High dose intravenous immune globulins and plasma exchange in Guillain-Barré Syndrome

We report the effects of treatment with plasma-exchange (PE) and intravenous immune globulins (IVIg) in 36 out of 50 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) recruited by an incidence study in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Comparison of the patients treated with PE and IVIg showed no significant differences in terms of effectiveness in improving the clinical course of GBS: at one month, respectively 11.1% and 25% had recovered, and 55.5% and 58.3% had improved by at least one grade. These results are in agreement with those of the Dutch GBS trial. No relapses were observed in either group. Moreover, our results showed no difference in clinical outcome at 1 and 3 months between the patients receiving only one therapy and those receiving two; a second cycle of therapy did not seem to improve the clinical course of the disease significantly. We conclude that PE and IVIg are both safe and effective therapies for GBS.     

High resolution footprinting of a type I methyltransferase reveals a large structural distortion within the DNA recognition site

The type I DNA methyltransferase M.EcoR124I is a multi-subunit enzyme that binds to the sequence GAAN6RTCG, transferring a methyl group from S-adenosyl methionine to a specific adenine on each DNA strand. We have investigated the protein-DNA interactions in the complex by DNase I and hydroxyl radical footprinting. The DNase I footprint is unusually large: the protein protects the DNA on both strands for at least two complete turns of the helix, indicating that the enzyme completely encloses the DNA in the complex. The higher resolution hydroxyl radical probe shows a smaller, but still extensive, 18 bp footprint encompassing the recognition site. Within this region, however, there is a remarkably hyper-reactive site on each strand. The two sites of enhanced cleavage are co-incident with the two adenines that are the target bases for methylation, showing that the DNA is both accessible and highly distorted at these sites. The hydroxyl radical footprint is unaffected by the presence of the cofactor S-adenosyl methionine, showing that the distorted DNA structure induced by M.EcoR124I is formed during the initial DNA binding reaction and not as a transient intermediate in the reaction pathway.     

Effect of vitamin A supplementation on diarrhoea and acute lower-respiratory-tract infections in young children in Brazil

A beneficial effect of periodic vitamin A supplementation on childhood mortality has been demonstrated, but the effect on morbidity is less clear. We investigated the effect of vitamin A supplementation on diarrhoea and acute lower-respiratory-tract infections (ALRI) in children from northeastern Brazil in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled community trial. 1240 children aged 6-48 months were assigned vitamin A or placebo every 4 months for 1 year. They were followed up at home three times a week, and data about the occurrence and severity of diarrhoea and ALRI were collected. Any child with cough and respiratory rate above 40 breaths per min was visited by a paediatrician. The overall incidence of diarrhoea episodes was significantly lower in the vitamin-A-supplemented group than in the placebo group (18.42 vs 19.58 x 10(-3) child-days; rate ratio 0.94 [95% Cl 0.90-0.98]). The benefit of supplementation was greater as regards severe episodes of diarrhoea; the incidence was 20% lower in the vitamin A group than in the placebo group (rate ratio 0.80 [0.65-0.98]). With the standard definition of diarrhoea (> or = 3 liquid or semi-liquid stools in 24 h) the effect of vitamin A on mean daily prevalence did not reach significance, but as the definition of diarrhoea was made more stringent (increasing number of stools per day), a significant benefit became apparent, reaching for diarrhoea with 6 or more liquid or semi-liquid stools in 24 h a 23% lower prevalence. We found no effect of vitamin A supplementation on the incidence of ALRI. The reduction in severity of diarrhoea may be the most important factor in the lowering of mortality by vitamin A supplementation.     

