study measures the direct effect of stimulation voltage, pulse train duration, frequency of the pulses, and the duration of the stimulation delay from R wave on the aortic wrap function. METHODS: In eight female goats, the left LDM was wrapped around the descending aorta. The muscle was then subjected to electrical stimulation, altering frequency of stimulation pulses (16.6, 20, 25, 33 and 50 Hz), amplitude (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 V), and number of pulses (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 pulses) in a train stimulation. Left ventricular, aortic pressure, and pressure generated by LDM on aorta (wrap pressure) was measured. The changes in hemodynamic parameters mentioned above were calculated and compared for different stimulation parameters during unassisted and assisted cardiac cycles. RESULTS: Aortomyoplasty counterpulsation using LDM provided significant improvement in wrap pressure (78 mmHg +/- 2), aortic diastolic pressure, and changes in aortic diastolic pressure from 2 to 4 V (P < 0.05). Further increase in amplitude did not make any significant improvements of the above mentioned parameters. Significant augmentation of wrap pressure (82 mmHg +/- 2), aortic diastolic pressure (79 mmHg +/- 3) and changes in aortic diastolic pressure (12 mmHg +/- 1) occurred at 6 pulses (P < 0.05). Other changes in number of pulses did not show any significant improvements. Significant improvement of wrap pressure (80 mmHg +/- 2), aortic diastolic pressure (73 mmHg +/- 3) and changes in aortic diastolic pressure (12 mmHg +/- 1) was observed with a frequency of 33 Hz. To examine a wide range of delays from the onset of the QRS complex to LDM stimulation, stimulation was delivered randomly. The exact delay was determined from the ECG signal and superimposed LDM stimulation pulses. CONCLUSIONS: In this study we present a new measurement, wrap pressure. We also present that in aortomyoplasty using LDM, the most significant improvement in wrap pressure, aortic diastolic pressure and changes in aortic diastolic pressure occurs when the stimulation consists of an amplitude of 4 V, a frequency of 33 Hz and a train stimulation of 6 pulses.