Pain-like behaviour and spinal changes in the monosodium iodoacetate model of osteoarthritis in C57Bl/6 mice.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent, age-related pain condition that poses a significant clinical problem. Here, in the monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) model of OA, we have characterized pain behaviours and associated changes at the first pain synapse in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. METHODS: Mice received intra-articular injections of 0.5, 0.75 and 1 mg MIA and mechanical paw withdrawal threshold was monitored for up to 4 weeks. An intrathecal injection of peptide antagonist calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP8-37 ) was given 3 weeks post MIA and paw withdrawal thresholds were measured after 1 and 3 h. Immunohistochemical analysis of the lumbar dorsal horn was carried out and activity-evoked CGRP release was measured from isolated lumbar dorsal horn slices - with dorsal roots attached. RESULTS: By 2 weeks after intra-articular MIA injection, mechanical hypersensitivity was established in the ipsilateral hindpaw. There was no evidence of sensory neuron damage in lumbar dorsal root ganglia 7 days after 1 mg MIA. However, both dorsal horn neuron activation and microglial response (Fos and Iba-1 immunostaining) but not reactive astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein) were observed. Evoked CGRP release was greater from dorsal horn slices of MIA-treated mice compared with control. Furthermore, intrathecal administration of peptide antagonist CGRP8-37 acutely attenuated established MIA-induced mechanical hypersensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: Intra-articular MIA is associated with referred mechanical hypersensitivity and increased release of CGRP from primary afferent fibres in the dorsal horn where second-order neuron activation is associated with a microglial response. Antagonism of CGRP receptor activation provides a therapeutic avenue for the treatment of pain in OA.

Bacteriological assessment of stethoscopes used by medical students in Nigeria: implications for nosocomial infection control.

Our study assessed bacteria on swabs taken from the surface of the diaphragm of stethoscopes used by medical students in Nigeria. We found bacterial contamination on 80.1% of the stethoscopes. Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were major isolates. Bacterial colonization was highest among stethoscopes cleaned with only water and those never cleaned with any agent or never cleaned at all. The difference was statistically significant (chi2 = 31.9, p < .05). Stethoscopes from students who cleaned them after use on each patient and from those who practised handwashing after contact with each patient had significantly lower bacterial contamination (chi2 = 26.9; p < .05 and chi2=31.9, p < 0.05, respectively). Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus showed the highest susceptibility to antibiotics, while the most effective antibiotics were Ciproflox and Erythromycin. Integration of stethoscope care in the training curriculum of medical schools will enhance the control nosocomial infections.

ß-glucan degradation in malting sorghum.

In all of four malting sorghum varieties, ß-glucan contents decreased by more than 50% 2 days after germination, due to enzymic digestion. The variety that had the least ß-glucan content in the malt gave the highest filterable volume of sweet wort while the variety with the highest ß-glucan content had the lowest volume of filterable wort.

Developments in the malting and brewing trials with sorghum.

A comparative study of sorghum and barley grains reveals structural and physiological differences in their aleurone, embryo and starchy endosperm cells. These differences are responsible for the observed differences in their malting characteristics. Reports on brewing trials with sorghum favour its use as an adjunct to barley malt. Nevertheless, a recent successful resolution of the incompatibility of the gelatinization and saccharification temperatures of sorghum starch through the adoption of a new mashing technique has greatly improved its extract yield. A similar report on the discovery of a Nigerian-grown sorghum variety with improved ß-amylase activity as well as high diastatic power will obviously ensure better fermentable extracts. Further research on the development and trial of new sorghum varieties is strongly recommended. The purpose of this review, however, is to highlight research efforts aimed at alleviating the problems of sorghum as a brewing material.

Studies on the incidence of Trichomonas vaginalis amongst pregnant women in Jos area of Plateau State, Nigeria.

An investigation was carried out on the incidence of Trichomonas vaginalis amongst pregnant women in Jos area of Plateau State, Nigeria. The pregnant women were made up of 250 women from Jos metropolis and 250 women from Jos rural area. Jos Metropolis women were found to have 37.6% rate of infection while Jos rural women were found to have 24.8% rate of infection. The pH range of the infected women was found to lie between 6-8. Their vaginal discharges were found to be frothy and greenish-yellow with a typical odour. Some had vulval irritations. Some reported that they had slight temperature rises above 37 degrees C in the nights. The infected women either belonged to the working class or were self employed. There was more infection amongst the working class women in the metropolis while the opposite was the case in Jos rural area. Some of the infected women had trichomoniasis alone while some were found to have mixed infection like trichomoniasis and candidosis, trichomoniasis and gonorrhoea or trichomoniasis, candidosis and gonorrhoea. The implications of these results are discussed.

The significance of gallstones in children with sickle cell anemia.

Infection is the most common cause of high morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality in children with sickle cell anemia. In this study of pediatric sickle cell anemia patients, aged 1 to 19, we explore the hypothesis that gallstones (usually pigment stones) create a nidus of infection, predisposing the affected patients to high morbidity. Our study involved 86 children with sickle cell anemia at the Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease, who had been followed at the clinic for a total of 602 patient years. Review of their records revealed that patients with gallstones had a mean number of 10.24 hospitalizations and 25.35 ambulatory visits; those without gallstones had a mean number of only 4.26 hospitalizations and 13.41 ambulatory visits. In children with sickle cell anemia and gallstones, elective cholecystectomy (or, in the future, cholelithotripsy) could reduce the high morbidity caused by infection.