Unusual chromosomal organization of telomeric sequences and expeditious karyotypic differentiation in the recently evolved Mus terricolor complex

The Mus terricolor complex displays a stable homozygous arrangement of autosomal heterochromatin variations in the form of accretion of definitive autosomal short arms among three nonoverlapping populations, in concert with an expeditious evolutionary differentiation into three chromosomal species: M. terricolor I, II, and III. In contrast to the highly conservative M. musculus-like chromosomes in the coexisting sibling species, M. booduga, reshuffling and differentiation of centric heterochromatin has occurred in harmony with a revision of centric configurations, resulting in acrocentric and submetacentric autosomes. The chromosomal distribution of the prevalent vertebrate telomeric sequence (TTAGGG)n was examined by fluorescence in situ hybridization to metaphase cells of M. terricolor I, II, and III. An unusual centric organization of internal telomeric sequences was detected in all the submetacentric and acrocentric autosomes. An auxiliary role of these presumably fragile, recombinogenic telomeric sequences in the evolutionary revision of centric configurations in the terricolor complex is hypothesized.     

Effects of hypertonia on voltage-gated ion currents in freshly isolated hippocampal neurons, and on synaptic currents in neurons in hippocampal slices

A NAD-dependent mannitol dehydrogenase (MtlD) was purified to homogeneity from P. fluorescens DSM50106 and the N-terminal amino acid sequence was determined. An oligonucleotide deduced from this peptide sequence was used as a probe to isolate the mannitol dehydrogenase gene (mtlD) from a genomic library of P. fluorescens. Nucleotide sequence analysis of a 1.8 kb NruI fragment containing the entire mtlD gene revealed an open reading frame of 1482 bp encoding a protein with a calculated molecular weight of 54.49 kDa. The enzyme shared a high similarity with a mannitol dehydrogenase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides and a putative mannitol dehydrogenase of Saccharomyces cerevisae with an overall identity in amino acid sequence of 44% and 42%, respectively, whereas the similarity to mannitol-1-phosphate dehydrogenases of Escherichia coli or Enterococcus faecalis was only about 23% of identical amino acids. By construction of inducible expression plasmids the specific activity of the mannitol dehydrogenase synthesized in E. coli was increased from 0.02 U (mg protein)(-1) to 10 U (mg protein)(-1). After fusion of six histidine codons to the 3' end of mtlD gene and expression in E. coli active mannitol dehydrogenase could be purified in a two-step procedure by affinity chromatography using a Ni2+ matrix column. The purified enzyme exhibited a specific activity of 46 U (mg protein)(-1) and was shown to be a polyol dehydrogenase with a broad substrate spectrum oxidizing efficiently mannitol, sorbitol and arabitol.     

A prospective study of the effect of fundoplication on primary and secondary peristalsis in the esophagus

BACKGROUND: Delay of prenatal care is an important risk for poor birth outcome, yet its association with maternal knowledge and beliefs remains insufficiently studied. This research examined the relationship of unintended childbearing and beliefs about the importance of prenatal care with initiation after the first trimester, adjusting for key sociodemographic determinants. METHODS: One hundred fifty-four Texas hospitals accounting for 80 percent of state births were asked to collect surveys from all women delivering infants during a one-week interval in 1986. Seventy-four percent of hospitals and 70 percent of women participated (n = 2032). No differences occurred between the sample and the population on rates of delayed care and low birthweight or maternal demographics. RESULTS: Since delayed prenatal care is more frequent among low-income women, analyses were limited to those below the 200 percent poverty level. After adjustment for maternal age, marital status, education, parity, race, and health insurance status employing logistic regression, unintended births were 1.6 times more likely to involve delayed care. Mothers who believed prenatal care was unimportant were 2.1 times more likely to delay care. These coefficients exceeded or about equaled those for the covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Preconception education about the value of prenatal care and family planning programs to prevent unintended pregnancies should be conducted together with efforts to overcome financial and structural barriers if progress toward national prenatal care objectives is to be achieved.     

Inhibition of lipid peroxidation,cyclooxygenase enzyme and human tumor cell proliferation by compounds in herbal water

A powdered mixture of dried herbs, “Panamrutham”, is sold in India for the preparation of “herbal drinking water”. The hot water extract of this herbal mixture gave lipid peroxidation (LPO), cyclo‐oxygenase (COX‐1 and ‐2) enzyme and human tumor cell proliferation inhibitory activities between 25 and 250 μg/mL. The bioassay‐guided purification of the water extract afforded a novel compound (1), along with phenolics (2, 4, 6, and 7) and sesquiterpenoids (3 and 5). The isolates were evaluated for LPO, COX‐1 and ‐2 enzyme and human tumor cell proliferation inhibitory activities. At 25 μg/mL, compounds 1–7 inhibited LPO by 22–73% and COX‐1 and ‐2 enzymes by 3–14% and 14–74%, respectively. Compounds 5 and 6 at 25 μg/mL showed growth inhibition of colon, gastric, lung, breast and central nervous system human tumor cell lines by 60 and 67, 43 and 60, 24 and 64, 34 and 65, 6 and 27%, respectively. Compounds 2, 4 and 7 displayed weak or moderate growth inhibition of colon, gastric and breast human tumor cell lines. This is the first report on the LPO inhibitory activities of compounds 1 and 3–7 and the COX and tumor cell proliferation inhibitory activities of compounds 1, 3–5 and 7.     

Synthesis and characterization of hindered‐phenol‐containing amine moieties as antioxidants for polypropylene copolymers

(4‐Ethylphenyl)‐3,5‐ditertiarybutyl‐4‐hydroxybenzylamine, 1‐phenyl‐4‐(3,5‐ditertiarybutyl‐4‐hydroxybenzyl)piperazine, and 1‐(3,5‐ditertiarybutyl‐4‐hydroxybenzyl)piperidine were synthesized and characterized, and their performance in polypropylene copolymer (PPCP) was tested by multiple extrusions in a Brabender plasticorder. The thermooxidative stability of PPCP was assessed by the measurement of oxidative induction time at 200 ± 1°C, and the thermal stability was assessed by observation of the change in the melt flow rate. A comparative study of the synthesized antioxidants with the commercially available antioxidant 2,6‐ditertiarybutyl‐4‐methylphenol was made. The presence of phenolic and amino groups influenced the performance of the antioxidants. The performance of the antioxidants influenced the thermal stability of the PPCP. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1097–1103, 2004     

Effect of phenol end functional switching segments on the shape memory properties of epoxy‐cyanate ester system

The effect of phenol end functional shape memory oligomers on the shape memory properties of an epoxy‐cyanate ester resin system was examined. The basic resin system consisted of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) cured with bisphenol A dicyanate (BADC). For conferring the shape memory properties, the switching segment (SS) components selected are α, ω‐phenol‐terminated poly(tetramethyleneoxide) (PPTMO), poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PPCL), and poly(propylene glycol) (PPPG). Epoxy‐cyanate ester blend of defined composition was analyzed for thermal, mechanical, thermo‐mechanical, and shape memory properties at two concentrations of the three SSs. The transition temperature of heavily SS loaded matrix increased in the order: PPTMO < PPCL < PPPG commensurate with crystallizability of SS segments at ambient. For same reason flexural property showed an increasing trend. This is in league with the increased crystallizability of the shape memory polymer components. The shape fixity, recovery extent, and recovery time followed a reverse order: PPPG < PPCL < PPTMO. In contrast to the alcohol terminated shape memory components, phenol terminal groups were helpful in integrating the shape memory segments into the matrix by way of reaction with both epoxy and cyanate groups. The coreaction was conducive for achieving better shape memory properties and decreasing the transition temperature. A direct relation existed between the modulus ratio and the shape recovery property. Higher concentration of the SSs caused a diminution in transition temperature but enhanced the shape memory properties, though the mechanical properties were adversely affected. The shape recovery increased with increase in temperature. All polymers possessed good mechanical properties and thermal stability. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41196.